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Concept
Bhatia caste
Summary
Bhatia is a group of people and a caste found in Punjab, Sindh and Gujarat. Traditionally, they have been a trading and merchant community. The Bhatias primarily live in Northwestern India and Pakistan. The Bhatias, Lohanas and Khatris were similar communities and were known to intermarry. The Bhatias recruit Saraswat Brahmins as priests.
The Bhatias are a mercantile community - traditionally they were merchants and traders. The Bhatias primarily live in Northwestern India and Pakistan. According to B.N. Puri, Bhatias are a part of the Khatri community but them along with Aroras and Soods maintained a distinct identity.
Before their traditional occupation of traders, both the Lohanas and Bhatia were involved in the profession of Agriculture. Historian Goswami states that their ritual position was "ambiguous", and, "they were considered neither a high nor a low caste". She further adds that as per the British Raj era Major general Alexander Cunningham, the word "Bhatia" is derived from the word "Bhat" meaning a warrior. The Bhatias claim that they are of Rajput origin. As per Goswami, they are a "traditional Bania caste". Historian Dwijendra Tripathi states that the Bhatias are associated with the Vaishyas like the Vaishnava Banias and sociologist A.M.Shah also considers the Bhatias to belong to the Vaishya varna like the Lohanas and Vanias.
The geographical origins of the Bhatia caste are uncertain. A more recent study by André Wink traces a 12th-century connection between the Bhatias of Jaisalmer and the Caulukyas of Gujarat, while Anthony O'Brien almost-contemporaneous attempt to discover their homeland caused him to place them around Sindh from the 7th century. Wink, who is a professor with interests in medieval and early modern Indian history, records that many of the community in Sindh converted to Islam during the reign of Firoz Shah Tughluq.
The Bhatias, who had been associated in particular with the Multan area in Sindh, were historically merchants and they probably formed part of the earliest Indian diaspora found in Central Asia, together with the Bhora and the Lohana communities.
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