Vaishya Vani
Vaishya Vani is a sub-caste of Vaishyas, one of the varnas of Hinduism.They are traditionally traders and merchants and are found mainly in the Indian regions of Konkan, Goa, some parts of coastal and central Karnataka, and Kerala. In Konkan there were also regional Vani communities, like Kudali, Sangameshwari and Patne. In Goa, they speak dialects of the Marathi and Konkani. In Gujrat they are known as Vaishnav or Vaishnav Vanik.
During the Goa Kadamba period they were known as Banajigas who were engaged in trade. The reference to these Banajigas from Savoi Verem, Narve, Khandepar, Kapilagram, Bandivade and Taligram are mentioned in Khandepar copper plate of 1358 CE.
OBC status was given to Vaishya Vanis in 2008, which later got removed in 2011. At present some Vaishya Vanis fall under OBC and some under General category.
