Hinduism in Greece

Hinduism in Greece has remained limited in influence in the modern era, though in recent years some aspects of Hinduism, such as Yoga, have gained popularity in Greece, and a Hindu temple opened in Athens. Contemporary followers of Hinduism are estimated at roughly 20,000 to 25,000, mostly among Hindu expatriates from India.Table: Religious Composition by Country, in Numbers Pew Research Center (December 2012) Satyananda Yoga and Sahaja Yoga branches started in Greece around 1970-80s, and Hindu ISKCON temple gained recognition in 2021 to hold feasts and prayers.

In 1992, one of the first Hindu ISKCON temples was opened in Athens, Greece, while the current ISKCON temple was opened in 2019, which was officially recognized in 2021.https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/after-forty-years-the-greek-government-finally-authorizes-iskcon-] Hindus have benefited from improved India-Greece relations, and with the establishment of the Athens Center for Indian and Indo-Hellenistic Studies in 2016 as a hub for 'interdisciplinary study and critical analysis'.

Earlier, in the ancient era, Hinduism and Buddhism had greater influence due to closer Ancient Greece–Ancient India relations and the Indo-Greek Kingdom around 200 BC. In the medieval period, there appears to be no record of Hinduism in Greece.Bruce Merry, Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature, oTurkocracy, p. 442. Modern Greek Indology began around 1786, when Greek scholar Dimitrios Galanos traveled to India and learned Sanskrit; his Greek translations of Hindu texts, including the Bhagavad Gita, were published posthumously around the 1850s.

History

Greek encounters with India and Hinduism date back to the ancient era. Niki Papageorgiou and Angeliki Ziaka, in the Handbook of Hinduism in Europe, trace these encounters to campaigns of Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic kingdoms that subsequently emerged in Bactria and north-western India. The Hindu scriptures, the Mahabharata and Ramayana also contain references to Yavanas, a term associated in this period with Greeks.

In the ancient era, Hinduism likely had greater influence due to closer Ancient Greece–Ancient India relations, including mythological aspects.Apollodorus, Library, 3.5.1-2 Megasthenes wrote about the prehistoric arrival of the god Dionysus in India, as did Apollodorus in Bibliotheca.

Indo-Greek Kingdom described a number of various Hellenistic states around 200 BC, ruling from regional capitals like Taxila, Sagala, Pushkalavati, and Bagram.Mortimer Wheeler Flames over Persepolis (London, 1968). Pp. 112 ff. It is unclear whether the Hellenistic street plan found by Sir John Marshall's excavations dates from the Indo-Greeks or from the Kushans, who would have encountered it in Bactria; Tarn (1951, pp. 137, 179) ascribes the initial move of Taxila to the hill of Sirkap to Demetrius I, but sees this as "not a Greek city but an Indian one"; not a polis or with a Hippodamian plan."Menander had his capital in Sagala" Bopearachchi, "Monnaies", p. 83.McEvilley supports Tarn on both points, citing Woodcock: "Menander was a Bactrian Greek king of the Euthydemid dynasty. His capital (was) at Sanghol in the Punjab, "in the country of the Yonakas (Greeks)"." McEvilley, p. 377. However, "Even if Sagala proves to be a city, it does not seem to be Menander's capital for the Milindapanha states that Menander came down to Sagala to meet Nagasena, just as the Ganges flows to the sea." Other centers are only hinted at; e.g. Ptolemy's Geographia and the nomenclature of later kings suggest that Theophilus in the south of the Indo-Greek sphere of influence may also have had a royal seat there at one time. The Greeks to the east of the Seleucid Empire were eventually divided to the Graeco-Bactrian Kingdom and the Indo-Greek Kingdoms in the North Western Indian Subcontinent.

During the medieval period, the present-day Greece was under the Ottoman Empire from the mid-15th century until the modern First Hellenic Republic was formed in 1822, and almost no record of Hinduism appears during that period.Bruce Merry, Encyclopedia of Modern Greek Literature, oTurkocracy, p. 442.

