According to the Indian caste system, Vanika (Sanskrit) or Bania (Hindi) is a trader or merchant belonging to the business class. The Indian caste system describes the social stratification and social restrictions in the Indian Subcontinent, in which social classes are defined by thousands of endogamous, hereditary groups often termed as jātis or sub-castes. ... Sanskrit ( , for short ) is a classical language of India, a liturgical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism, and one of the 23 official languages of India. ... Hindi ( , Devanagari: or , IAST: , IPA: ), an Indo-European language spoken all over India in varying degrees and extensively in northern and central India, is one of the two central official languages of India, the other being English. ...

Trading communities in India include:

• Agrawals of Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Punjab
• Guptas, most belong to Agarwal community
• Jains of North India.
• Shaws and Keshris of Eastern UP and Bihar.
• Varshneys (Barahseni) of Uttar Pradesh
• Oswals of Rajastan, Punjab & Gujarat
• Rauniyars of Nepal ,UP, Bihar & West Bengal
• Barnwals of UP, Bihar & West Bengal
• Chetti from Tamil Nadu
• Gahoi of UP/MP
• Suvarna-vanika of West Bengal [gold dealer]
• Gandha-vanika of West Bengal [spices and perfume dealer]
• Sankha-vanika of West Bengal [dealer of ornaments made from sea-shell]
• Kangsha_vanika of West Bengal [dealer of utensils made of brass]
• Arya Vysyas of Andhra
• Patwa from Rajasthan and UP
• Maheshwari of Rajasthan
• Pancham of Maharashtra, Karnataka
• Parwars of Madhya Pradesh
• Vaishnav of Gujarat
• Rauniars of Nepal ,UP, Bihar & West Bengal
• Ezhavas of Kerala (they were also involved in labor work)

They are sometimes referred to as Vaishya. Agrawals (Hindi अग्रवाल or अगरवाल) are a community in India. ... , Haryana (Hindi: हरियाणा, Punjabi: ਹਰਿਆਣਾ, IPA: ) is a state in north India. ... For other uses, see Delhi (disambiguation). ... , Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: , translation: Northern Province, IPA: ,  ), [often referred to as U.P.], located in central-south Asia and northern India, is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Republic of India. ... , This article is about the Indian state of Punjab. ... Gupta (Hindi: गुप्ता) is a surname of Indian origin. ... JAIN is an activity within the Java Community Process, developing APIs for the creation of telephony (voice and data) services. ... The name Shaw might refer to: // Artie Shaw (b. ... The first known reference of the term “Varshney” has been in Mahabharat / Gitopadesh when Arjuna had addressed Shri Krishna by this name. ... , Uttar Pradesh (Hindi: , Urdu: , translation: Northern Province, IPA: ,  ), [often referred to as U.P.], located in central-south Asia and northern India, is the most populous and fifth largest state in the Republic of India. ... Oswal are basically Jains originated from Osian or Osia in the Jodhpur district of Rajasthan; they are generally followers of the Swetamber Jain section. ... Barnwal (also written as Baranwal or Barnawal in English), pronounced as ba-rn-wal; is the surname or the last name of one of the high-ranking business classes in India. ... Tamil Nadu (தமிழ் நாடு, Land of the Tamils) is a state at the southern tip of India. ... Gahoi (Sanskrit Grihapati) is a merchant community in central India. ... Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... , Rājasthān (DevanāgarÄ«: राजस्थान, IPA: )   is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... For the Hindu Goddess and consort of Shiva, see Parvati. ... , Rājasthān (DevanāgarÄ«: राजस्थान, IPA: )   is the largest state of the Republic of India in terms of area. ... The Shantinath Temple at Deogarh Parwar, also spelt as Paravāra, is a major Jain community from the Bundelkhand region, which is largely in Madhya Pradesh, but also includes Lalitpur region of Uttar Pradesh. ... , Madhya Pradesh (abbreviated as MP)   (HindÄ«: मध्य प्रदेश, English: , IPA: ), often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. ... This article is for the Indian state. ... The Ezhavas form a major progressive community, and also one of the largest in Kerala, a south Indian state. ... , Kerala ( ; Malayalam: കേരളം; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The banyan group of fig trees was named after this group as early foreign travelers noted that banias could often be found in the shade of these trees. Species Many; see text for examples Banyan (genus Ficus, subgenus Urostigma) is a subgenus of many species of tropical figs with an unusual growth habit. ... Species About 800, including: Ficus altissima Ficus americana Ficus aurea Ficus benghalensis- Indian Banyan Ficus benjamina- Weeping Fig Ficus broadwayi Ficus carica- Common Fig Ficus citrifolia Ficus coronata Ficus drupacea Ficus elastica Ficus godeffroyi Ficus grenadensis Ficus hartii Ficus lyrata Ficus macbrideii Ficus macrophylla- Moreton Bay Fig Ficus microcarpa- Chinese...

See Also

• www.agarwal.org - Official website of Agarwal/ Agrawal/ Aggarwal Communities and Individuals Worldwide

Forward Castes Forward castes or Upper castes are terminology used in India to denote people from any religion who do not qualify currently for quota benefits of Government of India for Backward castes, scheduled castes and tribes [10] The Government of India does not publish a separate list of forward castes. ...