The new partnership strengthens European Hindu cooperation, connecting a Croatian religious community with more than four decades of history to a wider continental network.
BRUSSELS, 14 November 2026 — Sanatana Dharma Europe has formally welcomed the Hindu Religious Community of Croatia into its European network, marking a new chapter in cooperation among Hindu organizations across the continent. Announced on Saturday, the partnership follows a meeting between Swami Bhairavananda Saraswati and Mahamandaleshwar Swami Vivek Puri, the Croatian community’s founder and president, during a recent interreligious gathering in Croatia.
The announcement brings together a Belgium-based European Hindu organization and an established Croatian religious community whose activities encompass spiritual practice, cultural preservation, interfaith dialogue and environmental initiatives. It also highlights the growing connections among Hindu communities seeking to maintain their religious traditions while participating in European civic and cultural life.
A Partnership Emerging from Interreligious Dialogue
The relationship developed during the 5th Mediterranean Interreligious Forum, organized by the Centre for Interreligious Dialogue in Rijeka, Croatia, from 23 to 25 October 2026.
The forum brought together religious leaders, academics and civil society representatives to examine the relationship between religion and contemporary social challenges. Its discussions addressed three principal themes: religion and artificial intelligence, migration, and ecotheology—the relationship between religious thought and environmental responsibility.
Swami Bhairavananda Saraswati, who also serves as president of Shiva Forum Europe, delivered a keynote address on the value of interreligious dialogue. According to the organizers’ account, his intervention emphasized the importance of learning about other religious traditions through personal encounters and informal exchanges, rather than relying exclusively on formal institutional discussions.
During his visit to Croatia, he also participated in a satsang, a Hindu spiritual gathering involving teachings, reflection, devotional practices and discussion, in Zagreb.
Reflecting on his encounter with Swami Vivek Puri, he stated:
“I had the privilege to meet Mahamandaleshwar Swami Vivek Puri and participate in a vibrant satsang in Zagreb. I was welcomed with profound warmth and respect. Combined with the spiritual atmosphere and divine blessings, it was a true reflection of Swamiji’s soul.”
The meeting subsequently led to the formal announcement of the Croatian community’s inclusion in Sanatana Dharma Europe’s network.
Four Decades of Hindu Religious Life in Croatia
The Hindu Religious Community of Croatia, known in Croatian as Hinduistička vjerska zajednica Hrvatske and also identified internationally as the Hindu Religious Society of Croatia, traces its beginnings to 1984.
Its development reflects a Hindu presence in a country where Christianity has historically been the predominant religious tradition, but where a range of other religious communities also participate in public life.
The organization is registered as a religious community in Croatia. Under the country’s legal framework for religious communities, registration provides recognition of a religious organization as a legal entity. The Croatian Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation maintains the official register.
The Croatian community also has an international institutional dimension. In 2019, it was granted special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), as confirmed by the UN’s official civil society database.
This status enables qualifying nongovernmental organizations to participate in relevant United Nations consultative processes and contribute their perspectives to international discussions. It does not make an organization part of the United Nations itself, but provides a recognized framework for civil society engagement.
A Spiritual Tradition Rooted in Sanatana Dharma
The Croatian community identifies with Sanatana Dharma, a Sanskrit expression commonly translated as “eternal dharma” and used by many Hindus to describe their religious and philosophical tradition.
Its particular spiritual orientation follows the Sri Alakh Puriji Siddha Peeth Parampara, a Hindu lineage associated with the Yoga in Daily Life tradition. The community’s religious activities include regular satsangs, yoga, meditation, celebrations of Hindu festivals and the transmission of traditional spiritual teachings.
Mahamandaleshwar Swami Vivek Puri has played an important role in developing this presence. Alongside his leadership of the registered religious community, he is a co-founder of Yoga in Daily Life Croatia.
His religious formation includes initiation into the Maha Nirvani Akhara, one of Hinduism’s traditional monastic orders. In 2013, during the Kumbh Mela pilgrimage gathering in Prayagraj, India, he received the title of Mahamandaleshwar, a senior spiritual title within certain Hindu monastic traditions.
Through his religious leadership and participation in cultural and educational activities, Swami Vivek Puri has helped establish a visible Hindu presence in Croatian society while maintaining connections with the broader spiritual traditions of India.
Peace Initiatives, Cultural Activities and Environmental Work
Beyond its religious gatherings, the Croatian Hindu community has developed a range of activities connecting spiritual principles with social responsibility.
One of its longest-running initiatives involves the planting of symbolic “Peace Trees” throughout Croatia. According to the community’s published account of its activities, the initiative began following a peace summit held in Zagreb in October 2005 and has since extended to urban areas and natural environments, including Kopački Rit and the Žumberak region.
The tree-planting activities express the community’s emphasis on peace, respect for living beings and environmental protection. They also connect religious practice with concerns shared by people of different faiths and philosophical backgrounds.
The organization participates in observances associated with the International Day of Peace on 21 September and the International Day of Non-Violence on 2 October, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s birth.
Its cultural work has included public lectures, exhibitions, Indian classical music performances and educational events. Several activities have been organized in cooperation with the Embassy of India in Zagreb and Croatian cultural institutions, providing opportunities for the wider public to encounter Hindu religious and cultural traditions.
Plans for a Hindu Temple and Cultural Centre
Among the community’s longer-term ambitions is the establishment of a Hindu cultural and religious centre incorporating a mandir, or Hindu temple, and an ashram dedicated to spiritual and educational activities.
According to the community’s website, the project began in September 2020 on a site covering more than 12 hectares in Croatia.
Such a centre is intended to provide space for religious ceremonies, spiritual instruction, community gatherings and the preservation of Hindu cultural practices. The latest announcement did not specify the project’s current construction status or an expected completion date.
The initiative nevertheless illustrates the community’s intention to establish enduring institutions serving Hindu religious life in Croatia.
Building Stronger Connections Across Europe
For Sanatana Dharma Europe, the addition of the Croatian community represents another step in developing links among Hindu organizations operating in different European countries.
Based in Oudenaarde, Belgium, Sanatana Dharma Europe seeks to connect Hindu communities, preserve religious and cultural traditions, and encourage interreligious dialogue and participation in European society.
Although Hinduism encompasses a wide diversity of philosophies, forms of worship and spiritual lineages, European Hindu organizations often encounter similar questions concerning religious identity, cultural transmission, recognition, education and dialogue with public institutions.
Cooperation across national boundaries can provide opportunities to exchange experience and develop common initiatives without requiring communities to abandon their distinctive religious practices or local identities.
The Croatian community’s participation is particularly relevant because of its experience combining traditional Hindu spiritual life with public initiatives addressing peace, environmental responsibility and intercultural understanding.
The announcement does not detail specific joint projects or changes to the Croatian community’s governance. Its significance therefore lies, for now, in the formal establishment of a new relationship between the organizations and the possibilities that relationship may create.
A European Hindu Presence Rooted in Local Communities
The partnership also illustrates an important characteristic of contemporary European Hinduism: its development through locally established communities maintaining connections with wider international religious traditions.
While Hindu practices and institutions have their historical roots in South Asia, communities across Europe have developed their own structures, cultural activities and forms of participation in the societies where they live.
In Croatia, more than four decades of religious activity have produced a legally recognized organization with its own leadership, regular worship practices, cultural initiatives and international civil society engagement.
Its newly announced relationship with Sanatana Dharma Europe adds a further European dimension to that experience.
As religious organizations increasingly cooperate across borders on questions of freedom of religion or belief, intercultural dialogue and social responsibility, partnerships of this kind may help smaller communities participate more visibly in wider discussions. For the Hindu Religious Community of Croatia, the new affiliation offers an additional connection through which its experience and traditions can contribute to the evolving landscape of religious diversity in Europe.