Modern Greek Indology began, in practice, with the Athenian scholar Dimitrios Galanos (1760–1833). Galanos traveled to Bengal in 1786, where he learned Sanskrit, and later settled in Varanasi. His translations were published posthumously by Georgios Typaldos in seven volumes between 1845 and 1853, including the Bhagavad Gita and Devi Mahatmya.

Indian migration to Greece gradually started in the early 1970s. Bringing with it increasing religious diversity. Interest in Indian religion and philosophy revived in Greece from the late 20th century. Papageorgiou and Ziaka distinguish groups focused on modern Hindu practice from those concerned with older Greek–Indian philosophical links. Institutional interest in Indian studies also grew in parallel. ELINEPA was founded in 2003.

Demographics There is a small Hindu community in Athens. There are 25,000 Indians in the city, most of whom are likely to be Hindus. Earlier in 2012, there were estimated 20,000 Hindus in Greece, according to a Pew survey.Table: Religious Composition by Country, in Numbers Pew Research Center (December 2012)

Many Indian migrants as well as students live in other cities such as Thessaloniki, Piraeus, Larissa, Volos and Patras. Hindu organisations ISKCON, Satyananda Yoga, Sahaja Yoga, Brahma Kumari and Sathya Sai Baba organizations are active in Greece.

In 1992, Italian ISKCON devotee Dayanidhi Prabhu brought Srila Prabhupada’s Murti to Athens and had an installation ceremony; in 2019, he opened the current temple in the center of Athens, giving classes every morning and evening and also holding Sunday feasts, subsequently getting all legal permissions from the Greek government in 2021.https://iskcondesiretree.com/profiles/blogs/after-forty-years-the-greek-government-finally-authorizes-iskcon-]

Sahaja Yoga Sahaja yoga was founded by Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi in 1970. "Saha" means "with" and "ja" means born, born with you and "yoga" is the union with the all-pervading power of Divine love. Another meaning of Sahaja is spontaneous. So, Sahaja yoga means spontaneous union with the Divine. It is a unique method of meditation by which one can achieve mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing.

In Sahaja yoga, self-realization is the key and a person gains his or her self-realization, when the kundalini energy within us is awakened.

Satyananda Yoga Yoga is gaining popularity in Greece, in particular the Satyananda Yoga and Sahaja Yoga branches. Satyananda Yoga was founded by Swami Satyananda. Swami Satyananda assigned Swami Sivamurti to carry the message of yoga to Greece. Through his inspiration and guidance, in 1978 Swami Sivamurti instituted Satyanandashram Hellas (beginning at Kalamata and then expanding to Athens, Thessaloniki and other parts of the Greek mainland and islands). The present Ashram of Satyanandashram Hellas was established in 1984 outside the town of Paiania and inaugurated by Swami Satyananda the following year. In 1984 and 1985 Swami Satyananda visited Greece and inspired countless aspirants with the ancient message, 'Know Thyself'. During these tours, he expounded the wisdom of yoga and tantra in a series of sublime and profound teachings on spiritual life, and revealed yoga as the priceless heritage of humanity.

Garuda Hellas publishing house was established in 2007 and is based in Thessaloniki, Greece. Small in size, Garuda Hellas offers clear educational and a personalized support through his books for each yoga student. It imports yoga books in English, primarily from the Bihar School of Yoga, India. Garuda Hellas also translates and publishes yoga books in Greek, so that the wisdom of yoga can be objectively and scientifically presented to all Greek speaking people.

ISKCON ISKCON (acronym for the International Society for Krishna Consciousness) has a few devotees in Greece. It has been active since 1970. In 2012, it was recognised by the Ministry of Religion. ISKCON has only one branch in Athens, Greece. ISKCON Greece has the status of a church, a "house of prayer" and is recognized as such from the Greek Ministry of Religion.

Social and cultural activities

India-Greece relations have improved since the establishment of the Athens Center for Indian and Indo-Hellenistic Studies in 2016 as a hub for 'interdisciplinary study and critical analysis' , which has been a positive development for Hindus immigrants in Greece.

On March 1, 2006, the Greek government passed a law allowing cremation. This law was welcomed by the Indian community in Athens.

Hinduism in Greece

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