Bishnupriya Manipuri in Bangladesh


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* From latest Bangladesh census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.

Introduction / History

The Bishnupriya (Manipuri) are a 100% Hindu community living in the northeastern corner of Bangladesh mostly in the Moulvibazar district of Sylhet division. They point to Manipur state of India as their homeland, and they still have a majority of their people in various northeastern states of India.


What Are Their Lives Like?

They are mostly farmers, though their younger generations are becoming increasingly more educated and looking for other opportunities. They are very proud of their culture/religion and are well-known in Bangladesh for their dances; their identity is very much tied to their Hindu culture/religion. Largely because of this, there is still not a single known Christian among the Bishnupriya in Bangladesh.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Bishnupriya people practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. Hinduism is a catch-all phrase for the local religions of South Asia, so it is very diverse. At the popular level, Hindus worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. They visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers, and incense to their gods in hopes of gaining protection and benefits. They do not have a personal or familial relationship with their gods like Christians or Jews. There are other Hindus who are much more philosophical, especially among the Brahmins. Almost all Hindus participate in yearly celebrations like Holi, the festival of colors and the start of spring / Diwali, the festival of lights / Navratri, the celebration of autumn / and Rama Navami, Rama's birthday.


What Are Their Needs?

Missionary activity among them has been and is limited because of their belief that to be Bishnupriya is to be Hindu. Outsiders trying to spread the gospel are not tolerated, and individuals may resist the gospel for fear that they will lose their place in the Bishnupriya society if give Christ their allegiance. Still, because of the Bishnupriya community's desire for development and aid, missionaries can easily gain access to the community by engaging them in the social, economic, and health sectors. Going beyond merely providing aid may prove difficult, however.


Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to provide for their physical and spiritual needs as a testimony of his power and love. Pray that the Bishnupriya people will have a spiritual hunger that will open their hearts to the King of kings. Pray for workers who are driven by the love and boldness of the Holy Spirit to go to them. Pray for a movement to Christ among them to begin this decade.


Scripture Prayers for the Bishnupriya Manipuri in Bangladesh.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Bishnupriya Manipuri
People Name in Country Bishnupriya Manipuri
Alternate Names बिश्णुपूरिया
Population this Country 19,000
Population all Countries 122,000
Total Countries 2
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 20209
ROP3 Code 115966
ROP25 Code 301264
ROP25 Name Bisnupriya
Country Bangladesh
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 26  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States on file 2
Largest States
Sylhet
17,000
Chittagong
2,400
Country Bangladesh
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 26  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 2
  Sylhet 17,000
  Chittagong 2,400
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.24 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
0.20 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
94.54 %
Islam
3.36 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
1.66 %
* From latest Bangladesh census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Bishnupuriya (19,000 speakers)
Language Code bpy   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Bishnupuriya (19,000 speakers)
Language Code bpy   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Bishnupuriya

Primary Language:  Bishnupuriya

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1995-2011)
Bible-New Testament No
Bible-Complete No
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
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Bishnupuriya Jesus Film Project
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Photo Source Anonymous 
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.



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