Traditionally the Dhobi people washed laundry. One of their subgroups are the Parit. This subgroup lives in the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
When a Dhobi girl marries, her dowry usually contains just a few items, but almost always an iron. After the men wash the customers' clothes, the women iron them and keep the money they earn to pay for household expenses. Mothers teach the girls to iron at an early age, and boys help their fathers by washing the smaller articles of clothing and by delivering packages of clean clothes to their owners. Today many of them own businesses or work in government jobs.
Most of the Dhobis follow popular Hinduism and worship local gods as well as the washing stones. The vast majority remain Hindu, but they have contact with other communities. Hindus have a pragmatic view of the spirit world. Therefore, the Dhobi people often worship whatever spiritual force they believe will help them with their practical needs.
Since many of their customers are starting to use washing machines, many Parit Dhobi are facing unemployment. They need job security and job training.
Pray that the Dhobi people will hear the gospel and discover that only Jesus Christ can wash away their sins.
Pray for workers to go to the Parit Dhobi people in India.
Pray that the Holy Spirit will give the Parit Dhobi people such spiritual hunger that they will not be satisfied until they taste and see that the Lord is good.
Pray for a disciple making movement among the Parit Dhobi people in both India and Nepal.
Scripture Prayers for the Dhobi Parit in India.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Dhobi Parit |
People Name in Country | Dhobi Parit |
Natural Name | Parit Dhobi |
Alternate Names | Kamathi Parit; Lingayat Parit; Mahratta Parit; Parote; Telangi Parit |
Population this Country | 303,000 |
Population all Countries | 303,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 6 |
People ID | 21714 |
ROP3 Code | 118502 |
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 | 9 | |||||||||
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 | 9 |
Maharashtra 186,000 | |
Karnataka 26,000 | |
Uttar Pradesh 20,000 | |
Bihar 18,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 15,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 13,000 | |
Jharkhand 7,500 | |
Goa 6,000 | |
Delhi 5,600 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.76 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.24 %
|
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 | Marathi (124,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | mar Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 19 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Marathi (124,000 speakers) |
Language Code | mar Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 19 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Hindi 60,000 | |
Kannada 16,000 | |
Konkani 15,000 | |
Konkani, Goan 9,700 | |
Bhojpuri 7,200 | |
Chhattisgarhi 7,000 | |
Khandesi 6,800 | |
Ahirani 2,500 | |
Maithili 1,800 | |
Telugu 1,200 | |
Magahi 600 | |
Bundeli 300 | |
Kanauji 200 | |
Awadhi 200 | |
Nimadi 100 | |
People Groups | Speaking Marathi |
Primary Language: Marathi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1807-1957) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1811-1982) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1821-2022) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Copyrighted © 2023 Wantanddo - Shutterstock All rights reserved. Used with permission |
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. |