The Deshastha Brahmins live in the region of west central India. Their history goes back over three thousand years ago and to the time of the writing of the Vedas, the most ancient Hindu scriptures. Their name means "residents of the country." The Deshastha have a long history of Hindu philosophers, scholars, saints and famous priests. During the Maratha Empire (1647-1818) the Deshastha served as the leading priests, administrators and military officers of the realm.
Today the Deshastha officiate at the main Hindu temples of the Indian state of Maharashtra. They continue their role as Hindu priests, scholars and professors of religion. Some Deshastha have taken white-collar jobs as accountants, scientists, and mathematicians and in pubic administration.
Some Deshastha hold large tracts of land that is tilled by members of lower castes.
The Deshastha speak Marathi in their homes. As educated Indians they also speak Hindi, English and other regional Indian languages.
The great majority of the Deshastha Brahmins live Maharashtra. Some also live in the Indian states of Karnataka, Gujarat and other regions of the country of India.
The Deshastha Brahmins live at the highest levels of Indian society. They strongly encourage their children to attain graduate degrees in universities. Most now live in urban centers but some still live in villages where they are the priests and accountants.
The Deshastha are endogamous, that is they marry only within their own group or caste. They are vegetarians although some young people in the cities have taken to eating meat except for beef. Families arrange marriages with the consent of the young people. They allow cousin marriages. Babies receive their names from their father's sister. Each family has its own household shrine and patron deity. They offer food and incense to their gods at their private shrine and at public temples.
They take pride in their Hindu heritage and are among the most devout Hindus in the nation.
The Deshastha Brahmins practice Hinduism, the national religion and culture of India. The worship and serve the many gods of the Hindu pantheon. Some worship Vishnu as the supreme god. Ganesha and his festival, Ganesh Chaturthi, is the main holiday of the year. The Deshastha eat special foods and put a clay image of Ganesha or their family god into a river or the sea. Diwali, the festival of lights, is another popular holiday as is Navratri, the nine-day celebration of autumn.
The Deshastha cremate their dead and the ashes are put in a sacred river on the third day of the funeral.
The Deshastha Brahmins must see themselves as sinners in need of a Savior. They need to realize that the gods of Hinduism will not forgive their sins or grant them eternal life. They need to see that the Bible not the Vedas is the inspired Word of God. They need to see true Christianity lived out before them.
Scripture Prayers for the Brahmin Deshastha in India.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deshastha_Brahmin
Profile Source: David Kugel |
People Name General | Brahmin Deshastha |
People Name in Country | Brahmin Deshastha |
Natural Name | Deshastha Brahmin |
Pronunciation | DAY-shuh-stuh BRAH-min |
Alternate Names | Atharian; Debra; Desattha Brahman; Desattha Brahmin; Deshastha Brahman; Deshastha Brahmin; Deshi; Madhva; Rigvedi; Smartha; Smartha Brahman; Smartha Brahmin; Yajurvedi; ब्रामिन, देशास्ता |
Population this Country | 667,000 |
Population all Countries | 667,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 13 |
People ID | 19939 |
ROP3 Code | 115712 |
ROP25 Code | 301405 |
ROP25 Name | Brahmin |
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 | 15 | |||||||||||||||
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 | 15 |
Maharashtra 489,000 | |
Karnataka 77,000 | |
Gujarat 34,000 | |
Tamil Nadu 19,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 18,000 | |
Telangana 11,000 | |
Delhi 11,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 3,300 | |
Goa 3,100 | |
Kerala 500 | |
Andhra Pradesh 500 | |
Daman and Diu 90 | |
Rajasthan 80 | |
Dadra and Nagar Have 60 | |
West Bengal 50 | |
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 | Marathi (377,000 speakers) | ||||||||||||
Language Code | mar Ethnologue Listing | ||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||||||||
Total Languages | 12 | ||||||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Marathi (377,000 speakers) |
Language Code | mar Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 12 |
Secondary Languages | |
Hindi 60,000 | |
Kannada 49,000 | |
Konkani 28,000 | |
Gujarati 27,000 | |
Tamil 9,300 | |
Khandesi 7,400 | |
Konkani, Goan 3,400 | |
Chhattisgarhi 400 | |
Kacchi 200 | |
Nimadi 50 | |
Marwari 40 | |
People Groups | Speaking Marathi |
Primary Language: Marathi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1807-1957) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1811-1982) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1821-2022) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
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Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source |
(Representative photo) Didi - Flickr Creative Commons |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | David Kugel |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |