This vegetarian Hindu people group lives in Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh. Almost a third of them are in Nepal. Different sources give different answers to what their traditional occupation has been. Some say that they were once jugglers, and that those in rural areas made stone grinders. Another source says that they were traditionally basket-weavers.
Today some work as carpenters, day laborers or farmers, along with their traditional occupations. There are those who have taken to begging for alms. The Badhi people are very poor.
The Badhis follow traditional Hindu practices when it comes to marriage. Families negotiate their marriages, and parents pay a dowry. After the Hindu marriage rituals are performed, the couple is officially married. Tragically, the Badhi people suffer a higher than average divorce rate. Either spouse can seek a divorce. If the wife opts for the divorce, then the bride price must be returned to the groom's family. Divorcees above 30 years of age are not permitted to remarry.
The Badhi people are Hindu, and they focus much of their worship on clan and village deities, especially their patron god, Kalimata. 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. 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.
The Hindu Badhi are very poor. They need better educational opportunities so the next generation can earn a better living. They would be truly blessed if Christians were to go to them who would lovingly teach them education and skills they need, but even
Pray for the Lord to send Christians to the Badhi people who will treat them with dignity and respect and share the gospel with them.
Pray the Badhi people will soon forsake false gods and give their full allegiance to Jesus Christ.
Pray the Lord would provide educational opportunities for the Badhi people so that they might escape from poverty.
Pray that God would restore Badhi marriages, and that people would respond in worship of Him.
Scripture Prayers for the Badhi (Hindu traditions) in Nepal.
| Profile Source: Joshua Project |
