Christianity in West Bengal

Short description: Overview of the history of Christianity in the Indian state of West Bengal

Part of a series on

Christianity

* Jesus
* Christ

* Nativity
* Crucifixion
* Resurrection

* Bible
* Foundations

* Old Testament
* New Testament
* Gospel
* Canon
* Church
* Creed
* New Covenant

Theology

* God
* Trinity
* Father
* Son
* Holy Spirit

* Apologetics
* Baptism
* Christology
* History of theology
* Mission
* Salvation

* History
* Tradition

* Apostles
* Peter
* Paul
* Mary
* Early Christianity
* Church Fathers
* Constantine
* Councils
* Augustine
* East–West Schism
* Crusades
* Aquinas
* Reformation
* Luther

* Denominations
* Groups

|  Western

* Roman Catholic
* Protestant
* Adventist
* Anabaptist
* Anglican
* Baptist
* Calvinist
* Evangelical
* Holiness
* Lutheran
* Methodist
* Pentecostal

Eastern

* Eastern Catholic
* Eastern Orthodox
* Oriental Orthodox
* Church of the East (Nestorian)

Nontrinitarian

* Jehovah's Witness
* Latter Day Saint
* Oneness Pentecostal

Related topics

* Art
* Criticism
* Ecumenism
* Music
* Other religions
* Prayer
* Sermon
* Symbolism
* Worship

Christianity portal

* v
* t
* e

St. Paul's Cathedral - seat of the Diocese of Calcutta, Church of North India The Bandel Church, rebuilt in 1660 on the site of an older 1599 church. St. Andrew's Church, Darjeeling. Built: 1843, Rebuilt: 1873

Christianity in West Bengal, India , is a minority religion. According to the 2011 census of India, there were 658,618 Christians in West Bengal, or 0.72% of the population.[1] Although Mother Teresa worked in Kolkata (Calcutta), Christianity is a minority religion in Kolkata as well. West Bengal has the highest number of Bengali Christians. Bengali Christians have been established since the 16th century with the advent of the Portuguese in Bengal. Later in the 19th and 20th centuries, many upper-class Bengalis converted to Christianity during the Bengali Renaissance under British rule, including Krishna Mohan Banerjee, Michael Madhusudan Dutt, Anil Kumar Gain, and Gnanendramohan Tagore. Aurobindo Nath Mukherjee was the first Indian to be Anglican Bishop of Calcutta

Bengali Christians are considered a model minority, due to their significant contributions to Bengali culture and society for the past two centuries. They are considered to be among the most progressive communities in Bengal, and have the highest literacy rate, the lowest male-female sex ratio, along with better socio-economic status.[2] Christian missionaries run major social institutions dealing with education and healthcare, such as those run by the Jesuit Catholics, and the dominant Protestant Church of North India (CNI), & some Christian Revival Church also serving.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Denominations
* 3 Population
* 4 Notable Institutions
* 4.1 Schools
* 4.2 Colleges and Universities
* 5 Notable people
* 6 See also
* 7 References

## History

Christianity has been present in Bengal since the 16th century. The Portuguese established a settlement in Bandel, Hooghly district in the 16th century, and Bandel Church, perhaps the first church in West Bengal, was built in 1599.[3] Burnt down during the sacking of Hooghly in 1632, the church was rebuilt in 1660. The followers of Christianity mainly settled in Barddhmann, Bankura, Kolkata and Hooghly district of West Bengal. Many Bengali Catholics have Portuguese surnames.[citation needed]

British missionary William Carey, who founded the Baptist Missionary Society, travelled to India in 1793 and worked as a missionary in the Danish colony of Serampore, because of opposition from the East India Company to his activities in their regions. He translated the Bible into Bengali (completed 1809) and Sanskrit (completed 1818). His first Bengali convert was Krishna Pal, who renounced his caste after conversion. In 1818, the first theological college in Bengal, Serampore College, was founded.

## Denominations

St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata is the seat of the Anglican Diocese of Calcutta (1813) of the Church of North India. The Roman Catholic ecclesiastical province which has its seat in the Cathedral of the Most Holy Rosary is the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Calcutta (1834).

Other denominations include:[4]

* Armenian Apostolic Church
* Bethel Apostolic Assemblies(IBAA) India
* Bengal Orissa Bihar Baptist Convention
* Brethren in Christ Church in India
* Church of God (Anderson)
* Council of Baptist Churches in Northern India
* El Shaddai
* New Life Fellowship Association
* United Missionary Church of India
* Christian Revival Church (CRC)

## Population

Christians in West Bengal  Year | Number | Percentage

|
|

2001[5] | 515,150 | 0.64
2011[6] | 658,618 | 0.72
Christians in West Bengal by district (2011)[7] # | District | Total population | Christian population | %

|
|
|
|

1 | Jalpaiguri | 3,872,846 | 186,279 | 4.81%
2 | Darjiling | 1,846,823 | 141,848 | 7.68%
3 | South 24 Parganas | 8,161,961 | 66,498 | 0.81%
4 | Kolkata | 4,496,694 | 39,758 | 0.88%
5 | Nadia | 5,167,600 | 33,835 | 0.65%
6 | North 24 Parganas | 10,009,781 | 26,933 | 0.27%
7 | Dakshin Dinajpur | 1,676,276 | 24,794 | 1.48%
8 | Paschim Medinipur | 5,913,457 | 23,287 | 0.39%
9 | Barddhaman | 7,717,563 | 21,220 | 0.27%
10 | Murshidabad | 7,103,807 | 18,102 | 0.25%
11 | Uttar Dinajpur | 3,007,134 | 16,702 | 0.56%
12 | Maldah | 3,988,845 | 13,209 | 0.33%
13 | Birbhum | 3,502,404 | 10,906 | 0.31%
14 | Haora | 4,850,029 | 8,666 | 0.18%
15 | Puruliya | 2,930,115 | 8,646 | 0.30%
16 | Hugli | 5,519,145 | 7,300 | 0.13%
17 | Koch Bihar | 2,819,086 | 4,122 | 0.15%
18 | Bankura | 3,596,674 | 3,865 | 0.11%
19 | Purba Medinipur | 5,095,875 | 2,648 | 0.05%
| West Bengal (Total) | 91,276,115 | 658,618 | 0.72%
Trends in Christian population of West Bengal[8] Census year  | % of total population

|

1951 | 0.70%
1961 | 0.59%
1971 | 0.57%
1981 | 0.59%
1991 | 0.56%
2001 | 0.64%
2011 | 0.72%

## Notable Institutions

La Martinière Calcutta, one of India's most prestigious schools, is run by the Protestant Church of North India St. Xavier's College, Kolkata, run by the catholic Jesuits, is one of India's best colleges

### Schools

* Armenian College and Philanthropic Academy (Armenian Apostolic Church and Orthodox)
* Assembly of God Church School (Pentecostal and Protestant)
* Calcutta Boys School ( Thoburn Methodist church)
* Calcutta Girls High School ( Thoburn Methodist church)
* Don Bosco High & Technical School, Liluah (Salesian and Catholic)
* Don Bosco School, Park Circus (Salesian and Catholic)
* Don Bosco School, Bandel (Salesian and Catholic)
* La Martiniere Calcutta (Church of North India and Protestant)
* Loreto Schools, Kolkata (Catholic)
* Scottish Church Collegiate School (Church of North India and Protestant)
* St. James' School (Church of North India and Protestant)
* St. John's Diocesan Girls' Higher Secondary School (Church of North India and Protestant)
* St. Lawrence High School, Kolkata (Jesuit and Catholic)
* St Thomas School, Kolkata (Church of North India and Protestant)
* St. Xavier's Collegiate School (Jesuit and Catholic)
* The Frank Anthony Public School, Kolkata (Non-denominational and Protestant)

