People group profile · PG049728
The Chaptegar of India
The Chaptegar of India, numbering about 8,300 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a Konkani-speaking artisan community of carpenters, traditionally skilled in woodwork and boat-building, concentrated in Dakshina Kannada in Karnataka and in Kasaragod, Kerala. Their name derives from chapta, meaning bark of a tree.
They are an indigenous people in the Marathi-Konkani people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism, and they primarily speak Konkani (individual language).

Fast facts
- Country
- India
- Population
- 8,300
- Affinity group
- South Asian Peoples
- People cluster
- Marathi-Konkani
- Primary language
- Konkani (individual language) (knn)
- Primary religion
- Hinduism
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Unengaged and Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Southern Asia, Asia
- Location
- Karnataka: Dakshina Kannada; Kerala: Kasaragod
Where they live
Gospel status
The Chaptegar 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 Chaptegar
- 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
99% adherents
Primary language
Konkani (individual language) · Indo-European family
100% speak Konkani (individual language)
Gospel resources in Konkani (individual language)
- Bible available, published 1997
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Mangalorean Konkani)
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Chaptegar
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
- 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.
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