The presence of the Báb in Chihríq attracted much notice. Eventually Yahyá Khán softened his attitude to the Báb. [Bab135; DB303]
• Excitement among local people eclipsed that of Máh-Kú. [GPB20]
• Many priests and government officials became followers, among them Mírzá Asadu'lláh of Khuy, surnamed Dayyán. [Bab136; DB303; GPB20]
• So many Bábís came to Chihríq that they could not all be housed. [Bab135]
• See B136 and DB303 for story of the inferior honey.
• A dervish, a former navváb, arrived from India after having seen the Báb in a vision. [Bab137; DB305; GPB20]
• The Báb revealed the Lawh-i-Hurúfát (Tablet of the Letters) in honour of Dayyán. [DB304; GPB27]

Shortly after Bahá'u'lláh's arrival in Baghdad, the first messenger to reach Him was Shaykh Salmán who returned to his native Hindiyan with Tablets addressed to the friends. This became his habit, once a year he would set out on foot to see Bahá'u'lláh bringing letters and leaving wth Tablets, faithfully delivering each on for whom it was intended. He visited Him in Baghdad, Adrianople and Akka, carrying Tablets to many cities, Isfahan, Shiraz, Kashan, Tehran... During the 40 years that he continued this service and never lost a single letter or Tablet.

He always travelled on foot and ate noting but bread and onions. He earned the title "The Bábí's Angel Gabriel". After the passing of Bahá'u'lláh he continued to provide courier service between Persia and the Holy Land.

• See An Illiterate Genius: The Early Baha'i Shaykh Salman.
• See Bahá'í Chronicles.

  He died in Shiraz. [MoF13-16]

Bahá'u'lláh sent Sulaymán Khán Ilyás, Jamál Effendi, to India. [BW4:285; GPB195; MC155]
• See EB120–1, 122–8 and MF134–8.
• BBRSM90, 193 say he was sent in 1871 and left in 1878. BW18p246 says he arrived in 1872. EB122 says he reached Bombay in 1878 and stayed 11 years on the subcontinent.
• His work helped establish Bahá'í communities in Bombay, Calcutta and Madras as well as in Burma. [BBRSM91; GPB225]
• See Momen-Jamal Effendi for a map of his travels in India (1876-1879) and South-east Asia (1884-1886) as well as to Central Asia 1888-1896.
• Among those he taught was Siyyid Mustafá Rúmí, who later found the Bahá'í community of Burma. [BW10:517] iiiii

At the request of Baha'u'lláh,`Abdu'l-Bahá wrote The Mysterious Forces of Civilization, a treatise on the establishment of a just, progressive and divinely-based government. [SDCv; Baha'u'llah on the Circumstances of the Composition of "The Secret of Divine Civilization" a provisional translation of a Tablet by Bahá'u'lláh by Adib Masumian]
• It was lithographed in Bombay in 1882. It was first published in English under the title The Mysterious Forces of Civilization in London in 1910. [SDCv] It was re-issued in 1918 and later translated as The Secret of Divine Civilization by Marzieh Gail and published by the Bahá'í Publishing Trust in Wilmette in 1957.
• See Marzieh Gail's Summon Up Remembrance pg46-47 for a description of Persia at the time. The nation was ostensibly ruled by a self-serving monarch who had little regard for the county or its people. The government administered the chessboard where Russia and England played out their competing imperialistic designs to increase their respective spheres of influence. Through bribery and intrigue, they contended to raise up ministers who would do their bidding. They thwarted the progress of the nation by manipulating the clergy to oppose any Western ideas, threatening that such would threaten Islam. If required these measures were supplemented with the bribery of the ulamas, accepted eagerly either for their personal gain or for contributions to their communities. Thus Iranians were kept divided, deprived, and ignorant; all the better to exploit them. [SUR62]
• Shoghi Effendi called The Secret of Divine Civilization "`Abdu'l-Bahá's outstanding contribution to the future reorganization of the world". [WOB37]
• See the English translation of the message of the Universal House of Justice to the Bahá'ís of Iran dated 26 November 2003 in which they make reference to this book.
• See a comment about the book.

In Bombay, on the instructions of Bahá'u'lláh, the Kitáb-i-Aqdas was published for the first time. [SA250]
• It was published in Arabic. [SA250]

Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-`Alí, the first Bahá'í to have settled China, died in Bombay on his way back to Shíráz. [PH24]
• He lived in China from 1962 until 1868. He moved to Hong Kong in 1970 and was joined by his brother Haji Mirza Muhammad Husayn (Haji Mirza Buzurg) where they established a trading company. The brothers stayed in Hong Kong until 1897. [Video Early history of the Bahá'í Faith in China 2min56sec]

One of the chief promoters of Mírzá Muhammad-'Ali in India was Mírzá Husayn-'Alíy-i-Jahrumí.
• See LGHC57-58 for his encounter with Lua Getsinger.
• Reference is made to this man in Memories of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh and 'Abdu'l-Bahá: Memoirs of Mírzá Habíbu'lláh Afnán edited and translated by Ahang Rabbani p96.
• Also see CoB185 for more on the role played by Mírzá Husayn-'Alíy-i-Jahrumí in the plot by the Covenant-breakers to have Mírzá Áqá Ján incite an incident at the Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh with a view to having those involved arrested and therefore discredited.

