The Baheliya are a Hindu caste found in the state of Uttar Pradesh , India.
37-552: Baheliya community had a role in the 1857 independence struggle at Pindra Village, Satna, Madhya Pradesh wherein they fought bravely against the Britishers and were killed. The names of the martyrs are mentioned on the memorial present at the village. Maharaja Balwant Singhji of Banaras (Kashi) had an army of Baheliyas. Maharaja's Bahelia army had fought the British in their raid battle. The Baheliya army had also fought against
74-401: A battle. In 1700, hundred of Baheliya footmen were killed as a result of ill-timed explosion during the seize of Satara by Aurangzeb, the survivors enraged at the carelessness of their Mughal Commanders set fire to the seize batteries as a substitute for the proper cremation of their brother, Sons and friends. They are a tribal community of hunters and bird catchers, and the origin of their name
111-474: A biradari panchayat. This consist of five members who are elected by community members. The panchayat acts as instrument of social control, dealing with issues such as divorce and adultery. In Bengal the traditional occupation of the Bahelias was that of watchman and soldiers under Maharaja Krishna Chandra Roy. Later on they became businessmen and cultivators. The 2011 Census of India for Uttar Pradesh showed
148-497: A few have converted to Sikhism , Islam , Christianity and Buddhism . In Gujarat, Hindu Banias are largely Vaishnavas and are followers of Vallabhacharya . It is hypothesized by historians that the Vaishnav Vaniyas of Gujarat are the descendants of the now-extinct Buddhist merchants who were formerly present in the region. Banias are composed of caste in the mercantile and business fields, which have delineated
185-402: A gun licence, wanders in the jungle and shoots game for sale in towns. To the east he is a fine, bold, athletic fellow. From this caste are drawn many of the best Shikaris, who track down game and arrange shooting parties for European sportsmen. It is he who ties up the young buffalo as a bait for a tiger, and at the first blush of dawn steals through the jungle and often watches the brute sleeping
222-468: A long history of being a source of manpower in India. They long provided a source of military recruitment in India. They were footsoldiers in various armies. Balthazar Solvyns described Baheliya soldier as a primitive Hindu soldier and stated that Baheliya used matchlocks, a horn was their powder pouch and their sabres were more or less curved. They wore long trousers, very heavy shoes and in general whole dress
259-607: Is composed of several sub-castes including the Agarwal , Khandelwal , Maheshwari , Oswal , Porwad and Shrimali Baniyas, among others. Traditionally (dating to at least the 15th century), the Gujarati Baniyas had 84 divisions (as did Gujarati Brahmins), although many were simply formulaic. Subcastes are also divided into Visa and Dasa divisions, which are also centuries old, and prohibit intermarriage. Most Banias are followers of either Hinduism or Jainism , but
296-585: Is from the Sanskrit vyadka , meaning one who pierces. They are mainly involved in bird catching, extracting honey from beehives and picking peacock feathers for the manufacture of fans. W. Crooke states there are others, who, though they lead a partially nomadic life, seldom offend against the law. Typical among these are the Baheliya or hunter, and the Chiryamar or fowler. The former, whenever he can secure
333-724: Is stated that the Chunar fort fell before a general of Muhammad Shah , who appointed a Bahelia as governor of the fort . The family of the Bahelias retained the office , with a permanence very rare in Indian history , till the surrender of the fortress to the British after the battle of Buxar in 1764. The bahelias were foot soldiers who from the sources are known to have used match-lock guns, but their country of origin remains shrouded. They appear in many contemporary sources for battles in Bengal and Bihar, but they are rarely described in detail due to
370-478: The wazir of the Mughal Empire , alongside whom the mir bakhshi served as one of the empire's leading officials. The mir bakhshi was assisted in the central administration by two lesser bakhshis , known as the second and third bakhshis . These officials performed similar tasks to the mir bakhshi, but dealt with lesser mansabdars and troops of the royal household. The administrative positions of
407-479: The Delhi Sultanate , during the 13th-century reign of Balban , who created the office of diwan-i-arz in order to have a separated military administration; this was to act as a check against the vizier . The Mughal emperor Akbar constituted an office with a similar goal of having a separate military administrator, but in contrast ensured that this official would not actually command the military (that
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#1732791537569444-648: The subahdar and/or the diwan. Significant nobles of the empire also had their own bakhshis , who performed functions similar to those at the imperial level. Bania (caste) Bania (also spelled Baniya , Banija , Banya , Vaniya , Vani , Vania and Vanya ) is a mercantile caste mainly from the Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan , with strong diasporic communities in Uttar Pradesh , Madhya Pradesh , West Bengal , Maharashtra (mainly Mumbai ) and other northern states. Traditionally,
