The Gonju of India

The Gonju of India, numbering approximately 550 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a community descended from Chota Nagpur's Routiya, whose name means headman of a forest village. Originally dowry tenants in Odisha's Mayurbhanj region, they later settled along the West Bengal border as laborers and rope-makers. They mostly adhere to Hinduism and Sadri is their primary language.

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

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: South Asian Peoples
Country: India
People Cluster: Bihari
Primary Language(s): Sadri (sck)
Primary Religion(s): Hinduism
Population: 550
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): Engaged yet Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
People Group ID: PG049011

Pray for the Gonju 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: Sadri
Language Family: Indo-European

100%
%
Sadri Speakers

Media Resources in Sadri:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film

1 film

Bible Resources in Sadri:

Bible Name (Translation)VideoAudioText
Indian Evangelical Mission✓
Indian Evangelical Mission✓✓✓

2 entries

Or check out the Sadri bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

SPI: Unreached yet Engaged

The Gonju 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 Gonju:
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 Gonju of India

He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him
readLuke 10:34

Pray that the lost among them will experience the kind of compassion Jesus taught His followers to show others, and that they will trust in Him because He is the one who brings healing to the broken and lost.

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts!
readPsalm 96:8

Pray for people here to humbly give God the glory due His name.

For you had compassion on those in prison, and you joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one.
readHebrews 10:34

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will have compassion for those in prison, sympathize with those who are mistreated, and continue to do good and share the gospel with others.

Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!
readPsalm 149:3

Pray that God will send His people across cultures to share the gospel so that those who don't yet know the truth about Him might praise His name and share the hope of Christ with others.

Gonju Across Countries (ROP3 - 112113) 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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