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Bania (caste)
Bania (also spelled Baniya, Banija, Banya, Vaniya, Vani, Vania, and Vanya) is a mercantile caste primarily from the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, with significant diasporic communities in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra (particularly Mumbai) and northern states of India. Traditionally, the Bania community has been associated with occupations such as trade, banking, and money-lending. In modern times, many members of the community are involved in various business and entrepreneurial ventures. Etymology The Hindi term ''baniyā'' is derived from Sanskrit ''vaṇija'' ("trader"), whereas the Marwari ''bā̃ṇyõ'' and Gujarati ''vāṇiyo'' are derived from Sanskrit ''vāṇija'' ("trader"). The community is also known by the term "vanik". In Bengal the term ''Bania'' is a functional catch-all for moneylenders, indigenously developed bankers, readers of grocery items and spices, irrespective of caste. In Maharashtra, the term ''vani'' is used f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India by population, seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern side, where it comprises most of the wide and inhospitable Thar Desert (also known as the Great Indian Desert) and shares a border with the Pakistani provinces of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab to the northwest and Sindh to the west, along the Sutlej-Indus River valley. It is bordered by five other Indian states: Punjab, India, Punjab to the north; Haryana and Uttar Pradesh to the northeast; Madhya Pradesh to the southeast; and Gujarat to the southwest. Its geographical location is 23°3' to 30°12' North latitude and 69°30' to 78°17' East longitude, with the Tropic of Can ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Oswal
The Oswal (sometimes spelled Oshwal or Osval) are a Śvētāmbara, Śvetāmbara Jain merchant community with origins in Osian, Jodhpur, Osian, a town in the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India. According to research by James Tod, Colonel James Tod, Osavālas are purely of Rajput origins and they belong to not one, but several different Rajput tribes. The Osavālas origin legend has multiple aspects, all of which include a fierce, meat-eating goddess who becomes pacified by a Jain ascetic, involving the conversion of a king to Jainism. In modern times, there are barely any Osavālas living in Osiyān, but they still regard the Mahavira Jain temple, Osian, Mahavira temple and Sachiya Mata Temple as their "mother temples". They reside in Rajasthan, Malwa, Gujarat, and Kutch district, Kutch. They were formerly also found in the Tharparkar district of Sindh (Partition of India, pre-partition). Creation of the ''Oswāl clan'' Ratnaprabhasuri's penance near Upkeśapattan According to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Daudi Bohra
The Dawoodi Bohras are a religious denomination within the Ismā'īlī branch of Shia Islam. They number approximately one million worldwide and have settled in over 40 countries around the world. The majority of the Dawoodi Bohra community resides in India, with sizable congregations in Pakistan, Yemen, East Africa, and the Middle East. They also have a growing presence in Europe, North America, and Australia. The Dawoodi Bohra community follows Islam and is specifically identified as Shia Fatimid Ismaili Tayyibi Dawoodi Bohra. Their faith is founded on the conviction that there is only one God, that the Quran is the message of God, that the Islamic prophet Muhammad is the last of the prophets, and that Ali is his legatee and successor. They follow the tenets of Islam, such as reciting the Quran, performing the five daily prayers (Salah), annual tithes of 2.5% (or 1⁄40) of total income and savings (Zakat), fasting during the month of Ramadan ( Sawm), the mandatory Hajj pi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vaishnavism
Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu denominations, Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole Para Brahman, supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, ''Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. Its followers are called Vaishnavites or ''Vaishnava''s (), and it includes sub-sects like Krishnaism and Ramanandi Sampradaya, Ramaism, which consider Krishna and Rama as the supreme beings respectively. According to a 2020 estimate by The World Religion Database (WRD), hosted at Boston University’s Institute on Culture, Religion and World Affairs (CURA), Vaishnavism is the largest Hindu sect, constituting about 399 million Hindus. The ancient emergence of Vaishnavism is unclear, and broadly hypothesized as a History of Hinduism, fusion of various regional non-Vedic religions with worship of Vishnu. It is considered a merger of several popular non-Vedic theistic traditio ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pushtimarga Sampradaya
The Puṣṭimārga, also known as Pushtimarg (Path of Nourishing or Flourishing) or Vallabha Sampradāya, is a Hinduism, Hindu Vaiṣṇava Sampradaya, saṁpradāya. It was established in the early 16th century by Vallabha (1479–1530) and further developed by his descendants, particularly his son Vitthalanatha, Viṭṭhalanātha. Followers of the Puṣṭimārga worship Krishna, Kr̥ṣṇa and engage in devotional practices centered around the youthful Kr̥ṣṇa as depicted in the Bhagavata Purana, ''Bhāgavata Purāṇa'', and the pastimes at Govardhan Hill. The Puṣṭimārga sect follows the Shuddhadvaita, Śuddhadvaita philosophy of Vallabha. According to this philosophy, Kr̥ṣṇa is considered the supreme deity and the source of everything. The human soul is believed to be imbued with Kr̥ṣṇa's divine light, and spiritual liberation is thought to result from Kr̥ṣṇa's grace. The sect worships Kr̥ṣṇa through ''sevā'', a practice in which his idols are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sindhis
Sindhis are an Indo-Aryan ethnic group originating from and native to Sindh, a region of Pakistan, who share a common Sindhi culture, history, ancestry, and language. The historical homeland of Sindhis is bordered by southeastern Balochistan; the Bahawalpur region of Punjab; the Marwar region of Rajasthan; and the Kutch region of Gujarat. Sindhis are the third-largest ethnic group in Pakistan, after the Punjabis and Pashtuns, forming a majority in Sindh with historical communities also found in neighbouring Balochistan. They form a significant diasporic population in India, mostly partition-era migrants and their descendants. Sindhi diaspora is also present in other parts of South Asia; as well as in the Gulf states, the Western world and the Far East. Sindhis are a diverse group in terms of religious affiliations and practices. Approximately 94% are adherents of Islam, primarily the Sunni denomination with a significant population also following the Shia denomi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Saurashtra (region)
