Prototype rebuild by the IMB Innovation Team. The official site is peoplegroups.org.

People group profile · PG042129

The Kotwal of India

The Kotwal of India, numbering about 56,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Caste of Madhya Pradesh whose name recalls their role as watchmen of a fort (kot). Wage labor is their livelihood today, supplemented by basketry and drumming at weddings.

They are an indigenous people in the Bengali people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Hinduism, and they primarily speak Hindi.

Pray for the KotwalPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
India
Population
56,500
Affinity group
South Asian Peoples
People cluster
Bengali
Primary language
Hindi (hin)
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 ?
Expanding 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 Kotwal 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 Kotwal

  • 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

98% adherents

Primary language

Hindi · Indo-European family

100% speak Hindi

Gospel resources in Hindi

  • Bible available, published 2022
  • 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 Kotwal

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

Download a prayer guide

Know something we don't? Submit updates to IMB Global Research.