Rev. Narayan Seshadri Bethel village in Jalna district of Maharashtra Founded by the visionary Narayan Seshadri, Bethel is a unique Christian village that has preserved its distinct identity for over a century. Narayan Seshadri, a Brahmin from Gangakhed, embarked on a journey of education in Pune in 1833. There, he encountered Christianity and was baptized in 1843. In 1866, he was appointed as a Free Church Missionary to Jalna. The Birth of Bethel Inspired by his Christian beliefs, Seshadri envisioned a community where Christians could live and worship freely. In 1870, he established Bethel, a colony of Christian communities, six kilometers from Jalna. The village was built around the Zion Church, with houses arranged in a circular pattern. Support and Recognition Seshadri's achievements caught the attention of Sir Salarjung Jung Bahadur, the chief minister of the Nizam government. Impressed by his work, Bahadur invited Seshadri to the court and bestowed upon him 1,00...
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