People group profile · PG041401
The Arakh of India
The Arakh of India, numbering about 392,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an occupational caste of Awadhi-speaking agriculturalists distributed across Uttar Pradesh districts including Kanpur, Lucknow, and Faizabad. The Arakh traditionally engaged in cultivation and military service.
They are an indigenous people in the Marathi-Konkani people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Hinduism, and they primarily speak Awadhi.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 392,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Marathi-Konkani
- Primary language
- Awadhi (awa)
- Primary religion
- Folk Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent 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 Arakh 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, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Arakh
- 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
80% adherents
Primary language
Awadhi · Indo-European family
100% speak Awadhi
Gospel resources in Awadhi
- Bible available, published 2005
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
Bibles
- Easy-to-Read Version · audio, text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Arakh
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
- Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
- Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.
- Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
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