The word
chunara in
Gujarati literally means someone who manufactures chuna (lime). According to their traditions, they were originally
Rajputs who migrated from
Rajasthan to
Gujarat and joined the army of the
Gaekwars of
Baroda. After having a fallout with their employer, the
Maratha ruler of Baroda, they took to manufacturing lime. A section of the Chunara then converted to Islam, and there are now distinct Chunara communities, one Hindu and the other Muslim. ==References==