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Hindu religion and culture in Singapore can be traced back to the 7th century AD, when Temasek was a trading post of Hindu-Buddhist Srivijaya empire.〔Marshall Cavendish, World and Its Peoples: Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Brunei, ISBN 978-0761476429, pp. 1287-1288〕 A millennium later, a wave of immigrants from southern India were brought to Singapore, mostly as coolies and indentured labourers by the British East India Company and colonial British Empire.〔Ato Quayson et al. (2013), A Companion to Diaspora and Transnationalism, ISBN 978-1405188265, Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 405-406〕〔Edwin Lee (2008), Singapore: The Unexpected Nation, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, ISBN 978-9812307965, pp. 34-35〕 As with Malay peninsula, the British administration sought to stabilise a reliable labour force in its regional plantation and trading activities; it encouraged Hindus to bring family through the ''kangani'' system of migration, settle, build temples and segregated it into a community that later became Little India.〔Edwin Lee (2008), Singapore: The Unexpected Nation, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, ISBN 978-9812307965〕〔Jean Abshire (2011), The History of Singapore, ISBN 978-0313377426, pp. 66-78〕 There are currently about thirty main Hindu temples in Singapore, dedicated to various gods and goddesses. There were an estimated 260,000 Hindus in Singapore in 2010.〔(Table: Religious Composition by Country, in Numbers ) Pew Research Center (2012)〕 Hindus are a minority, constituting about 5.1% of adult Singapore citizens and permanent residents in 2010. Almost all Hindus in Singapore are ethnic Indians, with some who have married into Hindu families. Hinduism peaked at 5.5% of the total population in 1931.〔https://books.google.co.nz/books?id=9MmNaNebFD8C&pg=PA39&lpg=PA39&dq=singapore+2000+hinduism&source=bl&ots=RNiE0s7PLC&sig=Kz423FgZ2WjRCd3-Q_Xwy9ftoBs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=odWQVYGjJYfLmAXW-YbADw&ved=0CDwQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q=1980&f=false〕 In Singapore, the Hindu festival of Deepavali (Tamil) or Diwali/Divali (Hindi, Punjabi, and Urdu) is recognised as a national public holiday. Some non-Indians, usually Buddhist Chinese, participate in various Hindu activities. Unlike various states of Malaysia and Indonesia, Singapore places no restrictions on religious freedoms of Hindus. ==Beginnings of Hinduism in Singapore== Hindu religion and culture in Singapore can be traced back to the 7th century Hindu Srivijaya empire when Temasek was a small trading post.〔Marshall Cavendish, World and Its Peoples: Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, and Brunei, ISBN 978-0761476429, pp. 1287-1288〕 By the 10th century, Tamil Chola influence arrived. With Islam's expansion in the region from 14th through 17th century, the Hindu-Buddhist influence, in and around Singapore, faded. The colonial era brought major changes in the seats of power and religious influence in the region.〔Edwin Lee (2008), Singapore: The Unexpected Nation, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, ISBN 978-9812307965〕 The early 19th century saw a wave of Hindu immigrants to Singapore from southern India, mostly Tamils, brought in to work as coolies and labourers by the British East India Company in Singapore.〔Edwin Lee (2008), Singapore: The Unexpected Nation, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, ISBN 978-9812307965〕〔Jean Abshire (2011), The History of Singapore, ISBN 978-0313377426, pp. 66-78〕 These immigrants brought along their religion and culture. Their arrival saw the building of temples throughout the island in the Dravidian form of architecture, and the beginnings of a vibrant Hindu culture. Though the labourers were mostly responsible for introducing and preserving their religion in their new home, in later times, monetary contributions were made by the richer Hindu merchants to build up the makeshift shacks that served as their place of worship. The temples also served to hold the community together, being a source of comfort to those far away in a foreign land. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hinduism in Singapore」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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