The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in India

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has had a presence in India since the 19th century. As of 2019, there are local members, missionaries and multiple meetinghouses of the LDS Church in the country.[1]

The Book of Mormon in Hindi.

History
The Plan of salvation in Hindi.

Joseph Richards first introduced the faith to India in 1851, when he arrived in Calcutta. There was a small branch organized in Calcutta, but most of the members migrated to USA. As per the church's policy that all members were invited to gather in one place. The main reason was to build the church and strengthen the priesthood leadership. Though many members of the branch migrated to the US, a small group of members continued to have meetings in Calcutta. The branch still exists in Calcutta today.

In the church's history in India, there were early missionaries who visited Madras (now known as Chennai), Bombay (now known as Mumbai), and other places in India who taught the gospel. In fact there were missionaries visiting Tajmahal in Agra, India and teaching the tourists which was filmed in one of the church video called "The Ancient America Speaks" produced by the church in 1974. There were many events in church history in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The golden history started in 1963 at Coimbatore. This was revealed by John Aki, then president of the Hong Kong China Temple during the year 2011. Some of the first families were sealed in the Hong Kong China Temple by Anthony D. Perkins, a general authority who was the president of the church's Asia Area at that time. Perkins anticipated that church membership in that part of India would grow.[2] The movement increased in India by 1993, when Mormon missionaries began proselytizing in Bangalore.[2]

By the beginning of 2000, there were 2,435 members in four districts and eighteen branches,[1] and in 2005 there were 5,951.[3] By 2013, there were about 10,000 members of the LDS Church in India.[4]

Year Membership Congregations Districts Stakes
20002,435184
20055,951
201310,000
201813,9954534

During the church's April 2018 general conference, church president Russell M. Nelson announced that a temple would be built in Bengaluru, India. This was one of seven new temples announced at the time, and the first to be built in India.[5]

In 2020, the LDS Church canceled services and other public gatherings indefinitely in response to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.[6]

Temples
200. Bengaluru India (Under Construction)

Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
 Notes:

Bengaluru, India
1 April 2018
2 December 2020 by Robert K. William
Announced by Russell M. Nelson on April 1, 2018[7]

See also

References
  1. "Global Mormonism: Countries: India", GlobalMormonism.BYU.edu, Brigham Young University, retrieved 2014-05-01. This online source is a reprint, with permission, from: Garr, Arnold K.; Cannon, Donald Q.; Cowan, Richard O., eds. (2000), Encyclopedia of Latter-day Saint History, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, pp. 537–538, ISBN 1573458228
  2. Banan, Aastha Atray (10 March 2012), India's Own Mormons, OPEN Magazine, retrieved 2014-05-01
  3. "Country information: India", Online Church Almanac, Church News, 29 January 2010, retrieved 2014-05-01
  4. Stewart, Briana (23 April 2013), The LDS Church in India, LDS Living, retrieved 2014-05-01
  5. Weaver, Sarah Jane. "In India, the story of the India LDS temple announcement is revealed". deseretnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  6. Lovett, Ian. "Mormon Church Cancels Services World-Wide Amid Coronavirus Crisis", The Wall Street Journal, 12 March 2020. Retrieved on 3 April 2020.
  7. "Seven Temples Announced as April 2018 General Conference Closes: Mormon temples to be built in Asia, Europe, North and South America". Newsroom. LDS Church. 1 April 2018.

Additional reading
  • Britsch, R. Lanier (1998), From the East: The History of the Latter-day Saints in Asia, 1851-1996, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, pp. 8–33, 506–55, ISBN 1573452688, OCLC 37606249.
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