Wagri New Testament — Wagdi (Bhilodi) New Testament (India)
Overview
The Wagri New Testament is the complete New Testament (27 books) in the Wagdi language of southern Rajasthan and northern Gujarat, India, published by New Life Computer Institute in 2000 and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4391). The autonym Bhilodi (also rendered Bhilori or Bhili) means "the language of the Bhil people" — Bhil + -odi/-ori (language/manner suffix) — reflecting that Wagdi is spoken primarily by the Bhil tribal community, one of India's largest scheduled tribes. The scholarly designation Wagdi (also spelled Wagri, Wagadi, or Wageri) derives from the region name Vagad — the historic name of the Dungarpur–Banswara area of southeastern Rajasthan. Wagdi (ISO 639-3: wbr) is an Indo-Aryan language of the Rajasthani branch with significant tribal vocabulary and phonological features reflecting long contact with Dravidian-speaking neighbors.
Language and People
Wagdi (ISO 639-3: wbr; autonym: Bhilodi) is an Indo-European language: Indo-European → Indo-Iranian → Indo-Aryan → Central Zone → Rajasthani–Bhili group. Wagdi belongs to the Bhili dialect cluster — a chain of Indo-Aryan languages spoken by Bhil and related tribal communities across the highland-forest zones of Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh. The Bhili cluster includes Bhili proper (bhb), Wagdi (wbr), Gamit, Bareli, and other varieties; linguists debate whether these constitute a single language with dialects or several distinct languages. Wagdi is the easternmost major variety of the Bhili cluster.
The Wagdi-speaking community inhabits:
- Dungarpur and Banswara Districts, southeastern Rajasthan — the Vagad region
- Mahisagar and Dahod Districts, northern Gujarat — extending south across the state border
- Southern Madhya Pradesh (adjacent areas)
Estimated speakers: approximately 2–3 million for Wagdi specifically; the broader Bhil tribal population across the region numbers over 10 million. Ethnologue lists approximately 2.8 million Wagdi speakers.
Cultural Context
The Bhil are one of India's largest and oldest tribal groups — hunter-gatherers and forest-dwellers whose territory once stretched across the hills and forests of central India before agricultural expansion. Bhil communities traditionally practiced shifting cultivation and forest-based subsistence alongside archery (the Bhil were renowned archers). The Bhil appear in Hindu epics (Eklavya, the archer, is associated with Bhil origin), and Bhil heroes like Tantya Bhil (19th-century resistance leader) are celebrated in regional oral tradition. The Bhil were classified as a "Scheduled Tribe" in India's post-independence constitution, qualifying for affirmative action provisions. The 2000 Wagdi New Testament from New Life Computer Institute was an early scripture investment for this large tribal community — providing initial NT access two decades before further scripture expansion.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by New Life Computer Institute (NLCI, Lahore, Pakistan), a Christian publishing organization specializing in scripture translation and distribution for South Asia's minority language communities.