Hinduism in Sindh
Overview of Hinduism in the Sindh province of Pakistan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hinduism is the second-largest religion in Sindh, numbering 4.9 million people and comprising 8.8 percent of the province's population in the 2023 Pakistani census. Sindh has the largest population and the highest percentage of Hindus in Pakistan.[1] Sindh has the Shri Ramapir Temple, whose annual festival is the country's second-largest Hindu festival[2] (after the Hinglaj Yatra).[3]
Devotee at Karachi's Panchmukhi Hanuman Temple | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
 4,901,407 (2023) 8.81% of the Sindh population | |
| Scriptures | |
| Bhagavad Gita, Vedas | |
| Languages | |
| Sanskrit (sacred) Sindhi, Dhatki (majority) Urdu and other languages (minority) |
History
The region and its rulers play an important role in the Hindu epic, Mahabharata.[4][5] Hinduism and Buddhism were the predominant religions in Sindh before the arrival of Islam,[6] when a number of Hindu castes and communities occupied the region. Many ancient Hindu temples still exist; many Hindu dynasties,[7] including the Gupta, Pala, Kushan and Hindu Shahis, ruled the region before Muhammad ibn Qasim led the Umayyad army in the Islamic conquest of Sindh.[8] The region still had a Hindu majority, but repeated campaigns and persecution by the Delhi Sultanate led to a gradual decrease in the Hindu population and an increased number of Muslims. Hindus were a minority in the region at the time of the Mughal Empire.[9] After the formation of Pakistan, most of the remaining Hindus migrated to India.[6]
Demographics
| Year | Number | Percent | Increase | Growth | Source(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1872 | 475,848 | 21.7% | - | - | [10] |
| 1881 | 544,848 | 21.43% | -0.27% | +14.50% | [11] |
| 1891 | 674,371 | 22.45% | +1.02% | +23.77% | [12] |
| 1901 | 787,683 | 23.1% | +0.65% | +16.80% | [13] |
| 1911 | 877,313 | 23.47% | +0.37% | +11.38% | [14] |
| 1921 | 876,629 | 25.24% | +1.77% | -0.08% | [15] |
| 1931 | 1,055,119 | 25.65% | +0.41% | +20.36% | [16] |
| 1941 | 1,279,530 | 26.43% | +0.78% | +21.27% | [17] |
| 1951 | 482,560 | 7.98% | -18.45% | -62.29% | [18][19] |
| 1961 | 568,530 | 6.64% | -1.34% | +17.82% | [20][21] |
| 1972 | 815,452 | 5.76% | -0.88% | +43.43% | [22][23] |
| 1981 | 1,221,961 | 6.42% | +0.66% | +49.85% | [24][25][26] |
| 1998 | 2,280,842 | 7.49% | +1.07% | +86.65% | [27] |
| 2017 | 4,176,986 | 8.73% | +1.24% | +83.13% | [28][29] |
| 2023 | 4,901,407 | 8.81% | +0.08% | +17.34% | [30] |
Colonial era
| District or Princely State | 1872[10] | 1881[11] | 1891[12] | 1901[13] | 1911[14] | 1921[15] | 1931[16] | 1941[17] | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Hyderabad District | 163,222 | 22.61% | 159,515 | 21.14% | 204,785 | 22.29% | 242,692 | 24.54% | 246,008 | 23.72% | 160,211 | 27.94% | 198,684 | 29.97% | 245,849 | 32.4% |
| Shikarpur District/ Sukkur District[a] |
147,224 | 18.97% | 167,896 | 19.68% | 185,813 | 20.3% | 218,829 | 21.49% | 155,156 | 27.03% | 148,188 | 29.04% | 177,467 | 28.45% | 195,458 | 28.22% |
| Tharparkar District | 84,112 | 46.53% | 93,094 | 45.78% | 132,468 | 44.42% | 151,726 | 41.7% | 196,793 | 43.08% | 176,026 | 44.41% | 218,850 | 46.76% | 247,496 | 42.6% |
| Karachi District | 72,513 | 17.12% | 82,860 | 17.31% | 103,589 | 18.34% | 115,240 | 18.96% | 111,748 | 21.42% | 138,485 | 25.55% | 162,111 | 24.93% | 222,597 | 31.18% |
| Upper Sind Frontier District | 8,777 | 9.75% | 14,756 | 11.88% | 18,816 | 10.78% | 22,765 | 9.81% | 26,495 | 10.07% | 23,855 | 9.91% | 29,174 | 10% | 28,664 | 9.43% |
| Khairpur State | N/a | N/a | 26,727 | 20.69% | 28,900 | 21.9% | 36,431 | 18.28% | 39,426 | 17.62% | 35,362 | 18.31% | 39,894 | 17.56% | 49,604 | 16.22% |
| Larkana District | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 101,687 | 15.39% | 97,154 | 16.25% | 113,040 | 16.29% | 91,062 | 17.81% |
| Nawabshah District | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 97,348 | 23.25% | 115,899 | 23.34% | 140,428 | 24.04% |
| Dadu District | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 58,372 | 14.99% |
| Total Hindus | 475,848 | 21.7% | 544,848 | 21.43% | 674,371 | 22.45% | 787,683 | 23.1% | 877,313 | 23.47% | 876,629 | 25.24% | 1,055,119 | 25.65% | 1,279,530 | 26.43% |
| Total Population | 2,192,415 | 100% | 2,542,976 | 100% | 3,003,711 | 100% | 3,410,223 | 100% | 3,737,223 | 100% | 3,472,508 | 100% | 4,114,253 | 100% | 4,840,795 | 100% |
| Urban area | 1881[11] | 1891[12] | 1901[13] | 1911[14] | 1921[15] | 1931[16] | 1941[17] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Karachi | 29,398 | 39.96% | 44,651 | 42.44% | 48,169 | 41.29% | 66,253 | 43.62% | 100,867 | 46.51% | 120,730 | 45.81% | 192,867 | 49.88% |
| Shikarpur | 25,942 | 61.05% | 25,852 | 61.55% | 31,589 | 63.83% | 35,171 | 65.2% | 34,569 | 62.28% | 39,605 | 63.36% | 40,680 | 64.83% |
| Hyderabad | 25,838 | 53.66% | 33,559 | 57.81% | 43,499 | 62.7% | 49,732 | 65.48% | 55,176 | 67.42% | 70,404 | 69.23% | 96,625 | 71.74% |
| Sukkur | 12,838 | 46.87% | 16,945 | 57.83% | 19,313 | 61.67% | 21,392 | 60.61% | 25,368 | 59.33% | 38,890 | 56.14% | 46,467 | 69.91% |
| Larkana | 5,779 | 43.82% | 6,422 | 53.43% | 8,314 | 57.17% | 9,601 | 59.64% | 10,727 | 60.53% | 15,696 | 58.48% | 19,949 | 71.03% |
| Jacobabad | 4,744 | 41.79% | 5,473 | 44.15% | 4,762 | 44.15% | 6,339 | 55.8% | 5,244 | 49.55% | 7,850 | 49.85% | 11,561 | 53.55% |
| Rohri | 5,272 | 51.56% | 5,276 | 60.05% | 5,971 | 62.61% | 6,782 | 68.37% | 6,314 | 55.49% | 9,709 | 57.45% | 10,460 | 71.05% |
| Thatta | 4,348 | 49.24% | 4,148 | 46.25% | 5,598 | 51.92% | 5,644 | 50.57% | 3,980 | 46.99% | 4,442 | 46.1% | 4,055 | 49.08% |
| Garhi Yasin | 3,147 | 56.79% | 3,606 | 60.51% | 4,068 | 62.07% | 4,312 | 65.84% | 3,826 | 60.02% | 4,295 | 58.28% | 5,426 | 64.62% |
| Kotri | 2,685 | 30.09% | 2,340 | 29.59% | 2,279 | 29.92% | 2,338 | 32.22% | 2,635 | 28.9% | 3,527 | 35.15% | 4,538 | 45.48% |
| Qambar | 1,858 | 30.3% | 1,999 | 37.43% | 1,525 | 31.72% | 2,302 | 36.62% | 2,475 | 32.51% | 3,421 | 35.21% | 5,361 | 45.9% |
| Matiari | 809 | 16.01% | 1,058 | 18.19% | 1,403 | 21.23% | 1,449 | 22.34% | 1,117 | 24.08% | 1,778 | 26.57% | 1,575 | 26.65% |
| Tando Adam Khan | N/a | N/a | 3,353 | 66.62% | 6,187 | 71.41% | 7,550 | 75.4% | 9,315 | 71.84% | 10,206 | 75.77% | 14,049 | 81.52% |
| Khairpur | N/a | N/a | 2,862 | 45.87% | 5,138 | 36.66% | 5,269 | 35.15% | 5,046 | 32.06% | 3,855 | 33.28% | 7,786 | 44.47% |
| Umerkot | N/a | N/a | 2,768 | 74.77% | 3,884 | 78.88% | 3,274 | 82.28% | 3,140 | 74.78% | 2,850 | 74.2% | 3,218 | 75.27% |
