India

In 1849 two Mormon sailors set sail for India. In Calcutta they unofficially started preaching the gospel. In 1851 Joseph Richards arrived to begin formal missionary efforts in the country. He baptized the first members of the Church in India and organized a branch. By 1852 there were 189 members. They soon built a small chapel—the first Church building in Asia.

Over the next century, however, missionary efforts struggled. But in 1978 couple missionaries began serving as Church representatives to help the Church be recognized and to strengthen members.

Since then the Book of Mormon has been translated into 5 of India’s 20 major languages: Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, and selections in Bengali. The India Bangalore Mission was created in 1993. In 2007 the India New Delhi Mission was created to cover northern India and several nearby countries.

The Church has received national recognition for its work with over 50 humanitarian groups in the country.

The Church in India
Membership	8,200
Missions	2
Districts	6
Branches	30

Twelve-year-old Henry McCune, a convert, greets some Latter-day Saint missionaries upon their arrival in Calcutta, India, in 1853.

Below: Gideon and Hansen Prabhudas from the Bangalore Second Branch. Right: A gathering of priesthood holders from the Hyderabad Fourth Branch.