Marwari / Agarwal
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Including among the Vaishy community, the leading Agarwal
Race is perhaps the most ancient race from the historical point of view which
has been maintaining its majority for more than a thousand years in the major
part of Northern India from Punjab to Rajasthan to Bihar. This is genraly
considered to be the highest and most important subdivision of the Banias.
The original person of Agarwal race who was founder of Agaray Republic is famous by the name of Maharaja Agarsen. The chief city of this republic was Agroha whose former remains are scattered in a wide area along Hisar-Sirsa road in Haryana in the Northwest, 13 miles from the city of Hisar. There are many rumors prevalent about Maharaja Agarsen, which indicates his time about 1300-1400B.C. But the famous archeologist and historians Late Dr.Vasudev Sharan Agarwal has discovered after research that the Ageay Republic was present at the time of Alexander and its founder Maharaja Agarsen was famous among the Lichci's of the ancient Vaishali Republic. In 600 B.C. Magadh Emperor "Azat Shatru" demolished Vaishali in a terrible war. It is said that it was the most terrible and destroying war after the battle of Maharabharat. Vaishali was again demolished twice after 150 or 200 years even after this. It is guessed that between the first and second demolition under the leader ship of Licchvi, Agrakumar. Seventeen Lichhvi of different family did not appreciate autocratic system & crossed the states governed by the king. They came in this Western Anchak and settled there. They founded an Agray Republic on the lines of the Vaishali Republic, which was governed by Agrakumar with leaders of 18 families or family representatives. These leaders also elected the head of the republic for the whole life from among them. Maharaja Agrakumar adopted the place of Maharaja Agarsen and became its first President. Another account is that the 17 sons of Agarsen married the 17 daughters of Basuki, the king of the Nagas or snakes. The Agarwals for this reason will never molest or kill a snake and some paint pictures of snakes on either side of the outside of their houses, and make offerings of fruit and flowers before them. Raja Agarsen is said to have ruled over both Agra and Agroha. The country around Delhi and Agra is their home, and the shrine of the tutelary goddess of some of the Agarwals is near Delhi in Mahaur. Like other banias they are divided into the Bisa and Dasa or 20 and 10 subdivisions, and marry amongst themselves. The Bisa rank higher than the Dasa, the latter considered to have some flaw in their pedigree, such as descent from a remarried widow. The Dasas are sometimes said to be the descendants of the maidservants who accompanied the 17 Naga princesses on their marriages to the sons of Raja Agarsen. A third division has now come into existence, the Pancha or fives. The divisions are endogamous, but a man who cannot obtain a wife from his own group will marry in a lower group. The Agarwalas are divided into 17 and a halve gotras, from the 17 sons of Agrasen. The extra half gotra is accounted for by a legend, but it probably has in reality to do with illegimate descent. The remarriage of widows is prohibited, and divorce is not recognised. The name of the family was Oogra. Perhaps Agarkumar or Maharaja Agarsen might have related to this Oogra family. Even to day name Ugrasen is general among Agarwal Jains.It is the impression that after Maharaja Agarsen this office was entrusted to other respectable or elected great man to the chief member of Aroha families.With the lapse of long period of time and due to many political changes, the one time prosperous town of Agroha was buried underneath. Since the year 1975 Archeological Department of India started digging this place with the help of Agarwal Community. On excavation of a 60 feet high mond of Agoha, 52 coins of mixed silver and copper on which there are the figures of an ox in front, the figure of lion behind or there is also a tree of Chatya have been found. There is inscribed the phrase "Janpadas Agachh of Angodh" in Brahini Lipi on the coins. According to Pandit Parmanand Shastri all above words are indicator of Angodhak and of being follower of Jainism. By excavating this maund, a statue of Jin and a statue of "Tirthankar" or "Parshavnath" with a hood has been found. Some Jain statues have also been found some years before from the fort of Hansi at the distance of five miles from Agroha. The remains of three cities have also been found on one above another of the time of the most ancient habitation and have been estimated from 5th to 3rd B.C. by the Archeologists. This city was demolished three times; its final demolition was done by 11th-12th century by Muslims invaders by means of throwing fire. After this Agroha could never be inherited and agroha families, which were known as Agarwals, spread in whole of the Northern India and at present they are living in whole of the world. This town is being developed again. Today it is a very attractive and charming pligrimage center and we feel this place must be as prosperous as it was before five thousand years ago. In the beginning Maharaja Agrasen was follower of the Sanatan Dharma and to please Lord Vishnu he performed 17 great animal Sacrifice Yagyas with the advice of Brahmin Guru. It is a rumor that during the course of 18th yagyas the younger queen Padmavati, who was the princes of Naagvansh and was called Sudravati by her second name. The Agarah families gradually gave up Kshatriya increnation adopted "Vaishya" nature In the nature of vaniks, the Agarwal's adopted the trade of such articles in which they can avoid solid violence i.e. grains, kirana, bajaja, kaserth, jewellery and mahajani etc. The Family Goddess of Agarwals is MAHALAKSHMI. The only hand written copy of "Mahalakshmi fast story" has been available from the personal library of Bhartendu Babu Harishchandra an inhabitant of Kashi. According to this book Maharaja Agrasen was the unique devotee of Goddess Mahalakshmi. He performed a severe penance with his family at the time of long time famine in the kingdom due to no rains or less rains. By pleasing the goddess Lakshmi with his meditation, he filled the kingdom with prosperity and wealth. This statement has been made in the "Peranik Rupak" method of which, the real meaning is the Maharaja Agarsen boldly faced the contrary conditions of famine and compensated the loss of rain by digging wells, tanks etc. in order to irrigate the whole kingdom and he himself labored in the construction works. Moreover, to develop the trade industry and other occupation, he tried whole-heartedly. By this meditation Maharaja Agarsen pleased the Goddess Mahalakshmi. As a result, Agoha Republic began to be counted among the leading prosperous nations. The most ancient written statement belongs to Vikrami-Sambat 1189 in which a well known Haryanavi Agarwal poet Bibuddha Sridhar has written a description of an Agarwal City Seth of Yoginipur (DELHI) in the praise of an essay poetry book in old deformed language. The historians are not known up to this time such an ancient writing of any other document of any other race including in the vaish community. It is a clear proof of this fact that among the Vaish Community Agarwal community has remained most ancient and prosperous and the Agarwal Seths have kept equal interest in earning money and composing literature and they have been patrons and guardians of the literary people. The most ancient use of Gotra with name belongs to 1302 Vikrami Sambat e.g,"Agrothkanraye Gohit Gotre..." In the writings of after time, the use of gotra with name generally appears to be made. To Dr. Swarajmani Agarwal all the writing enclosed all the Agarwal Bandhu whether they are Kuber in wealth or they are respectable famous literary man or poets were followers of Jainism. From this we conclude that it will not be wrong to say those 700-800 years before the Agarwal community or its major part was follower of Jainism. The background of the non-violence to be kind to the living animals and vegetarian seems to be a witness of this very fact. The birth anniversary of Maharaja Agarsen is celebrated on first day of Ashwin Shukla, but no historic or puranik background is available up to this time. It is said that being asked by a Purohit of an Agarwal Shreshtha that when the birth anniversary of Maharaja Agarsen should be celebrated, the wise Pandit advised that his birth anniversary on first date after Ashwin Shukla may be celebrated Perhaps, the story of Mahalakshmi fast might have beam composed by this very Purohit. Whatever the case may be, but the Birth Anniversary of original founder Maharaja Agarsen is celebrated by agarwal society on first date of Ashwin Shukla with great zeal and enthusiam. Maharaja Agarsen is regarded a symbol of racial love and cooperation. The first date of Ashwin-Shukla is assigned to his sacred memory. We wish that his ideals might always inspire Agarwal race. Our country is fortunate to give birth to such wonder person as Maharaja Agarsen about 5000 years ago. It is said that Maharaj Agrasen, the king of Agroha, was born to king Vallabh of Pratapnagar some 5182 years back. Maharaj Agrasen was king of great administrative skill. His concepts of kingdom and the duties of the king towards his subjects have evolved him as a centurial man. Equality, Nationalism, Socialism and Non-Violence were the principles which formed the backbone of his kingship. Maharaj Agrasen established the republican state of Agroha. Agroha consisted of 18 state units. The head of each state unit was given a gotra. All the residents of that particular state unit were identified by that gotra. It was maintained by Maharaj Agrasen that a nupital alliance could not take place in the same gotra. That is a girl of "Goel" gotra could not marry a "Goel boy"', but could be married in any of the other 17 Gotra. This rule enunciated by Maharaj Agrasen promoted harmony and brotherhood among all the 18 Gotra represented by state units. This facilitated promotion of unity and nationalism among the state units.
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