| Mithi | N/a | N/a | 2,660 | 88.93% | 2,448 | 87.24% | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| Tando Allahyar | N/a | N/a | 2,566 | 59.56% | 2,843 | 65.75% | 2,856 | 66.62% | 3,664 | 61.32% | 3,676 | 71.43% | 6,622 | 78.78% |
| Sehwan | N/a | N/a | 2,127 | 46% | 2,477 | 47.23% | 2,223 | 46.81% | 1,928 | 43.59% | 2,007 | 34.63% | 2,145 | 49.15% |
| Tando Muhammad Khan | N/a | N/a | 2,044 | 49.54% | 2,462 | 53.12% | 2,583 | 51.89% | 2,795 | 53.51% | 3,676 | 55.48% | 5,748 | 65.93% |
| Ghotki | N/a | N/a | 1,937 | 59.73% | 2,349 | 61.48% | 2,236 | 65.19% | 2,176 | 61.54% | 3,142 | 65.11% | 3,701 | 70.68% |
| Hala | N/a | N/a | 1,715 | 33.91% | 1,596 | 32.02% | 2,047 | 34.97% | 2,137 | 37.12% | 2,283 | 31.26% | 2,597 | 32.61% |
| Ratodero | N/a | N/a | 1,559 | 43.93% | 2,105 | 49.17% | 2,963 | 54.76% | 3,303 | 59.35% | 4,677 | 64.2% | 7,515 | 75.72% |
| Naserpur | N/a | N/a | 1,087 | 27.77% | 1,374 | 30.46% | 1,552 | 35.74% | 1,541 | 37% | 1,510 | 35.5% | 1,279 | 35.43% |
| Manjhand | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 1,847 | 64.54% | 1,817 | 64.02% | 1,832 | 58.96% | 1,492 | 54.33% | 1,972 | 65.19% |
| Bubak | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 1,829 | 55.42% | 1,777 | 55.07% | 1,684 | 59.72% | 1,697 | 56.53% | N/a | N/a |
| Mirpur Khas | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 1,783 | 63.98% | 3,494 | 71.95% | 4,155 | 71.77% | 7,274 | 71.47% | 13,947 | 71.19% |
| Keti Bandar | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 958 | 45.04% | 753 | 43.43% | 710 | 50.39% | 822 | 49.67% | N/a | N/a |
| Shahdadpur | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 3,751 | 62.61% | 5,881 | 66.47% | 9,782 | 83.12% |
| Nawabshah | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 1,709 | 61.65% | 4,237 | 60.33% | 12,048 | 68.81% |
| Dadu | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 3,023 | 41.25% | 5,601 | 51.4% |
| Gambat | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 2,317 | 36.86% | 2,897 | 59.21% |
| Total Urban Hindus[b] |
122,658 | 47.02% | 176,007 | 50.5% | 215,770 | 52.45% | 251,709 | 53.91% | 301,184 | 53.56% | 385,001 | 53.68% | 540,471 | 59.13% |
| Total Urban Sindh Population |
260,842 | 100% | 348,535 | 100% | 411,369 | 100% | 466,895 | 100% | 562,319 | 100% | 717,175 | 100% | 914,106 | 100% |
Modern era
In the 2023 census, Sindh's 4.9 million Hindus were 8.8 percent of the province's population; this included 1,325,559 (2.38 percent) scheduled-caste Hindus.[1] However, the proportion of scheduled caste Hindus is actually higher as they categorize themselves as Hindus in the census rather than as Scheduled Caste Hindu.[31] According to the Election Commission of Pakistan, voters who said that they were Hindu were 49 percent of the total in Umerkot and 46 percent in Tharparkar.[32][33] According to voter estimates, Hindus have a population of 50,000 or more in 11 districts. All are in Sindh, except for Punjab's Rahim Yar Khan District.[34]
Sindh also has Pakistan's highest percentage of Hindus overall, accounting for 8.8% of the population, roughly around 4.9 million people, and 13.3% of the province's rural population as per 2023 Pakistani census report. These numbers also include the scheduled caste population, which stands at 1.7% of the total in Sindh (or 3.1% in rural areas), and is believed to have been under-reported, with some community members instead counted under the main Hindu category. Although, Pakistan Hindu Council claimed that there are 6,842,526 Hindus living in Sindh Province covering around 14.29% of the region's population. A big part of the Hindu population in Sindh is landless bonded labour producing hugely profitable cash crops such as sugar cane. Hindu landless bonded labourers remain illiterate and suffer from abject poverty.[35]
Umerkot District (54.66 percent), in Sindh, is Pakistan's only Hindu-majority district. The province's Tharparkar District has the highest district Hindu population. Four Sindh districts (Umerkot, Tharparkar, Mirpurkhas and Sanghar) account for more than half of the country's Hindu population.[36]
| District | 1951[18][19] | 2017[28][29] | 2023[30] | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Tharparkar District | 277,626 | 38.02% | 714,698 | 43.39% | 811,507 | 45.64% |
| Hyderabad District | 79,566 | 8.92% | 180,926 | 8.22% | 202,368 | 8.32% |
| Sukkur District | 32,324 | 4.42% | 52,902 | 3.55% | 59,032 | 3.63% |
| Nawabshah District Shaheed Benazirabad District[c] |
30,066 | 4.38% | 62,316 | 3.86% | 82,817 | 4.49% |
| Karachi Federal Capital Territory | 18,053 | 1.61% | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a |
| Upper Sind Frontier District/ Jacobabad District[d] |
16,595 | 4.81% | 21,712 | 2.16% | 22,203 | 1.89% |
| Khairpur State/ Khairpur District |
10,382 | 3.25% | 66,489 | 2.76% | 75,407 | 2.9% |
| Larkana District | 8,375 | 1.67% | 22,116 | 1.45% | 25,794 | 1.45% |
| Dadu District | 4,863 | 1.17% | 8,984 | 0.58% | 11,199 | 0.64% |
| Thatta District | 4,710 | 1.56% | 29,832 | 3.04% | 31,649 | 2.92% |
| Mirpur Khas District | N/a | N/a | 582,879 | 38.74% | 697,318 | 41.48% |
| Umerkot District | N/a | N/a | 559,824 | 52.15% | 633,114 | 54.66% |
| Sanghar District | N/a | N/a | 446,737 | 21.79% | 564,648 | 24.47% |
| Badin District | N/a | N/a | 426,142 | 23.61% | 488,523 | 25.11% |
| Tando Allahyar District | N/a | N/a | 286,537 | 34.17% | 337,403 | 36.59% |
| Tando Muhammad Khan District | N/a | N/a | 150,653 | 22.25% | 174,105 | 23.98% |
| Matiari District | N/a | N/a | 128,267 | 16.66% | 153,170 | 18.03% |
| Ghotki District | N/a | N/a | 101,974 | 6.19% | 111,770 | 6.35% |
| Karachi South District | N/a | N/a | 71,031 | 4.01% | 98,772 | 4.24% |
| Karachi East District | N/a | N/a | 39,590 | 1.38% | 61,590 | 1.57% |
| Jamshoro District | N/a | N/a | 38,510 | 3.87% | 53,129 | 4.76% |
| Kashmore District | N/a | N/a | 35,122 | 3.22% | 39,667 | 3.21% |
| Malir District | N/a | N/a | 34,125 | 1.77% | 40,190 | 1.66% |
| Naushahro Feroze District | N/a | N/a | 26,464 | 1.64% | 28,978 | 1.63% |
| Sujawal District | N/a | N/a | 22,720 | 2.92% | 22,247 | 2.65% |
| Shikarpur District | N/a | N/a | 17,246 | 1.4% | 20,885 | 1.51% |
| Karachi West District | N/a | N/a | 15,392 | 0.39% | 7,849 | 0.29% |
| Korangi District | N/a | N/a | 12,144 | 0.47% | 13,896 | 0.44% |
| Karachi Central District | N/a | N/a | 11,691 | 0.39% | 12,184 | 0.32% |
| Qambar Shahdadkot District | N/a | N/a | 9,963 | 0.74% | 9,785 | 0.65% |
| Keamari District | N/a | N/a | N/a | N/a | 10,208 | 0.49% |
| Total Hindus | 482,560 | 7.98% | 4,176,986 | 8.73% | 4,901,407 | 8.81% |
| Total responses | 6,047,748 | 99.89% | 47,854,510 | 100% | 55,638,409 | 99.9% |
| Total population | 6,054,474 | 100% | 47,854,510 | 100% | 55,696,147 | 100% |
Traditions
