RT Article
T1 Hinduism transformed? A case study of Hindu diaspora in Thailand
JF Nidān
VO 27
IS 1_2
SP 43
OP 56
A1 Agarwal, Ruchir
LA English
YR 2015
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1839603038
AB Hindus, living outside their place of origin, preserve their local traditions and at the same time make amendments depending on the situation in their host country. This paper attempts to study the Hindu diasporic community in Thailand, a country with a strong Hindu presence. The main focus is on the transformations Hinduism has gone through among the diasporic community living in Thailand for several generations. Although the Hindu diasporic community constitutes only a small fraction of the total population of Thailand, the evidence of strong incorporation of Hinduism into Thai Buddhism, makes the case of the Hindu diaspora in Thailand an important study. The Hindus of the diaspora are an important group contributing immensely to the local foreign environment but they have been understudied in the past. This paper aims to fill this gap by presenting Thailand as a home away from home for the Hindu diaspora. Hinduism has gone through several transformations in this country however important elements, central to the traditional Hindu beliefs, remain unchanged. This paper will be divided into three parts: brief history of Hinduism and its presence in Southeast Asia; the transformation in Hindu beliefs in a foreign land; and the extent to which traditions have been preserved among the diasporic community.
K1 Diaspora
K1 Hinduism
K1 Rituals
K1 Thailand
K1 Transformation
DO 10.58125/nidan.2015.1