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

The Plan of salvation in Hindi.

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

Joseph Richards first introduced the faith to India in 1851, when he arrived in Calcutta. There was a small branch organized in Calcutta, India. But most of the members were 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. It was the right moment that the Lord revealed his purpose through the appointed Leaders.Though many members of this branch migrated to USA, a small group of members continued to have meetings in Calcutta. The branch exists in Salt lake city in Calcutta India till now. While President Sackley was serving as Mission President to India New Delhi Mission, along with his counselors he had special plans to strengthen this branch. This is the history of Calcutta branch.

As per the Church history in India, there were early missionaries who visited Madras, now known as Chennai, Bombay now known as Mumbai and some 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 President John Aki, then Temple President of the Hong Kong China Temple during the year 2011. Some of the first families sealed in the Hong Kong China Temple by Elder Anthony D Perkins who was the Asia Area President at that time. President Perkins saw that Membership in the Church 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 Mormons in India.[4]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 "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. 1 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

References

  • 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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