domestic servants. The first immigrants from
India arrived in New South Wales in 1830 on
a trade ship from the Bay of Bengal to work as
laborers on cotton and sugar plantations. Others
followed sporadically until 1857, when a gold
rush on the continent attracted a steady flow of
Asian workers. Most Indian laborers were males,
who arrived without their families and returned
to India once their labor contracts were fulfilled.
Some, however, remained in Australia and made
a place for themselves and their families. Some
became prosperous, such as Sri Pammull, an
Indian merchant, who in the 1850s entered the
opal trade in Melbourne and established a suc-
cessful family business that has continued for four
generations.
Approximately 1,000 Hindus resided in
Australia at the time immigration restrictions
were enacted. Most observed their religion pri-
vately at shrines within their homes, as formal
places of worship had not yet been established.
Although immigration restrictions limited the
number of immigrants from India, the laws did
not prevent adoption of Hinduism by white set-
tlers. Between 1890 and 1920 an enthusiasm
for Eastern mysticism spread in Australia. Spiri-
tual dissenters, intellectuals, and artists from
the middle class promoted the establishment
of centers of THEOSOPHY. In the 1890s Charles
Leadbeater founded the Theosophical Lodge
in Sydney, which eventually became one of the
largest Theosophical centers in the world. Theo-
sophical lodges served as resource centers for
YOGA, sites for lectures on Eastern wisdom, and
sponsors of bookstores that disseminated works
on Buddhist and Hindu thought. Theosophical
lodges served as cultural centers for white Aus-
tralians who sought introduction to and assimi-
lation of Eastern spirituality.
After the immigration restrictions were lifted
in the 1960s and 1970s, the population of
Hindus, primarily from India, Sri Lanka, and
Fiji, grew dramatically. The new arrivals estab-
lished strong communities and maintained tra-
ditional Hinduism. In 1977, Australia’s first
Hindu temple, Sri Mandir, was established by
Dr. Padmanabhan Shridhar Prabhu, Dr. Anand,
and Prem Shankar. Sri Mandir has served as a
center for Hindu festivals and has propagated
Hindu culture and philosophy among Indians
and non-Indians.
Today, many Hindu organizations and yoga
schools are part of the culture of Australia, includ-
ing the VEDANTA SOCIETY, SIDDHA YOGA FOUNDA-
TION, DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY, and the INTERNATIONAL
SOCIETY FOR KRISHNA CONSCIOUSNESS. Australian-
born adherents have also participated in the propa-
gation of Hindu teachings. John Mumford, known
as Swami Anandakapila, has become instrumental
in popularizing TANTRIC YOGA through the INTER-
NATIONAL YOGA FELLOWSHIP.
The current growth in Australia’s Hindu
population and the continuing interest in Hin-
duism among those of European origin have cre-
ated a sort of renaissance of Hindu thought and
practice. In the 1990s Hinduism became one of
the country’s fastest growing religions. Accord-
ing to current census reports approximately
95,000 people in Australia identify themselves
as Hindu.Further reading: Purusottama Bilimoria, Hinduism in
Australia: Mandala for the Gods (Melbourne: Spectrum,
1989); ———, Hindus and Sikhs in Australia (Canberra:
A. G. P. S., 1996); Marie M. De Lepervanche, Indians in
a White Australia (Boston: G. Allen & Unwin, 1984).avadhuta
An avadhuta is a type of SADHU or wandering men-
dicant. The term refers to different populations
in different parts of India. In Bengal the BAULS are
referred to as avadhutas. In the NAT H sect founded
by GORAKHNATH, the avadhuta is someone who has
reached the highest state of spiritual development.
In Maharashtra and in Gujarat the Avadhuta is the
single Guru-God DATTATREYA.K 56 avadhuta