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.
People from all different communities come together to celebrate Buddhist festivals and holidays, which creates good unity and relationships between them.
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.
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.
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 | 4,000 |
Population all Countries | 4,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 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 |
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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 | 5 |
Assam 3,500 | |
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 (2,800 speakers) | |||
Language Code | sip Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Unknown | |||
Total Languages | 3 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Sikkimese (2,800 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 © 2023 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. |