The Bahna or Behana are a Hindu people who live in north and central India. Their name comes a word for "seed." Their traditional occupation was separating the seeds from raw cotton. The Bahna believe they originally came from Persia or Afghanistan. With the coming of the modern technology, the Bahna have gone into different jobs like selling fabric, agriculture, manufacturing and trade. Some Bahna became Muslims during the time of the Moghuls. Many of them left India and moved to Pakistan in 1947. Many of the Bahna girls receive little formal education while the boys pursue more schooling. The Bahna are a Scheduled Caste meaning they receive special consideration for public jobs and university admissions. The primary language of the Bahna is Hindi.
The large majority of the Hindu Bahna live in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The Bahna marry within their community often their cousins. One spouse is the general rule while having more than one wife is legal. The sons inherit their father's property. Their dead are cremated.
The Bahna are not vegetarians but as Hindus do not eat beef. Their main foods are rice, wheat, lentils, vegetables and fruit. Most Bahna live in villages with other castes.
The Bahna practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. They worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. Hindus believe that by performing rituals and good works that they will attain moksha or freedom from the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth. The Bahna visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers and incense to their gods. There are many forms of Hinduism, each with its own deities and beliefs.
The main yearly holidays of the Bahna people are Holi, the festival of colors, Diwali, the festival of lights, Navratri, the celebration of autumn and Rama Navami, Rama's birthday.
The Bahna need to hear the life-changing message of Jesus Christ in a way they can understand. Teachers can come and help their girls gain a basic education. The Bahna need help in bringing modern conveniences to their villages.
Pray for the Holy Spirit to work powerfully through those ministering to the Bahna people.
Pray for the tiny number of Bahna believers to grown and be strengthened in the faith.
Pray for movements to Jesus to sweep through Bahna families, permeating the group from within.
Scripture Prayers for the Bahna (Hindu traditions) in India.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behna
peoplegroupsindia.com/profiles/dhunia/comment-page-1/
Profile Source: David Kugel |
People Name General | Bahna (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Bahna (Hindu traditions) |
Pronunciation | BAH-nah |
Alternate Names | Behana; Dhoni; Dhunia; Dhunkar; Mansari; Naddaf; Panjara; Panjira; Panjwara; Penja; Pinja; Pinjali; Pinjara; Pinjia; Punji; बहना (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 981,000 |
Population all Countries | 999,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 20 |
People ID | 20279 |
ROP3 Code | 115836 |
ROP25 Code | 309220 |
ROP25 Name | Bahna / Behana |
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 | 10 | ||||||||||||
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 | 10 |
Uttar Pradesh 936,000 | |
Haryana 32,000 | |
Uttarakhand 12,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 400 | |
Maharashtra 300 | |
Himachal Pradesh 300 | |
Delhi 200 | |
Odisha 200 | |
Chhattisgarh 50 | |
Gujarat 50 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.01 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.96 %
|
Islam |
0.03 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Hindi (616,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 22 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (616,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 22 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Awadhi 74,000 | |
Bhojpuri 65,000 | |
Kanauji 50,000 | |
Bundeli 9,600 | |
Kumaoni 3,400 | |
Braj Bhasha 3,000 | |
Haryanvi 1,700 | |
Garhwali 800 | |
Marathi 200 | |
Bagri 200 | |
Punjabi, Eastern 200 | |
Odia 100 | |
Kangri 60 | |
Mandeali 60 | |
Pahari, Mahasu 60 | |
People Groups | Speaking Hindi |
Primary Language: Hindi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1806-1962) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1811-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1818-2022) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
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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 Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | David Kugel |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |