Sonar or Sunar (also spelled Suniar) is from the Sanskrit suvarnakar, meaning worker in gold. According to records from the Vishnu Purana (writings about Vishnu) the Sonar are the descendents of the youngest of five sons created by Vishnu‘s incarnation, Vishwakarama, the architect of the universe.

Another legend states that the first Sonar was used by the goddess Devi to destroy a giant demon called Sonwa Daitya, who was made of gold. The Sonar appealed to the giant demon’s vanity by suggesting that his appearance would look much better if it was polished. This meant that he had to be melted down. As a reward, Devi gave the body to the Sonar and kept his head. (This is similar to the Greek legend of Medea, who was melted down.)

They are categorized as Vaisya (traders and merchants) and rank third in the four-fold Hindu caste system. They are accepted by other castes as such. In Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Chandigarh, they classify themselves as Kshatriya, second in the hierarchy.