What is "banai"

Banai is an Israeli and Persian surname. It may refer to the following people:

• The well-known Banai family of actors and musicians:
  • Ehud Banai
  • Elisha Banai
  • Eviatar Banai
  • Gavri Banai
  • Hayim Banai
  • Meir Banai
  • Ori Banai
  • Orna Banai
  • Ya’akov Banai
  • Yossi Banai
  • Yuval Banai
• Hossein Banai, a director of Iran Scouting

It may also refer to:

• Banai, Bangladesh
• Banai (goddess), Hindu goddess
• Banai (tribe), a sub-tribe of Koch, India

Category:Hebrew-language surnames

The Banai is a sub-tribe of the Koches, a tribe of India. The Banai finds mention in the census report of 1891, which states about the sub-communities of the Koches as follows (of the Koch Garo Hills). Six sections are recorded namely Harigaya, Satparia, Dasgaya or Banai, Chapra, Wanang, Tintekiya which rank in order in which named. The first five are said to be named after the places where they formerly resided, and the last, or Tintekiya, from the dress of the women, who wear one cloth round the waist, another over the body and the third on the head.

The term "Dasgaya" actually refers to the areas on the southern tract of Garo Hills of Meghalaya and includes the villages Batabari, Kapasipara, Gasuapara, Jatrakona, Makkabaripara (etc.), which had been inhabited by the Banai since ancient times. These areas are still referred to as Daskaniya or Dasgaya by the oldest living people of the area.

The linguist G.A. Grierson noted the six sections of the Koches of Garo Hills as being: Harigaya, Satparia, Dasgaya or Banai, Chapra, Wanang and Tintekiya. He believed them to be only pure Koches in existence.

B.C. Allen recorded three divisions of the Koches of Garo Hills, being Dasgaya, Harigaya and Anang.

The Anthropological Survey of India survey of the state of Meghalaya included the "Banai" as a sub-tribe of Koches of Meghalaya.

S.N. Koch, who championed the cause of the Koches for their inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list of Meghalaya states about the divisions of the Koches as follows. The groups or divisions of the Koches of Garo Hills as found now are Wanang, Harigaya or Sanga, Satparia, Chapra or Dasgaya or Margan, Tintikiya, Banai and Sankar Koch.

Banai ( , sometimes बानाई), also known as Banu (Bāṇu, बानू) and Banu- bai (Bāṇu-bāī, बानू-बाई), is a Hindu goddess and the second wife of Khandoba, a form of the god Shiva worshipped in the Deccan – predominantly in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. Khandoba is portrayed as a king of Jejuri, where his chief temple stands. Some traditions do not give her the status of a legal wife and treat her as a concubine of Khandoba.

While scriptures related to Khandoba do not mention Banai, she is a central subject of folk songs. Banai is considered as a Dhangar, a sheep herding caste, and is sometimes regarded to be of celestial origin. Oral traditions chiefly discuss the tale of her marriage to Khandoba and her conflicts with his first wife Mhalsa. Banai is an antithesis of Mhalsa; together they complete the god. Banai is generally depicted with Khandoba and often is also accompanied by Mhalsa.

Banai does not enjoy independent worship, but is worshipped as Khandoba's consort in most of his temples. She is the patron goddess of the Dhangar community and is worshipped as a protector of their herds.