The customer asked politely, "How do the accounts stand?" Chaturth looked through his record book and replied, "They are up to date. You have no payment due until next month." The customer paid for his groceries and left the family store.
Chaturth is of the Kasarwani subgroup of the Bania caste. Kasar means "saffron" and wani means "tradesman." His people were originally sellers of saffron. Today most of them are money-lenders and grocers. They are noted for their light complexion, and are believed to have come from Mesopotamia near the location of Nebuchadnezzar's palace during the height of the Babylonian Empire.
Because they moved so often in the early days, they carried pots of soil from the place they came from in order to maintain their identity and remember their origin. They worship these pots. Some carry the soil from many lands, gathered as they moved along trade routes. Since settling in northern India, Hindi has become their main language, and Hinduism is the religion of all but about .06 percent of these nearly 400,000 people.
Although there is a plethora of Christian outreach tools available in Hindi such as audio recordings, films, videos, tracts, and Bible translations, the Kasarwani hearts have remained closed to the gospel.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will woo these unreached people.
Pray that God will cast down the principalities and powers that are the gatekeepers to their souls, and that Jesus will reveal Himself in power and glory to multitudes of precious Kasarwani people.
Scripture Prayers for the Bania Kasarwani 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: 2011-08-22 |
People Name General | Bania Kasarwani |
People Name in Country | Bania Kasarwani |
Natural Name | Kasarwani Bania |
Alternate Names | Kesarwani; Kesarwani Baniya; Pachhaiha Thok Kasarwani; Purbia Thok Kasarwani; बनिया, कसर्वनि |
Population this Country | 505,000 |
Population all Countries | 505,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 10 |
People ID | 19702 |
ROP3 Code | 115154 |
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 | 21 | |||||||||||||||
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 | 21 (only 20 largest shown) |
Uttar Pradesh 234,000 | |
Rajasthan 68,000 | |
Bihar 51,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 27,000 | |
Gujarat 23,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 21,000 | |
West Bengal 15,000 | |
Assam 14,000 | |
Maharashtra 13,000 | |
Haryana 9,500 | |
Delhi 7,600 | |
Punjab 4,500 | |
Odisha 3,300 | |
Jharkhand 2,700 | |
Uttarakhand 2,600 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.95 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.05 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Hindi (295,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 27 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (295,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 27 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Bhojpuri 27,000 | |
Gujarati 17,000 | |
Marwari 15,000 | |
Bengali 12,000 | |
Chhattisgarhi 9,700 | |
Dhundari 7,500 | |
Marathi 6,400 | |
Assamese 6,000 | |
Bagheli 5,100 | |
Magahi 3,900 | |
Shekhawati 3,700 | |
Awadhi 2,400 | |
Kanauji 2,100 | |
Bagri 2,000 | |
Odia 1,500 | |
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 |
(Representative photo) Copyrighted © 2023 Isudas All rights reserved. Used with permission |
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. |