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

People group profile · PG049713

The Erawallan of India

The Erawallan of India, numbering about 10,500 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of Kerala and Tamil Nadu also known as Villu-Vedan, meaning hunters with bow and arrow, historically dwelling in forest villages and sustained by hunting, food-gathering, and agriculture.

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

Pray for the ErawallanPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
India
Population
10,500
Affinity group
South Asian Peoples
People cluster
South Asian Tribal
Primary language
Tamil (tam)
Primary religion
Folk Hinduism
Strategic Progress Index ?
Unengaged and 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
Kerala: Palakkad district; also Tamil Nadu

Where they live

Gospel status

The Erawallan are Unengaged and Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, and there has been no reported church planting activity in the past two years. 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 Erawallan

  • Pray that God would send workers to this people group
  • Begin sowing the gospel and seek out people of peace
  • Plant the first churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice

Primary religion

Folk Hinduism · Hinduism

99% adherents

Primary language

Tamil · Dravidian family

100% speak Tamil

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

Bibles

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

Pray for the Erawallan

  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.