HINDUISM
Although archeological evidence shows that Hinduism existed in Malaysia long before the coming of Islam, the evolution and nature of Hinduism in Malaysia as it exists today is directly related to the process of migration of Indians, which began on a large scale during the second half of the 19th century, as a result of the establishment of British administration and plantation agriculture. Today, Malaysian Hindus form about six per cent of the population and have integrated with the society at large while maintaining most aspects of their distinct culture.
The majority of Indians, mainly Tamils, Telugus and Malayalees, came to Malaysia to work as labourers and settled in plantations or were employed as manual labourers by the government. Some Sri Lankan Tamils and Malayalees were employed as clerks, supervisors and technicians. Other South Indians came from the commercial class and engaged in textile and retail businesses, and also in moneylending. All these diverse sub-ethnic groups brought with them their particular Hindu philosophical and religious traditions. The Tamils of South India and Sri Lanka, for example, adhere to the non-dualistic tradition (Suddhadvaita) which emphasizes Saivism (belief in Shiva), while the Telugus, Malayalees and many North Indians follow the tradition of qualified monism (Visistadvaita) in which Vaishnavism (belief in Vishnu) is emphasized. The North Indian and South Indian brahmins, on the other hand, followed the monistic tradition (advaita) of Sankara, which is the concept of God as the Supreme Being referred to as ‘Brahman' in the Vedantic scriptures and ‘Kadavul' in the Siddhantic texts.
Gods and goddesses in the Hindu belief system fulfil a devotee's need for guardian deities (kaval), personal deities (istha) and family deities (kula) whose assistance is sought when confronted with disease, calamities or personal predicaments, and for protection against evil spirits. Worship of these deities is normally carried out in temples as well as at home. It is possible to have worship conducted at home as most of the worshippers use the religious texts in their own languages. The system also allows for the worship of inanimate objects such as the tulasi (basil) plant and animate objects including the cow and the cobra. The tulasi plant is sacred to Vishnu and Shiva, and the cobra is associated with nearly every important deity (Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Ganesha, Murugan, etc.). Apart from its symbolism as a mother figure, the cow is sacred because of the belief that various deities reside in different parts of the cow, thus the taboo against eating beef. However, Hinduism accords greater significance to the worship of deities, who are usually regarded as manifestations of the Supreme Being.
