Hinduism Flourishes in Ghana

Source: www.news.bbc.co.uk
Saturday, July 24, 2010

GHANA,  : The air is filled with the sweet smell of incense burning in a corner of the huge hall. Wrapped in shiny bright clothes, statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses smile benevolently from the elevated platform. Sitting on the white marble floor a group of more than 50 men, women and children sing devotional Hindu songs. Nothing extraordinary about this scene,except that the temple is in Ghana and the devotees are all indigenous Africans.

The tall cone-shaped temple emerges out of the crowded neighborhood of Orkordi on the outskirts of the capital Accra. It can be easily identified-the holy Sanskrit “OM” shines on its top. Swami Ghanananda Sarawati established the temple in 1975.

The devotees here have no links with India and have never visited the country. Still they strictly follow religious rules and observe rituals in traditional Hindu way. They say they have all converted to Hinduism.

Today there are more than 2,000 indigenous African Hindus in Ghana. The total number of Hindus, including those from India, is much larger. Hindu religion was first introduced to Ghana by Sindhi settlers who migrated to Africa after India was divided in 1947.