This article possibly contains original research. (September 2021) |
Halwai is an Indian caste and a social class, whose traditional occupation was confectionery and sweet-making. The name is derived from the word Halwa which is a sweet dish.
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
•  India •  Nepal *  Pakistan | |
| Languages | |
| • Hindi • Maithili .Awadhi • Bhojpuri . Angika • Marwari Punjabi[citation needed] | |
| Religion | |
| • Hinduism, Jainism | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| • Muslim Halwai • Bania • Vaishya |
The community is known by different names in different parts of India. For instance, it's called Modanseni,Yagyaseni, etc. in Uttar Pradesh; Kanu(Kandu) in Bihar; Moira-Modak in West Bengal; Gudia in Odisha and so on.[1]
The nature of their work has undergone a paradigm shift in the last couple of decades as the members of this community is taking up works from various other fields. The community is gradually attaining social mobility as they are not limited to their traditional profession any longer as of date. This is the case not just in India but also in Nepal and Pakistan.
Customs
editBalarama is the celebrated plougher so called Halwahi or Halwai, one of the pillars of agriculture along with livestock with whom Krishna is associated with. The plough is Balarama's weapon. In the Bhagavata Purana, he uses it to fight demons, dig a way for Yamuna river to come closer to Vrindavan and pull the entire capital of Hastinapura into the Ganges river.[2]
Baba Ganinath Govindji is the kul Guru (school) of Halwai caste.[3]
Halwais in Nepal
editThe Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Halwai as a subgroup within the broader social group of Madheshi Other Caste.[4] At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, 83,869 people (0.3% of the population of Nepal) were Halwai. The frequency of Halwais by province was as follows:
- Madhesh Province (0.8%)
- Koshi Province (0.4%)
- Lumbini Province (0.3%)
- Bagmati Province (0.1%)
- Gandaki Province (0.0%)
- Karnali Province (0.0%)
- Sudurpashchim Province (0.0%)
The frequency of Halwais was higher than national average (0.3%) in the following districts:[5]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ ":: West Bengal Commission for Backward Classes ::". wbcbc.gov.in. Retrieved 31 May 2024.
- ^ D Dennis Hudson (2008). The Body of God: An Emperor's Palace for Krishna in Eighth-Century Kanchipuram. Oxford University Press. pp. 97–101. ISBN 978-0-19-970902-1.
- ^ "Ritual as Language: The Case of South Indian Food Offerings". Gabriella Eichinger, Ferro-Luzzi. Current Anthropology, Vol. 18, No. 3 (Sep., 1977), pp. 507-514.
- ^ Population Monograph of Nepal, Volume II [1]
- ^ "2011 Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 March 2023. Retrieved 11 April 2023.