Encyclopedia of Hinduism

and circumstances of living in a multicultural
society, the fundamental differences among sects
found in India were reestablished in Guyana. The
most popular traditions in Guyana remain VAISH-
NAVISM and SHAIVISM. The largest Hindu organiza-
tion in the country, Guyana Sanathan Dharma
Maha Sabha, sustains most of the temples. Other
organizations such as the Guyana Pandits Soci-
ety maintain the tradition of Hindu orthodoxy
in Guyana. In the Vaishnaivite tradition, the
Ramayana is the main text of Hindus in Guyana;
it supports devotion to the deity HANUMAN and
an annual observance of Ramayan YAJNA. Among
Shaivite practitioners, daily observances include
bathing a SHIVA LINGAM. Small shrines and prayer
houses appear in front of homes throughout the
country. Temples are the sites of chanting, MEDITA-
TION, ritual, and worship.
As in Trinidad, DIVALI, the festival of lights, is
a national holiday in Guyana. Families and com-
munities prepare special foods and decorate their
homes and neighborhoods. Another Hindu cel-
ebration, HOLI, is also a national holiday. The holi-
day commemorates the lore about a traditional
king who was killed by his son. It represents the
triumph of good over evil and features the throw-
ing of red dye on family and friends, representing
the blood of the king.

Smaller groups following the Hindu faith have

emerged over recent decades, including the INTER-

NATIONAL SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS, the

SAT YA SAI BABA movement, and the ARYA SAMAJ.

Most notable is the Guyana Sevashram Sangha,

which was established in the mid-20th century

by Swami Purnananda (no dates). Purnananda

went to Guyana to foster Hinduism by teaching

the Hare Krishna mantra and publishing Aum Hin-

dutvam, a book to help guide Hindus in Guyana.

The Guyana Sevashram Sangha serves as the only

institution in the Caribbean that trains young

brahmacharis (spiritual students; see BRAHMACHA-

RYA) and is the first to produce its own swami,

Swami Vidyarand.

Approximately 280,000 Hindus make Guyana

their home. It is the second largest religion in the

country, after Christianity.

Further reading: D. A. Bisnauth, The Settlement of Indi-

ans in Guyana, 1890–1930 (London: Peepul Tree, 2000);

Hugh Desmond Hoyte, Hinduism, Religious Diversity

and Social Cohesion: The Guyana Experience (George-

town, British Guyana: Dynamic Graphics, 1987); Clem

Seecharan, India and the Shaping of the Indo-Guyanese

Imagination, 1890s–1920s (Leeds: Peepal Tree, 1993);

Steven Vertovec, The Hindu Diaspora: Comparative Pat-

terns (New York: Routledge, 2000).

Guyana 175 J