Introduction / History

The Thakur or Thakar people were originally of Rajput descent. During Moghul invasions they fled to the forest and eventually migrated through Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh to Maharashtra. They live all over the west central Indian state of Maharashtra. The main language of the Thakur is Marathi. A complete Bible and the JESUS Film are available in Marathi. There are currently no known believers among the Thakar. Many of the Thakur are unable to read and write so the gospel will have to presented to them in oral and visual forms.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Until the last few decades the Thakur were living a nomadic life of hunting and gathering. Their livelihood was dependent on the forest and what they could gather and sell. Hunting has become illegal where the Thakur live so they have had to find other ways of making a living. Today many of Thakur are engaged in low paying jobs, jobs that other Hindus will not take. These include street sweeping, working with human waste and dealing with corpses of dead animals.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Thakur people practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. Their brand of Hinduism is influenced by folk religion. Hinduism is a catch-all phrase for the local religions of South Asia, so it is very diverse. At the popular level, Hindus worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. They visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers, and incense to their gods in hopes of gaining protection and benefits. They do not have a personal or familial relationship with their gods like Christians or Jews.

What Are Their Needs?

The Thakur people need to learn new job skills. They need to learn how to read and write if they are to have any chance of improving their place in Indian society. Most of all they need to hear and understand the good news of Jesus Christ. He alone can forgive their sins and grant them eternal life.

Prayer Points

Ask the Lord to give the Thakur a desire to seek the truth of the Word of God. Pray for a disciple making movement that will bless the Thakur people this decade. Pray for the Lord to send out workers to the Thakur people to tell them about Jesus.

Scripture Prayers for the Thakar in India.