Hiralal's face turned red with rage. His son had just asked him to seek a marriage agreement with the daughter of Mr. Sandeep Gupta. Ordinarily this would have been a joyful time. He would proudly arrange the meeting and begin the process leading to a wedding.
Hiralal's family runs a successful business near Delhi. The Guptas also have their own lucrative enterprise. But Hiralal is from the Agrahari people. The Guptas are from the Agarwals. Centuries ago the two groups were joined in the same caste. At some point a disagreement arose. No one remembers the cause, but now each group avoids the other. No one seems able to bring reconciliation between the two communities.
Any efforts to bring the message of Jesus to the Agraharis must remain sensitive to the differences between the Agrawals and the Agrahari groups. It is not enough to be sensitive to Hindu culture. The evangelist must respect the specific distinctions of the different groups.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will win some from each of these two groups and use them to bring peace and reconciliation that will draw others to the Prince of Peace.
Pray that the Lord of the harvest will send believers from the Agrahari group to reap souls from their own people.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will stir a hunger and thirst for a righteousness that can only come from the true God of the universe.
Scripture Prayers for the Bania Agrahari in India.
Some information from "The Scheduled Castes" K. S. Singh, ed. Oxford University Press, USA (1994)
Profile Source: Global Prayer Digest |
Bania profile for Children and Family Missions Activities |
Global Prayer Digest: 2011-08-05 |
People Name General | Bania Agrahari |
People Name in Country | Bania Agrahari |
Natural Name | Agrahari Bania |
Alternate Names | Agrahari bania; Agrahari Baniya; Agrahri; Agrari; बनिया, आग्रहरी |
Population this Country | 388,000 |
Population all Countries | 391,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 8 |
People ID | 19689 |
ROP3 Code | 115141 |
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 |
Uttar Pradesh 292,000 | |
West Bengal 22,000 | |
Bihar 19,000 | |
Assam 17,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 11,000 | |
Delhi 6,700 | |
Uttarakhand 4,100 | |
Chhattisgarh 3,300 | |
Maharashtra 2,000 | |
Jharkhand 1,800 | |
Tripura 1,300 | |
Andhra Pradesh 700 | |
Telangana 400 | |
Chandigarh 200 | |
Odisha 80 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
100.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Hindi (258,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 17 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (258,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 17 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Bhojpuri 40,000 | |
Bengali 9,800 | |
Awadhi 6,300 | |
Assamese 6,200 | |
Kanauji 1,100 | |
Angika 800 | |
Chhattisgarhi 700 | |
Bundeli 700 | |
Bagheli 600 | |
Marathi 500 | |
Garhwali 300 | |
Malvi 200 | |
Gujarati 100 | |
Kumaoni 100 | |
Meitei 100 | |
People Groups | Speaking Hindi |
Primary Language: Hindi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1806-1962) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1811-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1818-2022) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Anonymous |
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. |