481-427: The Baheliya as a fine athletic, bold, plucky and sociable tribe. Traditionally the Baheliya economic activity revolved around bird catching and selling honey. In addition, their main economic activity remains manufacturing fans from peacock feathers. These fans are then sold to Bania middlemen, who sell them on in cities such as Kolkata and Delhi Each of their settlement contains an informal caste council, known as
518-473: The Baheliya population as 143,442. Bakhshi (Mughal Empire) The Bakhshi ( lit. ' Giver ' ) in the Mughal Empire denoted a number of hierarchical government officials, typically involved with military administration and intelligence. The offices were introduced during the reign of Mughal emperor Akbar . Bakhshis were found in both the central and provincial administration;
555-495: The Baniya identity. The term baniya has historically been applied to various mercantile communities who belong to diverse castes. Baniyas are vegetarians, and some groups have greater restrictions on the foods that can be consumed. They also take care not to kill insects when preparing and eating food. Baniyas were known to be hard working and frugal. Only minimum expenses would be made on clothing, food, and furniture. During
592-491: The Jain and Hindu Vaishnavs' beliefs, rituals, prayers, and ceremonies being often very similar. Pushtimarg Vaishnavs would perform emotional seva to Krishna , and Jains would be austere and follow the Jain vows. Lakshmi Puja was performed by Baniyas, as it Lakshmi would be considered to bestow wealth and welfare on the family. According to Basu, the culture of Gujarati Baniyas is viewed ambivalently by outsiders, stating "on
629-498: The Mughal central government were mirrored at the provincial level. Each subah (province) had its own bakhshi (a practice introduced by Akbar) who reported to the mir bakhshi at the capital, rather than the subahdar (governor) of the province. Similar to their imperial counterparts, the provincial bakhshi was charged with the management and payment of the province's military. The provincial bakhshi often simultaneously served
666-645: The Nawabs on behalf of Maharaj . They used to kill the Nawab's men in plunder. Baba Gayadin Dubey was the Zamindar of Korani village of Fatepur, Uttar Pradesh.He had sixty two villages. He had a very good army of 200 Baheliya Soldiers. He along with his soldiers supported the revolutionaries in the 1857 Independence struggle and marched against his judge friend , who at the end had to commit suicide. Baheliya community has
703-492: The accumulation of many small profits. These include short-weighing, adulteration of products, and regular undervaluation of a debt repayments. They were also known for being well spoken when speaking to others, but were not confrontatious. They were very secretive about their business accounts, and would use secret scripts or illegible handwriting. Often two sets of account books were kept, one for showing officials if needed, and one only for family. Business dealings were kept within
740-474: The day, Baniya boys were sent to schools called patshala s where they would learn business skills and habits. They learned how to read and write, as well as in secret merchant scripts that were hidden from non-Baniyas. They also learned ciphers , accounting , and arithmetic . The correctness of mathematical calculations was extremely important to Baniyas, and they learnt various methods and tricks so they could perform advanced mental arithmetic. A mercantile ethos
777-516: The family, and in cases of dispute other Baniyas would arbitrate in order to keep business deals secret from non-Baniyas. Their preference for compromises instead of confrontations often led non-Baniyas to think of them as cowardly. In order to prepare for further business success, Baniyas also had to have high levels of information access. They had messengers, intelligence networks, and postal services in order to make sure that they knew about any important knowledge as early as possible. Such information
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#1732791537569814-446: The form of cash or jagirs ). Candidates for appointment or promotion were presented by the mir bakhshi to the emperor, in open court. The mir bakhshi's seal endorsed the candidate's new position. The mir bakhshi occasionally participated in the field as commanders. The mir bakhshi occupied a close position to the emperor. They stood by the emperor in court, and accompanied him on royal expeditions. They presented officials of
851-433: The function of the province's waqia-navis (news writer), and reported on all provincial mansabdars , including its senior officials (such as the subahdar or diwan ).The role of provincial bakhshi could face tension from the subahdar or diwan , since the bakhshi 's activities kept these officials accountable to the imperial centre. In practice, the role of the provincial bakhshi was sometimes combined with that of
888-478: The immediate prototype for the position of mir bakhshi . As the chief military administrator of the Mughal Empire, the mir bakhshi was one of the empire's four top ministers, and the second-highest official in the empire after the wazir . The chief responsibilities of the mir bakhshi were in the management of mansabdars; to recruit them , recommend a suitable rank to assign them, regularly inspect their military units, and determine their payment (either in
925-424: The importance placed upon cavalry rather than foot-soldiers. For the most part it appears that they were used mainly for defensive purposes. Baheliyas were noted for archery. They had a small village under the fort of Ghazipur, which is still famous by the name of "Bhelian ka Purva", but now there is only one house of the Baheliya. Bahelias were foot soldiers who generally used matchlock guns. It seems word Bahelia
962-602: The main occupations of the community are merchants , bankers , money-lenders , and (in modern times) owners of commercial enterprises . The Hindi term baniyā is derived from Sanskrit vaṇija ("trader"), whereas the Marwari bā̃ṇyõ and Gujarati vāṇiyo are derived from Sanskrit vāṇija ("trader"). The community is also known by the term "vanik". In Bengal the term Bania is a functional catch-all for moneylenders, indigenously developed bankers, readers of grocery items and spices, irrespective of caste. The community
999-423: The most notable kind of bakhshi was the mir bakhshi , one of the empire's four ministers, broadly in charge of administering the mansabdari system (and the military therein). The mir bakhshi was the second-highest official in the Mughal Empire, after the imperial wazir . The term bakhshi means 'giver', deriving from the verb bakhshidan ( Persian : بخشيدن , lit. 'to bestow'). In
1036-419: The sleep of repletion beside his victim. Some of them are exceedingly plucky in such dangerous work, and their knowledge of woodcraft, the habits of game, the marking down of footsteps in the sand of a dry watercourse, are often admirable. Baheliyas are a brave lot and usually supply the beat shikaris who track down game and arrange shooting parties. The unanimous testimony of hunters, European and Indian, stamps
1073-429: The state, and visiting ambassadors, to the emperor. Another important function of the mir bakhshi was the centralisation of intelligence - they collated information reported by the waqia-navis (news writers, posted in every province) and presented it to the emperor. The mir bakhshi of the Mughal Empire frequently bore the title of Amir al-umara . The roles of the mir bakhshi acted as checks and support for
1110-501: The view of historian William Irvine , the term refers to the bakhshi's function of offering recruitment into the army. The mir bakhshi was the chief bakhshi of the Mughal Empire, and worked in the central administration. The position was also referred to as bakhshi-ul-mamalik or bakhshi-i-mamalik . Scholars have translated the office in English as 'paymaster general' or 'army minister'. The position has its roots at latest in
1147-448: Was also instilled in the boys, as they learned the chief aim of life was to acquire wealth and only profitable transactions were worthwhile. After school hours, boys would spend time in the family shop and learn the business. After education was complete boys would try to start their own businesses and if successful, would be allowed to manage the family business. When Baniyas made transactions, they often had dubious qualities that allowed
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1184-563: Was also tied to socioreligious conduct, as maintaining marital relations within the community, having a strong patriarch, and adherence to religious principles were all highly valued. Wealthy Baniyas only spent large sums of money for specific purposes: hosting feasts, buying jewellery (mainly for women), construction of havelis , and the most honourable being donating to religious causes such as temples or religious festivals. Such displays of wealth allowed Baniyas to show their status and high honour. Baniyas historically are very religious, with
1221-410: Was often used in speculation in futures exchanges , which in turn sometimes turned into gambling. Honour was very important to Baniyas, which they called abru . Their honour was tied to their credit worthiness, which were valued higher than their lives. A bankrupt Baniya was stigmatised, and those who were caught to be dishonest with another Baniya were boycotted, bankrupted, and stigmatised. Honour
1258-618: Was present when Sardar Khan and Shamshir Khan led their fateful action at Azimabad. The participation of the Bahelias in the rebellion of Sardar Khan and Shamshir Khan in 1748 suggests their close relationship with Afgans. During the Seventeenth century they were conspicuous as footsoldiers fighting under Mughal commanders. Mirza Nathan mention them as serving in Bengal in 1692, the Mughal fauzdar of Kanchipuram in South India had many Baheliya in his service who went over to Marathas after
1295-506: Was reserved for the emperor himself). Rather, the mir bakhshi was made responsible for the management of the mansabdari system , which constituted the bulk of the military. Unlike the Sultanate-era office, the mir bakhshi 's influence extended beyond the military, since every noble of the Mughal empire was a mansabdar . The Ain-i-Akbari contains references to an office termed mir-arz , which William Irvine considered to be
1332-399: Was used as generic term to denote the musket men of those regions. Contemporary sources mention the presence of Bahelia musket men in all the battle fields of eighteenth century Bengal and Bihar. The Chief Commander of the Bahelias was styled as Bakshi (paymaster) Chidan (Chaitan) Hazari. The Bakshi of Bahelias fought for Alivardi in the battle of Gheria and an anonymous Bakshi of the Bahelias
1369-653: Was very heavy and cumbersome. The Bahelia lived under tents and fed as the Hindu soldier upon rice and water. They were also appointed as Governors under the Mughals. During the reign of Tuglaqs in Delhi in the 14th century, a certain Sanidhi, an African and a Baheliya were appointed as joint governor with the title of hazari, at the fort of Chunar on the bank of Ganga near Benaras. A jagir of 27 villages were conferred on them. It
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