What happened to the Christians of Andhra Pradesh
Unlike Christians, Muslims
have a relatively higher presence in Telangana than in Andhra. In 2011, there
are 36.18 lakh Muslims in Andhra Pradesh and 44.65 lakh in Telangana; they form
7.33 percent of the population of the former and 12.69 percent of the latter. Within
Telangana, Muslims are particularly concentrated in Hyderabad, where they 43.45
percent of the population; and, their growth during the last few decades has
been extremely rapid in this Capital city of Telangana.
There have been often doubts about the number of
Christians counted in the Indian Censuses. It is speculated that a large number
of Christian converts—especially from the Scheduled Castes—choose to hide the
fact so as to continue enjoying the special privileges available to members of
certain Castes among Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists. The total number of
Christians in India estimated by international demographic scholars associated
with the Church are often much higher than those counted in the Censuses.
Andhra Pradesh is a special example of this fuzziness
associated with the number of Christians. Their number here was rising
consistently up to 1971, when it reached its peak value of 18.23 lakhs in the
then undivided State. After 1971, their number began falling sharply, dropping
to 14.33 lakhs in 1981 and to 11.30 lakhs in 2011. The share of Christians in
the total population had risen from 1.68 percent in 1911 to 4.39 percent in
1971; it dropped to 2.68 percent in 1981 and has come down to 1.34 percent now.
This sharp decline in the number of Christians in the
Census counts in the State is directly related to a corresponding rise in the
number of Scheduled Castes. This can mean two things: Either, the converts to
Christianity are choosing to deny it before the Census and other secular
authorities; or, they have chosen to revert to their original faith. The former
seems more likely from the great divergence between the number of Christians
counted by the Census and those estimated by the international Church.
The rise and decline of Christianity has been much
larger in the Andhra component of the undivided State than in Telangana. Within
the Andhra component, Christians are particularly concentrated in the coastal
pocket of West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam districts. In 1971,
nearly 10 lakh of the total 14 lakh Christians counted in Andhra Pradesh part
of the State were in this pocket; they formed nearly 15 percent of the
population of Guntur and 11 percent of Krishna districts. The presence of
Christians in this pocket remains relatively high, but their population in 2011
is only 3.63 lakhs and their share in Guntur and Krishna is now reduced to 3.22
and 1.84 percent, respectively.
The presence of Christians in Telangana has always
been much lower than in Andhra. Of about 18.23 lakh Christians in the whole
State in 1971, only 3.36 lakh were counted in this part. Decline in their
population after 1971 has been much slower than in Andhra Pradesh. More remarkably,
while the number of Christians in Andhra Pradesh has continued to decline, it has
begun to rise in Telangana since 1991. Between 1991 and 2011, their number in
Telangana has increased from 2.79 to 4.47 lakh.
Rise and decline of Christianity in Andhra Pradesh and
its component States
In the
Table below, we have compiled the number and share of Christians in undivided
Andhra Pradesh—and the two components of Andhra Pradesh (AP) and Telangana (TL)
into which it has been recently divided—as counted in the eleven Censuses from
1911 to 2011. The pattern of rise and fall in the undivided State and its two
components has been quite different; we analyse the data for the undivided Andhra
Pradesh and for the Andhra and Telangana components separately.
Growth of Christianity in Andhra Pradesh and its
componets, 1911-2011
|
||||||
Number of Christians
|
Percent Share
|
|||||
Andhra
|
Telangana
|
Andhra
P
+Telangana |
AP
|
TL
|
AP
+TL |
|
1911
|
3,07,068
|
53,242
|
3,60,310
|
2.18
|
0.73
|
1.68
|
1921
|
4,11,694
|
63,830
|
4,75,524
|
2.85
|
0.92
|
2.22
|
1931
|
6,40,747
|
1,45,883
|
7,86,630
|
3.98
|
1.80
|
3.25
|
1941
|
8,13,008
|
1,88,657
|
10,04,235
|
4.53
|
2.02
|
3.68
|
1951
|
9,85,341
|
2,44,698
|
12,32,621
|
4.87
|
2.25
|
3.96
|
1961
|
11,84,081
|
2,44,648
|
14,28,729
|
5.09
|
1.92
|
3.97
|
1971
|
14,87,364
|
3,36,072
|
18,23,436
|
5.37
|
2.12
|
4.19
|
1981
|
11,47,223
|
2,86,104
|
14,33,327
|
3.44
|
1.42
|
2.68
|
1991
|
9,36,970
|
2,79,378
|
12,16,348
|
2.32
|
1.07
|
1.83
|
2001
|
7,97,544
|
3,84,373
|
11,81,917
|
1.76
|
1.24
|
1.55
|
2011
|
6,82,660
|
4,47,124
|
11,29,784
|
1.38
|
1.27
|
1.34
|
Undivided Andhra Pradesh
As
seen in the Table above, there were only 3.60 lakh Christians in the undivided
State at the beginning of the twentieth century in 1911; they formed 1.68
percent of the then population. But their number and share in the population
were both rising from decade to decade. By 1971, the number of Christians had
grown to 18.23 lakh and their share in the population had reached 4.19 percent.
In the following decade, however, there was a sharp decline. The number of
Christians counted in 1981 was nearly 4 lakh less than their number in 1971;
their share in the population, therefore, declined to 2.68 percent. In the subsequent
decades, their number has continued to decline, though not as abruptly as it
did during 1971-81. The decline seems to have slowed down during the last two
decades; between 1991 and 2011, the number of Christians has fallen by just
about 7 percent.
The
pattern of rise and decline in the number of Christians in undivided Andhra
Pradesh that we have described above is shown graphically in the figure below.
Rise and decline in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana
components
At the
beginning of the last century, the number of Christians in Andhra Pradesh
component was much higher than in Telangana. But in the following decades, the
growth of Christians in the latter was somewhat higher than the former. Between
1911 and 1971, number of Christians in Andhra Pradesh multiplied 4.84 times,
from 3.07 to 14.87 lakhs. In the same period, their number in Telangana
multiplied 6.31 times, from 53 thousand to 3.36 lakhs. This higher growth of
Christians in Telangana occurred in spite of a slight decline in their numbers
during 1951-61.
Total
population of the two components in this period of 1911 to 1971 had grown by
merely 1.96 and 2.16 times. The share of Christians in the total population
thus rose from 2.18 to 5.37 percent in Andhra Pradesh and from 0.73 to 2.12
percent in Telangana.
The
pattern of growth in the two components became even more diverse after 1971.
During 1971-81 and also 1981-91, there was a decline in the number of
Christians in both the components, but the decline was much more steep in
Andhra Pradesh than in Telangana. And after 1991, the number of Christians in
the latter has begun to rise, while it continues to decline in the former.
The differing
pattern of the progress of Christianity in the two components is clearly seen
in the graphs below.
These
graphs show a steady rise of Christianity in Telangana, with a slight dip
between 1971 and 1991. In Andhra Pradesh, on the other hand, there has been a
continuous decline in the number of Christians after 1971.
Andhra has lost 8 lakh Christians since 1971 while
Telangana has gained a lakh
With
this pattern of rise and decline of Christians, Andhra Pradesh has lost as many
as 8.05 lakh Christians, between 1971 and 2011. This amounts to a loss of 54
percent of the Christian population in 1971. Telangana lost about 57 thousand
Christians between 1971 and 1991, but has since gained 1.68 lakhs, thus marking
a net gain of 1.1 lakhs since 1971. The decline of Christians is a very significant
social phenomenon; to understand this unusual phenomenon, we look at its
various aspects in the following.
Distribution of Christians in Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana
The
Maps below give the distribution of Christians across the districts of Andhra
Pradesh and Telangana in 1971, when the numbers had reached their peak, and in
2011.
Christians are concentrated in the central coastal
districts of Andhra
As
seen in the Maps above, Christians Andhra Pradesh are concentrated in the central
coastal districts of West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam (Ongole). To
some extent, the intense Christian presence in this region spreads also to the
neighbouring Rayalaseema districts of Kadapa (earlier spelled as Cuddapah) and
Kurnool. The share of Christians in Krishna and Guntur had reached 10.85 and
14.65 percent, respectively, in 1971 and it has declined to 3.22 and 1.84
percent now (See, Table below).
The decline of Christians has happened mainly in the
coastal region
Districts
of Christian concentration in Andhra
|
||||
Number
|
%Share
|
|||
1971
|
2011
|
1971
|
2011
|
|
W Godavari
|
1,74,628
|
1,09,120
|
7.35
|
2.77
|
Krishna
|
2,70,510
|
1,45,598
|
10.85
|
3.22
|
Guntur
|
4,15,513
|
89,763
|
14.61
|
1.84
|
Prakasam
|
1,35,422
|
18,775
|
7.05
|
0.55
|
Kurnool
|
1,29,274
|
33,165
|
6.52
|
0.82
|
Kadapa
|
76,914
|
23,281
|
4.88
|
0.81
|
Of
14.87 lakh Christians in Andhra part of the State in 1971, 9.96 lakh were in
the four central coastal districts of West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam
(Ongole) and there were another 2.06 lakh in Kurnool and Kadapa. Decline in the
presence of Christians is the most visible in these districts of the highest
Christian presence; of 8.05 lakh Christians that Andhra has lost since 2011,
7.83 lakh have been lost in these six districts. The loss is especially steep in
Guntur, Prakasam and Kurnool, where the number of Christians has declined from
6.80 to 1.42 lakh. The decline is the sharpest in Prakasam district, where their
number has declined from 1.35 lakh to 18.8 thousand, and their share from 7.05
to 0.55 percent.
Christianity has been present in this region since
long
%Share
of Christians
|
||
Guntur
District |
Composite
Region |
|
1911
|
7.29
|
3.97
|
1921
|
8.48
|
4.78
|
1931
|
11.68
|
6.32
|
1941
|
12.90
|
7.06
|
1951
|
13.96
|
7.58
|
1961
|
13.40
|
7.50
|
1971
|
14.61
|
7.75
|
1981
|
10.53
|
4.66
|
1991
|
6.68
|
2.77
|
2001
|
2.95
|
1.52
|
2011
|
1.84
|
0.99
|
It
needs to be underlined that the Christian presence in Guntur, Prakasam and
Kurnool region had been high for several decades before 1971. As seen in the
Table here, in Guntur, the share of Christians had already reached 7.29 percent
in 1911, and it had then slowly grown to the level of 14.61 percent in 1971. It
is more difficult to get long time-series data for Prakasam, because the
district was created only during 1961-71 by taking out parts of Nellore,
Kurnool and some bits from Guntur. Even otherwise, the districts in this region
have been extensively reorganised. However, we can get long time-series data
for the combined districts of Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool, Nellore and Chittoor.
In this large region, Christians formed 3.97 percent of the population already
in 1911, and grew slowly to 7.75 percent in 1971, before beginning to decline
to very low levels. Thus, it is not as if the Christian presence in this region
had suddenly increased around 1971 and then declined; Christians had been here
in fairly large numbers since 1911.
The composite region in the Table includes Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool, Nellore and Chittoor districts. Guntur of 1961 and 1971 are slightly different.
Has the flock been hidden or has it deserted the
Church
The figure here graphically shows the phenomenon. This
graph is for Guntur, but it is probably representative of the whole region. Christians
had been present in this core region of theirs for long; they retained a
significant and rising presence up to 1971 and then their numbers and share
suddenly and sharply declined to inconsequential levels. This makes the
phenomenon more difficult to understand. It is not a flash in the pan; there is
something systematic that has happened here. As we have mentioned, either the
Church has allowed its flock to represent themselves as non-Christians to the
secular authorities or the flock has deserted the Church. The issue can be
settled only through detailed micro-level surveys in the Guntur-Prakasam-Kurnool
region. It is indeed a comment on the state of social sciences in India that no
effort has been made to understand such a glaring social phenomenon.
Christians in Telangana
Christians in Telangana are concentrated in Hyderabad
region
As may
be seen in the Maps above, Christians in Telangana are largely concentrated in
the Hyderabad region, comprising the districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medak
and Nizamabad, and they seem to be getting further concentrated within this
region. In 1971, of 3.36 lakh Christians in Telangana, 1.39 lakh were in this
region; in 2011, of 4.47 lakh Christians, 2.86 lakh are in this region.
Christians in Hyderabad region are growing quite
rapidly
Christians
in the
Hyderabad Region |
||
Number
|
%C
|
|
1911
|
19,479
|
0.80
|
1921
|
23,810
|
1.05
|
1931
|
55,357
|
2.16
|
1941
|
66,917
|
2.16
|
1951
|
97,526
|
2.59
|
1961
|
1,02,512
|
2.38
|
1971
|
1,39,114
|
2.50
|
1981
|
1,39,165
|
1.90
|
1991
|
1,57,694
|
1.58
|
2001
|
2,33,663
|
1.88
|
2011
|
2,85,513
|
1.93
|
The
number of Christians in most of the districts of Telangana, except the four in
the Hyderabad region, has either declined or has increased marginally between
1971 and 2001 (See, Maps above). Their number in the Hyderabad
region—comprising the current districts of Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, Medak and
Nizamabad—has, however, been steadily increasing. Even during 1971-81, when
there was a sharp decline in the number of Christians everywhere in the State,
including the Telangana region, their number in this region had shown a slight
increase. During the two decades since 1991, there has been a considerable
increase in the number of Christians in this region, leading to a corresponding
improvement in their share in the population.
Decline of Christians corresponds to a rise in the
share of Scheduled Castes
It is
not possible to determine the causes of this rapid decline of Christians,
especially in the Andhra Pradesh component of the undivided State, without a
detailed micro-level survey and study. But, there is a surprising correspondence
between the decline in the share of Christians and rise in that of the
Scheduled Castes. This gives a strong indication that the steep decline in the
number of Christians is related to the converts to Christianity from the Scheduled
Caste. It seems that many of the Scheduled Castes who had converted to
Christianity and were being counted as such in the earlier Censuses, began to
be counted as Scheduled Castes after 1971. Whether this amounted to their
giving up Christianity or merely hiding their affiliation from the Census and
other secular authorities cannot be determined on the basis of Census data
alone.
Below,
we give the numbers that establish the correspondence between the decline of
Christians and rise in the share of the Scheduled Castes. We also give other
indicators related to different aspects of this phenomenon.
In undivided Andhra Pradesh the correspondence is
exact
Share
of Scheduled Castes and
Christians in undivided AP |
|||
%SC
|
%C
|
Sum
|
|
1961
|
13.82
|
3.97
|
17.79
|
1971
|
13.27
|
4.19
|
17.47
|
1981
|
14.87
|
2.68
|
17.54
|
1991
|
15.93
|
1.83
|
17.75
|
2001
|
16.19
|
1.55
|
17.74
|
2011
|
16.41
|
1.34
|
17.74
|
As
shown n the Table here, the decline in the share of Christians in the
population of undivided Andhra Pradesh corresponds to an almost equal rise in
the share of the Scheduled Castes. The match between the loss of Christians and
the gain of the Scheduled Castes is uncannily exact. The sum of the share of
Scheduled Castes and Christians together changed only slightly during 1971-81
and 1981-91, and has remained unchanged for the last three decades.
The correspondence is also nearly exact in Guntur
Share
of Scheduled Castes and
Christians in Guntur |
|||
%SC
|
%C
|
Sum
|
|
1961
|
5.24
|
13.40
|
18.65
|
1971
|
4.80
|
14.61
|
19.41
|
1981
|
9.22
|
10.53
|
19.75
|
1991
|
13.96
|
6.68
|
20.64
|
2001
|
18.32
|
2.95
|
21.27
|
2011
|
19.59
|
1.84
|
21.42
|
The
phenomenon of rise in the share of Scheduled Castes in step with the fall in
that of Christians seems even more convincing in a district like Guntur where
the decline of the latter has been very steep after 1971. As seen in the Table
here, the share of Christians here has declined by 12.8 percentage points
between 1971 and 2011; and, the share of the Scheduled Castes has
correspondingly risen by 14.8 percentage points. This has led to a rise of 2
percentage points in the sum of the share of Christians and the Scheduled
Castes, which could be related to higher fertility of the Scheduled Caste population or to out-migration
of other communities from this district. The figure here graphically depicts this
correspondence in the fall of Christians and the rise of the Scheduled Castes
in Guntur. The correspondence is quite close and similar in other districts
also, except for some rise or fall in the sum of the share Christians and the
Scheduled Castes related to factors like migration and fertility.
Christianity has become more urban after 1971
Urban
ratio of Christians in Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) has greatly
increased in the four decades since 1971. In 1971, only 20.8 percent of the
Christians of the undivided State were urban; in 2011, the urban ratio has
risen to 55.5 percent. In this period, the urban ratio of Christians in the
Andhra component of the undivided State has risen from 18.8 to 46.7 percent; in
the Telangana component, the rise has been from 29.7 to 69.0 percent. This is
partly because of the increase in Christianity in the Hyderabad region, but it
is also because of the decline in the number of Christians in rural areas.
The decline since 1971 has been entirely in the rural
areas
Rural
and Urban Christians
|
||
Undivided
Andhra Pradesh
|
||
1971
|
2011
|
|
Total
|
18,23,436
|
11,29,784
|
Rural
|
14,43,674
|
5,02,264
|
Urban
|
3,79,762
|
6,27,520
|
Andhra
Pradesh
|
||
Total
|
14,87,364
|
6,82,660
|
Rural
|
12,07,514
|
3,63,754
|
Urban
|
2,79,850
|
3,18,906
|
Telangana
|
||
Total
|
3,36,072
|
4,47,124
|
Rural
|
2,36,160
|
1,38,510
|
Urban
|
99,912
|
3,08,614
|
The
decline that we see in the number of Christians since 1971 is confined almost entirely
to the rural area. As shown in the Table here, the number of urban Christians
in undivided Andhra Pradesh has actually increased from 3.80 to 6.28 lakhs,
while that of rural Christians has declined from 14.44 to 5.02 lakhs. The
decline in rural Christians and increase in the urban has happened in both
parts of the undivided State. In the Andhra component, the number of rural
Christians has declined steeply from 12.08 to 3.64 lakhs, while that of urban
Christians has increased from 2.80 to 3.19 lakhs. In Telangana, the number of
rural Christians has declined from 2.36 to 1.39 lakhs, while that of urban
Christians has increased rather steeply from less than a lakh to 3.09 lakhs.
Scheduled Castes in Andhra Pradesh are relatively more
rural
This
increase in the urbanisation of the Christians is probably because the phenomenon
of Christians giving up or hiding their Christian affiliation is largely
confined to the Scheduled Castes, who happen to be predominantly rural. Of the total
Scheduled Castes population of 1.38 crore counted in undivided Andhra Pradesh
in 2011, 1.08 crore is rural. The urbanisation ratio for the Scheduled Castes
is 21.8 percent compared to 33.4 percent for the total population. Scheduled
Castes are thus largely in the rural areas and the decline in the number of
Christians is also a rural phenomenon.
Christianity among Scheduled Tribes has increased
Unlike
for the Scheduled Castes, the Census does collect complete data on the
religious composition of the Scheduled Tribes. This data indicates that there
has been a distinct rise in the number of Christians amongst the Scheduled
Tribes of Andhra Pradesh. In 1971, there were only 6,723 Christians among 41.99
lakh Scheduled Tribes in undivided Andhra Pradesh. In 2011, the number of
Christians among the Scheduled Tribes has risen to 57,280 in their total
population of 59.18 lakh. The Christians now have a significant share of nearly
1 percent among the Scheduled Tribes of the undivided State. Thus while there
is a steep decline in the total number of Christians in the State and the
decline seems related to the converts from the Scheduled Castes, Christianity
does remain active among other groups, including the Scheduled Tribes.
Muslims in Andhra Pradesh
Muslim presence is relatively higher in Telangana
Muslims
in Andhra Pradesh, 2011
|
|||
Total
|
Muslims
|
%M
|
|
Undivided
|
8,45,80,777
|
80,82,412
|
9.56
|
Andhra P
|
4,93,86,799
|
36,17,713
|
7.33
|
Telangana
|
3,51,93,978
|
44,64,699
|
12.69
|
There
are 80.82 lakh Muslims in the total population of 8.46 crore of the undivided
State. Of these 36.18 lakh are in Andhra Pradesh and 44.65 lakh in Telangana.
