Bodla in Pakistan

The Bodla have only been reported in Pakistan
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 Bodla people are Muslims who live mainly in Pakistan. Even then, they have a small population, so it's possible they merge with larger people groups. Their population in India is even smaller.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Bodla people who are subsistence farmers face a dangerous situation each year. If there are floods, their soil is enriched, offering a potentially better harvest of wheat and cotton. The bad news is that these same floods can potentially kill anyone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Floods can also wash away an entire harvest of wheat and cotton. Crop failures leave them destitute and dependent on unscrupulous money lenders, who prey upon those who need seeds for the next year.


What Are Their Beliefs?

They are Sunni Muslims who 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 Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.
In most of the Muslim world, common 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 they live on a daily basis. For that reason, some Muslims appease spirits using charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces. More orthodox Muslims consider these practices heretical and un-Islamic.


What Are Their Needs?

The Bodla people need the chance to become economically independent. They need to be able to harvest enough to take care of their family's needs.


Prayer Points

Pray that the Bodlas and other subsistence farmers in Pakistan will experience an abundant harvest this year as a testimony of the sovereignty and love of Almighty God.
Pray for them to also be blessed by the abundant spiritual resources lavished on us by Christ, the King.
Pray for the Lord to thrust out loving workers to the Bodla people in Pakistan.


Scripture Prayers for the Bodla in Pakistan.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Bodla
People Name in Country Bodla
Alternate Names Bhodala; बोदला
Population this Country 19,000
Population all Countries 19,000
Total Countries 1
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
PeopleID3 16491
ROP3 Code 111661
Country Pakistan
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 7  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States on file 4
Largest States
Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa
13,000
Sindh
4,200
Punjab
2,000
Islamabad
50
Country Pakistan
Region Asia, South
Continent Asia
10/40 Window Yes
National Bible Society Website
Persecution Rank 7  (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)
Total States 4
  Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa 13,000
  Sindh 4,200
  Punjab 2,000
  Islamabad 50
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 Pakistan census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Hindko, Northern (8,800 speakers)
Language Code hno   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 9
Secondary Languages
Sindhi
2,300
Saraiki
2,200
Urdu
1,700
Pashto, Northern
1,500
Punjabi, Western
1,300
Hindko, Southern
600
Pahari-Potwari
200
Dhatki
100
Primary Language Hindko, Northern (8,800 speakers)
Language Code hno   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 9
Secondary Languages
  Sindhi 2,300
  Saraiki 2,200
  Urdu 1,700
  Pashto, Northern 1,500
  Punjabi, Western 1,300
  Hindko, Southern 600
  Pahari-Potwari 200
  Dhatki 100
People Groups Speaking Hindko, Northern
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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