Bhand (Muslim 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 Bhand or Bhanr people get their name from the term in Sanskrit for jester which is bhanda. They are an occupational lower caste people who have been singers, dancers, actors, and jesters since the days of feudal kingdoms in India.

The Bhands are Sunni Muslim and speak Maithili as well as Nepali and Urdu. They live in many areas of north and central India.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Today the Bhands are still known for their singing, dancing and storytelling. The Damaleh Bhand in India are especially known for their folk dance, folk music and playing of the drum and flute. Most Bhand, however, can be found to have left their traditional occupation and moved into small business selling of household goods or toys. Being of a lower caste has forced some into rickshaw pulling and begging for subsistence. Literacy is very low and many children are not able to attend school though the boys often attend some Islamic instruction.


What Are Their Beliefs?

These Sunni Muslims believe that the supreme God, Allah, spoke through his prophet, Mohammed, and taught mankind how to live a righteous life through the Koran and the Hadith. To live a righteous life, you must utter the Shahada (a statement of faith), pray five times a day facing Mecca, fast from sunup to sundown during the month of Ramadan, give alms to the poor, and make a pilgrimage to Mecca if you have the means. Muslims are prohibited from drinking alcohol, eating pork, gambling, stealing, slandering, and making idols. They gather for corporate prayer on Friday afternoons at a mosque, their place of worship.

The two main holidays for Sunni Muslims are Eid al Fitr, the breaking of the monthly fast and Eid al Adha, the celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son to Allah.

Sunni religious practices are staid and simple. They believe that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.

In most of the Muslim world, people depend on the spirit world for their daily needs since they regard Allah as too distant. Allah may determine their eternal salvation, but the spirits determine how well we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.


What Are Their Needs?

Because of their prominent traditional position in the community in performing, the Bhand community ought to be more open to outside communication and likely the gospel. Few have ever approached the Muslim Bhand with the gospel and consequently there are no known believers.


Prayer Points

Pray for loving workers to go to the Bhand people, and for their hearts to be ready to receive their savior.

Pray for families of believers loving and serving others to grow reproducing churches.

Pray for a chain reaction of families reaching families that result in thousands of new disciples who share their faith with others.

Pray for grace and truth expanding into their entire society as all believers learn to love others.


Scripture Prayers for the Bhand (Muslim traditions) in India.


References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhand


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Bhand (Muslim traditions)
People Name in Country Bhand (Muslim traditions)
Alternate Names Bhagat; Bhan; Bhand; Bhangat; Bhanr; Bhant; Kashmiri Bhand; Nakkal; Naqqal; Rana Bhand; भांड (मुस्लिम ट्रेडिशन्स)
Population this Country 39,000
Population all Countries 52,000
Total Countries 3
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 16423
ROP3 Code 111574
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 7
Largest States
Uttar Pradesh
26,000
Bihar
8,000
Jharkhand
2,200
Madhya Pradesh
1,500
Maharashtra
1,200
Jammu and Kashmir
300
Uttarakhand
200
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 7
  Uttar Pradesh 26,000
  Bihar 8,000
  Jharkhand 2,200
  Madhya Pradesh 1,500
  Maharashtra 1,200
  Jammu and Kashmir 300
  Uttarakhand 200
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.00 %)
0.00 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
100.00 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Hindi (16,000 speakers)
Language Code hin   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 11
Secondary Languages
Urdu
13,000
Bhojpuri
3,200
Awadhi
1,200
Kanauji
500
Magahi
400
Maithili
300
Kashmiri
300
Bengali
100
Marwari (India)
100
Bundeli
20
Primary Language Hindi (16,000 speakers)
Language Code hin   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 11
Secondary Languages
  Urdu 13,000
  Bhojpuri 3,200
  Awadhi 1,200
  Kanauji 500
  Magahi 400
  Maithili 300
  Kashmiri 300
  Bengali 100
  Marwari (India) 100
  Bundeli 20
People Groups Speaking Hindi

Primary Language:  Hindi

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1806-1962)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1811-1998)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1818-2022)
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Text / Printed Matter Jesus Messiah comic book General / Other
Text / Printed Matter Literacy primer for Hindi Literacy & Evangelism International
Text / Printed Matter The Ancient Path Live Global
Text / Printed Matter Tools for faith conversations Cru
Text / Printed Matter Topical Scripture booklets and Bible studies World Missionary Press
Photo Source (Representative photo)
Copyrighted © 2024  Michael E  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.


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