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PEOPLE GROUP PROFILE

The Mahratta (Khandeshi) of India

The Mahratta (Khandeshi) of India, numbering approximately 605,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are an agrarian and warrior community of western India whose historical importance derives from the rise of the Maratha state and empire, and whose modern identity combines agriculture, regional pride, political influence, and Hindu traditions. They mostly adhere to Hinduism and Khandesi is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: Marathi-Konkani
Primary Language(s): Khandesi (khn)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 605,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG046082

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Pray for the Mahratta (Khandeshi) 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.

Pray Now!
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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

99%
%
Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Khandesi
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Khandesi Speakers

Media Resources in Khandesi:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Khandesi:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Khandesi bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Mahratta (Khandeshi) 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 Mahratta (Khandeshi):
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 Mahratta (Khandeshi) of India

I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.
readProverbs 8:17

As many search for hope, pray they will discover materials that will lead them to Jesus and explain the gospel in a way they will resonate with.

"Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."
readIsaiah 1:18

Pray that God will make a way for the gospel to reach many through means they can understand and access, that they will receive the good news with joy, and that they will experience complete forgiveness and cleansing from their sin that Jesus offers through His sacrifice.

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.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.
readJohn 12:24

Pray that God will raise up men and women who are willing to die to their own desires, bearing much fruit for the kingdom among individuals and in places where His gospel has not been proclaimed.

Mahratta (Khandesi) Across Countries (ROP3 - 116798) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
Mahratta (Khandeshi)PG046082Mahratta (Khandeshi)India605,000Engaged yet UnreachedKhandesiHinduism

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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