The Jesuit mission to the north of India can be traced to as early as 1580 A.D. In the year
1579, Emperor Akbar invited Jesuits from Goa to visit his court to get Catholic debaters for
an interfaith forum held regularly in Akbar’s palace at Fatehpur Sikri. The first Jesuits,
arrived at the Mughal court in 1580, and the Mughal mission, which lasted with two
interruptions till 1773, was in the initial stages directed by two accomplished missionaries in
the Jesuit’s first century, Rudolfo Aquaviva (1550-83) and Fr. Jerome Xavier (1549-1617),
the grandnephew of St. Francis Xavier.
Approximately a century and a half after their arrival at Fatehpur Sikri, the Jesuits made
inroads into Rajasthan. They first came to Jaipur in 1729 at the invitation of Maharaja Sawai
Jai Singh II, in order to help him set up an astronomical observatory known as Jantar Mantar
at his then new capital of Jaipur.
The Jesuits came back to Jaipur in 1941, the 400th anniversary year of St. Francis Xavier’s
arrival to India, at the invitation of the Ajmer Bishop and Mirza Ismail, the then prime
minister of Jaipur. The bishop offered them St. Mary’s School at Ghat Gate, which was
started in 1941 by Fr. Ignatius OFM, Captain under the patronage of the Bishop of Ajmer.
Later, in 1945, the school was shifted to its present site under a new name—St.Xavier’s
School. Ever since, the school has educated thousands of students who have exceled in life by
holding key positions in every walk of life not only in Rajasthan but all over India and even
abroad.
The Jaipur Xavier Educational Association (JXEA) was established in 1950, as a trust
managed by the Jesuits. In 2006 Xavier Vocational Institute (XVI) was started in Jaipur to
give vocational training to the economically weaker sections of society. In 2010, JXEA in
collaboration with its Alumni and well-wishers, launched the Higher Education Programme
by starting St. Xavier’s College, Jaipur, affiliated to the University of Rajasthan, Jaipur. It is
established and maintained by the members of the Delhi Province of the Society of Jesus.
Xavier’s Research and Publication Cell (XRPC)
The Jaipur Xavier Educational Association (JXEA) in its endeavour to promote Higher
Education has established Xavier’s Research and Publication Cell (XRPC) in St. Xavier’s
College Jaipur for promoting quality research work, innovation, lateral, critical and analytical
thinking, in various disciplines.
JXEA believes in encouraging excellence in the field of higher education and research and
therefore establishment of XRPC plays an instrumental role in developing critical temper and
scientific outlook. XRPC follows the process of Peer Review for all its publication to ensure
that only quality work that is original, creative, ground breaking, innovative and progressive
is encouraged and upheld by the college.
