| The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in India | |
| Area: | Asia |
| Membership: | 15,224 (2023) |
| Stakes: | 4 |
| Districts: | 3 |
| Wards: | 21 |
| Branches: | 24 |
| Missions: | 2 |
| U: | 1 |
| Fhc: | 20 |
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) has enjoyed its 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.[1] The Church of Latter-day Saints stated in 2023, that there are 15,224 members from India.
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, all members were invited to gather in one place, the main reason being that they wanted 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, which still exists in there even today.
In the church's history in India, there were early missionaries who visited Madras (present day Chennai), Bombay (preset day Mumbai), and other places in India, who taught the gospel. In fact, there were missionaries visiting Taj Mahal in Agra 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. The movement increased in India by 1993, when missionaries began proselytizing in Bangalore.
By the beginning of 2000, there were 2,435 members in four districts and eighteen branches,[1] and in 2005, there were 5,951. The church holds All India Young Single Adults (YSA) conferences with the goal of helping young members of the church find a spouse.[2]
By 2013, there were about 10,000 members of the LDS Church in India. This number rose to 15,224 in 2023.
| Year | Membership | Congregations | Districts | Stakes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2,435 | 18 | 4 | ||
| 2005 | 5,951 | ||||
| 2013 | 10,000 | ||||
| 2018 | 13,995 | 45 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2022 | 14,961 | 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.[3]
On December 2, 2020, the ground was dug into, in order to signify the beginning of construction of the Bengaluru India Temple by Robert K. William, a native of India serving as an area seventy.[4]
As of February 2023, the following stakes and districts were located in India:
| Stake/District | data-sort-type=date | Organized | Mission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru India Stake | 12 Dec 1980 | India Bengaluru | |
| Chennai India District | 11 Oct 2009 | India Bengaluru | |
| Coimbatore India District | 11 Oct 2009 | India Bengaluru | |
| Hyderabad India Stake | 1 Mar 1988 | India Bengaluru | |
| New Delhi India Stake | 19 Aug 1986 | India New Delhi | |
| Rajahmundry India Stake | 20 Mar 2011 | India New Delhi | |
| Visakhapatnam India District | 11 Oct 2009 | India New Delhi |
| Mission | Organized | |
|---|---|---|
| India Bengaluru Mission | 1 Jan 1993 | |
| India New Delhi Mission | 1 Nov 2007 |
India was included in the Bangkok Thailand Temple upon its completion on 22 October 2023. On 1 April 2018, the Bengaluru India Temple was announced to be constructed, and ground was broken in December 2020. In addition to the temple, a two-level meetinghouse, administrative offices, a distribution center, and a patron housing facility will be built on the site.