తెలుగు క్రైస్తవులు | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Total population | |
| 1,567,784 (2011)[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Predominantly inHyderabad,Coastal Andhra,Secunderabad, theNorthern Circars andMedak, also found amongNon-Resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin diaspora populations nationwide in the major cities such asNew Delhi,Bangalore,Mumbai,Calcutta,Chennai,Mangalore and also overseas countries | |
| Languages | |
| Telugu | |
| Religion | |
| PredominantlyUnited Protestant (Church of South India),India Pentecostal Church of God,Assemblies of God in India,Lutheran,Methodist,Baptist but also significant number ofRoman Catholics andEvangelicals |
Telugu Christians orTelugu Kraistava (Telugu:తెలుగు క్రైస్తవులు,romanized: Telugu Kraistavulu) are ethnic-Telugus who follow Christianity. They form the third largest religious minority in theIndian states ofAndhra Pradesh andTelangana.[2] According to the 2001Census of India, there are over a million Christians inAndhra Pradesh, constituting around 1.51% of the state's population.[2]
Most Telugu Christians areProtestant, belonging to major Indian Protestant denominations such as the predominant United ProtestantChurch of South India,Pentecostals such asAssemblies of God in India,India Pentecostal Church of God,The Pentecostal Mission, theAndhra Evangelical Lutheran Church, theSamavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches, the Salvation Army and several others. There also is a significant number ofRoman Catholics andEvangelicals. TheFranciscans of theRoman Catholic Church brought Christianity to theDeccan area in 1535, and after 1759 AD, when theNorthern Circars came under the rule of theEast India Company, the region opened up to greater Christian influence.[3]
The firstProtestant missionaries inAndhra Pradesh were two clergymen named Cran and Des Granges who were sent by theLondon Missionary Society and set up their station atVisakhapatnam in 1805 AD.[4] Regions with significant populations of Telugu Christians include the erstwhileNorthern Circars, the coastal belt and the cities ofHyderabad andSecunderabad. Telugu Christians have one of the highest literacy and work participation figures and most evenmale-to-female ratio figures among the various religious communities in the state.[5][6][7]
The first convert to Christianity inAndhra Pradesh was Thumma Hanumantha Reddy, also known as Manda Reddy.[8][9] Manda Reddy, along with thirtyReddy families of Muddiguba and some other Reddy families inAlamuru, embraced Christianity in 1715.[10] In the Rayalaseema region, many Reddys began visiting churches and converted to Christianity (Catholics).[11] By 1735, in South Andhra, there were thousands of Christians, most of whom belonged to the Reddy and other traditional weaver communities. Many reddys in Guntur district have converted in to Roman Catholisim, Reddy who converted to Roman Catholics still kept some the Hindu traditions like thali, bottu, some the Catholic reddys have migrated Telangana via krishna river in Telangana they named their village names has Guntur pally, Reddypuram or Reddypallem.[12] By 1750, Christianity further spread to theCircar Districts due to the migration of Christian Reddys into those areas.[12] In the early 18th century many Catholic Reddys had migrated from Rayalaseema to some parts of Tamil Nadu, Andhra and Telangana. They started Catholic churches to support Christian missionaries.
Beginning in the nineteenth century, missionaries from most major denominations started arriving in theAndhra region. Established in 1805, theLondon Missionary Society was the firstProtestant mission inAndhra Pradesh which had its station atVisakhapatnam. TheLondon Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists who were largely Congregationalist in outlook.[13] George Crann and Augustus Des Granges were the first batch of missionaries that was sent out by theLondon Missionary Society toAndhra Pradesh in 1804. They arrived inVisakhapatnam on 18 July 1805 and began learning the Telugu language. They mastered it in a short time and began translating parts of the New Testament. In the next three years, the four Gospels were published. Their work was halted with the deaths of George Crann in 1809 and of Des Granges in 1810. A new batch of missionaries, Revs. Lee, Gordon and Pritchett took over the work done by their predecessors. The first complete New Testament in Telugu was printed in Madras.[14]
The American Baptist Mission and Godavari Delta Mission established their stations in 1836. They were followed by Church Missionary Society in 1841 and the then American Lutheran Mission in 1842.[15] British colonial officers, Eurasians, and the likely presence of a few native Christian families has made missionary activity a possibility in these early years. TeluguBaptist pastors likePuroshottam Choudhary and Das Anthervedy from the Telugu-speaking districts ofMadras Presidency, also known as Madras Province ministered inCoastal Andhra even before the British Baptist Missionary Society'sSerampore Mission was established.[citation needed]
Amos Sutton was the first British Baptist missionary to preach in the region. He was sent by theSerampore Mission. He preached in the northernmost parts of Andhra in 1805 but failed to achieve his objectives, and he did not venture again into the region, confining his ministry instead to the Oriya-speaking districts. Sutton, however, persisted in his vision for the Telugus. Later, Sutton's marriage to anAmerican Baptist missionary widow connected him with the American Baptists. While visiting his relatives in the United States in 1835, he urged the Baptist convention in Virginia to take over the "abandoned" work among the Telugus. Responding to his plea, the American Baptist Foreign Mission Board sentSamuel S. Day, a Canadian-born American, as their missionary in 1835. He arrived in Visakhapatnam in 1836 and searched for four years for a suitable place to start a mission station before finally finding one in Nellore. This lay the foundations of theCanadian Baptist Mission.
The Canadian Baptist Mission (CBM) was established in 1850.Lyman Jewett in 1848 and John E. Clough in 1865 joined the mission stations at Nellore, Ongole and south Kanigiri.[13]Canadian Baptist Missionaries quickly identified the possibility of holistic transformation of the Telugu society through education, and they found women to be potential agents of change. Missionary Mary McLaurin, in 1875, founded a school for boys and the next year founded one for girls. Missionaries of theCanadian Baptist Mission founded theConvention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars (CBCNC) as the mission's successor inAndhra Pradesh.[16][17]
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The firstLutheran missionary in Andhra wasJohn Christian Frederick Heyer who arrived in the year 1842 AD. His wife and children remained inFriedens,Somerset County, Pennsylvania where Mrs. Mary Heyer died in 1839. The following year, Heyer was asked to enter the foreign missions. He studiedSanskrit and medicine inBaltimore, and set sail for India fromBoston in 1841 with three other missionary couples on the shipBrenda. Returning to the United States in 1845, he continued his missionary work and established St. John's Church in Baltimore. At the same time, he studied medicine, and obtained his M.D. from theUniversity of Maryland School of Medicine in 1847.
He travelled to India a second time in 1847, spending a decade, mainly in theGuntur district ofAndhra Pradesh state, in southern India, where he ministered and performed yeoman service to the people there. Supported initially by the Pennsylvania Ministerium, and later by the Foreign Mission Board of the General Synod, Heyer was also encouraged and assisted by British government officials. He established a number of hospitals and a network of schools throughout the Guntur region. The two prominentLutheran missions inCoastal Andhra were the Guntur Mission pioneered byJohn Christian Frederick Heyer of thePennsylvania Synod Society and theRajahmundry Mission established by Rev. Luis P. Manno Valett of North German Missionary Society in July 1845. In 1927 theAndhra Evangelical Lutheran Church was constituted with the merger of both these missions.[18]
The history of theSouth Andhra Lutheran Church can be dated back to the year 1865 when Rev. August Mylius of the Hermaunsburg Evangelical Lutheran Mission (HELM), Germany began his evangelistic work in the southern part of Andhra i.e. the present districts ofNellore,Prakasham andChittoor. World War I forced the German missionaries to leave India in 1915. In 1920, after a period of five years, the American missionaries from Ohio Lutheran Evangelical Mission (OLEM) took charge of the abruptly ended work of the German missionaries. Later in 1929 the church governance was taken over by the American Lutheran Church. The year of Indian Independence (1947) was also the birth year of theSouth Andhra Lutheran Church.
