Sonar Community

Sonar or Sunar was originated from a Sanskrit word suvarnakar, meaning worker in gold. According to the records from the writings about Vishnu, the Sonars are the descendants of the youngest of five sons created by Vishnu’s incarnation, Vishwakarma who is also known as the architect of the universe. It was also stated that the first Sonar was used by goddess Devi to destroy a demon called Sonwa Daitya, he was made of gold. Sonars are mainly categorized as traders and merchants. They hold the third rank in the four-fold Hindu caste system. They classify themselves as Kshatriya in Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh.

Mainly they speak the language of the area they live in like they speak Hindi in Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Whereas in Bihar and Rajasthan they speak Mewari or Marwari. The Punjabi Sonars speak Punjabi and they also write in the Gurumukhi script. As they are Hindu so beef is excluded from their non-vegetarian diet. Some Sonar of Orissa and Haryana do not even eat garlic and onion. Their diet mainly consists of rice, wheat, maize, a variety of vegetables along with some fruits. Smoking and drinking alcohol is mainly common in Men. They have a belief that drinking liquor is beneficial in neutralizing the acidic fumes they inhale while making ornaments in their profession. Sonar is considered as better money-managers and they invest money wisely. They are spread over some of the districts of North, Central and East India.

Adult marriages are arranged mainly by negotiation among the family members within the Sonar Community. Divorce is permitted but in rare situations. Mostly there are nuclear families among Sonar. And the status of women is secondary to that of men. The Sonar is mostly Hindu but some are also Sikh, Muslim, and Jains. Hindus worship Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Goddess Durga, Kali, etc.

In concluding, the Sonar is the workers in Gold and they are considered as good money managers.