Katana VentraIP

Bania (caste)

Bania (also spelled Baniya, Banija, Banya, Vaniya, Vani, Vania and Vanya)[1] is a mercantile caste mainly from the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, with strong diasporic communities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra (mainly Mumbai) and other northern states.[2][3][4] Traditionally, the main occupations of the community are merchants, bankers, money-lenders, and (in modern times) owners of commercial enterprises.[5][6]

For the Nepalese community, see Bania (Newar caste).

Etymology

The Hindi term baniyā is derived from Sanskrit vaṇija ("trader"), whereas the Marwari bā̃ṇyõ and Gujarati vāṇiyo are derived from Sanskrit vāṇija ("trader").[7] The community is also known by the term "vanik".[8]


In Bengal the term Bania is a functional catch-all for moneylenders, indigenously developed bankers, readers of grocery items and spices, irrespective of caste.[2]

(early 14th century), treasurer, mint director, and numismatics author in the court of Alauddin Khalji[18]

Thakkar Pheru

Shantidas Jhaveri

merchant, banker and money lender family in Bengal[21]

Jagat Seth family

(1787–1852), Gujarati poet[22]

Girdhar

Gandhi family

[23]

(1832–1906), 19th century Indian businessman and founder of Bombay Stock Exchange.[25]

Premchand Roychand

(1832-1871), Gujarati writer and social reformer[26][note 1]

Karsandas Mulji

(1832-1890), Gujarati merchant in Bombay[28]

Mangaldas Nathubhai

(1844-1930), Gujarati writer[26]

Hargovinddas Kantawala

a prominent Business and Industrialist family.[29][note 2]

Birla family

(1865-1912), Indian independence activist.[31][32]

Lala Lajpat Rai

(1868-1957), Indian scholar and judge[33]

Krishnalal Jhaveri

(1874-1959), Indian industrialist[34]

Seth Hukumchand

(1882-1953), Indian industrialist and founder of Walchand group[35][36]

Walchand Hirachand

(1886-1964), Hindi poet.[37]

Maithili Sharan Gupt

Sarabhai family

[38]

(1910-1967), Indian independence activist.[41]

Ram Manohar Lohia

(1932-2002), 20th century Indian businessman.[42]

Dhirubhai Ambani

(1964-present), Indian politician.[43][44]

Amit Shah

(1968-present), Indian politician and current Chief Minister of Delhi.[45]

Arvind Kejriwal

former Science and Technology minister in Lalu Prasad Yadav's cabinet.[46]

Brij Behari Prasad

Vaishya

Cheesman, David (1982). "'The Omnipresent Bania:' Rural Moneylenders in Nineteenth-Century Sind". Modern Asian Studies. 16 (3): 445–462. :10.1017/S0026749X00015262. JSTOR 312116. S2CID 145722413.

doi

(December 1962). "The British and the Moneylender in Nineteenth-Century India". The Journal of Modern History. 34 (4): 390–397. doi:10.1086/239182. JSTOR 1880056. S2CID 145246030.

Metcalf, Thomas R.