All Valmiki claim to be descendants of Valmiki, an author of the Ramayana. Some of the Valmiki living in the Punjab have converted to Sikhism. Some Valmiki became Muslims during the Mogul Period.
In colonial times, the Valmiki were known as a martial (military) caste. Many of them found employment in the British Army. Today Valmiki continue to serve in the Pakistani Armed Forces.
The primary languages of the Valmiki of Pakistan are Saraiki, Western Punjabi and Sindhi. There are few in any believers among the Valmiki in either India or Pakistan.
The vast majority of the Hindu Valmiki people live in India. Much smaller populations live in Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
In India and Pakistan most Valmiki occupy a lower place in society. Besides serving in the military, Valmiki labor as streetsweepers, watchmen, toilet cleaners, and as farm workers. The Valmiki generally do not own the land they work on. Some Valmiki have become educated and work in politics, teaching and government positions.
The Valmiki tend to marry within their group. Families arrange marriages with the consent of the young couple. Girls marry in their teens while boys are a few years older. Marriage to one spouse is the norm among the Valmiki. Boys receive at least an elementary education while girls often quit school after a few years to help their mother with domestic responsibilities.
Rural Valmiki often lack access to modern medicine, so their life expectancy is less than 60 years. Valmiki parents have many children. Unfortunately, many children die before reaching the age of ten. Their main foods are rice, vegetable and lentils. Hindu Valmiki eat meat except for beef. They also refrain from eating pork as to not offend their Muslim neighbors.
The Valmiki people practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. Hinduism is a catch-all phrase for the local religions of South Asia, so it is very diverse. At the popular level, Hindus worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. They visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers, and incense to their gods in hopes of gaining protection and benefits. They do not have a personal or familial relationship with their gods as Christians do. There are other Hindus who are much more philosophical, especially among the Brahmins.
Almost all Hindus participate in yearly celebrations like Holi, the festival of colors and the start of spring / Diwali, the festival of lights / Navratri, the celebration of autumn / and Rama Navami, Rama's birthday.
The Valmiki need new job skills so they can improve their place in society. Valmiki women need to improve their literacy levels. Rural Valmiki would benefit by having access to modern medicine. Most of all, Valmiki must hear and respond to the good news about Jesus Christ. He alone can forgive their sins and grant them eternal life.
Ask the Lord to send anointed workers to the Valmiki of Pakistan and India.
Pray that the leaders among the Valmiki would be open to hearing the gospel.
Pray that the Valmiki would be led by the Holy Spirit to listen to Christian radio programs.
Pray for a movement to Christ among the Valmiki this decade.
Scripture Prayers for the Valmiki (Hindu traditions) in Pakistan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valmiki_caste
https://dbpedia.org/page/Valmiki_caste
https://www.quora.com/In-which-caste-does-Valmiki-fall-under
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Valmiki (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Valmiki (Hindu traditions) |
Natural Name | Hindu Valmiki |
Pronunciation | wahl-MEE-kee |
Alternate Names | Balmik; Balmiki; Bhangi; Byada; Churhra; Hair; Hari; Malkana Mehtar; Mehtar; Mehtor |
Population this Country | 120,000 |
Population all Countries | 5,979,000 |
Total Countries | 4 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
People ID | 22348 |
ROP3 Code | 119347 |
Country | Pakistan | ||||||
Region | Asia, South | ||||||
Continent | Asia | ||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | ||||||
National Bible Society | Website | ||||||
Persecution Rank | 7 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | ||||||
Total States on file | 5 | ||||||
Largest States |
|
Country | Pakistan |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 7 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 5 |
Punjab 55,000 | |
Sindh 55,000 | |
Balochistan 3,600 | |
Islamabad 600 | |
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 400 | |
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 Pakistan census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Saraiki (47,000 speakers) | ||||||||||||
Language Code | skr Ethnologue Listing | ||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||||||||
Total Languages | 12 | ||||||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Saraiki (47,000 speakers) |
Language Code | skr Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 12 |
Secondary Languages | |
Punjabi, Western 32,000 | |
Sindhi 24,000 | |
Marwari 12,000 | |
Dhatki 4,500 | |
Urdu 400 | |
Kacchi 300 | |
Hindko, Southern 300 | |
Pahari-Potwari 200 | |
Bagri 200 | |
Hindko, Northern 30 | |
Goaria 30 | |
People Groups | Speaking Saraiki |
Primary Language: Saraiki
Bible Translation Status: Unspecified
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name | Source |
---|---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching | Global Recordings Network |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Saraiki | Jesus Film Project |
Film / Video | World Christian Videos | World Christian Videos |
General | Bible for Children | Bible for Children |
General | Biblical answers to your questions | Got Questions Ministry |
General | Gospel resources links | Scripture Earth |
Text / Printed Matter | Literacy primer for Saraiki | Literacy & Evangelism International |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Aathi94 - Shutterstock All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |