Hinduism in New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Hinduism
is one of the fastest growing religions in New Zealand
. The number of Hindus has grown from 26,000 in 1996 to 39,627 in 2001. The recently conducted 2006 census showed the number of Hindus to be 64,557. The below image gives the details of 2001 census. (Note Percentage added over 100% due to more than one entry by mixed origin people.)
The population of Hindus has grown by 61.8%.
, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
, Lord Vishnu
and Goddess Lakshmi
, Lord Rama
and Goddess Seeta
, and Lord Hanuman
.
There is a Tamil-style Thirumurugan Temple in Ellerslie. The temple has Deities of Lord Ganesha, Lord Murugan
, Goddess Rajarajeswari Amman
, Lord Bhairava
and the Navagrahas (nine planets).
The Sri Ganesh Temple is located in Papakura. The temple has Deities of Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Lord Kamakshi, Lord Kartikeya (Murugan)and Parvati (Shakti).
There is also a Radha-Krishna Temple in Eden Terrace and a Ram Krishna Temple in Papatoetoe.
The International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation runs a Swaminarayan Temple in Auckland
. The main Deities are Ghanshyam Maharaj, Nar Narayan Dev, Radha Krishna Dev and Ram Parivar as well as Kul Devs of the local community.
Hindus can worship at the Kurinji Kumaran Temple in Newlands. It has Deities of Lord Ganesh, Lord Murugan and Lord Shiva (as Nataraja)and many more.
The Wellington Indian Association run a North Indian style Temple with Deities of Lord Rama, Goddess Seeta and Lakshmana, Goddess Radha
and Lord Krishna
, Goddess Durga
, Lord Shiva
and Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha and Lord Hanuman
.
also has a presence in New Zealand, running temples in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. The Auckland temple is located out of the city, and is built in the Vedic style with a tower over the main shrine.
The International Society of Krishna Consciousness run programs at the university Clubs and Socieites Centre.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
is one of the fastest growing religions in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The number of Hindus has grown from 26,000 in 1996 to 39,627 in 2001. The recently conducted 2006 census showed the number of Hindus to be 64,557. The below image gives the details of 2001 census. (Note Percentage added over 100% due to more than one entry by mixed origin people.)
The population of Hindus has grown by 61.8%.
Auckland
The Bharatiya Mandir is located in Balmoral and contains Deities of Lord GaneshaGanesha
Ganesha , also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati , Vinayaka , and Pillaiyar , is one of the deities best-known and most widely worshipped in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations...
, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati
Parvati
Parvati is a Hindu goddess. Parvati is Shakti, the wife of Shiva and the gentle aspect of Mahadevi, the Great Goddess...
, Lord Vishnu
Vishnu
Vishnu is the Supreme god in the Vaishnavite tradition of Hinduism. Smarta followers of Adi Shankara, among others, venerate Vishnu as one of the five primary forms of God....
and Goddess Lakshmi
Lakshmi
Lakshmi or Lakumi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity , light, wisdom, fortune, fertility, generosity and courage; and the embodiment of beauty, grace and charm. Representations of Lakshmi are also found in Jain monuments...
, Lord Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
and Goddess Seeta
SITA
SITA is a multinational information technology company specialising in providing IT and telecommunication services to the air transport industry...
, and Lord Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
.
There is a Tamil-style Thirumurugan Temple in Ellerslie. The temple has Deities of Lord Ganesha, Lord Murugan
Murugan
Murugan also called Kartikeya, Skanda and Subrahmanya, is a popular Hindu deity especially among Tamil Hindus, worshipped primarily in areas with Tamil influences, especially South India, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius and Reunion Island. His six most important shrines in India are the...
, Goddess Rajarajeswari Amman
Mariamman
Māri ,Tulu, also known as Mariamman , both meaning "Mother Mari", spelt also Maariamma , or simply Amman or Aatha is the South Indian Hindu goddess of disease and rain. She is the main South Indian mother goddess, predominant in the rural areas of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and...
, Lord Bhairava
Bhairava
Bhairava , sometimes known as Bhairo or Bhairon or Bhairadya or Bheruji , Kaala Bhairavar or Vairavar , is the fierce manifestation of Lord Shiva associated with annihilation...
and the Navagrahas (nine planets).
The Sri Ganesh Temple is located in Papakura. The temple has Deities of Lord Ganesha, Lord Shiva, Lord Kamakshi, Lord Kartikeya (Murugan)and Parvati (Shakti).
There is also a Radha-Krishna Temple in Eden Terrace and a Ram Krishna Temple in Papatoetoe.
The International Swaminarayan Satsang Organisation runs a Swaminarayan Temple in Auckland
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Auckland
The Swaminarayan Mandir in Auckland is the first Mandir of the Swaminarayan Sampraday in New Zealand...
. The main Deities are Ghanshyam Maharaj, Nar Narayan Dev, Radha Krishna Dev and Ram Parivar as well as Kul Devs of the local community.
Wellington
WellingtonWellington
Wellington is the capital city and third most populous urban area of New Zealand, although it is likely to have surpassed Christchurch due to the exodus following the Canterbury Earthquake. It is at the southwestern tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range...
Hindus can worship at the Kurinji Kumaran Temple in Newlands. It has Deities of Lord Ganesh, Lord Murugan and Lord Shiva (as Nataraja)and many more.
The Wellington Indian Association run a North Indian style Temple with Deities of Lord Rama, Goddess Seeta and Lakshmana, Goddess Radha
Radha
Radha , also called Radhika, Radharani and Radhikarani, is the childhood friend and lover of Krishna in the Bhagavata Purana, and the Gita Govinda of the Vaisnava traditions of Hinduism...
and Lord Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
, Goddess Durga
Durga
For the 1985 Hindi Film of Rajesh Khanna see DurgaaIn Hinduism, Durga ; ; meaning "the inaccessible" or "the invincible"; , durga) or Maa Durga "one who can redeem in situations of utmost distress" is a form of Devi, the supremely radiant goddess, depicted as having eighteen arms, riding a lion...
, Lord Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
and Goddess Parvati, Lord Ganesha and Lord Hanuman
Hanuman
Hanuman , is a Hindu deity, who is an ardent devotee of Rama, a central character in the Indian epic Ramayana and one of the dearest devotees of lord Rama. A general among the vanaras, an ape-like race of forest-dwellers, Hanuman is an incarnation of the divine and a disciple of Lord Rama in the...
.
Other locations
The International Society for Krishna ConsciousnessInternational Society for Krishna Consciousness
The International Society for Krishna Consciousness , known colloquially as the Hare Krishna movement, is a Gaudiya Vaishnava religious organization. It was founded in 1966 in New York City by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada...
also has a presence in New Zealand, running temples in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. The Auckland temple is located out of the city, and is built in the Vedic style with a tower over the main shrine.
The International Society of Krishna Consciousness run programs at the university Clubs and Socieites Centre.