Northeast India has a considerable population of Christians, who celebrate the birthday of Jesus Christ on December 25 with all pomp and glory, and makes it one of the most exciting places in India to celebrate Christmas.
A lot of tourists, both domestic and foreign, visit Northeast India states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Mizoram to take part in the Christmas festivity on the backdrop of the picturesque landscape.
Tourists are often inquisitive about the origin and spread of Christianity in the far-east of India, which is a melting pot of several cultures, and is home to about 250 ethnic groups, who speak about more than 300 dialects.
Christianity began in the 1st century after the birth of Jesus. The six major branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Restorationism, and the Church of the East.
Christianity is the world’s largest religion, representing almost one-third of the world’s population. It is also the most widespread religion, making up a majority of the population in about 157 countries.
As far as India is concerned, Christianity is the third-largest religion. A vast majority of Indian Christians are Protestants.
Northeast India, comprising of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, and Sikkim, is a diverse region full of complexities. Christianity is the predominant religion in the states of Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, and Manipur, and has substantial populations in the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Tripura.
Christianity was, however, largely missing in the northeastern part of India until the 16th or 17th century. GPlus spoke to Indian academician and former Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) Chairman Prof. David Reid Syiemlieh, who elucidated on the topic.
Author of several books and articles on the history of Northeast India, Prof. Syiemlieh told GPlus that Portuguese mercenaries were the ones responsible for introducing Christianity in this part of the country. They were soon followed by English Baptists who came to Guwahati and Cherrapunjee.
In 1836, the American Baptist Mission made its foray into the Northeast, with Miles Bronson as one of their first missionaries. A resident school was later founded in his memory in Borjhar, Guwahati.
Early foreign missionaries tried to convert the hill tribes, but with little success in Nagaon and Brahmaputra valley. 1n 1841, the Welsh Presbyterian Mission entered the fray. Chief among them was Thomas Jones.
Thomas Jones worked extensively among the Khasi people of Meghalaya and Assam and even recorded the Khasi language in Roman script. Prof. Syiemlieh recalled visiting his grave in Kolkata.
Khasi and Jaintia Hills soon emerged to be a focus of foreign missionaries. By 1891, Christianity had spread to Mizoram and Cachar Valley. American Baptists also began to consolidate their presence in Manipur, Naga Hills and Garo Hills.
Anglicans were mostly prevalent among Bodos and tea gardeners. Prof. Syiemlieh talked about Anglican churches and how they were relatively small in size. Anglicans also founded the Christ Church in Panbazar, the first church in the entire Northeast.
Many Adivasis were already Christians by this time. Prof. Syiemlieh also spoke at length about the efforts of the Lutheran mission and the Protestant mission.
As such, several Christian missions made their presence felt in the Northeast during this time. They were working in different areas for operative reasons. In fact, the British government also set up a commission, mandating the same.
Soon after, the Presbyterians penetrated Lushai Hills and Garo Hills. Everyone was following the “one mission, one area” mandate, except when it came to the Brahmaputra Valley, which was an open field for everyone.
The Catholics came around 1872. Prof. Syiemlieh acknowledged the contributions made by Cabral and, later on, Jacob Broy from the Milan Mission, in spreading Christianity.
Then came the Salvatorian Catholics around 1890, who found their place in Guwahati, upper Assam, Khasi and Jaintia Hills. Their mission in Assam lasted till 1915.
Prof. Syiemlieh then went on to talk about Bondashil near Badarpur, which had a Portuguese settlement back in the day. Substantial Christian presence was also seen at Rangamati, which had a 7,000-strong community as well as Mariam Nagar in Tripura.
When the World War I broke out, most of the missions either went back to their native countries or were consolidated in Ahmedabad. After the war ended, the Salesians arrived in January 1922 and made their presence felt in Goalpara, Garo Hills and Bodo-dominated areas. The Satribari Christian Hospital came up soon after that.
Prof. Syiemlieh then highlighted the works of the Baptist Medical Mission. He delved into the contributions made by Christians in the field of education, especially in the translation of the Roman script.
American Baptists preferred Assamese over Bengali. Prof. Syiemlieh highlighted the impact of Orunodoi, the first Assamese monthly magazine, which also gave a fillip to the Assamese language.
The Hill tribes were gradually getting accustomed to the Roman Script as well. The Bible was translated into Khasi in 1891.
“The Bible in Khasi was first printed by the Serampore mission using the Bengali script. Thomas Jones the first Welsh Missionary to translate the Bible in Khasi dialect into Roman script in 1842. Before the turn on the 19th century the mission published the Bible in Khasi using the Roman script,” added Prof. Syiemlieh.
When asked about whether Christianity brought tribal customs into their fold, Prof. Syiemlieh said only “guardedly.” Hymns began to be sung in local languages and the New Testament was also translated into local languages.
