The Silent Christianization of South India

 

The Silent Christianization of South India

 Shrikant G. Talageri 

 

People love to criticize Islamic activities in India. But usually Hindus turn a blind eye towards the Slow Poison or Spreading Cancer of Christian Evangelization in India. “Intellectuals” and Politicians of every hue (very definitely not excluding those of the pseudo-Hindutvite BJP Parivar) fall over each other to heap lavish praise on Jesus Christ, the Religion of Love, and Eminent Evangelists (like “St. Xavier” and Mother Teresa), and to propagate the blatant lie that Christianity was brought to India in the very first century of its birth and existence by an “apostle of Jesus”, “St. Thomas”.

But I have always pointed out that Evangelical Christianity is much more dangerous than Islam.

While India as a whole will definitely become a Muslim-majority country in 50 years or so, certain specific parts (including entire major states) will become Christian-majority areas definitely by the same time. I will only point out here what is happening in South India. But, on different scales, this is also happening in every single part of India without exception.

The following are questions asked by me on Google, with the Google AI Overview replies (which can still be understimates): 

 

Q.1. Estimated percentage of Christians in Tamilnadu today including crypto-Christians.

Google AI Overview Reply:

“The official Christian population in Tamil Nadu is 6.12% according to the Census of India. [1]

Unofficial estimates that factor in crypto-Christians—individuals who have converted to Christianity but maintain Hindu status on official government records to retain Scheduled Caste (SC) or backward-class reservation and welfare benefits—vary widely: [1, 2]

·         Conservative/Media Estimates: Various political and media analyses place the real Christian population (including crypto-Christians) between 12% and 18% of the state's population. [1, 2]

·         Higher Unofficial Claims: Commentators, social media analyses, and certain observer estimates claim the figure could range anywhere from 25% to 30% due to unrecorded conversions and the influence of church networks.”

 

Q.2. Estimated percentage of Christians in Andhra Pradesh today including crypto-Christians.

Google AI Overview Reply:

“Official census data records Christians as 1.34% of Andhra Pradesh’s population (roughly 6.8 to 1.1 million people), but unofficial estimates including "Crypto-Christians"—individuals who practice Christianity but remain registered as Hindus on official records to keep caste-based Scheduled Caste (SC) reservations and government benefits—place the real figure significantly higher. [1, 2, 3]

Summary of Estimates

·         Official Census Data (2011 / projections): 1.34% of the state population. [1, 2]

·         Conservative Unofficial Estimates: 5% to 8%. [1, 2]

·         Moderate to Higher Estimates (including widespread SC/Dalit conversions): 10% to 18% (with some estimates ranging up to 20%–25%) depending on the region.”

 

Q.3. Estimated percentage of Christians in Telangana today including crypto-Christians.

Google AI Overview Reply:

“Official Census records put the Christian population in Telangana at 1.27% to 1.34% (around 4.45 to 4.47 lakh people), but community surveys and estimates that include "crypto-Christians" (individuals who practice Christianity while retaining Hindu/Scheduled Caste status on official records for reservation benefits) place the real-world figure much higher, between 8% and 10% of the state's population. [1, 2, 3, 4]

Official vs. Real-World Estimates

·         Official Census Data (2011): Records 1.27% of Telangana's population as Christian (approximately 4.47 out of 3.52 crore people). [1, 2]

·         Community & Post-Election Surveys: Christian community leaders and internal surveys conducted after recent state elections estimate the active or practicing population to be over 25 lakhs (8% to 10%), driven largely by converts from Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and Backward Classes (BCs). [1, 2]

·         Crypto-Christian Estimates: Advocacy groups and independent analysts estimate that a substantial portion—roughly 40% to 50% or more of Dalit converts—do not register as Christian on official government documents to preserve caste-based reservations and welfare schemes”

 

Q.4. Estimated percentage of Christians in Karnataka today including crypto-Christians.

Google AI Overview Reply:

“Official census data puts the Christian population in Karnataka at 1.87% (1,142,647 people out of the total population) as per the 2011 Census of India, while alternative global church databases like the World Christian Database estimate it closer to 4%. [1, 2]

Official Census Data vs. Estimates

·         Official Census (2011): Christians account for 1.87% of Karnataka's population (about 1.14 million individuals), showing a slight decrease from 1.91% in the 2001 census. [1]

·         Alternative Databases: The World Christian Database estimates Karnataka's Christian population at around 4%, factoring in uncounted or practicing groups that may not formally register as Christian on government surveys. [1]

·         Urban Concentration: Nearly 50% of Karnataka's recorded Christian population lives in Bengaluru Urban, with another 30% located in Coastal Karnataka and Kodagu (Coorg). In Bengaluru itself, the Christian population is officially recorded around 5.61%. [1, 2]

The Crypto-Christian Factor

·         Definition: "Crypto-Christians" refer to individuals who secretly practice or adhere to Christianity while retaining Hindu (or other) religious status on official government records to preserve Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), or Other Backward Class (OBC) reservation and welfare benefits. [1, 2]

·         Data Availability: Unlike states like Tamil Nadu where independent analysts and media reports have debated higher unrecorded figures, there is no official or verified empirical consensus on the exact number or percentage of crypto-Christians in Karnataka.”

 

Q.5. Estimated percentage of Christians in Kerala today including crypto-Christians.

Google AI Overview Reply:

“Christians make up 18.4% of Kerala's official census population, while demographic estimates and regional studies suggest the practical share ranges between 14% and 18.4%, with unofficial or "crypto-Christian" (unaffiliated or hidden adherents) estimates adding up to a few additional tenths of a percent. [1, 2]

Official Demographics vs. Estimates

·         Census Data: The 2011 Census of India recorded Christians at 18.38% (roughly 18.4%) of Kerala's population. [1, 2]

·         Recent Projections: Some demographic analysts and regional reports (such as estimates by Justice J.B. Koshy and recent birth/mortality trends) suggest the active share may have drifted closer to 14% to 15% due to lower fertility rates and higher international emigration. [1, 2, 3]

·         Crypto-Christians / Unaffiliated: Independent encyclopedias and global demographic studies (like the World Christian Encyclopedia) historically estimated unaffiliated or crypto-Christian populations in India at roughly 2% nationwide, though regional breakdowns specific to Kerala indicate that formal identification is high and covert/crypto-Christian adherence constitutes a very small, statistically minor fraction of total adherents (less than a fraction of a percent). Recent state conversion data also shows net annual shifts across all religions affecting less than 0.01% of the total population”

 

Q.6. Estimated percentage of Christians in Goa today including crypto-Christians.

Google AI Overview Reply:

“Christians make up 25.10% of Goa's population according to official census data, with no official or tracked statistical data available for "crypto-christians" (individuals who secretly practice Christianity while publicly identifying as another religion, or vice-versa). [1]

Official Demographic Breakdown in Goa

·         Christians: 25.10% (approximately 3.66 lakh or 366,130 residents) [1]

·         Hindus: 66.08% (approximately 9.63 lakh residents) [1]

·         Muslims: 8.33% (approximately 1.21 to 1.22 lakh residents) [1, 2]

·         Other / No Religion: ~0.49% [1]

Key Context

·         Historical vs. Present: During Portuguese rule and the Goa Inquisition (starting 1560), forced and mass conversions spiked the Christian population to over 80% of ethnic Goans in the early 20th century. However, due to large-scale emigration of Goan Catholics abroad and an influx of non-Christian residents from the rest of India, the Christian share dropped to 25.10% by the 2011 Census. [1, 2, 3]

·         Regional Distribution: The Christian population is unevenly distributed; it is significantly higher in South Goa (around 36%) compared to North Goa (which is roughly 76% Hindu). [1]

·         Crypto-Christians: Historical records note that the Goa Inquisition targeted "crypto-Hindus" or secret practitioners of indigenous faiths, and some colonial-era literature documented syncretic practices. However, modern demographic surveys and official censuses do not track or estimate "crypto-christians" today.”

 

In Short:

Percentage of Christians in the Southern States:

STATE	Census 2011	Unofficial (including Cryptos)
TAMILNADU	6.12	12 - 18     OR     25 - 30
ANDHRAPRADESH	1.34	5 – 8     OR     10 - 18
TELANGANA	5.61	8 - 10
KERALA	18.4	14 - 15
KARNATAKA	1.84	4
GOA	25.10	25.10

 

Here we see the changing picture in different parts of South India:

1. In Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh, Christianity is positively sweeping through both the states. In twenty years time, at the most, Tamilnadu will become a Christian majority state, and Andhra Pradesh perhaps will take a little longer.

2. In Telangana and Karnataka, the position is not so terrifying. That is, the actual percentage of Christians is definitely much more than the official figures of 2011, but they have not yet achieved a totalitarian effect. The influence of Hindu bodies in Karnataka, and of militant Islam in Telangana, are restraining factors.

3. In Kerala, we all know about the fast-growing Islamization of the state, hence here even the official figures of Christianity are taking a beating:

Census 1951	Census 1961	Census 2001	Census 2011
20.9	21.2	19	18.4

4. In Goa, as the Google reply itself points out, Goa was an almost Christian majority state in the early twentieth century, but it is a tiny state with a small population and “due to large-scale emigration of Goan Catholics abroad and an influx of non-Christian residents from the rest of India, the Christian share dropped to 25.10% by the 2011 Census.”

 

To understand exactly what is happening in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh, the lands of India’s greatest and most architecturally renowned temples, and what will happen there henceforward, we can see how the northeastern states rapidly became Christianized within a few decades of “Independent India”:

STATE	1951	1961	1971	1981	2001	2011
Manipur	11.84	19.49	26.03	29.68	34.04	41.29
Nagaland	46.05	52.98	66.76	80.21	89.96	87.93
Mizoram	–	–	–	83.81	86.97	87.16
Meghalaya	–	35.21	46.98	52.62	70.25	74.59
Arunachal Pr	–	–	0.79	4.32	18.72	30.26

 

[The tiny seeming (and negligible) fall in Nagaland between 2001 and 2011 is due to immigrations from neighboring areas].

Hindus are too busy celebrating the victories of specific Political Parties and Great Leaders to have the time, honesty or interest to see what is happening on the ground.

As I have said in many articles before: in fifty years time, India will be a Muslim-majority country, with a bigger Christian minority and a smaller Hindu minority, and the Hindu minority will be divided into caste groups busy fighting each other.