Bellara in India

The Bellara have only been reported in India
Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.

Introduction / History

The Bellara are a community of basket weavers, most of whom live in India's southern state of Karnataka. At home they speak their own dialect of Kannada, the language of this state. Publicly they speak standard Kannada.


What Are Their Lives Like?

They eat pork, which is rare for Hindus. Some of them have received cultivable land from the Indian government for farming, but most of them remain basket weavers.


What Are Their Beliefs?

Their form of Hinduism focuses on spirit worship. They also worship village and regional deities. Their priests are sometimes chosen from their own community, though they also rely on the Brahmins to perform priestly duties. There are few if any from the Bellara people who follow the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. There are many good Christian resources in the Kannada language, but the Bellara suffer from illiteracy.


What Are Their Needs?

The Bellara people need the blessings of Jesus Christ, so they can live life to the full. As it stands, they are dependent on the spirit world, and gods that they bargain with. They need the father of light.


Prayer Points

Pray for audio materials to be made widely available in Bellara communities.

Pray for Indian believers who speak Kannada to produce songs, skits and stories about Jesus for this Hindu community.

Pray that soon there will be a strong, multiplying fellowship of Bellara believers.


Scripture Prayers for the Bellara in India.


References

Some information from "The Scheduled Castes" K. S. Singh, ed. Oxford University Press, USA (1994)


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Bellara
People Name in Country Bellara
Alternate Names बेल्लारा
Population this Country 1,800
Population all Countries 1,800
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 16377
ROP3 Code 111519
ROP25 Code 301056
ROP25 Name Bellara
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
Karnataka
1,500
Kerala
200
Goa
90
Andhra Pradesh
70
Tamil Nadu
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
  Karnataka 1,500
  Kerala 200
  Goa 90
  Andhra Pradesh 70
  Tamil Nadu 30
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
100.00 %
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 Kannada (1,000 speakers)
Language Code kan   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 4
Secondary Languages
Konkani, Goan
500
Malayalam
70
Telugu
Primary Language Kannada (1,000 speakers)
Language Code kan   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 4
Secondary Languages
  Konkani, Goan 500
  Malayalam 70
  Telugu
People Groups Speaking Kannada

Primary Language:  Kannada

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1812-1988)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1823-2023)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1827-2023)
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 Love letter to you from scripture Father's Love Letter
Audio Recordings Online Scripture / Bible General / Other
Audio Recordings Oral Bible stories One Story
Audio Recordings Oral Bible stories Story Runners
Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Following Jesus video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Kannada Jesus Film Project
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video My Last Day video, anime Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Story of Jesus for Children Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Biblical answers to your questions Got Questions Ministry
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 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 Four Spiritual Laws Campus Crusade for Christ
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
General Zume Resources Zume Project
General Zume Training Zume Project
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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