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Amharic - አማርኛ | Arabic - عربي
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German - Deutsch | Gujarati - ગુજરાતી
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The Dhimal of India

The Dhimal of India, numbering approximately 5,400 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Kirati-descended people of India's Darjeeling district near Naxalbari who trace their ancestry to the Limbu and remain culturally close to the Koch, sharing roots with the larger Dhimal population across the Nepal border. They mostly adhere to Hinduism and Dhimal is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Tibetan Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: Tibetan
Primary Language(s): Dhimal (dhi)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 5,400
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG041478
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Pray for the Dhimal 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.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

100%
%
Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Dhimal
Language Family: Sino-Tibetan

100%
%
Dhimal Speakers

Media Resources in Dhimal:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Dhimal:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Dhimal bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Dhimal 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 Dhimal:
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 Dhimal of India

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
readJohn 16:33

Pray that those who don't have peace with God will find peace in Christ, even amid the troubles of this world.

...I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
readPsalm 13:5

Ask God to bring many to trust in His unfailing love and cause their hearts to rejoice in His salvation.

But Jesus called them to him, saying "Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God."
readLuke 18:16

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have a burden to share the hope of Christ with children.

For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
read2 Corinthians 1:8-9

Pray that as people hear and believe the gospel, they will be faithful as they walk through trials and will have an opportunity to be a witness to others in this people group of the goodness of God.

Dhimal Across Countries (ROP3 - 102575) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

2 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▲Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
DhimalPG041478DhimalIndia5,400Engaged yet UnreachedDhimalHinduism
DhimalPG006201DhimalNepal25,500Engaged yet UnreachedDhimalHinduism

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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