Many Hindus – especially in Sindh's rural areas – follow the teachings of 14th-century Ramdev Pir, whose main temple (Shri Ramdev Pir temple) is in Tando Allahyar. A growing number of urban Hindu youth in Pakistan associate themselves with ISKCON.[37] ISKCON also holds Rathyatra every year in Karachi since 2015.[38] Other communities worship mother goddesses, their clan (or family) patrons.[39][40][41]
Many Hindus in Sindh revere Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism and Sikh gurus, along with the Hindu gods. A large percentage of Sindhi Hindus consider themselves Nanakpanthi.[42][43] Sri Chand who is the eldest son of Guru Nanak and founder of Udasi sect is also revered whose main shrine Sri Chand Darbar is in Thatta city.[44][45]
Hindus in Sindh also revere sufi saints like Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar etc with high regards. Apart from these other lesser known sufi saints like Jam Lohar are also venerated.[43] The Shah Abdul Latif Bhitai had visited the Hinglaj Mata temple and also mentioned about the shrine in Sur Ramkali.[46][47] There is a legend that the Shah Abdul Latin Bhittai took on the arduous journey to visit the Hinglaj Mata Mandir to pay tribute to the Hinglaj Mata and offered milk to the Hinglaj Mata. It is also believed that after he offered the milk, the Hinglaj Mata appeared in front of him.[48]
Sindhi Hindus who cannot afford travel to India to release their loved ones' remains into the Ganges go to Churrio Jabal Durga Mata Temple in Nagarparkar.[49]
Issues
According to a study, most scheduled-caste Hindus (91.5 percent) in the province's Tharparkar and Umerkot Districts faced discrimination and believed that its political parties are ignoring them.[50] Forced conversion of Hindu girls is a major problem faced by Hindus in Sindh, with an increased number of cases in the southern districts of Tharparkar, Umerkot and Mirpur Khas.[51] According to the 2026 UN analysis, about 80% of the forced conversion cases in Pakistan happened in the Sindh province.[52] Sindh is Pakistan's only province with a separate law governing Hindu marriages.[53]
In Politics
Ten seats are reserved for minorities in the provincial assembly.[54] In 2018, the Sindhi Krishna Kumari Kohli was the first Hindu to win a women's reserved seat in the Senate.[55] In the 2018 general election, Mahesh Kumar Malani (representing Tharparkar-II) was the first Hindu candidate to win a general seat in the National Assembly of Pakistan.[56] In the 2018 provincial assembly election, Hari Ram Kishori Lal and Giyan Chand Essrani were the first non-Muslims to win a general seat (non-reserved) in a provincial-assembly election.[57]
Temples
Ramapir Temple, Tando Allahyar, whose annual pilgrimage is Pakistan's second-largest Hindu pilgrimage
Umarkot Shiv Mandir, whose annual Shivrathri festival is one of the country's largest religious festivals[58]
Guru Balpuri Ashram in Thana Bulla Khan
See also
Notes
- 1901: District headquarters shifted from Shikarpur to Sukkur, while district bifurcation created Larkana District.
- Includes Castes (Hindu Jati), Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes/Tribals, Nanakpanthis, Prarthana Samaj, and Brahmoism.
- 2008: District renamed from Nawabshah District to Shaheed Benazirabad District.
- 1952: District renamed from Upper Sind Frontier District to Jacobabad District.
