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People group profile · PG041559

The Bhatiara of India

The Bhatiara of India, numbering about 185,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an occupational community of Muslim inn and restaurant keepers speaking Hindi and Awadhi, distributed across Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar.

They are an indigenous people in the Urdu people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Sunni Islam, and they primarily speak Awadhi.

Pray for the BhatiaraPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
India
Population
185,000
Affinity group
South Asian Peoples
People cluster
Urdu
Primary language
Awadhi (awa)
Primary religion
Sunni Islam
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

Where they live

Gospel status

The Bhatiara 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 Bhatiara

  • 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

Sunni Islam · Islam

99% 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

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

Pray for the Bhatiara

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

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