The Vaghri or Vagri are a Hindu group of people who primarily live in northwest India. Their name Vagri comes from the Sanskrit word for net. The Vagri were originally forest hunters. During the British colonial period the Vagri were labeled as a caste of petty thieves. This idea has continued to hurt the Vagri people in their desire to escape poverty. Besides being hunters, the Vagri work as traders, hawkers, animal raisers and stonemasons. Most Vagri are landless. They try to grow vegetables on the small plots of land they possess.
They are classified are a Backward Scheduled Caste so they are eligible for special places in public jobs and university admissions.
The Vagri speak their language of Vagri among themselves and Gujarati and Hindi to outsiders.
The great majority of the Vagri live in the Indian state of Gujarat. Smaller groups live throughout the nation of India.
The Vagri are trying to overcome their reputation of being criminals. Since literacy is low and they have limited economic opportunities, some of them have been tempted to live outside the law. They are often denied entrance to Hindu temples and the services of Brahmin priests due to their reputation as criminals.
The Vagri are endogamous, that is they like to marry within their caste. They do not marry within their individual clans or families. Monogamy is the general rule with families arranging marriages with the consent of the young persons. Newly married couples frequently live near or with the groom's parents. Sons inherit their father's property. Their dead are cremated.
The Vagri are not vegetarians but as Hindus, they do not eat beef. The main foods are rice, wheat, lentils and seasonal vegetables.
The Vagri practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. They worship and serve the many gods of the Hindu pantheon. The Vagri often build their own shrines to their patron deities because other Hindus often do not allow them to enter Hindu temples. The Vagri perform rituals and good works to try to escape the endless cycle of birth and rebirth. At their shrines they present food, flowers and prayers to their gods.
The Vagri participate in the yearly Hindu holidays of Holi, the festival of colors, Diwali, the festival of lights and Navratri, the celebration of autumn.
The Vagri need to hear the message of Jesus Christ that can forgive their sins and bring them new life. The Vagri need to see the love and mercy of Christ demonstrated to them by Christian workers. The Vagri need help in learning new job skills so they can escape their poverty. Christian teachers could help in educating their children so they would have a better chance to succeed in modern Indian society.
Pray the Lord will open the hearts of the Vagri people to desire God's blessings through a movement of family-based discovery Bible studies.
Pray for Indian followers of Jesus to be effective in demonstrating to the Vagri how Jesus blesses and heals families and communities.
Pray that God's Word might become available in the Vagri language.
Scripture Prayers for the Devipujak Vaghri (Hindu traditions) in India.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagri
researchonline.jcu.edu.au/17697/
www.wycliffe.org/prayer/articles/the-vaghri-of-pakistan
Profile Source: David Kugel |
Global Prayer Digest: 2008-10-20 |
People Name General | Devipujak Vaghri (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Devipujak Vaghri (Hindu traditions) |
Alternate Names | Bagri; Baori; Bella; Betigar; Datia; Malia; Murli; Salar; Salat; Vagher; Vagri; Vavania; Vedu; Wadvi; Wagher; Waghri; Waghya; Wagri; Wather; वाघरि (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स)) |
Population this Country | 669,000 |
Population all Countries | 711,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 13 |
People ID | 18290 |
ROP3 Code | 119336 |
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 | 18 | |||||||||||||||
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 | 18 |
Gujarat 632,000 | |
Maharashtra 16,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 3,300 | |
Tamil Nadu 2,300 | |
Rajasthan 900 | |
Delhi 600 | |
West Bengal 500 | |
Daman and Diu 500 | |
Karnataka 500 | |
Telangana 400 | |
Chhattisgarh 300 | |
Jharkhand 300 | |
Dadra and Nagar Have 200 | |
Uttar Pradesh 200 | |
Goa 100 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.03 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.12 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.82 %
|
Islam |
0.01 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.01 %
|
Unknown |
0.01 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Gujarati (478,000 speakers) | |||||||||
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||
Total Languages | 9 | |||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Gujarati (478,000 speakers) |
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 9 |
Secondary Languages | |
Hindi 54,000 | |
Kacchi 13,000 | |
Marathi 11,000 | |
Konkani 1,800 | |
Sourashtra 500 | |
Koli, Wadiyari 300 | |
Ahirani 200 | |
Khandesi 200 | |
People Groups | Speaking Gujarati |
Primary Language: Gujarati
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1809-1965) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1820-1985) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1823-2021) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source |
(Representative photo) Bernard Gagnon - Wikimedia Creative Commons |
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. |