Christians are a religious community residing in the Indian state of Jharkhand. As per 2011 Census of India, 4.3% of people in Jharkhand are Christians. Christians are majority in Simdega district of Jharkhand.
Christianity is a minority religion in Jharkhand, a state (formerly Southern region of Bihar state, colloquially Chota Nagpur division) of India. Jharkhand is known for tribals such as Munda, Santhal, Oraon and Kharia. A Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Ranchi exists. St. Mary's Cathedral in Ranchi has been a cathedral since 1909. The Church of North India has a Diocese of Chota Nagpur with a seat at Ranchi. The Church of North India has a St. Paul's Cathedral in Ranchi. Gossner Theological College is in Jharkhand. Many Munda & Kharia are Christians. The then pope visited Ranchi in 1986. The Gossner Evangelical Lutheran Church in Chotanagpur and Assam has its seat in Ranchi. Dhanbad has Oriental Orthodox Churches. Christian missionaries arrived in today's Jharkhand in 1845.
Christianity was introduced to Chota Nagpur in 1845 through the arrival of German Evangelical Lutheran missionaries, including Pastors Schatz, Brandt, Batsch, and Janke, following their unsuccessful efforts in Calcutta after arriving from Berlin in 1844. These missionaries were initially heading for Mergui in Myanmar (formerly Burma) in view of preaching the Christian faith among the Karen people or in the areas located in the footsteps of the Himalayas. However, on meeting some people from Ranchi, they changed their plan and headed for Chota Nagpur and its main town, Ranchi. They reached Ranchi on 2 November 1845 and camped on, what is now known as, the 'Bethesda Ground' in Ranchi. Anglican missionary work was established at Ranchi in 1869 under the Anglican Bishop of Calcutta, followed by the establishment of a Roman Catholic mission in 1885 after the arrival of Father Constant Lievens. The Dublin University Mission from Ireland began its work in the region in 1890. By 1872, the Christian population in the region (modern Jharkhand) was 16,190, which increased to ,, and in the 1881, 1891, and 1901 censuses, respectively. The growth of Christianity in the region was largely among the tribal communities, which contributed to the rise of anti-conversion movements like the Birsa Munda Movement and the Tana Bhagat Movement.
After India became independent, the missionaries who remained post independence, worked for the improvement standard of living and providing education to the children of the tribals. Evidently many of the tribals emerged as sportsmen especially in the game of hockey and football.
Even the first Prime Minister of India, Dr. Jawaharlal Nehru, in his The Discovery of India acknowledges the contribution of the early missionaries for development of tribals dialect stating that even laboured at the dialects of the primitive hill and forest tribes...
According to the 2011 census, the Christian population in the state stood at 1,418,608, reflecting an increase of 29.75% from the 2001 census, which recorded 1,093,382 Christians. Simdega district has the highest concentration of Christians, accounting for 51.14% of its population, followed by Khunti at 25.66% and Gumla at 19.75%. The Scheduled Tribes, primarily Oraon, Munda, Santal, Kharia, Mal Paharia, Sauria Paharia, Ho (Kolha) constitute of the Christian population, while remaining belongs to the general population (including converted Scheduled Castes) of the state. The breakdown of Christianity among Scheduled Tribes is:
The major denominations and church bodies in the state are given below.
The other smaller denominations are:
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