About Oshwals
Oshwals are a social group of people, with ties both geographical and religious and a history that dates back to thousands of years. The origin of the name Oshwal is tied to a small village in the Jodhpur District of Indian State of Rajasthan called Osianor Ossiya, where legend says a Jain monk came to settle with his followers in 457BC. The holy man, Jain Acharya Ratnaprabha Suri, the seventh successor Acharya of Jain Tirthankar Parshvanatha, grew the Oshwal community when the residents in and around the village converted to Jainism.
Over the many years, several smaller Jain communities have merged into the Oshwal community and the community grew into the neighbouring Indian states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Punjab. Many settled predominately in the Halar region of Gujarat. Although the group are mainly Jains, following the Svetambara tradition, Oshwals also include Digambar Jains and Hindus Vaishnavites.
The last two decades have been called the Halari Visa Oshwal glory days. The community has prospered and have produced several business leaders, artists and scientists including the pioneer of India’s atomic and space research programmes, Vikram Sarabhai. Halari Oshwals also play a prominent role in East Africa and the United Kingdom where they support the building of educational, social and medical endeavors.
History of the Halari Oshwals:
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According to legends, Jain Acharya Shree Ratna Prabhu Suriji arrived at Osianor Ossiya, a small village in the Indian state of Rajasthan, in 457 BC. with his five hundred disciples, 70 years after Mahavira’s Nirvana.
King Upaldev ruled the city at that time. After receiving proper guidance from Acharya, the King, his ministers, and soldiers gave up alcohol and meat and adopted Jainism. The Acharya gave this group the name Oshwals or Oswals. Thus, a new Jain corps called the Oswal Gaccha, the ancestors of the Oswal community, came into existence.
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Because of religious and political persecutions, and difficult economic conditions, a large contingent of Oshwals moved from Rajasthan to Sindh (which is now in Pakistan) around tenth century while some moved to Punjab and Cutchh.
Again the conditions in Sindh became hostile for Oshwals so a mass migration of Oshwals from Sindh to Cutchh took place in sixteenth and seventeenth century.
Some of them, after a stay of merely 25 years, moved to Halar region in with Jam Rawal.
The history of Halari Visa Oshwals begins from the period when Jam Rawal conquered several small kingdoms in Kathiawad and formed a vast kingdom with Jam Khambhalia, and later Jamnagar, as its capital. He provided land for settlement of Oshwals in 52 villages of Halar region.
Oshwals in Halar region faced adverse environment as the land and the weather conditions were not conducive for agriculture. Therefore some people went to other parts of India mainly Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Madhya Pradesh and Hydrabad.
At the end of nineteenth century, under British India, drought and adverse economic conditions forced a few young men to venture and migrate to Madagascar and East Africa to help in railyway construction. Most of these early pioneers, stayed back and worked as farm hands.
Halari Oshwals continued to migrate to East Africa until 1950’s driven by word of month and stories that came with letters to relatives back in India. New educated migrants managed to obtain skilled jobs and a few opened up businesses.
When the three East African countries became independent in early 1960’s, indigenous nationals of these countries were encouraged to take over small- and mid-sized businesses owned by Indians including Halari Oshwals.
Most of the Halari Oshwals moved to the United Kingdom and a few re-settled in India. The number of Halari Oshwals in the United Kingdom has continued to grow as migration from East Africa has continued for several reasons such as better opportunities both in business and professional fields and better education facilities.
In early 1960’s, a small number of professional Halari Oshwals from India and East Africa started settling in the United States of America and Canada and the number of Halari Oshwals in these countries is growing. Halari Oshwals are also settling in Australia and other parts of the world for better opportunities.
In Australia, the first wave of Oshwals arrived in the metropolitan areas of Sydney and Melbourne. Now there are large numbers moving to West Australia and Queensland.
