The Chakma are the largest Buddhist group in that Muslim-dominated country. The Chakma are not the same as the smaller Chak tribe, who inhabit areas further south.
The Chakma have 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. The Chakma 'continued to acknowledge the suzerainty of the Arakanese king until 1784 '.
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 this is believed to 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 government does little to stop the illegal settlers, and the Chakma have fought back out of frustration as they see their lives being rapidly decimated. In 1987, Amnesty International reported 'arbitrary arrests, torture and unlawful killings' of tribe members by security forces. 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.
According to K S Singh, 'The Chakma are Buddhists and worship Lord Buddha. At the family level they worship deities like Lakshmi and Ganga. The monk, who may be from another Buddhist community, acts as a religious teacher and performs various rites.'
The 1981 census in India recorded 97.62 per cent of the Chakma in Tripura as followers of Buddhism, 2.32 per cent as Hindus and the rest as Christians and Muslims. The 1961 census had returned a higher figure of 99.44 per cent as Buddhists. In Mizoram, 98.83 per cent of Chakma are Buddhists.
In Bangladesh, the Christian presence among the Chakma is scarce, although there are small pockets of believers in scattered villages. Overall, the troubled Chakma people remain an unreached and unevangelized people group. Experiencing turmoil and an uncertain future, they need the inner peace and hope that only faith in Christ can bring.
Pray for Chakma disciples to make more disciples who will make even more disciples.
Pray for Chakma people to have the spiritual hunger it takes to endure persecution and rejection to find their way to the King of kings.
Pray for the Lord to do miracles among them this decade!
Scripture Prayers for the Chakma in Bangladesh.
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 | 534,000 |
Population all Countries | 823,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 2 ● |
Unreached | No |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 3 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | |
People ID | 11293 |
ROP3 Code | 101976 |
ROP25 Code | 301643 |
ROP25 Name | Chakma |
Country | Bangladesh | |||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||
Persecution Rank | 26 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||||||||
Location in Country | More than 430,000 Chakma people inhabit Bangladesh and adjoining areas of northeast India. Approximately 300,000 live in the Chittagong Hills area of southeast Bangladesh, including Chittagong City. Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004 | |||||||||
Total States on file | 7 | |||||||||
Largest States |
|
Country | Bangladesh |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 26 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Location in Country | More than 430,000 Chakma people inhabit Bangladesh and adjoining areas of northeast India. Approximately 300,000 live in the Chittagong Hills area of southeast Bangladesh, including Chittagong City.. Source: Peoples of the Buddhist World, 2004 |
Total States | 7 |
Chittagong 512,000 | |
Sylhet 11,000 | |
Dhaka 8,400 | |
Rangpur 1,400 | |
Rajshahi 500 | |
Khulna 400 | |
Barisal 200 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Buddhism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
86.25 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
7.47 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
6.10 %
|
Islam |
0.13 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.05 %
|
* From latest Bangladesh census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Chakma (527,000 speakers) | |||
Language Code | ccp Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||
Total Languages | 3 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Chakma (527,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ccp Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 3 |
Secondary Languages | |
Chittagonian 6,200 | |
Sylheti 1,000 | |
People Groups | Speaking Chakma |
Primary Language: Chakma
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1924-1955) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1926-2012) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (2021) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Chakma | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
General | Gospel website in this language | General / Other |
General | YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Android Bible app: Chakma | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | iOS Bible app: Chakma | YouVersion Bibles |
Text / Printed Matter | Literacy primer for Chakma | Literacy & Evangelism International |
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. |