bania

[ban-yuh]

noun

Also ban·iya

[ban-yuh, -ee-uh] /ˈbæn yə, -i ə/.

Origin of bania

First recorded in 1590–1600

In Saugor, a Bania is put out of caste if he keeps buffaloes.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India
R. V. Russell
Bania, Dosar, Dūsra.1—This subcaste numbers about 600 persons.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India
R. V. Russell
The name Bania is derived from the Sanskrit vanij, a merchant.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India
R. V. Russell
Once upon a time there was a town called Atpat.1 In it there lived a bania who had no son.
Deccan Nursery Tales
Charles Augustus Kincaid
They nearly all belong to the Bania caste, and are engaged in moneylending and trade like other Banias.
The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India--Volume I (of IV)
R.V. Russell