Labana (also spelled Lubana, Lavana, Lubhana; lit. 'salt trader') is a merchant and transportation community in India engaged in maritime trade and land trade, which includes trading and transportation of goods such as saltpetre, silk, diamonds, etc. In the Punjab region, during socio-economic reforms, Labanas overwhelmingly became agriculturists. The Labanas of Punjab and Haryana are mostly Sikhs and Hindus and mainly speak Punjabi or Hindi.
Etymology
The term "Labana" is believed to be a combination of two words - "lūn," meaning "salt," and "bānā," meaning "trade." The Lubanas, as a community, were deeply involved in the transportation and trading of salt. They were also occasionally referred to as Banjaras.23 The term 'Lubana' is believed to have derived from the Sanskrit word 'Lavan,' meaning salt. This connection is evident in the various historical references and cultural practices of the tribe.
History
The history of the Lavana/Labana community traces back to their association with the salt trade and transportation, which influenced their name and occupation.
Caste diaspora
Main article: Caste system in India
During the eminent reign of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, some factionalised salt trading subgroups, including the Lubana, a grand division of the nomadic Banjara community4, rose to power and apostated to the faith of Sikhism. However, This conversion led to the upliftment of their outcaste (Chandala) and scheduled caste status, enabling forward mobilisation within the paradigmatic Sikh community, though they remained dismembered from the ruling elites of the Jat-Sikh community due to their traditionally outranked hierarchical position, verging their deprived status in mainland of Punjab.
According to Kahn Singh Nabha in Mahan Kosh, the term 'Lubana' is linked to the Sanskrit word 'Lavan,' signifying salt. Members of the Lubana tribe engaged in salt trading, suggesting that their name is closely related to their traditional business activities.5
The connection between the Lubana tribe and salt-carrying is further supported by the work of Crooke. In his book Tribes and Castes of the North-Western India, Volume I, which was reprinted by Cosmo Publications in Delhi in 1974, he mentions that the Lubana tribe of Banjaras derived their name from their business of transporting salt.6
Additionally, Gurcharan Singh highlights the popularity of a game called 'lun - Miani' among the Lubanas until 1947 AD. This game likely originated from their historical association with salt-carrying as it reflects their occupation in its name and nature.7
Over the centuries, the Lubana community has evolved and diversified, engaging in various other professions and adapting to changing times. However, the historical connection to the salt trade remains an essential aspect of their identity and heritage.
India
The Labana community, often reconsidered a lower caste in prehistoric times, is believed by some to trace its origination from the concubinary interrelation or secondary illegitimate partners of the wide-ranging Jat community. Certain enrolees of Indic academia have attempted to confirm this connection with the nomadic practitioner, who exhibited the region of Sindh, during the Aryan invasion. However, despite their lower social standing in Pre-independent Punjab in British India, the Lubana caste , which is sometimes categorised with the Banjaras,8 has now been recognised as a Backward class9 in modern times, cognisant reflecting within elevation of their Prefigurative social status, mostly in the Indian states of Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan10
The Banjara were a salt-carrying and salt-trading community in Punjab. Over time, they transitioned from their merchant work and shifted towards agriculture as their primary profession, becoming a landholding community since the times of Maharaja Ranjit Singh.11 The Labanas perform religious events with their own rituals.12
List of Lubanas
Main article: List of Labanas
The Lavana are an endogamous community. They have eleven exogamous clans mentioned below:
- Dharawat
- Dhogan
- Multani
- Sandlas
- Basi
- Gundalia
- Datnawat
- Anderia
- Tageria
- Kalchana
- Baluda
- Lakhrond
- Bakrea
All these clans have equal status.13
The community is traditionally associated with saltpetre trading, but many are now[when?] farmers, agricultural and traders.
See also
External links
References
"Balwinder heads Labana Samaj Sudhar Sabha". Daily Excelsior. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2023. https://www.dailyexcelsior.com/balwinder-heads-labana-samaj-sudhar-sabha/ ↩
"A Conference Of Labana-Banjara-Sikligar And Saltmaker Community - Goar Banjara". Retrieved 4 July 2021. https://goarbanjara.com/conference-labana-banjara-sikligar-saltmaker-community/ ↩
Singh, Jaswant (9 September 2015). "The Lubanas In The Punjab Social Economic And Political Change 1849-1947 : Jaswant Singh : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive". Internet Archive. Retrieved 30 July 2023. https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.382667 ↩
Kumar, Raj (2008). Encyclopaedia of Untouchables Ancient, Medieval and Modern. Gyan Publishing House. p. 380. ISBN 978-81-7835-664-8. The term Labana appears to be derived out from lun (salt) and bana means trade, and the lubana, Lobana or libana was doubtless the great salt-carrying and salt trading caste as the Banjara was the general carrier in former times. Indeed the Labanan is occasionaly called a Banjara. 978-81-7835-664-8 ↩
Singh, Kahan (1960). Ourushabad Ratnakar Mahan Kosh (PDF). Punjab Languages Department, Patiala. p. 793. http://old.sgpc.net/CDN/Mahankosh.pdf ↩
Crooke, William (1974). Tribes and Castes of the North-Western India, Vol I. Cosmo Publications, Delhi. p. 159. ↩
Singh, Gurcharan (1975). Makhan Shah Lobana. Sujlana Publishers, Jullundur. p. 199. ↩
Vanyajāti (in Hindi). Bharatiya Adimjati Sevak Sangh. 1987. p. 19. Labana, Charan, Boipari, Sugali, Gavara, Nat, Badi, Bajigar, Baladia, adania etc., they all prefer to be called as the original generic name 'Banjara" https://www.google.co.in/books/edition/Vanyaj%C4%81ti/c_htAAAAMAAJ?hl=en ↩
Welfare, Punjab (India) Evaluation Committee on (1966). Report of the Evaluation Committee on Welfare, Regarding the Welfare of Scheduled Castes, Backward Classes and Denotified Tribes in Pubjab State. Secretary to Government Punjab Welfare Department. p. 74. Lubans communities were declared as backward from 1956-57 and concessions under the State Harijan (Educational) Welfare Schemes wereextended to them. https://books.google.co.in/books?id=wyblAAAAMAAJ&q=lubana+are+under+the+backward+class+have&dq=lubana+are+under+the+backward+class+have&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiwnP7vzuSNAxVtUWwGHTOBEZEQ6AF6BAgIEAM#Lubana ↩
"OBC status: BJP congratulates Labana community". The Tribune. Retrieved 9 June 2025. BJP state general secretary Dr Narinder Singh congratulated the members of the Labana community of the state for getting Other Backward Class (OBC) status. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/archive/community/obc-status-bjp-congratulates-labana-community-334654/ ↩
Dass, Arvind (2002). Caste System: Caste commentaries and documentation. Dominant Publishers and Distributors. ISBN 978-81-7888-029-7. 978-81-7888-029-7 ↩
"कुशलगढ़: लबाना समाज का धार्मिक आयोजन, 43 डिग्री तापमान पर सिर पर कलश लेकर निकली महिलाएं" [Kushalgarh: Religious event of Labana Samaj, women came out with urns on their head at 43 degree temperature]. Zee News (in Hindi). 16 April 2022. Retrieved 30 July 2023. https://zeenews.india.com/hindi/india/rajasthan/banswara/religious-event-of-labana-society-women-came-out-with-an-urn-on-their-head-at-43-degree-temperature/1154440 ↩
People of India Rajasthan Volume XXXVIII Part Two edited by B.K Lavania, D. K Samanta, S K Mandal & N.N Vyas pages 580 to 583 Popular Prakashan ↩