The Valmiki are also called Balmiki. They are a caste of street sweepers with low status.
In India Valmiki people face discrimination from a young age. At school their children are given derisive names. They are treated like they cannot learn by public school teachers. Those who work in parks clean things up, then take a stroll in the park only to be told to leave either by high caste members or by the police. If they resist, the police will beat them. Valmiki women are sexually abused by high caste men. There is nothing they can do about it.
Since the root of these problems is in the Hindu based caste system, some Valmiki have changed to a different religion. Most commonly they become Buddhist, but others have adopted Islam or Sikhism. Those who became Sikhs were once used by the British colonialists as a military force.
Sikhism originated from a 15th century teacher named Guru Nanak Dev as a reform movement. He rejected the Hindu caste system, taught that all people were equal and that all have equal access to God. The Sikh God is formless, without gender and is to be found in everyone. One gets closer to God by living a good life and by practicing charity. Like Hindus, Sikhs believe in reincarnation and the law of karma; you reap what you sow in your previous life. Like Muslims, the Sikhs worship only one God.
One may recognize a Sikh man by his distinctive turban. All the 10 great Sikh gurus wore turbans. Sikh teaching mandates that a person not cut his or her hair. They worship their holy book, the Granth Sahib, which is a collection of hymns.
There are roughly the same number of Sikhs as there are Jews in the world, but Sikhs are most concentrated in Punjab, their homeland. However, you will find smaller numbers of Sikhs all over the world. Many of the best Indian restaurants in the West are owned and operated by Sikhs.
The Valmiki people need to put their trust and identity in the hands of the loving God of Creation who sent his son to make it possible for them to enter the Kingdom of God.
Pray for the Sikh Valmiki people to have the justice they need.
Pray for them to find their identity and sense of worth in the God who gave them life, and the savior who offers them life to the full.
Pray for a "Book of Acts" type of movement to Christ among the Sikh Valmiki.
Pray God will have mercy on the Valmiki, doing whatever it takes to place them in a position to receive him.
Ask God to open the hearts of the Sikh Valmiki to the gospel.
Scripture Prayers for the Valmiki (Sikh traditions) in India.
https://www.allaboutsikhs.com/sikh-way-of-life/sects-and-cults/balmiki/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_ZiGyCwLSY
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valmiki_caste
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Valmiki (Sikh traditions) |
People Name in Country | Valmiki (Sikh traditions) |
Natural Name | Sikh Valmiki |
Pronunciation | wahl-MEE-kee |
Alternate Names | Balmik; Balmiki; Bhangi; Hair; Hari; Mehtar; Mehtor |
Population this Country | 291,000 |
Population all Countries | 291,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 6 |
People ID | 22350 |
ROP3 Code | 119349 |
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 | 15 | |||||||||||||||
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 | 15 |
Punjab 274,000 | |
Haryana 5,400 | |
Chandigarh 2,400 | |
Uttar Pradesh 1,800 | |
Rajasthan 1,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 400 | |
Madhya Pradesh 300 | |
Jharkhand 300 | |
Uttarakhand 200 | |
Maharashtra 200 | |
Himachal Pradesh 200 | |
Jammu and Kashmir 90 | |
Delhi 60 | |
Gujarat 10 | |
Telangana 10 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Other / Small |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
0.00 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
100.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Punjabi, Eastern (180,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | pan Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 15 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Punjabi, Eastern (180,000 speakers) |
Language Code | pan Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 15 |
Secondary Languages | |
Hindi 57,000 | |
Bagri 1,300 | |
Haryanvi 700 | |
Chhattisgarhi 200 | |
Marwari 100 | |
Dhundari 90 | |
Awadhi 70 | |
Kanauji 70 | |
Marathi 50 | |
Shekhawati 50 | |
Garhwali 40 | |
Pahari, Mahasu 40 | |
Kumaoni 30 | |
Gujarati 30 | |
People Groups | Speaking Punjabi, Eastern |
Primary Language: Punjabi, Eastern
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1818-1954) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1815-2011) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1959-2021) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Bible-NT Text | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
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Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Sarbjitsinghrockybalmiki - Wikimedia Creative Commons |
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. |