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The Balai, Raj Balai, Balahi, or Bunkar are a people and an Indian caste. They live in the Indian states of Rajasthan, Punjab, Maharashtra, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.[1][2][3]

Balais are generally Hindus.[2][3][4][5] The official categorization of the caste varies from state to state as a scheduled caste or other backward caste.[6][7][8][9]

Balais speak languages including Nimadi, Dhundari, Marwadi, Punjabi, Kashmiri and Gujarati.[10]

According to the 2011 census of India, there are 2,668,000 Balais in India.[11]

Balais as weavers

The Balai caste is a functional caste of weavers; historically, they were engaged in the work of weaving.[12][13][14]

“Balai” is a transliteration of the Hindi word बुनाई, which means “weaving“.[4][12] They are also known as “Bunkar”, meaning “weaver”.[12][13][14]

In the varna system, Balais belong to the vaishya.[15][16][17]

Raj Balais

Historically, the Raj Balais were royal messengers. They used to convey messages from one kingdom to another in ancient times.[when?] Raj means royal; therefore, Balais who engaged in such royal services were called Raj Balais.[3]

Beliefs

Balais are generally Hindus. They are devotees of Durga, Chamunda and Kalaratri;[18] they consider Kalaratri as their kuladevi (tutelary deity).[19] They also pay tribute to Ramdev Pir.[19] Balais are divided into a number of gotras, including Chouhan, Rathore, Parihar, Parmar, Solanki, Brejwal, Bunker,[3] Marichi, Atri, August, Bhardwaj, Matang, Dhaneshwar, Mahachand, Jogchand, Jogpal, Meghpal, Garva, and Jaipal.[20] Balais do not marry within their families or their gotra.[21] They live in multi-caste villages, and they bury their dead.[22][failed verification]

Balais are traditionally non-vegetarian as they believe in bali (animal sacrifice). As part of worshiping Kalaratri, Balai perform animal sacrifices.[21][23]

Jainism

In 1964, Jain Shravak Sangha preached to the Balai, near Ratlam, in the village Guradia. Sangha gave Dharampal Jain Samaj to the Balai in the name of Dharmanatha.[24][25]

Around 125,000 people of the Malviya and Gujarati Balai communities are Dharampal Jains.[as of?][24][25]

Associations with other peoples

Sometimes, the Balai are referred to as Julaha or Meghwal.[19][26] Originally,[when?] most Balais associated themselves with the Meghwal community.[27][28][29]

In the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat, the Balai are associated with the Meghwal people due to their various cultural similarities; for example, both engage in the work of handicrafts and embroidery.[27][30][31]

References

  1. ^ Nesfield, John Collinson (1885). Brief View of the Caste System of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh: Together with an Examination of the Names and Figures Shown in the Census Report, 1882, Being an Attempt to Classify on a Functional Basis All the Main Castes of the United Provinces, and to Explain Their Gradations of Rank and the Process of Their Formation. 28th February, 1885. North-Western Provinces and Oudh Government Press.
  2. ^ a b Singh, K. S. (1996). Communities, Segments, Synonyms, Surnames and Titles. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-0-19-563357-3.
  3. ^ a b c d General, India Office of the Registrar (1962). Census of India, 1961. Manager of Publications. p. 14.
  4. ^ a b Mayer, Adrian (28 July 2023). Caste and Kinship in Central India: A Village and its Region. Univ of California Press. ISBN 978-0-520-31349-1.
  5. ^ Tilonia®. “Artisans”. Tilonia®. Retrieved 9 December 2025.
  6. ^ Proceedings of the British Academy. British Academy. 2010. ISBN 978-0-19-726451-5.
  7. ^ Kumar, Ashutosh (December 2016). Rethinking State Politics in India: Regions Within Regions. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-315-39145-8.
  8. ^ Devi, Rama (21 March 2025). Caste and Emancipatory Quest: Ethnography of Dalits in an Urban Neighborhood. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-96-0832-4.
  9. ^ Sahgal, Kelsey Jo Starr and Neha (29 June 2021). “Measuring caste in India”. Pew Research Center. Retrieved 19 June 2025.
  10. ^ “Regional Languages”. Legislative Department of India. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
  11. ^ “Census of India 2011: Population, Literacy, Density, Sex Ratio and other information”. Education for All in India. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 9 February 2024.
  12. ^ a b c Nesfield, John Collinson (1885). Brief View of the Caste System of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh: Together with an Examination of the Names and Figures Shown in the Census Report, 1882, Being an Attempt to Classify on a Functional Basis All the Main Castes of the United Provinces, and to Explain Their Gradations of Rank and the Process of Their Formation. 28th February, 1885. North-Western Provinces and Oudh Government Press.
  13. ^ a b Commissioner, India Census (1902). Census of India, 1901: North-Western Frontier Provinces and Oudh (3 v.). Office of the Superintendent of Government Printing, India.
  14. ^ a b Cittauṛagaṛha (in Hindi). Javāhara Kalā Kendra. 1994.
  15. ^ “9. Caste System in Ancient India”. Florida State College at Jacksonville Pressbooks.
  16. ^ Moulik, T. K. (1982). Deogarh’s Profiles: Rural Development for Rural Poor. Centre for Management in Agriculture, Indian Institute of Management.
  17. ^ “Harish Chandra Bunkar Balai vs The Board Of Revenue Ajmer And Ors”. latestlaws.com. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
  18. ^ “Hinduism Basics”. Hindu American Foundation. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  19. ^ a b c Singh, K. S. (1998). People of India: Rajasthan (2 pts.). Popular Prakashan. ISBN 978-81-7154-766-1.
  20. ^ Bhartiya, Ranjeet (25 July 2023). बलाई समाज गोत्र,सामाजिक संरचना में गोत्रों की महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका है. Jankari Today. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  21. ^ a b “Hinduism Doctrine and Beliefs”. Hindu Council of Australia. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  22. ^ Naik, Shambhavi (8 February 2020). “The scientific argument for marrying outside your caste”. ThePrint. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  23. ^ “7. Religious practices”. Pew Research Center’s Religion & Public Life Project. 29 June 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2023.
  24. ^ a b जैन संत की प्रेरणा से देशभर में मालवीय और गुजराती बलाई समाज के सवा लाख लोगों ने छोड़ा दुर्व्यसन. bhaskar.com.
  25. ^ a b Śānti (Muni.) (1982). Antarpatha ke yātrī Ācārya Śrī Nāneśa (in Hindi). Śrī A. Bhā. Sādhumārgī Jaina Saṅgha.
  26. ^ Commons, Great Britain Parliament House of (1900). House of Commons Parliamentary Papers: Bills. H.M. Stationery Office.
  27. ^ a b Singh, K. S. (1993). The Scheduled Castes. Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-0-19-563254-5.
  28. ^ Snodgrass, Jeffrey G. (10 August 2006). Casting Kings: Bards and Indian Modernity. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-804140-5.
  29. ^ Singh, Kumar Suresh (1998). People of India: India’s communities. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-563354-2.
  30. ^ Hiltebeitel, Alf (May 1999). Rethinking India’s Oral and Classical Epics: Draupadi Among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978-0-226-34050-0.
  31. ^ Patel, Vibhuti; Mondal, Nandita (25 March 2022). Gendered Inequalities in Paid and Unpaid Work of Women in India. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-981-16-9974-0.