Affinity Bloc: South Asian Peoples

Overview: Bania is a cluster of related communities distributed widely across northern and western India. A majority of these communities are notified as schedule castes. Bania derives from a Sanskrit word meaning "trading" and the various Bania communities are typically involved in trade. Almost all Bania communities are endogamous.

   -- K. S. Singh, People of India, Volume IV. India's Communities A-G. Delhi: Oxford University Press (1998), pp. 261-267

Peoples within this cluster: Bania Banik; Bania Dhusar; Bania Gandha Banik; Bania Khandelwal; Bania Mahesri; Bania Saraogi

Countries where they are found: India