Description

Of the approximately 5 million members claimed world-wide by the Baha'i authorities, nearly 2 million Baha'is are said to reside within the Republic of India. This means that close to 40% of the international Baha'i community is to be found within the borders of this South Asian nation, a statistic that not only reflects the important position India currently holds within the world-wide Baha'i community, but also suggests that this country may have an important impact on the future direction the religion might take. The study of the history and sociology of the movement in the subcontinent is therefore an increasingly vital component of Baha'i studies as an academic field.