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{{use Indian English|date=January 2018}} {{use Indian English|date=January 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
]'''Sonar''' (alternately, '''Sunar''' or '''Swarnkar''') is an ] ] in India.<ref>''People of India'': Uttar Pradesh (Volume XLII) edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1500 to 150</ref> The community is primarily Hindu, but includes a few Sikh and Muslims, too. Some other communities also referring to work as ] by profession They primarily live in northern states of ], ] and ] province of Pakistan. ]
'''Sunar''' (alternately, '''Sonar''' or '''Swarnkar''') is a Hindu ] in India referring to the community of people who work as ]s.<ref>''People of India'': Uttar Pradesh (Volume XLII) edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1500 to 150</ref> The community is primarily Hindu, and found usually in Northern India.


==Etymology== ==Etymology==
The term ''Sunar'' may derive from the ] ''suvarna kār'', "worker in gold".<ref>{{cite book|author=R.V. Russell|title=The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India | volume=IV | url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20668/20668-h/20668-h.htm#d0e3452|accessdate=6 July 2011|date=October 1995|publisher=Published Under the Orders of the Central Provinces Administration, Macmillan and Co., Limited St. Martin's Street, London. 1916 |pages=517}}</ref> The term ''Sunar'' may derive from the ] ''suvarna kār'', "worker in gold".<ref>{{cite book|author=R.V. Russell|title=The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India | volume=IV | url=http://www.gutenberg.org/files/20668/20668-h/20668-h.htm#d0e3452|accessdate=6 July 2011|date=October 1995|publisher=Published Under the Orders of the Central Provinces Administration, Macmillan and Co., Limited St. Martin's Street, London. 1916 |pages=517}}</ref>


⚫ The Sunar are still involved in their traditional occupation, that is being goldsmiths. There is however a steady process in taking up other occupations, and the community in Haryana and Punjab as whole is fairly successful, having produced several professionals.<ref>''People of India'': Haryana (Volume XXIII) edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia pages 475 to 479 Manohar Books</ref>
==History==
]
The Sunar are traditional goldsmiths and silversmiths in India. They also used to practice siddhar medicine and are agriculturists.


==Factions==
According to popular myth, in the Vishwakarma Purana (compiled after 18th century), the Sunar are said to be the descendants of Suparna, who was one of the five sons created by Hindu god, ]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ramaswamy|first=Vijaya|date=2004|title=Vishwakarma Craftsmen in Early Medieval Peninsular India|journal=Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient|volume=47|issue=4|pages=548–582|doi=10.1163/1568520042467154|issn=0022-4995}}</ref>
The Sunars are divided into a large number of territorial and non-territorial groupings called alla. Some of the major alla are the Santanpuriya, Dekhalantiya, Mundaha, Bhigahiya, Samuhiya, Chilliya, Katiliya Kalidarwa, Naubastwal, Berehele, Gedehiya, Shahpuriya, Mathureke Paliya, Katkaria and Nimkheriya. Each lineage is associated with a particular area. To which its ancestors belonged to. The Sunar use Soni, Seth, Swarnkar, Shah, Bhutani, Sonik, Kapoor, Mehra, Rastogi, Verma etc. as their surnames. In ] and ], the community is also known as ].<ref>''People of India'': Uttar Pradesh (Volume XLII) edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1500</ref> In Harayana, the Sunars are often known as Swarnakar, ], Suri and ], are their common surname.<ref>''People of India'': Haryana (Volume XXIII) edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia page 475 Manohar Books</ref>

Sunars since 18th century stood for social uplifting and demanded ] status claiming to be descendants of Vishwakarma and in some other regions, e.g - North most of them claimed being from ] and even ] varna. In 1931 census of India, many Sunars mentioned their caste as Vishwakarma or Panchal and became successful in some regions.

⚫ There is however a steady process in taking up other occupations, and the community in Haryana and Punjab as whole is fairly successful, having produced several professionals.<ref>''People of India'': Haryana (Volume XXIII) edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia pages 475 to 479 Manohar Books</ref>

==Social Status==
Sunar is the traders of gold called goldsmith .Brahmins can accept foods offered by them and gives them service.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Russell|first=Robert Vane|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6h2Gm1gPZZQC&printsec=frontcover&dq=sunar+caste+of+bihar#q=sunar|title=The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India (Volumes I and II)|date=1916|publisher=Library of Alexandria|isbn=978-1-4655-8294-2|language=en}}</ref>

Ahir Sunars or Kshatriya Ahir Sonars in the Khandesh region (known for large population of Ahirs) occupy a high social status in the Maharashtra.

Today, condition of Sunars living in urban regions are somewhat good but those living in rural regions are in poverty. Goldsmithing is considered as not much impure job so main problem is other communities holding major share of jewellery business limiting most Sunars only as a jewellery maker or working class than trader or owner of showrooms. Still significant people among them holds this business on large scale.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Chatterji|first1=Madhumita|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9OoQDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA229&lpg=PA229&dq=conditions+of+goldsmiths+in+india#q=conditions%20of%20goldsmiths%20in%20india|title=Ethical Leadership: Indian and European Spiritual Approaches|last2=Zsolnai|first2=László|date=2016-09-13|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-137-60194-0|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=OPINION {{!}} Do Forgotten Communities Have a Chance and Space in 2019 Elections?|url=https://www.news18.com/news/opinion/do-forgotten-communities-have-a-chance-and-space-in-2019-elections-2094023.html|date=2019-04-08|website=News18|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref>

Being among the economically and politically disadvantaged communities, Sunars are included under ] list.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Central OBC List|url=http://ncbc.nic.in/Writereaddata/cl/delhi.pdf|last=|first=|date=24 May 1995|website=ncbc.nic.in|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>

In ], Sunars poor falls under groups untouchable and clubbed as ]. Sunars in Nepal falls under 'Hill Dalits' communities and have benefits of reservation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Dalit Context|url=https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/OPSA/article/download/1133/1558|last=Gurung|first=Harka|date=|website=nepjol.info|url-status=live|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>

] helped many Sunars after the passing of the ] and the community showed a tremendous increase in its literacy rate making one of the most literate castes of India.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The caste factor: Show me the numbers|url=https://www.rediff.com/getahead/2006/apr/20rashmi.htm|website=Rediff|language=en|access-date=2020-05-22}}</ref>

==Divisions==
Sunars are divided into a large number of territorial and non-territorial groupings called alla. Some of the major alla are the Santanpuriya, Kannaujiya, Mahawar, Shahpuriya, Bundelkhandi, Ayodhyawasi, and Shahabadi. The Sunar have surnames, e.g - Soni, Seth, Swarnkar, Singh, Sah, Shah, Bhutani, Sonik, Mehra, Verma, Gupta, Bansal, etc as their surnames.

]{{dn|date=June 2020}}, also known as Muslim Sunars, they are primarily found in ] and Jammu & Kashmir state of India and ] are also sections of Sunars who are mainly involved in pawnbroking or money-lending (though not all Sarrafs are Sunar).<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Th3Mu-_RwjQC&pg=PA401&lpg=PA401&dq=zargar+caste#q=zargar%20caste|title=A Glossary of the Tribes and Castes of the Punjab and North-West Frontier Province: L.-Z|date=1997|publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist|isbn=978-81-85297-70-5|language=en}}</ref>

In ] and ], the community is also known as ].<ref>''People of India'': Uttar Pradesh (Volume XLII) edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1500</ref>

In ], the community is known as Sonar or Swarnkar.

In ] and ], they are divided into three groups Sunars (who often use surnames as Bhutani, Suri, Singh, ], ], etc) ( ] and ]<ref>''People of India'': Haryana (Volume XXIII) edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia page 475 Manohar Books</ref>

They are also called Sunnāri in Odisha, Sonagāra in ] regions and ] or ] in South India.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Harold A Stuart|url=http://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.281736|title=Madras District Manuals South Canara Vol Ii|date=1895}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Perez|first=Rosa Maria|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GDRWAglUumEC&pg=PA80|title=Kings and Untouchables: A Study of the Caste System in Western India|date=2004|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-8028-014-6|language=en}}</ref>

], ], ] and ] are also goldsmith communities but separate from ] caste. They are considered as different from Sunars.


==See also== ==See also==
*]
*]
*] *]


Revision as of 14:15, 20 December 2020

Sunar in rajasthan marwadi seth

Sunar (alternately, Sonar or Swarnkar) is a Hindu caste in India referring to the community of people who work as goldsmiths. The community is primarily Hindu, and found usually in Northern India.

Etymology

The term Sunar may derive from the Sanskrit suvarna kār, "worker in gold".

The Sunar are still involved in their traditional occupation, that is being goldsmiths. There is however a steady process in taking up other occupations, and the community in Haryana and Punjab as whole is fairly successful, having produced several professionals.

Factions

The Sunars are divided into a large number of territorial and non-territorial groupings called alla. Some of the major alla are the Santanpuriya, Dekhalantiya, Mundaha, Bhigahiya, Samuhiya, Chilliya, Katiliya Kalidarwa, Naubastwal, Berehele, Gedehiya, Shahpuriya, Mathureke Paliya, Katkaria and Nimkheriya. Each lineage is associated with a particular area. To which its ancestors belonged to. The Sunar use Soni, Seth, Swarnkar, Shah, Bhutani, Sonik, Kapoor, Mehra, Rastogi, Verma etc. as their surnames. In Gujarat and Rajasthan, the community is also known as Soni. In Harayana, the Sunars are often known as Swarnakar, Soni, Suri and Verma, are their common surname.

See also

References

  1. People of India: Uttar Pradesh (Volume XLII) edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1500 to 150
  2. R.V. Russell (October 1995). The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India. Vol. IV. Published Under the Orders of the Central Provinces Administration, Macmillan and Co., Limited St. Martin's Street, London. 1916. p. 517. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
  3. People of India: Haryana (Volume XXIII) edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia pages 475 to 479 Manohar Books
  4. People of India: Uttar Pradesh (Volume XLII) edited by A Hasan & J C Das page 1500
  5. People of India: Haryana (Volume XXIII) edited by M.L Sharma and A.K Bhatia page 475 Manohar Books

Further reading

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