Batwal (Hindu traditions) in India


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* Data can be from various sources including official census, agencies, and local research. Data from these sources can sometimes differ even by orders of magnitude. Joshua Project attempts to present a conservative, balanced estimate.

Introduction / History

The Batwal people of Punjab trace their ancestry to the Kashmir Valley in north India. The word 'Batwal' in Punjabi means literally "the inhabitants of valley." The community provided the traditional watchmen for the villages of the Punjab. According to the community's own tradition, the Batwal people were forced to flee their settlements when India was attacked by Alexander the Great. Once the Greek armies retreated, the Batwal people found that their neighbors had seized their lands and they were forced to become village watchmen. For many generations they had two roles:village watchmen, and those who summoned the village for work. During colonial days many were allocated land by British authorities, and this caused a transformation towards becoming farmers. Some believe that the Batwal people were tied to the land by Dogra landowners, and the word 'Bat' in the Dogri language means someone who is bonded. They were for generations bonded to particular families of Dogra as serfs. Like other communities of similar status, the Batwal people have been granted Scheduled Caste status, which allows them to avail a number of affirmative action plans by the government of India.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Many rural Batwal people have started to migrate to towns and cities. The main occupations of the Batwal are agriculture, government jobs, transport, trade and commerce. The Batwal people are divided into 13 clans. Like other neighboring Hindu communities, the Batwal are strictly exogamous, never marrying within the clan. The Batwal people share the customs and traditions of the locally dominant Dogra ethnic group and speak Dogri. The Batwal community have produced a renowned Punjabi singer from Punjab, India, popularly known as Lal Chand Yamla.


What Are Their Beliefs?

The Batwal consider themselves to be Hindus. Each Batwal clan has its male deity and gods. Once a year, the members of each clan organize congregations at their temples before which they prostrate themselves, each head of a family sacrificing a goat in honor of his eldest son. A huge segment of Batwal people worship Sri Guru Gyagi Ji Maharaj and follow his teachings. Every year they celebrate his birthday with enthusiasm. Most Batwal people have been strongly influenced by the Arya Samaj Movement, while some Batwal have come under the influence of other Hindu reformist sects.


What Are Their Needs?

The Batwal community people are economically impoverished. The government of India in 1994 ordered the Planning Commission of India to undertake an ethnographic study. Unfortunately, no steps have yet been taken by the government to enhance the economic position of the Batwal community. The Batwal need to hear and understand the good news about Jesus Christ. He alone can forgive their sins and give them eternal life.


Prayer Points

Pray for a spiritual desire to come to the Batwal so that they will seek and find the Holy One of God, Jesus Christ. Pray that answers to prayer will give the Batwal a thirst to know more about the Lord Jesus. Pray for believers to go to the Batwal people and help them with both their physical and spiritual needs. Pray for a disciple making movement to Christ among the Batwal people in this decade.


Scripture Prayers for the Batwal (Hindu traditions) in India.


Profile Source:   Keith Carey  

People Name General Batwal (Hindu traditions)
People Name in Country Batwal (Hindu traditions)
Alternate Names Barwala; Haukara; Hokadena; Karaock; बटवाल (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स)
Population this Country 93,000
Population all Countries 93,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 4  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 2
PeopleID3 16342
ROP3 Code 111478
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States on file 9
Largest States
Jammu and Kashmir
50,000
Punjab
23,000
Himachal Pradesh
19,000
Haryana
800
Delhi
700
Chandigarh
100
Rajasthan
50
Uttarakhand
40
Uttar Pradesh
30
Districts Interactive map, listing and data download
Specialized Website South Asia Peoples
Country India
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 11  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 9
  Jammu and Kashmir 50,000
  Punjab 23,000
  Himachal Pradesh 19,000
  Haryana 800
  Delhi 700
  Chandigarh 100
  Rajasthan 50
  Uttarakhand 40
  Uttar Pradesh 30
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Hinduism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.04 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
98.00 %
Islam
0.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
1.96 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Dogri (31,000 speakers)
Language Code dgo   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 11
Secondary Languages
Hindi
19,000
Punjabi, Eastern
16,000
Kangri
12,000
Chambeali
1,700
Kashmiri
1,600
Gujari
300
Churahi
60
Bhadrawahi
20
Bilaspuri
Ladakhi
Primary Language Dogri (31,000 speakers)
Language Code dgo   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 11
Secondary Languages
  Hindi 19,000
  Punjabi, Eastern 16,000
  Kangri 12,000
  Chambeali 1,700
  Kashmiri 1,600
  Gujari 300
  Churahi 60
  Bhadrawahi 20
  Bilaspuri 10
  Ladakhi 0
People Groups Speaking Dogri

Primary Language:  Dogri

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1883-1971)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1826-2021)
Bible-Complete No
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings Oral Bible stories One Story
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Dogri Jesus Film Project
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible and Resources in text or audio or video Internet Publishing Sevice
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Bible in text or audio or video South Asia Bibles
General Biblical answers to your questions Got Questions Ministry
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Gospel website in this language General / Other
General Scripture Earth Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible app direct APK download SIL
Mobile App Android Bible app: Dogri YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible App: Dogri Bible Operation Agape
Mobile App Android Bible app: Dogri Word General / Other
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Dogri YouVersion Bibles
Photo Source Anonymous 
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Keith Carey 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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