Overview
Although Venezuela is far from India and the Indian community here is small, Indian culture is widely admired and practised by Venezuelans, and many of them travel to India.
Academic links
- Open Chairs on India (Cátedra Libre India) at the University of Los Andes, Mérida (2006) and the Central University of Venezuela, Caracas (2010). The Mérida chair has published booklets and monographs on India.
- Dr. B.R. Ambedkar India Study Centre, Law Faculty of Santa María University, Caracas, inaugurated on 14 April 2016, with books on India in English and Spanish.
- India was the partner country at the University Fair at UCAB, Caracas (25–30 November 2024).
Mahatma Gandhi in Venezuela
A statue of Mahatma Gandhi stands in Plaza Gandhi, Caricuao, Caracas, where Gandhi Jayanti is celebrated every year. Other statues are at Villa Asia, Puerto Ordaz (Bolívar State) and Parque La Isla, Mérida. The Mahatma Gandhi Foundation of Venezuela, set up in Caracas in June 2016, offers diploma courses on Gandhian thought.
Yoga, meditation and Ayurveda
Yoga is very popular, with hundreds of centres and teachers across the country. The International Day of Yoga has been celebrated every year since 2015. With the Gran Fraternidad Universal, the Embassy set up an AYUSH Information Cell at the ashram in El Limón, Maracay (Aragua State) in July 2017.
Dance, music, film and food
- Local groups practise Odissi and Bharatanatyam, and musicians teach tabla, flute and sitar.
- The 1st Indian Film Festival was held at the Cinemateca Nacional, Caracas on 7–8 March 2025.
- Indian food is popular, and the Embassy takes part in local food festivals.
Temples and spiritual organisations
Two Hindu temples function in Caracas — ISKCON in San Bernardino and Sri Chaitanya Saraswat Math in Colinas de Bello Monte — and hold evening aarti every day. Organisations active in Venezuela include the Sathya Sai centres (about 50 across the country), The Art of Living, the Brahma Kumaris, Amigos de Amma, the Missionaries of Charity and the Gran Fraternidad Universal.
The Embassy's cultural work
The Embassy works to deepen people-to-people ties by bringing Indian cultural troupes, organising film festivals and photo exhibitions, and building closer links with universities and educational institutions.