Lohar people of India are nomadic smiths who travel in to sell their goods. They are descendants of high-caste weapon makers of the Mewar Kingdom in India. Unfortunately, they became poor nomads when the kingdom fell in 1568, and they remain poor today. Although they are nomads, most Lohar people live in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Lohar people lead difficult lives. Although they work hard, they live in extreme poverty. This is partly because most people prefer to buy goods from stores and factories, not handmade items, which are more expensive and are of poorer quality. Also, many are cannot read or write because of the nomadic lifestyle they lead; few have attended school. Also, because of the Hindu caste system in India, they are despised. There are stereotypes about nomads, such as the idea that they are all thieves or corrupt, even though they generally work up to 14 hours a day.
Although they work hard, they live in extreme poverty.
As with most of modern-day India, Lohar people are mostly Hindu, the ancient religion of India. Hindus worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. They visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers, and incense out of their poverty to their gods in hopes of gaining protection and needed benefits.
Their most dire need is to know the love of God. They are low-caste and are often misunderstood because of stereotypes. They are the perfect example of a people in need of God's healing touch.
They need either more people to buy from them or become sedentary (the opposite of nomadic, meaning they settle down in one place like we do) and take up an entire other career, which would be difficult since so few of them (or maybe even none) have had the chance to go to school.
Pray for their careers. Pray that their business success increases, or, if it is God's will that they become sedentary, that they receive the education they need.
Pray that more audio and video resources already existing in Hindi (their spoken language) will be made available to them since very few can read or write.
Pray that missionaries would go to Lohar people and show them that God shows no favoritism. He accepts all people.
Above all, pray for their hearts; pray for them to be open to Christ and His love.
Scripture Prayers for the Lohar (Hindu traditions) in India.
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
People Name General | Lohar (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Lohar (Hindu traditions) |
Pronunciation |
LOW-har
|
Alternate Names | Ahangar; Barhi; Battarha; Dodai; Dodo; Kamar; Kammara; Khar; Lohandia; Lohar; Loharia; Lohura; Lonar; Luhar; Luhara; Luharani; Mistri; Mistry; Nar; Ojali; Ojula; Ozulu; Panchal; Raj; Raj Mistri; Ramgarhia; Sandhan; Sejwani; Shilpakar; Shilpkar; Silpkar; Sree Panchal; Sri Panchal; Thawai; Vishwakama; Vishwakarma; Viswabrahma; Viswakarma; Vojali; लोहार (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 11,340,000 |
Population all Countries | 11,677,000 |
Total Countries | 4 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 3 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 227 |
People ID | 17379 |
ROP3 Code | 112774 |
ROP25 Code | 304767 |
ROP25 Name | Lohar |
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 | 29 | |||||||||||||||
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 | 29 (only 20 largest shown) |
Uttar Pradesh 2,452,000 | |
Bihar 1,316,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 960,000 | |
Odisha 894,000 | |
Jharkhand 819,000 | |
Maharashtra 775,000 | |
Haryana 572,000 | |
Rajasthan 525,000 | |
Gujarat 473,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 445,000 | |
Andhra Pradesh 389,000 | |
West Bengal 379,000 | |
Telangana 359,000 | |
Punjab 270,000 | |
Himachal Pradesh 200,000 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.10 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.01 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.88 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.02 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Hindi (4,268,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 82 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
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Primary Language | Hindi (4,268,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 82 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Bhojpuri 827,000 | |
Odia 649,000 | |
Telugu 619,000 | |
Marathi 514,000 | |
Bengali 389,000 | |
Gujarati 352,000 | |
Chhattisgarhi 283,000 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 224,000 | |
Maithili 133,000 | |
Awadhi 125,000 | |
Marwari 119,000 | |
Tamil 112,000 | |
Kanauji 101,000 | |
Magahi 97,000 | |
Haryanvi 89,000 | |
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) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
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Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source |
(Representative photo) Copyrighted © 2023 Anonymous All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |