Christianity in Bihar

Christianity in Bihar, a state of India, is a minority religion, being practised by less than 0.5% of the population.[1] Most people, about 83%, in Bihar are Hindus. Padri Ki Haveli is a Roman Catholic church in Bihar, which exists for centuries. The Diocese of Patna of the Church of North India and Emmanuel Christian Fellowship Centre (ECFC) are present in Bihar and the Pentecostal Holiness Church are present in Bihar as well as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Patna. The archdiocese has suffragan dioceses:the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bettiah, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bhagalpur, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Buxar, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Muzaffarpur and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Purnea, all of whom have their seat in Bihar. Bihar has numerous house churches[2] and a Christ Church Diocesan School exists in Patna.[3] Indian Pentecostal church of God Northern Region is the leading and oldest Pentecostal church in Bihar. Oldest Pentecostal Fellowship started in Rajendra Nagar, Patna.

Christians in Bihar
YearNumberPercentage
2001[4]
53,137
0.06
2011[5]
129,247
0.12

History

During the Bettiah Raj of Bihar, the ethnoreligious community of Bettiah Christians was established in India in the 17th century by Christian missionaries belonging to the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, a Roman Catholic religious order.[6] It is one of the northern Indian subcontinent's oldest Christian communities that was founded after Raja Dhurup Singh requested Joseph Mary Bernini to heal his ill wife and was successful in doing so.[6][7] The Bettiah Christian Mission flourished under the patronage of the royal court of the Bettiah Rajas, growing in number.[6]

From the 17th century onwards, Catholic Christian missionaries of the Jesuit and Capuchin religious orders "established hospices at Kathmandu, Patan and Bhatgoan, the capitals of the three Malla Kings of Nepal who had permitted them to preach Christianity."[6] An indigenous Newar Christian community thus became established.[6] When the Mallas were overthrown by the Gurkhas, the Newar Christians took refuge in India, settling first in the city of Bettiah and then later moving eleven kilometres north to Chuhari, where they reside to this day.[6]

List of denominations
  • Bihar Mennonite Mandli[8]
  • Emmanuel Christian Fellowship Centre[9]
  • Bethel Pentecostal Church[10]
  • Gospel Echoing Missionary Society[11]
  • Indian Pentecostal church of God Northern Region IPCNR leading and oldest Pentecostal church in Bihar.

References
  1. "Population by Religion in Bihar". Censusindia.gov.in. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  2. "Update from Bihar Indian Pentecostal church of God Northern Region (IPCNR) is the leading and oldest Pentecostal church in Bihar. Oldest Pentecostal Fellowship started in Rajendra Nagar, Patna". Baptistsonmission.org. Archived from the original on 2012-03-16. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  3. "Christ Church Diocesan School, Patna, Bihar". Bihartalk.com. 2010-06-22. Archived from the original on 2013-07-14. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  4. "Total population by religious communities". Censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  5. "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  6. John, Jose Kalapura (2000). Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, Vol. 61. Indian History Congress. p. 1011-1022.
  7. "Bihar Christians have fostered faith harmony 250 years". Union of Catholic Asian News. 6 November 1995. Retrieved 14 November 2020. Cherubim John, a writer and historian, said the Bettiah community began after Italian Capuchin Father Joseph Mary Bernini cured the local queen of an "incurable" illness. The king donated 16 hectares of land later known as the "Christian Quarters" to the Capuchins. The king allowed Father Bernini, who was on his way to Tibet, to preach, and helped build a church next to his palace.
  8. "India". GAMEO. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  9. "ECFC". blogspot. Archived from the original on 2015-02-22. Retrieved 2015-02-22.
  10. Archived November 7, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  11. "Gospel Echoing Missionary Society(GEMS) – Welcome to the Frontpage!". Gemsbihar.org. 2013-06-21. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
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