Introduction / History
Mangala people are also called Mangali. The word mangala can mean "happiness" in Telugu. They have been given the name Mangala because they traditionally played flutes at weddings, and flutes were associated with happiness. Others were barbers. They have low status in Hindu culture.

Where are they located?
Mangala people live in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra, but some also live in Sri Lanka.

What are their lives like?
They work as barbers, musicians, women as midwives, and hairdressers, and some work in government. Among the barbers, they train their boys to cut hair at age eight by turning an old earthen pot upside down and smearing it with damp mud. When the mud is dried, the boy shaves it off under the direction of an experienced barber.

Mangala people read and write in Telugu. They have a low regard for literacy, although they believe in education for their children. Like most people groups that are low on the Hindu pecking order, they are not vegetarians. Rice is their staple food.

What are their beliefs?
Nearly all are Hindus, and the Mangalas are locked into Hindu culture, so they usually view accepting the lordship of Christ as a threat to their identity.

What are their needs?
The primary need of Mangala people is to understand that Jesus Christ gave His life to pay the full penalty for all their sins, and He is worthy of all their devotion.

Prayer Points
Pray for gospel workers to catch a vision for reaching the Mangala people in Sri Lanka for Jesus and that in God's sovereign timing their hearts would be open and ready to follow Him.
Pray for Jesus movements to bless extended families so the gospel will spread rapidly among this people group.
Pray for the spiritual lives of the Mangala people to become fruitful as they follow Christ.
Pray for the lives and culture of the Mangala people in Sri Lanka to evidence the rule and reign of the Kingdom of God as they open to the gospel, and for the beauty of Jesus to be seen in them.

References
https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19068/CE
https://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/19068/IN
http://www.globalprayerdigest.org/issue/day/2012/08/14
http://www.lankabusinessonline.com/message-from-sri-lankan-people-has-sunk-deep-into-unp-mangala/