### Colleges and Universities

* Loreto College, Kolkata (Catholic)
* Scottish Church College (Church of North India and Protestant)
* Senate of Serampore College (University) (Non-denominational and Protestant)
* Serampore College (Non-denominational and Protestant)
* South Asia Theological Research Institute (Non-denominational and Protestant)
* St. Paul's Cathedral Mission College (Church of North India and Protestant)
* St. Thomas' College of Engineering and Technology (Church of North India and Protestant)
* St. Xavier's College, Kolkata (Jesuit and Catholic)
* Women's Christian College, Kolkata (Non-denominational and Protestant)

## Notable people

This article's list of people may not follow Wikipedia's verifiability policy. Please improve this article by removing names that do not have independent reliable sources showing they merit inclusion in this article AND members of this list, or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (December 2020)

|

* Mother Teresa
* Henry Derozio, poet
* Brahmabandhav Upadhyay, theologian
* Badal Sircar, noted Bengali playwright and dramatist.
* Neil O'Brien
* Leander Paes
* Leslie Claudius
* Derek O'Brien
* Michael Madhusudan Dutt
* Toru Dutt
* Kali Charan Banerjee
* Krishna Mohan Banerjee
* Harendra Coomar Mookerjee
* Antony Gomes, physiologist[9]
* Sukumari Bhattacharji, Indologist
* Lionel Protip Sen, General in the Indian Army
* K. P. Aleaz, theologian and retired Professor, Bishop's College[10][11]
* Bonita Aleaz, political scientist[12]
* Aparna Gomes, biologist and retired Scientist, Indian Institute of Chemical Biology[13][14][15]
* Enrico Piperno, tennis player(1982 Asian Games), India's former Davis Cup and Fed Cup coach.[16][17][18]
* Joy Govinda Shome, theologian and founder of Calcutta Christo Samaj in 1887.

## See also

* List of Christian denominations in North East India
* Christian Revival Church

## References

1. ↑ Population by religious community: West Bengal. 2011 Census of India.
2. ↑ Indian Christians Treat Their Women Better, Sex Ratio Highest
3. ↑ Roma Bradnock, Footprint India, Footprint Travel Guides, 2004, ISBN 1-904777-00-7, p. 584.
4. ↑ World Christian Encyclopedia , Second edition, 2001 Volume 1, p. 368-371
5. ↑ "Total population by religious communities". Censusindia.gov.in. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communities.htm.
6. ↑ "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/c-01.html.
7. ↑ Population by religious community: West Bengal. 2011 Census of India.
8. ↑ B.P. Syam Roy (28 September 2015). "Bengal's topsy-turvy population growth". The Statesman. http://www.thestatesman.com/news/opinion/bengal-s-topsy-turvy-population-growth/93152.html.
9. ↑ "Antony Gomes's research while affiliated with University of Calcutta and other places". https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Antony-Gomes-2090299061.
10. ↑ Inbuon, Carey Lal Lawmawma (in en). Life and Contribution of Kalarikkal Poulose Aleaz (K.P. Aleaz) in the Theology of Relions. https://www.academia.edu/7657657.
11. ↑ "K. P. Aleaz" (in en). https://openlibrary.org/authors/OL105449A/K._P._Aleaz.
12. ↑ "BONITA ALEAZ | University of Calcutta - Academia.edu". https://caluniv.academia.edu/BONITAALEAZ.
13. ↑ "Aparna Gomes's research while affiliated with Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Kolkata and other places". https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Aparna-Gomes-2053015364.
14. ↑ "Cobra venom can provide cure for cancer" (in en). 2007-08-12. https://www.dnaindia.com/health/report-cobra-venom-can-provide-cure-for-cancer-1115033.
15. ↑ Gomes, Antony; Ghosh, Sourav; Gomes, Aparna (2020-06-01). "Why there are no effective herbal antidotes against snake venom available in India?" (in en). Indian Journal of Medical Research 151 (6): 525–527. doi:10.4103/ijmr.IJMR_893_18. ISSN 0971-5916. PMID 32719225. PMC 7602936. https://www.ijmr.org.in/article.asp?issn=0971-5916;year=2020;volume=151;issue=6;spage=525;epage=527;aulast=Gomes;type=0.
16. ↑ "Enrico Piperno: Indian tennis players in top-50 is nearly impossible: Piperno" (in en). February 5, 2017. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/tennis/top-stories/indian-tennis-players-in-top-50-is-nearly-impossible-piperno/articleshow/56982807.cms.
17. ↑ "Calcutta's South Club: The long-forgotten home of India's tennis history" (in en). 2019-02-01. https://www.espn.in/tennis/story/_/id/25897236/the-south-club-rich-tennis-davis-cup-history.
18. ↑ "ITF Enrico Piperno Overview". https://www.itftennis.com/en/players/enrico-piperno/800177743/ind/mt/s/overview/.

