The Kurmi (Bagheli) of India

The Kurmi (Bagheli) of India, numbering approximately 150,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a large agrarian community found across northern, eastern, and central India. Traditionally known as skilled cultivators and land-tilling farmers, they have played a major role in India's agricultural economy for centuries. They mostly adhere to Hinduism and Bagheli is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: Kurmi
Primary Language(s): Bagheli (bfy)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 150,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG046067

Pray for the Kurmi (Bagheli) 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: Bagheli
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Bagheli Speakers

Media Resources in Bagheli:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Bagheli:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Wycliffe India, 2020✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Bagheli bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Kurmi (Bagheli) 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 Kurmi (Bagheli):
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 Kurmi (Bagheli) of India

All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.
readRomans 3:12

Pray that those who are enslaved to sin will admit their need for a Savior, acknowledging that no one is righteous.

Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. And he said, ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.’ In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.
readJob 1:20-22

Pray that those who mourn will worship God in the midst of their suffering and loss, recognizing He is the source of all good things and that He is worthy of their praise and trust.

Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed.
readPsalm 34:5

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will see themselves as God sees them, with radiant faces and hearts that have been cleansed of all shame.

Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
readJames 5:16

Pray that believers whom God sends will confess their sins, pray for one another, and live in unity. Ask that they will model healthy Christian relationships for this people group.

Kurmi (Bagheli) Across Countries (ROP3 - 116487) 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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