Hinduism in Germany

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The Hinduism in Germany has about 100,000 followers of the faith community. These include an estimated 42,000–45,000 Tamil Hindus from Sri Lanka , 35,000–40,000 Hindus of Indian origin, 7,500 Hindus of German or other European origin, and 5,000 Afghan Hindus.

Beginnings of interest in Hinduism

For a long time, Hinduism in Germany was almost only represented in the Indological and religious studies literature. As a religion, it was predominantly only present in the practice of the few z. B. Indians and Tamils living in Germany as traders, diplomats or restaurateurs . Since the 19th century there have been a small number of German supporters of Hindu reform movements. The reception of Hinduism in Germany had a powerful beginning in the context of German idealism and its religious philosophy with Hegel, the brothers AW and F. Schlegel, Herder, W. von Humboldt, A. Schopenhauer and others at the beginning of the 19th century religiously shaped from the start. It was on this basis that German Indology emerged , which, with Max Müller and Paul Deussen as important representatives in the late 19th century, opened up the sources of Hinduism and made them accessible in systematic presentations. Schopenhauer's quotation on the classical Hindu textbooks, the Upanishads , which Deussen placed in front of his edition of 60 Upanishads, testifies to this: “It is the most rewarding and uplifting reading that is ... possible in the world; it has been the consolation of my life and will be that of my death. "

Hare Krishna movement since the 1960s

This religion, which originates from the Indian subcontinent, was actively spread on a small scale in the 1960s and 1970s by members of the Hare Krishna movement who lived in monks and which the Christian churches then counted as one of the so-called youth religions . The first Hare Krishna temple in Germany was opened in Hamburg in 1970 . During this time, young Germans who traveled to India for spiritual and other reasons repeatedly turned to various groups of faith, mostly referred to as "sects" in Germany. So they joined in India z. Take, for example, the Neo-Sannyas movement, which then maintained communities in Germany.

Sri Sri Prahlada Narasimha Temple in Jandelsbrunn

One of the most important temples of the Hare Krishna movement in Central Europe, which was built around 1980, is the ISKCON temple in Jandelsbrunn , Lower Bavaria. The temple is the only temple outside of India, or in the west, dedicated exclusively to the 4th Vishnu- Avatara Narasimha Deva, the half-lion-half-human incarnation, who is especially venerated in South and Southeast India was consecrated to his devotee or Bhakta Prahlada Maharaja. In addition to members of ISKCON, the temple also attracts numerous visitors from the Indian communities in Germany and Austria, but also from across Europe and around the world. The temple with its traditional Vedic ceremonies is open to visitors every day.

Tamil communities since the 1980s

Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple in Uentrop

A large and stable Hindu community was formed from 1983 when around 60,000 Tamils immigrated to Germany as a result of the civil war in Sri Lanka . Of these, around 45,000 are practicing Hindus who also set up 24 small temples for their communities. Often these were simply redesigned basements or apartments.

Hindu temple in Uentrop

In 1993, Tamil believers in Hamm celebrated the annual temple festival with a public procession for the goddess Kamakshi . The festival, which takes place in May / June and every year attracted 15,000 to 20,000 believers from all over Europe, enabled the construction of a 27 by 27 meter Hindu Sri Kamadchi Ampal temple in the Hammer district of Uentrop with an area of ​​700 from 1997 to 2002 m². While the second largest Hindu temple in Europe, the Neasden Temple in London, was built in the North Indian style, this third largest Hindu temple in Europe is faithfully built in the Tamil style.

Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple in Berlin

Ganesha sculpture in the Museum of Indian Art, Berlin-Dahlem
Sri Muthumariamman Temple in Hanover

In Berlin, where around 6,000 Hindus from India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh live, according to information from the temple building community , the groundbreaking ceremony for a 4,600 m² temple complex was carried out in the Hasenheide public park in the Neukölln district in 2007 . The sponsoring association Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple e. V. plans to build the Sri Ganesha Hindu Temple in Berlin .

Sri Sittivinayagar Temple in Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt

The temple, which has been in Stuttgart for 12 years, is home to numerous gods, including the elephant god "Ganesha". This temple is located in the Bad Cannstatt city center, a few minutes' walk from the S-Bahn station.

Sri Mahamariamman Temple in Sulzbach-Altenwald

The Sri Mahamariamman Temple Saar was built in 1994 in the building and on the site of a former restaurant in Sulzbach- Altenwald . This makes it one of the oldest Hindu temples in Germany and the largest in the southwest in terms of area. The municipality includes the Saarland, Luxembourg and neighboring localities in France, Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. The temple is dedicated to Sri Maha Mariamman, the main Indian mother goddess. Believers see the goddess as their own mother. It ensures well-being and health, it is a companion in difficult days. Sri Maha Mariamman sits in the large, magnificent shrine in the middle of the room, is dressed in sumptuous robes and adorned with flowers. Deities such as Ganesha, Murugan, Shiva, Vairavar and others are also worshiped in shrines.

Kalyana Thiru Murugan Temple in Bielefeld

About twelve years ago, the Tamil Culture and Education Association, based in Bielefeld, bought the property at Begaweg 11. In 2006 the association submitted a building application to convert the rooms into a large prayer room. Work on this was completed in October 2012. Now the temple also has underfloor heating and was opened on January 27, 2012.

Sri Kurinchikumaran Temple in Gummersbach

In 2008, after the Sri Kamadchi Ampal Temple in Hamm, the largest Hindu temple in Germany in terms of area was completed in Gummersbach. It is named after the deity Murugan and the Kurinji plant .

Sri Muthumariamman Temple in Hanover

The Sri Muthumariamman Temple was inaugurated in Hanover in 2009 , with 140 m² it is the largest in northern Germany. It is located in a commercial area and has a very simple exterior.

Sri Sithivinayagar Hindu Temple in Nuremberg

In Nuremberg, the Sithivinayagar Temple was inaugurated in 1998 at Imbusstrasse 24 Nuremberg. This was the first Hindu temple in Bavaria with an area of ​​200 m². Due to insufficient space, the temple moved to Humboldtstrasse 103, 90459 Nuremberg in 2012 and was renamed "Sri Sithivinayagar Temple".

Venkateswara BNC.jpg

Sri Venkateswara Perumal Vishnu Temple in Hamm

In 2017, the Sri Venkateswara Perumal Vishnu and Krishna Temple in the Nassauerstr. 20 inaugurated. It is the only Venkateswara temple in Germany, based on the model of the Tirumala Tirupati Temple in India. There is an annual parade with around 1000 believers from Germany and abroad. The ceremonies are public and anyone who follows the principles of the temple can come for darshan.

Yoga movement

Yoga is widespread almost everywhere in Germany . The following statement by F. Eißler in the lexicon of the Evangelical Center for Weltanschauungsfragen (EZW) in 2009 gives an idea of ​​the numbers and dynamics of the yoga movement: “20 years ago there were around 2000 yoga teachers in Germany, today there are already significantly more than 10,000, the growth trend continues. "Some of them are organized in the" Professional Association of Yoga Teachers in Germany "(BDY since 1967, today approx. 2500 members) based in Göttingen and in the" Professional Association of Yoga Vidya Teachers "(BYV ), the second largest association in Germany based in Frankfurt a. M. and about 1400 members. Seven yoga associations founded the "German Yoga Umbrella Association" (DYV, Hamburg) in June 2007 in order to publicly represent the common interests and to maintain and promote the diversity of yoga. ". About yoga, its forms, teaching and Development, as well as its history in Germany, provides comprehensive information in a representative collection: The Way of Yoga - Handbook for Practitioners and Teachers. Yoga is mainly offered by private yoga schools and by around 750 adult education centers. By 1989, around 200,000 participants in 12,600 yoga COURSES participated Meanwhile, there are likely in Germany more than 1 million be comparison:... in the US, Yoga is practiced by about 8% of the population the notion that yoga only as a health-promoting gymnastics or as respiratory therapy and relaxation technique . practiced, overlooks the in yoga magazines and in the iconography and symbolism of many yoga schools recognizable references to the philosophies of classical and tantric yoga as well as Hinduism. In terms of religious studies, a syncretistic form of participation in Hinduism can be recognized here, which usually takes place below the threshold of complete identification. This appropriation often takes place on the basis of established esoteric ideas. A partial identification with Hindu beliefs, however, is unmistakable. This manifests itself in ritual openings of yoga lessons with mantra chanting. Anna Trökes, a prominent teacher of body-oriented hatha yoga, explains: “With the increasing spread of integral thinking in our time, which is accompanied by a decrease in fear of contact with everything that means spirituality, interests and needs now begin slowly shifting both the yoga teacher and the participants: some offer lessons that are more oriented towards spiritual and holistic content, others are more open to accepting this content. ”So turn again and again on this path Westerners to Hinduism too. The dynamics of the reception of yoga in connection with the absorption of Hindu ideas for two hundred years has been described knowledgeably and in detail by Philip Goldberg for American culture. This process took place in interactions with corresponding developments in Germany and led to similar results in the 20th century. On the Christian side, yoga is perceived in its religious dimension. Elements of yoga are adopted into Christian meditation practice on the basis of theoretical or practical agreement with Christian meditation teachings.

Hindu dance

A non-binding form of participation in Hinduism can be seen in the spread of various forms of classical Indian dance, in particular Bharatanatyam , Kathak , or Odissi . Bharatanatyam is a dance of myths whose diverse means of expression are also suitable for the representation of other religious subjects, whose origin lies in the Tamil temples and whose repertoire is essentially Hindu. Bharatanatyam and other styles of classical Indian religious dance are taught and publicly performed in many places in Germany.

literature

  • Martin Baumann, Brigitte Luchesi, Annette Wilke (eds.): Temples and Tamils ​​in their second home. Hindus from Sri Lanka in the German-speaking and Scandinavian regions . Ergon-Verlag, Würzburg 2003, 500 pages, 50 b / w and 24 color images.
  • Michael Klöcker , Udo Tworuschka : Handbook of Religions. Churches and other religious communities in Germany . Munich 1997ff, with four additional deliveries annually, e.g. Currently EL 31 (April 2012), with basic article “Hinduism in Germany” and current articles on the topic.
  • Eliade, Mircea, Yoga - Immortality and Freedom, Frankfurt, 1984: Suhrkamp, ​​(Original:, Le Yoga. Immortalité et Liberté, Paris, 1954: Librairie Payot)
  • Bäumer, Bettina, Vijnana Bhairava - The Divine Consciousness. 112 Sages of Mystical Experience in Shaivism from Kashmir, Frankfurt a. M., 2008: Insel Verlag (Publishing House of World Religions)
  • Eliade, Mircea, The Yoga of Patañjali. The origin of eastern wisdom practice (introduction by Michael von Brück), Freiburg i. B., 1999: Herder Verlag, (Original: Patanjali et le Yoga, Paris, 1962: Edition du Seuil)
  • Miller, Barbara Stoler (transl. And comm.), Yoga - Discipline of Freedom. The Yoga Sutra attributed to Patanjali, New York, 1998: Bantam Books
  • Professional Association of German Yoga Teachers (ed.), The Way of Yoga - Handbook for Practitioners and Teachers, Petersberg, (6th edition), 2009: Verlag Via Nova
  • Helmuth von Glasenapp , The Philosophy of Indians - An Introduction to Their History and Their Teachings, Stuttgart, (3rd edition), 1974
  • Easwran, Sri Eknath (transl., Introduction) The Upanishads, Munich, 2008: Arkana Verlag
  • Sharma, Arvind, Advaita Vedanta. Experience of absolute unity. Munich, 2006: Lotos Verlag
  • Wilfried Huchzermeyer : The Yoga Lexicon. Sanskrit - Asanas - Biographies - Hinduism - Mythology, Karlsruhe, 2011: Edition Sawitri
  • Haardt, Uwe and Beck, Matthias (ed.) Yoga and Breath: Pranayama special: Everything about yogic breathing techniques and the vital force of Prana, (Yoga - current, special No. 2,), Wiggensbach, 2012: Yoga Verlag GmbH ( http: //www.yoga-aktuell.de/ )
  • Von Brück, Michael, Unity of Reality. God, God Experience and Meditation in Hindu-Christian Dialogue, Munich, 1986: Christian Kaiser Verlag
  • Gentschy Michael, Yoga and Christian Spirituality - a work book, Munich, 1989: Pfeiffer Verlag
  • Goldberg, Philip, American Veda - From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation. How Indian Spirituality Changed the West, New York, 2010: Harmony Books
  • De Michelis, Elizabeth, A History of Modern Yoga - Patanjali and Western Esotericism, London, 2004: Continuum
  • Sriram, Anjali, The secret of Indian dance - lotus flowers open. The Indian dance Bharatanatyam as a way to self-development, Darmstadt, 2007: Schirner Verlag

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Numbers of members: Hinduism , in: Religionswissenschaftlicher Medien- und Informationsdienst e. V. (Abbreviation: REMID) , accessed on February 4, 2016
  2. ↑ remid.de
  3. ↑ web.uni-frankfurt.de
  4. ^ Helmuth von Glasenapp : The Philosophy of the Indians , Kröner Verlag, Stuttgart 1974, p. 16ff.
  5. ↑ Schopenhauer, A., Parerga II, § 185, in: Deussen, Paul, Sechzig Upanishad's des Veda - Translated from Sanskrit and provided with introductions and comments, Leipzig, (3rd edition) 1921: FA Brockhaus, p. VI
  6. ↑ Simhachalam ISKCON. Retrieved March 31, 2016 .
  7. ↑ Flyer  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF)@1@ 2Template: Toter Link / www.kamadchi-ampal.de  
  8. ↑ Peter Gärtner: "Our religion is open to everyone" Groundbreaking ceremony for the second largest Hindu temple in Europe in Berlin , in the Rhine Palatinate , November 5, 2007
  9. ↑ Der Tagesspiegel : Groundbreaking ceremony for Neukölln Hindu temple November 5, 2007
  10. ↑ Hindu temple opened on Nassauer Strasse. February 10, 2017, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  11. ↑ Temple festival in the middle of Hammer City. May 18, 2019, accessed July 26, 2020 .
  12. ^ Eißler, Friedemann, "Yoga" in Evangelical Center for Weltanschauungsfragen (EZW) (Ed.), Lexicon: http://www.ezw-berlin.de/html/3_150.php
  13. ↑ Professional Association of German Yoga Teachers (ed.), The Way of Yoga - Manual for Practitioners and Teachers, Petersberg, 2009.
  14. ↑ Art .: "American Yoga: How Many People Practice In The United States?" In: The Huffington Post, 12/07/2012 ,: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/06/american-yoga_n_2251360 .html
  15. ↑ z. B. byz.de
  16. ↑ Eliade, Mircea, The Yoga of Patañjali. The origin of eastern wisdom practice (introduction by Michael von Brück), Freiburg i. B., 1999: Herder Verlag, see: Miller, Barbara Stoler (transl. And comm.), Yoga - Discipline of Freedom. The Yoga Sutra attributed to Patanjali, New York, 1998: Bantam Books
  17. ↑ Bäumer, Bettina, Vijnana Bhairava - The Divine Consciousness. 112 Sages of Mystical Experience in Shaivism from Kashmir, Frankfurt a. M., 2008: Insel Verlag (Publishing House of World Religions)
  18. ↑ Haardt, Uwe and Beck, Matthias (ed.) Yoga and Breath: Pranayama special: Everything about yogic breathing techniques and the vital force of Prana, (Yoga - current, special No. 2,), Wiggensbach, 2012: Yoga Verlag GmbH ( http : //www.yoga-aktuell.de/ )
  19. ↑ Berner, Ulrich, Investigations on the use of the syncretism term, Wiesbaden, 1982: Otto Harrassowitz Vlg.
  20. ↑ z. For example: Voggenhuber, Pascal and Yilmaz, Bahar, Yoga Siddhis. The secret way to sensitivity and mediality, Munich, 2011: Lotos Verlag
  21. ^ De Michelis, Elizabeth, A History of Modern Yoga - Patanjali and Western Esotericism, London, 2004: Continuum
  22. ↑ z. E.g .: Astanga Yoga Opening Chant , Astanga Chant , meaning and origin of the Gayatri mantra Yogapad.de Jan… (PDF; 285 kB)
  23. ↑ Trökes, Anna, "Hatha-Yoga" in: Berufsverband Deutscher Yogalehrer (Ed.), The Way of Yoga - Handbook for Practitioners and Teachers, Petersberg, (6th edition), 2009: Verlag Via Nova, p. 97– 218, p. 97
  24. ↑ z. B. de.geocities.com ( Memento from July 27, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  25. ^ Goldberg, Philip, American Veda From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation. How Indian Spirituality Changed the West. New York, 2010: Harmony Books
  26. ↑ Gentschy Michael, yoga and Christian spirituality - a work book, Munich, 1989: Pfeiffer Publishing
  27. ↑ Sriram, Anjali, The Secret of Indian Dance - Lotus Flowers Open. The Indian dance Bharatanatyam as a way to self-development, Darmstadt, 2007: Schirner Verlag
  28. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated May 11, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.india-instruments.de

Web links

Portal: Hinduism  - Overview of Wikipedia content on the topic of Hinduism
Commons : Category: Hinduism  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files
Wiktionary: Hinduism  - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations