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Agrawal

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Agrawal
Regions with significant populations
India
Other significant population centers:
Languages
Hindi, Marwari, English, Punjabi, Haryanavi
Religion
Hinduism  · Jainism
Related ethnic groups

Agrawal (Agarwal, Agrawala, Agarwala) is a community found throughout northern India, including in Punjab, Rajasthan, Delhi, and western Uttar Pradesh. Other related communities include Maheshwaris, Khandelwals and Oswals.[1]

Most Agrawals follow Hinduism, although some are Jains. Agarwal community is known to have large influence on India's business & economy and they are often referred to as, the "most enterprising communitiy" in India given that many of the noted Entrepreneurs belong to Agawral/Bania Comminity.Some of the noted Entrepreneurs from Agarwal/Bania community are GD Birla,Jamnalal Bajaj, Laxmi Mittal, Sunil Mittal, Rajat Gupta, Naresh Goyal, Anil Agarwal, Rahul Bajaj, Vijaypat Singhania, Savitri Jindal, Subhash Chandra, Indu Jain, Sajjan Jindal, Anshu Jain, Anand Jain, Narendra Patni, Bhavarlal Jain, etc. Some other noted People in other fields are are Amit Singhal, Anita Goel, Rakesh Agrawal, Bobby Jindal, Sanjay Gupta etc. The texts and legends of the Agrawal community trace the origin of Agrawals to the legendary king Agrasena. Agrawals are Kshatriya by birth of the Solar Dynasty but after the adoption of Vanika dharma by king Agrasena, Agrawals started dealing in business[2]. Literally, Agrawal means the "children of Agrasena" or the "people of Agroha", a city in ancient Kuru Panchala, near Hisar in Haryana region said to be founded by Agrasena.

Legend

Main article: Agrasena

The Agrawals claim descent from king Agrasena of the mythological Solar Dynasty who adopted Vanika dharma for the benefit of his people.[3] Literally, Agrawal means the "children of Agrasena" or the "people of Agroha", a city in ancient Kuru Panchala, near Hisar in Haryana said to be founded by Agrasena.[4]

History

Agrasen ki Baoli in Delhi. It is believed that it was originally built by the Agrasen[3][a] during the Mahabharat epic era[5][6][7] and rebuilt in the 14th century by the Agrawal community

Migration to Delhi

The Agrawal merchant Nattal Sahu, and the Agrawal poet Vibudh Shridhar lived during the reign of the Tomara King Anangapal of Yoginipur (now Mehrauli, near Delhi).[8] Vibudh Shridhar wrote Pasanahacariu in 1132 AD, which includes a historical account of Yoginipur (early Delhi near Mehrauli).[citation needed]

In 1354, Firuz Shah Tughluq had started the construction of a new city near Agroha, called Hisar-e-Feroza ("the fort of Firuz"). Most of the raw material for building the town was brought from Agroha.[9] The town later came to be called Hisar. Hisar became a major center of the Agrawal community.

Migration to Eastern India

Later, during the Mughal rule, and during the British East India Company administration, some Agrawals migrated to Bihar and Calcutta, who became the major component of the Marwaris.[10]

Agrawals during the Mughal era

The Mughals were relatively liberal, and some Agrawals rose to prominent positions in this period. Sahu Todar was a supervisor of the royal mint at Agra, who had rebuilt the 514 Jain stupas at Mathura in 1573, during the rule of Akbar.[11]

Sah Ranveer Singh was a royal treasurer during the rule of Akbar. He was awarded a jagir in western UP, where he established the town Saharanpur. His father as well as son and grandson had built several Jain temples,[11] including the one at Kucha Sukhanand in Delhi.

In Delhi, in the walled city, many Agrawals were allocated lands on the north side of Chandni Chowk. in 1656, the Agrawals built a temple in a tent in the Urdu Bazar, now known as Lal Mandir. Raja Harsukh Rai built the first temple with a shikhar (Naya Mandir) in Dharampura in 1807.[citation needed]

Lala Ratan Chand became the diwan of Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar (1713–1719) in 1712, and was given the title of Raja. He was associated with the Saiyid Brothers, who served as the king makers for several years, and became involved in the court intrigues. He was executed during the battle of Hasanpur by the order of the new emperor Muhammad Shah (1719–1748) in 1719. He became the founder of the Rajvanshi Agrawals.[12]

Ramji Das Gurwala was a major banker who had both loaned and donated funds to Emperor Bahadur Shah Zafar during the 1857 rebellion. He was later executed by the British. His family later founded Delhi Cloth Mills.[citation needed]

Agrawal clans

The Agarwal community is divided into eighteen clans, which are exogamous in nature. Sometimes, the number of clans is stated as seventeen and a half.[citation needed]

Gotra/Clan Original Gotra Lord Saint (Guru) Veda Branch Sutra
Airan/Aeron Aurva Indramal Atri/Aaurva Yajurveda Madhyadini/Madhuri Kaatyayni
Bansal Vatsya Virbhan Vishist/Vatsa Samaveda Kouthmi/Kauttham Gobhil
Bindal Vishist Vrinddev Yavasya or Vashista Yajurveda Madhuri Kaatyayni
Dhoumya Vasudev Bhardwaj Kaatyayni Yajurveda Madhyadini or Madhuri
Deran Dhanyas Dhavandev Bhekaar or Ghaumya Yajurveda Madhuri Kaatyayni
Garg Gargasya Pushpadev Gargacharya or Garg Yajurveda Madhuri Kaatyayni
Goel Gomil Gendumal Gautam or Gobhil Yajurveda Madhuri Kaatyayni
Goenka Gautan Godhar Purohit or Gautam Yajurveda Madhyadini or Madhuri Kaatyayni
Jindal Gemino Jaitrasangh Bruhaspati or Jaimini Yajurveda Madhyadini or Madhuri Kaatyayni
Kansal Kaushik Manipal Kaushik Yajurveda Madhyadini or Madhuri Kaatyayni
Kachal Kashyap Karanchand Kush or Kashyap Samaveda Kosami or Kauttham Komaal
Mudgal Mudgal Madhavsen Aashvalayan/Mudgal Rigveda/Yajurveda Saalaya/Sakalya Aslayin
Mangal Maandav Amritsen Mudragal/Mandavya Rigveda/Yajurveda Sakalya Asusai
Mittal Maitreya Mantrapati Vishwamitra/Maitreya Yajurveda Madhyadini or Madhuri Kaatyayni
Nagal Naagend Narsev Kaudalya/Nagendra Samaveda Kouthmi/Kauttham Aslayin
Singhal Shandalya Sindhupati Shringi/Shandilya Samaveda Koyumi/Kauttham Gobhil
Tayal Tarachand Saakal/Taitireya Yajurveda Madhyadini/Aausthambh Kaatyayni
Tingal Taandav Tambolkarna Shandilya/Tandya Yajurveda Madhyadini/Madhuri Kaatyayni

Surnames

The surname Agrawal was derived by taking 'Agra' from Agrasena and 'wal' ('wal'originally being 'bal' was taken from the word Baalak meaning child). The word Agrawal effectively means "child of Agrasena". Many Agrawals have adopted their gotra name as their surname. Varshney (or Barahseni) is a version of a name, first used by Arjuna to address Krishna in the Mahābhārata (Chapter 1, Shloka 41, Swami Sivananda translation). There is some debate over whether Varshneys belong to the Vaishya (merchants and artisans) or not.In addition, many others use surnames linked with the place of their origin, for example Garodia, Jhunjhunwala, Kedia, Gindodiya, Kalothia, Dokania, Lohia, Chamaria, Singhania, Chhapolia etc.[citation needed]

Categories

According to the legend, the Agrawal community developed twenty rules of conduct. Those who followed all the twenty rules were called Bisa Agrawal, those who followed only ten rules were called Dassa Agrawals,those who followed only five were called Punj Agrawals and so on.[13]

In his book Agarwalon ki Utpatti, Bhartendu Harishchandra categorized Agrawals in four branches according to their places or inhabitation:[13][14]

  1. Marwaris
  2. Deswal
  3. Purabiye (Easterners)
  4. Pachihiye (Westerners)

Religion

See also: Agrawal Jain

Most Agrawals follow Hinduism, although some are Jains.[citation needed]

Notable people

Main article: List of Agrawal people

References

Notes

  1. ^ J. P. Mittal considers Agrasen to be an actual historical figure, not mythological

Citations

  1. ^ Gore, M. S. Urbanization and Family Change. Popular Prakashan, 1990. p. 70. ISBN 9780861322626.
  2. ^ History of Ancient India – By J.P. Mittal
  3. ^ a b Mittal, J. P. (2006). History of Ancient India: From 4250 BC to 637 AD. Atlantic Publishers. p. 675. ISBN 9788126906161.
  4. ^ Sarda, Har Bilas (1935). Speeches and Writings. Ajmer: Vedic Yantralaya. p. 120.
  5. ^ http://www.mynews.in/fullstory.aspx?storyid=14371
  6. ^ "Agrasen Ki Baoli, un oasis au coeur de la capitale | Inde Information". Aujourdhuilinde.com. 22 August 2007. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  7. ^ "Monuments - Delhi Monuments - Tourist Information of India - Lakes, Waterfalls, Beaches, Monuments, Museums, Places, Cities - By". Tripsguru.com. Retrieved 3 November 2011.
  8. ^ An Early Attestation of the Toponym Ḍhillī, by Richard J. Cohen, Journal of the American Oriental Society, 1989, p. 513-519
  9. ^ The story of Hisar
  10. ^ Anne Hardgrove, Community and Public Culture: The Marwaris in Calcutta, New Delhi, Oxford University Press (2004) ISBN 0-19-566803-0
  11. ^ a b Jyotiprasad Jain, Pramukh Jain Etihasik Purush aur mahilayen, Bharatiya Jnanapitha, 1975
  12. ^ History of Origin of Some Clans in India, Mangal Sen Jindal, Pub. Sarup and Sons, 1992
  13. ^ a b "Evolution of Agrawal Samaj". Retrieved 19 April 2007.
  14. ^ Bharatendu Harishchandra, Agrawalon ki Utpatti, 1871, reprinted in Hemant Sarma, Bharatendu Samgrah, Varanasi, Hindi Pracharak Samsthan, 1989.

Further reading

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