MADHYA PRADESH & CHATTISGARH

1 This state was one of the last to open up for missions with slow response to the gospel until recently.

2 Christians declined in census statistics from 0.92% in 1981 to 0.64% in 1991, but there is much encouragement at the grass-roots

3 The challenge of the unreached:

a) The tribal peoples

b) The 10.5 million Gond are the largest tribe in India,

c) Bhopal, the state capital of MP and industrial centre was the scene of the world's worst ever industrial disaster – an exploding chemical plant in 1984

Geography - Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh

Area MP – 297,000 sq.km.; CH – 143,000 sq.km.

Population MP – 62.3m; CH – 17.6m

Capital Bhopal 2m+.

Peoples - Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh

342.

Main groups Brahmin 4.6m; Ahir/Yadav 4.6m; Rajput(Hindu) 4.5m; Teli 3.6m;

SC (49) 14.6%.

ST (45) 23.3%

Languages Hindi 80%; Gondi 10%; Marathi 2.3%; Urdu 2.2%; Oriya 1.1%.

Religion - Madhya Pradesh & Chattisgarh

Hindu 92.4%; Muslim 5.2%; Jain 0.85%; Christian 0.70%; Sikh 0.27%; Buddhist 0.14%.

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