Kathiawar (), also known as Saurashtra, is a peninsula in the south-western Gujarat state in India, bordering the Arabian Sea and covering about . It is bounded by the Kutch district in the north, the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest, and by the Gulf of Khambhat in the east. In the northeast, it is connected to the rest of the state and borders on the low, fertile hinterland of Ahmedabad. It is crossed by two belts of hill country and is drained radially by nine rivers which have little natural flow aside from in monsoon months, thus dams have been built on some of these. Kathiawar ports have been flourishing centres of trade and commerce since at least the 16th century. It was formerly a state of India. Etymology and history The name Kathiawad seems to have been derived from the early settlements of Kathikas or Kathis who entered Gujarat from Sindh in early centuries of the Common Era. The name "Saurashtra" itself is from Sanskrit (, ), the vṛddhi form of (, ), deri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bhatia Caste
Bhatia is a group of people and a caste found in Punjab, Rajasthan, Sindh and Gujarat. Traditionally, they have been a trading and merchant community. The Bhatias primarily live in Northwestern India and Pakistan.Tribalism in India, pp 160, By Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya, Edition: illustrated, Published by Vikas, 1978, Original from the University of Michigan. The Bhatias, Lohanas and Khatris were similar communities and were known to intermarry. The Bhatias recruit Saraswat Brahmins as priests. History The Bhatias are a mercantile community - traditionally they were merchants and traders. The Bhatias primarily live in Northwestern India and Pakistan. According to B.N. Puri, Bhatias are a part of the Khatri community but them along with Aroras and Soods maintained a distinct identity. Before their traditional occupation of traders, both the Lohanas and Bhatia were involved in the profession of Agriculture. Historian Goswami states that their ritual position was "ambiguous", ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lohanas
Lohana are a Hindu ''caste'', a trading or mercantile community mostly residing in India and some also in Pakistan. The Lohanas are divided into many separate cultural groups as a result of centuries apart in different regions. Thus there are significant differences between the culture, language, professions and societies of Gujarati Lohanas and Kutchi Lohanas from Gujarat, India and Sindhi Lohanas from Sindh, Pakistan (the latter having largely migrated to India as well). Origin The Lohanas belong to Vaishya caste, traditionally merchants in Hindu caste system, although they claim that they are of Kshatriya origin. According to André Wink, at least in the Muslim sources, Lohanas appear to be subdivisions of the Jats or to be put on a par with the Jats of Chacha's Sind. According to David Cheesman, the Lohana who immigrated from Punjab to Sindh in the distant past, may have been descended from the people also known as Lohana who fled from Sindh after the Arab conques ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pacifism
Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''ahimsa'' (to do no harm), which is a core philosophy in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. While modern connotations are recent, having been explicated since the 19th century, ancient references abound. In modern times, interest was revived by Leo Tolstoy in his late works, particularly in '' The Kingdom of God Is Within You''. Mahatma Gandhi propounded the practice of steadfast nonviolent opposition which he called " satyagraha", instrumental in its role in the Indian independence movement. Its effectiveness served as inspiration to Martin Luther King Jr., James Lawson, Mary and Charles Beard, James Bevel, Thích Nhất Hạnh,"Searching for the Enemy of Man", in Nhat Nanh, Ho Huu Tuong, Tam Ich, Bui Giang, Pham Cong Thien. ''Dialog ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nonviolence
Nonviolence is the personal practice of not causing harm to others under any condition. It may come from the belief that hurting people, animals and/or the environment is unnecessary to achieve an outcome and it may refer to a general philosophy of abstention from violence. It may be based on moral, Religion, religious or spiritual principles, or the reasons for it may be strategy, strategic or pragmatic ethics, pragmatic. Failure to distinguish between the two types of nonviolent approaches can lead to distortion in the concept's meaning and effectiveness, which can subsequently result in confusion among the audience. Although both principled and pragmatic nonviolent approaches preach for nonviolence, they may have distinct motives, goals, philosophies, and techniques. However, rather than debating the best practice between the two approaches, both can indicate alternative paths for those who do not want to use violence. Nonviolence has "active" or "activist" elements, in that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marwari People
The Marwari or Marwadi (Devanagari: मारवाड़ी) are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group that originate from the Marwar region of Rajasthan, India. Their language, also called Marwari, comes under the umbrella of Rajasthani languages, which is part of the Western Zone of Indo-Aryan languages. Apart from India, they have sizeable presence in the neighbouring countries of Pakistan and Nepal. Etymology The term ''Marwari'' once referred to the area encompassed by the former princely state of Marwar, also called the Jodhpur region of southwest Rajasthan in India. It formed from the two constituent words, Maru (region of Thar desert) and Wadi (enclosure), effectively indicating the western part of modern day Rajasthan. It has evolved to be a designation for the Rajasthani people in general but it is used particularly with reference to certain jātis that fall within the Bania community. The most prominent among these communities are the Agrawals, Khandelwals, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