Sydney Sprague arrived in Bombay, India. [BFA2:XVI]
• He was the first American Bahá'í travelling teacher in Asia. [BFA2:XVI; 258-270; facing p335]
• See Reflections on the Bahá'í Writings for the story of Kaykhusraw Isfandyár who sacrificed his life by travelling from his home in Bombay to Lahore to assist Sidney Sprague when he was mortally ill with typhoid fever. He was too ill to be taken back to Bombay as planned so Kaykhusraw prayed that he, a humble shop-keeper, might be accepted as a sacrifice for the life of Sydney, an international travel teacher. His request was accepted and he became the first Eastern Bahá'í to have sacrificed his life for his Western brother. When the news of this sacrifice reached `Abdu'l-Bahá, He immortalised Kaykhusraw by conferring upon him the rank of a martyr and He revealed a Tablet to Kaykhusraw's family.
  This story is also available in Andalib magazine, year 7, no 25 and can be found in YBIB55-60.

Harlan Ober and Hooper Harris sailed from Hoboken, New Jersey for Naples and 'Akká on their teaching trip to India at the behest of 'Abdu'l-Bahá. (Tablet 12 March, 1906) Dr. William Moore, brother of Lua Getsinger, had been chosen to accompany Hooper Harris but he died unexpectedly. Harlan did not have the means for such a trip but Lua Getsinger loaned him the necessary funds. [BW13p868]
• During their three days stopover in 'Akká 'Abdu'l-Bahá provided no instructions but promised them that "Whenever difficult questions or problems come to you, turn your hearts to the heart of 'Abdu'l-Bahá and you will receive help." They found that they were astonished with some of their own answers to questions put to them during the trip. [BW13p869]
• Later 'Abdu'l-Bahá told Harlan, "Serve the people, speak in the meetings, love them in reality not through politeness, embrace them as I have embraced you. Even if you should never speak great good will be accomplished." This was to become Harlan's creed for teaching the Faith. [BW13p869]
• They traveled across India, teaching the Faith, with Persian Bahá'ís Ibn-i-Abhar and Mírzá Mahmúd. See BFA266–71 for details of the trip. [Bahaipedia]
• "Hooper Harris and Harlan Ober traveled, during no less than seven months, in India and Burma, visiting Bombay, Poona, Lahore, Calcutta, Rangoon and Mandalay." [GPB261]
• 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent the "Tablet of Purity" to America with Hooper Harris on his return from Haifa and India. [Highlights of the First 40 Years of the Bahá'í Faith in New York, City of the Covenant, 1892-1932 by Hussein Ahdieh p10]

Charles Mason Remey and Howard Struven left the United States on the first Bahá'í teaching trip to circle the globe. [BFA2:348, GPB261]
• They went to Hawaii, Japan, Shanghai, Singapore, Hong Kong and to Burma, India and `Akká. [BFA2:348–50; Video Early history of the Bahá'í Faith in China 2min56sec]

`Abdu'l-Bahá, very unwell, attended a reception and gave a talk to the New York Peace Society at the Hotel Astor where He was the guest of honour. [239D:67; AB192, PUP123, APD67]
• Various personages paid tribute to Him. The Consul General of Persian, General Topakyan referred to `Abdu'l-Bahá as the Beauty of God and the Glory of the East [Luminous Journey 56:06]
• In the evening there was a meeting at `Abdu'l-Bahá's residence with people from India and Japan. He spoke to them in detail, saying: "India had a great civilization in former times. That civilization spread from that part of Asia to Syria and Egypt; from Syria it was extended to Greece from whence it found its way to Arabia and Spain. Again, from Spain it spread over most of Europe. The world of man, however, has not yet reached its maturity. The time will come when this material civilization will be infused with divine civilization. Universal peace will be realized and people will become angelic. That will be the time of the world's maturity." [MD]

`Abdu'l-Bahá arrived in Chicago and gave a talk at the Plaza Hotel. The subject of this talk was The Covenant. [239D:176; PUP381].
• It is likely that 'Abdu'l-Bahá encountered Rabindranath Tagore who was to become a well-known Bengali poet and musician who would reshape Bengali literature and music and be the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. [Rabindranath Tagore: Some Encounters with Bahá'ís by Peter Terry; Wikipedia]

"Mírzá Mahmúd was a careful and faithful chronicler and engaged in assembling and publishing his work with the permission of the beloved Master . . ." (The Universal House of Justice - a letter dated April 30, 1984 addressed to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the United States).

'Abdu'l-Bahá sent Lua and Dr. Getsinger on a teaching tour in India. The duration of the tour and the places visited have yet to be confirmed. She lectured at Theosophical Society Hall in Surat on "Purity and Divinity" (22 Jan); in Bombay, she spoke in Pratana Mandir Hall for an hour on "The Bahá'í Movement—Its Rise and Progress." (24Jan) She addressed the students of the Theistic Society on "Individual Spiritual Progress" (4 Feb); and in the Ideal Seminary she spoke on "Service as an Act of Worship." (8 Feb) In addition to the public lectures, to large and enthusiastic audiences, Dr. and Mrs. Getsinger were kept busy meeting people of various creeds. Lua's most important interview, and the one which 'Abdu'l-Bahá spoke of as a "certain definite result", was with the Maharajah of Jalowar (Jhalawar) whom He had met in London. He wished to acquaint this receptive enlightened person with the Bahá'í teachings, and chose Lua to seek him out. The Maharajah received her most graciously, and afterwards corresponded with her, remaining a staunch friend of the Faith. [SoW vol. V, No. 2, p. 21-22; "Lua Getsinger -Herald of the Covenant" by Amine DeMille; BFA2:353]
• In her autobiography, Sunburst pg 236 Loral Schopflocher wrote:
  The Maharaiah of Ghalawar was the first ruler to accept the Baha'i teachings and attempted to put them into practice in his domain.
• For more information on him see The Indian Biographical Dictionary (1915) by C. Hayavadana Rao.

