Marwari people

Marwari Women in traditional attire

Marwaris are a group of people from Marwar region of Rajasthan in India. Tradionally, they are known to speak the Marwari language. The region Marwar includes southwest part of Rajasthan that lies in Thar Desert. The word Marwar is considered to be derived from Sanskrit word Maruwat, the meaning of maru being 'desert'. Others believe that word Marwar is made up of Mar from alternate name of Jaisalmer and last part war of Mewar.

The development of the fresco paintings on Havelis in Shekhawati region is linked with the history of the Marwaris. The influential business community people from Shekhawati region are also known as Marwaris. The Shekhawati region has produced large number of Marwaris who are controlling the economy of India. India's richest industrialists of the century, such as the Birlas, were Marwaris.

Earlier Marwaris included only the business community but later on people from commerce, industries, service-class and other categories, who believed in traditional Rajasthani culture were also known as Marwaris. Such people even from Haryana and Malwa region are also included in Marwaris.

The community

Marwaris refer to a community of entrepreneurs who originally belonged to Rajasthan, particularly, regions of Marwar and Jodhpur; and certain other adjoining areas. The community of Marwaris originally belonged to certain specific pioneer social groups, which included Agarwals, Maheshwaris, Oswals, Khandelwals and Porwals. Over a period of time, other persons and social groups who belonged to the geographical regions, with same culture and ethnicity, also became part of the Marwari Diaspora.

Rajasthani v/s Marwari

Outside Rajasthan most Rajasthanis are called Marwaris. If you have read the community description you will understand that Marwar is only a part of Rajasthan. So technically it's wrong to label all Rajasthanis as Marwaris yet they are now synonymous for most people.

Demographics

As the Marwaris constitute several social groups and are dispersed through out India and across the globe, conclusive estimates about their number are not available. Regional estimates of their number have sometimes been made, and an estimate indicate that their number “never reached above 200 thousand at any stage of their presence in Bengal.”

History

Since the time of the Mughal period (16th century-19th centuries), particularly from the time of Akbar (1542-1605), Marwari entrepreneurs have been moving out of their homeland of Marwar and Rajasthan, and adjoining regions, to different parts of Undivided India. The first waves migration took place during the Mughal period, and a number of Marwaris moved to the eastern parts of India, currently comprising the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, and Jharkhand; and Bangladesh.

During the period of the Nawabs of Bengal, Marwaris exhibited their intelligence, business astuteness and acumen, and controlled the minting and the banking. Jagath Seth who controlled the finances of Murshidabad Darbar was an Oswal, one of several sub-groups of Marwaris. The business houses of Gopal Das and Banarasi Das, also Oswal Marwaris, undertook large scale commercial and banking activities.

Several Marwaris, after permanenet settlement was introduced by the British Raj, acquired large estates, in eastern part of India, particularly in Bengal. They included Dulalachand Singh, (alias Dulsing), a Porwal Marwari, who had acquired several Zamindaris around Dhaka, currently the capital of Bangladesh, as also in Bakarganj, Patuakhali, and Comilla, all places currently part of Bangladesh. These Zamindaris were managed and co-owned with khwajas of Dhaka. Dulalchand Singh family also emerged as a business tycoon controlling jute trade.

After India’s First War of Independence (1857-58), when social and political disturbances have subsided, another wave of large scale migration of Marwaris took place, and during the remaining period of 19th century, a number of Marwari business houses, small and big, had emerged. The Marwari community controlled all the major business activities of a large geographical areas of the eastern parts of the Indian subcontinent. With a sizeable presence in present day Myanmar and Bangladesh, they controlled major trading and commercial activities in the regions currently comprising the Indian states of West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and Jharkhand. They also had almost complete control of indigenous banking, finance and hundi. They took the hundi business to areas where the system was unknown, which included Chittagong, Khulna, Naogaon, Mymensingh, and Arakan. They competed successfully in these areas with Chettiars who were located in the region for long.

Marwari houses

Some of the famous and prominent Marwaris trading, commercial, and industrial houses are as under: Aggarwal, Bagari, Bajaj, Bansal, Banthia, Bharatia, Bhuwalka, Bindal, Birla, Chamaria, Daga, Dalamia, Dhanuka, Dudavewala, Ganeriwal, Garodia, Goyal, Goyanaka, Jaipuria, Jaju, Jalan, Jhanwar, Jhunjhunuwala, Kankaria, Kanodia, Kejariwal, Khandelwal, Khemka, Khetan, Kothari, Lakhotia, Lohia, Malani, Malpani, Mittal, Modi (surname), Moda (surname) Mohata, Murarka, Nevatia, Oswal, Parasrampuria, Patodia, Poddar, Puranmalka, Ruia, Rungata, Rupramka, Sabu, Saravagi, Seksaria, Singhania, Singhi, Sodani, Somani, Surana, Tantiya, Taparia, Todi

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