Chakma in India


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* Data can be from various sources including official census, agencies, and local research. Data from these sources can sometimes differ even by orders of magnitude. Joshua Project attempts to present a conservative, balanced estimate.

Introduction / History

The Chakma are not the same as the smaller Chak tribe, who live south of them. The Chakma inhabited the Chittagong Hill Tracts since long before the region became part of the Mughal empire in 1666. Buddhism flourished in Bangladesh from the 5th to 12th centuries. Since the 13th century, Buddhism has been confined to the Chittagong area. Chakma people inhabit Bangladesh and adjoining areas of northeast India. In India the Chakma are a scheduled (official) tribe that lives in the northeastern states near Bangladesh.


What Are Their Lives Like?

In Bangladesh they have long found themselves at odds with the predominantly Muslim Bengalis. The construction of the Kaptai Dam in the 1960s caused 18,000 Chakma people to lose their homes, and that may be the origin of the present problems. Since the mid-1970s the Chakma have been involved in a secretive guerilla war against Bangladeshi soldiers. The fighting stems from the influx of large numbers of Bengali settlers, who have moved into the Chittagong area and taken over Chakma land by force. The Bengali government does little to stop the illegal settlers, and the Chakma have fought back out of frustration as they see their lives being rapidly destroyed. Thousands of Chakma have been killed, hundreds of women and girls raped, and Buddhist temples smashed and looted. Tens of thousands of Chakma refugees have fled across the border into India. The Chakma people live in a part of India where there are believers nearby, and not just any believers, but people who follow Christ with all their hearts.


The Chakma people live in a part of India where there are believers nearby, and not just any believers, but people who follow Christ with all their hearts
What Are Their Beliefs?

The Chakma are officially Buddhists, but at the family level they worship Hindu deities like Lakshmi and Ganga. Buddhist monks from other Buddhist communities, act as religious teachers and performs Buddhist rites.

According to the India Missions Association, 7,275 Chakma in India are Christians. Overall, the troubled Chakma people remain an unreached and unevangelized people group.


What Are Their Needs?

The Chakma people in India need a safe place to make a living and raise families. They need protection from those who want to do them harm. Experiencing turmoil and an uncertain future, they need the inner peace and hope that only faith in Christ can bring.


Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to provide justice, mercy and salvation to the Chakma people in India.

Pray that the trauma they face will make them look to the sovereign Lord for protection.

Pray for the Lord to thrust out workers to the Chakma people in Bangladesh and India.


Scripture Prayers for the Chakma in India.


References

Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Chakma
People Name in Country Chakma
Pronunciation CHAHK-mah
Alternate Names Chakama; Chawngma; Daingnet; Doingnak; Thet; Tsak; चागमा
Population this Country 247,000
Population all Countries 816,000
Total Countries 3
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 4  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 5
PeopleID3 11293
ROP3 Code 101976
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States on file 9
Largest States
Mizoram
109,000
Tripura
105,000
Assam
22,000
Arunachal Pradesh
8,700
Meghalaya
1,200
West Bengal
500
Delhi
100
Nagaland
50
Uttar Pradesh
30
Districts Interactive map, listing and data download
Specialized Website South Asia Peoples
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 9
  Mizoram 109,000
  Tripura 105,000
  Assam 22,000
  Arunachal Pradesh 8,700
  Meghalaya 1,200
  West Bengal 500
  Delhi 100
  Nagaland 50
  Uttar Pradesh 30
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Buddhism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
82.67 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
4.89 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
11.94 %
Islam
0.14 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.15 %
Unknown
0.21 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Chakma (125,000 speakers)
Language Code ccp   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 48
Secondary Languages
(only 15 largest shown)
Bengali
54,000
Kok Borok
23,000
Darlong
8,500
Mizo
3,000
Assamese
1,900
Khasi
600
Chin, Paite
400
Mara: Lakher
300
Hindi
300
Chin, Hakha
200
Santhali
200
Garo
100
Naga, Konyak
100
Nepali
90
Magahi
80
Primary Language Chakma (125,000 speakers)
Language Code ccp   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 48
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown)
  Bengali 54,000
  Kok Borok 23,000
  Darlong 8,500
  Mizo 3,000
  Assamese 1,900
  Khasi 600
  Chin, Paite 400
  Mara: Lakher 300
  Hindi 300
  Chin, Hakha 200
  Santhali 200
  Garo 100
  Naga, Konyak 100
  Nepali 90
  Magahi 80
People Groups Speaking Chakma
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Kerry Olson  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source Anonymous  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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