MAHARASHTRA

1 The government was controlled by Hinduists that raised inter-communal tensions through discrimination against Muslims, Buddhists and Christians.

2 Mumbai has great influence through its economic clout

3 The Christian Church needs prayer. Christians are few in smaller cities and rural areas. Many are nominal

4 Unreached areas and peoples

a) Many Hindu caste groups, Muslims and the Mahar (many of whom became Buddhist in the 20th Century) have little opportunity to hear the gospel

b) Tribal groups such as the Gond, Bhil, Korku and Kolam, and many other smaller groups, have begun to respond to the gospel but progress has been slow

c) The 1.5 million Jains and 150,000 Parsees in their wealthy, cocooned religious communities remain unevangelized

d) Of the state's 2,018 pincode areas, 73% had no resident Christian workers in 1998

Geography - Maharashtra

Area 308,000 sq.km.

Population 95,000,000; 308 people/sq.km.

Capital Mumbai (Bombay) 17.55m

Peoples - Maharashtra

339.

Main groups: Mahratta 24.1m; Kunbi 5.9m; Deccani (Mus) 5.6m; Shaikh Muslim 5.4m;

SC (59) 11.1%.

Tribes (48) 9.3%.

Languages Marathi 73.6%; Urdu 6.9%; Hindi 6.7%; Gujarati 2.7%; Khandeshi 1.7%; Telugu 1.5%; Kannada 1.5%.

Religion - Maharashtra

Hindu 80.4%; Muslim 10%; Buddhist 6.2%; Jain 1.6%; Christian 1.2%

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