List of people Converted to Hinduism from other religions

I always says that, why Hinduism is a great religions. Some famous people, who converted to Hinduism.

From Christianity

• Chantal Boulanger - French anthropologist who wrote wide in Tamil culture.
• Claudia Ciesla - German model, actress and singer embraced Hinduism and believes in Karma
• Job Charnock - British trade agent who has been controversially described as the founder of Calcutta.
• llan Chester - Venecuelan singer, keyboardist, arranger and composer.
• Alice Coltrane - Illuminations( raised Baptist but became a follower of Satrya Sai Baba) - American jazz pianist, organist, harpist and composer.
• Michael Cremo - American creationist, author and editor
• Bhagavan Dast - (Born Kermit Michael Riggs) - Western Yogi and former born again Christian
• Roy Eugene Davis - American Kriya Yoga teacher
• Krishna Dharma - British author and convert to Gaudiya Vaishnavism under ISKON
• David Frawley - author on Hinduism, Yoga and Ayurveda 
• Elizabeth Gilbert - author of Eat Pray Love
• George Harrison - popular Musician, best known as a member of THE BEATLES who died chanting the Hare Krishna Mahamantra in the company of monks from ISKON. He is also known for donating Bhaktivedanta Manor, a Hindu temple to the Hare Krishna community in Britain.
• Lawrence Raghavendra - Tamil and Telugu choreographer, film actor, director, composer and Philanthropist.
• Christopher Isherwood - Anglo-American novelist
• Jomol - Malayali Actress
• Lizy - (born Aliyamma Malayalam of Elizabeth adopted the name Lakshmi) Malayalam Actress
• Swami Kriyananda - (born J. Donald Walters) direct disciple of the yogi Paramahansa Yogananda 
• Timothy Leary - Harvard professor and American writer and psychologist
• Satsvarupa Dasa Goswami - one of the eleven senior American selected to become an initiating guru in ISKON
• Savitri Devi Mukherji - (born Maximiani Portas) French woman who became enamored with Hinduism and Nazism, trying to synthesise Hinduismwith Nazi philosophy and racial ideology.
• Sister Nivedita - (born Margaret Elizabeth Noble) Anglo Irish social worker, author and teacher
• Leelawathy Ramanathan - Australia born, Hindu writer and activist, Converted upon marrying Ponnambalam Ramanathan
• John Levy - British philosopher who translated books on Advaita Vedanta
• Annie - (Actress) and(born Annie Jobbie adopted the name Chitra) Malayalam Actress
• Joseph Ritson - English antiquarian and traveler
• Julia Roberts - American Actress
• Han Snel - Dutch painter of Bali
• Satyananda Stokes - Famous English farmer in Himachal Pradesh 
• Bhakti Tirtha Swami - (Born John E. Favors) American Hindu leader and disciple of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.
• Romapada Swami - Preacher of ISKON
• Kenneth R..  Valpey - Gaudiya Vaishnava Theology who studied at Oxford University, St. Cross College
• Shaunaka Rishi Das - (born Timothy Kiernan) Director of the Oxford Center for Hindu Studies
• Nayantara - (born Diana Mariam Kurian) South Indian Actress, model

From Islam

• Bukka I - king of Vijayanagara Empire who converted to Islam, then reconverted.
• Nargis - noted Bollywood actress, politician and social workers.  Mother of actor Sanjay Dutt. She converted to Hinduism and took the name of Nirmala Dutton on her marriage to actore Sunil Dutt
• Annapurna Devi - (born Roshanara Khan) surbahar player and music teacher in the North Indian classical tradition.
• Harilal Mohandas Gandhi - son of Mahatma Gandhi. Upon converting to islam he adopted the name Abdullah Gandhi,  but later again reverted back to Hinduism.
• Asha Gawlik - (Born Ayesha) wife of Arundel Gawlik,  notorious gangster turned politician from Mumbai. 
• Harihara I - King of Vijayanagara Empire who converted to Islam, then reconverted.
• Aashish Khan - (born Ustad Aashish Khan Debsharma) Indian musician
• Hassan Palakkode - Malyali writer on Islam
• Netaji Palkar - Maratha noble and commander-in-chief of the army of Shivaji, 19 June 1676
• Sarmad - 17th century mystical poet and sufi saint, arrived from Persia to India, beheaded from assumed heresy by the Mughal emperor, Aurungzebe's.  Sarmad renounced judaism, briefly converting to Islam and then Hinduism. He later denounced all religion and rejected belief in God.
• Anwar Shaikh - British Author
• Ifa Sudewi - Chief Judge for the 2002 bombing trails.
• Khusbhoo Sundar - Tamil movie actress. She converted to Hinduism upon Marriage.
• Haridas Thakura - Prominent Vaishnavite saint, instrumental in the early appearance and spread of Hare Krishana Movement.
• Zubeida - Hindi film actress, on whose life story the film Zubediaa was based. She converted to Hinduism upon marriage.
• Nalini Patel - Page( Born Nayyara Mirza) Miss India Finalist of 1967, was the first Muslim to participate in the pageant. She converted to Hinduism after marriage. She is settled in teh USA.
• Sonam - (Born Bakhtawar Murad) wife of Bollywood directore Rajiv Rai. She converted to Hinduism upon marriage.
• Fatima Ghadially - Wife of ajith agarkar

From Judaism

• Ram Dass - (Born Richard Alpert) syncretist, and followers of the Hindu deity Hanuman, Professor of phychology at Harvard University
• Tamal Krishna Goswami - (born Thomas G. Herzig) governing body commissioner of the International Society for Krishna Consciousness.

From Buddhism

• Mihirakula - Huna ruler
• Rajasinghe II - Sri Lankan king who conquered Kandy
• Rishabhadata - Satrap viceroy
• Rudradaman I - Starap ruler and conqueror of the Satavahanas
• Vasudeva I - Kushan King and numismatist

From Jainism

• Mahendravarma I - Pallava King and patron of the arts 
• Visnuvardhana - King of Hoysala empire and prominent temple builder
• Tirunavakkarsar - Saivite saint and one of the most prominent of the sixty three Nayanars

Others 

• Charairongba - Manupuri ruler
• Heliodorus - Greek minister of King Bhagabhadra
• Pamheiba - Manipuri King
• Suhungmung - Ahom Kingdom ruler who extended Assam up to the Kamarupa Kingdom
• Annie Besent - (former atheist) Theosophist, orator and feminist
• John dobson - (former athiest who become a believer in Vedanata) astronomer and Telescope designer
• Sita Ram Goel - (former atheist) Indian Commentator, writer and Hindu activist
• Agehananda Bharti - (born Leopold Fischer) academic Sanskrit, a prolific author about religious subjects and a Hindu monk in the Dasanami Sannyasi order
• Alain Danielou - (Converted to Shaivism) French historian, intellectual, musicologist and Indologist
• Ambarish Das - Page( born Alffred Ford) American Businessman, great grandson of Henry Ford, and follower of Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (the foundre of ISKON)
• Urmila Devi Dasi - (born Edith E. Best) female ISKON educator
• Geoffrey Guiliano - American Biographer
• Nina Hagen - Follower of Haidakhan babaji, German Singer
• Aldous Huxley - disciple of Swami Prabhavananda, English writer who emigrated to the United States, author of Brave New World
• Joe Don Looney - Follower of Swami Muktananda, Football Player
• J. Mascis - lead Vocalist, guitarist and drummer for Dinosaur Jr. 
• John McLaughlin - become a disciple of Sri Chinmoy, Jazz fusion guitar player
• Lex Hixon - Suncretist and disciple of Swami Nikhilananda, poet, Philosopher, spritiual practitioner and teacher
• Mathias Rusty - German Daredevil Pilot
• J. D. Salinger - American author best known for The Batcher in the Rye
• Kelli Williams - American Actress who played Lindsay Dole Donnel on the ABC legal Drama the Practice.
• Ricky Williams - Miami Dolphins football player 
• Crispian Mills - English rock singer named Krishna Kantha Dasa. He wrote a forward to book by Bhaktivinoda Thakur titled Sri Siksastaka.
• Jeffrey Armstrong - Canadian Author, Speaker, Poet.

Hollywood diva Brandy Norwood gets Hindu Lord Ganesh tattoo

Brandy Norwood, one of the best-selling female artists in American music history, reportedly gets a new tattoo of Hindu deity Ganesh and is proud of it.

The reports suggest that California tattoo artist Peter Koskela inked elephant-headed Hindu Lord Ganesh on Image Award winner Norwood’s (Moesha) left wrist.

According to her tweets, Norwood knew that it was the image of Ganesh, the “Remover of all obstacles” but mistook him for an “Egyptian god”. On being pointed out by her Twitter followers, she quickly corrected her error and wrote: Ganesh is actually a Hindu deity, not Egyptian :) the tattoo is gorgeous!”

Welcoming Norwood’s interest in Lord Ganesh, well known Hindu statesman Rajan Zed, in a statement in Nevada (USA) today, urged her to go beyond the fashion statement and explore the rich philosophical thought which Hinduism offered. Zed volunteered to gladly provide the Hinduism resources helpful in her exploration and comprehensive understanding of Hinduism.

Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, further said that Hollywood celebrities needed to have more patience and go beyond the superficial because Hinduism concepts evolved over thousands of years and needed deep study. He urged Norwood to visit a nearby Hindu temple to have firsthand experience of Hinduism.

Brandy Rayana Norwood, 31, singer-songwriter-actress-dancer-film producer-etc., has reportedly sold over 30 million records worldwide and won over 100 awards as recording artist. Raised in a Christian home, Norwood started singing as part of the local church choir, performing her first gospel solo when she was two.

