The Kahar or Kahal people have several stories about the deriving of their name. Some anthropologists say the name comes from the combination of the words kandh, meaning "shoulder" and ahar, meaning "food." Their traditional work has been as palanquin (a seat carried between poles on the shoulder) or water carriers. Palanquins were for carrying "important" people in comfort. It seems likely that this caste is a remnant of one of the people groups who occupied the valley of the Ganges before the coming of the Aryans.
The Brahmin are their sacred priests. One of the main ceremonies associated with marriage is to circle the sacred fire seven times. In villages some are engaged in carrying water for high-ranking communities in the event of marriage, death and other occasions.
The worldview of the Kahar is very different than the biblical worldview. For example, they have no concept of resurrection, a key belief for Christ followers.
The Kahar 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. 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 like Christians or Jews. There are other Hindus who are much more philosophical, especially among the Brahmins.
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 worldview of the Kahar is very different than the biblical worldview. They need people, grounded in scripture, to teach them the ways of Jesus.
Pray for the Kahar culture to be renewed and enhanced by a work of the Holy Spirit and shaped into a God-centered and God-honoring mold.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to move among their family and community leaders to seek his face and enjoy his blessings.
Pray for the Lord to thrust out workers who will be compelled to nurture a disciple making movement among the Kahar people.
Pray that soon the Kahar people will have faith that will lead them to live honorable lives that will draw others to the savior.
Scripture Prayers for the Kahar (Hindu traditions) in India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kahar
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2017-10-19 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2020-03-07 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2020-09-02 |
People Name General | Kahar (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Kahar (Hindu traditions) |
Pronunciation |
kah-HAR
|
Alternate Names | Bundeli Bhoi; Chandrabansi; Chandravmsam; Dheemar; Dhimar; Dhuriya; Guria; Guriya; Jheemar; Jhimar; Jhinwar; Kahar Bhoi; Kahrar; Kamkar; Kashyap Rajput; Keer; Kir; Mallah; Mallan; Mehra; Nikhad; Nishad; Raj Bhoi; Ramani; Rawani; कहर (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 9,759,000 |
Population all Countries | 9,900,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 195 |
People ID | 17044 |
ROP3 Code | 112380 |
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 | 23 | |||||||||||||||
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 | 23 (only 20 largest shown) |
Uttar Pradesh 5,260,000 | |
Bihar 2,446,000 | |
Jharkhand 542,000 | |
West Bengal 438,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 315,000 | |
Haryana 183,000 | |
Uttarakhand 149,000 | |
Punjab 105,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 50,000 | |
Rajasthan 32,000 | |
Maharashtra 30,000 | |
Himachal Pradesh 19,000 | |
Odisha 14,000 | |
Delhi 12,000 | |
Chandigarh 10,000 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.01 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.99 %
|
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 (5,185,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 43 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (5,185,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 43 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Bhojpuri 1,194,000 | |
Magahi 424,000 | |
Awadhi 384,000 | |
Bengali 317,000 | |
Kanauji 227,000 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 87,000 | |
Maithili 76,000 | |
Chhattisgarhi 36,000 | |
Garhwali 31,000 | |
Bundeli 28,000 | |
Malvi 22,000 | |
Bagheli 21,000 | |
Angika 18,000 | |
Marathi 16,000 | |
Haryanvi 15,000 | |
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. |