The Mahishya or Sadgop people are also known as Chasa or Chasi. They live in West Bengal and surrounding states. The titles they use are Sarkar, Roy, Majumdar, Biswas, Mallik, Khan, and Mandal. Sadgop have several gotras such as Sandilya, Kashyap, Bharadwaj, Moudgulya, and Alambayan. In the Varna system, they are known as Vaisyas and as the members of Nabashakha group. The name Sadgop is derived from the two Sanskrit words: 'Sad' means good and 'Gop' means milkman. They are believed to be the descendants of lord Krishna. The Sadgop are a land owning community. Agriculture is their traditional and primary occupation.
Rice and wheat are their staple food. They drink alcohol and chew tobacco locally known as Khaine and Guraku. Their mother tongue is Bengali. Family heads negotiate marriages, which are monogamous, meaning it's one man and one woman.
They are Hindu, so they depend on Brahmin priests and astrologers as their sacred specialists on special occasions.
Married women have a significant role to play in the ritual performances. Women worship the goddess Lakshmi daily. They propitiate Hari and Lakshmi as their family deities. Their village deities are Dharmaraj, Manasa and Shiva among others. Gaya and Vrindaban are their pilgrim centers. Durgapuja, Kalipuja and Dharmarajer are their major festivals. The Sadgop are expert in Alpana or floor painting on pujas.
The Mahishya people need to submit to Jesus Christ so they can experience the abundant life he offers them in John 10:10.
Pray for a movement to Christ among the Mahishya people in Bangladesh this decade. Pray for them to give up their dependence on alcohol and chewing tobacco. Pray for them to have the spiritual hunger it takes to seek and find the only Savior. Pray for faithful and Holy Spirit driven workers in India and Bangladesh.
Scripture Prayers for the Mahishya in Bangladesh.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Mahishya |
People Name in Country | Mahishya |
Pronunciation |
mah-hee-shee-AH
|
Alternate Names | Chasa; Chasi; Chasidas; Halidas; Haluadas; Haludas; Kaibarta; Kaibartta; Kurmangiya; Mahisayadas; Mahisya; Matsyadas; Pilwan Mahaout; Sadgop; महिष्या |
Population this Country | 744,000 |
Population all Countries | 13,027,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 15 |
People ID | 17411 |
ROP3 Code | 112811 |
ROP25 Code | 304941 |
ROP25 Name | Mahisya |
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 |
Khulna 201,000 | |
Dhaka 167,000 | |
Rajshahi 142,000 | |
Chittagong 100,000 | |
Rangpur 100,000 | |
Barisal 34,000 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.95 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.05 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest Bangladesh census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Bengali (733,000 speakers) | ||||||
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing | ||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||
Total Languages | 5 | ||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Bengali (733,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 5 |
Secondary Languages | |
Chittagonian 7,300 | |
Sylheti 2,600 | |
Kok Borok 800 | |
Bishnupuriya 500 | |
People Groups | Speaking Bengali |
Primary Language: Bengali
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1800-1980) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1801-1984) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1809-2022) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | 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 data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |