Indian Community • New Jersey
Rajasthani Community in New Jersey
Largest Rajasthani hub in North America • Teej Mahotsav: biggest outside India (9+ years) • Diamond District connection • Pushti Marg Haveli (Parlin) • ROAR, RANA-NJ, Agrawal Samaj USA
New Jersey is home to the largest Rajasthani/Marwari community in North America. The ROAR Teej Mahotsav at Royal Albert’s Palace in Edison — running for 9+ consecutive years — is described as the biggest Rajasthani festival celebration outside India. The community’s commercial roots run deep: Marwari merchants are explicitly documented on New York’s 47th Street Diamond District, commuting from NJ’s Indian corridor. Rajdhani Restaurant on Oak Tree Road serves Rajasthani thali; Jaipur Kitchen delivers home-style dal baati churma across Hudson County; and the Dwarkadhish Pushti Marg Haveli in Parlin — one of only 11 such temples in the US — anchors the community’s devotional life in the tradition born in Nathdwara, Rajasthan.
Last updated: March 2026 • Full Indian Community guide for New Jersey →
Why Rajasthani Families Choose New Jersey
Rajasthani and Marwari migration to New Jersey follows a pattern that is fundamentally different from other Indian immigrant communities: where Telugu and Tamil engineers followed the pharma and IT corridor, Marwaris followed trade. New Jersey’s proximity to New York City by NJ Transit and PATH train makes it the residential base for Marwari merchants who work in Manhattan’s 47th Street Diamond District — the global center of the diamond trade. The Smithsonian Institution has documented Rajasthani-speaking merchants on the Diamond District floor, and NJ’s Indian corridor towns — Edison, Iselin, Parsippany, Jersey City — are where those families live. Indian diamond firms, textile wholesale businesses, and hospitality enterprises built in NJ by Marwari entrepreneurs over the past 40 years form the commercial backbone that made this state the largest Rajasthani hub in North America.
A second driver is community density itself. NJ has four active national Rajasthani organizations with chapters or headquarters here: ROAR (Rajasthani Organization of American Residents), RANA-NJ (Rajasthan Association of North America, NJ chapter), Agrawal Samaj USA (headquartered in North Brunswick), and MMNA’s Northeast Chapter (Maheshwari Mahasabha of North America). These organizations collectively produce NJ’s Teej Mahotsav, Gangaur celebration, Rajasthan Diwas, and Mahesh Nawami — a festival calendar that mirrors Rajasthan’s own. For a Rajasthani family arriving in America, NJ is where their community already is.
The religious infrastructure reinforces the choice. The Dwarkadhish Pushti Marg Haveli in Parlin is one of only ~11 Shrinathji temples in the US — a temple serving the Pushti Marg Vaishnav tradition that originated in Nathdwara, Rajasthan and is the devotional backbone of many Marwari families. The Jain Center of New Jersey in Somerset serves the Jain subset of the Marwari community (a majority of Marwaris are Shwetambar Jains). And BAPS Akshardham in Robbinsville — the largest Hindu temple in the Western Hemisphere — was built by 2,000 artisans from Rajasthan hand-carving Italian marble into Rajasthani motifs.
Where Rajasthani Families Live in New Jersey
The Rajasthani/Marwari community does not have one dominant ethnic enclave neighborhood the way some communities do. Instead, it is organized through business networks, samaj associations, and event-based community gatherings spread across several NJ corridors. Census PUMA Hindi-speaker data guides where the community concentrates — Marwaris speak Hindi as their first lingua franca outside Rajasthan, and NJ’s Hindi-speaker data maps closely to the Marwari settlement pattern.
Edison & Iselin — The Primary Hub
Edison/Iselin is the undisputed center of Rajasthani community life in NJ. Iselin CDP has 42.6% Indian (ACS 2022)-American residents — the highest percentage of any census-designated place in the United States. The South Edison/Metuchen PUMA has 4,873 Hindi speakers (ACS 2022). Oak Tree Road — a 1.5-mile commercial strip with 400+ South Asian businesses — is where Rajasthani entrepreneurs are embedded throughout, from retail to food service to wholesale. This is where Rajdhani Restaurant operates (1667 Oak Tree Rd), where the Agrawal Samaj USA runs its annual Dushahra medical camp, and where ROAR’s Teej Mahotsav is held at Royal Albert’s Palace. The Marwari and Gujarati business communities coexist on Oak Tree Road, sharing Jain dharma, vegetarian food values, and Vaishnav devotion — cross-community marriages between Marwari and Gujarati families are common here. For new Rajasthani arrivals, Edison/Iselin is where community is densest and most visible.
Jersey City & India Square — North NJ Hub
The Jersey City North/India Square PUMA has the largest absolute Hindi-speaker concentration in NJ: 13,501 Hindi speakers (ACS 2022), representing 51% of all Indian-language speakers in that PUMA zone. India Square (Newark Avenue, Journal Square area) serves all North Indian communities including Rajasthanis. Jaipur Kitchen — the NJ-based Rajasthani home-style cooking delivery service — is headquartered in Jersey City and delivers throughout Hudson County, which reflects a genuine Rajasthani residential community in this corridor. The Shri 1008 Parshwanath Digamber Jain Temple in West New York serves Rajasthani Jain families in the Hudson County area. For Rajasthani families choosing to live closer to Manhattan — particularly those with jobs in the Diamond District — Jersey City and its surrounding Hudson County towns are the natural choice.
South Brunswick & Plainsboro — Professional Corridor
The Plainsboro/South Brunswick PUMA has 7,351 Hindi speakers (ACS 2022) — the second highest in NJ — driven by the Princeton tech and pharma corridor. Marwari professionals (not just merchants) are increasingly represented here, particularly those who came through US engineering or MBA programs rather than through the traditional family business route. The Princeton corridor’s top-ranked school districts and quieter suburban character attract professional Rajasthani families as well as the business community.
Parsippany — Vaishnav Temple Community
Parsippany has 2,980 Hindi speakers (ACS 2022) and is home to the Vrajdham Vaishnav Temple & Community Center (120 Littleton Rd), which draws Rajasthani Vaishnav families with its Krishna-devotion programming. Parsippany’s Route 46/I-287 corridor is an established Indian professional hub, and the Vrajdham temple has helped cluster a Rajasthani Vaishnav community around it.
Rajasthani Organizations
New Jersey has a remarkably dense organizational ecosystem for Rajasthanis — four national organizations with active NJ chapters or headquarters, each serving a different segment of the community. The Marwari identity in NJ is organized not around a single association but through multiple overlapping networks: state-based (RANA, ROAR), sub-community/samaj-based (Maheshwari, Agrawal, Maheshwari youth), and generation-based (RAYS for young Marwaris).
ROAR — Rajasthani Organization of American Residents
roarusa.org • EIN: 92-3803879 • President: Tarang Soni
THE flagship Rajasthani cultural organization in the tri-state area, active for 22+ years and headquartered in the NJ/NY metro. ROAR is known nationally for producing the Annual Teej Mahotsav at Royal Albert’s Palace in Edison — now in its 9th consecutive year and described as the “biggest Rajasthani festival celebration outside India.” The 8th edition (August 2024) featured Ghoomar folk dance performances, cultural pageantry, traditional dress exhibitions, and large-scale community celebration. ROAR’s mission is to unite every Rajasthani in America and educate the next generation about Rajasthani culture. For new arrivals, ROAR is the entry point into the NJ Rajasthani social scene.
RANA-NJ — Rajasthan Association of North America, New Jersey Chapter
rana-nj.org • (732) 648-1754 • Parent org: ranausa.org
The official NJ state chapter of RANA USA, the national Rajasthani umbrella organization. RANA’s mission is to bring all Rajasthanis on a single platform, preserve Rajasthani culture and heritage, and instill Rajasthani values in the younger generation. RANA celebrates Holi, Deepawali, Rajasthan Diwas (March 30), and summer picnics with NJ-specific programming. The national organization’s 26th Annual Deepawali Gala drew 400+ guests on Long Island. Note: a separate “RANA NJ” also refers to the Rajput Association of North America’s NJ chapter — these are distinct organizations; the cultural Rajasthani one is at rana-nj.org.
