Gibraltar Hindu Temple | |
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Exterior of the temple
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Geography | |
Coordinates | 36°8′31.45″N 5°21′7.1″W / 36.1420694°N 5.351972°W |
Country | Gibraltar |
Locale | P.O. Box 1235, Engineer's Lane |
Culture | |
Primary deity | Rama along with his consort Sita, brother Laxman and his devotee Hanuman |
History and governance | |
Date built | 2000 |
The Gibraltar Hindu Temple (Sindhi: जिब्राल्टर हिन्दू मंदिर), also known as Gibraltar Mandir, is a Hindu temple (mandir) in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar. Established in 2000, the Gibraltar Hindu Temple is located at Engineer Lane. Gibraltarian Hindus make approximately 1.8% of Gibraltar's population. This is the only Hindu temple in Gibraltar and it serves as the spiritual centre for Hindu population of territory. The temple is a charitable organisation and aims to maintain and promote Hindu culture in Gibraltar. The presiding deity of the temple is Rama along with his consort Sita, brother Laxman and Hanuman, an ardent devotee of Rama. Besides, there are many other murtis in temple, including Jhulelal, iṣṭa-devatā of Sindhi people, and Guru Nanak, the first of the ten Sikh Gurus. The temple conducts several study classes related to different Hindu scriptures.
The earliest evidence of a Hindu presence in Gibraltar dates back to the 19th century. A year after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Indian merchants began businesses in Gibraltar. However, they did not settle in the territory. Most of these traders were Sindhi.