The famous British officerArthur Cotton worked alongside missionaries like Rev. Henry Fox of theChurch Mission Society, Mr. Bowden (SPG) of the Godavari Delta Mission, the Lutherans and Baptists. On Sundays the labour camps whereArthur Cotton supervised resounded with the singing of Christian hymns, songs in various languages such as Telugu, Tamil, and Tribal dialects. Major Cotton himself spoke in many such meetings. He and his staff worked to set a personal example of service and Christian living to the new converts. Therefore, the spread of Christianity in the coastal Andhra area could be attributed to the efforts ofArthur Cotton.[19]
SirArthur Cotton, a British engineer with the help of two missionaries E.E Jenkins & George Fryar travelled in the Telangana regions. They were responsible for starting work inSironcha in 1863. The Church Missionary Society started its work in Aurangabad in 1860, which was then part of theNizam's dominions. Later on William Taylor, a missionary of the Methodist Episcopal Church triggered a great revival in Hyderabad during the years 1872–1874. The work began in Hyderabad as "Hindustani Mission". Meanwhile, the Methodist Missionary Society began its work as "Godavari Mission" which is named after the river. After fifteen years of thorough survey, in 1879 missionaries Henry Little and William Burgess came toSecunderabad from Madras.[3]
William S. Burgess was the founder of the Wesleyan Mission in Hyderabad. The Tamil congregation of the Church of Scotland Mission was handed over to them in 1880 and it became the first native Indian Wesleyan Congregation in Secunderabad, which later moved into its new building in Clock Tower. He laid the foundations of missionary work by organising the migrant Telugu Christians as well as new converts in centres like Chilkalguda, Musheerabad, Market Street as part of the main church in Clock tower as Wesley Church pastorate, Secunderabad.[citation needed] The first congregation in Secunderabad being of Tamil origin, the Church of Scotland Mission, Madras continued to provide Pastors to serve in the Clock Tower Church for a couple of decades. In Hyderabad the Missionaries appointed a Telugu Christian by name Joseph Cornelius in whose house in Boggulagunta, Ramkote Telugu service was held with the help of the Indian Evangelist Benjamin Wesley December 1879. The present Wesley Girls School inSecunderabad with its attached missionary bungalow was purchased in 1884.
William S. Burgess stayed with his family in adak bungalow as there was no house ready for accommodation. There were no churches to receive him. He began his work first with British soldiers. He was assisted in his work by his Indian counterpart Mr. Joseph Cornelius. The first baptism was administered by Burgess on 25 January 1880.[citation needed] His first convert was Andrew, son of Chakkariah, who is one of the forerunners of many Christians in the Medak Diocese. Burgess rode on horse-back, much likeJohn Wesley, preaching in the Telangana regions. As the Telugu congregation was growing a church was constructed in the Sultan Bazaar area in 1910. Later in 1927 a foundation stone was laid to construct a large church in Ramkote which is the existing Wesley Church, Ramkote which was dedicated by Rev. Charles Walker Posnett in 1931.
The Madras Synod sent Rev. Benjamin P. Wesley to help the Burgesses. He came from Cuddapah and was a well-educated man. Benjamin P. Wesley was ordained as a Wesleyan Minister in 1882. Rev. Benjamin P. Wesley along with Mrs. Burgess set about establishing educational institutions in and aroundHyderabad andSecunderabad. In 1882, Burgess bought some shops which he used to set up side rooms for a school. Another missionary Rev. Benjamin Pratt also arrived in 1880. These trio Burgess, Pratt and Benjamin Wesley used to travel on cart, and bullock bandies to preach in the surrounding areas. Pratt surveyed Karimnagar area, following which he established the Wesleyan headquarters there. This laid the foundations of the current Karimnagar diocese of theChurch of South India. During those days the district headquarters was located near Ellagandala, which was eight miles away from Karimnagar. Around the same time, Benjamin Wesley made Siddipet his headquarters, laying the foundations for the diocese ofMedak, where later thecathedral at Medak was built. The regions ofHyderabad andSecunderabad were ministered by the Burgesses.[20][21]
Rev. Charles Walker Posnett (the builder of the great Cathedral at Medak) arrived in Secunderabad in 1895. He first ministered among the British soldiers atTrimulgherry. Unsatisfied with the army work, he launched forth into villages. In the year 1896, Rev. Charles Walker Posnett visited a village called Medak and built a bungalow there by staying in a dock bungalow. There were then hardly two hundred Christians in the whole of Medak area.[22] There was no railway route to Medak in those days. The journey of 60 miles (97 km) from Hyderabad had to be done on horseback and Rev. Posnett usually did it in a day. When he came to Medak, there was a small tiled house as the place of worship. Rev.Posnett soon raised a moderate structure on that very spot just enough for the Christian community within the Mission Compound in the traditional shape of a church. He thought it was not a worthy place for worshiping his Lord Jesus Christ. He began building the presentMedak Cathedral in 1914 on a sprawling 1,000 acres (4.0 km2) of land in the Ghusnabad area. He built the cathedral during a famine. The starving villagers were provided food in return for their services towards building the cathedral.[23]
TheDiocese of Dornakal was founded on 29 December 1912, when theRev. Vedanaygam Samuel Azariah was consecrated its first Bishop inSt. Paul's Cathedral, Calcutta. The real significance of the ceremony lay in the fact that Bishop Azariah was the first Indian to be consecrated a Bishop of the Anglican Communion.[24] When it was first formed in 1912, theDiocese of Dornakal was quite a small diocese in the south-east corner of the Nizam's Dominions. A few years later it was enlarged by the addition of the District of Dummagudem, in which theChurch Mission Society was working. Then came a Resolution of the Episcopal Synod in the year 1920, which transformed this comparatively small diocese into a diocese which has now probably as large, if not a larger number of Anglican Indian Christians than any other in India. By this resolution all the Mission Districts of both the Church Missionary Society and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in the Telugu country, were placed under the Episcopal jurisdiction of the Bishop of Dornakal. This means that the present Diocese of Dornakal includes a large portion of the Krishna district, together with the part of the Godavari district named Dummagudem; parts of the Kurnool and Cuddapah districts to the south occupied by the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel; also the areas in the Hyderabad State occupied by the Indian Missionary Society of Tinnevelly, the Singareni Mission, the Khammamett Mission (formerly under the Church Missionary Society), and the then recently formed Dornakal Diocesan Mission.[24]
The Franciscans of the Catholic Church brought Catholicism to the Deccan Area in 1535. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Hyderabad was only formed in 1886.[3] A study of the social background of the Telugu Christians of the 18th century reveals that the majority of Telugu Roman Catholics came from two great communities of farmers. According to the French Jesuits, the Telugu Christians were fervent Christians. Christians and Hindus got along fairly peacefully.
The Christiansanyasis[dubious –discuss] of Andhra worked with the permission of the local authorities, which enabled them to spread the gospel with the greatest possible freedom. The relations between the French and the Nizam and his nawabs were on the whole cordial enough.
The Muslim authorities tended to favour and protect the 'Roman Fakirs' and their disciples. The Christian contribution to culture and scientific studies was considerable. Apart from preaching the gospel, the French priests evinced keen interest in scientific study, especially in the field of mathematics and astronomy. Most of them were trained mathematicians, and some even in astronomy. They knew Telugu well, and some even knew Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Marathi and Hindustani. A fairly large number of Christian writings in Telugu belonging to the 18th century have survived. Inc. 1735, one of the priests gave a text of the Gospel of St John to thePalayakar of Kottakotta. A history of the Old Testament called Purva Vedam, Rajula Charitra, Amrutham Bhavan, and a life of Christ were among the writings that were revered by the Telugu Roman Catholics. There were some apologetic, catechetical and theological writings such as Nistara Ratnakaramu (Ocean of Salvation), Anitya Nitya Vivastam (Difference between the Temporal and the Eternal) and Vedanta Saramu (Essence of Theology). Sanskrit prayerswere translated into Telugu; so also many popular poems were produced. There were many writings on linguistics. Fr G L Coeurdoux (died 1799) is the author of a Telugu-Sanskrit-French dictionary, and of a French-Telugu and Telugu-French dictionary. Fr Pierre de la Lane (died 1746) wrote a Telugu grammar inc. 1729, and also a Telugu dictionary entitled Amara Sinham. A number of Jesuit missionaries studied Sanskrit[25] as it contained all the philosophical writings of Hinduism. A number of Jesuit missionaries were keen on observations and experiments in astronomy, among whom the names of Le Gac, Ducros, Duchamp, Gargam and Calmette stand out. Geography and Geology were included in their field of scientific interest. The description of Gargan's journey of September- November 1730 through the southern districts of Andhra and information on geology, such as the quarries of Cambam and the diamond mines of the eastern side of Terramula, were of special interest.[25]
Following the Indian Independence in 1947, all properties that belonged to the erstwhile missions and churches that were part of British cantonments in the region ofAndhra Pradesh were bequeathed to Telugu Christians. Several major denominations were also formed during this period.
TheChurch of South India, the result of the union of churches of varying traditions Anglican, Methodist, Congregational, Presbyterian, and Reformed was inaugurated in September 1947, after protracted negotiation among the churches concerned. In the Telugu regions, theLondon Missionary Society, the Society of Propagation of the Gospel, theChurch Mission Society, the Church of Scotland Mission, and theWesleyan Methodists along with several other denominations and missions came together to form part of theChurch of South India. Medak Diocese was formed during the same period. It is one of the biggest dioceses in theChurch of South India, comprising 1100 congregations in 71 pastorates and spread over five revenue districts of Telangana region of Andhra Pradesh state namely Adilabad, Medak, Nizamabad, Rangareddy and the cities of Hyderabad andSecunderabad. The first Bishop of Medak Diocese was Rt. Rev. Frank Whittaker.[26]
The existingChurch of South India dioceses in the state ofAndhra Pradesh are as follows:
TheAndhra Evangelical Lutheran Church was formed in 1927. At present it spreads over 500 miles (800 km) of the Coromandel Coast (east coast of India) covering the important cities and districts in Andhra Pradesh and having a congregational membership of around 3 million in 400 parishes.[27] It is the third largest Lutheran church in Asia.
The year of Indian independence, 1947, was also the birth year ofSouth Andhra Lutheran Church. Since 1949 the church became independent and got all the properties and institutions from foreign missionary societies. In the present day scenario the church has 90,000 members in 44 parishes.[28] The church runs five secondary schools, five boarding homes and hostels, couple of technical schools and institutes and a hospital.[29]
TheConvention of Baptist Churches of Northern Circars (CBCNC) is a Christian denomination in north coastalAndhra Pradesh.[16] Missionaries of theCanadian Baptist Mission founded this denomination as its successor in Andhra Pradesh.[17] Canadian Baptist Mission (CBM) was established by the Baptist Missionaries of Canada c. 1850. One of the well known Telugu Christian leaders, Rev. Dr.A. B. Masilamani served as the president of the CBCNC for several years.
TheSamavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches, formed in 1962, is a registered organisation consisting of 1,214 independent Baptist churches. American Baptists started missionary work in South India among Telugu-speaking people in 1836. In 1887 the existing churches were organised into the Convention of Telugu Baptist Churches. In 1962 the convention became theSamavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches, with a unanimously adopted constitution. The organisation was registered in 1963.[30] TheSamavesam of Telugu Baptist Churches runs educational institutions, hospitals, health centres and one theological seminary, in Ramapatnam. There are five-degree colleges, eight junior colleges, 14 high schools and 14 primary schools. The interdenominational theological college at Hyderabad is affiliated with the Serampore University, Kolkata. TheSamavesam has 4,500 Sunday schools with an enrolment of some 72,000 children. They claim to have a congregation of around 840,000.[30]
Andhra Christian Theological College is aspecial purpose entity – an ecumenical enterprise of some of the church societies inAndhra Pradesh. It was founded in 1964 and is affiliated to theSenate of Serampore College,Serampore, West Bengal. Andhra Christian Theological College came into being as a result of the Kretzmann's Commission[31] which suggested carving out a unified seminary out of existing century-old seminaries catering to the various Church societies in Andhra Pradesh. It was also as a result ofecumenism where a greater need for unity among theProtestant churches was felt worldwide.
Sacred art does not hold much significance among Telugu Christian communities because the majority of Telugu Christians areProtestant and therefore do not approve of statues or other religious objects of such nature.Church architecture in Andhra Pradesh is rich and diverse. Most churches and cathedrals in the region conform to theGothic Revival style because the missions which had the greatest influence in the area were either from England or the United States. Unlike in other parts of India such asGoa andMangalore, thePortuguese played little part in the spread of Christianity in Andhra Pradesh and therefore Andhra Pradesh has very littleBaroque architecture. Churches of much architectural value can be found across the length and breadth ofAndhra Pradesh even in smaller towns and villages that have been influenced by missionary activity.Christ Lutheran Church inNarsapur, West Godavari is an example of such a church in rural areas. With a red brick exterior, this church is an example of theGothic Revival style that was greatly used under British patronage. Indian motifs have been delicately incorporated into the architecture of several religious buildings.
In Andhra Pradesh theChurch of South India'sMedak Cathedral was consecrated on 25 December 1924. Built by the British Wesleyan Methodists, the cathedral is now under the jurisdiction of the Church of South India (CSI) diocese of Medak. It took ten years to complete the cathedral. It's dimensions are 100 ft (30 m) wide and 200 ft (61 m) long and the church can accommodate about 5,000 people at a time. The vaulted roof of the church is sound-proofed with hollow sponge material. When the Nizam of Hyderabad learned that the height of this cathedral would be far more than that of Charminar, he made a vain bid to order that its height should be brought down. The floor of the cathedral is laid with tiles brought in from Italy. The bell-tower of the cathedral is 175 ft (53 m) high. There are three stained-glass windows depicting the Nativity, Crucifixion and Ascension of Jesus Christ, which are a major tourist attraction.[23]
The cities of Hyderabad andSecunderabad have a greater variety inChurch architecture as a result of the cosmopolitan nature of the cities.St Joseph's Cathedral, Hyderabad is one of the few examples ofBaroque architecture inAndhra Pradesh. TheCatholic character of the church is clearly visible in the architectural style of the church.St. George's Church, Hyderabad in Abids had Gothic architecture and has become a prototype for many churches in city and the region.
Built in 1813, St. John's ChurchSecunderabad is the oldest church in the city. The church was built according to theTuscan order, which is a simplified version of theDoric order.[32][33] Once the cathedral of theRoman CatholicArchdiocese of Hyderabad,St. Mary's Church, Secunderabad is an inspiring piece of architecture. It was built in 1847, incidentally a century before the Indian Independence. The church, although much smaller in size, bears much resemblance to the Cathedral atMedak with both adhering theGothic Revival architectural style. TheAll Saints Church, Secunderabad which was constructed in 1860 has received the INTACH award from the government of Andhra Pradesh. It is an example of the Gothic style, with a spires and turrets and a belfry. It was the first permanent structure of the Trimulgherry entrenchment. There are sixteen memorial tablets along the wall and a medium-sized organ.[34] The most historically significant church in the city is theChurch of South India'sHoly Trinity Church, Bolarum. Commissioned byQueen Victoria of the United Kingdom in 1847, the church's stained glass altar piece, the pulpit and the bell are all in their original state. In the year 1983, QueenElizabeth II, of the United Kingdom celebrated her 36th wedding anniversary in the Holy Trinity church during her tour of India. The Church service was officiated by the late BishopVictor Premasagar.[35]
The Indo-Christian culture and traditions of Telugu Christians in urban areas can best be described as an increasingly westernised. Telugu Christians today are considered to be one of the most progressive communities in the state.[36] They have one of the highestliteracy,work participation andsex ratio figures among the various religious communities in the state.[5][6][7]
The mother tongue of Telugu Christians isTelugu, the most widely spokenDravidian language in India. However, with mission schools being the first to teach using English as the primary medium, English is widely used among Telugu Christian communities for both religious and secular purposes. Most major churches offer religious services in both Telugu and English. Some churches such asSt. John's Church, Secunderabad andSt. George's Church, Hyderabad offer services exclusively in English. English is also the preferredlingua franca of urban Christian youth.[citation needed]
Mission Compounds and interaction with Christian missionaries played a major role in the development of Telugu Christian Culture. As the result of interaction with missionaries, Telugu Christians were the first people in the region to accept and even adopt Western thought and principles such as the education of the girl child, widow remarriage, and other such reforms. Missionaries such as Ruth Brouwer Crompton identified the factors responsible for shaping the intellectual climate among Telugu Christians: (1) increased leisure (2) higher education; study beyond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art (3) access to the teaching profession.[citation needed]
Telugu Christian women do not wear thebindi orbottu (red dot on the forehead) and can therefore be easily distinguished from their Hindu counterparts. Culture among Telugu Christian women has been greatly influenced by missionary activity. Both feminine assertion and missionary zeal bound the missionary women with their Telugu sisters.[13] The arrival of single women missionaries in India resulted in a war against the Telugu culture of woman's dependence and male domination. The sight of such missionaries living without any kind of dependence on a man proved to be a subversive culture and "a deviation from rule".[citation needed] Missionary M. L. Orchard called the presence of single women missionaries a "puzzle" to theHindu society.[citation needed] This "puzzle" fanned the self-confidence of native women to cross their village boundaries on preaching tours, which was unimaginable to the Telugu culture. Many native women became known as Bible women, a label that implied that they had determined to start an independent life and were ready to jeopardise their eligibility to be married because potential in-laws would prefer a girl who had not ventured outside her family's village. Bible women deviated from the cultural propriety and challenged family restrictions.[13] As a result of which, Telugu Christian women were among the first women to work outside the home alongside their husbands. Christian women were the first female teachers in the schools ofAndhra Pradesh.[37]
Religion plays a significant role in the daily life of Telugu Christians. Most life events hold religious significance such as births,baptisms and christenings,confirmations orNirdharana, marriage (which is referred to as Holy Matrimony orParishudda Vivahamu), funerals, burials andmemorial services. The Protestant Bible is referred to asParishuda Grandam whereas the Catholic Bible is referred asPavitra Grandam.
Wedding is referred to as Holy Matrimony orParishudda Vivahamu which is usually celebrated in a church. It is also common practice among the Telugu Christians to have the marriage solemnised before sunset. This practice is supposed to have its origins in theBiblical verse of IThessalonians 5:5 which states:For you are all children of the light. Telugu Christian weddings conform to the traditionalWhite Wedding. Traditionally brides wear a white silk weddingSari. However, women among urban Telugu Christian congregations are increasingly opting for a wedding gown instead of a Sari. A few Hindu traditions have been retained after being Christianised to a great extent.[citation needed] One such tradition is the tying of the weddingThali. Telugu Christianthalis have a cross inscribed on them.Nalugu, is another ritual that is practised prior to the marriage ceremony. It involves the application ofNalugu a paste of turmeric and other spices to the bride or bridegroom in their respective homes amidst singing of traditional Christian wedding hymns, the most popular ones beingMangalame Yesunaku andDevarini Deevenalu. The publishing of theBanns of marriage on the three Sundays that precede a wedding is another common practice[citation needed] that has its origins in theChurch of England.
The practice ofInfant Baptism is becoming less significant among Telugu Protestants being replaced by Childdedication orchristening. It is however indispensable among the Telugu Catholics given the Catholic belief in the saving grace ofbaptism. Adult baptisms are often by means of immersion as opposed to the alternative methods ofaspersion andaffusion. Even traditional denominations such as theChurch of South India and theMethodists have institutedbaptism by immersion in recent years.Confirmation, the practice of bestowing full membership in a church on children is practised by some denominations.
Thedeath knell or the tolling of the church bell is a popular practice among rural congregations. It is often a means of letting the community know of the demise of a church member.Memorial service is another important event among Telugu Christian communities. It is usually celebrated in close proximity after a person's death. The service includes eulogising the deceased, scripture reading, singing of hymns, sermon followed by a dinner.
Christmas is the most important festival. One festivity that is a distinctive part of Christmas celebrations among Telugu Christians is the singing ofcarols late in the night. Groups of carolers from churches sing carols outside Christian homes usually late in the night. They are then welcomed into the house and are treated to Christmas delicacies. It is also a common practice to collect offering for the church during this time. Rose cookies, plum cake,muruku are some of the popular Christmas delicacies. Easter is another important festival.Sunrise services held at dawn and hilltop services are characteristic toEaster Sunday celebrations among Telugu Christian congregations.Lutheran Christians in coastal districts visits cemeteries on Easter morning.All Souls' Day is another festival that is celebrated by Christians in the cities of Hyderabad andSecunderabad.
The most common naming convention among Telugu Christians is the combination of the Telugu surname with an English orBiblical first name. Most Telugu Christians have English first names owing to the influence of British and American missionaries. Bilingual names are also common with the first name being an English name and the middle name usually being the Telugu translation ofChristian virtues. An example of a Bilingual name isLily Nirikshana where Lily is a common English name andNirikshana is the Telugu translation of hope. There are also inter-generational differences with respect to naming conventions. Telugu Christian names were more quintessentially British among older generations. The most common masculine first names among older Telugu Christians were names such asGeorge,Edward, andCharles. The most common feminine first names among older Telugu Christians beingVictoria,Daisy, andMary. Telugu translations of Christian orTheological virtues such asKrupa,Vyduryam, orDeevena were also more common among older Telugu Christian women. Current naming trends have shifted towards moreBiblical names such asJohn,Daniel, orRachel. However, bilingual names such asMary Sucharitha orVictor Premasagar are still commonplace among younger generations. Catholic names can also be easily distinguished from Protestant names as Catholic children as usually named afterPatron saints. Until recent times, Telugu Christians along with other Telugu people followed the convention offamily names preceding first names. This is no longer the norm.
The music of Telugu Christians consists mostly of hymns. TheAndhra Kraistava Keerthanalu (Andhra Christian Hymnal) is the single most important collection of hymns used in Telugu Christian congregations. It includes translations of EnglishHymns and original hymns written in Telugu by famous hymnists such asPurushottam Chaudhary, John Bethala and the likes.[38] Most of these Telugu Christian songs are set to theragaas used in theIndian classical music. However the most popular hymn among Telugu Christians isJames McGranahan'sThere Shall be Showers of Blessing and its Telugu translationAsheervadhambulu Mameedha. Hymns are used for all occasions forming a major part of Telugu Christian culture. The most popular wedding hymns areMangalame Yesunaku andDevarini Deevenalu. Other famous hymns includeDeva Samsthruthi,Nadipinchu Nananva,Thanuvu Nadhidhigogai. While thepipe organ alongside theTabla was traditionally used as an accompaniment in congregational worship, its use today is limited as many have fallen into disrepair.[39]
Notable institutions and organizations run by the Christian church inAndhra Pradesh include:
Telugu Christians can today be found in various countries. Telugu Christian Associations can be found in all major cities in the United States of America. These expatriate communities strive hard to keep the distinctive Telugu Christian culture alive.[40] Many Telugu Christians have emigrated to other countries in theEnglish-speaking world with significant populations being present in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.[41]
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