* v
* t
* e

Christianity

* Index
* Outline
* Glossary
* Lists of Christians
* By country

Bible|

* Books
* Canon
* Old Testament
* New Testament

Foundations|

* Church
* Creed
* Gospel
* New Covenant
* Christian tradition

History
Timeline|

| Early Christianity|

* Jesus
* Nativity
* Baptism
* Ministry
* Sermon on the Mount
* Crucifixion
* Resurrection
* Great Commission
* Apostles
* Church fathers
* Apostolic fathers

|

Great Church|

* Ante-Nicene period
* Late antiquity
* Constantine
* First seven ecumenical councils
* Nicaea I
* Chalcedon
* State church of the Roman Empire
* Biblical canon

Middle Ages|

* Monasticism
* Papal States
* East–West Schism
* Investiture Controversy
* Crusades
* Age of Discovery

Modern era|

* Protestant Reformation
* Catholic Reformation
* Thirty Years' War
* Enlightenment
* French Revolution
* Persecution:
* Communism
* Islam

Denominations
(List)|

| Western|

* Adventist
* Anabaptist
* Anglican
* Baptist
* Calvinist
* Catholic
* Charismatic
* Evangelical
* Holiness
* Lutheran
* Methodist
* Pentecostal
* Protestant

|

Eastern|

* Eastern Orthodox
* Oriental Orthodox (Miaphysite)
* Church of the East (Nestorian)
* Eastern Catholic
* Eastern Protestant

Nontrinitarian|

* Jehovah's Witnesses
* Latter Day Saint movement

Theology|

* God
* Trinity
* Father
* Son
* Holy Spirit
* Christology
* Nicene Creed
* Tradition
* Original sin
* Salvation
* Worship
* Mariology
* Theotokos
* Saints
* Ecclesiology
* Four marks
* Body of Christ
* One true church
* People of God
* Canon law
* Sacraments
* Baptism
* Lord's Supper
* Marriage
* Confirmation
* Penance
* Anointing of the Sick
* Holy orders
* Mission

Philosophy|

* Natural law
* Ethics
* Science
* Evolution
* Politics

Other
Features|

| Culture|

* Liturgy
* Art
* Jesus
* Marian
* Literature
* Music
* Church buildings
* Cathedrals
* Role in civilization
* See also:
* Other religions
* Criticism
* Persecution

|

Movements|

* Asceticism
* Charismatic
* Christian democracy
* Environmentalism
* Existentialism
* Fundamentalism
* Liberation
* Left/Right
* Pacifism
* Prosperity

Cooperation|

* Christendom
* Ecumenism
* Charta Oecumenica
* World Council of Churches
* World Evangelical Alliance
* Nondenominationalism

*   * Book
* Category

0.00

(0 votes)

|

Retrieved from "https://handwiki.org/wiki/index.php?title=Religion:Christianity_in_West_Bengal&oldid=867820"
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template