Kol in India
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In the colonial period, the word kol acquired a pejorative connotation. It became a synonym for the savage, the lowly, those performing menial jobs, the militant and the aggressive. The highest concentration of the Kol people is in Central India. Others are scattered throughout India, but a smaller number are further east in Bangladesh.
In some regions, their traditional and present-day occupation is the collecting and selling fuel of wood and leaves from forest and wage labor.
They worship family deities like Birmidevi and Simoridevi, village deities, and regional deities.
An animistic, polytheistic worldview is an obstacle to faith in Christ, but not an insurmountable obstacle. Many workers are needed to carry the good news about Christ to the several language groups within the Kol community.
There are a few followers of Christ among the Kol community. Pray they will experience Christ's love that surpasses knowledge. Pray the Kol community will increasingly hunger to know the creator God. Pray for people of faith to demonstrate to the Kol the power of Jesus to free them from bondage to the deities they serve.
Scripture Prayers for the Kol in India.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
| Other PDF Profile |
| Global Prayer Digest: 2009-11-01 |
| Global Prayer Digest: 2020-02-26 |
| People Name General | Kol |
| People Name in Country | Kol |
| Pronunciation | kohl |
| Alternate Names | Gonthiya; Kolari; Kole; Kolian; Rautia; कॉल |
| Population this Country | 2,102,000 |
| Population all Countries | 2,105,000 |
| Total Countries | 2 |
| Indigenous | Yes |
| Progress Scale | 1 ● |
| Unreached | Yes |
| Frontier People Group | Yes |
| GSEC | 2 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
| Pioneer Workers Needed | 42 |
| People ID | 17239 |
| ROP3 Code | 112607 |
| 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 | 16 | |||||||||||||||
| 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 | 16 |
| Madhya Pradesh 1,373,000 | |
| Uttar Pradesh 477,000 | |
| West Bengal 83,000 | |
| Jharkhand 64,000 | |
| Chhattisgarh 25,000 | |
| Uttarakhand 14,000 | |
| Bihar 13,000 | |
| Maharashtra 8,100 | |
| Odisha 4,800 | |
| Assam 4,300 | |
| Tripura 1,300 | |
| Rajasthan 400 | |
| Andaman and Nicobar 300 | |
| Delhi 200 | |
| Goa 30 | |
| Website | South Asia Peoples |
| Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
| Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
|---|---|
| Buddhism |
0.02 %
|
| Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.06 %
|
| Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
| Hinduism |
99.27 %
|
| Islam |
0.16 %
|
| Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
| Other / Small |
0.02 %
|
| Unknown |
0.47 %
|
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
|
| Primary Language | Hindi (1,476,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
| Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
| Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
| Total Languages | 34 | |||||||||||||||
| Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
| Primary Language | Hindi (1,476,000 speakers) |
| Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
| Total Languages | 34 |
| Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
| Bengali 67,000 | |
| Bhojpuri 64,000 | |
| Bagheli 62,000 | |
| Chhattisgarhi 50,000 | |
| Angika 18,000 | |
| Kurux 9,800 | |
| Bundeli 9,500 | |
| Garhwali 6,600 | |
| Odia 4,800 | |
| Assamese 2,200 | |
| Marathi 1,700 | |
| Gondi, Northern 1,000 | |
| Ho 800 | |
| Magahi 700 | |
| Santhali 700 | |
| 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. |
