Other Spellings : Other Spellings
Religion : Hindu
Varna : It is difficult classify Kunbis as per the Hindu caste system, because for the past many centuries they have been practicing occupations that can be a collective function of Vaishyas, Brahmins, Kshatriyas.
About Kunbis : Kunbis are basically patidars. They have taken to all types of professions in present times and have achieved high regards in diverse fields including agriculture, engineering, sports, defense, politics, medical professions, etc. This group has been making conscious efforts to maintain communal harmony within all religious groups and Hindu castes. Responsible group members have given protection to innocent regional Brahmins during the massacre resulted from assassination of Mahatma Gandhi. Many Sikhs were also given protection during the riots that occurred after the assassination of Indira Gandhi and in the recent times to regional Muslim community after Godhra Riots. In return this group has received enormous support from religious groups and all Hindu castes.
There is a great amount of confusion between words 'Kunbis' and 'Maratha-Kunbis' although surnames and social status may be same. Marathas as such a vast social class, it consists of royal clans and also farmers. Many Marathas have identified themselves as Kunbis, although some of them may belong to 96 clans of Marathas. Many Kunbis perform the Upanayana Samskara as per their family traditions. Maratha or Kunbis together constitute approximately 35% or one-third population of Maharashtra. Kunbi is a separate caste from Maratha caste.
Other Surnames : Adik, Aware, Bhalerao, Brahmankar, Bele, Bhagwat, Bhope, Chowdhary, Choudhari, Chavan, Dhone, Dange, Dongre, Dore, Desai, Dhanwate, Deshmukh, Deoskar, Deorkar, Dhamankar, Dhande,Dubey, Dhamakar, Dhadse, Geete, Gurve, Gaithonde, Gore,Gode, Gaikwad, Gedam, Gawande, Gurve, Jadhav, Junarkar, Jichkar, KhandarKadam, Kedar, Kale, Lunge, Lalke, Lambat, Misal, Mathankar, More, Mahajan, Manik, Mate, Navalkar, Naik, Nigam, Nikunj, Parimal Patel, Patil, Pawar, Pandey, Premkhede, Rode, Raut, Rane, Shinde, Sable, Sawant, Salve, Shinde, Taiwade, Thakur, Thakre, Taley, Tambe, Thape, Tope, Uparker, Wankhede, Watonde, Wagh.
It is quite common in the state of Maharashtra that these family names may be used by other castes.
Food Habits : Kunbis are basically vegetarian, although some sects have taken up non-vegetarian diet.
Marriage Preference : Prefer marriage within the community although inter-caste marriages are common between Kunbis and Marathis.
Famous Saints from the community : These include: