Maheshwari , also spelled Maheshvari , is a Hindu caste of India, originally from what is now the state of Rajasthan . Their traditional occupation is that of commerce and as such they form part of the wider Bania occupation-based community that also includes castes such as the Khandelwals , Oswals and Agrawals , Gahois .
38-450: The Banias of Rajasthan are often known as Marwaris , and are also known as Mahajans , a term which community members prefer because Bania can have negative connotations and imply a lower social position than that which they believe themselves to hold. The Maheshwaris claim a Rajput ancestry. K. K. Birla , an industrialist whose family has its origins in the Maheshwari caste, recounted
76-515: A commercial centre. During the British era in 1857, various Thakurs of Pali under the stewardship of the Thakur of Auwa fought against British rule . The British army surrounded Auwa Fort and the conflict lasted several days. Geologists trace the settlement at Pali back to prehistory and maintain that Pali emerged from the vast western sea, which was spread over a large part of present-day Rajasthan. In
114-518: A diaspora who came from somewhere and that until they migrated they had no such designation. Marwari traders have historically been migratory in habit. The possible causes of this trait include the proximity of their homeland to the major Ganges - Yamuna trade route; movement to escape famine; and the encouragement given to them by various rulers of northern India who saw advantages in having their skills in banking and finance. The pattern of Marwari migration became increasingly divergent following
152-529: A traditional story of origin for the community. This states that 72 groups from the Kshatriya varna in what is now Rajasthan decided in the 8th century to abandon their traditional role in favour of being members of the Vaishya varna. Inspired to do this by their devotion to Shiva , another name for whom is Mahesh , they adopted the name Maheshwari and thus established the 72 distinct family lines that exist within
190-646: Is P P Choudhary , who represents the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The district is represented in the State Legislature by six MLAs (Sojat, Jaitaran, Sumerpur , Bali , Pali and Marwar Junction) and one Member of Parliament. Pali District has ten sub-divisions: Sojat , Marwar Junction , Jaitaran , Raipur , Sumerpur , Bali, Pali, Rohat , Rani and Desuri . The Pali district has ten panchayat samiti : five are reserved for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Class , and
228-456: Is a variant myth of origin, recorded by Sivkaran Ramratan Darak in 1923 and subsequently referred to by modern scholars such as Lawrence Babb. In this version, a prince was supported by 72 Rajputs in disrupting a sacrifice being made by some sages, who retaliated by cursing them such that they were turned to stone. It was Shiva who freed them from the curse, restoring them to life and thus inspiring their devotion. The arrival of colonial trade with
266-623: Is on the Jodhpur route while the second highest earning railway station in the Ajmer division, Falna is on the Ahmedabad route. The railway came to the district in the early age of Indian Railways in 1881 when the Ahmedabad-Ajmer line opened at Rajputana State Railway. Pali was connected to Marwar Junction on 24 June 1882 and to Luni on 17 June 1884. Jodhpur was connected to the district via Luni in 1885 by
304-510: Is possible that the association of the Marwari term with Jodhpur owes more to the high status of that place in pre-independence India. Dwijendra Tripathi believes that the term Marwari was probably used by the traders only when they were outside their home region; that is, by the diaspora. Anne Hardgrove also supports this argument, saying that the Marwari identity could only exist in the context of
342-405: Is the largest dam in western Rajasthan. The only two modes of travel available in the district are roadways and railways. Almost all of the villages are connected by roads. There are two depots of government-owned state transport: Pali and Falna. The only railway junction in the district is Marwar Junction, which is connected to Jodhpur, Ajmer , Ahmedabad , and Udaipur . Pali railway station
380-504: The 1947 partition , many Marwari Muslims moved to the new state of Pakistan , mainly in Karachi with some in southern Punjab , and as of 2007 their numbers were estimated at around 500,000 in the country. The Ghazdarabad neighbourhood of Karachi has a Marwari Muslim majority, numbering around 20,000 and having mostly moved from Jaisalmer in Rajasthan after the partition and earlier in
418-498: The 2011 census Pali district has a population of 2,037,573, giving it a ranking of 255th out of 640. This gives it a ranking of 225th in India (out of a total of 640 ). Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 11.99%. Pali had a sex ratio of 987 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 63.23%. 22.58% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 19.54% and 7.10% of
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#1732856017188456-684: The Battle of Sammel near Jaitaran, and the Mughal emperor, Akbar , constantly battled with Maharana Pratap in the Gorwar area. After the Mughals had conquered almost all of Rajputana , Veer Durgadas Rathore of Marwar made organised efforts to take back Marwar from Aurangzeb , the last Mughal emperor. By then, Pali had become subservient to the Rathores of Marwar, and was reclaimed by Maharaja Vijay Singh before becoming
494-587: The British encouraged Marwari people of Rajasthan to expand their business interests and geographical influence. Maheshwaris were among the Marwari merchants who moved to the Deccan Plateau in the early 19th century, where the opium trade was prominent; they were present as bankers in Hyderabad State by 1850; and in the last quarter of the century emerged as a significant group in the cotton trade of Bombay . In
532-638: The Nawab of Bengal . After the decline of Mughal authority, Marwari traders, bankers and financiers migrated to the growing British power in Calcutta. There were particularly significant population shifts to Bombay between 1835-1850 and Kolkata from the 1870s, as well as to Madras . Historian Medha M. Kudaisya has said that the Marwaris: made the transition from being niche players in trading to becoming industrial conglomerates ... From being brokers and bankers,
570-527: The Rajputana-Malwa Railway network, and the first train traveled on this route on 9 March 1885. The line later became part of the Jodhpur - Bikaner Railway. The Phulera -Marwar Junction line was converted from Meter Gauge to Broad Gauge in 1995, while the Ahmedabad-Ajmer line was converted in 1997. During 1997–98, the 72 km Jalore-Falna route was also surveyed by Indian Railways. According to
608-623: The Rohat and Jaitaran areas, parts of today's Pali district. Until the end of the seventh century, the Pushyabhuti king Harshavardhana ruled the area, along with other parts of what would be Rajasthan. From the 10th to the 15th century, the boundaries of Pali extended to Mewar , Gorwar , and Marwar . Nadol was the capital of the Chauhan clan. All Rajput rulers resisted foreign invaders, but individually fought each other for land and leadership. After
646-689: The Vedic period , Maharshi Javali stayed in the area to meditate and interpret the Vedas . In the Mahabharata age, the Pandavas made this area (near Bali ) their resting place during exile. As a part of ancient Arbuda Province, the area was known as Balla-Desh. The Aravalli Range forms the eastern boundary of the district, and the southern boundary ends at Bamnera village in Sumerpur Tehsil . There are foothills to
684-532: The 19th century as well. The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Marwaris (called Marwadis in the Nepal census) as a subgroup within the broader social group of " Indian Nepalis ". At the time of the Nepal census of 2011, 51,443 people (0.2% of the population of Nepal) were Marwadi. The frequency of Marwadis by province was as follows: The frequency of Marwadis was higher than national average (0.2%) in
722-506: The 20th century, some Maheshwari, Tharu families, such as the Birlas , used the accumulated wealth from their traditional occupations to become prominent industrialists. Marwari people The Marwari or Marwadi ( Devanagari : मारवाड़ी) are an Indo-Aryan ethno-linguistic group that originate from the Marwar region of Rajasthan , India. Their language, also called Marwari , comes under
760-441: The Marwaris went on to break the British monopoly over the jute industry after World War I; they then moved into other industrial sectors, such as cotton and sugar, and set up diversified conglomerates. By the 1950s, the Marwaris dominated the India private industry scenario, emerging as the establishers of its most prominent business houses. A considerable number of Marwari business groups made their fortune on speculative markets in
798-458: The country's largest media groups. The community's influence over the Indian economy declined following the country's 1991 economic reforms. From a peak of controlling 24 per cent of economic activity in 1990, it had fallen to less than 2 per cent in 2000. This reflects the growth of new industries outside of commodities trading and primary production. The figure for 2000 is considered to be lower than
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#1732856017188836-460: The decline in wars between Rajput kingdoms, which the Marwaris had helped to finance, and the decreasing influence of the community over the North Indian caravan trading routes that resulted from the British establishing themselves in the region. The changed focus of migration was also encouraged by the British, who established or patronised new trading routes and centres, as well as by the decline in
874-493: The defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan by Muhammad Ghori , the Rajput power in the area was removed. The Godwad area became subject to the then-ruler of Mewar , Maharana Kumbha ; however, Pali, which was ruled by Rajputs with the patronage of neighbouring Rajput rulers, remained peaceful and progressive. There were a number of battles in the surrounding areas of Pali in the 16th and 17th centuries. Shershah Suri defeated Rajput rulers in
912-450: The district has ninety-two dams, of which three are broken: one each at Gajni, Potalia and Chipatia. The total catchment area of all the dams is 238,150.14 acres (963.7594 km ). In 1990, the capacity of the 89 dams was 20,197.3 million cubic feet. There are 48 dams in the district, named with completion date where known: Some of the reservoirs created by the dams are used for irrigation, potable water, and flood control. Jawai Dam
950-451: The district: Sojat, Jaitaran, Sumerpur , Sadri , Bali , Falna , Takhatgarh and Rani, Rajasthan ; Pali is a Municipal Council (Nagar Parishad). The area under irrigation is 2824.02 km , which is about 22.79% of the total geographical area of the district. Wells are the main sources of irrigation in the district, which constitute the source for 75% of the total irrigated area, followed by ponds tanks (20%) and tube wells (5%). In all,
988-560: The following districts: Pali district Pali district is a district in Rajasthan , India . The city of Pali is its administrative headquarters. Pali is also known as the Industrial/Textile City and has been a hub for merchant activities for centuries. It has a rich heritage and culture, including beautiful Jain temples and other elaborate monuments. In 120 AD, during the Kushana Age, King Kanishka conquered
1026-422: The impact of the strongest regional solvents". According to Hardgrove, "The main duty for Marwari women, it would seem, is to provide a stable household life for their husbands, sons and brothers-in-law", although she acknowledges that some such women have in recent years been attempting to carve out roles in the wider world through engagement in charitable ventures and even running their own businesses. Following
1064-651: The nineteenth and early twentieth century. Although maintaining close and public ties with the British authorities, members of the Marwari business community were early financial supporters of the Indian National Congress , often in secret. In 1956, the All-India Marwari Federation opposed a linguistic organisation of states while buying up regional language newspapers in Maharashtra , Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh . Today, they control many of
1102-718: The northwest. The major part of the district has ranges from 200 to 300 m above mean sea level in elevation, but in the east—toward the Aravalli Range—the elevation increases and the average is closer to 600 m, with some regions exceeding 1000 m. The Pali Barr Conglomerate has been declared a National Geological Monument of India by the Geological Survey of India for their protection, maintenance, promotion and enhancement of geotourism . The Pali Lok Sabha constituency has jurisdiction over two districts: Pali and Jodhpur . The current member of parliament
1140-539: The other five are general. There are 10 Tehsils in the district: Sojat, Marwar Junction, Jaitaran, Raipur, Sumerpur, Bali, Pali, Rohat and Desuri . Rani has been declared to become the tenth Tehsil. Marwar Junction Tehsil has highest number of villages (142), Sumerpur Tehsil has lowest number of villages (42). There are 1,030 villages under 320 gram panchayats in the Pali district. Some villages in Pali district are following: There are eight municipalities ( Nagar Palika ) in
1178-455: The people in Gujarat and Rajasthan. It has been noted that throughout the state of Rajasthan, people avoid identifying their language by name, preferring to identify themselves as speaking "Rajasthani" with Marwari literature being taught as Rajasthani until secondary level. Marwaris have been known for a tightly knit social solidarity, described by Selig Harrison in 1960 as "indissoluble under
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1216-454: The political significance of the Rajput courts whose famed conspicuous consumption had been supported by Marwari money. The community welcomed the relative safety that the British presence offered, as well as the commercial and legal frameworks that they provided and which were more favourable to Marwari activities than the systems prevalent during the earlier period of Mughal and Rajput rule. The Marwari Jagat Seth family served as banker to
1254-419: The population respectively. After the reorganization of districts, the new Pali district has a population of 1,605,543. The district has a sex ratio of 986 females per 1000 males. 437,385 (27.24%) lived in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 317,836 (19.80%) and 142,911 (8.90%) of the population respectively. Languages in Pali district (2011) At the time of the 2011 census, 59.45% of
1292-508: The position in 1939, when the community first began its resurgence. Marwari, or Marrubhasha, as it is referred to by Marwaris, is the traditional, historical, language of the Marwari ethnicity. The Marwari language is closely related to the Rajasthani language. The latter evolved from the Old Gujarati (also called Old Western Rajasthani , Gujjar Bhakha or Maru-Gurjar ), language spoken by
1330-994: The small, tight-knit Maheshwari community to this day. Those lines, known as khaps , traditionally practice khap exogamy while maintaining caste endogamy in marriage, and mostly follow Vaishnavism in religion. Some surnames in the Maheshwari community are Agiwal, Aagsud, Ajmera, Asawa, Attal, Baheti, Bajaj, Baladi, Baldwa, Bangad, Bhandari, Bhansali, Bhattad, Bhuradya, Bhutda, Bidada, Birla, Biyani, Boob, Bung, Chandak, Chaparwal, Chitlangya, Chechani, Chokhda, Daad, Daga, Damani, Darak, Dargad, Devpura, Dhoopad, Dhoot, Gadaiya, Gagrani, Gaggar, Gattani, Gilda, Heda, Hurkat, Inani, Jaju, Jakhotiya, Jhanwar, Kabra, Kacholya, Kahalya, Kalani, Kalantri, Kaliya, Kakani, Karwa, Kasat, Khatwar, Ladda, Lahoti, Lakhotiya, Lohia, Malpani, Malu, Mandhanya, Mandvora, Maniyar, Mantri, Modani, Mundhra, Nawal, Nawandhar, Nolakha, Nyati, Pallod, Partani,Periwal,Porwal, Randhad, Rathi, Saboo, Sarda, Sikchi, Sodhani, Somani, Soni, Tapdia, Tawri, Toshniwal, Totla and many more. There
1368-591: The umbrella of Rajasthani languages , which is part of the Western Zone of Indo-Aryan languages . Apart from India, they have sizeable presence in the neighbouring countries of Pakistan and Nepal. The term Marwari once referred to the area encompassed by the former princely state of Marwar , also called the Jodhpur region of southwest Rajasthan in India . It formed from the two constituent words, Maru(region of Thar desert) and Wadi(enclosure), effectively indicating
1406-478: The west, through which run some Luni River tributaries. The western portion of the district includes the alluvial plain of the Luni. The district is bounded by eight others: Nagaur District to the north, Ajmer District to the northeast, Rajsamand District to the east, Udaipur District to the southeast, Sirohi District to the southwest, Jalore District and Barmer District to the west, and Jodhpur District to
1444-603: The western part of modern day Rajasthan. The Jodhpur region includes the present districts of Barmer , Jalore , Jodhpur , Nagaur , Churu , Pali and Sikar . It has evolved to be a designation for the Rajasthani people in general but it is used particularly with reference to certain jātis that fall within the Bania community. The most prominent among these communities, are the Agrawals , Khandelwals , Maheshwaris and Oswals . It
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