The Kharia have gotras (clans) such as Shendilya, Kashyap and Bharadwaj. They are also known as Lewa Patil. They speak the Marathi and Telegu languages and use the Devanagari script. A few of them also speak Hindi. The Kharia (Lewa Kunbi) people live in the Western Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. A smaller number are in Bangladesh.
The Kharia men are non-vegetarian, but their women are vegetarian. Jowar is their staple cereal, and they eat rice occasionally. The economy of the Lewa Kunbi is mainly based on agriculture. They either cultivate their own land or work for others on a share-cropping basis. They participate in the local weekly markets. The problem of alcoholism is prevalent among the men. Five percent of the Kharia population is color blind. The Kharia usually have monogamous marriages, between one man and one woman. The women contribute to the family economy as wage earners and take part in socio-religious activities. During weddings, the perform rituals at the bride and groom's residences. These marriage rituals include the thread wearing ceremony, the exchange of garlands and circumambulating the sacred fire seven times. The Kharia have an association which looks after the socio-economic development of the community.
The Kharia worship both family and village deities. The Brahmin officiates as a priest at their rituals. Their traditional customs prevent them from exchanging water and cooked food with certain communities. They worship their ancestors. They love to celebrate the Hindu festival, Diwali. They cremate the dead and observe death pollution for ten days.
The Kharia people need to address the issue of alcoholism, especially among the men. This problem drains families of needed resources and greatly harms the father's role as breadwinner and head of the household.
For the salvation of the Kharia people and that God may send several disciplers to work among them and meet their spiritual and physical needs. Pray that the Kharia people may be freed from alcoholism, ancestors' worship, color-blindness, and be able to accept all the communities without caste prejudice. Pray for the Lord to send dreams to their elders, opening their community to the transforming work of Jesus.
Scripture Prayers for the Kharia in Bangladesh.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Kharia |
People Name in Country | Kharia |
Alternate Names | Haria; Khaire Kunbi; Kharvi; Kulu; Kunbi; खारिया |
Population this Country | 23,000 |
Population all Countries | 926,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 17153 |
ROP3 Code | 112503 |
Country | Bangladesh | ||||||
Region | Asia, South | ||||||
Continent | Asia | ||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||||||
National Bible Society | Website | ||||||
Persecution Rank | 30 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||||||
Total States on file | 6 | ||||||
Largest States |
|
Country | Bangladesh |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 30 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 6 |
Sylhet 16,000 | |
Chittagong 3,800 | |
Rangpur 2,900 | |
Rajshahi 100 | |
Dhaka 100 | |
Barisal 40 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
1.17 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
97.37 %
|
Islam |
0.22 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
1.24 %
|
* From latest Bangladesh census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Sylheti (14,000 speakers) | |||
Language Code | syl Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||
Total Languages | 3 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Sylheti (14,000 speakers) |
Language Code | syl Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 3 |
Secondary Languages | |
Bengali 6,000 | |
Chittagonian 300 | |
People Groups | Speaking Sylheti |
Primary Language: Sylheti
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1993) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (2014) |
Bible-Complete | No |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Film / Video | God's Story video | God's Story |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Sylheti | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels | Bible Media Group/LUMO |
Film / Video | My Last Day video, anime | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text, audio, video | Faith Comes by Hearing |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
General | YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | Android Bible app: Sylheti | YouVersion Bibles |
Mobile App | iOS Bible app: Sylheti | YouVersion Bibles |
Photo Source | Ramesh Lalwani - Flickr Creative Commons |
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. |