Hinduism in Punjab, Pakistan

Punjabi Hindus of Pakistan
Hindus in Cholistan celebrating Holi
Total population
249,716 Increase (2023)
0.2% of total Province population
Religions
Hinduism (majority)
Nanakpanthi and Kalash
Scriptures
Bhagavad Gita, and Vedas
Guru Granth Sahib (only by Nanakpanthi)
Languages
Sanskrit (sacred)
Punjabi, Marwari, Saraiki[1]
Hindi, Urdu and other languages (minority)

Hinduism is a minority religion in Punjab province of Pakistan followed by about 0.2% of its population. Punjab has the second largest number of Hindus in Pakistan after Sindh.[2] Hinduism is followed mainly in the Southern Punjab districts of Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur.[3]

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.[a] 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.

  1. ^ Aiza Hussain. "An evening with the Hindu Marwari of Cholistan". Dawn. Retrieved 22 May 2021.
  2. ^ "SALIENT FEATURES OF FINAL RESULTS CENSUS-2017" (PDF). Retrieved 21 May 2021.
  3. ^ "Population Distribution by Religion, 1998 Census" (PDF). Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 21 May 2021.


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