Hinduism in Norway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
In Norway 0.50% of the total population are Hindus, of South Asian descent and around 75% of those are Tamil Hindus from Sri Lanka.
Contents |
[edit] Ethnic Background of Hindus in Norway
Diaspora Hindus in Norway include Tamil Families, Punjabi families, U.P families, Gujaratis and Bengalis.
Among the Sri Lankan Tamils, Hindus constituted a large number, around 5000-7000 persons.
[edit] Hindu Associations in Norway
Sanatan Mandir Sabha is a Hindu religious association in eastern Norway with around 900 members.
The Sanatan Mandir Sabha SMS was registered on April 14, 1988.
Gujaratis had formed a Gujarati cultural association in the Oslo area.
Tamil Cultural center for children who were born in or who have immigrated to Norway exists in Norway. This center has the following activities: 1) Teaching Tamil, 2) Teaching religion (Hinduism and Christianity), 3) Promoting drama, dance, music and sports.
[edit] Hindus Temples in Norway
Sanatan Mandir Sabha Temple is located at Slemmestad, outside of Oslo.
Attempts are made to make Sanatan Mandir Sabha the national temple for all Hindus in Norway, regardless of regional or sectarian background. Sanatan Mandir Sabha referred, as SMS hereafter is a registered religious society/ “trossamfunn”. SMS was formed in 1986/87 to establish and build place of worship i.e. Sanatan Mandir and to fulfill the religious and spiritual needs of the Hindu community of Norway. SMS was registered with the Fylkesmannen in Buskerud on 16 March 1988 as the first Hindu faith community in Norway. Sanatan Mandir was officially opened on June 15, 1997 after having Murti Sathapna and pranpartishtha rituals according to Vedas for 5 days.
Aims & Objectives
1. To promote advancement of Sanatan Dharma and develop religious and spiritual interest among Hindu community i.e. adult, youth & children.
2. To promote unity and integrity in the Norwegian Hindu community by cooperating with the Indian social, cultural and religious societies.
3. To provide correct and detailed information about Hindu religion to SMS members, Hindu community, schools, Government and other institutions.
History
A major part of the migration from India to Norway took place between 1971-74. They got settled in Oslo, Drammen, Fredrikstad and other parts of Norway. The idea of building a Hindu temple in this country was every Hindu's dream right from the beginning. Many people were already engaged in religious activities in various parts of Norway.
Some devotes took initiative to start Bhajan-kirtan while others started collecting funds. There were devotees who took initiatives to build temple in Fredrikstad. The funds collected in Oslo & Fredrikstad were later on donated to Sanatan mandir Sabha.
The idea of building a temple around Oslo and Drammen was given a practical shape during several meetings held in Drammen. Formal invitation and information was sent through local newspaper in Drammen. A 7-member committee was formed and the responsibility of the President of the committee was given to elderly and respected member of the Indian community in Drammen, Sh. Om Parkash Sharma. Sh. Madan Lal Gupta was selected for the post of Vice-President along with Sh. Raman Bhandari (Seretary), Sh. Kishori Lal Sharma (Cashier) sh. Vijay Rohtagi, Sh. Vijay Sharma and Sh. Shri Lal Sahajpal. Later on, Sh. Vijay Kalsi replaced Sh. Raman Bhandari as Secretary.
The utmost task for the committee in the beginning was to collect funds for the temple and enrol members. From the end of 1986, the members of the committee visited many households in Oslo, Drammen and surrounding areas to collect funds. The Hindu community responded positively and donated money for this important cause. There were other Indians who also donated for this cause. The committee members succeeded in collecting approx one million Kroner from 1986 to 1991. All these collections were deposited in a bank account with highest obtainable rate of interest. This amount in later stage aggrandized to approx three million Kroner including the interest. This was the time when committee worked very hard to collect funds and enrolled maximum of members.
Sanatan Mandir Sabha, Norway was registered as first Hindu religious community (trosamfunn) with the Fylkesmannen I Buskerud in March 1988.
For monthly kirtan-satsang, the committee rented premises at Vestli and for larger gatherings like Jagran, Akhand Ramayan Path and Dewali, committee used to hire premises at Rommen skole in Oslo and others in Drammen. First Bhagwati Jagran was held at Roman skole in August 1988 in Oslo with close cooperation with Sohan Lal Sharma. A by-monthly magazine named Sanatan Manch was also started with the initiative of Dr. Rajinder P Shukla.
Committee was originally interested in acquiring a piece of land to construct a temple. Since the temple building was to use for kirtan-satsang, jagran and other religious festivals, it was essential according to Norwegian laws that one could not disturb the neighborhood. Therefore, it was extremely important to acquire land which was a little secluded and could easily be approved by local authorities as a temple. The committee tried the best but all in vain. This task was also given to Lawyer and advertised in local newspapers. The most significant event in this regard was to negotiate purchase of land at Holmlia in Oslo. After processing this matter for a long time. Oslo Municipal Corporation could not finalize the deal and the money deposited as advance been returned with interest.
The committee was also interested in buying a suitable building, which could be renovated as temple. Many offers were considered, a church in Oslo, land at Rommen in Oslo and at Koppervikdalen in Drammen are few names worth mentioning. Finally, Mrs Raj Pathak, informed the committee regarding the Folkets Hus buildings at Slemmestad, which was on sale. The committee found this building suitable for temple activities. The site is located between Oslo and Drammen and easily accessible for devotes from the entire southeastern region. Considering all these advantages, the committee took the initiative and deal was finalized & signed on 29th January 1993. The building was bought and named Sanatan Mandir. Thus the dream of the entire Hindu community was realized at the end.
“Bhumi Puja” ceremony was held after acquiring the building for temple. Monthly kirtan-satsags were also moved from Vestli to Sanatan Mandir. A general assembly was first time held in Sanatan Mandir Sabha's own premises which was attended by a large number of members.
A construction/building committee was formed to renovate/rebuild the whole building under the leadership of Sh. Mangat Rai Sharma. After through planning, the construction work started in May 1993 and completed in summer 1994. Simultaneously, a constitution committee led by Sh. Surinder Nath Joshi was formed to propose statute for a new democratic constitution for Sanatan Mandir Sabha. After completion, copies of the new constitution was sent to all members for their comments. The new constitution dually adopted at the Generalbody meeting held at Sanatan Mandir in 1995.
The first democratic elections of the Sanatan Mandir Sabha took place in December 1995. A new Executive committee was elected with Sh. M.R. Sharma as President, Sh. Abnash Gupta as Vice-President, Sh. Randhir K Kohli as Secretary, sh. Kewal Krishan as Deputy Secretary, Sh. Vijay Saggar as Cashier. Sh. Arun Sharma, Sh. Vinod K Sarna, Sh. Ashok K Sharma and Sh. Sunil K Sharma were elected as executive members. Five Governors, Sh. Harinder Sharma, Sh. Subhash Sharma, Sh. Parshotam L Verma, Sh. Subhas Gupta and Sh. Shashi Rawal were elected to the board of governors.
The Executive committee decided to send two of its members, Sh. Abnash Gupta and Sh. Randhir Kohli to order the markana marble Murties i.e. Sh. Ram Darbar, Sh. Radha- Krishan and Ma Bhagwati from Jaipur, India. Murties reached Oslo in the end of April 1997 by ship.
Murti Sthapna Committee was formed in Feb 1997 to organize all activities concerning Murti Sthapna & Pranpartishtha which was scheduled from 11-15 June 1997. Murti & Pranpartishtha mahotsav been completed according to Vedic rituals and officiated by Acharya Surinder Dutt Shastri, Head priest of Vaishno Devi Temple, Oakville Canada, Sh. Hari Ram Jyotishi and Sh. Ram Subhag Pandey from India. Special dignitaries i.e. Bramrishi Vishwa Atma Bawra ji, Uma Shri Bharti ji and Sh. Chaman Lal Gupta MP were invited from India.
Executive committee
President - Sh. Harkesh sharma, Vice President - Sh. Jai Kishan Gosain, Sek. - Sh. Vijay K. Sangar, Member - Smt. Usha vishwanathan, Member - Smt. Sumiti Sharma, Member - Sh. Surindar Agnihotri, Projekt - Sh. Ram Swaroop sharma, Member - Sh. Ravi Aggarawal, Cashier - Sh. Harvindar Prashar.
mandir.no
[edit] Main Festival of Hindus of Norway
Diwali is celebrated in Norway.
Hindus in Norway, mainly Tamil Hindus from Sri Lanka, celebrate the 12 day annual temple festival, the Mahotsav of which processions is the main feature. It is the main annual ritual gathering of the Tamil Hindus in Norway.
[edit] Hindu Organisations in Norway
Vishwa Hindu Parishad is registered in Norway.
ISKCON has a Centre in Norway Address- Oslo, Norway, Jonsrudvej 1G, 0274, Oslode presence.
[edit] External links
- International Religious Freedom Report 2006, Norway
- Sanatan Mandir Sabha Hindu temple in Slemmestad
- A New Voice in European Hinduism. Rooting Tamil Traditions from Sri Lanka
- Processions, Public Space and Sacred Space in the Sri Lankan Tamil Diaspora in Norway
|
|||||||||||
