Ajay Kumar at 14:42, 23 July 2023

2023-07-23T14:42:06Z

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{{Short description|Bengali Hindu trading caste}}

{{Infobox caste
| caste_name = Gandhabanik
| classification =
| population =
| populated_states = [[West Bengal]], [[Jharkhand]], [[Tripura]], [[Assam]]
| languages = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]
| religions = [[Hinduism]]
| kula_devi =[[Gandheswari]] mata
}}

'''Gandhabanik''' is a [[Bengali Hindu]] trading caste, who as the caste name suggests, traditionally used to trade in perfumes, cosmetics, spices etc.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F2sKAQAAIAAJ&q=gandhabanik|title=The Eastern Anthropologist|date=1963|publisher=Ethnographic and Folk Culture Society|pages=66, 68|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DR8WAQAAIAAJ&q=gandhabanik|title=Proceedings of the Indian Science Congress|date=1973|pages=589|language=en}}</ref> They were also engaged in agriculture.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bhowmick|first=P. K.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9ShOFk8CGmwC&q=gandhabanik+|title=Occupational Mobility and Caste Structure in Bengal: Study of Rural Market|date=1969|publisher=Indian Publications|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Singh|first1=K. S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Jw9uAAAAMAAJ&q=gandhabanik+|title=India's Communities|last2=India|first2=Anthropological Survey of|date=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-563354-2|pages=946|language=en}}</ref> As of late nineteenth century they were one of the fourteen castes belonging to ''Nabasakh'' group.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Sanyal|first=Hitesranjan|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ezzuAAAAIAAJ&q=gandhabanik|title=Social Mobility in Bengal|date=1981|publisher=Papyrus|pages=115|language=en}}</ref> There is almost one hundred percent literacy among the present gandhabanik generation.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Singh|first=Kumar Suresh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xMw-AQAAIAAJ&q=gandhabanik|title=People of India: West Bengal (2 pts.)|date=1992|publisher=Anthropological Survey of India|isbn=978-81-7046-300-9|pages=439|language=en}}</ref>

It is believed that the legendary sea merchant [[Chand Sadagar]] of ancient [[Champaknagar]] was from Gandhabanik community.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Sengupta |first=Saswati |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VKkPEAAAQBAJ |title=Mutating Goddesses: Bengal's Laukika Hinduism and Gender Rights |date=2020-11-30 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-19-099325-2 |pages=104 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bhaumik |first=Sudarshana |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7SX4zgEACAAJ |title=The Changing World of Caste and Hierarchy in Bengal: Depiction from the Mangalkavyas C. 1700-1931 |date=2022 |publisher=Routledge, Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-1-003-14618-6 |pages=241 |language=en}}</ref>

== Varna Status ==
Gandhabaniks have generally been considered as 'middle class shudras' in the caste structure of Bengal.<ref>{{Cite report|title=The Tribes and Castes of West Bengal|last=Mitra|first=A.|date=1953|publisher=Land and Land Revenue Department, Government of West Bengal|page=21|series=Census 1951}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sarma |first=Jyotirmoyee |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hfE_AAAAMAAJ |title=Caste Dynamics Among the Bengali Hindus |date=1980 |publisher=Firma KLM |isbn=978-0-8364-0633-7 |pages=184 |language=en}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Bengali Hindu people}}

[[Category:Bengali Hindu castes]]
[[Category:Social groups of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Indian castes]]

Gandhabanik - Revision history

Ajay Kumar at 14:42, 23 July 2023