The passing of Hand of the Cause of God Hájí Mírzá Muhammad-Taqíy-i-Abharí (Ibn-i-Abhar). He was born in 1853/4 in Abhar.
• For four years he suffered in Síyáh-Chál wearing the very same chains as Bahá'u'lláh had worn in 1852.
• On being informed that the friends in Tihrán had arranged to observe the commandment of the Mashriqu'l-Adhkár, Bahá'u'lláh revealed, in one of His Tablets to Ibn-i-Asdaq (later named as a Hand of the Cause), the following well known Words:
  Blessed is the spot, and the house, and the place, and the city, and the heart, and the mountain, and the refuge, and the cave, and the valley, and the land, and the sea, and the island, and the meadow where mention of God hath been made, and His praise glorified. -Bahá'u'lláh
  [ROB4:316; Some Bahai Sacred Spaces for Community, Slide presentation by the UK Community, Slide #74]
• His services during the time of the Master included teaching journeys through Persia, the Caucasus and India. He also made some eleven journeys to the Holy Land with the permission of 'Abdu'l-Bahá.
• A special service rendered by Ibn-i-Abhar was the promotion of the education of women. He and his wife played an important part in the advancement of women in Persian society.
• In 1886 Bahá'u'lláh appointed him a Hand of the Cause. He died in 1917. [LoF13-16, BBD114, EB268; Bahaipedia]
• Shoghi Effendi designated him as an Apostle of Bahá'u'lláh. [LoF12]
• Also see Bahá'í Chronicles.

Between the years of 1920 to 1922 they stayed in many cities in China including Chengdu.

Shoghi Effendi wrote to the editors and manager of the Star of the West Albert Vail Miss Edna True Dr. Zia M. Baghdádí Mírzá Aḥmad Sohrab. He reported that he had requested every Spiritual Assembly throughout Persia, Turkestan, Caucasus, India, Egypt, 'Iráq, Turkey, Syria and Palestine to contribute periodically carefully written articles to the magazine, and submit regularly for publication a special report on their spiritual activities and the progress of the Cause in their own province. [Uncompiled Published Letters p30 by Shoghi Effendi]
• He sent a similar note of encouragement to the editor of the Indian Bahá'í News and to the editors of The Dawn in Burma. [PP347-348; Uncompiled Published Letters p36 by Shoghi Effendi]

Khusraw Bimán (Thábit) passed away in Bombay at the age of 103 or 104. [Imm:56]
• He is the first Zoroastrian to accept the Faith in India. [Imm:44–6]
• For the story of his life see Imm:39–60.

Mírzá Ḥusayn-i-Shírázíy-i-Khurṭúmí represented the arch-breaker of the Covenant in India.

Ḥájí Muḥammad-Ḥusayn-i-Káshání represented him in Egypt. [GPB318]

The National Spiritual Assembly of India, (Pakistan) and Burma launched a Six Year Plan, the Indian Six Year Plan (1938-1944). [Ruhi 8.2 p46, BBRSM158; The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement) p2]
• Although the plan was not initiated by Shoghi Effendi, it received his commendation and encouragement. Lack of funds prevented the plan from being implemented until 1940. [DND70-71, 96-97, 100-101; SBBH2:160]

The passing of Narayanrao Rangnath (Shethji) Vakil (b. Navsari, 1866) in Poona. He was the first person from the Hindu community to identify himself with the Bahá'í activities in India and the first chairman of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India and Burma. He learned of the Faith through Mírzá Mahram Isfáhání in about 1908. [BW9p637-641]
• For the story of his life see PH17–25.

The passing of Sydney Sprague (b. Oshkosh WI in 1875) in Los Angeles. He was buried in Inglewood Cemetery. His grave is beside that of Tom Collins, husband of Amelia Collins, and lies just across the road from the grave of Thornton Chase, "First Bahá'í of America." [BW9p633-635]
• During a pilgrimage in late 1904 'Abdu'l-Bahá suggested he visit the Bahá'ís of the East. He toured India and Burma from December 1904 until the summer of 1905 becoming the first Western Bahá'í of go to the far Orient fulfilling Bahá'u'lláh's prophecy the "The East and West shall embrace as lovers". [YBIB6] iiiii
• See YBIB55-60 For the story of Kai Khosroe, the Zoroastrian Bahá'í from Bombay who gave his life while nursing Sprague in Lahore when he was deathly ill with typhoid fever.
• In 1908 he became a resident of Tehran, first teaching in the Bahá'í school and, when he returned the following year, he became principal.
• He married a niece of 'Abdul'-Bahá and became a brother-in-law of Ameen Fareed. When Fareed was expelled from the Faith in 1914 Sprague and his wife as well as his father-in-law followed. Fareed's father was Mírzá Asadu'lláh-i-Isfahání, the emissary who had taken the remains of the Báb from Iran to the Holy Land [Efforts to preserve the remains of the Bab]. Sprague applied to be reinstated in 1931 (or 1937) and was finally accepted in 1941, two years before his passing. [BW9p633-635]
  • He married Farahangiz Khanum on the 20th of July, 1910, a day selected by 'Abdu'l-Bahá so that Stanwood Cobb could attend. The Bahá'í wedding was performed by 'Abdu'l-Bahá and the legal ceremony was conducted by a mullá four days later. [BN Vol 1 No 12 October 1910 p 7]
• He made a teaching trip to South America and died soon after his return to the United States. [AB409]
• He was the author of The Story of the Bahai Movement published in London in 1907 and A Year with the Bahá'ís of India and Burma in May of 1908. [YBIBxi] iiiii

