The Mallah of Uttar Pradesh often go by the name of Nishad, which refers to a character from the Hindu myth the Ramayana. Nishad was a boatman in Prayag (Allahabad UP) who ferried Ram, Sita and Laskman across the river. From this tale, the Nishad consider their occupation as boatmen along the holy Ganga river carrying Hindu devotees as a high calling or holy occupation. They take pride in their heritage. Mallah are the traditional fishermen and boatmen of India and neighboring countries.
Most Mallah individuals live in India, but there are also sizable communities in Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
Mallah people are usually poor and often illiterate. They are involved in boating and some fishing and sometimes in farming. They are strict about marrying within their own caste. The women are not often seen in public, although at times in Hindu pilgrimage areas such as Allahabad or Benares, you will see children and women of this caste selling flowers and incense for river worship purposes.
Though most Mallah are Hindu, there are many who are Muslim. There is no founder for Hinduism as there is for Buddhism, Islam or Christianity. There is often a thin line between what is Hindu and what is traditional animistic religion. There are millions of deities that Hindus might worship; they tend to focus on those they believe will benefit them the most. For this reason, it is safe to say that Hindu Mallah people worship Hindu gods that they believe will provide safety and prosperity.
They have lacks in literacy, education, health, family planning, and economic advancement. All Mallah people need the chance to have a relationship with Jesus Christ and to become part of His holy family.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to move among Mallah families and community leaders to seek His face and enjoy His blessings.
Pray for the Lord to raise up workers who will be led to nurture disciple making movement within Mallah communities througout South Asia.
Pray that soon Mallah people will have joy and faith that will be contagious; giving their neighbors a desire to follow Christ.
Scripture Prayers for the Mallah (Muslim traditions) in India.
https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/17432/NP
https://peoplegroupsindia.com/profiles/mallah/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mallaah
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Mallah (Muslim traditions) |
People Name in Country | Mallah (Muslim traditions) |
Pronunciation | mah-LAH |
Alternate Names | Machhua; Muriari; Muriyari; मल्लाह (मुस्लिम ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 54,000 |
Population all Countries | 528,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 17624 |
ROP3 Code | 113059 |
Affinity Bloc | South Asian Peoples |
People Cluster | South Asia Muslim - other |
People Group | Mallah (Muslim traditions) |
Ethnic Code | CNN25 |
Affinity Bloc | South Asian Peoples |
People Cluster | South Asia Muslim - other |
People Group | Mallah (Muslim traditions) |
Ethnic Code | CNN25 |
Total Subgroups | 16 (only 15 largest shown) |
Agarwal 0 | |
Banpar 0 | |
Bathma 0 | |
Bin 0 | |
Chabbi 0 | |
Chabhi 0 | |
Gonrhi 0 | |
Guria 0 | |
Kharebind 0 | |
Khulwant 0 |
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 | 5 | ||||||
Largest States |
|
||||||
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 | 5 |
West Bengal 44,000 | |
Uttar Pradesh 25,000 | |
Uttarakhand 2,300 | |
Bihar 400 | |
Andaman and Nicobar 90 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Islam |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
100.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Bengali (37,000 speakers) | ||||||
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing | ||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||
Total Languages | 6 | ||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Bengali (37,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 6 |
Secondary Languages | |
Urdu 33,000 | |
Bhojpuri 600 | |
Bundeli 200 | |
Garhwali 200 | |
Sadri, Oraon 60 | |
People Groups | Speaking Bengali |
Primary Language: Bengali
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1800-1980) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1801-1984) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1809-2022) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source |
(Representative photo) Copyrighted © 2023 Isudas 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. |