Vaishya Vani is a sub-

caste Caste is a form of social stratification characterised by endogamy, hereditary transmission of a style of life which often includes an occupation, ritual status in a hierarchy, and customary social interaction and exclusion based on cultura ...

Vaishya Vaishya (Sanskrit: वैश्य, ''vaiśya'') is one of the four Varna (Hinduism), varnas of the Hinduism, Hindu social order in India. Vaishyas are classed third in the order of caste hierarchy. The occupation of Vaishyas consists mainly ...

s, one of the varnas of Hinduism. Because of their

hereditary Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic inform ...

occupation as traders and merchants, they are found in many regions in India, including

Konkan The Konkan ( kok, कोंकण) or Kokan () is a stretch of land by the western coast of India, running from Damaon in the north to Karwar in the south; with the Arabian Sea to the west and the Deccan plateau in the east. The hinterland ...

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West Be ...

, some parts of the

Canara Kanara, also known as Karavali is the historically significant stretch of land situated by the southwestern coast of India, alongside the Arabian Sea in the present-day Indian state of Karnataka. The region comprises three civil districts, ...

subregion of

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

& the

Cochin Kochi (), also known as Cochin ( ) ( the official name until 1996) is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of K ...

area in

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

. In the

Konkan division The Konkan division is one of the six administrative divisions of Maharashtra state in India. It comprises the northern and central portions of the greater Konkani region, which were absorbed into Maharashtra owing to the States Reorganisati ...

of Maharashtra, there were subdivisions of Vani communities, like Kudali (coming from Kudal) in Savantwadi, Sangameshwari (from Sangameshwar) in Ratnagiri& Patne (from Patan) in Satara. In the

Goa state Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to th ...

, they speak Konkani and

Mahratti Marathi (; ''Marāṭhī'', ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language predominantly spoken by Marathi people in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the official language of Maharashtra, and additional official language in the state o ...

. In the Gujarat state and the Daman territory, they are also known as Vaishnav or Vaishnav Vanik. During the period of the

Kadambas of Goa The Kadambas of Goa were a dynasty during the Late Classical period on the Indian subcontinent, who ruled Goa from the 10th to the 14th century CE. They took over the territories of the Shilaharas and ruled them at first from Chandor, later ...

, they were known as ''Banajiga''s (merchants) who were engaged in trade. The reference to these Banajigas from Savoi Verem,

Narve {{Infobox settlement , official_name = Naroa , native_name = Narve , settlement_type = Village , pushpin_map = India Goa#India , mapsize = 150px , subdivision_type = Country , subdivisio ...

Khandepar Khandepar is a census town in Ponda taluka, North Goa district in the state of Goa, India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most pop ...

, Kapilagram, Bandivade and Taligram are mentioned in Khandepar copper plate of 1358 CE. OBC status was given to Vaishya Vanis in 2008, which was later removed in 2011.now in OBC At present Vaishya Vanis fall under OBC while others are classed as general category.

References

{{Social groups of Maharashtra Konkani Indian castes Bania communities Social groups of Karnataka Social groups of Maharashtra Social groups of Goa

See also

References