Yoga, Krishna, Hindu-Tempel. Hinduismus in der Schweiz

Abstract

In Switzerland of the early 21st century Hinduism is a minority religion with some 50 000 adherents. The article distinguishes three main currents or groups among the various Hindu traditions represented in Switzerland. First, interest in Yoga has the longest history, dating back to literary interest in the early 20th century, which was followed by the establishment of first schools of yoga practice during the 1950s. The 1960s and 1970s saw the flourishing of Neohindu groups and movements such as the Hare Krishna community or Transcendental Meditation; the number of adherents showed a decline in the 1990s, however. Currently, skilled workers and refugees from South Asia constitute the third and numerically strongest presence of Hinduism in Switzerland. Hindus from India have established no temple so far, whereas Tamil Hindus from Sri Lanka have built some 17 temples since the 1990s. The article closes with an analysis of the image and the place of Hinduism in Swiss society.