The Marwari people’s faith is Hinduism mixed with a number of animistic ritual practices. After a person dies, they make sacrificial dough balls from wheat flour and water and leave them for the crows. If the crows eat the dough balls, the Marwari people believe that, the spirit of the departed person trust the one who feeds him and is close to him. Interestingly, it is reported that no birds approach the dough balls of those who have accepted Jesus Christ!
The people from Jodhpur, Bikaner, Pali, Jalore, Jaisalmer and Barmer districts of Rajasthan, which are known as the Marwar region, are called Marwaris, irrespective of their castes. They are settled mainly in this region and also scattered all around the world. Historically, Rajasthani business community famously called Marwaris, conducted business successfully throughout India and outside of India. They live in both rural and urban areas. Those who live in rural areas are mostly farmers and migrant farm workers. They depend mainly on monsoon rains to grow their main crops, which include wheat and millet, dal, sesame, guar, cotton lint and Ground nut. Some of them earn their living by wooden furniture works and others work in wool and textile industries. City residents support themselves through occupations such as tanning leather, weaving, or a variety of similar commercial activities. Their region is such that in winter they have to fight extreme cold and in summer extreme heat, which makes the people’s lives very hard.
Marwari people are distinct in their dress, customs, and language. Rural Marwari women make them easy to identify from a distance. Village parents forbid girls from abandoning their traditional dress, which is worn at all times irrespective of seasons and occasions. Marwaris are predominantly Hindu, and there are also a large number of Jains. Only very few from this community have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the CNI churches in the Marwari region is more than 75 years old and upholds the long tradition of Christianity in this region. Another missionary came to the Marwari region in 1963 and started a church-planting ministry among them. Today, the Church is alive and there are many believers gathering there on Sundays.
