The Mahishya or Sadgop people are also known as Chasa or Chasi. The name Sadgop is derived from the two Sanskrit words: Sad means good and Gop means milkman. They believe they are the descendants of lord Krishna. The titles they use are Sarkar, Roy, Majumdar, Biswas, Mallik, Khan and Mandal. Mahishya have several clans such as Sandilya, Kashyap, Bharadwaj, Moudgulya and Alambayan.
In the varna system, they are known as vaisyas and as the members of Nabashakha group. They live in West Bengal and surrounding states.
The Sadgop are a land owning community. Agriculture is their traditional and primary occupation. Rice and wheat are their staple food. They drink alcohol and chew tobacco locally known as Khaine and Guraku. Their mother tongue is Bengali. They are also conversant with the Hindi and Oriya languages.
Marriages are negotiated and monogamy is common among them. Married women have a significant role to play in the ritual performances. The Sadgop are expert in Alpana or floor painting on pujas.
They are Hindu, so they depend on Brahmin priests and astrologers as their sacred specialists on special occasions.
They are Hindu, so they depend on Brahmin priests and astrologers as their sacred specialists on special occasions.
They propitiate Hari and Lakshmi as their family deities. Women worship the goddess Lakshmi each day. Their village deities are Dharmaraj, Manasa and Shiva among others. Gaya and Vrindaban are their pilgrim centers. Durgapuja, Kalipuja and Dharmarajer are their major festivals.
Like all other peoples of the world, this people group needs the blessings and guidance that only Jesus Christ can offer.
Pray for a movement to Christ among the Sadgop people.
Pray for God to send several Christian workers among them and meet their spiritual and physical needs.
Pray for them to give up their dependence on alcohol and chewing tobacco.
Scripture Prayers for the Mahishya in India.
India Missions Association, Edited by Philipose Vaidyar, Copyrighted © Used with permission
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2006-09-13 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2007-09-01 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2012-10-10 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2014-09-15 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2016-09-29 |
People Name General | Mahishya |
People Name in Country | Mahishya |
Pronunciation |
mah-hee-shee-AH
|
Alternate Names | Chasa; Chasi; Chasidas; Halidas; Haluadas; Haludas; Kaibarta; Kaibartta; Kurmangiya; Mahisayadas; Mahisya; Matsyadas; Pilwan Mahaout; Sadgop; महिष्या |
Population this Country | 11,869,000 |
Population all Countries | 12,614,000 |
Total Countries | 4 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | No |
GSEC | 3 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 237 |
People ID | 17411 |
ROP3 Code | 112811 |
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 | 34 | |||||||||||||||
Largest States (only 15 largest shown) |
|
|||||||||||||||
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 | 34 (only 20 largest shown) |
West Bengal 7,489,000 | |
Odisha 2,593,000 | |
Assam 957,000 | |
Jharkhand 274,000 | |
Tripura 181,000 | |
Bihar 37,000 | |
Meghalaya 20,000 | |
Chhattisgarh 18,000 | |
Nagaland 18,000 | |
Delhi 17,000 | |
Maharashtra 16,000 | |
Uttar Pradesh 13,000 | |
Arunachal Pradesh 11,000 | |
Madhya Pradesh 9,700 | |
Andaman and Nicobar 8,300 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.01 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.36 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.60 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.03 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Bengali (6,831,000 speakers) | |||||||||||||||
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||||||||
Total Languages | 26 | |||||||||||||||
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) |
|
Primary Language | Bengali (6,831,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 26 |
Secondary Languages (only 15 largest shown) | |
Odia 2,063,000 | |
Assamese 544,000 | |
Hindi 437,000 | |
Maithili 13,000 | |
Kok Borok 11,000 | |
Kui 5,500 | |
Magahi 4,000 | |
Santhali 2,700 | |
Mundari 1,600 | |
Kurux 1,400 | |
Sadri 1,200 | |
Kuvi 900 | |
Bhojpuri 900 | |
Andaman Hindi Creole 800 | |
Juang 800 | |
People Groups | Speaking Bengali |
Primary Language: Bengali
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1800-1980) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1801-1984) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1809-2022) |
Bible-NT Audio | Online |
Bible-NT Text | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Photo Source | Anonymous |
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. |