The Banias have been commonly supposed to represent the Vaishyas or
third of the four classical castes, both by Hindu society generally
and by leading authorities on the subject. It is perhaps this view of
their origin which is partly responsible for the tendency to consider
them as several castes and not one. But its accuracy is doubtful. The
important Bania groups appear to be of Rajput stock. They nearly all
come from Rajputana, Bundelkhand or Gujarat, that is from the homes
of the principal Rajut clans. Several of them have legends of Rajput
descent. The Agarwalas say that their first ancestor was a Kshatriya
king, who married a Naga or snake princess; the Naga race is supposed
to have signified the Scythian immigrants, who were snake-worshippers
and from whom several clans of Rajputs were probably derived. The
Agarwalas took their name from the ancient city of Agroha or possibly
from Agra. The Oswals say that their ancestor was the Rajput king
of Osnagar in Marwar, who with his followers was converted by a Jain
mendicant. The Nemas state that their ancestors were fourteen young
Rajput princes who escaped the vengeance of Parasurama by abandoning
the profession of arms and taking to trade. The Khandelwals take
their name from the town of Khandela in Jaipur State of Rajputana. The
Kasarwanis say they immigrated from Kara Manikpur in Bundelkhand. The
origin of the Umre Banias is not known, but in Gujarat they are also
called Bagaria from the Bagar or wild country of the Dongarpur and
Pertabgarh States of Rajputana, where numbers of them are still
settled; the name Bagaria would appear to indicate that they are
supposed to have immigrated thence into Gujarat. The Dhusar Banias
ascribe their name to a hill called Dhusi or Dhosi on the border of
Alwar State. The Asatis say that their original home was Tikamgarh
State in Bundelkhand. The name of the Maheshris is held to be derived
from Maheshwar, an ancient town on the Nerbudda, near Indore, which
is traditionally supposed to have been the earliest settlement of the
Yadava Rajputs. The headquarters of the Gahoi Banias is said to have
been at Kharagpur in Bundelkhand, though according to their own legend
they are of mixed origin. The home of the Srimalis was the old town
of Srimal, now Bhinmal in Marwar. The Palliwal Banias were from the
well-known trading town of Pali in Marwar. The Jaiswal are said to take
their name from Jaisalmer State, which was their native country. The
above are no doubt only a fraction of the Bania subcastes, but they
include nearly all the most important and representative ones, from
whom the caste takes its status and character. Of the numerous other
groups the bulk have probably been brought into existence through
the migration and settlement of sections of the caste in different
parts of the country, where they have become endogamous and obtained a
fresh name. Other subcastes may be composed of bodies of persons who,
having taken to trade and prospered, obtained admission to the Bania
caste through the efforts of their Brahman priests. But a number of
mixed groups of the same character are also found among the Brahmans
and Rajputs, and their existence does not invalidate arguments derived
from a consideration of the representative subcastes. It may be said
that not only the Banias, but many of the low castes have legends
showing them to be of Rajput descent of the same character as those
quoted above; and since in their case these stories have been adjudged
spurious and worthless, no greater importance should be attached to
those of the Banias. But it must be remembered that in the case of the
Banias the stories are reinforced by the fact that the Bania subcastes
certainly come from Rajputana; no doubt exists that they are of high
caste, and that they must either be derived from Brahmans or Rajputs,
or themselves represent some separate foreign group; but if they are
really the descendants of the Vaishyas, the main body of the Aryan
immigrants and the third of the four classical castes, it might be
expected that their legends would show some trace of this instead of
being unitedly in favour of their Rajput origin.
Colonel Tod gives a catalogue of the eighty-four mercantile tribes,
whom he states to be chiefly of Rajput descent. [119] In this list
the Agarwal, Oswal, Srimal, Khandelwal, Palliwal and Lad subcastes
occur; while the Dhakar and Dhusar subcastes may be represented by the
names Dhakarwal and Dusora in the lists. The other names given by Tod
appear to be mainly small territorial groups of Rajputana. Elsewhere,
after speaking of the claims of certain towns in Rajputana to be
centres of trade, Colonel Tod remarks: "These pretensions we may
the more readily admit, when we recollect that nine-tenths of the
bankers and commercial men of India are natives of Marudesh, [120]
and these chiefly of the Jain faith. The Oswals, so termed from the
town of Osi, near the Luni, estimate one hundred thousand families
whose occupation is commerce. All these claim a Rajput descent, a fact
entirely unknown to the European inquirer into the peculiarities of
Hindu manners." [121]
Similarly, Sir D. Ibbetson states that the Maheshri Banias claim
Rajput origin and still have subdivisions bearing Rajput names. [122]
Elliot also says that almost all the mercantile tribes of Hindustan
are of Rajput descent. [123]
It would appear, then, that the Banias are an offshoot from the
Rajputs, who took to commerce and learnt to read and write for
the purpose of keeping accounts. The Charans or bards are another
literate caste derived from the Rajputs, and it may be noticed that
both the Banias and Charans or Bhats have hitherto been content
with the knowledge of their own rude Marwari dialect and evinced no
desire for classical learning or higher English education. Matters
are now changing, but this attitude shows that they have hitherto not
desired education for itself but merely as an indispensable adjunct
to their business.