The Bhottada of India

The Bhottada of India, numbering approximately 554,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of southern Odisha whose name derives from words meaning "land" and "chase," concentrated in the Koraput and Kalahandi districts. They are organized into totemic clans, practice agriculture as their traditional occupation. They mostly adhere to Folk Hinduism and Bhatri is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: South Asian Tribal
Primary Language(s): Bhatri (bgw)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Hinduism
Population: 554,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG041510
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Bhottada 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: Folk Hinduism
Religious Affiliation: Hinduism

89%
%
Folk Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bhatri
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Bhatri Speakers

Media Resources in Bhatri:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Bhatri:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Indian Evangelical Mission✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Bhatri bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Bhottada 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 Bhottada:
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 Bhottada of India

Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
read1 John 3:8

Pray for those living in darkness to recognize the destructive power of sin and the victory Christ has won over it.

Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst."
readJohn 6:35

Pray that the lost will come to Jesus and believe in Him, never to hunger or thirst again.

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.
read2 Corinthians 5:18

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will serve as God's ambassadors, sharing the message of reconciliation with others.

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!
readPsalm 105:1

Pray that many among them will call on the name of Jesus, develop a heart for the nations, and go to places where the gospel has not yet been received.

Bhottada Across Countries (ROP3 - 111586) 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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