The Chamar people are also known as Bhambi, Asadaru, Khalpa, Machigar, Mochi, and Rohit. The origins of the name "chamar" come from their leather work.
The Chamar people live primarily in India's states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar. Smaller numbers live all over India.
In traditional Hinduism, those who deal with "dead" matter are among the low status communities. This is especially true for those who work with leather, which comes from the "holy" cow. The Chamar's main occupation is manufacturing shoes and chappals from finished leather. Chamars are among the largest of the low class communities in the Hindu world and have very low status. This low status in Indian-Hindu tradition makes them undesirable and unworthy of any sort of consideration or provision by society. This translates into frequent joblessness, lack of education and lifelong poverty. Traditional upper caste members would avoid their shadow, though this would be rare today.
Some are engaged in daily-wage labor and petty business. Chamar Women are also involved in agricultural work, animal husbandry and various economic activities.
The Chamar practice monogamy in marriage. Dowry is largely prevalent and is paid in cash. They allow remarriage for widowers but not for the widows. The dead body of a bachelor is buried lying on its back with the head facing the south, whereas others are cremated, and their mortal remains are immersed in sacred water. They offer rice balls to the dead and to ancestors on the tenth day after death.
The religious system is a key part of their identity, leaving no room for Jesus Christ.
The Chamar are Hindu. They belong to the Shiva and Bhagvat sects. Their deities include Bahiroba, Janai, Kandova of Jejori and Bhawani of Tuljapur. They follow the spiritual teachings of Ravidas. Chamars recite mythological tales and sing songs from the religious epics. They celebrate the festivals such as Diwali, Panchami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Kartik, Holi and Hannami.
There is a slightly higher degree of responsiveness to the gospel among the Chamars than among other low class communities. There is a church planting movement underway among Chamars in several districts across India, but they are far from unreached. It will take many workers to get the gospel to all Chamar communities throughout India.
Pray for God to send hundreds of Christian workers among them and meet their spiritual and physical needs.
Pray for the Chamar people to break through the caste barrier and be accepted by other communities.
Pray that these Chamar believers will be salt and light to Chamar communities throughout India.
Pray that church planting will multiply across all Chamar communities.
Scripture Prayers for the Chamar (Hindu traditions) in India.
India Missions Association, Edited by Philipose Vaidyar. Copyrighted © Used with permission
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamar
https://www.encyclopedia.com/humanities/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/chamars
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2008-09-26 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2009-08-03 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2009-08-07 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2009-09-23 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2015-08-26 |
People Name General | Chamar (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Chamar (Hindu traditions) |
Pronunciation |
chah-MAR
|
Alternate Names | Ahirwar; Arya; Asadaro; Asodi; Bagri; Bhambi; Bola; Budhan; Chamadollu; Chamana; Chambada; Chambhar. Moci; Chamehar; Chamling; Changar; Chanial; Charmakar Rishi; Chembadi; Chemidi; Chitrakar; Das; Dhakaro; Dhekaru; Dhusia; Dohar; Dohare; Gangaputrulu; Golia; Haralayya; Harijan; Jaiswar; Jata Chamar; Jatav; Jatia; Jatia Chamar; Khalpa; Kureel; Laskaria Raigar; Lingayat; Machigar; Mehtar; Mochi; Moci; Mocia; Muchia; Muci; Natarlu; Parvatharaja kulam; Raidasi; Raigar; Raighar; Ram; Ramdasi; Raudari; Ravidasi; Regar; Rehgar; Rohit; Ruidas; Shankhwar; Sindhi Jatia; चामर (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 54,787,000 |
Population all Countries | 55,295,000 |
Total Countries | 4 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 3 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1096 |
People ID | 16561 |
ROP3 Code | 111752 |
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 | 31 | |||||||||||||||
Largest States (only 15 largest shown) |
|
|||||||||||||||
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 | 31 (only 20 largest shown) |
Uttar Pradesh 25,583,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 6,228,000 | |
Bihar 5,588,000 | |
Rajasthan 2,803,000 | |
Haryana 2,731,000 | |
Maharashtra 1,658,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 1,457,000 | |
West Bengal 1,308,000 | |
Gujarat 1,243,000 | |
Delhi 1,203,000 | |
Jharkhand 994,000 | |
Karnataka 712,000 | |
Punjab 686,000 | |
Uttarakhand 632,000 | |
Himachal Pradesh 508,000 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.54 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
1.21 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
98.25 %
|
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 (32,646,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 59 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (32,646,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 59 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Bhojpuri 3,766,000 | |
Awadhi 1,024,000 | |
Gujarati 912,000 | |
Bengali 851,000 | |
Chhattisgarhi 787,000 | |
Kanauji 762,000 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 734,000 | |
Marathi 695,000 | |
Kannada 516,000 | |
Bundeli 400,000 | |
Maithili 361,000 | |
Dhundari 316,000 | |
Haryanvi 308,000 | |
Marwari 184,000 | |
Garhwali 181,000 | |
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 data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |