Agrawal Jain - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Agrawal Jains are an ancient Jaina

Jainism

Jainism is an Indian religion that prescribes a path of non-violence towards all living beings. Its philosophy and practice emphasize the necessity of self-effort to move the soul towards divine consciousness and liberation. Any soul that has conquered its own inner enemies and achieved the state...

community who origined from Hisar, Haryana. They are among the most prominent Jaina communities.

Legends

According to Bachan Kosh of Bulakhichand (1680 CE) and several other texts from the Mughal

Mughal Empire

The Mughal Empire ,‎ or Mogul Empire in traditional English usage, was an imperial power from the Indian Subcontinent. The Mughal emperors were descendants of the Timurids...

period preserved in Delhi temple libraries, the emergence of the Agrawals is associated with Lohacharya and the Kashtha Sangh

Kashtha Sangh

Kashtha Sangha was a Digambar Jain monastic order once dominant in several regions of North and Western India. It is considered to be a branch of Mula Sangh itself...

. Lohacharya arrived at Agroha in Vikram Samvat 760. He was given food by the local people and he founded the Kashtha Sangh order by installing a wooden idol. The Kashtha Sangh religious order has thus been closely associated with the Agrawal community.

According to some legends, Agrawals were once ruled by a Raja Divakar who was a devout Jaina.

History

Jainism has been present in the Haryana

Haryana

Haryana is a state in India. Historically, it has been a part of the Kuru region in North India. The name Haryana is found mentioned in the 12th century AD by the apabhramsha writer Vibudh Shridhar . It is bordered by Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north, and by Rajasthan to the west and south...

-Punjab

Punjab region

The Punjab , also spelled Panjab |water]]s"), is a geographical region straddling the border between Pakistan and India which includes Punjab province in Pakistan and the states of the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Chandigarh and some northern parts of the National Capital Territory of Delhi...

region since ancient times. Alexander the Great met gymnosophists
Gymnosophists
Gymnosophists is the name given by the Greeks to certain ancient Indian philosophers who pursued asceticism to the point of regarding food and clothing as detrimental to purity of thought ....

in the Punjab who are thought to have been Digambar Jaina monks. A hoard of 58 ancient Jaina bronzes was found at Hansi

Hansi

Hansi is a city and a municipal council in Hisar district in the Indian state of Haryana. Its 2011 population is estimated to be 1,34,568. It is located at a distance of east of Hisar on National Highway 10. Geographically, it is semi-arid with around 46 cm of annual rainfall. It appears...

near Hisar that were buried just before the attack by Mas'ud I of Ghazni

Mas'ud I of Ghazni

Mas'ud I seized the throne of the Ghaznavid Empire upon the death of his father Mahmud from his younger twin Mohammad who had been nominated as the heir upon the death of their father Mahmud of Ghazni. His twin was blinded and imprisoned...

in 1037.

The community traces it origins to Agroha

Agroha

Agroha is an ancient town in Haryana in what is now Northern India, believed to be the birthplace of the Agrawal and Agrahari communities. Ancient structures, pot-shards, coins and seals have been found in archaeological excavations...

, near Hisar. The view is supported by historical evidence.

In the Pradumna Charita of Samvat 1411, the Agrawal poet Sadharu wrote,
"My jāti
Jati
Jāti is the term used to denote clans, tribes, communities and sub-communities in India. It is a term used across religions. In Indian society each jāti typically has an association with a traditional job function or tribe, although religious beliefs Jāti (in Devanagari: जाति Tamil:சாதி) (the...

is Agaravāla, and I trace my roots to the city of Āgrōha".
In his Padma Purana of VS 1711, Muni Sabhachandra writes,
"When Lohacharya was near Agrōha, he taught the 53 actions to the Agravāla śrāvakas."
In a Sanskrit inscription, the Agrawals are referred to as Agrotaka ("from Agroha"):
Saṁ 1329 caitra vudī daśamyāṁ budhavāsarē adyēha yōginipurē samasta rājāvali-samalankr̥ta gyāsadīna rājyē atrasthita Agrōtaka parama śrāvaka jinacaraṇakamala.

The Agrawals migrated from Agroha to Delhi and Hisar. Later, many migrated to the domains of Hindu kings at Gwalior and Rajasthan

Rajasthan

Rājasthān the land of Rajasthanis, , is the largest state of the Republic of India by area. It is located in the northwest of India. It encompasses most of the area of the large, inhospitable Great Indian Desert , which has an edge paralleling the Sutlej-Indus river valley along its border with...

. They emerged as a notable trader community in medieval India.

Agrawal Jainas in Delhi

The Agrawal merchant Nattal Sahu

Nattal Sahu

Nattal Sahu of Yoginipur is the earliest known Agrawal merchant-prince, who lived during the reign Tomara king, Anangapal. His life's account is described in Apabhramsha text Pasanaha Cariu of poet Vibudh Shridhar, written in Vikrama Samvat 1189 .Nattal's father was Sahu Joja...

and the Agrawal poet Vibudh Shridhar

Vibudh Shridhar

Vibudh Shridhar or Vibudha Shridhara was an accomplished Apabhramsha writer and poet in North India. He is the first known Agrawal author...

lived during the rule of Tomara Anangapal of Yoginipur (now Mehrauli, near Delhi). Vibudh Shridhar wrote Pasanahacariu in 1132 AD, which includes a historical account of Yoginipur (early Delhi near Mehrauli

Mehrauli

Mehrauli is a neighbourhood in the South West district of Delhi in India. It represents a constituency in the legislative assembly of Delhi. The area is located close to Gurgaon.-History:...

) then.

In 1354, Firuz Shah Tughluq

Firuz Shah Tughluq

-External links:*...

started the construction of a new city near Agroha called Hisar-e Feroza "Firuz's Fort". Most of the raw material for building the town was brought from Agroha. Hisar was a major center of the Agrawal community.

Some Agrawals rose to good positions in Mughal period, specially during Akbar. Sahu Todar

Sahu Todar

Sahu Todar , an Agrawal Jain, was a supervisor of the royal mint at Agra during the rule of Akbar . He was a patron of scholars and had repaired ancient monuments of Mathura....

was a supervisor of the royal mint at Agra

Agra

Agra a.k.a. Akbarabad is a city on the banks of the river Yamuna in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, west of state capital, Lucknow and south from national capital New Delhi. With a population of 1,686,976 , it is one of the most populous cities in Uttar Pradesh and the 19th most...

, who had rebuilt the 514 Jain stupas at Mathura in 1573, during the rule of Akbar.

Sah Ranveer Singh was a royal treasurer during the rule of Akbar. He established the town Saharanpur

Saharanpur

Saharanpur is a city and a Municipal Corporation in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. It is the administrative headquarters of Saharanpur District as well as Saharanpur Division...

. His father as well as son and grandson had built several Jain temples, including the one at Kucha Sukhanand in Delhi

Delhi

Delhi , officially National Capital Territory of Delhi , is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest by population in India, next to Mumbai. It is the eighth largest metropolis in the world by population with 16,753,265 inhabitants in the Territory at the 2011 Census...

Agrawal Jains in Rajput Kingdoms

सं १५१० वर्षे माघ सुदी ८ सोमे गोपाचल दुर्गे

Gwalior Fort

ċċċċċt̪--122.177.251.15 13:02, 20 November 2011 --122.177.251.15 13:02, 20 November 2011 --122.177.251.15 13:02, 20 November 2011 Gwalior Fort in Gwalior, in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, stands on an isolated rock, overlooking the Gwalior town, and contains a number of historic...

तोमर वंशान्वये राजा श्री डूंगरेन्द्र देव राज्य पवित्रमाने श्री काष्ठासंघ

Kashtha Sangh

Kashtha Sangha was a Digambar Jain monastic order once dominant in several regions of North and Western India. It is considered to be a branch of Mula Sangh itself...

माथुरान्वये भट्टारक श्री गुणकीर्ति देवास्तत्पट्टे श्री मलयकीर्ति देवास्ततो भट्टारक गुणभद्रदेव पंडितवर्य रइघू

Raighu

Raighu was the last of the great Apabhramsha poets. He also supervised the pratishtha of the many, perhaps most of the Jain idols carved on the hill side in the Gwalior Fort during the rule of Tomar Dungarsingh.He wrote many books during sam...

