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

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

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) – very 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 September 7, 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

• 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