There are various ethnic and religious communities in India, such as Sikhs, Hindus, Bengali, Marwari, Rajputs, Mongers, Muslims, etcetera. That is a reason why India is known to be a secular country. Among these communities, Marwari and Baniya are two well-known higher communities in India. Moreover, the Marwari community is associated with the region. However, the Baniya people live in a variety of places.
Marwari vs Baniya
The main difference between Marwari and Baniya is that the Marwari community resides in Rajasthan in the Marwar region. On the other hand, the Baniya community lives in Punjab, Haryana, Gujrat, and other northern areas. Moreover, the people of the Marwari were a combination of Kshatriya and Vaishya. However, the community of the Baniya is a working class.
The Marwari community took birth in the Aroha city in Haryana and was founded by Maharaja Agarsen (a person from the clan of diety king Ram). Marwari people spoke the Marwari language and were either soldiers or business people. It is one of India’s wealthiest and most powerful corporate communities.
The Baniya community is also known as Mongers, and Baniya is a Sanskrit word. It was also founded by the Maharaja Agarsen a long back. There are eighteen castes included in the Baniya community (names of the 18 sons of king Agarsen). The main work of the Baniya people is banking, businesses, trading, etcetera.
Comparison Table Between Marwari and Baniya
What is Marwari?
The Marwari community belongs to the family of the deity Lord Ram. This community is also associated with Maharaj Agarsen. When in the 11th century Muhammed Ghori attacked king Agarsen, the people of Agroha migrated to multiple regions (Madhya Pradesh, UP, and majorly to Rajasthan).
The people who moved to the Marwar area fell into Marwari. King Agarsen taught them numerous skills (agriculture, trade, business, moral values, and self-defense). So, these people were excellent at military training and in business.
After the 13th century, Marwari people took great interest in the trade as compared to military skills and became masters in the trade. Moreover, these people relocated towards the eastern side in Bihar, West- Bengal, and Jharkhand for earning better.
This community started to finance and money lending tasks in India. Wealthy man Mehtab Chand was the well-known godfather of Marwaris. He started financing in Patna and even assisted Nawabs in such matters.
Marwaris reached Mumbai in the mid of the 19th century. They continued financing businesses and also funded Freedom Movement. There is an intriguing custom of Marwaris to promote equality.
If a member of their community requires financial assistance, each person donates one brick and a little sum of money to the individual. This way, the needy will have shelter and money to start a business.
Moreover, Marwari people are great at hospitality and prefer to eat vegetarian meals. Some even do not consume garlic and onion.
What is Baniya?
The Baniya community is descended from Maharaja Agarsen’s family, who had eighteen sons. Each son represents one of the Baniya Caste’s surnames. The Baniyas belong to the Vaishya community out of the four communities.
These individuals have spread their wings all over India. In terms of computations, Baniyas are considered to be exceptionally brilliant.
This community is witty and has impressive mental abilities. As a result, these individuals excel at accounting and business management.
The businesses are related to banking, money lending, and other higher tasks. This community is a blend of traditions and modernity. Baniyas are adherent followers of the Hindu religion.
So, they visit temples to offer their prayers. This community prefers to splurge its finances on marriages and other functions. All the functions ceremonies are grandeur and worth attending. Moreover, they are great at welcoming, especially Gujrati Baniya.
Therefore, it is a cliche that Baniyas is a miser community. The truth is they spend a lot of their finances but in a well-planned way. Baniya women love shopping and kitty parties. Moreover, they stay are fashionistas.
As far as eating habits are concerned. The Baniya community does not consume meat and beef. Moreover, these people also worship cows as their mothers.
Main Differences Between Marwari and Baniya
- The Marwari community worships various religions as per their area. On the other hand, Baniyas are either Hindu or Jain.
- The Marwari community is very strict about their meals and does not like sedative foods. On the other hand, the Baniya community can consume static food or eggs.
- The surnames of Marwaris are Agarwal, Maheshwari, Oswal, Khandelwal. On the contrary, Garg, Mittal, Bansal, Goyal, Jindal, Bindal are surnames of Baniya.
- The Marwaris are engaged in businesses and military services. However, the Baniya people are involved in commerce.
- The CEOs of Flipkart are famous Marwari businessmen. On the other side, the owner of ArcelorLakmi is a renowned Baniya businessman.
Conclusion
Marwari and Baniya are two prestigious communities in India. Both are linked with the clan of king Agarsen and the rich ones. Moreover, both communities are against the consumption of meat and beef. These ethnic groups are considered business-minded and are royal. They have a strong bond with their ancestors.
Both the communities have spread their wings in the business world, and Indias’ top riches are either Marwaris or Baniyas. Marwari can be Jatt, Hindu, Muslim. However, Baniyas are followers of the Hindu religion or Jain religion. The usual last name of Marwaris and Baniyas are Agarwal, Oswals, and Bansal.
References
- https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=eS44EAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PT271&dq=marwari+and+baniya&ots=JfI3BgVSuC&sig=sIL7uEFpC53l6K4jRnSH6QIOY-c
- https://www.jstor.org/stable/2221125