Halwai is an
Indian caste whose traditional occupation was
confectionery and sweet-making. The name is derived from the word
Halwa
Halva (also halvah, halwa, and other spellings, Persian : حلوا) is a type of confectionery originating from Persia and widely spread throughout the Middle East. The name is used for a broad variety of recipes, generally a thick paste made f ...
plough.
Balarama is the celebrated plougher so called Halwahi or Halwai, 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 ( Hindustani: ), also spelt Jumna, 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 B ...
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 Bhoomi region and holds religious importance in Hinduism as Krishna spent most of his childho ...
and pull the entire capital of
Hastinapura into the Ganges river.
Baba Ganinath Govindji is the kul
Guru
Guru ( sa, गुरु, IAST: ''guru;'' Pali'': garu'') is a Sanskrit term for a "mentor, guide, expert, or master" of certain knowledge or field. In pan-Indian traditions, a guru is more than a teacher: traditionally, the guru is a reverential ...
(school) of Halwai caste.
Origins
In parts of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...
, some believe that they have descended from a man by the name 'Bhalandan.' This Bhalandan came into being due to the will of the
Hindu
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 ...
god
Brahma
Brahma ( sa, ब्रह्मा, Brahmā) is a Hindu god, referred to as "the Creator" within the Trimurti, the trinity of supreme divinity that includes Vishnu, and Shiva.Jan Gonda (1969)The Hindu Trinity Anthropos, Bd 63/64, H 1/2, pp. 21 ...
. This individual married a woman named Marutwati. Their son was an individual who was named Vatsa Priti. One of the latter's descendants, an individual called Modan, took to making sweetmeats.
The community set up its own association, the Kanyakubja Vaishya Halwai Mahasabha, which was established in
Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...
in the early part of the 1900s.
[''People of India: Uttar Pradesh'', Volume XLII. edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 601.]
See also
*
Chandu Halwai
References
{{reflist
Social groups of Pakistan
Bania communities
Social groups of Uttar Pradesh
Social groups of Madhya Pradesh
Social groups of Rajasthan
Social groups of Bihar
Social groups of Odisha