Mair (caste)

Mair^[1]^[2] or (Suniar) caste often exegeted as Soni (Vaishya) or Deshwali suniar is a traditionally goldsmithing community predominantly found in the northern regions of India, including the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh including other suburbanised region of Rajasthan, and Jammu & Kashmir, as well as adjacent territories.

Caste segment

The Mair caste has historically been associated with the peasant resentment of Vaishya varna, even since in the modern distinction they were recognised under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) by central government agencies, which is traditionally linked to trade and commerce in the hierarchical framework of the Indian caste system.

Ethnography Clarification

During the British Raj, the Mair community tremendously made an notable attempts to elevate their social position within the caste hierarchy. Seeking recognition as part of the Kshatriya varna, they engaged in petitions and emphasized their claimed martial lineage in colonial administrative and ethnographic records. Despite their efforts, these claims failed to gain substantial acceptance among colonial officials and ethnographers. Prominent works of that period, such as H. H. Risley’s ethnographic studies and D. Ibbetson’s analysis of Punjab castes, categorized the Mair caste within the broader Vaishya framework, emphasizing their occupational link to goldsmithing and trade.

Etymology

Mythical description

According to some undocumented Oral sources they were epically stumbled the name on one of their ancestor called mair who killed the golden demon but however its chronically not mentioned in pre -Vedic articulated compilation.

Related Pages

References

Cited work

Risley, H. H. (1915). The People of India. Calcutta: Thacker, Spink & Co.Offers detailed ethnographic classifications, including the Mair caste.
Ibbetson, D. C. J. (1883). Punjab Castes. Lahore: Government Press. Analyzes the occupational and social roles of the Mair community in colonial Punjab.
Bayly, S. (1999). Caste, Society and Politics in India from the Eighteenth Century to the Modern Age. Cambridge University Press

References

↑ Pillai, V. Kannu (2007). Caste: Observation of I.C.S. Officers and Others Since 1881. Gautam Book Center. p. 85. ISBN 978-81-905583-6-5. Amongst the Sonars, for instance, the names of the sub-castes prove their differences of origin. The Bagri, Chatri, Mair and Khatri claim Kshatriya origin:
↑ Commissioner, India Census (1902). Census of India, 1901: Punjab and North West Frontier Province (2 v.). Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. p. Vlll. The Sunars. —This caste has two main sub-castes, Mair and Tank which appear to be strictly endogamous.

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[1] Pillai, V. Kannu (2007). Caste: Observation of I.C.S. Officers and Others Since 1881. Gautam Book Center. p. 85. ISBN 978-81-905583-6-5. Amongst the Sonars, for instance, the names of the sub-castes prove their differences of origin. The Bagri, Chatri, Mair and Khatri claim Kshatriya origin:

[2] Commissioner, India Census (1902). Census of India, 1901: Punjab and North West Frontier Province (2 v.). Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India. p. Vlll. The Sunars. —This caste has two main sub-castes, Mair and Tank which appear to be strictly endogamous.

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