Oshwal Association of the UK

OAUK > History > The Oshwal Ancestry

The origin of the name "Oshwal" is probably tied to a small village in the Indian State of Rajasthan named Ossiya. There was once a large city at the site of Ossiya. The ancient names by which this city was known at various times were Uplesh Pattan, Urkesh, Melpur Pattan and Navmeri.
According to an Uplesh publication written in 14th Century, Shree Ratna Prabhu Shvarji, the 7th Acharya in the line of Shree Parshvanath's sect, came here with his five hundred disciples in year 70 after Mahavira's Nirvana. King Upaldev and his very able minister Uhad ruled the city at that time. After receiving proper guidance from Acharya, the King, his minister and more than thousand Rajput soldiers gave up alcohol and meat and adopted Jainism. The Acharya gave this group the name Oshwals. Thus, a new Jain sect of Oshwal Gaccha, the ancestors of the Oshwal community, came into existence.

However, according to another publication "Ossiya Vir Stavan" written in 1721 by Naya Pramod, a disciple of Hir Udya, the city of Ossiya was founded in 1011 and the conversion by Acharya took place in 1017. But in the historical documents published in the city of Bhinmal, it is mentioned that Minister Uhad left Bhinmal and founded the city in year 70 after Mahavira’s Nirvana. Also, in the documents available from city of Korta there is a mention of a conversion of a large group to Jainism by Acharya Shree Ratna Prabhu Suri Shvarji in Ossiya in the year 70 after Mahavira’s Nirvana.

Therefore, from the several historical accounts, it appears that Acharya Shree Ratna Prabhu Suri Shvarji, a leader of Lord Parshvanath’s sect, established the Oshwal Gaccha in the year 70 after Bhagvan Mahavira’s Nirvana.

Around 10th or 12th century AD, because of adverse natural conditions, a small number of these Oshwal Mahajans left the village of Ossiya in search of better life and migrated to Sindh - what now is called West Pakistan. The conditions in Sindh were not any better. So, they continued the migration southwards into Kutch, now a part of the State of Gujarat and settled in Vagad district. Later on, some moved to Kanthi district.