According to one legend of many, the Binjhal name came from two words which combined meant without sweat. The Binjhal people are a scheduled caste that at some time in the past migrated from Madhya Pradesh to Odisha and Chhattisgarh. Many still live in Madhya Pradesh. They speak in a dialect of Oriya. They have many clans.
Some are landowners while others are agricultural day laborers. They have a low literacy level so the gospel will need to be presented in oral form. They are noted for being fighters. Binjhal families are nuclear. They are patrilinear, meaning that they go by the father's family line. Most marriages are arranged by the families, and it's common for them to marry their cousins. Sometimes a couple will elope and other times there is "marriage by capture," where there is a mock capturing of the bride by the groom and his family. In any case the groom has to pay a bride price to her family. The Binjhal people allow for divorce and remarriage. They do not have a formal village council to settle disputes; those are settled by village elders.
Hinduism is their religion, but they have many of their own unique beliefs. Unlike most Hindu communities, the Binjal people bury their dead rather than cremating them. They worship their patron deity, Bindhyabasini.
The Binjhal people need the chance to allow Jesus Christ to give them life to the full.
Pray that their leaders will open the door for a Christ-ward movement. Pray for faithful intercessors and workers. Pray for Indian believers to show them the way to the cross.
Scripture Prayers for the Binjhal in India.
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
People Name General | Binjhal |
People Name in Country | Binjhal |
Alternate Names | Bindhya Bashini; Binjhar; Binjhwar; Khatriya; Vindhyabasini Kshatriya; Vindhyaniwasi; बिंझल |
Population this Country | 164,000 |
Population all Countries | 164,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 3 |
People ID | 16471 |
ROP3 Code | 111637 |
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 | 2 | |||
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 | 2 |
Odisha 161,000 | |
Delhi 100 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.06 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.77 %
|
Islam |
0.06 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.01 %
|
Unknown |
0.09 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Odia (84,000 speakers) | ||||||||||||
Language Code | ory Ethnologue Listing | ||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||||||||
Total Languages | 12 | ||||||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Odia (84,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ory Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 12 |
Secondary Languages | |
Munda 29,000 | |
Mundari 16,000 | |
Hindi 3,800 | |
Chhattisgarhi 2,400 | |
Ho 700 | |
Kuvi 300 | |
Kurux 200 | |
Kharia 70 | |
Bengali 40 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 30 | |
Pengo 30 | |
People Groups | Speaking Odia |
Primary Language: Odia
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1811-1956) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1809-2000) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1815-2021) |
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 |
Photo Source | Anonymous |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |