Chhipa (Hindu traditions) in India
CHEE-pah

According to legend, when Parashuram set out to exterminate the Kshatriya, two brothers took shelter behind the image of the goddess Devi. The goddess advised the first one to stitch clothes and the second one to print and dye these stitched clothes to escape from Parashuram. Hence, the descendants of the second person are called Chhipa (Chippi is derived from the Hindi word chhapna, meaning printing). Though the traditional occupation of the Chippa is dyeing and printing cloth, many are now cloth merchants. Remarriage is allowed for widows, widowers and divorcees. Their literacy rate is low, and only a few have received education up to the high school level.

Ministry Obstacles
This community speaks more than 20 languages, thus, each language sub-group will need a separate outreach and church planting project.

Scripture Focus
"After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!"  Revelation 7:9-10

Scripture Prayer
Pray that many members of this people group will be part of the vast crowd praising God in heaven.

Prayer Focus
Pray for improved employment opportunities, and for good schools to be made available for the children of this Hindu community. Pray for loving ambassadors of Christ to share with this people group, discipling them in his ways. There are no known Christian believers in this community at present, so pray for those who will soon commit themselves to follow Christ. Pray additionally that they will live holy lives and be united around truth, accepting for themselves that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life.

Presented by Joshua Project
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