Initially founded as a hostel for Bahá'í children with sixteen children, what was the New Era High School and Senior Secondary had grown to become a leading international co-educational institution with many hundreds of students.
• Founded as a separate institution in 1987, the New Era Development Institute had its beginnings as a service project for students in the 1970s and 1980s when the school set up programmes to assist the poor and underdeveloped villages in the region. [New Era High School and Senior Secondary website, Wikipedia, BBD171; BBRSM153]
• For the history of the school see BW16:320–6.

India and Burma launched a Four and One-Half Year Plan, Indian 4½ Year Plan. (1946-1951) [Ruhi 8.2 p46; BW11p32; DND141-143; The Spiritual Conquest of the Planet (Supplement) p2]
• The goals were:
    - To increase the number of Local Assemblies from 21 to 63
    - To give special attention to areas marked by sharp cultural and political divisions
  As the plan unfolded, the National Assembly added the following additional goals:
    - To publish the Esslemont book - 'Bahá'u'lláh and the New Era' in eighteen new languages
    - To acquire a National Hazíratu'l-Quds in New Delhi
    - To carry the Bahá'í message to Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand
  

The Bahá'ís of Iran launched a Forty-five Month Plan, the Persian 45 Month Plan ( 11 October 1946 to 9 July 1950, The Centenary of the Martyrdom of the Báb). Every province had specific assignments. [BBRSM158; CB316] The objectives of the plan included;

1. Consolidation of all local Bahá'í communities.

2. Reestablishment of 62 dissolved Assemblies. (93 LSAs formed)

3. Formation of 22 groups. (37 established)

4. Creation of 13 new centres. (24 localities established)

5. Development of Assemblies from groups in three adjoining countries, namely in Kabul, Afghanistan, Mecca, Arabia and Bahrein Island, Persian Gulf.

6. The formation of groups in four localities on the Arabian Peninsula.

7. The sending pioneers to India and 'Iráq to assist in the formation of new groups.

The Bahá'ís of Tehran were called upon to send out 50 families into the pioneer field. (160 arose) Every individual Bahá'í was included in the operation of the Plan-as a volunteer, by deputizing a pioneer, by contributing funds, by circuit teaching or by providing hospitality to students whose parents had become pioneers. [BW4p34-35; BW11p34-36]

• Concurrent with the Forty-Five Month Plan the Bahá'ís of Iran made a concerted effort to remove Bahá'í women from the traditional shackles of a lack of education and an inability to participate in public affairs. Women's conferences were held, educational opportunities were created, equality of opportunity, right and privilege was declared to be an essential. [BW11p36].

Ugo and Angeline Giachery moved from New York to Rome. [BN No 192 Feb 1947 p1]
• The first native believer under this new Seven Year Plan, had declared himself. He is Signor Augusto Salvetti of Italy. Signor Salvetti heard of the Faith from a Persian believer while he was a prisoner of war in India. After returning to his native Italy he corresponded with the International Bureau and the office of the European Teaching Committee in Geneva. Since he was living in one of our "goal" countries, Mrs. Graeffe put him in touch with our pioneers, Mr and Mrs Giachery. [BN No195 May 1947 p1]

When the state of Pakistan was formed it was incorporated into the National Spiritual Assembly of India and Burma. The name of the new assembly was known as the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India, Pakistan and Burma.
• This assembly until Pakistan formed an independent Assembly in 1957.

Some goals were:
  - To offer Rs 2,500,000 to the Shrine of the Báb Fund
  - To enrich Bahá'í literature in local languages
  - To send pioneers to Malaysia, Singapore, Nepal, Vietnam, Zanzibar and Madagascar
  - To increase the number of Local Spiritual Assemblies in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
  - To enhance the status of the Bahá'í New Era School in Panchgani

Several National Spiritual Assemblies-Britain, Egypt, India, Iran and the United States, joined forces in their first collaborative teaching effort called the Africa Campaign (1951-1953). [Ruhi 8.2 p46, BBRSM158, MBW135-140]
• See also UD261 for the significance of the Africa Campaign.
• See Bahá'í Communities by Country: Research Notes by Graham Hassall for further details of the Plan.

Holy Year, "The Great Jubilee", October 1952 to October 1953, was inaugurated. [MBW16-18; BW12:116; DG84; PP409–10; SBR170–1]
• Centenary celebrations of the birth of Bahá'u'lláh's mission were initiated. [MBW16–18]
• "Shoghi Effendi began the Holy Year to commemorate the centenary of Bahá'u'lláh's experience in the Siyáh Chál in October 1952 and closed the Holy Year in October 1953 (which corresponds to the centenary of the "Year Nine", the Islamic year 1269)". [Two Episodes from the Life of Bahá'u'lláh in Iran p21 by Moojan Momen]
• Four international conferences were scheduled in Kampala, Wilmette (dedication of the Temple), Stockholm and New Delhi. [SETPE2p31-43]
• For a brief description of the Kampala Conference see CG20-21.

The Asian Intercontinental Teaching Conference was held in New Delhi. [BW12:178; CBN No 50 Mar 1953 p6-7]
• For Shoghi Effendi's message to the conference see BW12:178–81.
• At the request of our beloved Guardian a memorial service was held for our dearly loved Hand of the Cause, Mr. Sutherland Maxwell. Loving tributes were paid to his memory by Mr. Remey and Mr. Giachery. [CBN No 50 Mar 1953 p6]
• For a report of the conference see BW12:181–8.
  • Photos.
• This was the first international Bahá'í gathering ever to be held in the East. [BW12:181; SBR171]
• It was attended by 489 Bahá'ís representing 31 countries. [BW 12:181]
• The design for the International Bahá'í Archives was revealed to the Bahá'ís of the world for the first time at this conference. [DH168]
• Following the New Delhi conference the Hands of the Cause and other visiting Bahá'ís travelled the length and the breadth of the country speaking in universities, teachers' training colleges, agricultural schools, theatres, hotels, Y.M.C.A.'s, at service clubs, and theosophical societies. Prominent citizens representative of the Hindu, Moslem and Christian faiths were chairmen at many of these meetings. There were numerous press conferences and wide-spread newspaper publicity. The Hands of the Cause were able to present Bahá'í books to world famous Indian scholars, to the family of the Maharaja of Indore and to representatives of the press. Perhaps never since Abdu'l·Bahá visited America has the Faith been presented in such a variety of places in so short a time. Dorothy Baker was one of the Hands who participated in this post-conference proclamation. [CBN No54 Jul 1954 p5]

Dr Khodadad M. Fozdar, an Indian of Parsi background, arrived in the Andaman Islands and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh. [BW13:449]
• For the story of his life see BW13:892–3.

Shápúr Rawhání and Ardishír Furúdí, Iranian residents of India, arrived in Bhutan by foot and were named Knights of Bahá'u'lláh. They spent about two months in Bhutan. However, circumstances did not permit them to remain longer and they had to return to India. [BW13:449]
• They were accompanied to the Bhutan border by the prime minister of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji.
• In about 1961 Dr. Anayat Soroosh Yaganagi, a Bahá'í of Zoroastrian background from Bangalore pioneered to Bhutan. See the brief history of his family and the development of the Faith in the country in "Bahá'í Recollections" written by one of his daughters, Geeti Yaganegi.

Travelling by foot, Udai Narain Singh arrived in Tibet from Gangtok, Sikkim, and was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh, his second such distinction.
• He was named a Knight of Bahá'u'lláh in spring 1956. [BW13:456]

The passing of Mirzā Asad-Allāh, known as Fāżel Māzandarāni (b. Bábol, Persia 1881).
• He became a Bahá'í in Tehran in 1909. He travelled to Egypt in 1919-1911 where he met with 'Abdu'l-Bahá and was send to India and Burma to promote the Faith.
• 'Abdu'l-Bahá sent him to North America for the period 1920-1921. He arrived in North America with Manúchihr Khán in time to speak at the National Convention. His purpose was to assist and stimulate the Bahá'í communities. He departed for the Holy Land on the 9th of July, 1921. [AB443; SBR88]
• Mírzá Asadu'lláh Fádil-i-Mázandarání visited North America again in 1923-1925 at the request of Shoghi Effendi. [Fádl Mázandarání, Mírzá Asadu'lláh by Moojan Momen]
• See Jináb-i-Fádil Mazandarání in the United States by Fadl Mazandarani (published as Jinab-i-Fadil Mazandarani) compiled by Omeed Rameshni for transcripts of his talks.
• In about 1924 Shoghi Effendi wrote to the Central Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of Persia, asking them to gather materials towards the compilation of a general history of the Bahá'í faith. Initially this work was handed to a committee and Fāżel served as the liaison between this committee and the Assembly, of which he was himself a member at the time. However, after the committee failed to make significant progress, Fāżel took on the responsibility to compile this work himself. His work, Ẓohur-al-Ḥaqq (variously also called Tāriḵ-e Ẓohur-al-Ḥaqq and Ketāb-e Ẓohur-al-Ḥaqq) is said to be the most comprehensive history of the first century of the Bahá'í faith yet written. It records the full biographies of the Báb, Bahá'u'lláh, and ʿAbdu'l-Baháʾ, the Faith's leading disciples and learned members, poets, martyrs, and other prominent personalities. It covers the history of the persecutions of the Bahá'ís; discusses the internal crises of the faith and, more significantly, contains excerpts from the holy writings and includes documentation and a considerable number of pictures. It was compiled in nine volumes: volumes 1-3 completed in May of 1932, the fourth in February, 1936, and the final volume in 1943. For various reasons it has not been translated into English. [Ẓohur-al-Ḥaqq]
• Other works of Fāżel include his dictionary of commonly used proper terms and titles in Bahá'í literature, Asrār al-āṯār, which was published in five volumes (1967-72) of more than 1,600 pages.
• Fāżel's other major work, Amr wa ḵalq, contains hundreds of selections from the Bahá'í holy writings grouped under topics related to philosophical, theological, religious, and administrative matters. The work was published in Iran (1954-74) in four volumes.
• The Collected Works of Asadu'llah Fadil Mazandarani.
• Wikipedia page.

