"Praise to Sachchika!" Niriksha, an Oswal seamstress, smiled with a dancing heart as she was handed another order for the appliqué style of wedding canopy her family made. All the orders for the special embroidery ensured her already successful business could expand into new shops. She would announce the news at the party tonight.
The Oswal Bania community is made up of four to five million people. They are mostly found in Rajasthan, Punjab, and other nearby areas of northern India. Oswals are indispensable for the Indian economy, and tend to fare well in business. They are the wealthy and very influential in business, industry, and society. The Oswals are known for commemorating their festivals with celebration, color, and song.
Although most Oswals follow Jain religious teachings, some are more influenced by Hinduism. According to Jain teaching, it is considered a sin to take a life. As a result, they are strict vegetarians. Their goddess, Sachchika, is often their family deity. The Oswals have no church, and there are no evangelistic outreaches among them; as far as we know there are no Oswal believers.
Pray for the Oswal people to hear about Jesus through evangelistic Internet, radio, and literature efforts.
Pray that He will send missionaries to this unreached people group so the love of God an shine upon them.
Scripture Prayers for the Bania Oswal 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: 2011-08-17 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2011-10-02 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2018-09-19 |
People Name General | Bania Oswal |
People Name in Country | Bania Oswal |
Natural Name | Oswal Bania |
Pronunciation |
OSE-vahl BAHN-yah
|
Alternate Names | Marwadi; Oswal Jain Bania; बनिया, ओसवाल |
Population this Country | 501,000 |
Population all Countries | 502,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 10 |
People ID | 19718 |
ROP3 Code | 115171 |
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 | 24 | |||||||||||||||
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 | 24 (only 20 largest shown) |
Maharashtra 151,000 | |
Gujarat 90,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 75,000 | |
Rajasthan 70,000 | |
West Bengal 19,000 | |
Delhi 16,000 | |
Uttar Pradesh 14,000 | |
Assam 13,000 | |
Tamil Nadu 8,800 | |
Andhra Pradesh 8,800 | |
Chhattisgarh 6,900 | |
Telangana 3,400 | |
Punjab 3,300 | |
Karnataka 3,100 | |
Haryana 3,000 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Other / Small |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
32.44 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
67.56 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Hindi (157,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 24 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (157,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 24 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Gujarati 121,000 | |
Marwari 71,000 | |
Marathi 33,000 | |
Kacchi 9,500 | |
Dhundari 8,300 | |
Mewari 4,600 | |
Bengali 4,200 | |
Telugu 2,300 | |
Chhattisgarhi 1,600 | |
Konkani 1,600 | |
Malvi 1,200 | |
Shekhawati 1,100 | |
Bhojpuri 1,000 | |
Assamese 800 | |
Bagri 600 | |
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. |