During the news interview, Rajit, a Rastogi man spoke directly into the microphone while beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his nervousness. He said, "One reason for the peaceful nature of the city of Lucknow, India, is the network of economic dependency which cuts across religion and caste. This is especially true of the local embroidery industry, known as Chikan. This is a traditional Muslim craft, but it is traded mostly by our Hindu Rastoogi businessmen." Sameer, a prominent news reporter responded, "However, it seems this is changing. Just the other day I heard there were more riots because some Muslim loom owners said Hindus tried to destroy their businesses." Rajit replied, "I pray that Surya (the Hindu Sun God) will protect us and bring us continued prosperity."
Most of the 63,000 Hindu Rastoogi people live in northern India, primarily Uttar Pradesh.
This prominent caste traces its Hindu beliefs back to when they selected "Surya" the Hindu sun god as their clan deity. Surya is portrayed as a red man with three eyes and four arms, riding in a chariot. They worship him as the god of healing and fortune. His picture is in Rastoogi-owned shops and homes because they firmly believe he will bring them blessings.
With almost no known followers of Christ in Uttar Pradesh, the Rastoogi people need an influx of missionaries to tell them about Christ's glory. Pray that many Rastoogi people will come to know God's truth, life, and ways.
Scripture Prayers for the Bania Rastaogi 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: 2011-08-10 |
People Name General | Bania Rastaogi |
People Name in Country | Bania Rastaogi |
Natural Name | Rastaogi Bania |
Alternate Names | Rastaugi; बनिया, रस्त्गी |
Population this Country | 69,000 |
Population all Countries | 69,000 |
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 | 19720 |
ROP3 Code | 115173 |
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 | 6 | ||||||
Largest States |
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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 | 6 |
Uttar Pradesh 58,000 | |
Rajasthan 5,400 | |
Bihar 2,000 | |
Delhi 1,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 900 | |
Uttarakhand 700 | |
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 (44,000 speakers) | |||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||
Total Languages | 8 | |||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (44,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 8 |
Secondary Languages | |
Marwari 6,300 | |
Awadhi 2,100 | |
Bhojpuri 2,000 | |
Kanauji 1,600 | |
Dhundari 1,300 | |
Garhwali 300 | |
Mewari 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 (1835-2022) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Bible-NT Text | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Global Prayer Digest |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |