Introduction / History

The Rathia believe that their origins are from Rathor, a Rajput clan. Some speak Gadiali, a language which belongs to the Pahari group of the Indo-Aryan languages. Most of them are now conversant in Hindi, the trade language of northern India.

What Are Their Lives Like?

They make their living through agriculture and by rearing sheep. Women are also good weavers. The Rathi are non-vegetarian, and their staple cereals are maize, wheat and rice. Men commonly drink alcoholic beverages.

Marriages, births, fairs and festivals are special occasions when they perform their own forms of music, dance and song. Marriages are decided through negotiation and exchange. They allow a man to have more than one wife if the first wife does not bear a child. The Rathi usually live in extended families. Inter-community marriages are not encouraged by them. They cremate their dead and immerse the ashes in the Ganges River at Hardwar. However, children who die below the age of five are buried.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Rathi worship various deities and some gods and goddesses of the wider Hindu pantheon. They share wells and other sources of crematoria and visit the same religious shrines and participate in fairs and festivals with other communities of their area.

What Are Their Needs?

The Rathi people need to realize that they cannot please God without being empowered by the Holy Spirit. They cannot have the Holy Spirit without Jesus Christ.

Prayer Points

Pray for Rathi men to be freed from alcohol addiction.
Pray for God to send several Christian workers to work among them until they have their own disciple making movement.
Pray that they tire of their spiritual lives and find Jesus Christ, the one who provides life to the full.

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

References

India Missions Association, Edited by Philipose Vaidya, Copyrighted © Used with permission
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rath_tribe