Navithan in India


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* Data can be from various sources including official census, agencies, and local research. Data from these sources can sometimes differ even by orders of magnitude. Joshua Project attempts to present a conservative, balanced estimate.

Introduction / History

The Navithan or Ambattan or Maruthuvar live in south India. They traditional occupation was that of being physicians to kings and nobles. With the coming of the British and modern medicine they became hair cutters for the four castes of Hinduism. The Navithan are considered to be the lowest caste of the four main castes but they are barbers to the three castes above them. The Ambattan would not cut of the hair of a person outside the caste system such as a low class or tribal person.

Today the Navithan still work as hair cutters and as agricultural workers. University educated and Navithan have entered the professions of medicine, engineering and law. Some Navithan have opened beauty parlors in south Indian cities.
The primary language of the Navithan is Tamil.


Where Are they Located?

The vast majority of the Navithan live in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Some also reside in Kerala, Maharashtra and other regions of India.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Most Navithan still live in villages and continue working as the village barbers and as farm laborers. Their lives are dominated by the Monsoon wet/dry seasons and the yearly Hindu holidays.

The Navithan are not vegetarians. They eat meat except for beef. Their main food like most peoples of south India is rice. They also consume lentils, wheat, vegetables, fruit and dairy products.

Families arrange the marriages of young people. Navithan young people often marry their cousins. Both Brahmans and their own priests officiate at weddings. The newly married couple lives with or near the groom's parents. Upon the death of the father, the sons inherit his property. The Navithan cremate their dead except for young children who are buried.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Navithan practice Hinduism the traditional, ancient religion of India. They worship and serve the many gods of the Hindu pantheon. The majority of the Navithan serve Shiva or Vishnu as their supreme deity. They visit and pray in Hindu temples where they offer food, flowers and incense to their gods. They also perform rituals to ward off evil spirits.

The Navithan participate in the annual Hindu holidays of Holi, the festival of colors, Diwali, the festival of lights and Navratri, the nine-day celebration of autumn.


What Are Their Needs?

The Navithan need to hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ in a way they can understand. The Navithan who still live in villages would benefit by Christian workers who could help educate their children and provide modern medical care. The few Navithan who are Christians need to be trained and motivated to share the gospel with their brothers and sisters who are Hindus


Prayer Points

Pray that the Indian Christians who live in Tamil Nadu would reach out and share the gospel with the Navithan.
Pray the Navithan would be open to the gospel and be led to see the JESUS film in Tamil.
Pray that the Lord raises up Bible-believing churches in the Navithan community.


Scripture Prayers for the Navithan in India.


References

answers.com/Q/Which_caste_maruthuvar_community_belongs
peoplegroups.org/Explore/groupdetails.aspx?peid=41439
indpaedia.com/ind/index.php/Ambattan


Profile Source:   David Kugel  

People Name General Navithan
People Name in Country Navithan
Pronunciation nah-vee-DIN
Alternate Names Navidev; नवीतान
Population this Country 914,000
Population all Countries 936,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 18
People ID 17766
ROP3 Code 113227
ROP25 Code 305230
ROP25 Name Maruthuvar / Navithan
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 21
Largest States
(only 15 largest shown)
Tamil Nadu
854,000
Kerala
24,000
Karnataka
15,000
Puducherry
6,800
Andhra Pradesh
6,400
Maharashtra
3,800
Telangana
1,600
Delhi
1,300
Andaman and Nicobar
300
Uttar Pradesh
200
Madhya Pradesh
100
Gujarat
100
Chhattisgarh
60
West Bengal
60
Jharkhand
50
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 21  (only 20 largest shown)
  Tamil Nadu 854,000
  Kerala 24,000
  Karnataka 15,000
  Puducherry 6,800
  Andhra Pradesh 6,400
  Maharashtra 3,800
  Telangana 1,600
  Delhi 1,300
  Andaman and Nicobar 300
  Uttar Pradesh 200
  Madhya Pradesh 100
  Gujarat 100
  Chhattisgarh 60
  West Bengal 60
  Jharkhand 50
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 India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Tamil (788,000 speakers)
Language Code tam   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 4
Secondary Languages
Malayalam
20,000
Telugu
3,600
Kannada
700
Primary Language Tamil (788,000 speakers)
Language Code tam   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 4
Secondary Languages
  Malayalam 20,000
  Telugu 3,600
  Kannada 700
People Groups Speaking Tamil

Primary Language:  Tamil

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1714-1956)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1715-1998)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1727-2024)
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings General Ministry Resources General / Other
Audio Recordings Love letter to you from scripture Father's Love Letter
Audio Recordings Online Audio Scripture Talking Bibles
Audio Recordings Recorded oral Bible Oral Bibles
Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Following Jesus video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Tamil Jesus Film Project
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video My Last Day video, anime Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Rivka video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Story of Jesus for Children 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 Comprehensive list of Tamil Resources General / Other
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
Photo Source Tshrinivasan - Wikimedia  Creative Commons 
Map Source People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source David Kugel 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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