The Right Reverend Sister[1] Eggoni Pushpa Lalitha (born 1956)[1] is the Bishop of the Nandyal Diocese of the Church of South India. She is the first woman to become a Bishop in Church of South India.[4]
The Church of South India, part of the Anglican Communion,[5] created history when then Moderator, G. Devakadasham and Deputy Moderator G. Dyvasirvadam consecrated Pushpa Lalitha in 2013[6] making a woman Reverend become a Bishop. Pushpa Lalitha is a member of the CSI Order of Sisters headquartered in Bangalore and although she is the first woman to be consecrated as Bishop of Church of South India, the first woman to be consecrated Bishop in any church in Asia was A. Katakshamma[7] of the Good Samaritan Evangelical Lutheran Church, Bhadrachalam. The first ordained woman priest in India is Sr. Elizabeth Paul, also of the CSI Order of Sisters.
Eggoni Pushpa Lalitha was born to a family of agriculturists in Diguvapadu[3] village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. She acknowledges the influence of the Protestant and Catholic Missionaries[3] who lead a selfless life and she very much wanted to lead such a life and became a member of the CSI Order of Sisters.