History
Teli is a caste traditionally occupied in the pressing of oil in India and Pakistan. Members may be either Hindu or Muslim; Muslim Teli are called Roshandaar or Teli Malik. The Jewish community of Maharashtra (called Bene Israel) was also known to be a sub-group in the Teli case called Shanivar Teli meaning Saturday oil pressers for their Jewish custom of abstention from work on Shabbat. The word Teli comes from Tel, which means oil in Marathi, Hindi, and Oriya languages. The name Teli is given because of their profession of "making edible oil". In old times, these people had their small oil mills known as kolhu or ghana operated by oxen to make or extract edible oil from oil seeds like mustard and sesame. The Teli are generally considered to by of the Vaishya (merchant) varna in Hinduism, though possibly of a lower or "less-pure" status. Other sources, however, classify them with the Shudra (cultivators),while others note that the Teli have attempted to avoid lower-classed activities and associations in an attempt to identify themselves as Vaishya.
A history of the Telis written by the Secretary of the Teli Society[when?] claimed a Vaishya origin.
Sahu is an surname belonging to the Teli caste of Vaishya varna. This is to be mentioned as a Bania sub-community or caste.
In Bengal, the Teli would be reckoned as Vaishya, along with other traders and bankers such as the Suvarnabanik, Gandhabanik, Saha, had not the Vaishya varna disappeared there.
In Rajasthan, the Teli claim Kshatriya (warrior) status, though their neighbors recognise them as Vaishya.
