The Charan of India

The Charan of India, numbering approximately 218,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a traditional bardic and genealogist community, historically attached to royal courts to record princely genealogies and sing the praises of Rajput rulers. They live mainly in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra, where many now farm. They mostly adhere to Hinduism and Shekhawati is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: Other South Asian
Primary Language(s): Shekhawati (swv)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 218,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG041509
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Charan 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: Shekhawati
Language Family: Indo-European

50%
%
Shekhawati Speakers

Media Resources in Shekhawati:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
MagdalenaView Film

2 films

Bible Resources in Shekhawati:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Shekhawati bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Charan 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 Charan:
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 Charan of India

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
readIsaiah 59:2

Pray that those who are separated from God will turn to Him in humility and repentance, seeking His forgiveness and the restoration of a right relationship with their Heavenly Father.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
readJohn 3:16

Pray that the lost will seek God and learn that they have a heavenly Father who loves them and wants them to live eternally with Him.

The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.
readLamentations 3:25

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will trust in the goodness of the Lord as they wait on Him to answer their cries for help.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face to shine upon us, that your way may be known on earth, your saving power among all nations.
readPsalm 67:1-2

Pray that as God blesses believers from among this people group or from nearby cultures, He will raise them up to share His saving power among the nations.

Charan, Hindu Across Countries (ROP3 - 111764) 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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