Shrimal (Srimal) Jain is an ancient

Jain Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion. Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and history through the succession of twenty-four tirthankaras (supreme preachers of ''Dharma''), with the first in the current time cycle being ...

and

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 ...

community originally from

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern s ...

, Shrimal or

Bhinmal Bhinmal (previously Shrimal Nagar) is an ancient town in the Jalore District of Rajasthan, India. It is south of Jalore. Bhinmal was the capital of the Bhil king, then the capital of Gurjaradesa, comprising modern-day southern Rajasthan and n ...

town in southern

. They were traditionally wealthy merchants and money lenders and were prominent at the court of

Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...

kings as treasurers and ministers, holding the titles of

Dewan ''Dewan'' (also known as ''diwan'', sometimes spelled ''devan'' or ''divan'') designated a powerful government official, minister, or ruler. A ''dewan'' was the head of a state institution of the same name (see Divan). Diwans belonged to the e ...

or Durbari. This caste is claimed to descend from the Goddess

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 ...

and their descendants are well known for business acumen and are in possession of Havelis and mansions given to them as gifts from kings for their service as royal treasurers, ministers, courtiers and advisors.Vane Russell, Robert (1916). "Tribes and castes of the central provinces of India", p.111-161. 'Forgotten books. The Shrimal (Srimal) Jain are thought to be the highest gotra in the

Oswal The Oswal (sometimes spelled Oshwal or Osval) are a Jain community with origins in the Marwar region of Rajasthan and Tharparkar district in Sindh. They claim to be of Rajput Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large ...

merchant and minister caste that is found primarily in the north of India. It is believed that the Srimal formed their own caste separate from the Oswal, evidenced by the fact that the majority of Srimals are Jain, which is also the case with the Oswal caste who descend from the Raja of Osnagar, a Rajput prince who converted to Jainism upon witnessing Sri Ratan Suri, a Jain ascetic, bring his son back to life. A few Srimals are Hindu and follow the

Vaishnav Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...

path while worshipping their kuladevi, Goddess Laxmi. They mainly reside in

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 ...

and

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

Parasnath Temple

The Court Jewelers to the Viceroy and Governor General of

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

built Calcutta Jain Temple, Parasnath Temple, in 1867. It is built in Belgian glass. It is also known as Mookim's temple garden.

Prominent Shrimals

* Rai Badridas Bahadoor Mukeem was son of Kalkadas Mukeem. He migrated from Lucknow to Kolkata. He built Jain temples in Sammet Shikhar and Purimatal (Allahabad). *

Thakkar Pheru Thakkar Pheru (IAST: Ṭhakkura Pherū) was an author of books on mathematics, coins, and gems in Delhi. He was active between 1291 and 1347. Alauddin Khalji recruited Ṭhakkura Pherū, a Shrimal Jain from Kannāṇā (modern Kalpana) in Harya ...

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

, author of 14th century texts on precious metals and gems and courtier to

Alauddin Khalji Alaud-Dīn Khaljī, also called Alauddin Khilji or Alauddin Ghilji (), born Ali Gurshasp, was an emperor of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate in the Indian subcontinent. Alauddin instituted a number of significant administrativ ...

and later Ghiyath al-Din Tughluq . * Poet

Banarasidas Banarasidas (15861643) was a Shrimal Jain businessman and poet of Mughal India. He is known for his poetic autobiography - ''Ardhakathānaka'', (The Half Story), composed in Braj Bhasa, an early dialect of Hindi linked with the region around Ma ...

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...

* Jain scholar Kanji Swami * Bhamashah a financier, general and minister in the court of the great Rana Pratap of Mewar. * Bharmal Shah, qiledar of Ranthambore fort appointed by Rana Sanga and was later prime minister under Maharana Udai Singh. * Rai Bahadur Badri Das, the builder of the famous Calcutta Jain Temple dedicated to Lord Shitalnath in 1867.Thacker's Guide to Calcutta By Walter Kelly Firminger, Published 1906, Thacker, Spink & Co. p. 65 *

Sarabhai family The Sarabhai family is a prominent Indian family active in several fields. The patriarch, Ambalal Sarabhai, was a leading industrialist. While he created significant wealth, his children interested themselves in a wide variety of other endeavou ...

of Ahmedabad

References

External links

* Gateway to Indian Classical Literature By Various, Poornima Pillai,Published 2005 Asiapac Books Pte Ltd, p. 138-139, * Thacker's Guide to Calcutta By Walter Kelly Firminger, Published 1906, Thacker, Spink & Co. p. 65 * Vane Russell, Robert (1916). "Tribes and castes of the central provinces of India", p. 111-161. 'Forgotten books. . {{Social groups of Rajasthan Indian surnames Social groups of Rajasthan Jain communities

Parasnath Temple

Prominent Shrimals

See also

References

External links