BSFB Tripura — Tippera New Testament (Bangladesh)
Overview
The BSFB Tripura is the complete New Testament (27 books) in the Tippera dialect of the Tripuri language, published by the Bible Students Fellowship of Bangladesh (BSFB; copyright ©2025 BSFB) in partnership with The Seed Company and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4275). The title "BSFB Tripura" reflects the publisher (BSFB) and the people group (Tripura/Tipura). An earlier NT in the closely related standard Kok Borok (ISO: trp) was completed in 1998–2015; the BSFB/Tippera edition is specifically for the Khagrachari dialect cluster spoken in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, which Ethnologue treats as a distinct language from mainland Kok Borok.
Language and People
Tippera (ISO 639-3: tpe; autonym: Tripuri) is a Tibeto-Burman language: Sino-Tibetan → Tibeto-Burman → Sal → Bodo-Garo → Bodo branch. It is closely related to Kok Borok/Kokborok (trp) with 61–74% lexical similarity, but the Khagrachari dialects are distinct enough to warrant a separate ISO code and translation. Dialects of Tippera include Anok, Aslong, Dendak, Gabing, Kema, Kewa, Khali, Naitong, Phatung, and Tongpai.
Tippera is spoken in Chittagong Division, Bangladesh — primarily Khagrachari District (Chittagong Hill Tracts), also Chittagong District and Fatikchari subdistrict. The Tipura/Tripuri people are one of the indigenous hill peoples (Jumma) of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
Estimated speakers: approximately 85,000 (Ethnologue); the broader Tipera ethnic population in Bangladesh is ~151,000 (Joshua Project). The language is classified as vigorous (EGIDS 6a). Most Tipera are literate in Bangla rather than their mother tongue.
Historical and Cultural Context
The Twipra/Tripura Kingdom was established around 1400 CE; the hill peoples of the Chittagong Hill Tracts trace their heritage to this kingdom. Since the 1960s, large-scale Bengali migration into the Chittagong Hill Tracts has reduced the Tipura to minority status in their ancestral territory, driving tensions that fueled the Shanti Bahini insurgency (1977–1997). The majority practice Hinduism (84%) with shamanistic/animist elements; Christians represent 2–5%.
The broader Tiperi people in the Indian state of Tripura (where Kok Borok/trp is spoken) are more evangelized; the Bangladeshi Tipera are classified as Unreached (Joshua Project Progress Scale 1) — a distinct situation from their Indian counterparts. Medical care and literacy levels in the Chittagong Hill Tracts remain significantly below the national average.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by the Bible Students Fellowship of Bangladesh (BSFB), a Bangladeshi Protestant ministry, in partnership with The Seed Company. The BSFB serves as the local translation organization and copyright holder; The Seed Company provides consulting and distribution support.