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

Esther dhanraj converted to Christianity and then reverted back to Sanatana Dharma.

Islam

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[1]
Tamal Krishna Goswami (born Thomas G. Herzig) (1946-2002) – governing body commissioner of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness[2]
Radhanath Swami (born Richard Slavin) (b. 1950) – very prominent Bhakti yoga guru and a governing body commissioner of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness[3]

From other Indian-origin religions

This is list of converts from Indian-origin religions. All Indian religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainsim and Sikhism, are collective called "Sanatan Dharma" and "Dhamma", and all others are called mleccha. All Indian religions usually practice mutual religious syncretism among each other.

Buddhism

Mihirakula (r. c. 502 – c. 530) – Huna ruler.[4]
Rajasinghe I (c. 1544–1593) – Sri Lankan king who conquered Kandy.[5]
Rishabhadatta (1st/2nd century CE) – Satrap viceroy.[6]
Rudradaman I (r. 130–150) – Satrap ruler and conqueror of the Satavahanas.[7]
Vasudeva I (r. c. 191 – c. 232) – Kushan king and numismatist.[8]
Jayavarman III (r. c. 835 – c. 877)

Jainism

Mahendravarman I (r. 600–630) – Pallava King and patron of the arts.[9]
Vishnuvardhana (r. c. 1108 – c. 1152) – King of Hoysala empire and prominent temple-builder.[10]
Tirunavukkarasar (c. 6th–7th century CE) – Saivite saint and one of the most prominent of the sixty-three Nayanars.[11]

Other

Other theist converts

Mihirakula (r. c. 502-530) – Huna ruler.[4]
Heliodorus (c. 2nd century BCE) – Greek minister to King Bhagabhadra.[12]
Pamheiba (1690–1751) – Manipuri King[13]
Suhungmung (r. 1497–1539) – Ahom kingdom's ruler who extended Assam up to the Kamarupa Kingdom[14]
Supangmung (r. 1663–1670) – Ahom kingdom's ruler who recaptured Guwahati. Converted to Vaishnavism.[15]
Susenghphaa (r. 1603–1641) – Ahom king; during his rule the Ahom-Mughal conflicts began[16]

Non-theistic converts

Annie Besant – British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer, orator, and supporter of both Irish and Indian self-rule.[17]
John Dobson (former atheist who became a believer in Vedanta) – astronomer and telescope designer.[18][19]
Sita Ram Goel (former atheist) – Indian commentator, writer and Hindu activist.[20]

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.[21]
Alain Daniélou (convert to Shaivism) – French historian, intellectual, musicologist, and Indologist.[22]
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.[23]
Geoffrey Giuliano – American biographer.[24]

Nina Hagen (follower of Haidakhan Babaji) – German singer.[25]
Joe Don Looney (follower of Swami Muktananda) – football player.[26]
J Mascis – lead vocalist, guitarist, and drummer for Dinosaur Jr.[27]
John McLaughlin (became a disciple of Sri Chinmoy) – jazz fusion guitar player.[28]
Lex Hixon (syncretist and disciple of Swami Nikhilananda) – poet, philosopher, spiritual practitioner and teacher.[29]
Sati Kazanova, Russian singer.[30]
Savitri Devi (born Maximiani Portas) – Greek-French writer and Nazi-sympathiser.[31]
Savitri Khanolkar (born Eve Yvonne Maday de Maros) – designer of India's highest gallantry award, the Param Vir Chakra.[32]
Mathias Rust – German daredevil pilot.[33]
Kelli Williams – American actress who played Lindsay Dole Donnell on the ABC legal drama The Practice.[34]
Sherlyn Chopra - Indian actress.[35]

References

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
http://www.radhanathswami.com
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.
Brown, C. J. (1987). The Coins of India. Asian Educational Services. p. 37. ISBN 978-81-206-0345-5.
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
Daniélou, Alain (10 November 2006). Search results for: 'isbn 1 59477 141 3'. www.innertraditions.com. ISBN 1-59477-141-3. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
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
"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.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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".

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[1] Ram Dass – the official interactive Satsang site for author (Be Here Now) and spiritual teacher Ram Dass

[2] Religious Conversion: Contemporary Practices and Controversies, page 3, Christopher Lamb, M. Darroll Bryant

[3] ttp://www.radhanathswami.com

[:0-4] Thakur, Upendra; Sircar, D. C (1967). The Hunas in India. Varanasi: The Chowkhamba Sanskrit Series Office. OCLC 469073765.

[5] Dona Catherina: the last empress of Lanka Lanka Library

[6] Divatia 42

[7] Divatia, N. B. (1993). Gujarati Language and Literature. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 81-206-0648-5.

[8] Brown, C. J. (1987). The Coins of India. Asian Educational Services. p. 37. ISBN 978-81-206-0345-5.

[9] Kan Sastri, A History of South India, p382-383

[10] Rice, Benjamin Lewis (1897). Mysore, by districts. A. Constable. p. 295.

[11] "A brief History of Tamil People (by Prof. A. Velupillai)". tamilelibrary.org. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

[12] Basham, A L (1967). The Wonder That Was India. Oxford: Taplinger Pub. Co. p. 60.

[13] Sheram, AK (2012). "Manipuri, The". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.

[14] Shimray, R.R. Origin and Culture of Nagas. Pamleiphi Shimray, 1985

[15] Neog, Maheshwar. Religions of the North-east: Studies in the Formal Religions of North. Munshiram Manoharlal, 1984.

[16] 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

[17] "Theosophy : Building of the Cosmos by Annie Besant". www.anandgholap.net. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

[18] "John Dobson: Amateur Astronomy's Revolutionary". space.com. Archived from the original on 9 April 2006.

[19] "Wall Street Journal Article about John". www.sidewalkastronomers.us. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

[20] "How I Became A Hindu - Chapter 1 - From Arya Samaj to Mahatma Gandhi". voiceofdharma.com. Retrieved 1 September 2021.

[21] Agehananda Bharati Archived 3 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine

[22] Daniélou, Alain (10 November 2006). Search results for: 'isbn 1 59477 141 3'. www.innertraditions.com. ISBN 1-59477-141-3. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2021.

[siksastakam97-23] 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

[Hinduism_Today-24] "Former Ronald McDonald Turns Vegetarian Activist". Hinduism Today. March 1991. Retrieved 6 February 2007.

[25] "Nina Hagen Das". ninahagendas.beepworld.de. Retrieved 25 April 2021.

[26] Dozier, Ray (2006). The Oklahoma Football Encyclopedia. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-58261-699-5.

[27] xclaim.ca

[28] "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)

[29] Lex Hixon.org Archived 9 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[30] RIR; Shalupenko, Yekaterina (21 July 2016). "The Russian singer who charmed Modi". www.rbth.com. Retrieved 25 April 2021.

[31] Gods of the Blood: The Pagan Revival and White Separatism, page 183, Mattias Gardell, 2003

[32] Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle, p.21, Major General Ian Cardozo, 2003

[33] "German daredevil grounded by court". the Guardian. 21 April 2001. Retrieved 25 April 2021.

[34] Kelli Williams Quotes and Trivia at MovieTome Archived 22 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine

[35] "Recently, I got to know about Sanatan Dharma".