People group profile · PG041653
The Mal Paharia of India
The Mal Paharia of India, numbering about 234,000 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of the Rajmahal hills in Bihar's Dumka and Sahebganj districts and Murshidabad district in West Bengal. Settled agriculture has replaced hunting and gathering, and they are skilled basket-makers.
They are an indigenous people in the Munda-Santal people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism, and they primarily speak Mal Paharia.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 234,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Munda-Santal
- Primary language
- Mal Paharia (mkb)
- Primary religion
- Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- No Longer Unreached
- Evangelical
- 30% or Greater but Less than 40%
- GSEC ?
- 10% or Greater Evangelical
- Lostness priority ?
- Significantly Reached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Bihar: Bhagalpur and Munger districts; Jharkhand: Hazaribagh and Manbhum districts; Odisha: Balasore district; West Bengal: Bankura and Birbhum districts; Assam, Mizoram, and Tripura states
Where they live
Gospel status
The Mal Paharia are No Longer Unreached, which means 2% or more are evangelical Christians. In GSEC terms, this people group is greater than or equal to 10% evangelical.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Mal Paharia
- Pray for the churches among this group to grow in faithfulness and maturity
- Equip believers to reach the unreached peoples around them
- Send out laborers from this people to the nations
Primary religion
100% adherents
Primary language
Mal Paharia · Indo-European family
74% speak Mal Paharia
Gospel resources in Mal Paharia
- Bible available, published 2018
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources not available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Mal Paharia)
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Mal Paharia
- 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.
- 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.
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