कोमती वैश्य - Koumti Vaishya

Komti Bania: 

The Marwari is essentially following similar mercantile pursuits to the Vaisya Komati of Peninsular India, and those of the Wani or Bani(a), to which the Komati add that of retail shopkeeping. All the Marwari of Rajputana adhere to the principle of reckoning their descent to a founder, and in their marriage ceremonies they abstain from blodd relationship, never marrying into their own gotra. Their widows never re-marry. The Baniya or Komati merchants and bankers are generally of the Vaishnava sect, but some of them worship Siva. They are most numerous in Telingana (Andhra) and in Madras (Tamil Nadu). They are essentially shopkeepers, sellers of dry grains, cultivation, and mercatile business. The Wani of the Western coast will only marry with the Komati Banya. They are in considerable numbers in the northern Andhra, adjoining Berar. They seem to have come from Telaugana. The names in common use among men are Govinda, Rama, Vishnu and Vithoba; and among women Chima, Ganga, Lakshmi Rama and Yamuna. Their surnames are Bhingarkar, Chhet, Chitte Gandhekar, Konakam, Nimbalkar, Niradkar, Pankar, Sudal, Tanitar and Vadkar. Persons bearing the same surnames cannot inter-marry. Their home-tongue is Telugu, and the family-god is Balaji o Vyankatraman of Tirupati in North Arkot. They are divided into Jana, and Vani Komtis, the Janays weaving and selling sacred thread which the Vani Komtis neither weave nor sell. These two classes eat together but do not inter-marry. There is a third class of Kadu Komtis who eat but do not marry with the other Komtis. They are dark, strong, and flabby, with a round face and small lively eyes. Everyday they lay flowers, sandal pasta and food before the image of Vyankatraman of Tirupati, of Vithoba of Pandharpur, of Devi of Tuljapur, of Ganpati, of Khandoba of Jejur in Pune, and of Maruti, and keep all Hindu fasts and feasts. Their priest is a Telangi Brahman who lives in Pune, and visits their villages once a year, but does not take food at their hands. He officiates at their marriages and receives a yearly tribute in money from each of his followers. In his absence, local Brahmans are asked to take his place at their ceremonies and are much respected. They make pilgrimages to Jejuri in Pune, Pandharpur in Sholapur and Tirupati in North Arkot. They are bound together by a strong caste feeling and settle social disputes, at meeting of caste-men. Smaller breaches of social rules are punished with fine and graver offences are referred to their religious teacher Krishnacharya whose decision is final and is obeyed on pain of loss of caste.