तदाम्नाये अग्रोतवंशे वासिलगोत्रे सकेलहा भार्या निवारी तयोः पुत्र विजयष्ट शाह ... साधु श्री माल्हा पुत्र संघातिपति देउताय पुत्र संघातिपति करमसीह श्री चन्द्रप्रभु जिनबिंब महाकाय प्रतिष्ठापित प्रणमति ..शुभम् भवतु ..||

A Gwalior Fort

Gwalior Fort

Inscription 1453 CE

Many Agrawals migrated to Rajasthan

Rajasthan

. They form a large fraction of the merchant population of Shekhawati region. Along with Maheshwari, Khandelwal and Oswals, they form the Marwari bania community.

In the early 15th century, Agrawals flourished as a trader community under the Tomaras of Gwalior. According to several Sanskrit

Sanskrit

Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...

inscription at the Gwalior Fort

Gwalior Fort

in Gwalior District

Gwalior District

Gwalior district ) is one of the 50 districts of Madhya Pradesh state in central India. The historic city of Gwalior is its administrative headquarters. Other cities and towns in this district are Antari, Bhitarwar, Bilaua, Dabra, Morar Cantonment, Pichhore, and Tekanpur.The district has an area of...

, several traders (Sanghavi Kamala Simha, Khela Brahmachari, Sandhadhip Namadas etc.) belonging to Agrotavansha (Agrawal clan) supported the sculptures and carving of idols at the place.,

Historian K.C. Jain comments:
In 15th century, many Agrawals migrated to Amer kingdom (now Jaipur

Jaipur

Jaipur , also popularly known as the Pink City, is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Rajasthan. Founded on 18 November 1727 by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the ruler of Amber, the city today has a population of more than 3.1 million....

). In VS 1535, Agrawal Nenasi conducted a Panch-kalyanak Pratishtha

Panch-kalyanak Pratishtha

Panch-kalyanak Pratishtha is a traditional Jain ceremony that consecrates one or more Jain Tirthankara pratimas.The five kalyanakas are the five major events associated with a tirthankara.# Garbh...

ceremony at Sanganer

Sanganer

Sanganer is a town situated 15 km south of Jaipur, the capital of Indian state of Rajasthan. The town is famous for handmade paper industry, textile printing and for Jain temples. Sanganer prints are one of its own kinds, for the reason that patterns in bright colors are always printed on white...

. A copy of Amarsen Chariu copied in VS 1577 at Sonipat

Sonipat

Sonipat , also spelled as Sonepat, is an ancient town and a municipal council in Sonipat district in the state of Haryana, India. It comes under National Capital Region and is 45 km north of Delhi. The Yamuna River runs along the eastern boundary of the district...

was found at Amer, suggesting that Agrawals took sacred texts with them during this migration.

Prominent Agrawal Jains

Until the beginning of 18th century, all Agrawal personalities known from historical sources (inscriptions and texts), have been Jain.

Nattal Sahu
Nattal Sahu
Nattal Sahu of Yoginipur is the earliest known Agrawal merchant-prince, who lived during the reign Tomara king, Anangapal. His life's account is described in Apabhramsha text Pasanaha Cariu of poet Vibudh Shridhar, written in Vikrama Samvat 1189 .Nattal's father was Sahu Joja...

, merchant prince during the rule of Tomar Anangapal and patron of Vibudh Shridhar
Vibudh Shridhar
Vibudh Shridhar
Vibudh Shridhar or Vibudha Shridhara was an accomplished Apabhramsha writer and poet in North India. He is the first known Agrawal author...

, author and poet, composer of several texts
Sahu Todar
Sahu Todar
Sahu Todar , an Agrawal Jain, was a supervisor of the royal mint at Agra during the rule of Akbar . He was a patron of scholars and had repaired ancient monuments of Mathura....

, supervisor of royal mint and patron of scholars
Raja Harsukh Rai
Raja Harsukh Rai
Raja Harsukh Rai the chief of the Agrawal community, and a builder of several Jain temples in and around Delhi, was the imperial treasurer during Sam. 1852-Sam. 1880....

, Mughal treasurer and builder of many Jain temples
Jinendra Varni
Jinendra Varni
Jinēndra Varṇī, , one of the best-known Jain scholars of the 20th century, is known for his pioneering five-volume Jainendra Siddhanta Kosha and Saman Suttam compilation, the first text accepted by all Jain orders in 1800 years....

compiler of 5 volume "Jainendra Siddhanta Kosha" and Saman Suttam
Saman Suttam
Saman Suttam is the religious text created in 1974 by a committee consisting of representatives of each of the major sects of Jainism to reconcile the teachings of the sects. After a gap of about nearly two thousand years following composition of Tattvartha Sutra by Acharya Umasvati this was the...

compilation.
Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain
Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain
Sahu Shanti Prasad Jain was among the most prominent Jains of the 20th century. He was a leading industrialist and philanthropist.He was born at Najibabad in Uttar Pradesh in the famous Sahu Jain family in 1911. His grandfather was Sahu Salekh Chand Jain who was involved in religious and charitable...

of Sahu Jain
Sahu Jain
Sahu Jain is an important industrial family of India. They own the Times Group and its parent company, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.. They are of Agrawal Jain community....

family, founder of Bharatiya Jnanpith
Aryika
Aryika
Aryika is the title by which Jain nuns are referred to, specially in the Digambar tradition.In some parts of India, it takes the form Ajji.-See also:* Jain muni* Shravanabelagola*...

Gyanmati mataji
Indu Jain
Indu Jain
Indu Jain belongs to the Sahu Jain family and is the current chairperson of India's largest media group, Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd., which owns the Times of India and other large newspapers. She is widowed with two sons....

, Billionaire
Anand Jain
Anand Jain
Anand Jain is an Indian business executive. He is the Chairman of Jai Corp Limited, Navi Mumbai SEZ Pvt. Ltd. Mumbai SEZ Limited, Reliance Haryana SEZ Ltd & Urban Infrastructure Venture Capital Private Limited...

, Jai Corp Limited, Billionaire

Relationship with Vaishnava Agrawals

Agrawal Jains are generally strict Jainas. Agrawal Vaishnava

Vaishnavism

Vaishnavism is a tradition of Hinduism, distinguished from other schools by its worship of Vishnu, or his associated Avatars such as Rama and Krishna, as the original and supreme God....

Hindu

Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...

s also tend to be strict in their religious practices. Still, the social relationship between the two are often close and harmonious. Some intermarriage between Jaina Agrawals and non-Jaina Agrawals has been historically noted, suggesting that they are culturally one community. Even non-Jaina Agrawals are historically strict vegetarians.

Several authors such as Navalshah Chanderia, author of Vardhamana Purana (1651) suggest that 2-3 centuries ago, about half of the Agrawals were Jaina. Sherring writes about the Agrawls in 1872, "A large number, perhaps one half of the entire tribe, are attached to the Jain religion." All the well-known historical Agrawal personalities have been Jainas throughout history until 18th century.

Lala Ratan Chand

Lala Ratan Chand

Raja Ratan Chand became the diwan of Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar in 1712, who gave him the title of Raja. He came to be regarded as a very effective administrator....

, who became the diwan of Mughal emperor Farrukhsiyar

Farrukhsiyar

Abu'l Muzaffar Muin ud-din Muhammad Shah Farrukh-siyar Alim Akbar Sani Wala Shan Padshah-i-bahr-u-bar [Shahid-i-Mazlum] was the Mughal emperor between 1713 and 1719. Noted as a handsome but weak ruler, easily swayed by his advisers, Farukhsiyar lacked the ability and character to rule independently...

(1713–1719) in 1712, is the first Agrawal known to not have been a Jaina. He was accused of partaking foods prohibited among the Agrawals, and he founded his own section of Agrawals known as the Rajwanshi.

Legends

History

Agrawal Jainas in Delhi

Agrawal Jains in Rajput Kingdoms

Prominent Agrawal Jains

Relationship with Vaishnava Agrawals

See also