The Maravans of south India claim to be descendants of ancient Tamil kings. Their name means "warrior" in the Tamil language. Traditionally the Maravans were the army of the Tamil dynasties. The Maravans also owned land and worked as farmers. Most lived in the rural areas, not in cities.
The Indian government has classified the Maravan as an Other Backward Class because of their widespread poverty and lower educational level. As an OBC, the Maravans are guaranteed positions in government and education. Many Maravan young people are taking advantage of their educational opportunities and obtaining careers as military officers and as leaders in business and government.
The large majority of the Maravans speak Tamil as their first language. Many also speak other south Indian languages.
The vast majority of the Maravans live in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Others also live in nearby Kerala and Karnataka.
The main occupations of the Maravans are still farming and the military. Both men and woman work in the fields. Some of the younger educated Maravans are branching into different careers and moving to the large cities of south India.
The Maravan eat meat except for beef and pork. Rice is the main staple along with vegetables, fruits and dairy products.
The Maravans marry within their group, sometimes first and second cousins. The sons inherit the family lands and wealth. Divorce and remarriage is allowed.
The huge majority of Maravans are Hindus. They worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon and celebrate the major Hindu holidays.
The mother-warrior goddess Durga is given special place among the Maravans. She is pictured as having eight arms with weapons in each of her hands and seated upon a tiger or lion. The festival of Navratri celebrates nine nights dedicated to the nine divine forms of goddess Durga. She is believes to possess divine feminine energy or shakti capable of defeating the power of demons.
A small group of Maravan is Christians.
The Maravan need to hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ in their Tamil language. They need to see Christ's love lived out before them. Christian schools and Christian teachers would be particularly helpful in meeting the educational needs of the Maravans.
Pray that the Lord sends Christian teachers and evangelists to the Maravans.
Pray the Maravans see their need for the Prince of Peace and the forgiveness that he offers.
Pray that the Christian Maravans receive training and become leaders in a growing Maravan church.
Scripture Prayers for the Maravan in India.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukkulathor
http://maravar05.blogspot.com/2010/07/maravar.html
http://mudiraja.weebly.com/w2maravars.html
Profile Source: David Kugel |
Global Prayer Digest: 2017-10-06 |
People Name General | Maravan |
People Name in Country | Maravan |
Alternate Names | Ajupani; Chitikan; Kalla; Kalla Kammar; Manavan; Marayan; Mukkalathoor; Mukkulathan; Thevar; मरवान |
Population this Country | 3,393,000 |
Population all Countries | 3,496,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 68 |
People ID | 17459 |
ROP3 Code | 112867 |
Affinity Bloc | South Asian Peoples |
People Cluster | South Asia Forward Caste - other |
People Group | Maravan |
Ethnic Code | CNN25 |
Affinity Bloc | South Asian Peoples |
People Cluster | South Asia Forward Caste - other |
People Group | Maravan |
Ethnic Code | CNN25 |
Total Subgroups | 13 |
Appanad Kondayam Kot 81,000 | |
Rajavasal 78,000 | |
Sembinattu 45,000 | |
Puluku 39,000 | |
Ambaneri 35,000 | |
Karana 27,000 | |
Vanniyar 27,000 | |
Anjukottu 21,000 | |
Kondaiyam Kottai 9,300 | |
Anil Kottai 8,000 |
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 | 20 | |||||||||||||||
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 | 20 |
Tamil Nadu 3,182,000 | |
Kerala 96,000 | |
Karnataka 26,000 | |
Puducherry 17,000 | |
Maharashtra 7,200 | |
Andhra Pradesh 7,100 | |
Delhi 2,000 | |
Telangana 1,100 | |
Andaman and Nicobar 900 | |
Gujarat 500 | |
Chhattisgarh 200 | |
Madhya Pradesh 200 | |
Jharkhand 200 | |
West Bengal 200 | |
Odisha 100 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
2.45 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
97.55 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Tamil (3,149,000 speakers) | ||||||
Language Code | tam Ethnologue Listing | ||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||
Total Languages | 5 | ||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Tamil (3,149,000 speakers) |
Language Code | tam Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 5 |
Secondary Languages | |
Malayalam 54,000 | |
Telugu 3,200 | |
Kannada 800 | |
English 700 | |
People Groups | Speaking Tamil |
Primary Language: Tamil
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1714-1956) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1715-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1727-2021) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 India Missions Association All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | David Kugel |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |