The Bhottada of India

The Bhottada of India, numbering approximately 554,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of southern Odisha whose name derives from words meaning "land" and "chase," concentrated in the Koraput and Kalahandi districts. They are organized into totemic clans, practice agriculture as their traditional occupation. They mostly adhere to Folk Hinduism and Bhatri is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 3.1 Flash Lite: Bhottada

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: South Asian Tribal
Primary Language(s): Bhatri (bgw)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Hinduism
Population: 554,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG041510
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bhottada of India

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Folk Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

89%
%
Folk Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bhatri
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Bhatri Speakers

Media Resources in Bhatri:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Bhatri:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Indian Evangelical Mission✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Bhatri bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bhottada are Engaged yet Unreached, which means there are less than 2% evangelical Christian populations but there are sustained efforts at establishing self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice.

Next steps for the Bhottada:
Continue prayer and fasting for this group
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people

Pray specifically for the Bhottada of India

For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a psalm!
readPsalm 47:7

Pray for those who live for idols that will never satisfy their hearts, asking that someone will tell them that God is the King of all the earth so that they will turn to Him in repentance and praise.

Behold, you shall call a nation that you do not know, and a nation that did not know you shall run to you, because of the LORD your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you.
readIsaiah 55:5

Pray that those who do not know God will access the gospel, run to Him, and discover that He is the one their souls have been longing for.

So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth.
read1 Corinthians 3:7

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be unified in making disciples and be used by God to further His kingdom near and far.

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
readHebrews 4:12

Pray that God will make His living and active Word available to everyone in this people group so that many will respond to the gospel. Ask Him to provide Jesus-followers to walk with new believers as they grow in Him.

Bhottada Across Countries (ROP3 - 111586) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

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