Christianity in Assam

Last updated
The church at Tezpur Church at Tezpur.JPG
The church at Tezpur

Christianity is the third largest religion in Assam, a state in the north-eastern region of India. The total population of Christians in the state is 1,165,867, which according to the 2011 census comprises about 3.75% of the state's total population.[ citation needed ] After Islam, Christianity is also the second-fastest growing religion of Assam. The largest concentration of Christians in Assam can be found in the Dima Hasao District, where Christians number approximately 30% of the population.[ citation needed ] The second largest concentration is in the Karbi Anglong district where they form approximately 16.5% of the population.

Contents

History

On September 26, 1626 two Portuguese Jesuit missionaries, Cabral and Cacella, came to Assam. These two were the first missionaries recorded as having reached Hajo and Guwahati. There is no record of them having established any churches in the area, as at the time they were en route to Tibet.

The first Christian churches founded in Assam came with the arrival of two missionary groups in 1836. These two groups of missionaries were: in the first group- Nathan Brown and Oliver Thomas Cutter, and in the second group- Miles Bronson and his friend Jacob Thomas. The missionaries Brown and Cutter had previously been working in Burma. They carried with them a printing press and first arrived in Sadiya, the easternmost part of Assam. They started schools in the Assamese and Khaamti languages and published school text books in the local languages as well. The missionaries also began the translation of the New Testament into Assamese while still stationed in Assam.

Due to the 1839 Khamti rebellions, Brown and Cutter were forced to leave Assam for Jaipur, but after the move they continued to translate and publish into the Assamese language. In 1848 Cutter completed his translation of the New Testament into Assamese, which edition was first published as the 'Amaar Traankorta Jisu Christor Natun Niyom'. In 1854, Cutter published 'Christor Biworon and Xhubho Bartaa'. He also translated a few prayers to Assamese. Cutter's associate, Brown also produced a second translation of the Bible which was completed in 1903 by Brown with the help of his missionary colleagues.[ citation needed ]

Cutter had been born in United States in 1811. He started his journey towards the east in 1831 along with his wife Harriet Cutter. He first landed in Burma (Myanmar) and from there he crossed Patkai to reach Assam in 1836 along with Nathan Brown's family. Cutter and Brown started a publishing company in Sadiya. The two published books in the Assamese, Khamti and Singfou languages. They also started several schools and authored various text books in the local languages for use in the schools. After few years, Cutter's family came back to Assam and this time settled down in Sibsagar.

In 1836 the missionary Bronson began his work in Sadiya, Jaipur and Naamsang. Bronson started interacting with Naga tribes and first compiled his "East Naga Thesaurus." According to historian Mccangie, no European after or before Bronson had such a rapport with the Nagas. After some time Bronson became ill in his work in East Naga, and in order to regain his health he had to depart for Nagaon via Sibsagar.

In Assam, Bronson worked as both a missionary and as an educator. During the periods from 1848 to 1851 and from 1867 to 1871, Bronson took vacation from his works and went back to New York. Bronson was the main leader of the popular movement against the government policy of forcing the Bengali language as the official language of the courts and schools of Assam. In 1867, using Jaduram baruah's scripting, he published the first Assamese and English dictionary. The dictionary contained around 14 thousands words and was published from the Baptist Missionary Press of Sibsagar. This dictionary was another strong step in support of the Assamese language.

Bronson also created his own translation of the Bible into Assamese. Nidhiram Keot, the first native convert in the whole of Northeastern India from the Keot(Kaibarta) community (an aboriginal tribe Sanskritised to a low position in the caste hierarchy), was baptised by Bronson on June 13, 1841 and took up the name Nidhi Levi Farewell.[ citation needed ]

Current status and overview

The Khasi and Boro tribes comprise the great majority of the Christians in Assam. Among the large and primarily Muslim Bengali population found in Assam there are very few Christians. [1] The Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Himalayan States was first formed as an Evangelical Lutheran diocese in 2003, and was previously known simply as the "Assam Church". [2]

Population

Christians in Assam
YearNumberPercentage
2001 [3]
986,589
3.70
2011 [4]
1,165,867
3.74
Historical Christian Population in Assam [5]
YearPop.±%
1901 13,638—    
1911 22,817+67.3%
1921 41,686+82.7%
1931 79,025+89.6%
1941 37,599−52.4%
1951 160,438+326.7%
1961 263,134+64.0%
1971 381,010+44.8%
1981 534,572+40.3%
1991 744,367+39.2%
2001 986,589+32.5%
2011 1,165,867+18.2%
Source: census of India

Percentage of Christians in Assam by decades [6]

YearPercentIncrease
19010.41%-
19110.59%

+0.18%

19210.9%

+0.31%

19311.42%

+0.52

19410.56%

-0.86%

19512%

+1.44%

19612.43%+0.43%
19712.61%+0.18%
19812.96%+0.35%
19913.32%+0.36%
20013.7%+0.38%
20113.74%+0.04%

