Pre-independence era , of the
Indian Empire, 1893 Christianity was introduced to
Chota Nagpur in 1845 through the arrival of German
Evangelical Lutheran missionaries, including Pastors Schatz, Brandt, Batsch, and Janke, following their unsuccessful efforts in
Calcutta after arriving from
Berlin in 1844. These missionaries were initially heading for
Mergui in
Myanmar (formerly
Burma) in view of preaching the
Christian faith among the
Karen people or in the areas located in the footsteps of the
Himalayas. However, on meeting some people from
Ranchi, they changed their plan and headed for Chota Nagpur and its main town, Ranchi. They reached
Ranchi on 2 November 1845 and camped on, what is now known as, the 'Bethesda Ground' in
Ranchi.
Anglican missionary work was established at Ranchi in 1869 under the
Anglican Bishop of Calcutta, followed by the establishment of a
Roman Catholic mission in 1885 after the arrival of
Father Constant Lievens. The Dublin University Mission from Ireland began its work in the region in 1890. Even the first Prime Minister of India, Dr. Jawaharlal Nehru, in his
The Discovery of India acknowledges the contribution of the early missionaries for development of tribals dialect stating that
even laboured at the dialects of the primitive hill and forest tribes... == Demographics ==