The Bihari Of : A People Still Unreached with the Gospel Prayer Profile Supplied by the AAPC had a vision that the spirit of A Hopeless Present A Confusion of Languages “I darkness sits on a throne and waits has a proud and powerful The Bihari speak three major to see your weakness,” a missionary “ history and her capital city of (2 languages: Bhojpuri (46 million), writes about Bihar. This is different million) is the third oldest in India. The Mithili (25 million) and Magahi (12 from anywhere in India. This spirit is state is one of the most densely popu- million). The majority also speak shrewd and cunning. You can’t tell lated in India; it has seen empires rise or . Mixed with the languages are when it will hit or where it may come and fall; has spawned major religions, countless religions. Bihar and Patna are from.” yet Bihar is regarded as the backward strongholds of the “god obsession” of A Religious Past and depressed stepchild of India. (90% India. of Bihari’s are rural, with only 26% Little remains of their past glory – all The home of the Bihari people is adult literacy). Bihar is long ceased to bisected by the famous river that is left are broken down buildings, be an advanced culture or center of while their children play in littered and is the birth place of enumerable power. tribal beliefs and three world religions. streets. The lowest female literacy rate Pilgrims of Jainism, Buddhism and and the highest infant mortality rate in Hinduism flock to Bihar in Eastern India reveals a picture of a people in India to worship at numerous shrines spiritual darkness, deep bondage and and holy sites. Jainists, an offshoot of enslaved by poverty. Hinduism, claim Pavapuri as their Bihari Unreached with Christianity center, while Hindu’s worship at Gaya The introduction of Christianity has as a holy place. Sikh’s revere been nearly impossible – the price is as the birthplace of the 10th and final too high. Bihari believers write: Sikh guru, Gobind and Bodhgaya is the holiest site for Buddhists – where “My family disowns me and neigh- Buddha allegedly gained enlightenment bors persecute me,” “My grandfather under a Bo tree. refers to me as his dead son,” “I cry and cry because I am all alone!” A Christian faces the loss of social solidarity and The Muslim Majority/Minority oneness with his people. Seemingly the Some 50% of Bihari’s are Muslim. small church and nominal Christianity Although the majority live in the state cannot make up for the loss of support of Bihar you will find them scattered all provided by the extended family. It is over India as well as in and not surprising that 9 out of 10 Muslim . There are three main converts revert back to . groups: Wealthy Sunnis, the middle The church is scattered, weak and class and poor Sunnis and Shiites. fragmented. (Less than 20,000 or One million Bihari fled 0.02% of Bihari’s are Christian) India to East (now Bangla- Bihari's reputation as a graveyard of desh) when it was set up as a Muslim missions is well earned. State in 1947. They sided with Pakistan during the civil war which gained Bible Status Bihar became the center for the Bangladesh its freedom and are now Only the has a spread of Buddhism throughout Asia considered traitors to Bangladesh. They portion of the Bible. But it was trans- when King Ashoka (269-232 B.C.) live in refugee camps and have waited lated in 1826 and is now out of print. ruled over all of the Indian subconti- in vain for 20 years for help from Paki- There are translations currently in nent. In the 1850's Bihar was a hub for stan.Today only 20% of Patna and 12% progress for the other two major mutiny against the British. Mahatma of the state of Bihar are Muslim so they languages: Bhojpuri and Mithili. Very Gandhi launched his passive resistance have little power to unite as a people. A few Scriptures are available in Urdu or movement, satyagraha from Cham- dominant 85% of the state of Bihar are other Indian languages. paran in Northern Bihar. Hindu. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FRONTIER MISSIONS, VOL 10:4 OCT. 1993 202 The Bihari of India

For Further Study power. * Pray that as Bihar has been seedbed R.R. Diwakar (ed), Bihar Through The * Muslims rarely have white collar jobs for other world religions it will in the Ages, 1959, or good pay. last days become a fountain of Christian awakening in India and a Caleb Project,That They May Know sign to everywhere. (2 Him —Prayer Booklet For Muslims in Samuel 7:18-26; Neh. 6:15-16) Patna, India, 1989, * Pray for Christian workers in Bihar Sir John Houlton, Bihar: The Heart of by name, that they will not grow India, 1949, weary in the spiritual war they wage. Church Growth Research Center, A (Isa. 62:1-9) Portrait of India— Study Material for * Pray that the religious Bihari will see Lausanne II, 1989, that salvation does not come by law William S. Ellis, “Bangladesh Hope or works, but only through the Lord Nourishes a New Nation,” National Jesus Christ and faith in him. (Gal. Geographic, Sept. 1972, p. 295-333. 2:16) * Pray for new missionaries who would bring the gospel in its fulness The State of Bihar to the poor and needy in Bihar, as * Area: 173,877 Sq Km— a little well as to the poor in other Indian smaller than Sweden. states and in Bangladesh. * Capital: Patna. * Average Rainfall – 40-60 inches. * Bihar is divided by the Ganges River. * Bihar is a leading industrial area of India. Religion: * Bihar accounts for 40% of the mineral * 56% Muslim. production of India. * 40% Hindus. * Cash crop are chili, sugar and tobacco. * 4-12% Tribal. * Less than 0,02% Christians.

The Bihari People Population: Pray for the Bihari * Pray that the power of principalities * 83 million. (the gods of Hinduism, Buddhism, * Besides the three major languages, Islam) keeping the people in spiritual 90% speak Urdu (the official Muslim bondage will be broken. (Read Dan. language) and 44% speak Hindi (the 9:11-19; 10:10-14; 2 Cor. 10:4-5) official language of India). * Pray that the churches in Patna will * Literacy – 26%. be strengthened and revived so they * Minority populations include: will reach out and become evangel- Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, Christians, ists and missionaries to their own and numerous tribal peoples. people. (Eph. 6:10-20) * Pray for unity among the churches of Bihar. Pray that the Bihar church can Life in Bihar: be the source of peace between * 10% urban, 90% rural. Hindus, Muslims and Buddhists. * Bihari have voting rights, though (John 17:6-23) Muslims and other minorities lack

“After this I beheld a great multitude, which no man could number from all nations, and kindreds, and peoples and tongues.” (Revelation 7:9)

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