New Testament in Badaga (BFQTBN)

Overview

The Badaga people are the largest single ethnic group with their own language in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, India. Their settlements, known as “hattis,” are distributed across four taluks: Ooty, Coonoor, Kotagiri, and Kundha. Historically engaged in buffalo herding and subsistence farming, many Badagas today work in professional fields including government service, medicine, engineering, and education. The community maintains literacy rates exceeding 80% among both men and women.

Bible translation work for the Badaga community has a long history, with the first Gospels appearing as early as 1890. The New Testament in Badaga was completed and dedicated in 2005, representing a major milestone in making Scripture accessible to this community in their own language. The India Bible Translators (IBT India) organization coordinated and supported the translation and dedication of the New Testament, as well as a complete Badaga Bible in subsequent years.

Language and People

Badaga (ISO 639-3: bfq) is a Dravidian language spoken by approximately 300,000 people in the Nilgiri Hills of Tamil Nadu, India. It is written in the Tamil script.

Publishing and Organizations

Published by India Bible Translators (IBT India).

References

• Badaga Project — IBT Word - IBT Word. Project page for the Badaga Bible translation initiative.
• find.bible entry - find.bible. Bible catalogue entry for BFQTBN.