A Bhandari author from the British era says that they were traditionally active in teaching and learning, and were involved in setting up schools for all castes either in temples or outside someone's house.
[4] In 1878, the British colonial government passed a law that would enable them to control liquor market in India and maximize profit.
This provides them with certain rights under India's scheme of affirmative action, such as reservation of positions in government employment and admission to professional colleges.
[3] During the British era, M. R. Bodas, a Brahmin pleader,[8] published an article in Chitramay Jagat (1922) where he opined that Bhandari caste was of Shudra origin.
This received strong response in another article where the author claimed that the community existed from the era of Mahabharata and that the Bhandaris were originally from Rajputana and were Kshatriya converts to Jainism whose occupation was trading.