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Jaina Community-A Social Survey
(iv) Poravāda :
Poravāda is one of the important castes of Baniyā Jainas. Poravādas are found mainly in Marwar, Gujarātha, Kathiawar and Cutch. There are Poravādas among the Hindus and the relations between the Hindu Poravādas (known as Mesri Por vādas ) and the Jaina Poravādas (known as Śrāvaka Poravādas ) are cordial. Among the Jainas they are found in both the sects, viz., Digambaras and Śvetāmbaras but they are mostly Śvetāmbaras.
As regards their origin it is stated that they were formerly people of Gujjara tribe who came into India along with King Kanishka and settled in Eastern Rajputana. Under the orders of King Kanishka they migrated in large numbers for the protection of Śrīmāla town in Marwar and stayed in the eastern part of Śrīmāla town. As they were living on the eastern side of the town they were named as Prāgvāta% or Poravāda. Sometimes they are wrongly called as Poravāla like Osavāla, Agaravāla, Khaņdelavāla, etc. It is also contended that the word Poravāda is derived from * Prāgvatapura' a place on the banks of the Ganges 7 or from Parevā (Padmāvatī Nagara) town.98 The Poravādas are divided into 24 gotras or exogamous sections, viz., 1. Chaudharī, 2. Kālā, 3. Dhanaghada, 4. Ratanāvata, 5. Dhanyautyā, 6. Majāvaryā, 7. Davakarā, 8. Bhādalyā, 9. Sethyā, 10. Kāmalyā, 11. Udhiyā, 12. Barkhanda, 13. Bhūta, 14. Pharakyā, 15. Labheparyā, 16. Maņdāvaryā, 17. Muniyāñ, 18. Ghāñtyā, 19. Galiyā, 20. Bhesautā, 21. Naveparyā, 22. Dānagadh, 23. Mahatā, 24. Kharadyā.99
In the beginning there were three sections among Poravādas, viz., (i) Pure Poravādas, (ii) Sorathiyā Poravādas and (iii) Kapola Poravādas.100 Later on the Poravādas were divided into Visā, Dasā and Pāñchā Poravādas according to the degree of respectability. The Visa and Dasā divisions were constituted from the days of Vastupala and Tejapāla in the 13th century A. D. and the same story like that of division of Osavālas is told. Vastupāla and Tejapāla were sons of a Poravāda father who had married a young Śrīmālī widow. Those who dined with Vastupāla and Tejapāla were known as Dasā and those who refused to dine with them as Visā.101 Visā Poravādas are mainly Jainas and Dasā Poravādas mainly Vaishnavas. Visā and Dasā Poravādas eat
