People group profile · PG049498
The Kalbi of India
The Kalbi of India, numbering about 652,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an agricultural community of Rajasthan tracing mythical descent from Kshatriya warriors of the Mahabharata era who settled near Mount Abu. The Kalbi are vegetarian Hindus who remain largely landowning cultivators supplemented by cattle-rearing.
They are an indigenous people in the Punjabi people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism, and they primarily speak Marwari (India).
Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 652,000
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Punjabi
- Primary language
- Marwari (India) (rwr)
- Primary religion
- 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
- Rajasthan (Marwar region, Jalore district)
Where they live
Gospel status
The Kalbi 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 Kalbi
- 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
99% adherents
Primary language
Marwari (India) · Indo-European family
100% speak Marwari (India)
Gospel resources in Marwari (India)
- Bible available, published 2023
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Kalbi
- 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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