Vaishya a Hindu caste. Vaisyas occupy third position and enjoy the privileged occupation of ploughing the land, breeding animals, and carrying on trade and commerce. They were then both farmers, traders and merchants. So the keys to economic development were in their hands.

The Vaisyas were Aryans and constituted rich class who not only possessed farming land, animals and cattle but controlled trade and commerce. The Indian traders and merchants transacted trade and business not only throughout India but in the outside world also. Subsequently, various merchant classes and business communities flourished in ancient and mediaeval India.

The term 'Vaisya' is a very wide one and includes many business communities such as the Agrawal, Maheshwari, Khadelwal, Oswal, Joswal, Polwal, Das, and Mahajan. The banian and the Patel Communities of Gujrat and the Marwari Community of Marwar are rich merchants of the Vaisya caste.

A distinct and affluent caste, Vaisyas never flourished in Bengal though there have been traders and businessmen in this region since ancient times. [Hiralal Bala]