Sahu
Encyclopedia
Sahu is an Indian and Pakistani surname belonging to the Vaishya
varna (Merchant Class) or Jat varna (Peasant Class) respectively .
They derive their name Sahu, or sometimes pronounced Sao and Sah, from their ancestral family business of bankers and money lending: from the Hindi word SAHUKAR, meaning, in a sense, persons dealing with money. Sahu Vaishya also have traditional business of oilseeds and oil milling.
"Sahu" (Hindi
साहु) belonging to the Jatt varna and Rajput (suryavanshi) varna of India
, known as Sahu Vaishyas and Rajasthani's is a business varna among Hindus. People belonging to this community bear different surnames in different regions and states of India, such as Patel, Shah, Sahu Shaw/Saw, Prasad, Gupta, Rathore, Vaniyar, Gorai, Keshri, Samani, Sadhu-Khan, Das, Kubara/Kubera, Talakar, TeliLingayat, Gandla, Telikula, Modi, Devathilakula, Teli Rathod, Ganiga, Bahaldia, Teli. Marriages happen within this community irrespective of the family name or title. The Guptas, Modi, Rathore, Vaniyar and Das are however on the lowest peasant class in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. Most Sahus live in Andhra Pradesh
, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh
, Orissa
, Maharashtra
, Madhya Pradesh
, Jharkhand
, Bihar
and Rajasthan
. Some of the community live in the state of Haryana also.
There is a sizable community of Sahus living in Pakistan's South Punjab. they are mostly Seraiki speaking jats of South Punjab.Seraiki speaking sahus living in south Punjab(Pakistan)mostly practice Islam as their religion. The Sahus of Pakistan are scattered in the districts of Multan, Khanewal, Rajan pur, Bahawalpur, Lodhran and Vehari. Majority of Sahus in Pakistan is attached with farming and are owner of small or big land holdings.
Although there has been misconception about the sahus/telis been categorized under OBC in most of the part in India, the Sahus in Chattisgarh are considered to be in general categories. The Madhya Pradesh government in consensus with the central government has marked sahus in M.P. (then Chattisgarh) as non OBC based on the prosperous nature of the community and have declined further certificates to sahus as OBC.
Majority of sahu are tradesmen and belong to highest profession in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Most sahus in Orissa and Chhatisgarh are farmers. Chattisgarh sahus are known for there rituals which are very much similar to the Brahmins and are also known as sub-Brahmins.
According to legend, once upon a time a holy soul named Karma Bai was born in a Sahu family. One day an elephant of the king of Narvargarh had an infection in his skin and the rajvaidya suggested that his life could only be saved by bathing in a pond of oil. The king instructed his people to fill the pond with oil in 3 days or else he would kill on the tradesmen. But this was an impossible task. Karma Bai prayed and managed to fill the whole pond with oil with just a jar. When the king saw this he felt very guilty. From that day onwards Sahu families worship Ma Karma Bai.
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 (Merchant Class) or Jat varna (Peasant Class) respectively .
They derive their name Sahu, or sometimes pronounced Sao and Sah, from their ancestral family business of bankers and money lending: from the Hindi word SAHUKAR, meaning, in a sense, persons dealing with money. Sahu Vaishya also have traditional business of oilseeds and oil milling.
"Sahu" (Hindi
Hindi
Standard Hindi, or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi , High Hindi, Nagari Hindi, and Literary Hindi, is a standardized and sanskritized register of the Hindustani language derived from the Khariboli dialect of Delhi...
साहु) belonging to the Jatt varna and Rajput (suryavanshi) varna of 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...
, known as Sahu Vaishyas and Rajasthani's is a business varna among Hindus. People belonging to this community bear different surnames in different regions and states of India, such as Patel, Shah, Sahu Shaw/Saw, Prasad, Gupta, Rathore, Vaniyar, Gorai, Keshri, Samani, Sadhu-Khan, Das, Kubara/Kubera, Talakar, TeliLingayat, Gandla, Telikula, Modi, Devathilakula, Teli Rathod, Ganiga, Bahaldia, Teli. Marriages happen within this community irrespective of the family name or title. The Guptas, Modi, Rathore, Vaniyar and Das are however on the lowest peasant class in Madhya Pradesh and Chattisgarh. Most Sahus live in Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, Chattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
, Maharashtra
Maharashtra
Maharashtra is a state located in India. It is the second most populous after Uttar Pradesh and third largest state by area in India...
, Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
, Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
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...
. Some of the community live in the state of Haryana also.
There is a sizable community of Sahus living in Pakistan's South Punjab. they are mostly Seraiki speaking jats of South Punjab.Seraiki speaking sahus living in south Punjab(Pakistan)mostly practice Islam as their religion. The Sahus of Pakistan are scattered in the districts of Multan, Khanewal, Rajan pur, Bahawalpur, Lodhran and Vehari. Majority of Sahus in Pakistan is attached with farming and are owner of small or big land holdings.
Although there has been misconception about the sahus/telis been categorized under OBC in most of the part in India, the Sahus in Chattisgarh are considered to be in general categories. The Madhya Pradesh government in consensus with the central government has marked sahus in M.P. (then Chattisgarh) as non OBC based on the prosperous nature of the community and have declined further certificates to sahus as OBC.
Majority of sahu are tradesmen and belong to highest profession in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.
Most sahus in Orissa and Chhatisgarh are farmers. Chattisgarh sahus are known for there rituals which are very much similar to the Brahmins and are also known as sub-Brahmins.
According to legend, once upon a time a holy soul named Karma Bai was born in a Sahu family. One day an elephant of the king of Narvargarh had an infection in his skin and the rajvaidya suggested that his life could only be saved by bathing in a pond of oil. The king instructed his people to fill the pond with oil in 3 days or else he would kill on the tradesmen. But this was an impossible task. Karma Bai prayed and managed to fill the whole pond with oil with just a jar. When the king saw this he felt very guilty. From that day onwards Sahu families worship Ma Karma Bai.