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What are Gram beans?

During British Raj, they coined the term 'Gram' to identify popular dried pulse commodities. These are whole seeds with seed-cover intact
- Bengal Gram: Desi Chana, whole un-peeled seed
Decorticated split Bengal Gram is also called Yellow Gram
- Red Gram: Arhar, whole un-peeled seed
The Red in the name referred to the color of the flower before pod is formed. The seed-coat color is greenish brown
- Black Gram: Urad, whole un-peeled seed
Decorticated split Black Gram was called 'White Lentils'
- Green Gram: Moong, whole un-peeled seed
Decorticated split Green Gram was called Yellow lentil
- Horse Gram: Kulthi, whole un-peeled seeds. Kulthi was as a feed for horses. Therefore, Kulthi was named Horse Gram
British were familiar with another popular pulse in India called as Mattar. British knew it as 'Garden pea'. so they named Mattar as 'Green Pea'. British were familiar with Lentils. They left Masoor to be called as Brown Lentil.
There are three yellow colored decorticated seeds: Chana Dal (Bengal Gram), Arhar Dal (Red Gram), and Moong Dal (Green Gram). Chana Dal was called Yellow Gram, Arhar Dal and Moong Dal were called Yellow Lentils. Mistakenly, all these three are called as Yellow Gram, or Yellow Lentil.