  Note: There is some question about whether Shoghi Effendi considered him a Hand of the Cause. See letter addressed to Dr Peter Smith sent on behalf of the Universal House of Justice 11 August 1998 found on Baha'i Library Online. The message concludes by saying that the Universal House of Justice, in a memorandum dated 1 April 1979, has instructed that additional names should not be included in the list of the Hands of the Cause. The list of Hands of the Cause can be found at BW14p445-466.

Upon the establishment of an independent Spiritual Assembly for Burma, the Regional Assembly of India and Burma was succeeded by the present-day National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India. Up until 1957 this group had included Pakistan.[BW13p300]
• For the letter of the Custodians to the national convention of Burma see MC155–7.
• See a picture of the first National Spiritual Assembly of Burma.

Hand of the Cause of God Dr Rahmatu'lláh Muhájir traveled to India and demonstrated the principle of mass teaching. [DM172–84; SBBH2:165–7]
• Mass teaching began in the rural area of Madhya Pradesh among the Hindu population. In 1961 there were 850 Bahá'ís; in 1963 87,000; by 1973 nearly 400,000; and by 1987 about two million. In 1983 45 per cent of all local spiritual assemblies were in India. [BBRSM195; BW13:299]

A property was acquired outside of Gwalior, India, for a teaching institute. [DM192]
• The institute was later converted into a boarding hostel solely for Indian children and still later into the 'Rabbani School', now an accredited agricultural school. [DM192–3; VV82]

The National Spiritual Assembly of Sikkim was formed with its seat in Gangtok. [BW14p99]
• This national assembly was absorbed into India some time prior to Ridván 1992. [BW21p27]

Six Intercontinental Conferences were held simultaneously in Panama City, Wilmette, Sydney, Kampala, Frankfurt and New Delhi to celebrate the centenary of the proclamation of Bahá'u'lláh to the kings and rulers of the world in September/October of 1867. [BW 14:221]
• For the message of the Universal House of Justice to the conferences see BW14:221–2.
• For descriptions of each conference see BW14:223–58.
• See CG68-69 for a brief description of the Intercontinental Conference in Kampala.
• The six Hands of the Cause representing the Universal House of Justice at the conferences travelled to Adrianople to visit the House of Bahá'u'lláh before dispersing to the conferences. [BW14:236, 458; VV2]

The first Bahá'í Youth Conference for Western Asia took place in New Delhi. [BW15:335]
• Two thousand people enrolled during the conference and the week following. [BW15:335]

The Asian Bahá'í Women's Conference was held in New Delhi, attended by more than a thousand women from across Asia. 1,200 women from 36 countries were in attendance. [BW17:180]
• For picture see BW17:212.

The Bahá'ís of India commemorated the centenary of the founding of the Bahá'í Faith in their country with a reception attended by about 400 guests, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs. [BW18:246–7]
• See here for the story of Jamal Effendi.

Fourteen State Bahá'í Councils were elected in India by members of local spiritual assemblies. [BW19:162; VV99–100]
• For a description of the Councils and their responsibilities see BW19:162–4.
• The State Bahá'í Council was the forerunner for the Regional Bahá'í Council which was announced on the 30th of May, 1997.

The House of Worship in New Delhi, the Mother Temple of the Indian Subcontinent, was dedicated in the presence of Hand of the Cause Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum and more than 8,000 Bahá'ís from 114 countries. [AWH47; BINS161; BW19:102 BW20p732-733, VV92]
• On October 1st, 1954 the Guardian announced that a plot lying in the outskirts of New Delhi has been secured at the price of a hundred thousand rupees as the site of the first Mashriqu'l-Adhkar of the Indian subcontinent. [CBN No58 Nov 1954 p1]
• See VV93–4 for pictures.
• See the video A Documentary on Lotus Temple, complete with transcript, 3 minutes, 52 seconds.
• Marble for the House of Worship was cut and chiseled by Margraf, a firm from Chiampo, Italy formerly known as Industria Marmi Vincentini. [BWNS1223]

• The Universal House of Justice reported that the Bahá'í Temple received more than 120,000 visitors within the first thirty days of its dedication. [Ridván 1987]

  Specifics
  

  Location: New Delhi, India (Bahapur (Abode of Light))
  Foundation Stone: 17 October 1977 (Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum)
  Construction Period: April 1980 - December 1986
  Site Dedication:24 December 1986 (Amatu'l-Bahá Rúhíyyih Khánum placed a silver casket containing Dust from the Shrines of Bahá'u'lláh and the Báb into the crown of the Prayer Hall arch facing 'Akká)
  Architect/Project Manager: Fariburz Sahbá
  Seating: 1200
  Dimensions:Inner buds are 34.3m high, the outer leaves are 15.4m wide and 22.5m high.
  Cost: $10m
  Dependencies:
  References: BW16p486-487, BW17p368-370, BW18p103-104, 571-584, BW19p559-568, BW20p731-753
  The Bahá'í Lotus Temple was made up of 27 “petals,” each clad in white marble, the half-open lotus blossom symbolizes the hope of unity and peace among all nations, races and religions.

