Some of the many revivals that spread across India from 1904-1906
Background to this Series of India Revivals
From 1904-1906, revival swept across India, touching every mission station and church, regardless of the denomination. Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Congregationalists, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, Brethren, Anglicans, Christian and Missionary Alliance, London Missionary Society, and the YMCAs and YWCAs, wherever the revival was welcome, blessings came. In addition, it fostered significant unity, breaking down previous barriers between denominations.
The 1904 Sialkot, India Revival appears to have been the spark that ignited the sweeping fires. Subsequently, upon receiving reports of the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival, prayer for revival intensified to such an extent that revival in India seemed unstoppable. The outcomes are documented in the following accounts:
- 1904 Sialkot, India Revival (Over 5 locations)
- 1905 Khasi Hills Revival (Dozens of Locations)
- 1905 Mukti Revival (5 Locations)
- 1905 Revival at Dohnavur (2 Locations)
- 1905 India Revivals I (20 Locations)
- 1905 India Revivals II (8 Locations)
- 1905 India Revivals III (5 Locations)
- 1906 India Revivals IV (10 Locations)
- 1906 India Revivals V (8 Locations)
- 1906 India Revivals VI (8 Locations)
- 1905-1906 India Revivals VII (9 Locations)
- 1905-1906 India Revivals VIII (14 Locations)
- 1906 India Revivals IX (8 Locations)
- 1906 Aurangabad, India Revival (5 Locations)
- 1906 Mizo, India Revival (13 Locations)
Background to These Revivals
The fourteen revivals recounted here occurred among missionaries and their mission stations in northern and northeastern India.
Darjeeling Disaster of 1899
It was on September 24, 1899, that a landslide in Darjeeling, India claimed the lives of six children of David H. and Ada Lee. Ada Lee provides the account of the subsequent revival in Calcutta, at the Methodist Episcopal Church, where she and her husband were stationed.
David and Ada Lee, with their six children
who perished in the Darjeeling Disaster (photo 1895)
Extraordinary Prayer
The revival at the Bengali Church of the Methodist Episcopal Mission in Calcutta began after months of prayer “for God to pour out His Spirit in full measure upon us.”
The initial sign of revival was a heightened “spirit of prayer” coming among those who had made a commitment to pray. This divine gift increased their desire and ability to spend time in prayer.
Realizing the significance of these spiritual stirrings, female teachers and older girls at the school began praying individually for the girls in the school by name. This individualized prayer began on February 9, 1906, and on the 14th of that month:
Revival burst upon us in power.
Revival at Calcutta (Kolkata)
As intercessors engaged in prayer, the Holy Spirit was poured out, and:
Many began praying audibly and crying and sobbing on account of their sin… and a number were brightly converted and testified with joy.
The revival primarily impacted Christians, heightening their awareness of tolerated sin in their lives. The Holy Spirit worked individually among students, orphans, teachers, and others.
Many were set apart and filled with the Spirit, ready to go forth and carry the Revival fire to other places.
As these revived Bengali young men and women embarked on their first evangelistic tour, they journeyed to Janjara (Jhanjra), where revival quickly spread, and:
God put His seal on the work from the first, and saved in a wonderful manner.
Evangelistic team
Revival in the Nuddea, Bengal
In October 1906, a report was presented at a missionary convention in Darjeeling, attended by sixty missionaries. The report detailed the revival in the Church Missionary Society in the Nuddea, Bengal district.
The missionary explained that the revival began with a renewed interest in prayer meetings. During one such meeting, many attendees simultaneously confessed their sins, leading to several conversions and dramatic life transformations.
The missionary “spoke guardedly” of the manifestations that occurred, noting that some people experienced trances, and he himself saw and felt fire. An Indian preacher present at that prayer meeting declared:
Fire has taken hold of me.
A female missionary added that the revival was so inspiring that people walked many miles to attend the meetings, and their passion for prayer significantly increased.
At the Darjeeling convention, most attendees were convicted of personal sin, leading to a fresh surrender of their lives to God. Many also received the baptism of the Holy Spirit at that time.
When the sixty missionaries returned to their respective mission stations after the Darjeeling convention, they were filled with faith and expectation that revival would come to their areas of ministry—and for many, it did.
Location of the revivals in this account
Revival in Mihijam, Jamtara, and Karmatur
A Holy Spirit visitation was said to have occurred at Mihijam, Jamtara, and Karmatur, among the Santal people living in Bengal. A missionary working in Mihijam wrote about this visitation:
During my eighteen years’ missionary experience, I have never realized the presence and power of God in such a way. A deep work of conviction was manifest among the orphan girls…
► Fifteen orphan girls were converted.
