Like many communities in India, the surname and the name of the people group are the same. Watal is a surname, but also the name of a people group. Traditionally they were tanners, and they still work in the tanning industry. This is one of the lowest status jobs in South Asia.
All of the Watal people live in the Kashmiri Valley. They speak Kashmiri.
Although, according to India's constitution, caste is prohibited, it does exist and affects everyday life for Muslim communities as well as Hindu ones. For example, the Watal people often experience prejudice when they try to enter a mosque. They are Muslims, but being tanners, they are given low status not only by Hindus, but also by other Muslim communities.
They are landless, illiterate, poor, and without political or social power. Feeling powerless, one Watal individual complained, "We are like dropped leaves from a tree being swept away by the wind in unknown directions. We have no shelter over our heads; successive governments have done so much for the poor, but we still remain deprived of benefits."
The Wattal people are all Sunni Muslims. They believe that the Koran has life's spiritual answers, though almost none of them can read this holy book written in Classical Arabic.
They need to understand that the God of the Bible gives them dignity, worth and hope. They also need ways to earn a better living, so their children can get a good enough education to move forward economically.
Pray for the Lord of the harvest to send forth His harvesters into this field to share with them His glorious message.
May the Watal people be eternally grateful to the God who can give them dignity because of their relationship with Jesus Christ.
May they learn His ways and teach them to others.
Scripture Prayers for the Wattal (Muslim traditions) in India.
J&K book, pp 690-96)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watal
http://kashmirasitis.com/kashmiri-surnames
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
People Name General | Wattal (Muslim traditions) |
People Name in Country | Wattal (Muslim traditions) |
Alternate Names | Batel; Batol; Battal; Batul; Seraj; Sheikh; Shupri; Watal; वत्तल (मुस्लिम ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 6,800 |
Population all Countries | 6,800 |
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 | 18330 |
ROP3 Code | 113880 |
ROP25 Code | 308755 |
ROP25 Name | Wattal |
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) | ||
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 | 1 |
Jammu and Kashmir 6,800 | |
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 | Kashmiri (2,000 speakers) | |||||||||
Language Code | kas Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||
Total Languages | 8 | |||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Kashmiri (2,000 speakers) |
Language Code | kas Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 8 |
Secondary Languages | |
Dogri 1,100 | |
Purig 900 | |
Gujari 900 | |
Balti 300 | |
Shina 300 | |
Urdu 200 | |
Khowar 100 | |
People Groups | Speaking Kashmiri |
Primary Language: Kashmiri
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1813-1954) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1813-2000) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1899-2011) |
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 | Oral Bible stories | One Story |
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 Kashmiri | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Magdalena video | 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 | Biblical answers to your questions | Got Questions Ministry |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Create International All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |