Vaishya Vani
Sub-caste of Vaishyas, one of the varnas of Hinduism
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vaishya Vani is a sub-caste of Vaishyas, one of the varnas of Hinduism. In the Gujarat state and the Daman territory, they are also known as AryaVaishya or Vaishya wani Vanik.[1] In Uttara Kannada districts of Karwar and Ankola, they are called as Vaishya Vani, or Vani.their mother tongue is Konkani which they speak among themselves in the states of Gujarat, Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra.[2]
History
During the period of the Kadambas of Goa, they were known as Banajigas (merchants) who were engaged in trade. The reference to these Banajigas from Savoi-Verem, Narve, Khandepar, Kapilagram, Bandivade and Taligram are mentioned in Khandepar copper plate of 1358 CE. Now they are proclaimed with various names like Vaishya Vani, Hindu Vani or Vani.[3][4][5]