Balai

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Balai
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Weaving, the traditional occupation of Balais
ReligionsHinduism
LanguagesNimadi, Dhundari, Marwadi, Punjabi, Kashmiri and Gujarati
CountryIndia
Original stateRajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh
Population2,668,000 (2011)
Related groupsSalvi, Meghwal, Koli people

The Balai, Raj Balai, Balahi, or Bunkar are a people and an Indian caste. They live in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.[1][2][3]

Balais are generally Hindus.[2][3][4][5] The official categorization of the caste varies from state to state as a scheduled caste or other backward caste.[6][7][8][9]

Balais speak languages including Nimadi, Dhundari, Marwadi, Punjabi, Kashmiri and Gujarati.[10]

According to the 2011 census of India, there are 2,668,000 Balais in India.[11]

Balais as weavers

The Balai caste is a functional caste of weavers; historically, they were engaged in the work of weaving.[12][13][14]

"Balai" is a transliteration of the Hindi word Script error: No such module "Lang"., which means "weaving".[4][12] They are also known as "Bunkar", meaning "weaver".[12][13][14]

In the varna system, Balais belong to the vaishya.[15][16][17]

Raj Balais

Historically, the Raj Balais were royal messengers. They used to convey messages from one kingdom to another in ancient times.[when?] Raj means royal; therefore, Balais who engaged in such royal services were called Raj Balais.[3]

Beliefs

Balais are generally Hindus. They are devotees of Durga, Chamunda and Kalaratri;[18] they consider Kalaratri as their kuladevi (tutelary deity).[19] They also pay tribute to Ramdev Pir.[19] Balais are divided into a number of gotras, including Chouhan, Rathore, Parihar, Parmar, Solanki, Brejwal, Bunker,[3] Marichi, Atri, August, Bhardwaj, Matang, Dhaneshwar, Mahachand, Jogchand, Jogpal, Meghpal, Garva, and Jaipal.[20] Balais do not marry within their families or their gotra.[21] They live in multi-caste villages, and they bury their dead.[22][failed verification]

Balais are traditionally non-vegetarian as they believe in bali (animal sacrifice). As part of worshiping Kalaratri, Balai perform animal sacrifices.[21][23]

Jainism

In 1964, Jain Shravak Sangha preached to the Balai, near Ratlam, in the village Guradia. Sangha gave Dharampal Jain Samaj to the Balai in the name of Dharmanatha.[24][25]

Around 125,000 people of the Malviya and Gujarati Balai communities are Dharampal Jains.[as of?][24][25]

Associations with other peoples

Sometimes, the Balai are referred to as Julaha or Meghwal.[19][26] Originally,[when?] most Balais associated themselves with the Meghwal community.[27][28][29]

In the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the Balai are associated with the Meghwal people due to their various cultural similarities; for example, both engage in the work of handicrafts and embroidery.[27][30][31]

References

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nesfield, John Collinson (1885). Brief View of the Caste System of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh: Together with an Examination of the Names and Figures Shown in the Census Report, 1882, Being an Attempt to Classify on a Functional Basis All the Main Castes of the United Provinces, and to Explain Their Gradations of Rank and the Process of Their Formation. 28th February, 1885. North-Western Provinces and Oudh Government Press.
  2. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Singh, K. S. (1996). Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-0-19-563357-3.
  3. ^ a b c d Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.General, India Office of the Registrar (1962). Census of India, 1961. Manager of Publications. p. 14.
  4. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Mayer, Adrian (28 July 2023). Caste and Kinship in Central India: A Village and its Region. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-31349-1.
  5. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Tilonia®. "Artisans". Tilonia®. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  6. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Proceedings of the British Academy. British Academy. 2010. ISBN 978-0-19-726451-5.
  7. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Kumar, Ashutosh (December 2016). Rethinking State Politics in India: Regions Within Regions. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-315-39145-8.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Devi, Rama (21 March 2025). Caste and Emancipatory Quest: Ethnography of Dalits in an Urban Neighborhood. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-96-0832-4.
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Sahgal, Kelsey Jo Starr and Neha (29 June 2021). "Measuring caste in India". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Regional Languages". Legislative Department of India. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  11. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Census of India 2011: Population, Literacy, Density, Sex Ratio and other information". Education for All in India. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Nesfield, John Collinson (1885). Brief View of the Caste System of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh: Together with an Examination of the Names and Figures Shown in the Census Report, 1882, Being an Attempt to Classify on a Functional Basis All the Main Castes of the United Provinces, and to Explain Their Gradations of Rank and the Process of Their Formation. 28th February, 1885. North-Western Provinces and Oudh Government Press.
  13. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Commissioner, India Census (1902). Census of India, 1901: North-Western Frontier Provinces and Oudh (3 v.). Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India.
  14. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cittauṛagaṛha (in हिन्दी). Javāhara Kalā Kendra. 1994.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."9. Caste System in Ancient India". Florida State College at Jacksonville Pressbooks.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Moulik, T. K. (1982). Deogarh's Profiles: Rural Development for Rural Poor. Centre for Management in Agriculture, Indian Institute of Management.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Harish Chandra Bunkar Balai vs The Board Of Revenue Ajmer And Ors". latestlaws.com. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hinduism Basics". Hindu American Foundation. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  19. ^ a b c Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Singh, K. S. (1998). People of India: Rajasthan (2 pts.). Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7154-766-1.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bhartiya, Ranjeet (25 July 2023). बलाई समाज गोत्र,सामाजिक संरचना में गोत्रों की महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका है. Jankari Today. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  21. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Hinduism Doctrine and Beliefs". Hindu Council of Australia. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Naik, Shambhavi (8 February 2020). "The scientific argument for marrying outside your caste". ThePrint. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  23. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."7. Religious practices". Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  24. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.जैन संत की प्रेरणा से देशभर में मालवीय और गुजराती बलाई समाज के सवा लाख लोगों ने छोड़ा दुर्व्यसन. bhaskar.com.
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  31. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Patel, Vibhuti; Mondal, Nandita (25 March 2022). Gendered Inequalities in Paid and Unpaid Work of Women in India. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-16-9974-0.
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