Nihal in India

The Nihal have only been reported 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

In their language the word Nahal means lion or tiger. The Nahal are a Scheduled Tribe, meaning that they have a tribal background. They live in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. In Madhya Pradesh, the Nahal speak Nimari which is an Indo Aryan language.


What Are Their Lives Like?

They work mainly in agricultural labor. They eat goat meat and chicken. Their marriages are between one man and one woman. They may have a low literacy level, so the gospel will need to be given in oral form. A caste council looks after their interests.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Korku Nahal 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.


What Are Their Needs?

The Korku Nahal people need a special relationship with God that can only come by embracing the Son of Man.


Prayer Points

Pray that caste council leaders come to Jesus Christ and lead their people into a movement to Christ. Pray for a spiritual hunger that will lead them to the Savior. Pray for workers and intercessors to be thrust out by the Lord.


Scripture Prayers for the Nihal in India.


Profile Source:   Keith Carey  

People Name General Nihal
People Name in Country Nihal
Alternate Names कोरकु
Population this Country 31,000
Population all Countries 31,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 21164
ROP3 Code 117987
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 3
Largest States
Madhya Pradesh
25,000
Maharashtra
5,100
Odisha
40
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 3
  Madhya Pradesh 25,000
  Maharashtra 5,100
  Odisha 40
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.06 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
0.06 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
99.75 %
Islam
0.09 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.04 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Korku (17,000 speakers)
Language Code kfq   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 9
Secondary Languages
Hindi
4,600
Nihali
3,400
Khandesi
1,100
Korwa
600
Marathi
200
Nimadi
200
Malvi
40
Bhili
10
Primary Language Korku (17,000 speakers)
Language Code kfq   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 9
Secondary Languages
  Hindi 4,600
  Nihali 3,400
  Khandesi 1,100
  Korwa 600
  Marathi 200
  Nimadi 200
  Malvi 40
  Bhili 10
People Groups Speaking Korku

Primary Language:  Korku

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1900-1981)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (2018)
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 Following Jesus video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Korku Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
Text / Printed Matter Jesus Messiah comic book General / Other
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2024  CRS Photo - Shutterstock  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Keith Carey 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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