Agrawal Samaj USA — North Brunswick, NJ
2050 State Route 27, Suite 202, North Brunswick, NJ • +1 877 427 8720 • agrawalsamajusa.org
The most operationally active Rajasthani surname-community organization physically headquartered in NJ. The Agrawal (Agarwal) community is one of the largest Marwari sub-communities — Agrawal is among the most common Marwari surnames. Key programs include: Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti (signature annual celebration), annual free medical camp at the Dushahra Festival in Edison (running continuously since 2008), Holi celebrations, and Independence Day Parade participation. Future project: building an Agrasen Bhawan in New Jersey — a community hall that would be the first dedicated Rajasthani community building in the state.
MMNA Northeast Chapter — Maheshwari Mahasabha of North America
mmna.org • Founded 1983
Serves the Maheshwari community — a specific Rajasthani merchant sub-community (Maheshwaris are a Baniya/merchant group from Rajasthan, named after the god Mahesh/Shiva). MMNA’s Northeast Chapter is one of its most active, with the 10th Anniversary Convention held in Piscataway, NJ (1994) establishing the community’s long NJ history. Regular Northeast Chapter events: Edison Teej Celebration (August), Gangaur celebration, Rangeen Holi, Mahesh Nawami (the Maheshwari community’s signature festival honoring Lord Shiva — unique to this sub-community), Blood Drive, Golf Tournament, Game Nights. Events confirmed at Edison and East Brunswick venues. MMNA also runs RAYS (Rajasthanians Abroad Youth Samaj, founded 2005) for Marwari youth networking.
Rajasthani Temples & Houses of Worship
Dwarkadhish Temple (Pushti Marg Haveli) — Parlin, NJ
717 Washington Rd, Parlin, NJ 08859 • facebook.com/dwarkadhishtemple94 • Inaugurated November 12, 1994
The most specifically Rajasthani-tradition temple in New Jersey. This is one of approximately 11 Shrinathji / Pushti Marg temples in the entire United States — serving the Pushti Marg Vaishnav tradition that was founded by Vallabhacharya and has its living center at Nathdwara, Rajasthan. Shrinathji (a form of Krishna worshipped at Nathdwara) is the central deity. Pushti Marg is the devotional tradition most deeply embedded in Marwari and Rajasthani merchant families — families whose ancestors have worshipped in this tradition for generations. Thousands of Vaishnavs from across North America attended the 1994 inauguration. For Marwari families from the Nathdwara region or with Pushti Marg tradition, this temple is a place of genuine spiritual pilgrimage, not just convenient neighborhood worship.
Jain Center of New Jersey — Somerset
111 Cedar Grove Lane, Somerset, NJ 08873 • (732) 455-2652 • jaincenternj.org
Located on 9.6 acres off Exit 10 on I-287. Features both Digambar and Shwetambar mandirs under one roof, welcoming all Jain sects. A significant proportion of Marwaris are Jain — particularly Shwetambar Jains — and the Somerset Jain Center is the key spiritual anchor for Rajasthani Jain families in NJ’s Indian corridor. Hosts daily prayers, weekly adult and children’s classes, and special events throughout the year.
Siddhachalam Jain Tirth — Blairstown, NJ
111 Hope Rd, Blairstown, NJ 07825 • siddhachalam.org • Founded 1983
The first Jain Tirtha (pilgrimage site) established outside India. A 108-acre property featuring temples, monks’ and nuns’ residences, a library, dharamshala-style cabins for overnight stays, congregation hall, dining, and meditation trails. Siddhachalam functions as a spiritual retreat for Jains across North America, including the Rajasthani/Marwari Jain diaspora. For Jain families, this is not a neighborhood place of worship but a place for deeper spiritual retreat and family pilgrimages.
Vrajdham Vaishnav Temple & Community Center — Parsippany
120 Littleton Rd, Parsippany, NJ 07054 • vrajdhamnj.org
Vaishnav temple in Parsippany focusing on Krishna devotion, serving the Rajasthani Vaishnav community in Morris County. Functions as a community center for cultural, social, and educational activities beyond worship. Krishnaite Vaishnavism is the shared devotional tradition of Marwari and Rajasthani communities, making this temple a natural community gathering point for Parsippany-area families.
BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham — Robbinsville, NJ
1, Robbinsville, NJ 08691 • usa.akshardham.com • Opened October 2023
The largest Hindu temple in the Western Hemisphere (183 acres). While BAPS is a Gujarati-origin Vaishnav tradition, the temple was constructed with 2,000 artisans from Rajasthan who hand-carved Italian marble into Rajasthani architectural motifs over 12+ years. Marwari families visit in large numbers given the temple’s grandeur, accessibility, and shared Vaishnav devotional foundation.
Rajasthani Festivals in New Jersey
Teej Mahotsav — Royal Albert’s Palace, Edison (Annual, August)
ROAR’s annual Teej Mahotsav is the crown jewel of the NJ Rajasthani calendar — now in its 9th consecutive year and explicitly described as the “biggest Rajasthani festival celebration outside India.” Held at Royal Albert’s Palace, Edison (NJ’s premier South Asian event venue), the event features Ghoomar folk dance performances (Rajasthan’s signature women’s folk dance with swirling ghaghra skirts), cultural pageantry, traditional dress exhibitions, and full community celebration. Teej is THE signature Rajasthani women’s festival — celebrating marital happiness, the monsoon, and the goddess Parvati. Married women fast and pray for their husbands’ well-being; the festival is held in Shravan month (July–August). Organized jointly by ROAR and Jhoom Events.
Gangaur — Tri-State Rajasthani Community (Spring)
Gangaur celebrates the goddess Gauri (Parvati) and marital bliss. Women make clay idols of Gauri and Isar (Shiva) and perform puja for 18 days — in Rajasthan, the procession includes elephants, chariots, and palanquins. In NJ and the tri-state area, the community organizes gatherings and pujas. MMNA’s Northeast Chapter organizes a Gangaur celebration in the Edison corridor. PARAM (Philadelphia Rajasthani Mandal USA) co-organizes a large tri-state Gangaur Festival in the Philadelphia area, drawing NJ Rajasthanis. Organized by RANA affiliates.
Rajasthan Diwas (March 30) & Other Events
- Rajasthan Diwas (March 30) — Rajasthan Foundation Day, co-organized by RANA NJ and NY chapters. The 2025 event was held at the Consulate General of India in New York and featured a virtual performance by Anwar Hussain (Bollywood Maharaja Band, Paris). NJ community members attend in force.
- Mahesh Nawami — MMNA Northeast Chapter’s signature Maheshwari community festival honoring Lord Shiva. Unique to the Maheshwari sub-community. Held annually in the Edison/East Brunswick corridor.
- MMNA Rangeen Holi — Color festival organized by MMNA Northeast Chapter, Edison area. Known as a particularly vibrant celebration.
- RANA Annual Holi & Picnic — RANA-NJ organizes spring Holi celebrations and summer picnics for the broader NJ Rajasthani community.
Rajasthani Food & Restaurants
Rajasthani cuisine is vegetarian-heavy, ghee-forward, and deeply spiced — a desert-region food culture where preservation and flavor go hand in hand. The signature dishes are dal baati churma (lentil soup with baked wheat balls dipped in ghee, and a sweetened crushed wheat dessert), gatte ki sabzi (gram flour dumplings in yogurt gravy), ker sangri (dried desert berries and beans), and ghevar (the signature festival sweet for Teej). On Oak Tree Road in Edison, NJ, Rajasthani cuisine is present alongside Gujarati thali — the two traditions share vegetarian values and appear side by side in the state’s Indian restaurant scene.
Rajdhani Restaurant — Edison
1667 Oak Tree Rd, Edison, NJ 08820 • (908) 222-9799 • rajdhaninj.com • Tue–Fri 11:00 AM–10:00 PM (closed Monday)
The confirmed sit-down Rajasthani thali destination in NJ, located directly on Oak Tree Road. Menu features the Rajasthani Thali (dal baati churma, two vegetable dishes, garlic chutney, pickle) and a Rajdhani Thali (Kathiyawadi style with assorted bread, vegetables, kadhi, khichadi, dhal dhokli). Pure vegetarian. One of 39+ reviewed establishments on Yelp in this corridor. The closest thing NJ has to a dedicated Rajasthani restaurant experience.
Jaipur Kitchen — Jersey City & NJ Delivery
jaipurkitchennj.com • Weekly delivery service based in Jersey City
The only NJ business specifically branded as Rajasthani home cooking. Jaipur Kitchen operates as a weekly meal kit delivery service — not a sit-down restaurant. New menu every Sunday; orders by Thursday; delivery on Sundays. Signature offering: dal baati churma tasting menu (five-lentil daal, ghee-dipped baati wheat dumplings, cardamom-saffron churma). Strict vegetarian; low oil, cream, and butter ethos — authentic Rajasthani home cooking style. Delivers to Jersey City, Hoboken, West New York, Edgewater, Harrison, Secaucus, Hackensack, Fort Lee, North Bergen, Nutley, Bayonne, Lodi, North Brunswick, New Brunswick, Matawan, Marlboro, Old Bridge, Parsippany, Morristown, and Edison (by request). An essential service for Rajasthani families in Hudson County who want home-style cooking without cooking it themselves.
Grocery & Specialty Shopping on Oak Tree Road
Oak Tree Road (Edison/Iselin) is the primary grocery hub for NJ’s Rajasthani/Marwari community. Key stores:
- Apna Bazar — 1700 Oak Tree Rd, Edison. One of NJ’s largest Indian grocery chains; carries full range including Haldiram’s
- Patel Brothers — 1681 Oak Tree Rd, Edison. National Indian grocery chain
- India Grocers — indiagrocersnj.com, Edison corridor
- Bombay Cash & Carry, Sriram Traders, Panchvatee Food Mart — all Edison/Iselin area
Haldiram’s — founded in Bikaner, Rajasthan in 1937 — is THE Rajasthani pantry staple brand in the US, widely available at all major Indian grocers on Oak Tree Road. Its namkeen (savory snacks), bhujiyas, and sweets are the first thing most Rajasthani families stock at home. Key Indian jewelry stores for Rajasthani bridal shopping: aabhushan Jewelers (described as largest Indian jewelry store in NJ, GIA diamonds, 22KT gold), Malabar Gold & Diamonds (1348 Oak Tree Rd, Iselin), Maaya Fine Jewels (Iselin, Palanpuri Jain family, uncut diamond specialty), and CaratLane (Tata Group, Iselin).
Rajasthani Arts, Dance & Culture
Ghoomar Dance
Ghoomar is the defining traditional dance of Rajasthan — originally from the Marwar region and the Bhil tribe, adopted across all Rajasthani communities. Women wear swirling ghaghra (skirts) and move in expanding and contracting circles; the dance is performed at weddings, Teej, Gangaur, and Holi. The 2017 Bollywood film Padmaavat brought Ghoomar to global attention. In NJ, Ghoomar is the centerpiece of ROAR’s annual Teej Mahotsav at Royal Albert’s Palace — community members and cultural troupes perform it as the festival’s signature cultural act. No NJ-specific dedicated Ghoomar dance school was identified; instruction is available through broader Indian classical/folk dance studios in NJ.
Rajasthani Folk Music
RANA NJ events have featured Anwar Hussain (Bollywood Maharaja Band from Paris), a noted Rajasthani and world music performer. Rajasthani folk music traditions — including the Maand style (the courtly classical tradition of Rajasthan) and Manghaniyar musicians (hereditary folk musicians of the Thar desert) — are performed at major NJ events by visiting artists from India and the Rajasthani diaspora in Europe.
Data Sources
U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (2022 5-Year Estimates) • Community organization websites and direct verification • Local school district enrollment data • Zillow and Apartments.com (rent estimates) • Glassdoor and BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (salary data) • Redfin (home price data). Community population estimates reflect available Census language data combined with organization-reported figures. Read our full research methodology →