Bahá'ís in India
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The Bahá'í Faith has been established in India almost since the founding of the religion in 1844. An important early follower of Bahá'u'lláh, Jamal Effendi, arrived in India in 1872 to promulgate the Faith. Today, following a period of growth beginning around the 1960s, Indian Bahá'ís number perhaps some 22 lakh members (2.2 million),[1] making it the largest national contingent of Bahá'ís in the world.
However, the Bahá'í Faith in India has a visibility even exceeding its numbers, thanks to the famous 'Lotus Temple', a major New Delhi landmark that attracts an average of four million visitors per year (around 13,000 each day). Much praised for its striking and graceful architecture, this is currently the sole Bahá'í House of Worship for the Asian continent. The Lotus Temple attracts tens of thousands of worshippers on Hindu holy days.
The growth of the Bahá'í Faith in India has been greatly assisted by the recognition of Krishna as a Messenger or Manifestation of God, alongside Jesus, Muhammad, Zarathustra and Bahá'u'lláh himself. Bahá'ís have thus been able to reach out to Vaishnava Hindus, as well as to some extent Muslims, Adivasis (or tribal people), and others. Bahá'ís have in fact presented Bahá'u'lláh as the Kalki Avatar of Vaishnava tradition and the Mahdí of Shia tradition.[2] Indian Bahá'ís have incorporated several elements typical of the bhakti movement, including the singing of bhajans, into their worship.[3]
The National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India is the standing all-India organizational body for the Bahá'í Faith, and is headquartered in New Delhi.
[edit] References
- World Almanac and Book of Facts 2004.
