Famous Hindus in Malaysia, Singapore, Bali and UAE

Quick answer: Well-known Hindus in public life across Southeast Asia and the Gulf include Sengkuttuvan Kanniyappan, chair of Singapore's Hindu Advisory Board; T. Ganesan, president of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam; Malaysian MP M. Saravanan and Malaysian Advancement Party founder P. Waytha Moorthy; Bali's governor I Wayan Koster; and in the UAE, Swami Brahmaviharidas of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, temple trustee Raju Shroff, the late Vasu Shroff and businessman Ravi Pillai. Roles are as of 9 October 2026.

Hindu life in these four places could hardly be more varied. Bali has its own ancient Hindu tradition and is not a diaspora at all. Malaysia and Singapore have Tamil-majority Hindu communities going back generations. The UAE has a large, mostly expatriate Hindu population that has only recently gained landmark temples. This guide introduces public figures from each, grouped by place and field rather than ranked, with each person's current role first and a source for every fact.

Four very different Hindu stories

In Malaysia and Singapore, large-scale Indian migration came mainly during British colonial rule in the 19th and early 20th centuries, much of it from Tamil Nadu, including workers recruited for plantations, railways and public works, alongside traders and clerks. Temples such as Singapore's Sri Mariamman and Malaysia's Batu Caves became the centres of communities whose festivals, above all Thaipusam and Deepavali, are now part of national life. Our guides to Hindus in Singapore and Hindus in Malaysia tell those stories in depth.

Bali is different: Balinese Hinduism is the island's own centuries-old tradition, with its own temples, calendar and rites. In the Gulf, by contrast, Hindus are mostly expatriates who came for trade and work, with Indian trading families present in Dubai for generations and much larger numbers arriving with the oil-era boom. See our guide to Hindu temples and festivals in the UAE.

At a glance

Name	Country	Field	Known for
Sengkuttuvan Kanniyappan	Singapore	Hindu organisation	Chairman, Hindu Advisory Board
T. Ganesan	Malaysia	Hindu organisation	President, Malaysia Hindu Sangam
M. Saravanan	Malaysia	Politics	MP for Tapah; MIC Deputy President; kavadi devotee
P. Waytha Moorthy	Malaysia	Politics	HINDRAF co-founder; Malaysian Advancement Party founder
I Wayan Koster	Indonesia (Bali)	Politics	Governor of Bali
Swami Brahmaviharidas	UAE	Spiritual	Head of BAPS Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi
Raju Shroff	UAE	Business / temple trust	Regal Group chairman; Jebel Ali temple trustee
The late Vasu Shroff	UAE	Business / temple trust	Dubai's 'textile king'; dreamed of a UAE temple
Ravi Pillai	UAE	Business	Founder and chairman, RP Group

Singapore

Sengkuttuvan Kanniyappan (Hindu Advisory Board)

Current roles: Chairman of the Hindu Advisory Board, with a term to 31 May 2029, and Vice President of the Inter-Religious Organisation (Source: MCCY).

The Hindu Advisory Board advises the government and the Hindu Endowments Board on Hindu religion and customs.

Hindu connection: Beyond chairing the government-appointed board, he has presented a session with Sri Mariamman Temple on Hindu rites for children: namakarana, the naming ceremony, and mudi irakkuthal, the first head-shaving (Source: My Community Festival).

Malaysia

T. Ganesan (Malaysia Hindu Sangam)

Current role: President of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam (MHS), the national Hindu body, re-elected at its 49th annual general meeting in July 2026 (Source: The Star).

He led the MHS's April 2025 memorandum to the Prime Minister's Office asking for a national temple regulatory body, and in March 2026 set up a legal team to settle temple disputes peacefully (Source: Malay Mail).

Hindu connection: As president of the Sangam, he speaks for Malaysia's national Hindu body on temple issues.

M. Saravanan (MP for Tapah)

Current roles: Member of Parliament for Tapah since 2008 and Deputy President of the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC). He was Human Resources Minister from 2020 to 2022.

In August 2026 he led the MIC's planning for the Melaka state election (Source: The Star).

Hindu connection: He has carried a kavadi at Thaipusam almost every year since the age of seven, and says he carries it at Batu Caves for inner peace, the well-being of everyone and to thank God (Source: New Straits Times, February 2023). Planning a visit? See must-visit Hindu temples in Malaysia.

P. Waytha Moorthy (Malaysian Advancement Party)

Current role: Founding president of the Malaysian Advancement Party since 2019.

He was Minister for National Unity and Social Wellbeing from 2018 to 2020, and a Senator in 2013-2014 and 2018-2021. He co-founded and led the Hindu Rights Action Force (HINDRAF) from 2007 to 2019; its rally of 25 November 2007 followed Hindu temple demolitions.

Hindu connection: He is a co-founder and former leader of HINDRAF, a Hindu rights movement (Source: Wikipedia (HINDRAF)).

Indonesia (Bali)

I Wayan Koster (Governor of Bali)

Current role: Governor of Bali, a post he held from 2018 to 2023 and again since 2025. He was previously a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives for Bali from 2004 to 2018.

He began his second term as governor on 20 February 2025 after winning 61% of the vote. In April 2025 he rejected the national two-child policy, saying it was to protect Balinese Hindu traditions (Source: Indonesian National Police).

Hindu connection: In May 2025 he opened Pura Santa Citta Bhuwana in the Netherlands, described as the first Balinese Hindu temple in Europe, consecrating it with the melaspas rite on Hari Raya Kuningan (Source: Indonesian National Police). Europe's other Hindu figures are in our Australia, New Zealand and Europe guide.

United Arab Emirates

Swami Brahmaviharidas (BAPS Hindu Mandir, Abu Dhabi)

Current role: Head of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi (as of 2025) and a monk of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha.

He led the building of the mandir, the UAE's first traditional stone Hindu temple, which opened in February 2024, and said in 2025 that more than 2.5 million people visited it in its first year (Source: Times of Oman). In 2025 he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in April and UAE Deputy Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed (BAPS).

Hindu connection: A Hindu monk, he heads the mandir and leads its Diwali, Annakut and Sharda Pujan celebrations.

Raju Shroff (Jebel Ali temple trustee)

Current roles: Chairman of the Regal Group of Companies since 2026, and a trustee of the Hindu Temple Dubai in Jebel Ali (Sindhi Guru Darbar temple trust) (Source: Entrepreneur Middle East).

He led the planning and building of the Jebel Ali temple, which opened on 4 October 2022, and became chairman of the Regal Group after his father, Vasu Shroff, died in April 2026.

Hindu connection: As a trustee of Dubai's Hindu temple, he told The National that its marble carvings depict Hindu mythology and give a feeling of peace and harmony (Source: The National).

The late Vasu Shroff

Roles: Founder and chairman of the Regal Group until 2026, and head of the Sindhi Guru Darbar Committee, which runs the Bur Dubai temple.

Known as Dubai's textile king, he died in Dubai in April 2026, aged 85 (Source: All India Radio News).

Hindu connection: For decades he wanted a temple for Hindu worshippers in the UAE, a wish fulfilled by the 2022 Jebel Ali temple. He told The National that he had a dream to have their own temple, and used to pray day and night hoping they would get land for it (Source: The National).

Ravi Pillai (RP Group)

Current role: Founder and chairman of RP Group.

He moved to Saudi Arabia in 1978 and built RP Group there, and received Bahrain's Medal of Efficiency in December 2024.

Hindu connection: The chairman of the Guruvayur temple called him an ardent devotee of Guruvayurappan (Source: Onmanorama), and a vehicle pooja for his new helicopter was held at Guruvayur temple in 2022 (Onmanorama).

Common threads

Institution builders: from Singapore's Hindu Advisory Board to the Malaysia Hindu Sangam and the Gulf's new temples, many of the people here are known for building or leading Hindu institutions. More in Hindu spiritual leaders and temple founders abroad.
Festivals in public view: Thaipusam kavadis at Batu Caves and Diwali crowds at the Abu Dhabi mandir show how visible Hindu practice has become in these countries.
Business and faith: in Dubai, a business family was the driving force behind the Jebel Ali temple; see also Hindu scientists and business leaders abroad.

Frequently asked questions

Who leads the Hindu Advisory Board in Singapore?

Sengkuttuvan Kanniyappan is Chairman of the Hindu Advisory Board, with a term running to 31 May 2029. The board advises the government and the Hindu Endowments Board on Hindu religion and customs. He is also Vice President of the Inter-Religious Organisation.

Who is the president of the Malaysia Hindu Sangam?

T. Ganesan, who was re-elected at the Malaysia Hindu Sangam's 49th annual general meeting in July 2026.

Which Malaysian minister carries a kavadi at Thaipusam?

M. Saravanan, MP for Tapah and Deputy President of the Malaysian Indian Congress, has carried a kavadi at Thaipusam almost every year since the age of seven. He told the New Straits Times in 2023 that he does it for inner peace, the well-being of everyone and to thank God.

Who built the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi?

Swami Brahmaviharidas, a monk of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, led the building of the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi, the UAE's first traditional stone Hindu temple, which opened in February 2024. He said in 2025 that more than 2.5 million people had visited in its first year.

Who is behind the Hindu temple in Jebel Ali, Dubai?

The temple, which opened on 4 October 2022, fulfilled a decades-long wish of the late Vasu Shroff, Dubai's 'textile king'. His son Raju Shroff, a trustee of the temple trust, led its planning and building, and became chairman of the Regal Group after his father died in April 2026.

Is Bali's governor Hindu?

Yes. I Wayan Koster, Governor of Bali, consecrated a Balinese Hindu temple in the Netherlands in May 2025 with the melaspas rite on Hari Raya Kuningan, and in April 2025 rejected the national two-child policy to protect Balinese Hindu traditions.

Editor's note (9 October 2026)

People are included only where public statements or reputable reports (official government pages, major news outlets, or the person's own words) establish their Hindu faith or practice; Indian heritage alone is not enough. Roles are given as of 9 October 2026 and can change. People who have died are marked as the late, and we report only the facts of their death given in our sources. Background history is summarised in general terms only. If you spot an error or an outdated role, please let us know and we will correct it.

Image credit: KQuhen, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Batu_Caves_Murugan_Statue_and_Stairs_2015.jpg).