Conversion of non-Hindu places of worship into temples

The conversion of non-Hindu places of worship into temples occurred for centuries, ever since the advent of other Dharmic faiths in the Indian subcontinent.[citation needed] As a result, Muslim mosques, Christian churches, Zoroastrian fire temples[citation needed], Jain and Buddhist temples were converted into Hindu places of worship. Since the dawn of the 20th century, there have been active movements to convert non-Hindu religious sites into temples, primarily in the West[1] and in India.

Conversion of Islamic mosques into Hindu temples

This table lists former mosques which were built by destroying Hindu temples on sites of religious significance that have now been reclaimed and converted back into Hindu Temples. It also includes those temples where the original structure of the mosque no longer survives and the temple was built at the site of a former mosque.

Current Name Mosque Name Images City Country Notes
Sita Ram Mandir-Gurdwara Jama Masjid of Farrukhnagar Farrukhnagar India The town of Farrukhnagar was founded by Mughal Governor Faujdar Khan in 1732 CE. It was named after the Mughal Emperor, Farrukhsiyar. He constructed the Jama Masjid as the principal mosque of this new town, which is now used as a Hindu temple and Sikh Gurdwara.[2][3]
Bharat Mata Mandir Khilij Jumma Masjid Chand Minar behind Bharat Mata temple Daulatabad (Aurangabad) India The Jumma Masjid is the earliest surviving Islamic monument in the Deccan region.[3][4]
Bhagwan Danasher Mandir Dana Shir Masjid Hisar India The mosque is built to the west of the courtyard of the Tomb of Dana Shir Bahlul Shah. It is completely built of small bricks and is plastered with fine white stucco.[3][5]

Conversion of Christian churches into Hindu temples

This table lists former Churches with identified original buildings that have been converted into Hindu Temples. It only includes those Churches where the original structure was never a site of a temple.

A Hindu sect, known as Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan, has been buying former churches and converting them into temples, in the US and the UK.[6]

Current Name Church Name Images City Country Notes
Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Portsmouth, VA US A 30-year-old Church was converted to a temple to accommodate the Guajarati community of Chesapeake near Portsmouth, Virginia. It is the 6th Church to be converted into a temple in the US, and the 9th in the world.[7]
Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Highland Mennonite Church Bear, Delaware US A 50-year-old Church was converted to a temple. It is the 3rd Church to be converted into a temple in the US, and the 5th in the world.[8]
Udupi Krishna Temple Edison, NJ US In 2017, a Protestant abandoned church covering 4.5 acres, in Edison, New Jersey, was acquired to be converted into an Udupi Krishna temple.[8][9]
Swaminarayan Hindu Temple St John's Baptist Church[10] Islington, London UK (England) June 1970: The first BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in the UK was opened in a converted disused Anglican church in Islington, North London, by Yogiji Maharaj.[11] It was also called the Mission Hall of St. John's.[12]
Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Bolton Unity Church (Unitarian)[13] Bolton, Manchester[14] UK (England) A Unity Church of the Unitarian denomination, on Deane Road was a fine example of late 19th-century religious gothic in red brick with terracotta detailing. It was converted to a temple in 1973 and rebuilt into a larger building after demolishing the old structure in 1993.[15]
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Toronto Toronto, ON Canada Gujarat-based Maninagar Shree Swaminarayan Gadi Sansthan constructed a temple in Toronto, Canada, on a 125-year-old plot of land which had previously housed a church.[16]
Lord Swaminarayan temple Los Angeles, CA US In 2012, the Sansthan bought churches in Los Angeles, California, and turned it into Lord Swaminarayan abode.[6]
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Goshen Methodist Church Louisville, KY US In 2013, Sansthan bought a defunct church, spread over four acre of land, at Louisville, Kentucky.[6]
Swaminarayan Hindu Temple Dunamis Christian Faith Church Louisville, KY US The Sansthan bought another defunct church in 2013, in the heart of Louisville, Kentucky.[6]
Shree Swaminarayan Temple St Ninian's Church Golders Green, London UK (England) In 1982, St Ninian's Church was bought for £200,000 and a temple built on its 2.5 acre compound.[17][18][19]
BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Scarborough Scarborough, ON Canada A 100-year-old church in Scarborough was declared a heritage structure by the Canadian government. The church was built over 9,000 sq ft, included a community hall and house.[6]
Shiva temple Hall of the 7th-Day Adventist Aligarh, UP India A church overnight turned into a temple adorned with a portrait of Shiva after what some Hindu groups in Asroi, near Aligarh, termed the "ghar wapasi" (reconversion) of 72 Valmikis who had become Christians in 1995.[20]
Hanuman temple Evangelical prayer hall Baijnath, HP[21] India On 12 December 2005, the home of Pastor Ramesh Masih Bhatti, where the church was meeting, had been taken over by Hindus and converted into a Hindu temple. A Hindu god's idol had been placed at the doorway, and Bhatti was forced to leave his house with his family, where they had lived for 25 years. A militant leader in the area reportedly announced a campaign to move throughout the area's villages forcing Christians to reconvert to Hinduism.[22][23]
Ashtalakshmi Temple North Hollywood, Los Angeles, CA US Ashtalakshmi temple in North Hollywood, California, was once a church and was bought by the Hindu community.
Aberdeen Hindu Temple Old Stoneywood Church Aberdeen UK (Scotland) The Old Stoneywood Church on Bankhead Road, which dated back to the 1840s, was converted to Aberdeen's first Hindu temple in 2019. According to Aberdeen Hindu Temple Trust, there were more than 3,500 Hindu religion followers in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire, but the closest temple was 70 miles away in Dundee.[24][25]
Hindu Prarthana Samaj temple Fern Avenue Church of Christ Toronto, ON Canada Toronto's oldest Hindu temple, the Hindu Prarthana Samaj temple was established after the Prarthana Samaj congregation officially bought the Fern Avenue Church of Christ in 1979. The church was one of the earliest Presbyterian churches in the area, first named the Ruth Street Presbyterian Mission in 1886; later renamed the Fern Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1894 when Ruth Street was renamed Fern Avenue; and then from 1910/1913 to 1979, was known as the Fern Avenue Church of Christ.[26][27][28]

Conversion of Buddhist sites into Hindu temples

See also Persecution of Buddhists and Decline of Buddhism in India

Current Name Buddhist Structure Images City Country Notes
Sri Sanni Siddheswara temple Krishna, AP India Up to 11 Hindu temples have been built on Buddhist sites in the villages of Machilipatnam and Nidumolu, in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh. Buddhism flourished during the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. The buildings were converted into Hindu temples by Chalukyas.[29]
Ram temple Kushan-era stupas at the site of the Anathapindika Stupa or Sudatta Stupa (aka Kachchi Kuti) Sravasti, UP India The earliest structures of Kachchi Kuti, which were Buddhist, date to the Kushan period; over which a temple with terracotta panels depicting scenes from the Ramayana was constructed during the Gupta period.[30][31]
Bhuteshwar Temple Mathura, UP India Anti-caste scholars argue that this temple was built on a site of a Buddhist structure.[32][33]
Gokarneshwar Temple Mathura, UP India Anti-caste scholars argue that this temple was built on a site of a Buddhist structure.[32][33]

Conversion of Jain sites into Hindu temples

Many Jain temples were converted to Hindu temples by replacing the statues of Tirthankaras with Shiva lingams. Jainism started its decline due to the aggressive rise of Veerashaivism.[34][35]

Current Name Jain Structure Images City Country Notes
Padmakshi Temple Kadalalaya basadi Warangal, TS India One of the oldest temples in Hanamkonda (which was originally a Shaivite site), it had a Jain shrine which was converted into a Hindu temple dedicated to Padmavathi. The statues of Tirthankaras engraved on walls are now worshiped as local deities.[36][34]
Saraswati temple Saraswati Jain temple Basar, TS India A temple dedicated to the Jain avatar of Saraswati in Basar, was converted into a Hindu temple.[34]
Mahalakshmi Temple Temple dedicated to Chandraprabha Kolhapur, MH India Paul Dundas in his book The Jains mentions that the Mahalaxmi temple in Kolhapur was a Jain temple.[37] Sheshashayee Vishnu which is an octagonal structure closer to the eastern gate has a panel of 60 Jain Tirthankaras carvings.[38][39]
Naganatha Temple, Lakkundi Temple dedicated to Parshvanatha Gadag, KA India The sanctum houses a pedestal depicting seven hoods of a naga, which formed the canopy of the image of Parshvanatha originally placed there. A shiva lingam was placed on the pedestal after the structure was converted to a Hindu temple.[40][41]

Conversion of Zoroastrian sites into Hindu temples

Current Name Zoroastrian Structure Images City Country Notes
Ateshgah of Baku Ateshgah آتشگاه Baku Azerbaijan The Fire temple at Baku was temporarily converted into a Hindu temple by Hindu and Sikh traders. During this time it was dedicated to the deities Ram, Krishna, Hanuman and Agni. Currently, it is a museum.[42][43]

See also

Notes

References

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