The Baha’i Faith in India: A Developmental Stage Approach

Studies in the Bábi and Bahá’i Religions, Volume 28

India has the largest Baha’i community in the world, claiming some two million believers. The origins of the community stretch back to the time of the Bab and Baha’u’llah.

William Garlington’s The Baha’i Faith in India: A Developmental Stage Approach is an important and groundbreaking study of how the Babi and Baha’i Faiths came to take root in India and how the Baha’i community has developed into an important player in the life of India with its myriad of religious traditions. It is the first book to offer a comprehensive history of these events. Garlington’s book brings to life the activities and motivations of Baha’i teachers including Hands of the Cause, early pioneers, and native believers.

“William Garlington’s meticulously researched account of the origins of the Baha’i Faith in India and his analysis of early mass teaching efforts there will be of great value to scholars of the growth of modern religious movements generally, as well as in India.” Marc Jason Gilbert, Emeritus Professor of History, Hawai’i Pacific University