Soni (caste)
{{short description|An Indian artisan caste}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=May 2022}}
The Soni are a Hindu caste of goldsmiths found throughout India in the states of Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh.{{Cite book |last=Perez |first=Rosa Maria |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GDRWAglUumEC&dq=Soni+caste&pg=PA79 |title=Kings and Untouchables: A Study of the Caste System in Western India |date=2004 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-81-8028-014-6 |location=New Delhi, India, Asia |pages=79 |language=en}}
Present circumstances
The Soni are essentially still goldsmiths, with a few also involved in the manufacture of other items of jewellery.{{Cite book |last=Others |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fEwOQh41NZMC&dq=Soni+caste&pg=PA189 |title=Reader In Urban Sociology |date=1991 |publisher=Orient Blackswan |isbn=978-0-86311-152-5 |location=New Delhi, India, Asia |pages=189 |language=en}} Like similar Hindu castes, they are endogamous and maintain a system of clan (gotra) exogamy. The various sub-divisions of the Soni have their own caste associations, such as the Patni Soni Mandal and Shrimali Soni Mandal. They follow Vaishnavism, and many belonging to the Swaminarayan sect.
Shrimali Soni
This caste mostly found in Gujarat.{{Cite book |last1=Habib |first1=Irfan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YE9QKdrBC1wC&dq=Soni+caste&pg=PA196 |title=The Making of History: Essays Presented to Irfan Habib |last2=Panikkar |first2=K. N. |last3=Byres |first3=T. J. |last4=Patnaik |first4=Utsa |date=2002 |publisher=Anthem Press |isbn=978-1-84331-053-2 |location=New Delhi, India, Asia |pages=196 |language=en}}
See also
References
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{{Social groups of Rajasthan}}{{Ethnic groups, tribes and clans of the Punjab}}
{{Social groups of Gujarat}}
Category:Social groups of Rajasthan