Indian traditions he is seen to be God himself and
is treated as such; thus, his disciples may often
refer to their devotion to the “feet of the guru” or
their fealty to the “sandals [paduka]” of the guru.
(Touching of the feet in India is a sign of deep
respect.) So important is the guru that every year a
holiday, Gurupurnima, is celebrated. It takes place
on the full Moon in the lunar month of Ashadha
(June–July). It was dedicated originally to the sage
VYASA, who compiled the VEDAS and the MAHAB-
HARATA, but it is observed by worship or honoring
of one’s teachers and gurus.
The SIKH tradition, which was founded by
Guru Nanak in the 16th century, honors a line
of 10 gurus whose teachings form the core of the
tradition. The teachings were eventually gath-
ered together along with the teachings of certain
Indian saints into the Sikh sacred scripture, the
Granth Sahib or Guru Granth. Since then the
book has became the true “guru” for the Sikhs,
and none other has been recognized.
Further reading: M. G. Gupta, The Guru in Indian Mys-
ticism (Agra: M. G., 1994); Swami Muktananda, The
Perfect Relationship: The Guru and the Disciple, 2d ed.
(South Fallsburg, N.Y.: SYDA Foundation, 1999).
Gurupurnima See GURU.
Guyana
Guyana was the first country in the Western Hemi-
sphere to receive Hindu immigrants from India.
On May 5, 1838, the British ship Whitby docked
at Guyana’s Berbice Colony with 249 immigrants
on board, 164 of whom were East Indians bound
for the sugar plantations of Davidson, Barclay and
Company in Highbury and Waterloo. As many
immigrants to the Caribbean were, these East
Indians were contracted as indentured laborers to
fill the labor shortage that resulted from Britain’s
abolition of slavery in 1833. As newly freed Afri-
cans demanded higher wages and entered dif-
ferent labor markets, colonial officials turned to
India as a source of cheap labor.
Guyana attracted many from western Bihar,
eastern Uttar Pradesh, and other regions in north-
ern India that had been affected by famine and
poverty. Between 1838 and 1917, 238,960 Indian
men, women, and children immigrated to Guy-
ana. Most were farmers, but a small number of
educated Brahmins also arrived, despite British
policies aimed at preventing their passage. British
officials believed that Brahmins would incite dis-
sent among workers. As many as 75,000 inden-
tured servants returned to India at the completion
of their contracts. The rest remained and settled in
permanent colonies.
Hindus endured unfair treatment on the plan-
tations and were pressured to convert to Chris-
tianity. Work in the fields had no regard for the
needs of Hindu prayer, ritual, or religious ceremo-
nies. Hindus were sequestered, placed on separate
plantations, and allowed to leave designated areas
only with a validated pass. Long days in the field
left little time for other activities; workers quickly
adapted to certain patterns of Christian worship
and adopted Sunday as a day for Hindu prayer
and ritual.
During the 1850s Christian missionaries fre-
quently visited the settlements of Indians in
attempts to convert Hindus to Christianity. In
order to counter conversions Brahmin priests
began providing spiritual rites to all Hindus
regardless of caste. The rate of conversion to
Christianity slowed, but a breakdown of the tradi-
tional Indian caste system followed.
Official policy of the British colony barred
Hindus from employment in the civil service
unless they first became Christian; many Hindus
converted for this reason but privately continued
to practice Hinduism. Discrimination against Hin-
dus gradually subsided in the 1930s as the social
status of Indian immigrants improved.
Hindus who immigrated to Guyana took many
of the traditional forms of their religion. Although
these traditions were altered to suit the conditionsK 174 Gurupurnima