During the British period the Bairagi were known as priests, rulers and landowners. As Brahmins, the Bairagi are the highest caste in the Hindu system. Many Bairagi men serve are priests and teachers of Hinduism to the lower castes.
The first language of the Bairagi is Hindi. As an educated people, they also speak English and the local languages where they live.
Many resources are available in Hindi including a complete Bible, the JESUS Film and radio programs. There are few if any known Bairagi believers.
The Bairagi people live throughout India. Smaller groups live in Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan.
Brahmins are the keepers of Hinduism. When one of the three lower castes has a wedding, funeral, or birth, they hire the services of a Brahmin priest to officiate the ceremonies. The Bairagi own land which is frequently worked by lower castes.
Parents strongly encourage their sons to attend university while their daughters might only have a primary or secondary education. Many Bairgai women stay home, rear children and take care of domestic concerns.
Marriage to one person is the norm. Families and young people choose their spouses. Bairagi marry within their group or with other Brahmins. Besides working as priests, Bairagi work in the professions, in government and in finance. Many prominent gurus, religious leaders and politicians in Indian history have been Bairagi.
A mark (tilak) on the forehead and ear are identification marks of the Brahmin Bairagi.
The Bairagi people practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. Hinduism is a catch-all phrase for the local religions of South Asia, so it is very diverse. A proper Bairagi is one whose principal deity is either the preserver god Vishnu or any of his incarnations, like Rama and Krishna. They worship Gouranga as their family deity.
At the popular level, Hindus worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. They visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers, and incense to their gods in hopes of gaining protection and benefits. They do not have a personal or familial relationship with their gods as Christians do. There are other Hindus who are much more philosophical, especially among Brahmins like the Bairagi.
Almost all Hindus participate in yearly celebrations like Holi, the festival of colors and the start of spring / Diwali, the festival of lights / Navratri, the celebration of autumn / and Rama Navami, Rama's birthday.
The spiritual pride of the Brahmins can often keep them from coming to Christ. To follow Christ is to risk disturbing family harmony within this Hindu community. Much sustained, focused prayer is needed to prepare the hearts of the Bairagi community to understand and receive the good news of Jesus of Nazareth.
Ask the Lord to send Holy Spirit anointed workers to the Bairagi.
Ask the Lord to create a spiritual hunger among the Bairagi and that they might read the Hindi Bible and tune in to radio programs.
Pray that the Lord raises up a growing church among the Bairagi in this decade.
Pray for the Hindu Bairagi community to make schooling for both boys and girls a priority.
Scripture Prayers for the Bairagi (Hindu traditions) in India.
https://en.bharatpedia.org/wiki/Bairagi_(caste)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bairagi_Brahmin_(caste)
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2009-08-29 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2012-09-07 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2018-09-10 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2020-05-14 |
People Name General | Bairagi (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Bairagi (Hindu traditions) |
Pronunciation |
bay-RAH-ghee
|
Alternate Names | Atit; Babaji; Bairagi; Bairagi Bawa; Bairagi Bostom; Baishnab; Bava; Bavaji; Bhat Brahman; Bhat Brahmin; Boishnavo; Boslom; Bostom; Byragi; Pantaram; Rajpur; Rajput; Ramat; Sadh; Sadhayo; Sadhu; Sanyasi; Shammu; Siddh; Thakur; Udasi; Vairagi; Vairava; Veetasaiva; Vidhi; Vira Saivar; Virasaiva Lingayat; Virasaivar; Vitasaiva; Yogiswaram; बैरागी (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 4,203,000 |
Population all Countries | 4,708,000 |
Total Countries | 4 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 84 |
People ID | 16297 |
ROP3 Code | 111424 |
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 | 28 | |||||||||||||||
Largest States (only 15 largest shown) |
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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 | 28 (only 20 largest shown) |
West Bengal 1,421,000 | |
Rajasthan 637,000 | |
Gujarat 458,000 | |
Bihar 275,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 271,000 | |
Uttar Pradesh 206,000 | |
Maharashtra 191,000 | |
Odisha 156,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 154,000 | |
Punjab 138,000 | |
Kerala 74,000 | |
Jharkhand 64,000 | |
Tamil Nadu 31,000 | |
Jammu and Kashmir 11,000 | |
Uttarakhand 9,100 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.02 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.98 %
|
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 | Hindi (1,148,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 49 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (1,148,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 49 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Bengali 1,089,000 | |
Gujarati 342,000 | |
Marwari 117,000 | |
Odia 115,000 | |
Bhojpuri 104,000 | |
Chhattisgarhi 82,000 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 72,000 | |
Marathi 69,000 | |
Dhundari 59,000 | |
Malayalam 54,000 | |
Mewari 53,000 | |
Shekhawati 31,000 | |
Telugu 24,000 | |
Tamil 20,000 | |
Bagri 18,000 | |
People Groups | Speaking Hindi |
Primary Language: Hindi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1806-1962) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1811-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1818-2022) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Anonymous |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |