Chakma in India


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.

Introduction / History

The Chakma are not the same as the smaller Chak tribe, who live south of them. The Chakma inhabited the Chittagong Hill Tracts since long before the region became part of the Mughal empire in 1666. Buddhism flourished in Bangladesh from the 5th to 12th centuries. Since the 13th century, Buddhism has been confined to the Chittagong area. Chakma people inhabit Bangladesh and adjoining areas of northeast India. In India the Chakma are a scheduled (official) tribe that lives in the northeastern states near Bangladesh.


What Are Their Lives Like?

In Bangladesh they have long found themselves at odds with the predominantly Muslim Bengalis. The construction of the Kaptai Dam in the 1960s caused 18,000 Chakma people to lose their homes, and that may be the origin of the present problems. Since the mid-1970s the Chakma have been involved in a secretive guerilla war against Bangladeshi soldiers. The fighting stems from the influx of large numbers of Bengali settlers, who have moved into the Chittagong area and taken over Chakma land by force. The Bengali government does little to stop the illegal settlers, and the Chakma have fought back out of frustration as they see their lives being rapidly destroyed. Thousands of Chakma have been killed, hundreds of women and girls raped, and Buddhist temples smashed and looted. Tens of thousands of Chakma refugees have fled across the border into India. The Chakma people live in a part of India where there are believers nearby, and not just any believers, but people who follow Christ with all their hearts.


The Chakma people live in a part of India where there are believers nearby, and not just any believers, but people who follow Christ with all their hearts
What Are Their Beliefs?

The Chakma are officially Buddhists, but at the family level they worship Hindu deities like Lakshmi and Ganga. Buddhist monks from other Buddhist communities, act as religious teachers and performs Buddhist rites.

According to the India Missions Association, 7,275 Chakma in India are Christians. Overall, the troubled Chakma people remain an unreached and unevangelized people group.


What Are Their Needs?

The Chakma people in India need a safe place to make a living and raise families. They need protection from those who want to do them harm. Experiencing turmoil and an uncertain future, they need the inner peace and hope that only faith in Christ can bring.


Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to provide justice, mercy and salvation to the Chakma people in India.

Pray that the trauma they face will make them look to the sovereign Lord for protection.

Pray for the Lord to thrust out workers to the Chakma people in Bangladesh and India.


Scripture Prayers for the Chakma in India.


References

Peoples of the Buddhist World, Asia Harvest, Copyrighted © Used with permission


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Chakma
People Name in Country Chakma
Pronunciation CHAHK-mah
Population this Country 260,000
Population all Countries 817,000
Total Countries 3
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group No
GSEC 4  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 5
Alternate Names Chakama; Chawngma; Daingnet; Doingnak; Thet; Tsak; चागमा
People ID 11293
ROP3 Code 101976
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 8
Largest States
Mizoram
114,000
Tripura
109,000
Assam
23,000
Arunachal Pradesh
9,000
Meghalaya
1,200
West Bengal
600
Delhi
100
Nagaland
60
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 8
  Mizoram 114,000
  Tripura 109,000
  Assam 23,000
  Arunachal Pradesh 9,000
  Meghalaya 1,200
  West Bengal 600
  Delhi 100
  Nagaland 60
Website South Asia Peoples
Primary Religion: Buddhism
Major Religion Percent *
Buddhism
82.66 %
Christianity  (Evangelical Unknown)
4.88 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
11.96 %
Islam
0.14 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.15 %
Unknown
0.21 %
* From latest India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Chakma (125,000 speakers)
Language Code ccp   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 45
Secondary Languages
(only 15 largest shown)
Bengali
55,000
Kok Borok
23,000
Darlong
8,500
Mizo
3,000
Assamese
1,900
Khasi
600
Chin, Paite
400
Chin, Mara: Lakher
300
Hindi
200
Chin, Hakha
200
Garo
200
Santhali
100
Naga, Konyak
100
Nepali
90
Magahi
80
Primary Language Chakma (125,000 speakers)
Language Code ccp   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 45
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown)
  Bengali 55,000
  Kok Borok 23,000
  Darlong 8,500
  Mizo 3,000
  Assamese 1,900
  Khasi 600
  Chin, Paite 400
  Chin, Mara: Lakher 300
  Hindi 200
  Chin, Hakha 200
  Garo 200
  Santhali 100
  Naga, Konyak 100
  Nepali 90
  Magahi 80
People Groups Speaking Chakma

Primary Language:  Chakma

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1924-1955)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1926-2012)
Bible-Complete Yes  (2021)
Bible-NT Audio Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings Online New Testament Faith Comes by Hearing
Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Chakma Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General Gospel website in this language General / Other
Text / Printed Matter Bible: Chakma YouVersion Bibles
Text / Printed Matter Literacy primer for Chakma Literacy & Evangelism International
Photo Source Copyrighted © 2023  Kerry Olson  All rights reserved.  Used with permission
Map Source Anonymous  
Profile Source Joshua Project  
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Read more