Christianity in Odisha

Followers of Christianity are a significant minority in Odisha state of India. According to the 2011 Census, Christians make up about 2.77% of the population (about 1,160,000 people). Kurukh, Sora, Kharia and Panos are notable ethnic groups with a significant Christian population.

History

Bible translations into Odia

The first version in the Odia language of India was translated by William Carey in 1808 and was distributed among pilgrims at Puri to introduce them to Christianity. Then came the standard version by Amos Sutton in the 1840s.

Demographics

The Christians are mostly from the adivasi or tribal communities of the state with 816,981 (70.33%) Christians among STs. The major tribes are as below with number of Christians and percentage of Christians in each tribe.

Places with the largest proportions

The figures indicate percentage of Christians within the districts:

Gajapati
- Serango– 84%
- Adava– 75%
- R.Udayagiri– 50%

Kandhamal
- Brahmanigaon– 72%
- Daringbadi– 64%
- Kotagarh– 58%

Sundargarh
- Raiboga– 62%

Rayagada
- Puttasing– 80%
- Chandrapur– 51%

Denominations

Church of God (Anderson), Evangelical Missionary Society in Mayurbhanj and Jeypore Evangelical Lutheran Church are among the Protestant denominations of Odisha. Christ Church the full Gospel Church, Gospel Outreach Ministries, India Evangelistic Association, Orissa Baptist Evangelistic Crusade and The Pentecostal Mission are among the non-Catholic denominations of Odisha as well. The Church of North India is present in Odisha as well with the dioceses of Cuttack, Phulbani, and Sambalpur. The diocese of Chota Nagpur also serves a small part of Odisha.