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Christianity in Delhi

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}

File:Jesuits at Akbar's court.jpg Emperor Akbar the Great (r. 1556-1605) holds a religious assembly in the Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) in Fatehpur Sikri; the two men dressed in black are the Jesuit missionaries Rodolfo Acquaviva and Francisco Henriques. Illustration to the Akbarnama, miniature painting by Nar Singh, ca. 1605.]]

Christianity is a minority religion in Delhi, the National Capital Territory of India. A diocese of the Church of North India is established in Delhi, as well as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi. Other major churches include the Central Baptist Church, St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral Hauz Khas (belonging to the Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church), and the head office of the Northern Region of the Indian Pentecostal Church of God (situated in Bhai Vir Singh Marg, New Delhi).{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} A Christian Revival Church is also located in New Delhi. The Syro-Malabar Diocese of Faridabad also has presence in Delhi.

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|+ Christians in Delhi

! Year !! Number !! Percentage

2001{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communities.htm|title=Total population by religious communities|publisher=Censusindia.gov.in|access-date=20 November 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119031333/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communities.htm|archive-date=19 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}{{center|130,319}}{{center|0.94}}
2011{{cite web|publisher=Census Department, Government of India|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/c-01.html|title=Indian Census 2011|access-date=25 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913045700/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html|archive-date=13 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}{{center|146,093}}{{center|0.87}}

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History

=Mughal=

Christianity in Delhi dates back to the Mughal emperor Akbar's era. Emperor Akbar was known for his secular theology. A Jesuit priest was invited by Akbar from Goa in 1579 in order that Akbar might receive knowledge about Christianity.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

Sir Thomas Roe, King James I's ambassador to India during Jahangir's reign, tells the story that two princes converted to Christianity (including Janghir's nephew) only to enable Jahangir to demand to Portuguese women for himself. This ploy was unsuccessful. During the reign of Emperor Aurangzeb there was a decline in Christianity.{{cite book|author=Stephen Neill|title=A History of Christianity in India: The Beginnings to AD 1707|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbVNvsZWH5EC&pg=PA189|year=2004|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-54885-4|page=189}}The Mughals of India - Page 20 In 1723 Father Desideri founded the city church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. The church was destroyed by Nadir Shah, who invaded Delhi in 1739. Jesuit priests managed to save their lives by hiding in a tumbledown house.

=British=

Christianity was introduced to Delhi for the second time by the British. British soldiers made numerous churches for their own worship. The Church of England sent many missionaries to India to propagate the Gospel among people who were unaware of Christianity. Numerous people were converted to Christianity by their efforts. Many among the converts worked for the British government. During the Indian Rebellion of 1857 several sepoys who had stayed loyal to the Company were removed by the mutineers and killed, either because of their loyalty or because they had become Christian. After these events, Christianity declined in Delhi once more.{{cite book|author1=Selva J. Raj|author2=Corinne G. Dempsey|title=Popular Christianity in India: Writing Between the Lines|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zv42cV5dQmYC&pg=PA212|year=2002|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-8781-5|pages=212–213}}

List of Churches in Delhi

References

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See also

{{Christianity in India by region}}