Dhor in India

People Name:	Dhor
Country:	India
10/40 Window:	Yes
Population:	179,000
World Population:	179,000
Primary Language:	Marathi
Primary Religion:	Hinduism
Christian Adherents:	0.03 %
Evangelicals:	0.00 %
Scripture:	Complete Bible
Online Audio NT:	No
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	South Asia Dalit - other
Affinity Bloc:	South Asian Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The 157,000 Dhor people are a community of tanners. Thus their name came from dhor, the word for "cattle." Though they have always been tanners, commonly Dhor people become day laborers when leather and other necessary raw materials are not available. Typically they buy raw leather hides from slaughterhouses that they tan and sell to those who make shoes.

Where Are they Located?

The Dhor people are most likely to live either in India's Maharashtra or Karnataka states. A little over half of them live in urban areas, so it is possible to reach them in an urban center like Mumbai.

What Are Their Lives Like?

They consider themselves to be equal to the much more numerous Chamars, India's most noted leather workers. The more fortunate among these people of low status take advantage of India's "reservation" system, which gives them the opportunity to become white-collar workers, doctors, teachers, or engineers.

Prayer Points

They speak Marathi, the language of Maharastra, and there are many Christian materials in this language.

Pray for these materials to find their way into Dhor homes.
Pray for believers in Mumbai to reach out to the Dhor people, and persevere until there is a strong Dhor church.