India is home to 1.3 billion people. 18 million Indian people live outside India and many more can trace their roots back to India. It is a land of rich history and cultural diversity.

Being an Indian myself, I have always wondered if India is actually mentioned in the bible. I did some research and found out India is actually mentioned twice in the bible in the book of Esther:

First Mention:

Esther 1:1 – “This is what happened during the time of Xerxes, the Xerxes who ruled over 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.”

Second mention:

Esther 8:9 – “At once the royal secretaries were summoned—on the twenty-third day of the third month, the month of Sivan. They wrote out all Mordecai’s orders to the Jews, and to the satraps, governors, and nobles of the 127 provinces stretching from India to Cush.”

Outside of these 2 bible verses, there is no direct mention of India anywhere else in the bible. There are some theories that say that King Solomon traded with Indian merchants (which is quite possible) but we cannot confirm for sure.

There is also a theory that Jesus went to India in his youth. There is very little evidence for this as the Bible tells us very little about what happened in Jesus’s life from ages 12 to 30.

It is also universally accepted that Thomas, a disciple of Jesus traveled to India by sea to the Keralan port of Cranganore.  Thomas is believed to have started seven churches while he was there. There is even a tomb, built by his followers in Mylapore, just outside Chennai. It is said that he was martyred there by the locals for spreading the gospel. This account is not mentioned in the bible but it seems to be historically well accepted as being true.

So outside of these theories and the 2 bible verses that clearly mention India the rest of the bible doesn’t talk much about India specifically. This is not a cause for concern, because God has the same plan for India as he does for all nations of the world. It says in the bible in Galatians 3:8 “Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.” As part of the promise given to Abraham and the plan that God has to save all people, all nations will be saved through Jesus, including India.

So in conclusion, God has a plan to save all people in India just like He has a plan to save people from all nations. If you are Indian please keep your 1.3 billion brothers and sisters in prayer, that they may know the Lord. If you are not Indian please pray for the nation of India.

God Bless!