The old Indian man slowly straightens up from his bowed position as his young grandson waits impatiently. It is the first time the boy has been allowed to accompany the older boys and men to the river, and he is eager to begin. But first they must bow to the washing stone. As their ancestors before them, they earn their meager living by washing clothes for the higher castes. They are Dhobis, one of India's Dalit communities, formerly known as "untouchables." Their diet is mostly vegetables and grains, with an occasional bit of meat.
When a Dhobi girl marries, her dowry usually contains just a few items, but almost always an iron. After the men wash the customers' clothes, the women iron them and keep the money they earn to pay for household expenses. Mothers teach the girls to iron at an early age, and boys help their fathers by washing the smaller articles of clothing and by delivering packages of clean clothes to their owners.
Most of the Dhobis follow popular Hinduism and worship local gods as well as the washing stones. The vast majority of these Dalits remain Hindu, but they have contact with other communities.
* Scripture Prayers for the Dhobi (Hindu traditions) in Bangladesh.
* Pray that the Dhobi people will hear the gospel and discover that Jesus Christ can wash away their sins.
* Pray that believers will tactfully share gospel recordings and play Christian radio broadcasts for Dhobi Hindus.
* Pray that the Holy Spirit will give faith to the Dhobis.
Profile Source: Global Prayer Digest |
People Name General | Dhobi (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Dhobi (Hindu traditions) |
World Population | 12,516,200 |
Total Countries | 5 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 4 |
Alternate Names | Agasa, Agasaru, Agheria, Bana, Batham, Bhai, Chakala, Chakali, Chakka, Chandbar, Charhoya, Chasa, Chasa Dhoba, Chauhan-Bhatti, Chawla, Chhimba, Darhi, Dharhiadu, Dharhiannan, Dharhiannari, Dhob, Dhoba, Dhobi, Dhopa, Dhopi, Dhupi, Hawari, Jada, Khurdanai, Madivala, Madiwal, Madiyal, Madiyali, Madvali, Madwai, Modiyal, Monson, Nurang, Oddelu, Oddollu, Oriya Chakali, Oriyavallu, Pak, Parit, Prasad Dhobi, Qasab, Raipal, Rajak, Rajaka, Rajakha, Rajpar, Rajput Dhobi, Rajukula, Ram Dhobi, Ramdu, Ranghi, Rathor, Sabhasundar, Sakala, SakalaDarhi, Sakalavadu, Sat-Chasi, Shaheri, Sharma, Sheheri Hindu, Shuklabaidya, Shukladas, Sukladas, Suklavaidya, Tanwar, Tasha, Togata, Tsakala, Vadde Chakali, Vannan, Vannari, Varetha, Varitha, Vattakkadan, Warathi, Watts, धोबी (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स) |
People ID | 16709 |
ROP3 Code | 111944 |
Country | Bangladesh | |||||||||
Region | South Asia | |||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||
Persecution Rank | 48 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||||||||
Total States on file | 7 | |||||||||
Largest States |
|
|||||||||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | Bangladesh |
Region | South Asia |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 48 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 7 |
Chittagong 70,000 | |
Dhaka 55,000 | |
Barisal 36,000 | |
Sylhet 12,000 | |
Khulna 9,400 | |
Rajshahi 7,900 | |
Rangpur 2,500 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Language | Bengali (158,000 speakers) | ||||||
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing | ||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||
Total Languages | 5 | ||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Bengali (158,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 5 |
Secondary Languages | |
Sylheti 9,300 | |
Chittagonian 1,400 | |
Tippera 400 | |
Bishnupuriya 30 | |
People Groups | Speaking Bengali |
Primary Language: Bengali
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1800-1980) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1801-1984) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1809-2000) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Bible-NT Text | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
World Bibles |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching (GRN) |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament - Bangla Version (FCBH) |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament - Mussolmani Version (FCBH) |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament- Common Version (FCBH) |
Audio Recordings | Online Scripture (Talking Bibles) |
Audio Recordings | Oral Bible stories in Bengali |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio (Jesus Film Project) |
Film / Video | Following Jesus (India, JF Project) |
Film / Video | God's Story Video |
Film / Video | I Am Guilty (Indigitube.tv) |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Bengali |
Film / Video | Magdalena (Jesus Film Project) |
Film / Video | My Last Day (Jesus Film Project Anime) |
Film / Video | Rivka (Jesus Film Project) |
Film / Video | Story of Jesus for Children (JF Project) |
Film / Video | The Burning Heart (Indigitube.tv) |
Film / Video | The Prophets Story (Indigitube.tv) |
General | Bible Visuals |
General | Four Spiritual Laws |
General | God's Simple Plan |
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 %
|
Photo Source | Joshua Project |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Global Prayer Digest |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |
* Religion Values | From latest Bangladesh census data. Current values may differ. |