The establishment of the Chair for Bahá'í Studies at the University of Indore (later renamed Devi Ahilya Vishwavidyalaya). Dr. Vishnudatta Nagar was appointed to the position. [BINS222:8; VV108; BW'86-'92pg454]

The purpose of the Chair for Bahá'í studies embodied in the agreement was as follows:
a. to promote Research and scholarship in Bahá'í Studies.
b) to design and conduct courses , seminars, and studies in the field of Bahá'í studies and related subjects within an interdisciplinary context and publish results and reports of such activities.
c) to promote inter-university linkage through seminars, exchange lectures etc with a view to promote interfaith harmony, national/ international integration and world peace. [Bahá'í Chair for Studies and Development]

• See Message from the Universal House of Justice dated 12 February 1990.

The publication of the statement entitled "Bahá'u'lláh", prepared by the Office of Public Information at the Bahá'í World Centre. The statement was formally released at a press conference in Bombay, India by Hassan Sabri. [VV126]
• For the text see BW92–93:47–94.

The statement was formally released at a press conference in Bombay, India by Hassan Sabri. [VV126]

The Bahá'í Vocational Institute for Rural Women, a non-profit education project based in Indore, India, was one of 74 individuals and institutions presented with the United Nations Environment Programme 'Global 500' award in Rio de Janeiro. [BINS272:5; BW92–3:125; VV110]
• For picture see BW92–3:183.

The Second World Congress was held in New York City to commemorate the centenary of the passing of Bahá'u'lláh and the completion of the Six Year Plan. It was attended by some 28,000 Bahá'ís from some 180 countries. [BBD240; VV136-141; BW92-93p95-102, 136]
• Nine auxiliary conferences were held in Buenos Aires, Sydney, New Delhi, Nairobi, Panama City, Bucharest, Moscow, Apia and Singapore. [BINS283:3-4]
• For pictures see [BINS283:9-10], [BW92-3p100] and [VV136-141]
• "New York will become a blessed spot from which the call to steadfastness in the Covenant and Testament of God will go forth to every part of the world." - 'Abdu'l-Bahá [AWH77-8 90-1 105-6]
• On the 25th of November a concert was held in Carnegie Hall as a birthday tribute to Dizzy Gillespie called "Celebrating the Bahá'í Vision of World Peace". [VV141]
• On the 26th of November Bahá'ís around the world were linked together by a live satellite broadcast serving the second Bahá'í World Congress, the nine auxiliary conferences and the Bahá'í World Centre and it was received by those with access to satellite dish antennas. [BINS283:1–5, 8; BINS286:10; BINS287:4]
• For the message of the Universal House of Justice read on the satellite link see BW92–3:37–4.
• For accounts of personal experiences by some of the attendees see In the Eyes of His Beloved Servants: The Second Bahá'í World Congress and Holy Year by J. Michael Kafes.
• The film, 'Abdu'l-Bahá: Mission to America, made by Elizabeth Martin, was prepared for the World Congress program and also used in the Theme Pavilion. [HNWE45]

The establishment of the India Hindi Bahá'í Academy (The Rashtriya Bahá'í Uchcha Shiksha Sansthan) in Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh).
• It was a national institute for higher learning of the Bahá'í Faith.
• There were three courses of study, a three year Advanced Bahá'í Studies course, a two year, post-graduate, Specialised Course and short courses for 3-5 days. The study scheme employed correspondence courses and campus contact, a programme for personal clarifications for the learners' difficulties. Two question papers were also sent to them in each semester.
• The evaluation employed a two fold method: Viva voce examination based on the study materials and practical input in the field of service. Paper presentations, self reflection in the form of stories, songs, pictures, etc., and assignments in the active service of the Faith as well as making formal speeches all form a part of the final evaluation. [Bahá'í India website]

The Supreme Court of India, in judgment to settle a religious dispute between Hindus and Muslims, cited the Bahá'í Faith as an example and the Teachings of the Faith as guidelines for resolving such disputes. [BW94-95p130-131; One Country]

Background: On the 6th of December, 1992, the Babri mosque in the northern town of Ayodhya was razed by a group of Hindus because the mosque, built in 1528, had been erected on the spot where the Hindu deity Rama is said to have been born thousands of years earlier. The destruction enraged Muslims and ignited a grave crisis in India. Muslim and Hindu mobs attacked each other's houses of worship, homes and people in a number of cities, resulting in the death of hundreds and the destruction of property not only in India but in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and even in Britain. [Mess86-01p440]

  The Bahá'í community had issued a statement in English that highlighted a central theme: "Communal Harmony—India's Greatest Challenge." The issue of religious conflict and the importance of harmony and peacebuilding were emphasized. This statement was later translated into most of the official languages of India and distributed to Ministers, bureaucrats, district county workers, the superintendent of police, NGOS, and faith communities.

The judges, in their ruling, quoted from the statement from the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of India Communal Harmony: India's Greatest Challenge. [Mess86-01p441]

• A timeline for the case.

