Introduction / History

The Karwal people claim to have Rajput origins. Their name is derived from the word karol, meaning sickle, which is associated with their traditional occupation of hunting.

Where Are they Located?

Though they may have originated in Rajasthan, today they live in Uttar Pradesh.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The Karwal people have monogamous marriages which are officiated by Brahmin priests. They marry as adults. Their women are restricted to traditional household jobs, though they contribute to the family income.

Their men work as government employees, weavers, or agricultural workers, though a good number of them distill liquor for a living.

Traditional councils regulate their social affairs at the village level. This council is lead by someone who is elected by a voice vote. Social problems related to adultery, divorce, and inter-family disputes can lead to offenders being given physical punishment or excommunicated.

The Karwal people have their own folk-tales. Women sing folk songs at special occasions of birth and marriage and during Holi.
They are favorable to formal education, and their boys sometimes even achieve a college education. Their girls, however, have a low literacy rate.

Though they live in villages, the Karwal people have contact with the rest of the world through radio and cinema. They use the public roads and railroads to move about.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Karwal people are 100 Hindu. They worship Durga and Kali as family deities and Ram as a village deity.

What Are Their Needs?

On a spiritual level, they need to hear the gospel. This is difficult since they live in a part of India where only one in 1,000 professes Christ.

Prayer Points

* Pray for the Karwal people to be introduced to Jesus through Christian radio broadcasts, the JESUS Film, and through Christ's ambassadors.

* Pray for Christians to provide them with girl's schools.