The Kandu are a Hindu

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...

 caste

Caste

Caste is an elaborate and complex social system that combines elements of endogamy, occupation, culture, social class, tribal affiliation and political power. It should not be confused with race or social class, e.g. members of different castes in one society may belong to the same race, as in India...

 in India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Bangladesh

Bangladesh

Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...

 and Nepal

Nepal

Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...

. They traditionally provided parched grain

Parched grain

Parched Grain is grain that has been cooked by dry roasting. It is an ancient foodstuff and is thought to be one of the earliest ways in which the hunter gatherers in the Fertile Crescent ate grains...

s and are one of the Bania castes

Bania (caste)

Bania is an occupational caste of bankers, money-lenders, dealers in grains, spices and in modern times numerous commercial enterprises. Baniya is a distinct caste mostly coming from Western India and Central India but spread now all over India...

 in the Vaishya

Vaishya

Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Hindu social order. According to Vedic tradition, this caste primarily comprises merchants, farmers, cattle-herders and artisans.-Duties of Vaishyas:...

 Varna. In Bihar, Kandu often use Gupta as a surname. Kandu living in Nepal are also called Kanu . Saints from this community include Sant Paltu Prasad from Nagpurjalalpur (near Ayodhya), who composed the Bhajnavali (Book of Devotion.)

Origin

The Kandu caste has sub-castes Madhesia, Maghaiya, Bantaria, Kanaujia, Gour, Koranch, Dhuria, Rawani, Ballamitra, and Thathera (distinct from the Thathera

Thathera

The Thathera are a Hindu community, found mainly in North India, who are involved in the production of household utensils made from various kinds of metal alloys.- History :...

 caste). In Bihar state, Kandus are found in Samastipur

Samastipur

Samastipur is a city and a municipality in Samastipur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is headquarters of the Samastipur district.It is situated on the banks of Burhi Gandak River.-Demographics:...

, Darbhanga

Darbhanga

Darbhangā is a twin city and a municipal corporation and the capital city of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India. It is one of the most important districts of North Bihar situated in the very heart of Mithilanchal. According to the latest 2011 census, the...

, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur

Muzaffarpur

Muzaffarpur Town is a town in Muzaffarpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. It serves as the headquarters of Muzaffarpur district and Tirhut division....

, Siwan

Siwan District

Siwan district is one of the districts of Bihar state, India. Siwan town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Siwan district is a part of Saran Division since 1972. The town is known for its great past especially for First President of Indian Republic who belonged to Jeeradei. The...

, Patna

Patna

Paṭnā , is the capital of the Indian state of Bihar and the second largest city in Eastern India . Patna is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world...

 and Bhojpur

Bhojpur district, Bihar

Bhojpur district is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state in eastern India. Arrah town is the administrative headquarters of this district.-History:...

 districts. In Nepal they are found in the Terai

Terai

The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...

 from Jhapa district

Jhapa District

Jhapa District, a district of Mechi Zone, is one of the seventy-five districts of Nepal. The district, with Chandragadhi as its district headquarters, covers an area of 1,606 km² and has a population of 688,109.-Location:...

 in the southeast corner west to Banke

Banke District

-Geography:Banke is bordered on the west by Bardiya district. Rapti zone's Salyan and Dang Deukhuri Districts border to the north and east. To the south lies Uttar Pradesh, India; specifically Shravasti and Bahraich districts of Awadh. East of Nepalganj the international border follows the...

 as well as in Kathmandu.

Present Circumstances

The community is endogamous but practices village and clan exogamy. They have abandoned their traditional occupation of grain parching. Now they are mainly traders, village shop keepers and money lenders in villages. Urban Kandu follow various other occupations. Their traditions are similar to other Banias in Bihar.