The Sainthwar of India

The Sainthwar of India, numbering approximately 1,160,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as a community of Gorakhpur, Deoria, and Azamgarh districts, Uttar Pradesh, claiming descent from Lakshman's son Chandraketu. Agriculture remains their occupation, and some follow Buddhism or Jainism They are an Indigenous people, with Mall / Sainthwar as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the Rajput people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism. They primarily speak Bhojpuri.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: Rajput
Primary Language(s): Bhojpuri (bho)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 1,160,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG041404
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Pray for the Sainthwar 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: Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

99%
%
Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bhojpuri
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Bhojpuri Speakers

Media Resources in Bhojpuri:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

3 films

Bible Resources in Bhojpuri:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Revised Old Version✓

1 entry

Or check out the Bhojpuri bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Sainthwar 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 Sainthwar:
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 Sainthwar of India

I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me, that people may know, from the rising of the sun and from the west, that there is none besides me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.
readIsaiah 45:5-6

Pray that the lost among them will be delivered from the confusion of false beliefs and come to know the one true God who alone brings light and purpose to their lives.

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?
readRomans 2:4

Pray that, in God's kindness and according to His nature, He will lead many to repentance.

For the LORD, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth.
readPsalm 47:2

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will exalt the Lord, recognizing His reign over the nations and His sovereignty over all things.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
readPsalm 23:6

Ask God to raise up believers who will share the hope that, for those who trust in Christ, goodness and love will follow them all the days of their lives, and they will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Saithwar Across Countries (ROP3 - 113491) 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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