Marwari

a group of traders and usurers originating in Marwar and other principalities of Rajasthan (India); the term is also applied to members of the community. In the 16th and 17th centuries the Marwari settled throughout northern India, supporting themselves especially through tax farming in the Mogul Empire. In the 19th century the Marwari amassed great amounts of capital through trade and banking. In the 20th century the Marwari transferred their acquisitions into industry. They formed a number of leading monopolistic associations of India, including the Birla and Jain companies. Today, they continue to be united by economic, particularly credit, ties and by caste-community institutions and traditions.