The Rathia people were originally a nomadic people who lived in northwest India. At one time they were all Hindus. However, during the Mughal period some of them converted to Islam. The Rathia claim to be Rajputs or the "sons of rulers" They refer to themselves are Rajputs. Their name Rathi comes from the Rathi breed of cattle. Today the main occupation of the Rathia is still raising cattle and sheep. For part of the year they live in villages and raise crops like cotton, wheat, lentils, roots and vegetables. For another part of the year, they travel from place to place, seeking fodder for their cattle and sheep. The Indian government does not encourage the nomadic lifestyle of the Rathia. In the 1950s the Indian government determined that the Rathia do not own the land where their cattle and sheep graze.
Illiteracy is to be a problem among the Rathia. Not being able to read and write prevents them from making progress in modern Indian society.
The primary language of the Rathia is Marwari. They also speak Hindi and other regional languages so that they can communicate with other Indians who live near them.
The vast majority of Rathia live in Rajastan. A small Rathia group lives in the mountainous Indian state of Himachal Pradesh.
The lives of nomadic or semi-nomadic peoples are frequently challenging. Providing education for children of a people who travel part of the year is difficult. People who live in permanent cities and villages tend to look down on are traveling cattle breeders.
The Rathia are endogamous, that is they marry witin their group. They are not allowed to marry their sons and daughters within their particular clan or gotra.
Child marriage for the girls is common. If a wife does not have children, Rathia husbands are allowed to marry another woman. Caste councils settle legal matters such as divorce, crime and monetary disagreements.
The Rathia of Muslim tradition are not vegetarian but as Muslims they do not eat pork.
The Rathia are Sunni Muslims. Muslims follow the teachings of the Qur 'an and the prophet Muhammad. The Rathia also mix their version of Islam with folk religion. They perform rituals to ward off evil spirits who inhabit nature. Muslims believe that obeying the Five Pillars of Islam will gain them entrance into Muslim heaven when they die. They believe that Jesus or Isa was only a human prophet.
The Rathia need to hear the life-changing message about Jesus Christ. They need to see Jesus is more than human prophet. They need to realize that only through Jesus can their sins be forgiven. The Rathia need help in job training and in educating their children.
Pray for Rathia families and communities to discover and embrace the free gift of life found by trusting Christ and his finished work.
Pray for Christian workers to be effective in demonstrating how Jesus blesses and heals families and communities.
Pray that the Lord opens the hearts of the Muslim Rathia people so that Bible-believing churches might be planted among them.
Scripture Prayers for the Rathia (Muslim traditions) in India.
globalprayerdigest.org/issue/day/Hindu-Rathia-People/
globalprayerdigest.org/issue/day/Rathia-People/
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rath_tribe
Profile Source: David Kugel |
People Name General | Rathia (Muslim traditions) |
People Name in Country | Rathia (Muslim traditions) |
Pronunciation | RAH-tee-ah |
Alternate Names | Rath; Rathi; रतिया (मुस्लिम ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 36,000 |
Population all Countries | 36,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 17672 |
ROP3 Code | 113114 |
ROP25 Code | 306962 |
ROP25 Name | Rathia |
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 | 2 | |||
Largest States |
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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 | 2 |
Rajasthan 36,000 | |
Himachal Pradesh 100 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
100.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Marwari (10,000 speakers) | |||||||||
Language Code | rwr Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||
Total Languages | 9 | |||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Marwari (10,000 speakers) |
Language Code | rwr Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 9 |
Secondary Languages | |
Bagri 6,800 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 6,200 | |
Hindi 2,600 | |
Urdu 2,500 | |
Sindhi 1,600 | |
Shekhawati 500 | |
Gaddi 60 | |
Kangri 20 | |
People Groups | Speaking Marwari |
Primary Language: Marwari
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1815-1867) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1820-2023) |
Bible-Complete | No |
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 |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | God's Story video | God's Story |
Film / Video | Indigitube.tv Video / Animation | Create International |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Marwari | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Story of Jesus for Children | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
General | Gospel website in this language | General / Other |
Text / Printed Matter | Topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies | World Missionary Press |
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. |