Mal is a shortened form of a Sanskrit phrase that can mean wrestler. The Mals live mainly in the Indian states of Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand. They speak Hindi, Bengali, or another language, depending on their location.
Most of them are agricultural laborers with no land of their own, although they are also known for being watchmen or gatekeepers.
The Mal people 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 Mal people live in states where there are very few followers of Christ, and they have almost no contact with anyone who has put their faith in the only savior.
Believers can sponsor cultural events that honor the Mal people with demonstrations of their wrestling abilities, etc. These events can include showings of the JESUS Film and free gospel material.
There are few believers among the Mal people. Pray for growth in both numbers and spiritual maturity. Pray that the Mal, the "wrestlers," will soon have an opportunity to be confronted by the true and living God. Pray that they, like Jacob, will persevere in faith and find their true purpose as children of God.
Pray that God gives the Mal dreams and visions leading them to Jesus Christ.
Pray that the community leaders among them will come to Jesus Christ and lead the others to salvation.
Scripture Prayers for the Mal (Hindu traditions) in India.
Profile Source: Joshua Project |
Global Prayer Digest: 2017-10-07 |
Global Prayer Digest: 2020-02-23 |
People Name General | Mal (Hindu traditions) |
People Name in Country | Mal (Hindu traditions) |
Pronunciation | mahl |
Alternate Names | Malia; Malla; माल (हिंदू ट्रेडिशन्स) |
Population this Country | 2,107,000 |
Population all Countries | 2,131,000 |
Total Countries | 3 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 1 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 42 |
People ID | 17424 |
ROP3 Code | 112825 |
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 | 20 | |||||||||||||||
Largest States (only 15 largest shown) |
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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 | 20 |
Bihar 1,593,000 | |
West Bengal 357,000 | |
Jharkhand 107,000 | |
Odisha 9,300 | |
Andaman and Nicobar 1,600 | |
Uttar Pradesh 1,600 | |
Delhi 900 | |
Chhattisgarh 900 | |
Maharashtra 800 | |
Meghalaya 700 | |
Nagaland 600 | |
Arunachal Pradesh 400 | |
Madhya Pradesh 300 | |
Uttarakhand 100 | |
Karnataka 100 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.00 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical Unknown) |
0.01 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.99 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.00 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Hindi (806,000 speakers) | |||||||||
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing | |||||||||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||||||||
Total Languages | 9 | |||||||||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Hindi (806,000 speakers) |
Language Code | hin Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 9 |
Secondary Languages | |
Bhojpuri 428,000 | |
Bengali 312,000 | |
Maithili 163,000 | |
Magahi 46,000 | |
Odia 4,300 | |
Angika 2,000 | |
Andaman Hindi Creole 100 | |
Kannada 60 | |
People Groups | Speaking Hindi |
Primary Language: Hindi
Bible Translation ▲ | Status (Years) |
---|---|
Bible-Portions | Yes (1806-1962) |
Bible-New Testament | Yes (1811-1998) |
Bible-Complete | Yes (1835-2022) |
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 |
(Representative photo) Copyrighted © 2023 Isudas All rights reserved. Used with permission |
Map Source | People Group Location: Omid. Other geography / data: GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Joshua Project |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |