The Mirdhas of India

The Mirdhas of India, numbering approximately 48,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are described as a Scheduled Tribe of Sambalpur and Koraput districts in Odisha, formed when a section of the Kora broke away. The Mirdha trace wider ancestry to the Oraon. Cultivation and agricultural labor remain primary They are an Indigenous people, with Mirdha as their ethnic/kinship group and are in the South Asian Tribal people cluster of the South Asian Peoples. Their primary religion is Hinduism. They primarily speak Kurukh.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: South Asian Tribal
Primary Language(s): Kurukh (kru)
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: PG041923
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Pray for the Mirdhas 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

100%
%
Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kurukh
Language Family: Dravidian

100%
%
Kurux Speakers

Media Resources in Kurukh:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Kurukh:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Friends Missionary Prayer Band✓✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Kurukh bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Mirdhas 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 Mirdhas:
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 Mirdhas of India

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
read1 John 1:9

Pray that God, who is faithful and just, will open the eyes of those who are lost and draw them to confess their sins and trust in Him to grant forgiveness.

Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
readRomans 5:1

Pray that the gospel will advance and that many who are far from God will receive the good news of salvation with joy and have peace with God through faith in His Son Jesus Christ.

For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.
readMatthew 18:20

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be encouraged as they remember that Jesus is with them when they gather in His name.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures.
read1 Corinthians 15:3-4

Pray that God will raise up believers to go to the lost and faithfully proclaim the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection so that all may have an opportunity to access and believe.

Mirdas, Hindu Across Countries (ROP3 - 112980) 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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