Halwai

Halwai is an Indian caste, whose traditional occupation was confectionery and sweet-making. The name is derived from the word Halwa plough.

Halwai
Regions with significant populations
•  India •    Nepal *  Pakistan
Languages
• Hindi • Maithili .Awadhi • Bhojpuri . Angika • Marwari Punjabi
Religion
• Hinduism, Jainism
Related ethnic groups
• Muslim Halwai • Bania • Vaishya

Customs

Balarama 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.[1]

Baba Ganinath Govindji is the kul Guru (school) of Halwai caste.[2]

Halwais in Nepal

The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Halwai as a subgroup within the broader social group of Madheshi Other Caste.[3] 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:

The frequency of Halwais was higher than national average (0.3%) in the following districts:[4]

See also

References
  1. 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.
  2. "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.
  3. Population Monograph of Nepal, Volume II
  4. 2011 Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report
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