Baishya Saha

Baishya Saha (Bengali: বৈশ্য সাহা) or Saha, is a Bengali Hindu trading caste traditionally known to have the occupation of grocers, shopkeepers, dealers, moneylenders, and farmers.[1][2][3]

Origin

Śauṇḍik (vintner) finds mention in one image inscription of Pāla period along with some other occupational groups.[4] The Upapuranas played a significant role in creating the caste origin and hierarchy in Bengal.[5]

History

According to historian Jyotirmoyee Sarma, before the seventh or the eighth centuries A.D. when historical evidence indicates that the society was based largely on trade and commerce, the merchant classes had a notably high position in society. The low rank experienced by the trading communities including Shunri (winemakers and sellers), possibly indicates that the primary economic activities of the Bengali society shifted from trade and capital producing devices to cottage industries and agriculture. The caste ranks of the merchant classes became more and more lowered and reached a decidedly low stage at the beginning of the Sena and Varman periods.[6]

Saha as a distinct sub-caste did not flourish in Bengal before the mid-nineteenth century.[7] Saha is a merchant caste, which has a low ritual rank, but notably good literacy and secular rank.[8]

Sahas were included in the list of 177 "backward classes" for the state of West Bengal by Mandal Commission, but the state government hasn't yet recognised Saha as such, and they still belong to General category.[9][10]

Varna status

Traditionally the Bengal society is divided into two varnas, Brahmin and Shudra.[11] The Sahas belong to the Jal-achal Shudra category, whose water was not accepted by the upper castes.[12] Sahas started to claim Vaishya status in the 1931 censuses report, but the evidence of history, literature, and scriptures suggest nothing in favour of their claim.[13][14][15][3]

See also

References

  1. ^ Hashmi, Taj ul-Islam (1992). Pakistan as a Peasant Utopia. Taylor & Francis. pp. 35, 43, 105, 109, 111, 112, 148. ISBN 978-0-367-28215-8.
  2. ^ Ganguly, Jibamitra (2019). Meghnad saha : his science and persona through selected letters and writings (PDF). INDIAN NATIONAL SCIENCE ACADEMY. p. 12. ISBN 978-81-939482-5-5.
  3. ^ a b "Saha". Banglapedia. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  4. ^ Furui, Ryosuke (2 July 2019). Land and Society in Early South Asia: Eastern India 400–1250 AD. Taylor & Francis. pp. 169, 186. ISBN 978-1-000-08480-1.
  5. ^ Sengupta, Saswati (2021). Mutating Goddesses: Bengal's Laukika Hinduism and Gender Rights. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-012410-6.
  6. ^ Sarma, Jyotirmoyee (1980). Caste Dynamics Among the Bengali Hindus. Firma KLM. p. 15. ISBN 978-0-8364-0633-7.
  7. ^ "Saha". Banglapedia. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  8. ^ Sarma, Jyotirmoyee (1980). Caste Dynamics Among the Bengali Hindus. Firma KLM. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-8364-0633-7.
  9. ^ "Bengal govt wary of implementing Mandal report,says OBC group". The Indian Express. 10 January 2010. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  10. ^ "Exclusive: Mamata's big caste gamble in TMC manifesto". India Today. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 21 May 2023.
  11. ^ Chakrabarti, Kunal; Chakrabarti, Shubhra (22 August 2013). Historical Dictionary of the Bengalis. Scarecrow Press. p. 116. ISBN 978-0-8108-8024-5.
  12. ^ Mukhapadhayay, Subodh Kumar (1958). Prak-palashi Bangla. pp. 13–16.
  13. ^ SIRCAR, D. C. (1959). Studies in the Society and Administration of Ancient and Medieval India Vik. 1. Calcutta: Firma K. L. Mukhopadhyay. p. 115.
  14. ^ Banerjee, Somaditya (14 May 2020). The Making of Modern Physics in Colonial India. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-02469-9.
  15. ^ Mitra, A. (1953). "Saha, Sunri". The Tribes and Castes of West Bengal (Report). Census 1951. Land and Land Revenue Department, Government of West Bengal. p. 34.


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