Damania or Damaniya is a family name given to the original inhabitants of Daman, a specific

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub ...

community within the

Indian subcontinent The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...

Origin

The name "Damania" is derived from the small village called "Daman" (Union territory), which is in the Union Territory of

Daman and Diu Daman and Diu (; ) was a former union territory in northwestern India. With an area of , it was the smallest administrative subdivision of India on the mainland. The territory comprised two districts, Damaon and Dio island, geographically s ...

within India. The original people from Daman were given the last name "Damania".

Occurrence

The surname is largely seen in three communities: the

Parsis Parsis () or Parsees are an ethnoreligious group of the Indian subcontinent adhering to Zoroastrianism. They are descended from Persians who migrated to Medieval India during and after the Arab conquest of Iran (part of the early Muslim conq ...

; the

Shia Muslims Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, mos ...

, including Ismaili Muslims and the Bohra and Bohri Muslims; and the Gujarati

Hindus Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

. The Parsis came from Iran to India in the distant past and settled in Daman and nearby villages like Navasari and Vapi. The Shia Muslims were of two different subsects in the same community. One of these is the sect of Ismaili Muslims who also share this surname. These were converts from Hinduism: some living in the native villages, who were converted during the time of

Aga Khan II Aga Khan II ( fa, آقا خان دوّم; ''Āghā Khān-i Duvvum'' or, less commonly but more correctly ''Āqā Khān-i Duvvum''), or Aqa Ali Shah ( ''Āqā ‘Alī Shāh''; born 1830 in Mahallat, Iran; died August 1885 in Poona, India), the 47 ...

when he was in process of shifting his residence to Bombay; and a few on request of the office of the Portuguese Governor General. A few companions of the Aga Khan settled at Daman and its surrounding areas for trade and some were appointed as

zamindar A zamindar ( Hindustani: Devanagari: , ; Persian: , ) in the Indian subcontinent was an autonomous or semiautonomous ruler of a province. The term itself came into use during the reign of Mughals and later the British had begun using it as ...

s. The other Shia Muslim group comprised the Shia Bohra and the Bohri community of merchants who settled at these places. The third, Hindu, community is descended from the original residents of Daman, who were famous for their shipbuilding skills. This carpenter community worships

Vishvakarma Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman ( sa, विश्वकर्मा, Viśvakarmā, all maker) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar and the ...

, the god of architecture (called "Sthapatya kala" in Sanskrit). A domestic airline and shipping company was started by Parvez Damania called " Damania Airways".

Notable persons

* Zubin Damania (born 1973), American physician, comedian, internet personality, musician, and founder of Turntable Health. * Rustom Damania (born 1973), Indian scientist credited with the development of NAL's Light Canard Research Aircraft, which later became

DRDO Rustom The DRDO Rustom (English: ''Warrior'') is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned air vehicle (UAV) being developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation for the three services, Indian Army, Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force of ...

Origin

Occurrence

Notable persons

See also