The share of Muslims in Telangana at 12.69 percent is considerably higher than
the figure of 7.33 percent in Andhra Pradesh. But, this is mainly because of
the high concentration of Muslims in Hyderabad district; the proportion of
Muslims in the rest of Telangana is only 8.80 percent.
Muslims in the State have been growing slowly and
consistently
Percent
Share of Muslims
|
|||
U
|
A
|
T
|
|
1911
|
6.65
|
5.19
|
9.45
|
1921
|
6.64
|
5.35
|
9.31
|
1931
|
6.89
|
5.66
|
9.33
|
1941
|
7.83
|
5.95
|
10.95
|
1951
|
7.75
|
5.98
|
11.12
|
1961
|
7.55
|
6.18
|
10.04
|
1971
|
8.09
|
6.57
|
10.76
|
1981
|
8.47
|
6.83
|
11.17
|
1991
|
8.91
|
6.85
|
12.10
|
2001
|
9.17
|
6.93
|
12.43
|
2011
|
9.56
|
7.33
|
12.69
|
U: Undivided State, A:
Andhra
Pradesh, T: Telangana |
|||
The
share of Muslims in Andhra Pradesh, unlike that of the Christians, has been
consistently rising, though the pace of growth has not been very high. In the
hundred years between 1911 and 2011, the share of Muslims in undivided Andhra
has increased by about 3 percentage points; the increase is somewhat lower in
the Andhra component and higher in the Telangana component. There was an unusually
high increase in the Muslim share in Telangana during 1981-91; and, during the
last decade, there has been an unusually high rise in the Muslim share in the
Andhra component. During 2001-11, Muslims in Andhra have registered decadal
growth of 15.45 percent, while the Indian Religionists have grown by only 9.19
percent. The decadal growth of Muslims in the Andhra component in this decade
has been more than 3 percentage points higher than in the previous decade,
while that of Indian Religionists has been more than 3 percentage points lower.
But they are concentrated and growing rapidly in
Hyderabad
Muslims
in Hyderabad
|
||
Number
|
%M
|
|
1981
|
8,11,787
|
35.91
|
1991
|
12,38,074
|
39.35
|
2001
|
15,76,583
|
41.17
|
2011
|
17,13,405
|
43.45
|
Hyderabad of 1991 is
not
fully comparable with 1981 |
||
Of
36.17 lakh Muslims in Telangana, 17.13 lakh are in the current Hyderabad
district. Muslims of Hyderabad thus constitute nearly half, 47.4 percent to be
exact, of all Muslims in Telangana. And, as seen in the Map below, their
presence in this district is much higher than anywhere else in either Telangana
or Andhra components of the undivided State. Not only do they have a high share
in the population of Hyderabad, their share in this district has been growing
rapidly for the last several decades, and has now reached 43.45 percent. During
2001-11, decadal growth of Muslims here has been fairly low at 8.7 percent, but
Indian Religionists in the district have registered negative growth of minus
0.83 percent.
Summing Up
Christians
1. The
number and share of Christians in undivided Andhra Pradesh, as also in both the
Andhra and Telangana components, had been rising steadily up to 1971.
2. Their
number in undivided Andhra Pradesh was 3.6 lakh in 1911, it rose to 18.2 lakh
in 1971; and their share in the population rose from 1.68 to 4.19 percent.
3. Of
the 18.2 lakh Christians in 1971, 14.9 lakh were in the Andhra component of the
State, where they formed 5.4 percent of the population. Only 3.4 lakh were in
the Telangana part, where they had a much lower share of 2.1 percent.
4.
After 1971, there was a sudden and steep decline in the population of
Christians in the whole of Andhra Pradesh, but especially in the Andhra
component.
5.
Between 1971 and 2011, the number of Christians in this component has declined
by more than half, from 14.9 to 6.8 lakh and their share in the population has
declined from 5.37 to 1.38 percent.
6.
Within the Andhra component, the Christians are concentrated in the central
coastal districts of West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur and Prakasam and to a
lesser extent in the neighbouring Rayalaseema districts of Kurnool and Kadapa.
Of 14.9 lakh Christians in the Andhra Pradesh component in 1971, about 10 lakh
were in the first four of these districts and another 2 lakh were in Kurnool
and Kadapa.
7.
Share of Christians in this region had reached very high levels in 1971, when they
had a share of 14.6 percent in the population of Guntur and 10.8 percent in
that of Krishna.
8. The
decline in Christianity seen in Andhra Pradesh after 1971 is mainly because of
the near collapse of Christian population in this region comprising West
Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, Prakasam, Kurnool and Kadapa districts. It these
six, their total population has declined from 12.0 to 4.2 lakh between 1971 and
2011.
9. The
greatest decline of Christians has occurred in Guntur and Prakasam districts.
Their number in the former has declined from 4.2 lakh to less than 90 thousand
and their share has dropped from 14.8 to 1.8 percent. In Prakasam, the number of
Christians has come down from 1.35 lakh to less than 19 thousand and their
share from 7.0 to 0.5 percent.
10.
Christianity in this region was not a new or recent phenomenon in 1971. There
was considerable Christian presence here already in 1911. Christians then had a
share of 7.3 percent in the population of Guntur; and it grew to 14.8 percent
in 1971.
11.
The sudden decline of Christianity after 1971 in this region is therefore a
significant phenomenon that needs to be understood.
12.
This decline in the share of Christians in Andhra Pradesh as a whole, and
particularly in the central coastal districts of Andhra and a couple of neighbouring
districts of Rayalaseema, after 1971 is matched by a corresponding rise in the
share of Scheduled Castes. The correspondence is uncannily exact in the average
for the whole undivided State and in many individual districts.
13.
The decline is almost entirely in the rural Christians. The number of urban
Christians has in fact increased since 1971, and the increase in Hyderabad
district is substantial. This is another indication that the decline in
Christianity is associated with the converts from the Scheduled Castes who are
predominantly rural.
14.
Available data strongly suggests that after 1971 a large number of converts to
Christianity form the Scheduled Castes have chosen to be counted among the
Scheduled Castes rather than the Christians.
15.
This decision is perhaps motivated by the fact that the privileges associated
with that caste status are not available to those who convert to Christianity.
It is remarkable that while the number of Christians was steeply declining in
Andhra Pradesh, there was a significant increase of the Christian numbers among
the Scheduled Tribes, who do not lose their privileges on conversion.
16. It
is important to know whether the decision of the converts from the Scheduled
Castes to be counted as non-Christians amounts to a withdrawal from
Christianity or merely hiding of the fact from the Census and secular
authorities. But this question cannot be answered on the basis of the Census
data alone.
17. This
large decline in the number of Christians in a relatively small region, where
Christianity had taken roots several decades ago, is a phenomenon that needs to
be studied in detail at the micro-level to determine its nature and its causes.
15. The
phenomenon strongly suggests that there may be large numbers of hidden or
lapsed Christians in other parts of the country also. International scholars
associated with the Church generally estimate the number of Christians in India
to be much higher than the numbers counted in the Censuses. A study of the
phenomenon of the sudden decline of Christians in Andhra Pradesh would help in
clarifying this mismatch between the Census numbers on Christians and the
international estimates.
Muslims
16.
Muslims in undivided Andhra Pradesh are concentrated heavily in Hyderabad
district, where they now form 43.5 percent of the population. Their proportion in
this district has been rising rapidly during the last several decades.
17.
Muslim presence in the rest of Andhra Pradesh (including Telangana) is low,
though there are eight districts with Muslim presence of above 10 percent. Growth
in the share of Muslims outside Hyderabad has been also fairly slow.
The
major issue related to the religious demography of Andhra Pradesh (including
Telangana) is the sharp decline in the population and share of Christians after
1971 and a corresponding rise in the share of the Scheduled Castes. This
phenomenon needs to be studied in order to understand the dynamics of Christian
growth outside the regions dominated by the Scheduled Tribes.
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