Hindus in Spain are working towards creating a united platform to work on issues that affect the roughly 50, 000 Spanish Hindus in the nation. A Federación Hindú de España (FHE) has already been formed in Spain and its Facebook page has also been developed.
Juan Carlos Ramchandani (Krishna Kripa Dasa) is the President of FHE. Its website has underlined the goals that it wishes to work upon.
The website elaborates that the FHE intends to not just unite Hindus but also promote and defend Hinduism. It also wants to challenge the academic misrepresentation of Hinduism and help in correcting it.
FHE will also work with and advise the local, regional and national governments on Hinduism and would work to make Hindus visible in Spain. It will also promote authentic yoga and would ensure equal stature of Hinduism.
It also wishes to form a directory of entities and people related to Hinduism and in the future, FHE wants to conduct educational programs and train Hindu priests as well.
US-based Hindu leader Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today has hailed the efforts of Spanish Hindu groups and community for this move.
Rajan Zed in his statement said that:
It is important to pass on Hindu spirituality, concepts and traditions to coming generations amidst so many distractions in the consumerist society and hoped that this Hindu Federation would help in this direction in Spain. Zed also urged the federation to actively indulge in interfaith dialogue with other religions to help promote harmony in the Spanish society.
Hindus are spread all over Spain and some are of Indian descent as well but it is in the Canary Islands where the concentration Hindu adherents are high. There are also about 40 Hindu temples/worship-places in Spain. There is also a Hindu Temple in neighboring Gibraltar.
Hare Krishna temples also operate in Madrid, Barcelona, Tenerife, Malaga and they also have an institute and a farm. Brahma-Kumaris, Mata Amritanandamayi Amma and Sathya Sai Baba are popular among the Spain Hindus while many Hindu festivals, including Rath-Yatra are also celebrated.
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