Kandoi in India

Introduction / History

Kandoi is a Brahman subcaste. They have many clans including Garg, Vats, Bhardwaj and Kaushik. Most live in Gujarat, and they speak Gujarati.

The history of the Brahmans is associated with the Vedic religion of early India, usually referred to as Sanatana Dharma. Historically Brahmans first came to be noticed during the Vedic period; how the modern caste system developed is a highly contested topic due to a lack of clear data.

Brahmans and kings became the dominant social and religious forces in many of the kingdoms that developed over pre-modern India. Discrimination became of a feature of the caste system with Brahmans often being assigned blame for the system. Over time, Brahmans became a powerful and influential group in India, and many discriminated against lower castes. However, in modern India some Brahmans claim reverse discrimination due to affirmative action policies of the central and state governments in India that favor the more numerous lower caste groups.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Like other Brahmans, the Kandoi hold priestly and scholarly roles in Hindu India. They have made their mark in India through art, literature and music.

What Are Their Beliefs?

Most modern Brahmans do not espouse a doctrine of their superiority by birth above other peoples. It was also noted that many are now secularists. But most Brahmans respect the ancient (and many not-so-ancient) traditions of their forefathers. Some work to synthesize modern science and Hindu beliefs and practices. There are hundreds of "denominations" of Hinduism and Brahmans have a presence in many; so it is not easy to generalize on what Brahmans believe. Some would be devotees of Vishnu or his avatars of Krishna or Ram, some would be devotees of Shiva, and some would be devotees of the goddess in one of her manifestations. Others are followers of modern gurus. Few today have seriously studied, let along memorized, the ancient Vedas; but one is more likely to find a person knowledgeable about the Vedas and other Hindu texts and teachings among Brahmans than among any non-Brahman caste group.

What Are Their Needs?

Brahmans need the chance to open their hearts to Jesus Christ and embrace him fully. Their high position in the Hindu religious system makes this difficult.

Prayer Points

Brahmans are seen as knowledgeable and enlightened; pray for the light of the gospel to bring the knowledge of Christ to them and to India and pray wisdom for disciples of Jesus who befriend and share faith with Brahmans.

Pray that the true God will reveal himself to this community and use Brahmans to preach and teach about Jesus Christ.

Text Source:   Joshua Project