What Indian caste is not really a caste at all? They are the Kahari people, who are part of an ancient community in northern India.
Three quarters of the more than 80,000 Kaharis live in Punjab, and their primary language is Eastern Panjabi.
The people group was traditionally associated with water. They cultivated farms with a liberal amount of water, dug wells, grew water nuts, captured waterfowls, and were notable boatmen and fisherman.
With the last century's modernization, these water-related roles have dwindled. Their occupations have become more diversified, inspiring 15 sub-castes to break off from them. Considered "backward," they became parcel carriers, house servants, and stone-cutters. In village settings, they are now landless agricultural laborers. In the city where many have emigrated, they are wage laborers.
The Kaharis are divided into Hindu, Muslim, and Sikhs communities. The Sikhs among them converted from Hinduism long ago. The Kahari Sikhs are considered to be among the least reached people groups; few if any follow Jesus Christ. Biblical resources are available to them though! In 2002, a complete Bible translation was finished in Eastern Panjabi. Christian teaching is available in audio, video, film and printed formats. Now they need to respond to these resources by forming fellowships of Christ followers.
Pray that one day soon the Kaharis will lead other castes to drink the Living Water.
Scripture Prayers for the Kahar (Sikh traditions) in India.
Profile Source: Global Prayer Digest |
Global Prayer Digest: 2011-10-22 |
People Name General | Kahar (Sikh traditions) |
People Name in Country | Kahar (Sikh traditions) |
Pronunciation | kah-HAR |
Alternate Names | Chandrabansi; Dhimar; Guria; Jhimar; Jhinwar; Kamkar; Kir; Kohoro; Mallan; Mehra; Nikhad; Ramani; Rawani; कहर (सिख ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 92,000 |
Population all Countries | 92,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
People ID | 18123 |
ROP3 Code | 113628 |
Affinity Bloc | South Asian Peoples |
People Cluster | South Asia Sikh - other |
People Group | Kahar (Sikh traditions) |
Ethnic Code | CNN25 |
Affinity Bloc | South Asian Peoples |
People Cluster | South Asia Sikh - other |
People Group | Kahar (Sikh traditions) |
Ethnic Code | CNN25 |
Total Subgroups | 11 |
Budane 1,600 | |
Turaiya 1,600 | |
Mehra 1,400 | |
Batham 400 | |
Mahar 200 | |
Bhoi Dhimar 0 | |
Khawar 0 | |
Mallah 0 | |
Raikwar 0 | |
Rawani 0 |
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 | 17 | |||||||||||||||
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 | 17 |
Punjab 67,000 | |
Haryana 15,000 | |
Delhi 1,700 | |
Uttar Pradesh 1,700 | |
Rajasthan 1,600 | |
Uttarakhand 700 | |
Jammu and Kashmir 600 | |
Chandigarh 400 | |
Maharashtra 400 | |
Jharkhand 300 | |
Madhya Pradesh 300 | |
Chhattisgarh 200 | |
Himachal Pradesh 200 | |
Tamil Nadu 100 | |
West Bengal 100 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Other / Small |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
100.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Punjabi, Eastern (65,000 speakers) | ||||||
Language Code | pan Ethnologue Listing | ||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||
Total Languages | 7 | ||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Punjabi, Eastern (65,000 speakers) |
Language Code | pan Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 7 |
Secondary Languages | |
Hindi 9,300 | |
Haryanvi 1,500 | |
Bagri 800 | |
Kashmiri 60 | |
Kumaoni 50 | |
Garhwali 30 | |
People Groups | Speaking Punjabi, Eastern |
Primary Language: Punjabi, Eastern
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1818-1954) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1815-2011) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1959-2021) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Global Prayer Digest |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |