Agrawal
Maharaja Agrasen, the legendary king who was the forefather of Agrawals | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
|---|---|
| India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh | |
| Languages | |
| Punjabi, Haryanvi, Hindi, Rajasthani | |
| Religion | |
| Majority: Vaishnava Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism Minority: Islam, Christianity |
Agrawal (Agarwal, Agerwal, Agrawala, Agarwala, Agarwalla, Aggarwal, Agarawal, Agarawala, or Aggrawal) is a Bania caste. The Banias of northern India are a cluster of several communities, of which the Agrawal Banias, Maheshwari Banias, Oswal Banias, Khatri Banias and Porwal Banias are a part.
They are found throughout northern India, mainly in the states of Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh. They are also found in the Pakistani provinces of Punjab and Sindh, though at the time of the partition of India, most of them migrated across the newly created border to independent India. Most Agrawals follow Vaishnava Hinduism or Jainism, while a minority adhere to Islam or Christianity.
The Agrawal are the descendants of Maharaja Agrasen, a Kshatriya king of the Agroha Kingdom. He is one of the descendants of the Hindu deity Shri Ram. Their prime goddess was the goddess Lakshmi Mahalaxmi, who has given boon to the king and his descendants to be prosperous always by her and consort God Vishnu's kindness. Agrasen himself adopted the Vaishya tradition of Hinduism.
The Agrawal are Suryavamsha and belong to the Raghuvamsha house.
The Agrawal are also known for their entrepreneurship and business acumen. In modern-day tech and ecommerce companies, they continue to dominate. It was reported in 2013, that for every 100 in funding for e-commerce companies in India, 40 went to firms founded by Agrawals.