Governor of Louisiana Bobby Jindal addressed thousands of evangelical Christians at a prayer rally in Louisiana on Saturday, where he called for a "spiritual revival" in the United States.

Jindal, who is a potential candidate for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, missed joining a number of other Republican hopefuls at an event in Iowa, the Washington Post reports.

The rally, described as a 'global prayer rally for a nation in crisis', was hosted by the controversial American Family Association at Louisiana State University (LSU).

In his 15-minute speech Jindal said: "We can't just elect a candidate to fix what ails our country. We can't just pass a law to fix what ails our country. We need a spiritual revival to fix what ails our country."

Jindal was raised by Hindu parents but converted to Catholicism, and now describes himself as an evangelical Catholic.

In his address Jindal described his personal journey to faith, and said it was a religious event, not a political one. But the Associated Press reports that Jindal has held a number of meetings with Christian leaders in Iowa and New Hampshire, in the hope of securing the support of the Christian right.

He told the largely Protestant evangelical congregation about his gradual conversion, saying that a high school friend had bought him a Bible for Christmas one year, the Guardian reports.

Another significant moment, Jindal said, was a conversation he had with a "pretty girl" at school who said she wanted to become a Supreme Court justice in order to overturn Roe v Wade, a landmark ruling on abortion rights. He said he was inspired by her conviction.

But the actual moment of his conversion came some time later when he saw a film about the crucifixion that was screened in the LSU chapel.

"God chose that moment to hit me harder than I've ever been hit before" Jindal said.

"Never in a million years did I think 27 years later I'd be back on the LSU campus as the governor of this great state calling for a spiritual revival for Baton Rouge, for Louisiana, for the United States."

Jindal encouraged those gathered to share their faith with those they meet as his friends had with him.

"Let's all go plant those seeds of the gospel," he said "Share the good news with all whom we encounter."

Protesters gathered outside the prayer event in response to the American Family Association's stance on homosexuality and non-Christians.

Jindal was heavily criticised in Britain this week after he said that there were "no-go zones" in London and other Western cities where non-Muslims were not welcome.