View source for Christianity in Delhi

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use Indian English|date=April 2018}}
[[File:Jesuits at Akbar's court.jpg|thumb|right|260px|[[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] Emperor [[Akbar the Great]] (r. 1556-1605) holds a religious assembly in the Ibadat Khana (House of Worship) in [[Fatehpur Sikri]]; the two men dressed in black are the [[Jesuit]] missionaries [[Rodolfo Acquaviva]] and [[Francisco Henriques]].  Illustration to the [[Akbarnama]], miniature painting by [[Nar Singh]], ca. 1605.]]
'''[[Christianity]]''' is a [[minority religion]] in '''[[Delhi]]''', the National Capital Territory of [[India]]. A diocese of the [[Church of North India]] is established in Delhi, as well as the [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Delhi]]. Other major churches include the [[Central Baptist Church (Delhi)|Central Baptist Church]], [[St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral Hauz Khas]] (belonging to the [[Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church]]), and the head office of the Northern Region of the [[Indian Pentecostal Church of God]] (situated in Bhai Vir Singh Marg, New Delhi).{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} A Christian Revival Church is also located in New Delhi. The [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Church|Syro-Malabar]] [[Syro-Malabar Catholic Eparchy of Faridabad|Diocese of Faridabad]] also has presence in Delhi.

{|class="wikitable sortable"  style="text-align: right;"
|+ Christians in Delhi
! Year !! Number !! Percentage
|-
| 2001<ref name="religion1">{{cite web|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communities.htm|title=Total population by religious communities|publisher=Censusindia.gov.in|access-date=20 November 2014|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080119031333/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/Census_Data_2001/Census_data_finder/C_Series/Population_by_religious_communities.htm|archive-date=19 January 2008|df=dmy-all}}</ref>|| {{center|130,319}} || {{center|0.94}}
|-
| 2011<ref name="religion2">{{cite web|publisher=Census Department, Government of India|url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/c-01.html|title=Indian Census 2011|access-date=25 August 2015|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150913045700/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011census/C-01.html|archive-date=13 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}</ref>|| {{center|146,093}} || {{center|0.87}}
|-
|}

{{Christianity in India sidebar}}

==History==

===Mughal===
Christianity in Delhi dates back to the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Akbar]]'s era. Emperor Akbar was known for his secular theology. A Jesuit priest was invited by Akbar from [[Goa]] in 1579 in order that Akbar might receive knowledge about Christianity.{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}

[[Sir Thomas Roe]], [[James I of England|King James I]]'s ambassador to India during [[Jahangir]]'s reign, tells the story that two princes converted to Christianity (including Janghir's nephew) only to enable Jahangir to demand to [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] women for himself. This ploy was unsuccessful. During the reign of Emperor [[Aurangzeb]] there was a decline in Christianity.<ref name="Neill2004">{{cite book|author=Stephen Neill|title=A History of Christianity in India: The Beginnings to AD 1707|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dbVNvsZWH5EC&pg=PA189|year=2004|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-54885-4|page=189}}</ref><ref>''The Mughals of India'' - Page 20</ref> In 1723 [[Ippolito Desideri|Father Desideri]] founded the city church dedicated to the [[Virgin Mary]]. The church was destroyed by [[Nadir Shah]], who invaded Delhi in 1739. Jesuit priests managed to save their lives by hiding in a tumbledown house.

===British===
Christianity was introduced to Delhi for the second time by the British. British soldiers made numerous churches for their own worship. The [[Church of England]] sent many missionaries to India to propagate the [[Gospel]] among people who were unaware of Christianity. Numerous people were converted to Christianity by their efforts. Many among the converts worked for the British government. During the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]] several sepoys who had stayed loyal to the Company were removed by the mutineers and killed, either because of their loyalty or because they had become Christian. After these events, Christianity declined in Delhi once more.<ref name="RajDempsey2002">{{cite book|author1=Selva J. Raj|author2=Corinne G. Dempsey|title=Popular Christianity in India: Writing Between the Lines|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zv42cV5dQmYC&pg=PA212|year=2002|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=978-0-7914-8781-5|pages=212–213}}</ref>

== List of Churches in Delhi ==
* [[St. Basil Orthodox Church, Rohini]] [https://www.instagram.com/mgocsm_rohini_/]
*[[India Pentecostal Church of God]] Northern region Headquarters.
* Cathedral Church of the Redemption<ref>{{cite web|title=The Cathedral Church of the Redemption|url=http://www.theredemptionchurch.org/home.php|accessdate=9 March 2017}}</ref>
* St. Mary's Church, Delhi 6<ref>{{cite web|title=History of St. Mary's Catholic Church|url=http://www.stmaryschurchdelhi.org/history.aspx|accessdate=1 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140220054526/http://www.stmaryschurchdelhi.org/history.aspx|archive-date=20 February 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* [[Sacred Heart Cathedral, New Delhi]]
* [[Green Park Free Church, New Delhi]]
* [[Centenary Methodist Church, Lodhi Road]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Centenary Methodist Church (Hindi)|url=http://www.cmchindiservice.com/|website=www.cmchindiservice.com|accessdate=9 March 2017|language=en}}</ref>
* [[Central Baptist Church (Delhi)]]
* [[Cathedral Church of the Redemption]]
* Crossway Church
* [[St. James' Church, Delhi]]
* [[St. Stephen's Church, Delhi]]
* [[St. Sebastian's Church, (Dilshad Garden)|St. Sebastian's Church, Dilshad Garden]]
* [[St. Peter and Paul church, Najafgarh - New Delhi 110043]] 
*Christian Revival Church New Delhi

==References==
{{reflist}}

== See also ==

* [[List of Christian denominations in North East India]]
* [[Christianity in Arunachal Pradesh]]
* [[Christianity in India]]
* [[Christian Revival Church]]
{{Christianity in India by region}}

[[Category:Christianity in Delhi| ]]