Vaishya is the traditional merchant, trading and agricultural varna of the Hindu caste hierarchy, historically associated with commerce, craft production and land cultivation, ranked below the priestly Brahmin and warrior Kshatriya categories but above the Shudra labor category in the classical fourfold varna scheme. Vaishya identity is claimed today by numerous regionally distinct communities across India, including several prominent business and trading communities, and, as with the other varna categories, the historical fourfold scheme is understood by scholars as a normative classical ideal that never mapped cleanly onto the much larger number of actual regional jatis (sub-castes). This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Group TypeSourced to the subject's own account Typical RegionSourced to the subject's own accountSouth Asia (India and Nepal) 1 Primary LanguageSourced to the subject's own accountRegional Indian languages 1 Subsistence ModeSourced to the subject's own accountTraditionally trade, commerce, agriculture and moneylending occupations within the varna system. 1 Open Questions
Population Estimateno reliable modern population figure exists 1 Sourced to the subject's own accountNo caste-wise Indian census has been published since 1931, and Vaishya identity is claimed by numerous regionally distinct trading and agricultural communities never aggregated into one reliable total. Connections
Associated With
Vaishya is one of the four varna categories of the traditional Hindu caste system, historically associated with merchants, traders and agriculturalists.
Source Wikipedia: Caste System in India
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Vaishya
WikipediaIntroductionQuote, Introduction
Vaishya is one of the four varnas of the Vedic Hindu social order in India.
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