Pardhi

The origin of the Pardhi is associated with the Rajasthan and Gujarat region, from which groups migrated over the centuries toward central India, absorbing traces of Rajasthani and Gujarati language and culture along the way. Many still claim descent from Rajput lineages, though this origin rests more on oral tradition than on proven historical record.

During the Mughal period and later under British rule, the Pardhi were often recruited to guide the hunts of nobles and colonizers, a role that reinforced their identity as a forest people. That same tracking skill made them suspect in the eyes of the colonial government, which in 1871 classified them, along with dozens of other communities, as a "criminal tribe by birth." Only in 1952 was that classification officially repealed, but the stigma still lingers in how many Indians view the people.

Today the Pardhi live mainly off the land and subsistence trades: they work as rural day laborers, cultivate small plots, make baskets and stone tools, and some still hunt or sell crocodile oil in regions where that is still possible. Many collect recyclable materials or sell rags in cities, work that rarely brings them stability or social recognition.

Clan life and solidarity among relatives remain central, a direct inheritance from times of constant movement in groups. In some areas of central India, Pardhi families have found a new means of support by guiding tourists through forests and nature reserves they know like few others, showing visitors the region’s wildlife and vegetation where, for generations, they hunted to survive.

The vast majority of the Pardhi identify as Hindu, with a strong presence of Shaktism, devotion to the feminine forms of the divine. The people worship goddesses such as Mauli Mata, Kalika Mata, and Saptashrungi Mata, and their main festival is Dussehra, marked by animal sacrifices in honor of these deities.

This religiosity is intertwined with their very identity as a hunting, wandering people: the rites to the protector goddesses and the customs passed down from generation to generation remain as important as any formal Hindu temple.

There is no indication that the Pardhi currently have access to a complete Bible in their own language, but Scripture portions have already been translated, along with oral and visual gospel materials, including recordings and a film about the life of Jesus in the Pardhi language. This opens a possible path for a people among whom oral tradition has always carried more weight than the written word.

There are practically no known followers of Christ among the Pardhi. The stigma inherited from the era when the people were labeled a “criminal tribe” by the colonial government still weighs on them, generating distrust from other communities and even harassment by police, which makes any approach difficult. Added to this is the people’s nomadic history, which makes prolonged contact with churches or established Christian communities rare.

Decades of marginalization have left the Pardhi with little access to education, stable housing, and social recognition, feeding a cycle of poverty that is hard to break. Many must turn to informal, unstable work to survive, with no safety net when the harvest or workdays fall short.

Beyond material needs, the people lack any local Christian community that might walk alongside them: there are no reports of emerging churches or discipleship among the Pardhi, leaving them spiritually very isolated.