Population by district

Christian population in Assam (2011) [7]
#DistrictTotal populationChristian population %
1 Karbi Anglong 956,313157,78916.50%
2 Sonitpur 1,924,110138,1667.18%
3 Udalguri 831,668110,21513.25%
4 Kokrajhar 887,142101,09111.40%
5 Goalpara 1,008,18377,8627.72%
6 Tinsukia 1,327,92976,8775.79%
7 Dima Hasao 214,10263,31029.57%
8 Dibrugarh 1,326,33552,9683.99%
9 Golaghat 1,066,88850,5824.74%
10 Chirang 482,16249,74710.32%
11 Lakhimpur 1,042,13746,2174.43%
12 Cachar 1,736,61737,6352.17%
13 Kamrup 1,517,5423,32972.19%
14 Sivasagar 1,151,05033,1472.88%
15 Baksa 950,07527,0762.85%
16 Nagaon 2,823,76826,8440.95%
17 Jorhat 1,092,25621,0511.93%
18 Kamrup Metropolitan 1,253,93818,8101.50%
19 Karimganj 1,228,68611,9900.98%
20 Dhemaji 686,1338,7111.27%
21 Hailakandi 659,2968,4801.29%
22 Bongaigaon 738,8045,9240.80%
23 Dhubri 1,949,2584,1070.21%
24 Darrang 928,5001,6880.18%
25 Barpeta 1,693,6221,0200.06%
26 Morigaon 957,4238340.09%
27 Nalbari 771,6394290.06%
Assam (Total)31,205,5761,165,8673.74%

Population by Tribes

Christian population in Assam by Tribes (2011) [8]

TribesChristiansPercent
Garo1,54,35395.63%
Boro1,36,86910.05%
Karbi75,88317.63%
Kuki31,57394.53%
Naga19,92466.93%
Hmar15,55798.81%
Khasi13,95687.58%
Rabha9,8453.32%
Mising5,9840.88%
Lalung2,80815.38%
Sonowal1,4160.56%
Dimasa1,1441.11%

Of 11.66 lakh Christians in Assam as of 2011 census, only 4.95 lakh are from the Scheduled Tribes (ST), forming 42.5 percent of all Christians in Assam; while the remaining 57.5 percent of the Christian population are from the non-ST communities most particularly from the Tea-Garden community. [9]

List of denominations

Martin Luther Cathedral, Gossaigaon Martin Luther Cathedral, NELC Church.jpg
Martin Luther Cathedral, Gossaigaon

Sources [10] [11] [12] [13]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nocte people</span> Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group in Arunachal Pradesh, India

The Nocte people, also known as the Nocte Naga, are a Tibeto-Burmese ethnic group primarily living in Northeast Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. They number about 111,679, mainly found in the Patkai hills of Tirap district of Arunachal Pradesh, India. Ethnically related to the Konyak Naga, their origins can be traced back to the Hukong Valley in Myanmar, where they migrated from between the 1670 and 1700.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Golaghat district</span> District of Assam in India

Golaghat district (Pron:ˌgəʊləˈgɑ:t) is an administrative district in the state of Assam in India. It attained district status in 1987. The district headquarters are located at Golaghat. The district occupies an area of3,502 km2 (1,352 sq mi) and lies 100 metres (330 ft) above sea level.

Assam Baptist Convention (ABC) is an association of Baptist Christian churches in Assam, India. It is affiliated with the Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India and the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Brown (missionary)</span> American missionary, Bible translator, and abolitionist

Nathan Brown was an American Baptist missionary to India and Japan, Bible translator, and abolitionist. He is noted for his works on Assamese language, grammar and script.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dimasa people</span> Ethnolinguistic group in Assam and Nagaland, India

The Dimasa people or Dimasa Kachari people are an ethnolinguistic community presently inhabiting in Assam and Nagaland states in Northeastern India. They speak Dimasa, a Tibeto-Burman language. This community is fairly homogeneous and exclusive, with members required to draw from both parents' separate clans. Dimasa kingdom, one of many early states in Assam following the downfall of Kamarupa kingdom, was established by these people.

The Dimasa language is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken by the Dimasa people of the Northeastern Indian states of Assam and Nagaland. The Dimasa language is known to Dimasas as "Grao-Dima" and it is similar to Boro, Kokborok and Garo languages. The Dimasa language is one of the oldest languages spoken in North East India, particularly in Assam, Nagaland.

Moranhat is a small town and a town area committee in Charaideo district in the Indian state of Assam.The town is divided by N.H 37 into Charaideo and Dibrugarh district.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assamese literature</span> Literature in Assamese language

Assamese literature is the entire corpus of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, documents and other writings in the Assamese language. It also includes the literary works in the older forms of the language during its evolution to the contemporary form and its cultural heritage and tradition. The literary heritage of the Assamese language can be traced back to the c. 9–10th century in the Charyapada, where the earliest elements of the language can be discerned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People of Assam</span> Ethnic group

The People of Assam inhabit a multi-ethnic, multi-linguistic and multi-religious society. They speak languages that belong to four main language groups: Tibeto-Burman, Indo-Aryan, Tai-Kadai, and Austroasiatic. The large number of ethnic and linguistic groups, the population composition, and the peopling process in the state has led to it being called an "India in miniature".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Winter Clark</span> American Christian missionary

Edward Winter Clark was an American missionary. Clark is known for his pioneering missionary work in Nagaland and for his work on transcribing the spoken Ao language into a written script. Clark created the first bilingual dictionary of the Ao language and along with his wife, Mary Mead Clark, and set up the first school in the Naga hills region of North-East India. Mary Clark documented their experience in Assam and the Naga Hills in A Corner in India.

Miles Bronson, was one of the first American Baptist missionaries who worked in the state of Assam in northeastern India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christianity in Tripura</span>

Christianity is one of the religions in Tripura, a state in North East India. According to the Indian Census 2011, the population of Christians in Tripura is 159,882 or 4.35% of the total population. Christians are mostly found among the indigenous communities of the state such as the Tripuri, Lushai, Kuki, Darlong, Halam etc. Among the Scheduled Tribes of the state Christians share is 13.12% of the population.

The Council of Baptist Churches in Northeast India is an association of Baptist Christian churches in North East India. It is a member of the Asia Pacific Baptist Federation. It is also a member body of the North East India Christian Council, the regional council of the National Council of Churches in India. Its presently led by Rev. SR Onesimua Anal as President and Rev. Prof. Akheto Sema as General Secretary.

<i>Orunodoi</i> Assamese-language periodical

Orunodoi or Arunodoi was the first Assamese-language magazine published monthly from Sibsagar, Assam, in 1846. The magazine created a new era in the world of Assamese literature and gave birth to notable authors such as Anandaram Dhekial Phukan, Hemchandra Barua, Gunabhiram Barua, and Nidhi Levi Farwell. The magazine took the initiative of innovating the then Assamese dialect instead of borrowing words from other languages. The Assamese people got to know about the western world only through this magazine, which opened the gate to the modern literacy in Assam. It mainly included various news related to current affairs, Science, astrology, history and also trivia although Christianity was its main aim. The magazine's publishing ended when the printing press was sold in 1883.

Assamese is part of the easternmost group of the Indo-Aryan languages. History of Assamese literature can largely be classified into three periods, including: Early Assamese period, Middle Assamese period and, Modern Assamese.

The largest religion in the Nagaland state of India is Christianity. According to the 2011 census, the state's population was 1,978,502, out of which 87.93% are Christians. Along with Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, and Mizoram, Nagaland is one of the four Christian-majority states in the country.

Assam – 16th largest, 15th most populous and 26th most literate state of the 28 states of the democratic Republic of India. Assam is at 14th position in life expectancy and 8th in female-to-male sex ratio. Assam is the 21st most media exposed states in India. The Economy of Assam is largely agriculture based with 69% of the population engaged in it. Growth rate of Assam's income has not kept pace with that of India's during the Post-British Era; differences increased rapidly since the 1970s. While the Indian economy grew at 6 percent per annum over the period of 1981 to 2000, the same of Assam's grew only by 3.3 percent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Karbi Anglong district</span> District of Assam, India

The West Karbi Anglong district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of Assam. It is a relatively new district formed out of the existing Karbi Anglong district in 2016. The administrative headquarters of the district is located at Hamren. The district is a part of the Karbi Anglong Autonomous Council and is administered according to the provisions of the Sixth Schedule of the Indian Constitution.

References

  1. ↑ "Regional Updates - Gospel for Asia". Gfa.org. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  2. ↑ Archived March 10, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Total population by religious communities". Censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  4. ↑ "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  5. ↑ http://www.cpsindia.org Archived 2021-05-18 at the Wayback Machine  › BlogsPDF Web results The Christianisation of the Northeast - Centre for Policy Studies
  6. ↑ http://www.cpsindia.org Archived 2021-05-18 at the Wayback Machine  › BlogsPDF Web results The Christianisation of the Northeast - Centre for Policy Studies
  7. ↑ Population by religious community: Assam. 2011 Census of India.
  8. ↑ blog.cpsindia.org/2016/09/religion-data-of-census-2011-xxix.html
  9. ↑ "Demography watch on Christianity among ST in Assam - Sentinelassam". 16 February 2023.
  10. ↑ World Christian Encyclopedia, 2nd ed., 2001 Volume 1, p. 368-371
  11. ↑ "EACI". Eacinet.org. Retrieved 2013-12-15.
  12. ↑ Archived February 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  13. ↑ "DevelopedNation.org Datacentre : FCRA NGOs in Cachar District". Archived from the original on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2014-01-04.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.