BANIANS, a religious sect in the empire of the Mogul, who believe a metempsychosis; and will therefore eat no living creature, nor kill even noxious animals, but endeavour to release them when in the hands of others.—The name of Banians is used with some diversity, which has occasioned much confusion, and many mistakes. Sometimes it is taken in a less proper sense, and extended to all the idolaters of India, as contradicting from the Mahometans: in which sense, banians include the brahmins and other casts. Banians, in a more proper sense, is restrained to a peculiar cast, or tribe, of Indians, whose office or profession is trade and merchandise: in which sense, banians stand contradicting from brahmins, cutterys, and ways, the three other casts into which the Indians are divided. The four casts are absolutely separate as to occupation, relation, marriage, &c. though all of the same religion; which is more properly denominated the religion of the brahmins, who make the ecclesiastical tribe, than of the banians, who make the mercantile. The proper banians are called, in the shaster, or book of their law, by the name of shuddery; under which are comprehended all who live after the manner of merchants, or that deal and transact for others, as brokers; exclusive of the mechanics, or artificers, who
make another cast, called ways. These banians have no peculiar sect or religion, unless it be, that two of the eight general precepts given by their legislator Bremaw to the Indian nation, are, on account of the profession of the banians, supposed more immediately to relate to them, viz. those which enjoin veracity in their words and dealings, and avoiding all practices of circumvention in buying and selling.—Some of the banians, quitting their possession, and retiring from the world, commence religious, assume a peculiar habit, and devote themselves more immediately to God, under the denomination of vertes. These, tho' they do not hereby change their cast, are commonly reckoned as brahmins of a more devout kind; much as monks in the Romish church, though frequently not in orders, are reputed as a more sacred order than the regular clergy. The name banian imports as much, in the brahmin language (wherein their law is written), as a people innocent and harmless; void of all guile; and so gentle, that they cannot endure to see even a fly or worm injured; and who, when struck, will patiently bear it, without resisting or returning the blow.—Their mien and appearance is described by Lord †, in terms a little precise, but very significant: "A people presented themselves to my eyes clothed in linen garments, somewhat low descending, of a gesture and garb, as I may say, maidenly and well nigh effeminate, of a countenance shy and somewhat estranged."—Gemelli Careri divides the banians into 22 tribes, all distinct, and not allowed to marry with each other. Lord assures us they are divided into 82 casts or tribes, correspondent to the casts or divisions of the brahmins or priests, under whose discipline they are, as to religious matters; though the generality of the banians choose to be under the direction of the two brahmin tribes, the Visalnagranagers and Vulnagranagers.
The banians are the great factors, by whom most of the trade of India is managed; in this respect, comparable to the Jews and Armenians, and not behind either, in point of skill and experience, in whatever relates to commerce. Nothing is bought but by their mediation. They seem to claim a kind of jus divinum to the administration of the traffic of the nation, grounded on their sacred books, as the brahmins do to that of religion. They are dispersed, for this purpose, through all parts of Asia, and abound in Persia, particularly at Isfahan and Combroon where many of them are extremely rich, yet not above acting as brokers, where a penny is to be got. The chief agents of the English, Dutch, and French East India companies, are of this nation: they are faithful, and are generally trusted with the cash of those companies in their keeping. They act also as bankers, and can give bills of exchange for most cities in the East Indies. Their form of contract in buying and selling, is remarkable; being done without words, in the profoundest silence, only by touching each other's fingers: the buyer loosening his pamerin, or girdle, spreads it on his knee, and both he and the seller having their hands underneath, by the intercourse of the fingers, mark the price of pounds, shillings, &c. demanded, offered, and at length agreed on. When the seller takes the buyer's whole hand, it denotes a thousand; and, as many times as he squeezes it, as many thousand pagods, or roupees, according to the species
in question, are demanded: when he only takes the five fingers, it denotes five hundred; and when only one, one hundred: taking only half a finger, to the second joint, denotes fifty; the small end of the finger, to the first joint, stands for ten.