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 (coming from Kudal in Savantwadi), Sangameshwari (from Sangameshwar in Ratnagiri) and Patne (from Patan in Satara). Most of the Vaishya Vanis from Goa belong to the Kudali Vani section.They speak dialects of the Marathi and Konkani. During the Goa Kadamba period they were known as Banajigas (merchants) 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.