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People group profile · PG041249

The Barhai of India

The Barhai of India, numbering about 3,755,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an occupational community of India, the Badhai derive their name from the Sanskrit word vardhna or vardhika, meaning cutting.

They are an indigenous people in the Badhai people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Hinduism, and they primarily speak Hindi.

Pray for the BarhaiPrint profile

AI-generated illustration representing the Barhai people
AI-generated illustration, not a photograph. Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash-Lite: Barhai

Fast facts

Country
India
Population
3,755,000
Affinity group
South Asian Peoples
People cluster
Badhai
Primary language
Hindi (hin)
Primary religion
Folk Hinduism
Strategic Progress Index
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
Less than 2%
GSEC
Less than 2% Evangelical, Concentrated CP Activity
Lostness priority
Frontier Unreached People Group
Region
Southern Asia, Asia
Location
Widespread in north India: northern Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand states; Delhi

Where they live

Gospel status

The Barhai are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical but there has been initial or concentrated church planting among them within the past two years.

  • Congregations exist Yes
  • Church planting in the last two years Concentrated Church Planting

Next steps for the Barhai

  • Continue prayer and fasting for this group
  • Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
  • Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Primary religion

Folk Hinduism · Hinduism

100% adherents

Primary language

Hindi · Indo-European family

100% speak Hindi

Gospel resources in Hindi

  • Bible available, published 2022
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories not available

Films

Bibles

Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.

Pray for the Barhai

  1. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  2. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  3. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
  4. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.

Download a prayer guide

Badhai, Hindu in other countries

The same people (ROP3 111468) is reported in 1 other country.

People groupCountryPopulationStatus
BadhaeNepal52,000Engaged yet Unreached

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