Tags: Ethnic Group.
The Bania (otherwise known as Baniya Vani and Vania) is an occupational community of merchants bankers money-lenders dealers in grains or in spices and in modern times numerous commercial enterprises. The term is used in a wider sense in Bengal than it is elsewhere in India where it is applied to specific castes such as the Agarwals Baranwals Maheshwaris Oswals and Porwals.[citation needed]