Tibetan Bhotia in India

The Tibetan Bhotia have only been reported 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 Tibetan Bhotia are among the most complicated Buddhist groups. This is a generic term for several groups of people inhabiting the ranges along the snowy peaks of the Himalayas. The Indian government has granted scheduled tribe status to the Bhotia tribe.

The term Bhotia comes from Bhot, or Bod, the traditional name for people of Tibetan origin. The groups combined by the Indian authorities include many different ethnicities and languages, ranging from Jammu and Kashmir in north-west India all the way across to Arunachal Pradesh in north-east India. They live in hilly terrain, of high altitude and cold climate, where there is high rainfall with medium snowfall and high humidity with dense forests. A migrant community has moved down into the Darjeeling District of West Bengal.


What Are Their Lives Like?

People from all different communities come together to celebrate Buddhist festivals and holidays, which creates good unity and relationships between them.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Being of Tibetan origin, it is not surprising that the Bhotia people strongly believe in Tibetan Buddhism. This is a form of Buddhism which is blended with bon, a form of shamanism involving the occult worship and practices.

Sikkimese Christians live inside Sikkim, while others live in the heavily-evangelized Darjeeling area in West Bengal. Some of those who have decided to follow Christ have been excommunicated from their villages. They can be used of God to reach the Bhotia people.


What Are Their Needs?


Prayer Points

Pray for them to understand and respond to Christ as the only answer for their spiritual needs.

Pray God will have mercy on the Tibetan Bhotia doing whatever it takes to place them in a position to receive him.

Ask God to open the hearts of the Tibetan Bhotia to the gospel.

Pray for an unstoppable movement to Christ among them.


Scripture Prayers for the Bhotia Tibetan in India.


References

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


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Bhotia Tibetan
People Name in Country Bhotia Tibetan
Natural Name Tibetan Bhotia
Pronunciation ti-BEH-ten BOH-tee-ah
Alternate Names Bhotia of Tibet; भोटिया, बुद्धिस्ट टिबेटन
Population this Country 3,500
Population all Countries 3,500
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 16451
ROP3 Code 111612
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 5
Largest States
Assam
3,100
Mizoram
200
Nagaland
200
Meghalaya
100
West Bengal
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 5
  Assam 3,100
  Mizoram 200
  Nagaland 200
  Meghalaya 100
  West Bengal 30
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Buddhism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
100.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Sikkimese (2,600 speakers)
Language Code sip   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Unknown
Total Languages 3
Secondary Languages
Tibetan, Central
400
Bengali
200
Primary Language Sikkimese (2,600 speakers)
Language Code sip   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 3
Secondary Languages
  Tibetan, Central 400
  Bengali 200
People Groups Speaking Sikkimese

Primary Language:  Sikkimese

Bible Translation Status:  Unspecified

Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  Create International  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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