Bhand (Muslim traditions) 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 Bhand or Bhanr people get their name from the term in Sanskrit for jester which is bhanda. They are an occupational lower caste people who have been singers, dancers, actors, and jesters since the days of feudal kingdoms in India.

The Bhands are Sunni Muslim and speak Maithili as well as Nepali and Urdu. They live in many areas of north and central India.


What Are Their Lives Like?

Today the Bhands are still known for their singing, dancing and storytelling. The Damaleh Bhand in India are especially known for their folk dance, folk music and playing of the drum and flute. Most Bhand, however, can be found to have left their traditional occupation and moved into small business selling of household goods or toys. Being of a lower caste has forced some into rickshaw pulling and begging for subsistence. Literacy is very low and many children are not able to attend school though the boys often attend some Islamic instruction.


What Are Their Beliefs?

These Sunni Muslims 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 that Allah has pre-determined our fates; they minimize free will.

In most of the Muslim world, 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 we live in our daily lives. For that reason, they must appease the spirits. They often use charms and amulets to help them with spiritual forces.


What Are Their Needs?

Because of their prominent traditional position in the community in performing, the Bhand community ought to be more open to outside communication and likely the gospel. Few have ever approached the Muslim Bhand with the gospel and consequently there are no known believers.


Prayer Points

Pray for loving workers to go to the Bhand people, and for their hearts to be ready to receive their savior.

Pray for families of believers loving and serving others to grow reproducing churches.

Pray for a chain reaction of families reaching families that result in thousands of new disciples who share their faith with others.

Pray for grace and truth expanding into their entire society as all believers learn to love others.


Scripture Prayers for the Bhand (Muslim traditions) in India.


References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhand


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Bhand (Muslim traditions)
People Name in Country Bhand (Muslim traditions)
Alternate Names Bhagat; Bhan; Bhand; Bhangat; Bhanr; Bhant; Kashmiri Bhand; Nakkal; Naqqal; Rana Bhand; भांड (मुस्लिम ट्रेडिशन्स)
Population this Country 40,000
Population all Countries 53,000
Total Countries 3
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 1
People ID 16423
ROP3 Code 111574
ROP25 Code 301127
ROP25 Name Bhand
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 7
Largest States
Uttar Pradesh
26,000
Bihar
8,400
Jharkhand
2,300
Madhya Pradesh
1,500
Maharashtra
1,200
Jammu and Kashmir
300
Uttarakhand
200
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 7
  Uttar Pradesh 26,000
  Bihar 8,400
  Jharkhand 2,300
  Madhya Pradesh 1,500
  Maharashtra 1,200
  Jammu and Kashmir 300
  Uttarakhand 200
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 India census data.
Current Christian values may substantially differ.
Primary Language Urdu (29,000 speakers)
Language Code urd   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 11
Secondary Languages
Bhojpuri
3,400
Magahi
400
Maithili
300
Kashmiri
300
Awadhi
200
Bengali
100
Marwari
100
Hindi
80
Kanauji
50
Kumaoni
Primary Language Urdu (29,000 speakers)
Language Code urd   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 11
Secondary Languages
  Bhojpuri 3,400
  Magahi 400
  Maithili 300
  Kashmiri 300
  Awadhi 200
  Bengali 100
  Marwari 100
  Hindi 80
  Kanauji 50
  Kumaoni 10
People Groups Speaking Urdu

Primary Language:  Urdu

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1747-1894)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1758-2000)
Bible-Complete Yes  (1843-2022)
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Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video God's Love Story General / Other
Film / Video God's Story video God's Story
Film / Video Indigitube.tv Video / Animation Create International
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Urdu Jesus Film Project
Film / Video LUMO film of Gospels Bible Media Group/LUMO
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Film / Video The Hope Video Mars Hill Media
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General Four Spiritual Laws Campus Crusade for Christ
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Photo Source (Representative photo)
Copyrighted © 2024  Michael E  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.



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