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Asati (असाटी in
The census of India, 1891, reported 3,071 Asatis in the British ruled districts, of which 450 were Jains. They were mainly present in Jabalpur, Damoh and Sagar, where a significant fraction (27% in Jabalpur) were Jains. Smaller number were present in Bhandara, Gondia, Nagpur and Chhindwara, where all of them were Vaishnava.
The community celebrates an annual Asati Diwas.
महात्मा गांधी की तरह थे गणेश प्रसाद वर्णी, Nai Dunia, 13 Sep 2017
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Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
) is a merchant community in Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand (, ) is a geographical and cultural region and a proposed state and also a mountain range in central & North India. The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lyin ...
region of Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the seco ...
.
It is said that the Asatis originally hailed from a village near Ayodhya
Ayodhya (; ) is a city situated on the banks of holy river Saryu in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ayodhya, also known as Sāketa, Saketa, is an ancient city of India, the birthplace of Rama and ...
in Uttar Pradesh and later shifted to around Damoh
Damoh is a city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. The city is also the district headquarters of Damoh district.
History Early history
Stone Age tools have been found in Singrampur Valley and it is believed that the area has been inhabit ...
in Madhya Pradesh. They subsequently migrated throughout the Bundelkhand
Bundelkhand (, ) is a geographical and cultural region and a proposed state and also a mountain range in central & North India. The hilly region is now divided between the states of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with the larger portion lyin ...
region.A FIFTEENTH-CENTURY DIGAMBAR JAIN MYSTIC AND HIS FOLLOWERS, Taraj Taraj Svami and the Taraj Svami Panth, John E. Cort, Studies in Jaina history and culture: disputes and dialogues, Taylor & Francis, 25 May 2006, p.h 302
History
In some texts the name is given as Asahati or Asaiti. Navalshah Chanderia, who wrote Vardhamana Purana in 1768 AD at Khataura, included the Asati community among the eleven merchant communities that are partly Jain. Russel and Hiralal in 1916 also mention a minority being Jain. Brahmachari Sitalprasad, in his introduction to an edition of the ''Mamala Pahuda'' (Taranpanth
The Taran Panth, also known as Taran Svami Panth, Taran Samaj or Taranapanthi, is a sect of Digambara Jainism founded by Taran Svami in Bundelkhand in central India in c. 1505 CE.
Taran Svami
Taran Svami was a Jain religious teacher and foun ...
i Jain text) wrote that one of his used manuscripts was copied in an Asahati temple in 1624. The Taran Panth
The Taran Panth, also known as Taran Svami Panth, Taran Samaj or Taranapanthi, is a sect of Digambara Jainism founded by Taran Svami in Bundelkhand in central India in c. 1505 CE.
Taran Svami
Taran Svami was a Jain religious teacher and fo ...
is followed by members of six communities in Bundelkhand, Asati being one of them.
Distribution
The census of India, 1891, reported 3,071 Asatis in the British ruled districts, of which 450 were Jains. They were mainly present in Jabalpur, Damoh and Sagar, where a significant fraction (27% in Jabalpur) were Jains. Smaller number were present in Bhandara, Gondia, Nagpur and Chhindwara, where all of them were Vaishnava.
The community celebrates an annual Asati Diwas.
Notable figures
Ganeshprasad Varni, one of the foundational figures of the modern North-Indian Digambar intellectual tradition during early 20th century was born into an Asati family./ref>
See also
*Gahoi
Gahoi is a merchant Vaishya-Baniya community in central India.
Gahois are divided into 12 gotras, each gotra is divided into six ''all''s. They have traditionally interdined with the Parwar Jain community of Bundelkhand.
The "Grahapati" famil ...
*Golapurva
Golapurva is an ancient Jain community from the Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh.
History
Jainism had a continuous presence in the Bundelkhand region since antiquity. Jainism was flourishing during the Gupta period at Vidisha region. The D ...
References
{{reflist Social groups of India Indian castes Social groups of Madhya Pradesh Bania communities Bundelkhand