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

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The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in India
LDS Church logo - hin.png
(Logo in Hindi)
Flag of India.svg
Membership14,528 (2019)[1]
Stakes4
Districts3
Wards21
Branches25
Total Congregations46
Missions2
Temples1 (under construction)
Family History Centers15
The Book of Mormon in Hindi.

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 were local members, missionaries and multiple meetinghouses of the LDS Church in the country.[2]

History[]

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 Taj Mahal in Agra, India and teaching the tourists which was filmed in one of the videos, "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.[3] The movement increased in India by 1993, when Mormon missionaries began proselytizing in Bangalore.[3]

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

Year Membership Congregations Districts Stakes
2000 2,435 18 4
2005 5,951
2013 10,000
2018 13,995 45 3 4

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.[6]

In 2020, the LDS Church canceled services and other public gatherings indefinitely in response to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.[7] By fall meetings had begun to resume on a limited basis.[citation needed]

On December 2, 2020, ground was broken to signify the beginning of construction of the Bengaluru India Temple by Robert K. William, a native of India serving as an area seventy.[8]

Stakes & Districts[]

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in India is located in India
Coimbatore
Coimbatore
Bengaluru
Bengaluru
Chennai
Chennai
Goa
Goa
Rajahmundry
Rajahmundry
Hyderabad
Hyderabad
Visakhapatnam
Visakhapatnam
Mumbai
Mumbai
Kolkata
Kolkata
New Delhi
New Delhi
Stake Centers in India
Green = Stake
Orange = District
Purple = meetinghouse not part of stake or district

As of April 2021, the following stakes and districts exist in India:[9]

  • Bengaluru India Stake
  • Chennai India District
  • Coimbatore India District
  • Hyderabad India Stake
  • New Delhi India Stake
  • Rajahmundry India Stake
  • Visakhapatnam India District

In addition to these stakes & districts, branches with meetinghouses that are not part of a stake or district are located in Goa, Kolkata and Mumbai. The India Bengaluru Mission Branch and the India New Delhi Mission Branch serves individuals and families not in proximity to a church meetinghouse.

Missions[]

  • India Bengaluru Mission
  • India New Delhi Mission

Temples[]

200. Bengaluru India (Under Construction)

Location:
Announced:
Groundbreaking:
 Size:
 Notes:

Bengaluru, India
1 April 2018
2 December 2020 by Robert K. William
40,000 sq ft (3,700 m2) on a 1.62 acre (0.7 ha) site
Announced by Russell M. Nelson on April 1, 2018[10]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ "Facts and Statistics: Statistics by Country: India", Newsroom, LDS Church, retrieved 13 April 2021
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "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
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b Banan, Aastha Atray (10 March 2012), India's Own Mormons, OPEN Magazine, retrieved 2014-05-01
  4. ^ "Country information: India", Online Church Almanac, Church News, 29 January 2010, retrieved 2014-05-01
  5. ^ Stewart, Briana (23 April 2013), The LDS Church in India, LDS Living, retrieved 2014-05-01
  6. ^ Weaver, Sarah Jane. "In India, the story of the India LDS temple announcement is revealed". deseretnews.com. Deseret News. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
  7. ^ Lovett, Ian. "Mormon Church Cancels Services World-Wide Amid Coronavirus Crisis", The Wall Street Journal, 12 March 2020. Retrieved on 3 April 2020.
  8. ^ article on ground breaking for the temple
  9. ^ "Hong Kong China Temple District", churchofjesuschristtemples.org, retrieved 2021-04-14
  10. ^ "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.

External links[]

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