Bias Brahmin

The Bias (or Vyas) are a Brahmin community found in the Indian states of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi. They trace their origin to Gujarat.^[1]

Origin

The word bias means a preacher in Sanskrit. The Bias is an umbrella term for the members of the three Gujarati Brahmin communities named Nagar, Audichya and Baarad who migrated from Gujarat centuries ago and got settled in Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan.^[2] These three sub-communities of the group intermarry.^[2] They speak Haryanvi, Punjabi, Hindi or other local dialects.^[2] In Haryana, the community is found mainly in the districts of Bhiwani, Hisar, Sonepat, Rohtak, Jhajjar and Karnal.

Present circumstances

The Bias are strictly endogamous and practice clan exogamy. Their clans are referred to as gotras, and theoretically all gotra claim descent from a respected saint or rishi. Among the larger gotras are the Gautam, Kaushik, Angira, Vashishta, Gargas, Bhargav, Bhardwaj, Parashar, Koshish, Monish, Sandal etc. that are further divided into sub-clans known as shashans.^[2] In some respects, they are regarded as the highest class of Brahmins.^[1]

The traditional occupation of the Bias is that of village priests. A small number were large landowners, but most of the community are petty landowners. Like other Brahmin groupings, they have been more successful in taking up higher education, and generally are economically well off. Nowadays, their intermarriage with Gaurs is quite common.

Surnames

The Bias use various surnames including their respective clan-names, Sharma, Pandit and Vyas.^[2] Apart from the Bias sub-communities, Vyas as a surname is used by Pushkarna Brahmins.^[3]

Notable people

• Girija Vyas, leader of the INC

References