People group profile · PG041906
The Gounder of India
The Gounder of India, numbering about 60,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a community of Salem, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, and Tiruchirappalli districts, Tamil Nadu, their name meaning hunter, migrants from north India according to oral tradition. Agriculture and daily-wage labor have replaced hunting.
They are an indigenous people in the Tamil people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism, and they primarily speak Tamil.

Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 60,500
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Tamil
- Primary language
- Tamil (tam)
- Primary religion
- Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- No Longer Unreached
- Evangelical
- 20% or Greater but Less than 30%
- GSEC ?
- 10% or Greater Evangelical
- Lostness priority ?
- Significantly Reached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Tamil Nadu: Salem, Coimbatore, Nilgiris, Erode, and Tiruchirappalli districts; also Kanyakumari district and Sengottai (Tirunelveli district)
Where they live
Gospel status
The Gounder 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 Gounder
- 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
Gospel resources in Tamil
- Bible available, published 2024
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- Magdalena (Tamil)
- The Savior (Tamil)
Bibles
- Contemporary Version · video
- Contemporary Version - LUMO Christmas Film · video
- Contemporary Version - LUMO Easter Film · video
- Easy-to-Read Version · audio, text
- Indian Revised Version · audio, text
- Indian Revised Version · text
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Gounder
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
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