Oswal/Rajasthani/Jain/Gujarati/Marwari
Hans Raj Nahata
Greetings!
If you are not an Asian Indian (origin),
please skip this posting.
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Friends, if you are an Oswal/Rajasthani/Jain/Gujarati/Marwari
please visit the Home page for The Oswal Samaj of North America
at,
http://www.cs.rutgers.edu/~hnahata/oswal/index.html
Presetnly we are updating Oswal Samaj Directory. If you have moved
recently to tri-state area or are new to this country, or otherwise,
please send me an e-mail for more info at,
Regards
--hans
(914)-644-2719
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Text of http://www.cs.rutgers.edu/~hnahata/oswal/index.html
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Welcome to The Oswal Samaj of North America
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[Image] Friends, we are updating our Oswal Samaj Directory. If you are an
Oswal and resident in North America, please contact us ASAP.
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We, The People
Reach Out Form
Coming Events
Contact Information
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[Image]Mail your suggestions to Hans Raj Nahata.
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We, The People
"Are you an Oswal?" For many second generation Oswals in North America, this
question is no easier to answer than "Is there life after death?" A typical
reply will be "I don't know."
In fact, many first generation Oswals in North America, or for that matter
Oswals in India, are unaware of their origin and history.
So, how do you tell if you are an Oswal? The only sure way to tell is to ask
your parents. Here are some clues however. Almost all Oswals are Jains by
religion, even though not all Jains are Oswals. All Oswals originally came
from the State of Rajastan in India, even though many families have settled
in other parts of India as well as abroad.
The next logical question is, of course, when and where did Oswals
originate? According to historians, about 2,500 years ago, many Kshtriyas in
Upkeshpattan adopted Jainism as their religion. These new Jains were knows
as Mahajan and later became known as Oswals.
Upkeshpattan was a newly established but large city at the time. Today, it
is a small town with a population of a few thousand, and is known as Osiya.
Although Oswals originated there, there are no Oswal-families living in
Osiya today.
For geographically curious minds, Osiya is located about 32 miles northwest
of Jodhpur. There is an ancient Mahaveer temple in Osiya, the construction
of which is linked to the origin of Oswals. After centuries of neglect, this
temple was renovated about a century ago, and has been renovated again
recently. A Jain hostel and school have also been established in Osiya,
where about 500 students currently study.
While the initial batch of Mahajans or Oswals came from the
Kashtriya-families, they were lated joined by people from other varnas. Thus
the popular belief that all Oswals used to be Kshtriyas is only partially
true.
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Coming Events
Holi Gathering, March 29, Saturday, Lunch (11:00 - 4:00), Akbar Hotel,
Edison, New Jersey.
Before and after the traditional splendid lunch we will have plenty of
cultural activities for everybody; Western beats, Dandiya, Ghindad, Songs,
Tune-finding, Macarena, and so on, ... Non stop fun for 5 hours!
We cordially invite you with your family and other oswal friends to
participate and make this festive-gathering a great success. Contact us
today, right now!
Dipavali Gathering, November 1, Saturday, Dinner, Akbar Hotel, Edison, New
Jersey.
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People to contact
Hans Raj Nahata (914)-644-2719 hna...@cs.rutgers.edu
Rajiv Jain (908)-679-7473 jrj...@worldnet.att.net
Suparas Mal Nahata (908)-360-2528 --
Laxmi Chand Bhandari (908)-232-5193 lbha...@emwp.com
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