India Demographics

India has many, many contrasts when it comes to landscapes. A windblown desert stretches across the northwest, while the coasts have palm trees and cool sea breezes. To the south are huge flat plains that are sometimes dry and dusty, and other times covered with rich fertile crops. To the north jut the jagged mountain peaks of the Himalayas, which in Sanskrit means “house of snow.”

People Everywhere!

People live throughout these mountains. They plant their crops on terraces that they have cut into the slopes. Anywhere you go in India, you will meet people. It doesn’t matter whether you are deep in the jungle or high in the mountains. That is because India is the second most populated country in the world (estimated to be over 1,014,000,000 in the year 2000). Only China has more people.

One of the reasons that there are so many people is because family is very important. Often several generations live under the same roof. Parents rely on their children for child labor and to take care of them in their old age. Many Indian parents prefer to have sons rather than daughters. A son stays to help support the family, while a daughter will be married and go to live with her husband. Also, from a girl’s birth, her father must begin to work towards a dowry for her when she is married. This is often seen as a burden to be avoided.

Ancient History

The history of India probably began as long ago as 4,000 years. It has been a long record of invasions, wars, and rulers. Each group added to India’s customs to create the society of today.

The first settlers were a people called Dravidians. Sometime between 1500 and 200 BC, tribes of lighter skinned people from central Europe and Asia, called Aryans, conquered the Indus Valley and became the rulers. They pushed the Dravidians south. The people who stayed mixed with them and became a part of the Aryan way of life. The descendants of the Dravidian people still live in India today. They are darker skinned and often shorter.

Hinduism is Born

The Aryans developed the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest existing languages. They also combined their gods with those of the people they conquered to form Hinduism and the caste system. Although it is no longer really legal, the caste system continues today and affects much of everyday life. To do something like get a job or enter college, one must answer questions as to what caste he is a part of. About two thirds of India’s population are called “untouchables,” or the Dalits. They are the lowest level of the caste system, and often have to do the dirty work and hard labor. There is still much prejudice against them.

Hindus revere cows, rats, snakes, and other creatures. There are more than 450 million sacred cows roaming the streets and countryside of India. They are carefully fed and protected. At the same time, many Indians die of starvation.

According to history, the apostle Thomas came to India in AD 52, landing at Kerala. Some of the local population there remained Hindu, but many converted to Christianity. Because of this, Kerala is still said to have a very strong Christian influence. The only place with possibly even more, is probably Tamil Nadu, where Thomas was martyred.

After the Aryans came King Darius of Persia ruled, then Alexander the Great. Many more rulers came and went, but each left some of their culture behind. When Islamic invaders ruled, Islam became a stronghold in India. Today, India’s greatest tensions often rise from the strife and hatred between Muslims and Hindus.

East India Company

When Vasco da Gama returned to Europe with spices, cotton, silk, and indigo from India, the Europeans began to dream of all the wealth that was “just waiting for them” in that distant land. Queen Elizabeth I let a private company, called the East India Company, set up trade. At first the local Indian rulers did not oppose these trading posts. The trade brought gold and silver to enrich their treasuries. But by the early nineteenth century, Great Britain controlled most of India through the administration of the East India Company. Some of the changes they brought were helpful; some were not. They built schools, hospitals, paved roads, and railway systems. They also made laws like the one in 1793: if a landowner could not pay taxes, his land was taken away. They felt threatened by the missionaries and resisted them, denying them entrance. But the missionaries persisted with God’s help, giving a foothold to the gospel. One of these was William Carey. He lived in India for almost 40 years and translated the Bible into several languages. While his life and testimony left a good impression, many missionaries did not. Some of them lived far above the level of the common people and were resented because of it. They lived as rulers, rather than as servants. But Jesus came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Because of the British discrimination against the Indians, many began to long for independence. A well-known leader called Mahatma Gandhi rose up to lead them. He did not believe in violence, but led the people in marches and labor strikes and such. The British agreed to give India independence if the Hindu and Muslim regions would divide. Gandhi agreed to this. It was upsetting to some, and he was killed because of it. His resistance movement helped to win independence for India in 1947.

Missions Today

Today it is hard for missionaries from other countries to get visas to work in India. But that doesn’t mean that there are no longer missionaries there. Even though militant Hindus may attack missionaries in the north, thousands of Indian missionaries continue to bravely preach about Jesus.

Millions of people in India have still to hear only once about Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for them. India is a country of a million gods and a billion people. But there is one true God who loves each of them. How will they hear of Him?

Pray

Will you pray for the people of India? Pray that more missionaries would be sent forth and that they would be effective. Pray for translators to translate the 1,652 languages so that the people can read God’s Word in their own language. Pray that God’s light may shine in the darkness.