The Valmiki of India

The Valmiki of India, numbering approximately 99,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a Kupia-speaking tribal community of eastern India, concentrated in Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. They maintain a distinct ethnolinguistic identity shaped by agriculture, local village traditions, and interaction with neighboring tribal peoples. They mostly adhere to Folk Hinduism and Kupia is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: South Asian Tribal
Primary Language(s): Kupia (key)
Primary Religion(s): Folk Hinduism
Population: 99,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 2% or Greater but Less than 5% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG041822
View on Joshua Project

Pray for the Valmiki 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

95%
%
Folk Hinduism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Kupia
Language Family: Indo-European

74%
%
Kupia Speakers

Media Resources in Kupia:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Kupia:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
2018 Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.✓✓

1 entry

Or check out the Kupia bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Valmiki are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Valmiki:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Valmiki of India

For all the gods of the peoples are worthless idols, but the LORD made the heavens.
read1 Chronicles 16:26

Pray that those among them who are lost and seeking after worthless idols will have the opportunity to hear and respond to the good news, seeing that Jesus is better than any idol.

More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
readRomans 5:11

Pray for the gospel to advance and for more people to be brought into God's family through the reconciliation Jesus offers them.

I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.
readMatthew 25:36

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will honor Jesus and find joy as they take care of those in need.

I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples; I will sing praises to you among the nations.
readPsalm 57:9

Pray that God will raise up believers among them who will boldly go and share the gospel with people nearby and with those far away.

Valmiki (ST) Across Countries (ROP3 - 113841) 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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