Under the auspices of the ISGP, a colloquium on Science, Religion and Development was held in New Delhi. Considering India's history of development projects since 1947 as well as it's diverse and largely religious population, it was chosen as a testing-ground for developmental theories based the ISGP model. A year-long conversation was held with development thinkers and practitioners on the present state of development thought and practice. Based on what it learned from these interactions, the Institute prepared a concept paper titled Science, Religion and Development: Some Initial Considerations (PDF).
• For more information see the article in One Country. [One Country Vol 12 Issue 3 p11]

The publication of Attaining the Dynamics of Growth: Glimpses from Five Continents by International Teaching Centre. The Universal House of Justice asked the International Teaching Centre to choose one example from each continent of an intensive programme of growth and prepare a document to demonstrate at once the diversity of conditions in which the believers everywhere were labouring and the coherent vision that united them as they advanced the process of entry by troops. The document consisted of five case studies and a closing analysis.

The Preparation for Social Action programme was implemented under the Five Year Plan.

The programme drew on the learning of three decades of experience of FUNDAEC (Fundación para la Aplicación y Enseñanza de las Ciencias), in Columbia. It was an approach to social and economic development that addressed both the material and the spiritual dimensions of human existence. The programme aimed at assisting youth to understand certain concepts, learn a range of relevant facts, and acquire certain qualities, attitudes and skills that would enable them to promote the well-being of their people in fields as diverse as health, education, the environment, secondary production and community organization.

• At the beginning of the Plan, the programme was being implemented in nine countries, Cameroon, Colombia, Costa Rica, India, Kenya, Papua New Guinea, Uganda and Zambia and involved some 1,500 to 3,000 participants. [5YPSumPage94-95]
• For further information see video entitled 2017 Teach For All Global Conference - Grassroots Stirrings in the Preparation for Social Action Program, Colombia
• See the thesis Knowledge Sharing for Community Developement: Educational Benefits at the Community Level through Networks of Knowledge Flow and Communities of Practice by Emily Lample.
• For further information please see Uplifting Words.

Plans were announced that the Universal House of Justice was entering into consultations with respective National Spiritual Assemblies regarding the erection of the first local Houses of Worship in each of the following clusters: Battambang, Cambodia; Bihar Sharif, India; Matunda Soy, Kenya; Norte del Cauca, Colombia; and Tanna, Vanuatu.
• It was announced in the Ridván Message that a Temples Fund was established at the Bahá’í World Centre to support the construction of the two national and five local Mashriqu’l-Adhkárs, as well as other such projects. The friends everywhere are invited to contribute to it sacrificially, as their means allow. [BWNS906; Riḍván 2012 To the Bahá'ís of the World]
• In a message from the Universal House of Justice dated 1 August 2014 it was announced that the Office of Temples and Sites had been created in 2012.

The announcement of the opening of an educational centre at the Bahá'í Lotus Temple. The educational facility, which can accommodate hundreds, will be used to host camps, courses, and seminars for youth and young adults who are involved in efforts to improve their communities. With the opening of the new educational facility, many more will be able to attend these programs than was previously possible.
• Shaheen Javid, General Manager of the House of Worship reported that the Temple, which opened in 1986, received 10,000–15,000 visitors on weekdays and over 35,000 on weekends. [BWNS1234]

Some 80 members of the Continental Boards of Counsellors met for a conference at the Bahá'í World Centre following the 12th International Bahá'í Convention. On that occasion, the Counsellors were able to reflect on major developments in Bahá'í communities around the world. In order to share their experiences some of their stories were recorded and made available via podcasts. The Counsellors discussed the impact of spiritual and moral education programs offered by the Bahá'í community on youth and the communities in which they live, drawing on experiences in Cambodia, Kiribati, India, Norway, Spain, and Timor Leste (or East Timor). [BWNS1264]
• Counsellors in Africa, Alain Pierre Djoulde, Clément Thyrrell Feizouré, Maina Mkandawire, and Judicaël Mokolédiscuss discussed endeavours in the field of education in that continent. [BWNS1269]
• The podcasts can be found here or on SoundCloud.

The design for the local Bahá'í House of Worship to be built in Bihar Sharif was unveiled. (Due to the coronavirus situation, the announcement was made online in lieu of a ceremony that would have marked the historic event.) News of this project was announced in 2012 along with other projects in Battambang, Cambodia; Matunda Soy, Kenya; Norte del Cauca, Colombia; and Tanna, Vanuatu.
• The architectural firm Space Matters of New Delhi was selected and the project was the creation of the founders of the firm, Moulshri Joshi, Amritha Ballal, and Suditya Sinha.
• The design.
• See article in Architecture Live.
  • For an interview with the architects see Surface Magazine (PDF).
• Drawing on patterns found in the Madhubani folk art of Bihar and the region's long architectural heritage, the firm created a design with a repeating pattern of arches. The domed edifice will step up from nine arches at the base, multiplying until each segment appears to merge into a single geometry. Openings at the center of the dome and in each ring of arches will reduce the weight of the ceiling while allowing gentle light to filter in. [BWNS1421]
• Slideshow.

She became a Bahá'í in Montreal in 1956 and married Glen Eyford in 1957. She and Glen served in Iceland and in India. Returning to Canada she served as an Auxiliary Board Member and as chair of the National Spiritual Assembly as well as a number of local and national committees. [BW1995-1996p313]