Christianity in Manipur

Last updated

Religion in Manipur (2011) [1]

   Hinduism (41.4%)
   Christianity (41.3%)
   Islam (8.40%)
  Other religion (8.9%)

Christianity is the fastest growing and second most followed religion in Manipur, a state in Northeast India, according to 2011 census data of India.

Contents

Early missionaries

Rev Willian Pettigrew guess (1902) - first missionary to the Kingdom of Manipur Rev-willian-pettigrew guess 1902 (cropped).jpg
Rev Willian Pettigrew guess (1902) - first missionary to the Kingdom of Manipur

Christianity in Manipur can traced back to an Anglican named William Pettigrew, [2] who lived in India when Surchandra Singh was the maharaja of Manipur. Pettigrew, who was born in Edinburgh and educated in London, applied to work with the Arthington Aborigines Mission in India and travelled to Bengal in 1890. He worked for two years in Dhaka and Silchar. In 1891, Pettigrew applied for permission to work in Manipur, but this was not granted until 1894. He worked for a time as a teacher in Imphal, teaching the children of government civil servants and soon afterwards opened a school for boys in Manipuri and established a permanent mission station there. [3]

Origins

The first Meitei to convert to Christianity is debated. It is traditionally believed that Angom Porom Singh of Phayeng was the first to be converted in around 1896, but another tradition says that Ningol Kaboklei met a Christian missionary in Sylhet (presently in Bangladesh) and converted to Christianity in around 1893, a few years earlier than the arrival of William Pettigrew. Those claiming that Porom Singh was the first Christian convert, have intentionally ignored the other tradition about Kaboklei. It may well be true that Kaboklei became a Christian before Porom Singh, not in Manipur but in Sylhet. [4] [5]

Some theological scholars believe that Porom Singh was baptized on 3 January 1896. On that date, Pettigrew baptized his first Meitei convert at the watering Morangkhom Hiden Tapham. Porom Singh would have been only about eleven or twelve at the time and it is possible that such a public act would have caused uproar. After his baptism, Porom Singh left Imphal with Pettigrew and functioned as Pettigrew's right-hand man at Ukhrul. In December 1912, he became the headmaster of a school at Ukhrul, where his teaching responsibilities included preaching the gospel. He was one of only seven Christians who stood by Pettigrew. At the outbreak of the First World War, he helped Pettigrew to raise a labour corps, later becoming a corps leader and an interpreter. He received excellent testimonials when he served in France and on his return to India, was exempted from house tax. [6]

Followers

Protestants (mostly Baptist) outnumber Catholics in Manipur. [7] A Manipur Baptist Convention exists. The Reformed Presbyterian Church North-East India Synod has its seat in Manipur. [8] The Presbyterian Church in India and the Church of Christ are present in the state, too. [9] [10] The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Imphal has its seat in the state. The Manipur Section of the Seventh-day Adventist Church has about forty congregations. [11] The All Manipur Christian Organisation (AMCO) exists. [12]

Demography

Christians in Manipur
YearNumberPercentage
2001 [13]
857,285
37.37
2011 [14]
1,179,043
41.29
Historical Christian Population in Manipur
YearPop.±%
1901 45—    
1911 132+193.3%
1921 4,050+2968.2%
1931 10,401+156.8%
1941 25,727+147.4%
1951 68,394+165.8%
1961 152,043+122.3%
1971 279,243+83.7%
1981 421,702+51.0%
1991 626,669+48.6%
2001 857,285+36.8%
2011 1,179,043+37.5%
Source: Centre for Policy Studies [15]

Percentage of Christians in Manipur by decades [15]

YearPercentIncrease
19010.02%-
19110.04%

+0.02%

19211.05%

+1.01%

19312.33%

+1.28%

19415.02%

+2.69%

195111.84%

+6.82%

196119.49%+7.65%
197126.03%+6.54%
198129.68%+3.65%
199134.11%+4.43%
200137.37%+3.26%
201141.29%+3.92%

The Christian population in the state have increased from 0.02% in 1901 to 41.3% in 2011. Christians formed an overwhelming majority in the autonomous hilly regions of Manipur (which is 90% of the total land area) of the state respectively. [16] According to 2011 Census, there are total 9 districts in Manipur, of which 5 districts are Christian-majority. [17]

Tribes

Percentage of Christians in the Scheduled Tribes [18]

TribeChristiansPercent
Thadou211,27297.85%
Tangkhul175,20098.11%
Poumai126,09298.99%
Kabui93,41689.90%
Mao92,60299.21%
Kacha Naga64,35797.28%
Paite54,81598.69%
Hmar47,80498.82%
Vaiphei42,22498.29%
Kuki27,78498.03%
Maram27,22198.90%
Maring25,85897.86%
Zou23,71897.63%
Anal23,10798.29%
Gangte16,85998.14%
Kom14,34598.74%

Non-ST Christians

Non-ST Christians in Manipur are mainly Meiteis numbering between 1-3 lakh in the state. [19] [20] [21]

List of denominations

Sources [22] [23] [24] [25]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manipur</span> State in northeastern India

Manipur is a state in northeast India, with the city of Imphal as its capital. It is bounded by the Indian states of Nagaland to the north, Mizoram to the south and Assam to the west. It also borders two regions of Myanmar, Sagaing Region to the east and Chin State to the south. The state covers an area of 22,327 km2 (8,621 sq mi). The official and most widely spoken language is the Meitei language. Native to the Meitei people, it is also used as a lingua franca by smaller communities, who speak a variety of other Tibeto-Burman languages. Manipur has been at the crossroads of Asian economic and cultural exchange for more than 2,500 years. This exchange connects the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia to Southeast Asia, East Asia, Siberia, regions in the Arctic, Micronesia and Polynesia enabling migration of people, cultures and religions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kuki people</span> Ethnic group in India, Bangladesh, and Myanmar

The Kuki people are an ethnic group in the Northeastern Indian states of Manipur, Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram, as well as the neighbouring countries of Bangladesh and Myanmar. The Kukis form one of the largest hill tribe communities in Northeast India, along with the adjoining regions of Bangladesh and Myanmar. In Northeast India, they are present in all states except Arunachal Pradesh. The Chin people of Myanmar and the Mizo people of Mizoram are kindred tribes of the Kukis. Collectively, they are termed the Zo people.

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

Senapati, is one of the 16 districts of the Indian state of Manipur. The present Senapati district was formed in December 2016, after spawning off the Sadar Hills region in the south into a separate Kangpokpi district. The district headquarter is located in the municipality of Tahamzam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zou people</span> Ethnic group living in Myanmar and Northeast India

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Tangkhul is a Sino-Tibetan language of the Tangkhulic branch, spoken in different villages of Ukhrul district, Manipur, India. The term "Tangkhul" is derived from the Meitei language terms, "Tang" meaning "scarce" and "Khul" meaning "village" respectively. According to another theory, the term "Tangkhul" is derived from "Thankhul", meaning "Than village" in Meitei language.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phungyo Baptist Church</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Pettigrew (missionary)</span>

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References

  1. ↑ "Table C-01 Population by religious community: Manipur". Census of India . Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India. 2011. Archived from the original on 9 February 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  2. ↑ Naresh, Huirem. "Reverend William Pettigrew and Modern Education in Manipur - Imphal Times". www.imphaltimes.com. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  3. ↑ "Papers of William Pettigew - Archives Hub". archiveshub.jisc.ac.uk. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  4. ↑ "Theological Scholars of Manipur Commemorate Saroj Nalini Arambam, First Theologian and First Woman BA, MA".
  5. ↑ "Angom Porom Singh remembered".
  6. ↑ "THE IMPORTANCE OF CHAKPA COMMUNITY IN RELATION TO THE ORIGIN OF CHRISTIANITY IN MANIPUR".
  7. ↑ "Metrocog.net". Metrocog.net. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  8. ↑ "Icrconline.com". Icrconline.com. Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  9. ↑ Luisterenddienen.nl (in Dutch).
  10. ↑ Silbano Garcia, II. (17 November 2013). "Church-of-christ.org". Church-of-christ.org. Archived from the original on 15 July 2012. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  11. ↑ "Adventistyearbook.org". Adventistyearbook.org. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  12. ↑ "Golias-editions.fr" (in French). Golias-editions.fr. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  13. ↑ "Total population by religious communities". Censusindia.gov.in. Archived from the original on 19 January 2008. Retrieved 20 November 2014.
  14. ↑ "Indian Census 2011". Census Department, Government of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2015. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
  15. 1 2 "The Christianisation of the Northeast" (PDF). Centre for Policy Studies. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 April 2018.
  16. ↑ "Manipur violence: How Christianisation widened socio-cultural gap between Meiteis of Valley and Hill tribes". 5 May 2023.
  17. ↑ https://censusindia.gov.in/nada/index.php/catalog/11383/download/14496/DDW14C-01%20MDDS.XLS [ bare URL ]
  18. ↑ Christianity among the Scheduled Tribes of the Northeast: Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland, Centre for Policy Studies, 18 October 2016, archived from the original on 13 February 2017
  19. ↑ "Meitei unspecified in India".
  20. ↑ "Caught in the middle of Manipur's ethnic conflict, Meiteis who follow Christianity". 31 May 2023.
  21. ↑ "Remove our churches from SC petition: Meitei Christians tell Kuki groups". 11 June 2023.
  22. ↑ World Christian Encyclopedia, Second edition, 2001 Volume 1, pp. 369–370.
  23. ↑ "Imphal The Pentecostal Mission Church | The Pentecostal Mission Church in Imphal, Manipur - WowCity.com". In.wowcity.com. Retrieved 16 December 2013.
  24. ↑ "Kuki Kahi Kakipah E". Archived from the original on 13 August 2013. Retrieved 22 February 2012..
  25. ↑ "Manipur Baptist Convention | CBCNEI".
  26. ↑ "MELC at a Glance". 15 February 2015. Archived from the original on 7 May 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  27. ↑ MELC INDIA - Manipur Evangelical Lutheran Church, India Archived 10 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine (formerly known as Zomi Christian Church)
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