People group profile · PG041659
The Bedia of India
The Bedia of India, numbering about 672,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Caste agricultural community of Odisha, also known as Bedia Kudmi, who migrated from the Hazaribagh and Ranchi areas and settled in Mayurbhanj and Cuttack. They speak Kudmali and are organized through a clan-based community council.
They are an indigenous people in the South Asian Tribal people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Ethnoreligion, and they primarily speak Panchpargania.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 672,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- South Asian Tribal
- Primary language
- Panchpargania (tdb)
- Primary religion
- Ethnoreligion
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, Dispersed CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Pioneer Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Assam: upper tea gardens; Jharkhand: Ranchi and Singhbhum districts; Odisha and West Bengal states
Where they live
Gospel status
The Bedia 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 dispersed church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist Yes
- Church planting in the last two years Dispersed Church Planting
Next steps for the Bedia
- 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
100% adherents
Primary language
Panchpargania · Indo-European family
100% speak Panchpargania
Gospel resources in Panchpargania
- Bible available, published 2019
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Bedia
- 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.
- John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.