[7] The Sainis of Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur districts claim to be the descendants of kings of the Yaduvanshi or Surasena lineage who ruled these kingdoms, who came to these areas to avoid forced conversion to Islam.
[9] During the British period Sainis were classified as both a statutory agricultural tribe and, later, a martial race.
[10] The latter was an administrative device based on the now-discredited theories of scientific racism: ethnic communities were categorised as being either martial or non-martial, with the latter being those who were thought to be unfit to serve in armies due to their sedentary lifestyles.
[14] Castes similar to Sainis in north India are Koeri, Kushwaha, Maurya and Shakya.
[15] According to the Anthropological Survey of India, "The Saini are endogamous community and observe exogamy at village and gotra level."