Kirti, a little Modh Bania girl, stood petrified beside her devout mother. With eyes closed, the woman chanted slokas to the Hindu deity with 18 hands. In the imagination of little Kirti, the idol took on life, and its piercing eyes seemed to follow them as her mother walked around the temple.
On their way home Kirti was a different person. Shedding her frightened demeanor, she skipped and hopped beside her mother. "Why were you not praying in the temple, Kirti?" asked her mother. Referencing the idol the little girl replied, "The face of Modheshwari Mata frightens me." "Hush! You will anger the gods, and we will encounter misfortune if you speak like that," chided her distraught mother, who herself was always on edge. She was worried that the health and well-being of her family depended on the whim of the gods.
The wealthy Modh people deal in real estate and jewelry. They once lived only in the northern part of Gujarat state in a small town called Modhera, which derived its name from the Modheshwari Mata temple and the community around it. The Modh are now dispersed throughout India and other countries.
Some of the more famous Modhs are Mohandas Ghandi, popularly known as the Mahatma Ghandi, and Mukesh Ambani, the chairman and managing director of the Reliance Conglomerate, whom Forbes identifies as one of the wealthiest men in the world.
* Scripture Prayers for the Bania Modh in India.
Pray that the Modh Banias would acknowledge Christ Jesus as the source of hope and provision for humanity.
Some information from "The Scheduled Castes" K. S. Singh, ed. Oxford University Press, USA (1994)
Profile Source: Global Prayer Digest |
Bania profile for Children and Family Missions Activities |
Global Prayer Digest: 2011-08-16 |
People Name General | Bania Modh |
People Name in Country | Bania Modh |
Natural Name | Modh Bania |
Population this Country | 88,000 |
Population all Countries | 88,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
Alternate Names | Adalja; Ghoghva; Mandalia; Soni; बनिया, मोढ़ |
People ID | 19715 |
ROP3 Code | 115167 |
Country | India | |||||||||
Region | Asia, South | |||||||||
Continent | Asia | |||||||||
10/40 Window | Yes | |||||||||
National Bible Society | Website | |||||||||
Persecution Rank | 10 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) | |||||||||
Total States on file | 9 | |||||||||
Largest States |
|
|||||||||
Specialized Website | South Asia Peoples |
Country | India |
Region | Asia, South |
Continent | Asia |
10/40 Window | Yes |
National Bible Society | Website |
Persecution Rank | 10 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking) |
Total States | 9 |
Gujarat 65,000 | |
Rajasthan 14,000 | |
Maharashtra 4,300 | |
Delhi 1,600 | |
Madhya Pradesh 1,600 | |
West Bengal 800 | |
Telangana 400 | |
Punjab 90 | |
Daman and Diu 90 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Language | Gujarati (53,000 speakers) | |||||||||
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||
Total Languages | 9 | |||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Gujarati (53,000 speakers) |
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 9 |
Secondary Languages | |
Hindi 13,000 | |
Marwari 4,700 | |
Dhundari 3,100 | |
Marathi 1,000 | |
Mewari 200 | |
Shekhawati 200 | |
Bengali 60 | |
Konkani 50 | |
People Groups | Speaking Gujarati |
Primary Language: Gujarati
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1809-1965) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1820-1985) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1823-2019) |
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 |
Resource Type ▲ | Resource Name |
---|---|
Audio Recordings | Audio Bible teaching |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament |
Audio Recordings | Online New Testament |
Audio Recordings | Online Scripture / Bible |
Audio Recordings | Story of Jesus audio |
Film / Video | Creation to Christ |
Film / Video | Following Jesus video |
Film / Video | God's Story video |
Film / Video | Indigitube.tv Video / Animation |
Film / Video | Jesus Film: view in Gujarati |
Film / Video | LUMO film of Gospels |
Film / Video | Magdalena video |
Film / Video | Story of Jesus for Children |
General | Biblical answers to your questions |
General | Four Spiritual Laws |
General | Gospel resources links |
General | Gospel website in this language |
General | Zúme Training |
Mobile App | Download Bible from Google Play Store |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.75 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.25 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project. |
Profile Source | Global Prayer Digest |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Read more |