List of converts to Hinduism

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

From Abrahamic religions

Christianity

Main article: List of converts to Hinduism from Christianity

• Nayanthara
• Julia Roberts
• Sati Kazanova
• Russell Brand^[1][2][3]
• E. C. George Sudarshan^[4]
• Jeffery D. Long^[5]

Islam

Main article: List of converts to Hinduism from 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] [dubious – discuss]}
• 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

• Hinduism portal
• Religion portal

• Category:Converts to Hinduism
  • List of converts to Hinduism from Islam
  • List of converts to Hinduism from Christianity
  • List of converts to Hinduism from Buddhism
• List of former Hindus
  • List of converts to Islam from Hinduism
  • List of converts to Christianity from Hinduism
  • List of converts to Sikhism from Hinduism
  • List of converts to Buddhism from Hinduism

References

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2. "Jumpsuits make red carpet style statement". 4 September 2013.
3. "Russell Brand Marries Again, with an India-themed Party". 29 August 2017.
4. Kanetkar, Riddhima. "Meet Indian genius ECG Sudarshan who converted to Hinduism was controversially denied Nobel prize". DNA India.
5. Long, Jeffery. "My journey to Hindu Dharma". Medium.
6. Ram Dass – the official interactive Satsang site for author (Be Here Now) and spiritual teacher Ram Dass
7. Religious Conversion: Contemporary Practices and Controversies, page 3, Christopher Lamb, M. Darroll Bryant
8. "Home". radhanathswami.com.
9. Thakur, Upendra; Sircar, D. C (1967). The Hunas in India. Varanasi: The Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office. OCLC 469073765.
10. Dona Catherina: the last empress of Lanka Lanka Library
11. Divatia 42
12. Divatia, N. B. (1993). Gujarati Language and Literature. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-0648-5.
13. Kan Sastri, A History of South India, p382-383
14. Rice, Benjamin Lewis (1897). Mysore, by districts. A. Constable. p. 295.
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27. 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]}
28. "Former Ronald McDonald Turns Vegetarian Activist". Hinduism Today. March 1991. Retrieved 6 February 2007.
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30. Dozier, Ray (2006). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-58261-699-5.
31. exclaim.ca
32. "Adherents.com - Online Payday Loans - Same Day Payout". Adherents.com. Archived from the original on 22 April 1999. Retrieved 25 April 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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34. RIR; Shalupenko, Yekaterina (21 July 2016). "The Russian singer who charmed Modi". www.rbth.com. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
35. Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism, page 183, Mattias Gardell, 2003
36. Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle, p.21, Major General Ian Cardozo, 2003
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