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List of converts to Hinduism

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The following is a list of converts to Hinduism from other religions or a non-religious background.

From Abrahamic religions

Christianity

Islam

Anirudh Gyan Shikha (1 June 1928 – 25 November 2006; popularly known as Anwar Shaikh
Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi (born Waseem Rizvi) former member and chairman of the Shia Central Waqf Board.

Judaism

Ram Dass (born Richard Alpert) (1931–2019) – syncretist, and follower of the Hindu deity Hanuman. Professor of psychology at Harvard University.^[6]
Tamal Krishna Goswami (born Thomas G. Herzig) (1946–2002) – governing body commissioner of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.^[7]
Lora Logic (b. 1960) – punk rock saxophonist with Poly Styrene's X-Ray Spex.
Radhanath Swami (born Richard Slavin) (b. 1950) – prominent Bhakti yoga guru and a governing body commissioner of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.^[8]

From other Indian-origin religions

This is list of converts from Indian-origin religions.

Buddhism

Mihirakula (r. c. 502 – c. 530) – Huna ruler.^[9]
Rajasinghe I (c. 1544–1593) – Sri Lankan king who conquered Kandy.^[10]
Rishabhadatta (1st/2nd century CE) – Satrap viceroy.^[11]
Rudradaman I (r. 130–150) – Satrap ruler and conqueror of the Satavahanas.^[12]
Vasudeva I (r. c. 191 – c. 232) – Kushan king
Jayavarman III (r. c. 835 – c. 877)

Jainism

Mahendravarman I (r. 600–630) – Pallava King and patron of the arts.^[13]
Vishnuvardhana (r. c. 1108 – c. 1152) – King of Hoysala empire and prominent temple-builder.^[14]
Tirunavukkarasar (c. 6th–7th century CE) – Saivite saint and one of the most prominent of the sixty-three Nayanars.^[15]

Other

Other theist converts

Mihirakula (r. c. 502–530) – Huna ruler.^[9] ^{[dubious – discuss]}
Heliodorus (c. 2nd century BCE) – Greek minister to King Bhagabhadra.^[16]
Pamheiba (1690–1751) – Manipuri King^[17]
Suhungmung (r. 1497–1539) – Ahom kingdom's ruler who extended Assam up to the Kamarupa Kingdom^[18]
Supangmung (r. 1663–1670) – Ahom kingdom's ruler who recaptured Guwahati. Converted to Vaishnavism.^[19]
Susenghphaa (r. 1603–1641) – Ahom king; during his rule the Ahom-Mughal conflicts began^[20]

Non-theistic converts

Annie Besant – British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer, orator, and supporter of both Irish and Indian self-rule.^[21]
John Dobson (former atheist who became a believer in Vedanta) – astronomer and telescope designer.^[22]^[23]
Sita Ram Goel (former atheist) – Indian commentator, writer and Hindu activist.^[24]
Chrissie Hynde (born 7 September 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the garage rock new wave band the Pretenders.
Poly Styrene (3 July 1957 – 25 April 2011), singer with one of Britain's earliest punk rock bands, X-Ray Spex; earlier religious affiliation unknown (Poly Styrene had one Sudanese parent, possibly Muslim, and one British parent of unknown religion) .

Converts from undetermined former religion

Agehananda Bharati (born Leopold Fischer) (1923–1991) – academic Sanskritist, a prolific author about religious subjects, and a Hindu monk in the Dasanami Sannyasi order.^[25]
Alain Daniélou – French historian, intellectual, musicologist, and Indologist.^[26]
Crispian Mills of Kula Shaker – Hare Krishna devotee. His initiated name is Krishna Kantha Dasa. He was initiated by Narayana Maharaja. He wrote a foreword to a book by Bhaktivinoda Thakur titled Sri Siksastaka.^[27]
Geoffrey Giuliano – American biographer.^[28]

Nina Hagen (follower of Haidakhan Babaji) – German singer.^[29]
Joe Don Looney (follower of Swami Muktananda) – football player.^[30]
J Mascis – lead vocalist, guitarist, and drummer for Dinosaur Jr.^[31]
John McLaughlin (became a disciple of Sri Chinmoy) – jazz fusion guitar player.^[32]
Lex Hixon (syncretist and disciple of Swami Nikhilananda) – poet, philosopher, spiritual practitioner and teacher.^[33]
Sati Kazanova, Russian singer.^[34]
Savitri Devi (born Maximiani Portas) – Greek-French writer and Nazi-sympathiser.^[35]
Savitri Khanolkar (born Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros) – designer of India's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra.^[36]
Mathias Rust – German daredevil pilot.^[37]
Kelli Williams – American actress who played Lindsay Dole Donnell on the ABC legal drama The Practice.^[38]
Sherlyn Chopra - Indian actress.^[39]

See also

References

^ Fernandes, Kasmin. "Things you didn't know about Russell Brand". The Times of India.
^ "Jumpsuits make red carpet style statement". 4 September 2013.
^ "Russell Brand Marries Again, with an India-themed Party". 29 August 2017.
^ Kanetkar, Riddhima. "Meet Indian genius ECG Sudarshan who converted to Hinduism was controversially denied Nobel prize". DNA India.
^ Long, Jeffery. "My journey to Hindu Dharma". Medium.
^ Ram Dass – the official interactive Satsang site for author (Be Here Now) and spiritual teacher Ram Dass
^ Religious Conversion: Contemporary Practices and Controversies, page 3, Christopher Lamb, M. Darroll Bryant
^ "Home". radhanathswami.com.
^ ^a ^b Thakur, Upendra; Sircar, D. C (1967). The Hunas in India. Varanasi: The Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office. OCLC 469073765.
^ Dona Catherina: the last empress of Lanka Lanka Library
^ Divatia 42
^ Divatia, N. B. (1993). Gujarati Language and Literature. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-0648-5.
^ Kan Sastri, A History of South India, p382-383
^ Rice, Benjamin Lewis (1897). Mysore, by districts. A. Constable. p. 295.
^ "A brief History of Tamil People (by Prof. A. Velupillai)". tamilelibrary.org. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
^ Basham, A L (1967). The Wonder That Was India. Oxford: Taplinger Pub. Co. p. 60.
^ Sheram, AK (2012). "Manipuri, The". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^ Shimray, R.R. Origin and Culture of Nagas. Pamleiphi Shimray, 1985
^ Neog, Maheshwar. Religions of the North-east: Studies in the Formal Religions of North. Munshiram Manoharlal, 1984.
^ Krishna, Manmohan. Political Consciousness in Indian English Writing: A Study Of Manohar Malgonkar, Naintara Sahgal & Bhabani Bhattacharya.1991, Bahri Publications. ISBN 81-7034-062-4
^ "Theosophy : Building of the Cosmos by Annie Besant". www.anandgholap.net. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
^ "John Dobson: Amateur Astronomy's Revolutionary". space.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2006.
^ "Wall Street Journal Article about John". www.sidewalkastronomers.us. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
^ "How I Became A Hindu - Chapter 1 - From Arya Samaj to Mahatma Gandhi". voiceofdharma.com. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
^ Agehananda Bharati Archived 3 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine
^ Aldrich, Robert (2015). "Sojourners and the Seduction of Ceylon". Cultural Encounters and Homoeroticism in Sri Lanka: Sex and Serendipity. Routledge Studies in the Modern History of Asia (1st ed.). London and New York: Routledge. p. 147. ISBN 9781138491502. OCLC 943053586.
^ Bhaktivinoda Thakura (1997) Sri Siksastaka, ISBN 81-86737-06-5. Retrieved 1 June 2008. "Through the mercy of sri guru and Vaishnavas, we may understand the deeper meaning of Mahaprabhu's Siksastakam, embrace it in our lives and let it gently melt our hearts. Krishna-kanta dasa (Crispian Mills) Bath, England September 21, 1997." Foreword^{[permanent dead link‍]}
^ "Former Ronald McDonald Turns Vegetarian Activist". Hinduism Today. March 1991. Retrieved 6 February 2007.
^ "Nina Hagen Das". ninahagendas.beepworld.de. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
^ Dozier, Ray (2006). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-58261-699-5.
^ exclaim.ca
^ "Adherents.com - Online Payday Loans - Same Day Payout". Adherents.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 1999. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
^ Lex Hixon.org Archived 9 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ RIR; Shalupenko, Yekaterina (21 July 2016). "The Russian singer who charmed Modi". www.rbth.com. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
^ Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism, page 183, Mattias Gardell, 2003
^ Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle, p.21, Major General Ian Cardozo, 2003
^ "German daredevil grounded by court". the Guardian. 21 April 2001. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
^ Kelli Williams Quotes and Trivia at MovieTome Archived 22 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
^ "Recently, I got to know about Sanatan Dharma".

Lists of religious converts to and from world religions

To Bahá'í	from Christianity Islam Judaism
From Bahá'í	to Christianity Islam
To Christianity	to Catholicism from Islam Anglicanism from Bahá'í Buddhism Confucianism Hinduism Islam Judaism Nontheism Paganism Sikhism Zoroastrianism
From Christianity	to Nontheism Buddhism Hinduism Islam Judaism Sikhism
To Islam	from Nontheism Buddhism Hinduism Christianity Judaism Paganism Zoroastrianism
From Islam	to Atheism Bahá'í Buddhism Hinduism Christianity Catholicism Judaism
To Judaism	from Irreligion Christianity Islam Paganism
From Judaism	to atheism Bahá'í Hinduism Islam Christianity

To Buddhism	from Hinduism Christianity
From Buddhism	to Hinduism Islam Christianity
To Hinduism	from Buddhism Christianity Islam
From Hinduism	to Buddhism Islam Christianity Sikhism
To Sikhism	from Christianity Hinduism
From Sikhism	to Christianity

Other

Other converts	Nontheism Paganism Multi-religious conversions

topics

Concepts	Brahman Om Ishvara Atman Maya Karma Saṃsāra Puruṣārthas Dharma Artha Kama Moksha Niti Ahimsa Asteya Aparigraha Brahmacharya Satya Dāna Damah Dayā Akrodha
Schools	Āstika: Samkhya Yoga Nyaya Vaisheshika Mīmāṃsā Vedanta Dvaita Advaita Vishishtadvaita Nāstika: Charvaka

Hindu "Om" symbol

Classification

Rigveda Yajurveda Samaveda Atharvaveda
Divisions	Samhita Brahmana Aranyaka
Upanishads	Aitareya Kaushitaki Brihadaranyaka Isha Taittiriya Katha Maitrayaniya Shvetashvatara Chandogya Kena Mundaka Mandukya Prashna

Sangam literature

Gods	Trimurti Brahma Vishnu Shiva Agni Dattatreya Ganesha Hanuman Indra Kartikeya Krishna Rama Surya Varuna Vayu more
Goddesses	Tridevi Saraswati Lakshmi Parvati Bhumi Durga Kali Mahavidya Matrika Radha Rukmini Sati Shakti Shashthi Sita more

Practices

Worship	Temple Murti Puja Bhakti Japa Bhajan Naivedhya Yajna Homa Tapas Dhyāna Tirthatana
Sanskaras	Garbhadhana Pumsavana Simantonayana Jatakarma Namakarana Nishkramana Annaprashana Chudakarana Karnavedha Vidyarambha Upanayana Keshanta Ritushuddhi Samavartanam Vivaha Antyeshti
Varnashrama	Varna Brahmin Kshatriya Vaishya Shudra Ashrama Brahmacharya Grihastha Vanaprastha Sannyasa
Festivals	Diwali Holi Shivaratri Raksha Bandhan Navaratri Durga Puja Ramlila Vijayadashami Ganesh Chaturthi Rama Navami Janmashtami Onam Pongal Makar Sankranti New Year Bihu Gudi Padwa Pahela Baishakh Puthandu Vaisakhi Vishu Ugadi Kumbh Mela Haridwar Nashik Prayag Ujjain Ratha Yatra Teej Vasant Panchami Others
Other	Svādhyāya Namaste Bindi Tilaka

Worship in Hinduism

Main topics

Rituals

Puja	Abhisheka Bhog Panchamakara Panchamrita Parikrama Pranāma Prasada Pushpanjali
Homa	Yajna Agnicayana Agnihotra Agnikaryam Aupasana Dhuni Kamyakarma Pravargya Purushamedha Putrakameshti Viraja Homa
Other	Achamana Ashirvada Ashvamedha Karmakāṇḍa Kumbhabhishekham Nityakarma Ngejot Panchayatana puja Prana Pratishtha Sandhyavandanam Shuddhi Śrauta Tarpana Upakarma

Objects

Materials

Instruments

Places

Roles

Sacred animals

Sacred plants

Trees	Akshayavata Ashoka Banyan Kadamba Kalpavriksha Parijata Peepal Sacred groves
Fruits and other plants	Bael Kusha grass Lotus Tulasi (Tulasi Vrindavana)

See also

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