The Khadayatas are one of the Gujarati speaking Banias. Their original family is said to have stemmed from the village of Khadat. In the early part of the previous century, they organized themselves into a community that pooled their resources and strove for the betterment of their people. This included making scholarships available for poor students, building boarding facilities in large cities, and sometimes even taking care of the sick financially.
Members of the Khedayata Bania community are among the wealthiest people in India and Pakistan. They are still involved with businesses and money lending. A Bania might be the proud owner of a giant business, a small one, or he might be working in a bank. He might even own the bank. Other Banias work in government ministries or as lawyers, judges, teachers, scholars, stockbrokers or engineers.
Bania are often resented by other people because they lend much needed money at higher interest rates. A pre-literate farmer might take a loan from a Bania only to find that a high percentage of his harvest will be taken away as interest. Customers often must put up their land and farms for collateral in case they cannot pay back their loans.
Fathers pass business skills to their sons. Khedayata Bania children learn early to "never give; always bargain and make money." From an early age, children are drilled in math and detailed calculations with the end purpose of getting the upper hand in business transactions. Khedayata Bania parents strongly encourage their children, especially the boys, to obtain graduate degrees related to business.
Monogamy or marriage to one spouse is the norm among Bania communities.
Khedayata Bania people in India practice Hinduism, the ancient religion of India. Hinduism is a catch-all phrase for the local religions of South Asia, so it is very diverse. At the popular level, Hindus worship and serve the gods of the Hindu pantheon. They visit Hindu temples and offer prayers, food, flowers, and incense to their gods in hopes of gaining protection and benefits. They do not have a personal or familial relationship with their gods like Christians or Jews. There are other Hindus who are much more philosophical, especially among the Brahmins.
Almost all Hindus participate in yearly celebrations like Holi, the festival of colors and the start of spring / Diwali, the festival of lights / Navratri, the celebration of autumn / and Rama Navami, Rama's birthday.
The Khedayata Bania of India need to understand that material wealth will not bring the peace of mind and purpose for living that can only come from Jesus Christ. Bania need to see that they are sinners before the holy God of the Bible and that they need a savior.
Pray that the Khadayata Banias will encounter God such a real way they will give him their hearts.
Pray for the Lord to send the right people as his ambassadors to these wealthy Hindus.
Pray for the Lord to soon raise up Khadayata Banias who will embrace the only savior no matter what the cost.
Scripture Prayers for the Bania Khedayata in India.
Some information from “The Scheduled Castes” K. S. Singh, ed. Oxford University Press, USA (1994)
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
People Name General | Bania Khedayata |
People Name in Country | Bania Khedayata |
Natural Name | Khedayata Bania |
Alternate Names | Vani; Vania; बनिया, खेडायता |
Population this Country | 76,000 |
Population all Countries | 78,000 |
Total Countries | 2 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 2 |
People ID | 19706 |
ROP3 Code | 115158 |
ROP25 Code | 300836 |
ROP25 Name | Bania |
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 | 3 | |||
Largest States |
|
|||
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 | 3 |
Gujarat 74,000 | |
Maharashtra 2,000 | |
Goa 70 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.39 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.61 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Gujarati (54,000 speakers) | ||||||
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing | ||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | ||||||
Total Languages | 5 | ||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Gujarati (54,000 speakers) |
Language Code | guj Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 5 |
Secondary Languages | |
Hindi 7,100 | |
Marathi 1,600 | |
Kacchi 1,400 | |
Khandesi 60 | |
People Groups | Speaking Gujarati |
Primary Language: Gujarati
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1809-1965) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1820-1985) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1823-2021) |
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 |
Photo Source |
(Representative photo) Copyrighted © 2024 Isudas 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. |