Halwai is an
Indian caste
The caste system in India is the paradigmatic ethnographic instance of social classification based on castes. It has its origins in ancient India, and was transformed by various ruling elites in medieval, early-modern, and modern India, espec ...
and a social class, whose traditional occupation was
confectionery
Confectionery is the Art (skill), art of making confections, or sweet foods. Confections are items that are rich in sugar and carbohydrates, although exact definitions are difficult. In general, however, confections are divided into two bro ...
and sweet-making. The name is derived from the word ''
Halwa
Halva (also halvah, halwa, halua, and other spellings; ) is a type of confectionery that is widely spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and the Balkans, Central Asia, and South Asia. The name is used for a broad va ...
'' which is a sweet dish.
The community is known by different names in different parts of India. For instance, it's called Modanseni,Yagyaseni, kany kujb halwai, madheshiya halwai,
Kanu(Kandu) etc. in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. Moira-Modak in West Bengal;
Gudia in Odisha and so on.
The nature of their work has undergone a paradigm shift in the last couple of decades as the members of this community is taking up works from various other fields. The community is gradually attaining social mobility as they are not limited to their traditional profession any longer as of date. This is the case not just in India but also in Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Customs
Balarama is the celebrated plougher so called Halwahi or Halwai or Haluwai, one of the pillars of agriculture along with livestock with whom Krishna is associated with. The plough is Balarama's weapon. In the ''Bhagavata Purana'', he uses it to fight demons, dig a way for
Yamuna
The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...
river to come closer to
Vrindavan
Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...
and pull the entire capital of
Hastinapura
Hastinapur is a city in the Meerut district in the Indian States and territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh. ''Hastinapura'' is described as the capital of the Kuru Kingdom in Hindu texts such as the ''Mahabharata'' and the Puranas; it is ...
into the Ganges river.
Baba Ganinath Govindji is the kul
Guru
Guru ( ; International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''guru'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian religions, Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: tr ...
(school) of Halwai caste.
Halwais in Nepal
The
Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Halwai as a subgroup within the broader social group of
Madheshi
Madheshi people () is a term used for several ethnic groups in Nepal living in the Terai region of Nepal. It has also been used as a political pejorative term by the Pahari people (Nepal), Pahari people of Nepal to refer to Nepalis with a no ...
Other Caste. At the time of the
2011 Nepal census
Nepal conducted a widespread national census in 2011 by the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics. Working in cooperation with the 58 municipalities and the 3,915 Village Development Committees at a district level, they recorded data from all the m ...
, 83,869 people (0.3% of the population of Nepal) were Halwai. The frequency of Halwais by province was as follows:
*
Madhesh Province
Madhesh Province () is a Provinces of Nepal, province of Nepal in the Terai region with an area of covering about 6.5% of the country's total area. It has a population of 6,126,288 as per the 2021 Nepal census, making it Nepal's most densely po ...
(0.8%)
*
Koshi Province
Koshi Province () is an autonomous Provinces of Nepal, province of Nepal adopted by the Constitution of Nepal on 20 September 2015. It covers an area of , about 17.5% of the country's total area. With the industrial city of Biratnagar as its cap ...
(0.4%)
*
Lumbini Province
Lumbini Province () is a Provinces of Nepal, province in western Nepal. The country's Provinces of Nepal, third largest province in terms of area as well as List of Nepalese provinces by population, population, Lumbini is home to the World Herita ...
(0.3%)
*
Bagmati Province
Bagmati Province (, ''Bāgmatī pradēśa'') is one of the seven Provinces of Nepal, provinces of Nepal established by the constitution of Nepal. Bagmati is Nepal's second-most populous province and fifth largest province by area. It is bordered ...
(0.1%)
*
Gandaki Province
Gandaki Province ( ) ), is one of the seven federal provinces established by the current constitution of Nepal which was promulgated on 20 September 2015. Pokhara is the province's capital city. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region in Southw ...
(0.0%)
*
Karnali Province
Karnali Province () is one of the seven federal provinces of Nepal formed by the new constitution, which was adopted on 20 September 2015. The total area of the province is , making it the largest province in Nepal with 18.97% of the country's ...
(0.0%)
*
Sudurpashchim Province
Sudurpashchim Province () is one of the seven Provinces of Nepal, provinces established by the Constitution of Nepal, new constitution of Nepal which was adopted on 20 September 2015. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China to the north, ...
(0.0%)
The frequency of Halwais was higher than national average (0.3%) in the following districts:
*
Siraha
Siraha ( Nepali: , ) is the headquarters and municipality of Siraha District, a part of Madhesh Province, Nepal. Siraha had a population of 28,442 according to the census of 2011. and a population of 82,531 as of 2015. The current population of Si ...
(2.1%)
*
Saptari
Saptari (), is Located in the easternmost part of Madhesh Province, is one of the List of districts of Nepal, seventy-seven districts of Nepal. Its district headquarter is Rajbiraj. Saptari is an Terai#Outer Terai, Outer Terai district. This dist ...
(1.8%)
*
Dhanusha (1.5%)
*
Sunsari
Sunsari District is one of 14 districts in Koshi province of eastern Nepal. The district is located in the eastern part of the Outer Terai and covers an area of .
According to the 2011 Nepal census, the population was 753,328. The district head ...
(1.1%)
*
Mahottari (0.8%)
*
Morang (0.8%)
*
Kapilvastu (0.6%)
*
Banke (0.5%)
*
Parasi (0.5%)
*
Sarlahi
Sarlahi ( ; Maithili: सर्लाही), a part of Madhesh Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. According to new laws, a combination of more than two or four villages makes a municipality, which covers an area of and ...
(0.5%)
*
Rupandehi
Rupandehi District (; ), a part of Lumbini Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal and covers an area of . The district headquarter is Bhairahawa. As per the national census 2011, the population of Rupandehi was 880,196.
Etymol ...
(0.4%)
See also
*
Chandu Halwai
References
{{reflist
Bania communities
Social groups of Uttar Pradesh
Social groups of Madhya Pradesh
Social groups of Rajasthan
Social groups of Bihar
Social groups of Odisha
Indian castes by profession
Indian castes
Ethnic groups in Nepal