Shunris are a
Bengali Hindu
Bengali Hindus ( bn, বাঙ্গালী হিন্দু/বাঙালি হিন্দু, translit=Bāṅgālī Hindu/Bāṅāli Hindu) are an ethnoreligious population who make up the majority in the Indian states of West Benga ...
caste whose traditional occupation is the distillation and selling of country wine.
History
In the census of 2001, the Shunris numbered 317,543 in West Bengal, consisting of 1.7% of the total Scheduled caste population of the state.
Shunri are scheduled castes in West Bengal.
Religion
The Shunris are predominantly Vaishnavas.
Lakshmi
Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...
is their titular deity. Thursday being the weekly day of worship of Lakshmi, they keep used to keep their liquor shops closed. Even today, both the foreign and country liquor off and on shops remain closed on Thursday. On the first day of Magh, they worship Bair Lakshmi with much pomp and grandeur. In the month of Kartik, they worship Kartik. The Shunris keep pigeons as pets, because they believe the flapping of their wings bring good luck to them.
See also
Saha (surname)
References
{{Scheduled Castes in West Bengal
Bengali Hindu castes
Social groups of West Bengal