Hinduism in Assam

Sadhus gathered at Kamakhya Temple for the Ambubachi Mela




Religion in Assam (2021)

  Hinduism (55%)
  Islam (40%)
  Christianity (4%)
  others (1%)

Hinduism is the first largest religious affiliation in Assam with around 58% of the residents being it's followers as of 2021 census, down from the previous decade of 61.5% in 2011.

Kamakhya Temple
Basistha Temple, Guwahati
Assam hindu population (1901-2021)[1][2]
Year State population Hindu Population

()

Percentage
1901 3,289,680 2,781,424 84.55
1911 3,848,617 3,201,664 83.19
1921 4,636,980 3,726,277 80.36
1931 5,560,371 4,214,761 75.8
1941 6,694,790 4,131,355 74.3
1951 8,028,856 5,682,824 70.78
1961 10,837,329 7,731,350 71.34
1971 14,625,152 10,604,697 72.51
1981 18,041,248 12,578,358 69.72
1991 22,414,322 15,048,975 67.14
2001 26,655,528 17,296,772 64.89
2011 31,205,576 19,180,759 61.47
2021 36,547,715 20,161,243 57.9

History

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Founder of Ekasarna sect of Hinduism

Hinduism mostly the Ekasarna sect of Vaishnavism is the dominant faith of the region since it's formation from 15th-16th century in Brahmaputra valley, Assam. Assamese people convert to Hinduism (Vaishnava sect) through several centuries ago, as during the time of Mahabharata Lord Krishna himself have visited the land of Assam many times and preach bhakti and Dharma to the locals through devotion. Iskon missionaries are active through various parts of Assam. Shaktism sect of Hinduism is prominent among the Bengali Hindus living in Assam. Bathouism a sect of Hindu religion is popular among the bodo community in Assam.

Hinduism among various ethnic groups of Assam

[change | change source]
Assam hindu population by ethnic groups (2011 census)[1]
Ethnicity Hindu percentage Population
Assamese[3] 32.57% 10,016,989
Bengali[4] 19% 6,074,419
Bodo/Karbi/tribe 5.9% 1,841,128
Hindi/Nepali/others 4% 1,248,223
Total 61.47% of Assam's population 19,180,759
  • This is for 2011 census, as per that year 61.47% of Assam's population were hindu, of which 32.57% speaks assamese language, 19% speaks Bengali language, 5.9% speaks bodo karbi and other tribal languages and 4% speaks Hindi, Nepali and Adibashi language.

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Citizenship Amendment Act: BJP chasing ghosts in Assam; Census data shows number of Hindu immigrants may have been exaggerated-India News , Firstpost". 18 December 2019.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2021-06-14. Retrieved 2021-06-14.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ https://www.india.com/news/india/assam-assembly-elections-2016-assamese-are-minority-muslims-are-largest-electoral-group-in-this-poll-battle-1093774/
  4. ↑ "EXCLUSIVE: BJP Govt plans to evict 70 lakh Muslims, 60 lakh Bengali Hindus through its Land Policy (2019) in Assam". 5 December 2019.