People group profile · PG042173
The Swangla of India
The Swangla of India, numbering about 13,500 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe category of the Pattan valley in Lahaul and Spiti, Himachal Pradesh, encompassing Brahmin, Rana, and Rajput lineages. Agriculture remains their major activity, alongside wage labor and trade.
They are an indigenous people in the Tibetan people cluster of the Tibetan Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Hinduism, and they primarily speak Pattani.
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 13,500
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Tibetan
- Primary language
- Pattani (lae)
- 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 ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Himachal Pradesh: Chamba-Lahul, Lahul, Pattan, and lower Mayar valleys, some in Kullu and Manali cities; Jammu and Kashmir: Kishtwar district
Where they live
Gospel status
The Swangla 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 Swangla
- 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
95% adherents
Primary language
Pattani · Sino-Tibetan family
74% speak Pattani
Gospel resources in Pattani
- Bible available, published 1914
- JESUS Film not available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources not available
- Bible stories available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Swangla
- 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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