Kandu

Kandu or Kanu is a caste that has been historically associated with trading activities, confectionery (sweet-making), shop-keeping, grain-parching, etc. in India and Nepal.^[1][2] One of their notable business activities is confectionery.

Sub-castes include, Madhya-deshiye, Kannaujiya, to name a few. A few surnames used by the community include, Sah, Shaw, Gupta,sahuwan. etc..

They have been associated with the states Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Nepal (Madhesi region).^{[citation needed]}

Present condition in India

The community has been given the status of OBC at the all India level and BC-I in the state of Bihar for reservation purposes.

Their population in Bihar (as per the caste survey of 2023) is around 2.21%.^[3] When it comes to political representation in Bihar and elsewhere, the community is not adequately represented. Given their population size and social standing, the community has been demanding political representation on a large scale.

Palwaiya in the Vaishali district of Bihar is considered to be a sacred place for the Kandu as it is the birthplace of Saint Ganinath,^[4][5] the kulguru of the community.

As per the Varna system, Kandus belong to the Vaishya varna in the Indian subcontinent. They are part of the Bania community in the eastern parts of India.

The community has been able to maintain its distinct identity by being a somewhat endogamous community.

Kandu in Nepal

The Central Bureau of Statistics of Nepal classifies the Kandu (called Kanu in the Nepal census) as a subgroup within the broader social group of Madheshi Other Caste.^[6] At the time of the 2011 Nepal census, 125,184 people (0.5% of the population of Nepal) were Kandu. The frequency of Kandus by province was as follows:

• Madhesh Province (2.2%)
• Lumbini Province (0.1%)
• Bagmati Province (0.0%)
• Gandaki Province (0.0%)
• Koshi Province (0.0%)
• Sudurpashchim Province (0.0%)
• Karnali Province (0.0%)

The frequency of Kandus was higher than national average (0.5%) in the following districts:^[7]

• Parsa (5.8%)
• Bara (4.8%)
• Rautahat (4.5%)
• Sarlahi (1.3%)
• Mahottari (1.1%)
• Banke (0.7%)

References

1. Herbert Hope Risley. The tribes and castes of Bengal. Harvard University. Printed at the Bengal secretariat press, 1891.
2. Sir, Baines, Jervoise Athelstane (1912). Ethnography (castes and tribes) by Sir Athelstane Baines.: With a list of the more important works on Indian ethnography by W. Siegling. Strassburg: K.J. Trübner.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
3. "2022 Bihar caste-based survey", Wikipedia, 2023-11-03, retrieved 2023-11-04
4. Bihar in Folklore Study: An Anthology. Indian Publications. 1971.
5. "Ganinath", Wikipedia, 2023-10-09, retrieved 2023-11-04
6. Population Monograph of Nepal, Volume II
7. 2011 Nepal Census, District Level Detail Report