Aim: To find the origin of Bhandia History
Research works:
Known facts:
At the outset the well know fact is that the Bhandia dynasty known so far is basically based in Kolkata and are of the Swetamber Jain Khartar Gachhi sect of Jain Community. I was able to gather form the present and the last generation of my family lovely facts and documented lineage.
These documented history suggests that they were Jewelers by profession. They have on seeing the business fortunes migrated from Lucknow with other Shrimal Jewelers during the period 1858 when Lord Canning became the first Viceroy of British India
From the documents of the family tree thus obtained, I logically derived the fact that their fore fathers of 14 generations back (Shri Phool Chandiji Bhandia) lived in Makri a village in Chhattisgarh. (Taking 20 years as one generation and 1950 being the first person of the present 14th generation) which is to say Phoolchandji lived in the year 1670 AD. Beyond this fact there is loss of documented history of this family tree.
At the outset the well know fact is that the Bhandia dynasty known so far is basically based in Kolkata and are of the Swetamber Jain Khartar Gachhi sect of Jain Community. I was able to gather form the present and the last generation of my family lovely facts and documented lineage.
These documented history suggests that they were Jewelers by profession. They have on seeing the business fortunes migrated from Lucknow with other Shrimal Jewelers during the period 1858 when Lord Canning became the first Viceroy of British India
From the documents of the family tree thus obtained, I logically derived the fact that their fore fathers of 14 generations back (Shri Phool Chandiji Bhandia) lived in Makri a village in Chhattisgarh. (Taking 20 years as one generation and 1950 being the first person of the present 14th generation) which is to say Phoolchandji lived in the year 1670 AD. Beyond this fact there is loss of documented history of this family tree.
Logical questions:
a) Is the name Bhandia a newly coined surname
b) Are the members of this family known by the name of the village like Kothari, Mehta etc.
c) Is the family name gifted by religion as Gotra or an appointed title
d) Has the name been derived from profession like johri, lohar, bhandari, etc.
e) Is it a tribe of India
Work based on references: It has been very difficult to analyze without hinting at a controversy of clashes between all the above points.
i) Since the surname is so vastly used over a sufficient number of years it cannot be termed as a newly coined one.
ii) There have been a number of places called Bhandia Village like one near Palitana in Gujarat, One at Sitapur Dist. Of Chhattisgarh, one in Orissa in the Nowarangpur Dist. Also a river Named Bhandia in Maharashtra. Researchers before me have not found any linkage to these sites with the Bhandia family in question. So it may not have been derived from the geographical location.
iii) In the late 16th Century and 17th century Jain pontiffs more popularly known as Dada Gurudev converted Masses into Jains and awarded them with Gotras based on profession, geography, etc. While on the subject and references to the various list of gifted Gotras it is found that there is none to prove that Bhandia was a Gotra awarded by this process.
Since the Migrated Jewelers were of the Shrimal Jain group, one can attribute the Bhandias to belong to the larger Group of Shrimals. But references show that Shrimals were Janis converted during the period of the Lord Mahveerswamy’s disciple Gautama swamy. Legends have it that Acharya Sri Ratna Prabh Suri in the year Veer Samvat 70 (i.e. 0013 CE) converted Raja Utpaldev of Upkeshpur Pattan (presently known as Osiya) and his entire kingdom into Jains. According to ‘Jain Jati Mahodaya’ Acharya Sriji named 18 Gotras , probably based on their original Gotra or business or status. Even here, if this is to be true then Bhandias do not belong to this group from such period. But all probability they were made Janis by one of the 4 Dada Guru and grouped into the Shrimal larger group. Then why did the name Bhandia and not Shrimal prevail?
iv) The name cannot be that of any known profession is an established fact because there is no professional meaning in its nomenclature.
v) Ultimately my work narrowed down to the concept of a tribe. Here I hit upon a famous tribe in Haryana. The Kumhars. The Kumhars of Sirsa ( Haryana ) are divided into the Jodhpuria, from Jodhpur, who use the furnace or bhathi and are generally mere potters, and the Bikaneri or Desi, from Bikaner who use kilns (pajawas), but are chiefly agricultural and look down upon the potter's occupation as degrading. In Hissar there are four nondescript groups, the Bidawati, Magrochi, Nagori and Bhandia and others. All those appear to be really different tribes and not separate clans of one and the same tribe or caste, as, though all smoke and eat together, they will not inter-marry. Of these the first-named smoke with Jats, and take wives from the Rugrachi, but will not give them wives in return (this is called batta). Other groups mentioned in accounts from this District are the Gola, Maru and Mula, all three distinct and will not intermarry. But the other accounts make the Gola the same as Maru and Bidwati identical with the Megrechi. Several of the Kumhar tribes have abandoned pottery and taken to agriculture as an occupation and thus risen in social scale. It is very much possible that These Bhandia kumhars owing to social upgradation migrated towards Delhi, Makri, and nearby areas expanding their Agricultural business.
Inferences: With the above works and findings and following the procedure of probability it can be safely believed that these Bhandia Kumhars were converted into Jainism during the reign of Dada Guru Manidhari Chandra suriji and grouped with the Shrimal Gotra group of jains. However because of the fervor in their tribal identity after having left Sirsa their home town they maintained the original tribe name Bhandia. In the process it is also found that there are a number of Bhandia surnames in different religions. Probably this was the advent of churning and people of the era were aligning with various schools of thought and religion was taking shape and form as community and hence the tribals of the area were converted during the this period. But still the Tribal name as an ethos remained paramount. And that is how we find Bhandia , to be a name uniquely positioned as a very small identity but in various religious groups.
Referances used in the research works
Chat with some Bhandias in other parts of the world in other religions..
Ø Shahida Bhandia ( on Face Book )
No problem, I have this same name by marriage, my husband and I are both from South Africa.
Ø Zahrah Bhandia ( on Face Book )
Hi Dinesh, after speaking to my husband, he has informed that it was his father's great grandfather, Ebrahim Bhandia, who came from India as a migrant worker/ labourer in the sugar cane fields in Natal, Durban. I trust this helps. Kind regards Zahrah.
Ø Shakir Bhandia ( on Face Book )
Hi, No disturbance at all. To be honest I don't really know if have a lineage there. Maybe I do and am not aware of it. The surname is quite unique and very uncommon here. In fact we are all related. Unfortunately my forefathers have left India quite a few generations ago and the information about our lineage got lost through time. All that I can remember from some of my childhood conversations with my grandfather was that we came from Surat in Gujarat. Are there many Bhandias' in Kolkata and are they all related? Where does the surname originate from? Funny you should ask about my lineage because I have always been intrigued by it and had hoped to be able to trace it one day but never quite got around to it. It's much easier now with the Internet though. I am interested too...
:-)
I hope my inferences from the above works and references will be a guide in the ultimate Aim.
