The word Kotwal means watchman or guard. The Kotal are a scheduled caste who live in West Bengal and are also called Kotwal. A few of the Kotal live in Tripura also. They speak in Bengali.
The Kotal are mostly landless and work in agriculture. Some of them work for the government and in industry. Animal husbandry is another source of income for them. They make use of government loans to buy farm animals to help them make a living. Women work along with the men. They have a low literacy level, so the gospel will need to be given in oral form.
The Kotal 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.
The Kotal people need the abundant blessings that only Jesus Christ can offer.
Pray that Indian believers lead them into a disciple making movement. Pray for gospel recordings and the JESUS Film to become easily available to them. Pray for a spiritual hunger that will lead them to the Savior. Pray for faithful intercessors and workers.
Scripture Prayers for the Kotal in India.
Profile Source: Keith Carey |
People Name General | Kotal |
People Name in Country | Kotal |
Alternate Names | Kotwal; कोटल |
Population this Country | 31,000 |
Population all Countries | 31,000 |
Total Countries | 1 |
Indigenous | Yes |
Progress Scale | 1 ● |
Unreached | Yes |
Frontier People Group | Yes |
GSEC | 4 (per PeopleGroups.org) |
Pioneer Workers Needed | 1 |
People ID | 17277 |
ROP3 Code | 112648 |
ROP25 Code | 304242 |
ROP25 Name | Kotal |
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 | 4 | ||||||
Largest States |
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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 | 4 |
West Bengal 30,000 | |
Bihar 900 | |
Jharkhand 100 | |
Andaman and Nicobar 90 | |
Website | South Asia Peoples |
Primary Religion: | Hinduism |
Major Religion ▲ | Percent * |
---|---|
Buddhism |
0.01 %
|
Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %) |
0.00 %
|
Ethnic Religions |
0.00 %
|
Hinduism |
99.93 %
|
Islam |
0.00 %
|
Non-Religious |
0.00 %
|
Other / Small |
0.06 %
|
Unknown |
0.00 %
|
* From latest India census data. Current Christian values may substantially differ. |
Primary Language | Bengali (24,000 speakers) | |||
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing | |||
Language Written | Yes ScriptSource Listing | |||
Total Languages | 2 | |||
Secondary Languages |
|
Primary Language | Bengali (24,000 speakers) |
Language Code | ben Ethnologue Listing |
Total Languages | 2 |
Secondary Languages | |
Hindi 2,100 | |
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) |
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) | Online |
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) | Online |
Possible Print Bibles | |
---|---|
Amazon | |
World Bibles | |
Forum Bible Agencies | |
National Bible Societies | |
World Bible Finder | |
Virtual Storehouse |
Map Source | People Group data: Omid. Map geography: UNESCO / GMI. Map Design: Joshua Project |
Profile Source | Keith Carey |
Data Sources | Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more. |