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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Bishnupriya of Bangladesh

The Bishnupriya of Bangladesh, numbering approximately 48,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Manipur-descended people historically called Khalachai after their homeland near Lake Loktak, who fled political upheaval to settle Bangladesh's Sylhet plains from the late 1700s, speaking an Indo-Aryan tongue with Meitei loanwords. They mostly adhere to Hinduism and Bishnupriya is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Himalayan Peoples
Country: Bangladesh
People Cluster: Manipuri
Primary Language(s): Bishnupriya (bpy)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 48,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG048706
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Pray for the Bishnupriya of Bangladesh

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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

100%
%
Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bishnupriya
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Bishnupuriya Speakers

Media Resources in Bishnupriya:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Bishnupriya:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Bishnupriya bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bishnupriya 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 Bishnupriya:
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 Bishnupriya of Bangladesh

I am the LORD; that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to carved idols.
readIsaiah 42:8

Pray that lost people will turn from worthless idols to worship the one true God, recognizing that He alone is worthy of all glory and praise.

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
readRevelation 4:11

Pray that the good news will advance and people will recognize and worship the One who created all things by His will, giving glory and honor to Him alone.

For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
read1 Peter 2:25

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will proclaim the good news and the lost will recognize their need for the Shepherd and turn to Jesus Christ in faith.

Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
readIsaiah 58:7

As believers cross cultures to share the good news of Christ, pray that God will sustain them and grow their faith as He gives them the compassion necessary to minister well to those in need.

Bishnupuria Across Countries (ROP3 - 115966) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
BisnupriyaPG049509BisnupriyaIndia512,000Engaged yet UnreachedBishnupriyaHinduism
BishnupriyaPG048706BishnupriyaBangladesh48,000Engaged yet UnreachedBishnupriyaHinduism

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

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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