Agrahari

For Sikh community from East India, see Agrahari Sikh.

For other uses, see Agrahari (disambiguation).

File:Shri Agrasen Maharaj.jpg

Agrasena Maharaj

Agrahari, Agraharee or Agarhari is a Rajput origin Vaishya community, claimed to be descendants of legendary king Agrasena, mainly found in south Asian countries like India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Burma. Alternate spellings include Agraharee, Agarahari, Agarhari, Agarehari, Agraharay, Agrahary, Agarahary, Agraheri, Agreheri, Agrehri, Agrhry, Agrhri, Agrhary, Agrahry, Agrahri, Agrahori, Agrohori, and Agrohari. Predominately, they founded in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra and Gujarat. The group has been associated with the Agrawal, though scholars differ as to whether the terms are synonymous. Robert Vane Russell and Nesfield, both of whom were colonial administrators in India during British Raj period, noted the community’s presence as a Bania sub cast in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, respectively.

History

J.C. Nesfield noted,

The Agrahari Banias are Hindu, and some of them belong to the Nanapanthi sect. They are principally dealers in provinces, and they have acquired some discredit as compared with their kinsfolk the Agrawalas, through not secluding their women and allowing them to attend the shop. They are retail various sweet-smelling woods which are used in religious ceremonies, such as aloe-wood and sandalwood, besides a number of medicines and simples. The richer members of the caste are bankers, dealers in grain and pawnbrokers.

Jogendra Nath Bhattacharya said "The Agrahari found chiefly in the districts around Benares. Their numerical strength is slightly in excess of one hundred thousand. There are not many wealthy men among them. They take the sacred thread, and, like the other leading Baniya clans, are strict vegetarians and teetotalers. There are many Agraharis who have embraced the Sikh faith. There is a large colony of such Agraharis in the district of Arrah."

R. V. Russell (1873-1915) of Indian Civil Service, Superintendent of ethnography and Rai Bahadur Hira Lal wrote, "Agrahari-a sub caste of Bania found chiefly Jubbulpore district and Raigarh state. Their name connected with the cities with Agra and Agroha."

In Chhattisgarh, Central Provinces of British India, some of few Agrahari were Malgujars/Zamindars. The ruler of Raigarh awarded the title Sao to Agraharis. The title still continues.

Association with Agrawal

Agrahari is considered somewhere similar to Agrawal community.It is also considered as by some books like Agrawals, they worship Mahalakshmi as their Kuldevi and devote Maharaja Agrasena as community’s ancestor. There are some available texts which shows the similarity of Agrahari with Agrawal Vaishya community. William Crooke stated;

Like that of the Agrawal Banias their (Agraharis) name has been connected with the cities of Agra and Agroha. By this, it is considered that Agrahari are somewhere closely connected with the Agrawalas.

Mr. Nesfield suggest that the two groups must have been sections of one and the same caste which quarreled on some trifling matter connected with cooking or eating, and have remained separate ever since.

Sikhism in Agrahari

Main article: Agrahari Sikh

Most of Agrahari follows Hinduism, although some are Sikh. The majority of Agrahari Sikhs found in eastern Indian state Bihar and West Bengal. Author Himadri Banerjee wrote in his book "The Other Sikhs: A View from Eastern India", that Agrahari was converted in Sikhism during Mughal period by Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh Ji, 9th Guru of Sikhs. Mughal ruler was enforcing to Hindus to convert to Islam, but Agrahari refused to convert into Islam and they accepted Khalsa, led by Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh for protecting their life and religion. Other legend says that Agrahari Sikh is a community of Ahom converts to Sikhism from the time of 9th Guru Tegh Bahadur’s travel to Assam. They also known as "Bihari Sikhs" have lived for centuries in Bihar. They are running several separate Gurudwara in Bihar and West Bengal. The majority of these Sikh are found in Sasaram, Gaya and Calcutta of Bihar and West Bengal. Agrahari Sikh not only came in Eastwards of India, they are also present in some party of Uttar Pradesh.

Gotra

Maharaja Agrasena established 18 Gotras (or clan) for each of his 18 sons based on the names of their Guru and divided his empire among them. Due to this epics, it is consider as agrahari belongs from Kuchchal/Kuchchhal/Kanchhal/Kuchhal clan (Gotra); which is originally established by Agrasena. Kashyapa is the Guru Gotra of Agrahari. The gotra Kashyap as by the name of rishi kashyapa is being considered and used on large by Agrahari.

Surname & title

Agrahari often use their community name as surname. However, many people using Gupta, Bania or Baniya or Vanik or Banik, and Vaishya or Vaishy or Vaish or Baishya or Baish.

Reservation

The Mandal Commission designated the Agrahari of Bihar and Jharkhand as Other Backward Class in the Indian caste system of positive discrimination.

See also

• List of Agrahari people
• Agrasen Jayanti
• Agrahari Sikh