The Taga are often referred to as the Tyagi people. They might have been Brahmins at one time but have lost their priestly status. Some are Hindu, others are Muslim. As one might expect, there is very little contact between the two religious communities.
Most of the Taga living in India live in Uttar Pradesh, the home of Hinduism, where only one in 1,000 professes Christ. There is a smaller Muslim Taga community in Pakistan.
Farming is the main vocation of the Taga people. Property is divided equally among sons.
Tyaga is often used as a surname. They have two sub-groups, Dasa (or Daswan) and Bisa (or Biswan). The Dasa allow widows to re-marry, and the Bisa forbid it. Marriages generally occur only within the Dasa and Bisa sub-groups. Each sub-group includes a number of clans, or gotras.
The people are Sunni Muslims who believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.
The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.
Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.
In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.
The Taga people need to put their hope in the King of kings, realizing that he is the one who gives them worth and dignity.
Please pray the Lord will open the eyes of the Muslim Taga so they will see Jesus (or Isa, as he is known in the Koran) as he truly is, the only way to salvation.
Pray that indigenous evangelists and church planters working in Uttar Pradesh will be made aware of the Muslim Taga people.
Pray that Taga believes will be devoted to one another in brotherly love, honoring one another above themselves, not lacking in spiritual fervor, serving the Lord joyfully.
Scripture Prayers for the Taga (Muslim traditions) in India.
https://www.globalprayerdigest.org/issue/day/2014/10/21
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Taga (Muslim traditions) |
People Name in Country | Taga (Muslim traditions) |
Pronunciation | TAH-gah |
Alternate Names | Tongewalle; Tyagi; तागा (मुस्लिम ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 240,000 |
Population all Countries | 260,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 5 |
People ID | 17687 |
ROP3 Code | 113132 |
ROP25 Code | 307815 |
ROP25 Name | Taga |
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 |
Uttar Pradesh 232,000 | |
Uttarakhand 7,400 | |
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 | Urdu (200,000 speakers) | |||
Language Code | urd Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||
Total Languages | 3 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Urdu (200,000 speakers) |
Language Code | urd Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 3 |
Secondary Languages | |
Punjabi, Eastern 1,900 | |
Garhwali 600 | |
People Groups | Speaking Urdu |
Primary Language: Urdu
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1747-1894) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1758-2000) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1843-2022) |
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 |
(Representative photo) Copyrighted © 2023 Isudas All rights reserved. Used with permission |
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. |