+2
+3
People cluster
Brahmin
Unreached
0%
Evangelicals
Who they are
The Brahmins form one of the best-known groups of Hinduism. In the ancient division of Indian society into castes, which are groups of families bound together by birth and an inherited occupation, they were traditionally the priests and teachers of the religion. They looked after the temples, the wedding and funeral ceremonies and the study of the sacred texts in Sanskrit, the ancient language of Hinduism.
There are more than 95 million of them, almost all in India, with large communities in Nepal and smaller groups in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bhutan. They speak the language of the region where they live, such as Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil or Nepali. Today many no longer work as priests: they are teachers, doctors, engineers, civil servants and businesspeople, and they have great influence on the cultural and political life of India.
For many Brahmin families, keeping the Hindu tradition is a matter of honor and identity. For that reason, leaving the religion of one’s parents can come at a high cost within the family. Followers of Jesus among them are very few.
What sets the subgroups apart
The Brahmins are not a single block. Each region has its own groups, with different languages, customs and even food. In northern India there are groups such as the Kanaujia and the Gaur. In the south there are the Iyer of Tamil Nadu and the Nambudiri of Kerala. In the west there are the Chitpavan and the Deshastha of Maharashtra. In Nepal, the hill Brahmins, called Bahun there, are among the most numerous groups in the country.
There are also differences of history and faith. The Kashmiri Pandits, from a region in the far north of India, are Brahmins who for the most part had to leave the Kashmir valley because of violence in the early 1990s and still live scattered across other cities. A smaller group follows Sikhism, a religion born in northern India, rather than Hinduism. In Bangladesh and Pakistan, Brahmins live as a small Hindu minority in Muslim-majority countries.
Where they are still unreached
6
Countries
97.1M
Population
| Country | Share of the people | Population |
|---|---|---|
India
|
95.5%
|
92.695.000 |
Nepal
|
3.8%
|
3.674.300 |
Bangladesh
|
0.5%
|
519.800 |
Sri Lanka
|
0.2%
|
151.000 |
Pakistan
|
0%
|
27.700 |
Bhutan
|
0%
|
6.400 |
The 97 peoples in this cluster
+2
What to pray for
Intercede for this people
May the Brahmins, who seek to know God through study and prayer, find in Jesus the way to the Father.
For the Brahmins who follow Jesus, that they would have courage and be respected by their own families.
May the Christians of India know how to speak with Brahmins with respect, humility and true friendship.
For the Kashmiri Pandits, who still carry the pain of having left their homes, that they would find comfort and peace.
For the Brahmins of Nepal, Bangladesh and Pakistan, that the Bible would reach them in the language of the heart.
May Brahmin students and professionals in the big cities meet Christians who live out the gospel up close.