Wikipedia
Ganeriwala or Ganeriwals are a business family and dynasty from Rajasthan, India, a branch of the Agarwals. In terms of population, Ganeriwals are a very small group. They originate from Rajasthan; their ancestors come from a village named Ganeri in that state. Majority of Ganeriwals are from near Laxmangarh (Lacchmangarh), Mukangarh, etc. They are an aristocratic Marwari family, connected with the social and cultural history of India. The family roots from Seth Jugal Das Ganeriwala, the first member of the Ganeriwala dynasty, who was originally an Agarwal residing in Bajor.
They descend from more than 20 generations of landlords, holding the prefix of Sethji's (aristocrats) since the 16th century. Shobharam Birla, the grandfather of Raja Baldeo Das Birla, was a munim (accountant) at Great Ganeriwala firm in 1800s, before the Birlas emerged as the leading industrialists of India. The Great Ganeriwala Firm, the Great Tarachand Ghanshyamdas, (founders of Ambuja Cement) and Great Sevaram Ramrikhdas were the largest trading firms and traditional banking firms in India for centuries till 1950s Grandfather of Lakshmi Mittal worked at the Tarachand, Shobharam Birla at the Ganeriwala's and Gautam Singhania's grandfather at Sevaram Rakrishdas. This era marked the beginning of a rising Marwari community, with restraint and austerity its defining attributes. The Marwari restraint is the basis for the joke 'Kanjoos Marwari'
Ganeriwala's were local traders and by financing local Rajput rulers and the Maratha rulers, they aided in bringing the Mughal Empire down in the 1700s, and continued supporting the Maharaja's against the British Empire up till India's independence in 1947 hence obtaining the title of the great firm Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj was a frequent visitor of the Ganeriwala haveli. Wise investments in land in Shekhawati turned them into Zamindars. They expanded trading giving rise to the Great Ganeriwala firm. During the 1700s, they began using the effective Marwari accounting technique and spread out outside Shekhawati. In the 1800s they began financing Nizams of Hyderabad, lending with land as mortgage. They continued to purchase land at cheap prices from the profits of their businesses, anticipated a price raise and invested in another land with the profits; this practice allowed them to sustain wealth even while their businesses were in big losses in the early 1700s. As their trading firm flourished in the 1800s and 1900s they further increased their status as landlords when they donated an astonishing 25 acres piece of land in then central Hyderabad, a predominantly Muslim area, to build the Hindu Sitaram Bagh temple. While financing the Nizam's, they continued to hold close ties with the Maharaja's of Rajasthan till the 20th century owing to anti-British business practices.
The Great prefix was the result of the Great firm theory applied to the 3 Marwari family businesses - great Ganeriwala firm, great Tarachand (promoted by Neotia's, patriarchs of Ambuja Cement Ltd) and Sevaram, which sustained wealth with nation friendly and ethical practices over centuries. These set of families obtained sufficient support by the community and rulers to enter administration by the 1950s. Neotia's became leading agents of Burma Shell before forming Ambuja Cement.
The Ganeriwala Mandir trust comprises more than 100 communal contributions spanning a period of 5 centuries with more than 20 temples. The Sitaram Bagh temple at Hyderabad was built by Seth Puranmal Ganeriwala, in 1830s who had also built the noted Rangji temple in Pushkar in 1850. Sitaram Bagh temple is spread over 25 acres and classified as a heritage property. The Ganeriwala Mandir in Nashik was donated by mother of Seth Ram Dutt Ganeriwala over a 120-acre land. Palace like haveli's belonging to the descendants include ones in Fatehpur, Mukundgarh, Lakshmangarh, Ratnagarh and the famous Shekhavati haveli which was frequently home to warriors like Chhatrapati Shivaji while on war tours. Donations such as wells, schools and temples by the trust serve more than 15 million people as recorded in 1975.
Seth Ram Dutt Ganeriwala was a prominent banker, trader, philanthropist and landlord, building the famous Arya School of Sirsa in 1800s. Seth Puranmal Ganeriwala made several noted contributions in the form of temples, hospitals and schools in the Ganeriwala family trust. Seth Jugal Das Ganeriwala Charitable trust is based in Kolkata. Land-lordship being their primary profession for 300 years they inherit stretches of land in and out of Rajasthan including the biggest Haveli of Shekhavati (hometown of the Marwari families). The branches of the family separated and evolved to different industries from trading and traditional banking in the 1950s.