The Gadaba of India

The Gadaba of India, numbering approximately 180,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a Scheduled Tribe of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh whose name derives from the Godavari river or the Oriya word for brook, traditionally practicing shifting cultivation and collecting forest produce for sale. They mostly adhere to Folk Hinduism and Bondo is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: Munda-Santal
Primary Language(s): Bondo (bfw)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Hinduism
Population: 180,000
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG041676
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Gadaba 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

100%
%
Folk Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Bondo
Language Family: Austroasiatic

100%
%
Bondo Speakers

Media Resources in Bondo:

Films:

No film resources are listed for this language.

Bible Resources in Bondo:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Or check out the Bondo bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Gadaba 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 Gadaba:
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 Gadaba of India

And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.
readActs 4:12

Pray that those walking in darkness among them will come to know the name by which they must be saved, and call upon Him in faith.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
readMatthew 24:14

Pray that the gospel of God's kingdom will reach more people and that they will respond in faith, becoming disciples of Jesus Christ.

Oh, fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no lack!
readPsalm 34:9

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be grounded in the Word, always trusting in the Lord's provision for their needs.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
read2 Corinthians 1:3-4

Pray that as people hear and believe the gospel, they will serve others in Jesus' name, and the lost will have an opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel.

Gadaba Across Countries (ROP3 - 112022) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

1 people group

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