Gibraltar Hindu Temple

Arrival of Hindus in Gibraltar

The earliest evidence of a Hindu presence in Gibraltar dates back to the 19th century. A year after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Indian merchants began businesses in Gibraltar. However, they did not settle in the territory. Most of these traders were Sindhi.

In the Gibraltar sovereignty referendum of 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain under British sovereignty, which led to the passing of the Gibraltar Constitution Order in 1969. In response, Spain completely closed the border with Gibraltar and severed all communication links. As a result, Hindus who were residing in Spain and had British citizenship moved into Gibraltar. The total number of Hindus in Gibraltar in 1970 were 293 in comparison to 26 in 1961. Most of the Hindus in Gibraltar are of Sindhi origin.

The Hindus joined in with integrated education and the percentage of arranged marriages within the community reduced. On 1 March 2000, Gibraltar Hindu Temple was inaugurated at Engineer Lane, near to Main Street, the main arterial street. The inauguration ceremony was attended by the then Governor of Gibraltar Sir Richard Luce.

In 2012, the Mayor of Gibraltar, Anthony Lima, made the news when he announced that he was inviting the Hindu community into Gibraltar City Hall to celebrate the Hindu festival of Deepavali.