Indian businesses and services in Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal's links with South Asia are old, and Lisbon shows several layers of them. Goa, Daman and Diu were under Portuguese rule until 1961, and Goan families have lived in Lisbon for generations. Another long-established group came from Mozambique around its independence in 1975: Gujarati Hindus, Ismaili Muslims and others whose families had lived in East Africa for decades and who rebuilt their lives in and around the capital. In the last fifteen years they have been joined by large numbers of Nepali, Bangladeshi, Indian Punjabi and Pakistani workers.

The newest arrivals are most visible around Martim Moniz and the Mouraria, below the castle. Rua do Benformoso and the streets around the square are lined with grocers, spice shops, sweet shops, phone stores and restaurants run by South Asian owners. Martim Moniz has its own stop on the green metro line, and the 28 tram passes through.

The Hindu community's main temple is the Radha Krishna temple of the Comunidade Hindu de Portugal in Lumiar, in the north of the city, which opened in 1998 and also serves as a cultural centre, with Diwali and Navratri celebrations. Lisbon also has a gurdwara and ISKCON and BAPS Swaminarayan temples. The Gujarati families who came from Mozambique settled mainly in the Lisbon area, and the community's centre of gravity for worship is some distance from the shops of the Mouraria.