Baniya
Baniya,[1][2][3][4] or Bania,[5] is a clan of the Gurjar community of India and Pakistan.
They speak Gujari in the Himalayan region and a number of other languages in the other locations where they inhabit. They practise Hinduism and Islam.[6] They are Muslims in Kashmir and Pakistan, and Hindus in northern Indian regions.
Distribution
They inhabit in several provinces of Pakistan, including Punjab, Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Azad Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
They are mostly found in Indian states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, East Punjab, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir.[3]
References
- ↑ Warikoo, Kulbhushan; Som, Sujit (2000). Gujjars of Jammu and Kashmir. Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sangrahalaya.
Gotras of Gujjars of the state which are also common in Gujjars in the other parts of the country irrespective of religion are : Awana , Bijran , Bajjar, Baniya, Bokan , Bargar , Banth , Baru , Bhalesar , Bagdi , Bhatti, Bhomla ...
- ↑ Hasan, Amir; Das, J. C.; Rizvi, Baqr Raza (2004). People of India: The Communities: Gaddi-Muslim Teli. Anthropological Survey of India. p. 1036. ISBN 978-81-7304-114-3.
Gujar who do not seem to maintain any social intercourse with other Muslims. They are among the few Muslim groups who have been able to retain a system of gotras of their Hindu ancestry, namely, Kasana, Baniya, Lodha, Padhana, Bagri, Dinda, Bhainsi, Chauhan, Bessuwal, Chechi, Khatang, Chopra and Kalas among the 144 families surveyed for the purpose.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Ambagudia, Jagannath; Xaxa, Virginius (2020-12-01). Handbook of Tribal Politics in India. SAGE Publishing India. p. 297. ISBN 978-93-5388-460-4.
There are more than 30 gotras among the Gujjars and Bakarwals, and they share similar gotra names. Some of them which are commonly found among the Gujjars and Bakarwals in Jammu and Kashmir are Poswal, Baniya, Char, Bajran, Chechi, Khatana, Kasana, Thikriya, Lodha.
- ↑ Rawat, Ajay Singh (1998). Forests on Fire: Ecology and Politics in the Himalayan Tarai. Cosmo Publications. p. 80. ISBN 978-81-7020-840-2.
Gujjars have main- tained many rituals and practices of their Hindu ancestors... clear about the genesis of their Gotras, except that it refers to their Hindu ancestry. Their important Gotras are Kasana, Lodha, Padhana, Bagri, Dinda, Dhetra, Chabra, Pathan, Kasani, Bhainsi, Chauhan, Kushiwal, Baniya, Pessuwal, Chechi, Checha, Khatana, Chopra and Kalas. These Gotras are however not
- ↑ Rahi, Javaid (2012-01-01). The Gujjars Vol: 01 and 02 Edited by Dr. Javaid Rahi. Jammu and Kashmir Acacademy of Art, Culture , Languages , Jammu. p. 280.
this word Vania, Vanik or Bania means one who deals in Banaj Beopar i.e. trade. The Bania is a trader who is generally a shopkeeper.
- ↑ Rahi, Javaid. The Gujjars -Vol 04 (Gujjars History & Culture) by Dr. Javaid Rahi. Jammu and Kashmir Acacademy of Art, Culture , Languages , Jammu.
Initially the Gujjars were Hindus but during the rule of Mughal king Aurangazeb, most of them converted to Islam but retained their Hindu gotras or subcastes. The common gotras are: Bhati, Chandel, Chauhan, Baniya, Lodha, Bhensi, Chopra, Chechi, and Khatana.