Hinduism in Punjab, Pakistan

Hinduism is a minority religion in Punjab province of Pakistan followed by about 0.19% of its population. Punjab has the second largest number of Hindus in Pakistan after Sindh. Hinduism is followed mainly in the districts of Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Sialkot.

Hinduism has a strong historical presence in Punjab with many mandirs, shrines (samadhis), alongside various religious traditions and texts that were developed in the region. According to the 1941 census, Punjabi Hindus constituted approximately 13.7 percent of the population in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, Pakistan. With violence and religious cleansing accompanying the partition of India in 1947, the vast majority departed the region en masse, primarily migrating eastward to Delhi and the region of Punjab that would fall on the eastern side of the Radcliffe Line, in the contemporary Indian states of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh.

History

Ancient era Hinduism is the oldest recorded religion practiced by the Punjabi people. The Rig Veda, the oldest and most sacred Hindu text, is believed to have been composed in the Punjab region of modern-day Pakistan (and India) on the banks of the Indus River around 1500 BCE. The Punjab region also features heavily in the Mahabharata. According to Hindu religious texts, Multan was founded by the Hindu sage Kashyapa and also asserts Multan as the capital of the Trigarta Kingdom ruled by the Katoch dynasty at the time of the Kurukshetra War that is central the Hindu epic poem, the Mahabharata. Historically, the Hindus of Punjab followed mainly a Brahminical form of Hinduism. The Prahladpuri Temple in Multan is believed to be constructed by Prahlada in honor of Narasimha. Most of the Hindus in Punjab once also had also influence of Sikhism on their culture and lifestyle. Nanakpanthis are the Hindus who follows the teaching of Sikh guru, Guru Nanak.

Colonial era By the early 20th century, Western Punjab (present-day Punjab, Pakistan) had a Punjabi Muslim majority population (primarily supporting the Muslim League and Pakistan Movement) but also included significant Punjabi Hindu and Punjabi Sikh minority populations.

According to the 1941 census, Punjabi Hindus constituted approximately 13.7 percent of the population in the region that comprises the contemporary state of Punjab, Pakistan, numbering around 2.4 million persons. Following the partition of Punjab, according to the 1951 census, the Hindu population declined to 33,052 persons or 0.2 percent due to religious cleansing violence alongside large-scale mass migration and population transfer to East Punjab, India and Delhi in the violent events of partition of India.

With the formation of independent Pakistan and India during the partition of India in 1947, approximately 3 million Punjabi Hindus migrated to India.

Demographics

Colonial era + Hindus in the administrative divisions that compose the contemporary Punjab, Pakistan region (1881–1941)District or Princely State188119011911192119311941 Sialkot District 299,311 302,012 242,325 217,912 206,421 231,319 Lahore District 193,319 276,375 217,609 255,690 259,725 284,689 Gujranwala District 127,322 169,594 176,075 101,566 92,764 108,115 Multan District 112,001 133,560 126,603 134,013 182,029 249,872 Shakargarh Tehsil 109,241 111,819 93,052 90,645 101,318 116,553 Bahawalpur State 91,272 114,670 109,548 114,621 149,454 174,408 Rawalpindi District 86,162 86,269 48,449 57,185 59,485 82,478 Montgomery District 83,974 109,945 66,803 94,791 136,783 210,966 Gujrat District 72,450 69,346 49,430 62,529 73,356 84,643 Jhang District 64,892 79,650 73,426 85,339 102,990 129,889 Jhelum District 60,949 51,801 34,261 34,837 36,068 40,888 Shahpur District 59,026 68,489 72,695 82,182 90,561 102,172 Dera Ghazi Khan District 46,697 57,815 56,485 56,346 57,217 67,407 Muzaffargarh District 43,297 52,221 68,158 69,878 72,577 90,643 Lyallpur District 210,459 154,603 181,488 173,344 204,059 Mianwali District 50,202 36,326 45,974 49,794 62,814 Biloch Trans–Frontier Tract 136 169 180 173 160 Attock District 19,741 26,184 31,932 43,209 Sheikhupura District 85,781 81,887 89,182 Total Hindus 1,449,913 1,944,363 1,645,758 1,797,141 1,957,878 2,373,466 Total Population 7,942,399 10,427,765 11,104,585 11,888,985 14,040,798 17,350,103

Modern era According to the 2023 Census, Hinduism is followed by 0.2 percent of the population, which is roughly the same proportion as reported in the 2017 Census. There are 249,716 Hindus in Punjab. However according to the Pakistan Hindu Council, there are 349,230 Hindus in Punjab.

According to estimates in religious minorities in Pakistan's elections, there are above 50,000 or more in 11 districts in Pakistan. All of these are in Sindh except the Rahim Yar Khan District in Punjab and is the only district in Punjab with more than 2% of its population as Hindu.

About 90% of the Hindus in Punjab province live in Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur.

+ Hindus in the administrative divisions in Punjab, Pakistan (1951–2023)District195120172023 Sialkot District 14,397 2,870 3,195 Rahim Yar Khan District 10,755 150,093 176,416 Lahore District 2,433 2,670 2,811 Bahawalpur District 1,916 41,051 48,684 Gujranwala District 1,211 287 1,033 Faisalabad District 888 598 2,150 Sheikhupura District 461 323 820 Attock District 308 575 501 Multan District 151 2,366 1,709 Rawalpindi District 114 1,244 1,013 Gujrat District 99 120 217 Sahiwal District 90 297 217 Jhelum District 72 356 343 Jhang District 69 195 73 Sargodha District 58 141 456 Muzaffargarh District 24 733 716 Dera Ghazi Khan District 6 248 166 Mianwali District 0 21 63 Bahawalnagar District 2,631 3,106 Rajanpur District 1,442 1,030 Narowal District 657 833 Layyah District 553 252 Mandi Bahauddin District 357 326 Khanewal District 297 304 Nankana Sahib District 245 1,196 Kasur District 243 475 Okara District 214 214 Chakwal District 187 142 Vehari District 179 226 Toba Tek Singh District 123 279 Pakpattan District 97 61 Lodhran District 93 97 Chiniot District 62 132 Hafizabad District 48 380 Bhakkar District 13 25 Khushab District 12 55 Total Hindus 33,052 211,641 249,716 Total responses 20,636,702 109,989,655 127,333,305 Total population 20,651,140 109,989,655 127,688,922

Tehsil wise Hindu population (2023) Tehsils where Hindus form greater than 0.5% of the population are shown below. These tehsils constitute about 90% of the Hindus living in Punjab province. District Tehsil Hindu population Hindu (%) Bahawalpur Ahmadpur East 7,421 0.57 Bahawalpur Yazman 37,221 5.42 Rahim Yar Khan Khanpur 26,237 2.24 Rahim Yar Khan Liaquatpur 17,260 1.40 Rahim Yar Khan Rahim Yar Khan 85,134 4.79 Rahim Yar Khan Sadiqabad 47,785 3.46 Community life Hindus in Punjab is mainly concentrated in the Bahawalpur Division. According to a study, the majority (86.5%) of the scheduled caste Hindus in Bahawalpur Division have experienced discrimination. The study found that majority (i.e. 91.5%) of the respondents in Rahimyar Khan districts believed that political parties are not giving importance to them. In Central Punjab, the population of Hindus are very low, so many of the Hindus have married Sikhs and vice versa. Intermarriages between the Hindus and Sikh community are very common there. The Forced conversion of Hindu girls are a problem faced by the Hindu community. According to a report by Minority Rights Commission, the number of forced conversions and forced marriages increasing in Bahawalpur Division, particularly the Rahim Yar Khan District and adjacent areas.

Hindu marriages in Punjab are registered under the Hindu marriage act of 2017.

Goga pir mela and Rama pir mela are major festivals in the Bahawalpur region. There have also been incidents of temple desecration like the 2021 Bhong temple attack.

Politics

Punjab Assembly has eight reserved seats for non-Muslims and most of them are Christians. In 1997, the Seth Bharta Ram became the first Hindu to be elected to the minority reserved seat in Punjab Provincial assembly. It was only after 16 years, another Hindu member Kanji Ram was elected to the provincial assembly. Currently there are no Hindu member in the 17th Punjab provincial assembly.

Hindus form a significant electoral role in the assembly seats of Rahim Yar Khan District.

Temples

There are many temples in the Punjab and mainly of them served as a worship place for multi-religious community. The notable of them includes: Baba Ram Thaman Shrine Katas Raj Temples Krishna Temple, Rawalpindi Krishna Temple, Sadiqabad Multan Sun Temple Prahladpuri Temple, Multan Shivala Teja Singh temple Tilla Jogian Valmiki Mandir Kala Dhari Mandir Kalyan Das Temple

Hinduism in Punjab, Pakistan

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