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People group profile · PG042141

The Vaisnava of India

The Vaisnava of India, numbering about 19,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Vaishnava Brahmin community of India associated with Karnataka and Maharashtra. Their cultural identity is rooted in devotion to Vishnu, participation in Vaishnava religious traditions, and the preservation of Brahmin ritual practices.

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

Pray for the VaisnavaPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
India
Population
19,000
Affinity group
South Asian Peoples
People cluster
Brahmin
Primary language
Kannada (kan)
Primary religion
Hinduism
Strategic Progress Index ?
Engaged yet Unreached
Evangelical
No Known Evangelicals
GSEC ?
Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
Lostness priority ?
Frontier Unreached People Group
Also known as
Visya Brahman
Region
Southern Asia, Asia
Location
Mainly Goa and Karnataka states; Andhra Pradesh: Anantapur; Maharashtra: Latur district; Tamil Nadu and Kerala states; small border areas of last 4 states

Where they live

Gospel status

The Vaisnava 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 No
  • Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted

Next steps for the Vaisnava

  • 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

Hinduism

99% adherents

Primary language

Kannada · Dravidian family

90% speak Kannada

Gospel resources in Kannada

  • Bible available, published 2024
  • JESUS Film available
  • Radio programs not available
  • Gospel recordings available
  • Audio resources available
  • Bible stories available

Films

Bibles

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

Pray for the Vaisnava

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