In Hinduism, Lord Ganesh is worshiped as god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and invoked before the beginning of any major undertaking. Hinduism, oldest and third largest religion of the world, has about one billion adherents and moksh (liberation) is its ultimate goal. Tattoos go back in history to at least since Neolithic times.

Americans increasingly embracing Hinduism: Newsweek

'Lets all say Om' seems to be the new American mantra with an increasing number of people in this country subscribing to the essentially Hindu belief that there is no one way to salvation and that many religions could lead to eternal peace.

A piece in an upcoming edition of the Newsweek magazine quoting a recent poll says that Americans are slowly becoming more like Hindus "conceptually" and less like traditional Christians in the ways they think about God and eternity.

The article headlined "we are all Hindus now" cites a Newsweek poll in 2009 according to which 30 percent of Americans call themselves "spiritual, not religious," up from 24 percent in 2005.

It shows that the number of people who seek spiritual truth outside the church is growing.

"A Hindu believes there are many paths to God. Jesus is one way, the Quran is another, yoga practice is a third. None is better than any other. The most traditional, conservative Christians have not been taught to think like this," the article says. However, Americans are no longer buying it.

According to a 2008 Pew Forum survey, 65 percent of Americans believe that "many religions can lead to eternal life" including 37 percent of conservative white evangelicals, it says.

The theory of re-incarnation, which is central to Hindu belief, also seems to be finding acceptance, with 24 percent of Americans saying they believe in the concept, the article said quoting a 2008 Harris poll.

According to the Cremation Association of North America, more than a third of Americans were now choosing cremation as the ultimate fate of their bodies, up from six percent in 1975, it says.

This contradicts the traditional Christian belief that bodies and souls are sacred, that together they comprise the "self” and that at the end of time they will be reunited in the Resurrection.

Foreigners flock to Haridwar for love of Hinduism

They don't allow questions. They don't reply to questions. You have to obey them. This repels many.

They come here from Russia, Malaysia, Belarus, South Korea and the US, lured by Hinduism which they say answers questions that have plagued them for years.

The eclectic nature of the Hindu religion - one of the world's oldest - has attracted foreigners from time immemorial. However, those enticed by it now are no more the dope-smoking hippy variety of the 1970s.

Foreigners flocking to Haridwar, one of the holiest Hindu holy spots, are mostly the educated, both men and women, from all parts of the globe, and have a spiritual commitment that amazes many Indians.

Moscow resident Victor Shevtsov, who at 56 looks at least a decade younger, explained why Russians like him have taken to Hinduism in such large numbers.

"Today the Orthodox Church in Russia is like the old Communist rulers," the tour operator said. "They don't allow questions. They don't reply to questions. You have to obey them. This repels many."

A fan of Indian religious philosophy, Shevtsov said in fluent English: "Many Russians are coming here because they don't have answers (to their questions) in Orthodox Christianity.

"Here, in India and in the East, religious leaders talk to you, they answer questions."

Fellow Russian Prokhor Bashkatov, a 37-year-old real estate agent, also blamed the Russian Church for his decision to embrace Hinduism.

"The Church is too rigid," said the Russian who can't understand or speak English. "It is not keeping pace with the time. I feel that my coming here is going to improve relations between Russia and India."

Both Victor and Prokhor have close links with Gayatri Parivar, a grassroots group that is organising a mammoth event here Nov 6-10 with a view to propagating the sacred 'Gayatri Mantra'.

Dmitri Kozhemyakin, in his 20s and from Belarus, has another view. He feels that the Church traditions are similar to the Vedic teachings. "And we are part of the Aryan culture too," he added.

Like so many foreigners, Dasom Her, a 22-year-old South Korean who studies here, was floored after reading "Autobiography of a Yogi", a gem in spiritual literature that Paramhansa Yogananda authored in 1946 and which still sells.

India, Hindu ethos and yoga had always attracted her parents, who met at a yoga class in South Korea and fell in love. When her father died, her mother decided to move to India with Dasom.

After spending time in Kolkata and Santiniketan, where she mastered Bengali, the daughter and mother moved to Haridwar where both study at the Dev Sanskriti Vishwavidyala.

"My mother decided that India is where I will learn the values of life," said Dasom, her hands decorated with henna.

Pranav Pandya, who heads the Gayatri Parivar, says there is more than one reason why foreigners take to Hinduism.

"Meditation has done wonders," Pandya said. "It has provided many foreigners quiet and tranquil lives. Many have accepted 'Gayatri Mantra' too as their own."

The foremost mantra in Hinduism, its chanting is said to remove obstacles and increase spiritual growth. Its syllables are said to positively affect all the chakras, or energy centres, in the human body.

Do the families of foreigners accept their gravitation to the Hindu religion?

Some families are very supportive, others not so. Said Russia's Bashkatov: "Slowly and slowly my family is accepting my interest in Hinduism."