Christianity is now the second largest religion in India
India! A multi-ethnic, multi-religious state. Hinduism is the religion of the majority of the people of Hindustan. 80% of the total population of the country is Hindu. Muslims are in second place in the percentage of the population. They make up 14% of the total population. The percentage of Christians in third place is only 2.3%.
Naturally, most of the provinces in India have a Hindu majority. But in the following position, based on the number of provinces, there is Christianity, not Islam.
No province in India has a Muslim majority. Only two state-administered territories (Lakshadweep and Kashmir) are Muslim-majority. In contrast, there are five provinces with the most significant number of Christians in India!
The effective emergence of Christianity in India took place much later than Islam. Christianity in India came mainly through European merchants and missionaries.
Christianity spread early in Goa, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Pondicherry in southern India. These were the main bases of European merchants and missionaries.
But surprisingly, no province in South India has a Christian majority. So, where are the 5 Christian majority provinces in India? Let’s find out.
1.
Christians from Europe lived mainly in South India. But they undertook to spread their religious mission widely among the tribal people in the remote hilly regions. As part of this project, European rulers spread Christianity on a large scale in the Seven Sisters of Northeast India. Thus, the missionary activities that started from British rule in India did not decrease after India’s independence; on the contrary, they increased.
Even in the 1900s, 10% of the Seven Sisters in India were not Christians. But now, five of these seven kingdoms are Christian majority.
Which of the seven Sisters states have a Christian majority?
The seven states of the Seven Sisters are:
- Assam;
- Tripura;
- Meghalaya;
- Mizoram;
- Nagaland;
- Manipur;
- Arunachal.
Apart from the first two provinces, the other five provinces are Christian.
2. What is the relationship between the geographical diversity of the Seven Sisters and the development of Christianity?
The Seven Sisters are almost isolated from original India. The Seven Sisters are very weakly connected to mainland India by the “Siliguri Corridor” of about fifty kilometers in width. Again this region is more challenging to travel through this narrow corridor of being hilly. As a result, the Seven Sisters had no political contact with mainland India until the British period. Even the mighty Mughal Empire could not bring this region to its knees.
The Seven Sisters were the first to be geographically and politically connected with original India during British rule. At that time, the tribes of this region were far behind in terms of education, initiation, and livelihood. As a result, Christian missionaries started various humanitarian activities in the area at that time. However, behind these humanitarian activities, one of their goals was to spread Christianity.
The missionary activities did not stop even after India became independent. Because before 1947, they had a solid foundation in the Seven Sisters.
3. The majority Christian provinces!
A) Meghalaya:
The Indian state of Meghalaya is located along the northern part of Sylhet and Mymensingh divisions of Bangladesh. However, in the whole of India, the Meghalaya region was in Assam. The historic city of Shillong in Assam is now the capital of Meghalaya.
In 1901, Meghalaya had only 6% Christians. By 1947 it stood at 25%. At present, the Christian population in Meghalaya is 75%.
Many missionary schools and hospitals were established during British rule in the remote hilly areas of Meghalaya. And thanks to the efforts of the missionaries there, Meghalaya is now a Christian province. Although the British left the subcontinent in 1947, missionary activity in the region never waned.
B) Mizoram:
The province of Mizoram on the Indian border in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh is also predominantly Christian.
In 1901, the Christian population in the province was less than 1%. In 1951, it stood at 90%. Currently, the Christian population in Mizoram is 6%.
The Mizo tribes inhabit the province of Mizoram. Almost the entire Mizo community has converted to Christianity.
C) Nagaland:
This province, inhabited by the Naga tribe, is also now inhabited by Christians. But in 1901, the Christian population was less than 1%. In 1951, the Christian population grew to 47%. Currently, the Christian population is 7%.
Almost the entire dominant Naga tribe of the province is Christian.
D) Manipur:
Inhabited by the Manipuri tribe, the province had an almost equal Christian and Hindu population in 2011. However, after the 2021 census, the province will have a Christian majority.
In 1921, the Christian population in Manipur was 1%. In 1951 it increased to 12%. At present, the Christian population in Manipur is 41.29%.
Although most of the influential Manipuri population of the province is Hindu, Christianity is the most influential among the other tribes.
E) Arunachal:
The conflict-ridden province bordering China is also now Christian. But in 1951, the Christian population was less than 1%. In 1991, the Christian population was 10%. And now the Christian population is 30%.
The Hindu population in the province is 29%. About 20% follow a local religion. It is estimated that after the 2021 census, the Christian population will be close to 40%.
4.
The Christian population in the two provinces of South India is moderate but not large. Kerala has 16% Christianity, and Goa has 25% Christianity. The Christian population is 21% in the Andaman Islands, a Union Territory of South India.
Interestingly, the total Christian population is 6 million in the five provinces of North East India, which has a sizeable Christian population. In Kerala alone, there are 6 million Christians.
Tamil Nadu, another state in southern India, has the second-highest number of Christians after Kerala. Though only 6% of the total population of Tamil Nadu is Christian, the Christian population in the province is 4.4 million.
5.
A class of people in Bangladesh almost always wants to increase the size of Bangladesh to seven sisters! But the dreamers of this country have not noticed that the Seven Sisters are a thousand times stronger than them, and the planemaker group has been working for hundreds of years.
These remote provinces on the border of China and India were never under the control of original India before British rule. So although the independence movement is not very popular in the provinces, any change can come in this region by using the demographic strategy in any changed geopolitical context. And this change can undoubtedly bring wind to the hilly areas of neighboring Bangladesh and Myanmar. And this air is certainly not positive!