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People group profile · PG049951

The Cakkala of India

The Cakkala of India, numbering about 245,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Hindu occupational caste of south India, traditionally identified as a washer-folk community.

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

Pray for the CakkalaPrint profile

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

Fast facts

Country
India
Population
245,000
Affinity group
South Asian Peoples
People cluster
Malayali
Primary language
Malayalam (mal)
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
Karnataka: Dakshina Kannada, Kodagu, and Mysore districts; Kerala and Lakshadweep states; Puducherry: Mahe; Tamil Nadu: Colimbatore, The Nilgiris, and Tirunelveli districts

Where they live

Gospel status

The Cakkala 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 Cakkala

  • 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

Malayalam · Dravidian family

100% speak Malayalam

Gospel resources in Malayalam

  • Bible available, published 2022
  • 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 Cakkala

  1. Revelation 7:9. Pray for the day when people from this group stand before the throne with every nation, tribe, people and language.
  2. John 17:3. Pray that many will come to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
  3. Psalm 27:1. Pray that new believers will be strengthened in the face of persecution, with the Lord as their stronghold.
  4. Romans 12:4–5. Pray that believers from many cultures will work together as one body so that the church is built up.

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