► Many backslidden Indian believers were humbled and then restored.
► Thirty believers had their spiritual lives refreshed.
Revival at Moorshidabad, Calcutta, Almora, and Ranikhet
The mission stations of the London Missionary Society also experienced revival at this time.
At their mission station at Moorshidabad, a missionary reported:
We are still at the beginning of things, but He who hath begun the good work will continue it; of that we are certain.
Of the three L.M.S. churches in Calcutta, a missionary reported:
► There was a real spirit of prayer.
► There was a great hunger for God’s word.
► Conversions were taking place in each church.
At Almora and Ranikhet, reports indicated:
Much interest and many baptisms.
Revival at Moradabad, Lucknow, and Bareilly
Students at Reid Christian College in Lucknow experienced a revival, which led them to begin praying for the girls at the Methodist Episcopal school in Moradabad. The girls at that school were informed of these intentional prayers, and in January 1906, a prayer room was arranged for any girl who wanted to spend time in private prayer.
In February, “a spirit of unrest and seeking salvation became apparent.” Many girls began experiencing a conviction of sin and consulted with the female superintendent of the school, a few at a time, leading to their salvation. This conviction of sin spread among the girls, and the prayer room became too small, necessitating the opening of a larger school room for prayer.
On March 8, in the larger prayer room, the Holy Spirit fell upon the girls with tremendous power, leading to the salvation of many. The sharing of testimonies at their large group meetings in the evenings began affecting the unsaved, and the work continued until every girl at the school was converted.
Theological Seminary of the North India Methodist Episcopal Mission at Bareilly for training preachers on the field.
The results of the revival at the girl’s school were:
► They began praying for their brothers at the Bareilly Orphanage and other places, leading to the conversion of many boys and about 200 commitments to enter ministry.
► Some of these girls experienced visions, others saw lights.
► The girls assembled evangelistic teams and began sharing the Gospel with Muslims and Hindus.
Evangelistic & Teaching Teams
Revival at Allahabad
Several months before revival came to the Methodist Church in Allahabad (Prayagraj), a sense of heaviness prevailed over the workers, prompting them to turn to prayer. They enlisted several groups of intercessors to pray specifically for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the church.
During a mid-week prayer meeting, a spirit of deep conviction fell upon all who were present. One by one, they began crying out to God for forgiveness. It seemed impossible to close the meeting. Special meetings were scheduled, continuing for weeks.
Following the conviction of sin and the realization of pardon received, there was “unspeakable joy.” The results of this revival included:
► Old disputes settled.
► Enemies reconciled.
► The church was on fire for God.
► The workers were stirred up to preach the Gospel in the surrounding communities.
► Conversions occurred among Hindus and Muslims.
Street Preaching
Primary Sources
► An Indian Priestess by Ada Lee
► Child Marriage: The Curse of India by Ada Lee
► In and Out of the Homes of India by Ada Lee
► Revival in India by Helen S. Dyer
► The Darjeeling Disaster by Frank W. Warne
► The Darjeeling Disaster by Ada Lee
► The Desire of India by S.K. Datta
Secondary Sources
► A History of Missions in India by Julius Richter
► Abrams, Minnie F. (1859-1912) by Boston University School of Theology
► Christian Missions and Social Progress by James S. Dennis
► Evangelical Awakenings in Southern Asia by J. Edwin Orr
► Indian Pentecost: Christianity Today by Edith Blumhofer
► Memoir of Anthony Norris Groves by His Widow
► Minnie Abrams: Lessons from the Pentecostal Revival in India by Darrin Rodgers
► Pandita Ramabai: Her Vision, Her Mission and Triumph of Faith by Helen S. Dyer
► Pandita Ramabai, the Mukti Revival and Global Pentecostalism by Allan Anderson
► Pandita Ramabai: The Story of Her Life by Helen S. Dyer
► Scattered Seeds by Mrs. Malcolm Ross
► The Flaming Tongue by J. Edwin Orr
► The High-Caste Hindu Woman by Pandita Ramabai Sarasvati
► The Pandita Ramabai Story by Pandita Ramabai
► They Were Men Sent by God by Eustace Blake Bromley
► Walker of Tinnevelly by Amy Wilson-Carmichael
► World Atlas of Christian Missions by James S. Dennis
► Zenana Missions by Wikipedia
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