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This should also be added, Sources:- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahirs

→Ahirs

Ahir

अहीर ਅਹੀਰ اھععر

Religions

Hinduism

Languages

Hindi, Bhojpuri, Maithili, Ahirwati, Haryanvi, Marathi, Gujarati

Populated States

India, Pakistan,[1][2][3] Nepal

Subdivisions

Yaduvanshi, Nandvanshi, and Gwalvanshi Ahirs

Ahir is an Indian caste. The term can be used synonymously with Yadav, as the latter term refers to Ahirs who have identified as Yadavs.[4] The major divisions of Ahirs are: Yaduvanshi, Nandvanshi, and Gwalvanshi.

Contents

 [hide]  1 Etymology
2 History 2.1 Origin
2.2 Early history
2.3 In religious scriptures
2.4 Ahir as an ethnic category
2.5 Ahir kingdoms
2.6 Ahir kings
2.7 Ahir Raj in the Moghul era
2.8 Colonial depictions
2.9 As a martial race

3 Subdivisions

4 Distribution 4.1 North India
4.2 Rajasthan and Gujarat 4.2.1 In Jamnagar and Junagadh

4.3 Maharashtra

4.4 Bundelkhand

5 Culture 5.1 Diet

5.2 Dialects

6 Politics 6.1 All-India Yadav Mahasabha

7 Military service 7.1 India-China War

8 See also

9 References
10 External links

[edit] Etymology

Ahir is a Prakrit form of the Sanskrit word abhira (fearless),[citation needed] The Indologist F. Max Müller stated in 1886 that the Abhira are the modern Ahir.[5]

[edit] History

[edit] Origin

Asirgarh Fort, built by King Asa Ahir in Madhya Pradesh Various theories exist regarding the origin of the Ahirs.

Sir William Wilson Hunter proposes that the word Ahir derives from the Sanskrit Ahi (snake) and that snake worship, compounded by other cultural facts, suggests a Scythic origin.[citation needed] However, J. C. Nesfield refutes it by saying that snake worship is not peculiar to scythics but a common practice all over India, and he also argues that it is absurd to derive Ahir from ahi, a Sanskrit word, when the original name of the community is Abhira, and Ahir its Prakrit corruption. He is of the view that Ahirs have purely Aryan origin.[citation needed] One study[citation needed] in Deccan Ahirs have found out existence of totemistic septs, which is regarded as a sure sign of being non-Aryan, seconded by existence of a sect called Romabans, which is the regular corruption of word romak, frequently found in Sanskrit works on astronomy, and identified by Prof. Weber to be the town Alexandria in Egypt, from where the science of astronomy was cultivated and from whom people of India borrowed the concepts of astronomy. It is argued that foreign hordes from Romak might have settled in India, and incorporated into Ahirs.[6]

Bhagwan Singh Suryavanshi claims that archaeological research in Deccan has revealed the presence of pastoral people of Neolithic era, who shares many attributes of Abhira. Hence, Abhira might have been present much earlier than what has been postulated so far. Finally he concludes, they spread from Indus to Mathura, and migrated southward and eastward.[7] He also claims that similarity of culture and common belief that they are descendant of the god Krishna, is the proof that they sprang from a common source.

According to a theory advanced by A. P. Karmakar, Abhiras were a proto-Dravidian tribe, derived from Dravidian ayir,[8] which means cowherd. He further argues that Aitareva Brahmin refers to vasah, as the name of people, which in Vedic literature means "cow".[clarification needed]

Finally, he concludes from Padma Purana, where Vishnu informed Abhiras, "I shall be born among you, O Abhiras, at Mathura in my eighth birth". D. R. Bhandarkar, supports the non-Aryan origin theory, by directly relating Krishna to the Rig Veda's "Krishna Drapsah", where he fights Aryan god Indra. Added to this Karmakar, shows Harivamsa says Yadu was born of Harynasva and Madhumati, who was the daughter of Madhu. Madhu says all the territory of Mathura belongs to Abhiras.[8] Further, Mahabharata describes Abhira as forming one of the seven republics, Samsaptak Gunas, and as a friend of Matsyas, a pre vedic tribe.[8]

[edit] Early history

Ancient Sanskrit scholars such as Pāṇini, Chanakya and Patanjli mentioned Ahirs as followers of Bhagawat sect of Hindu religion.[9][10][11] According to historian K.A. Nilkanth[citation needed] Shastri Abhira chiefs established their independent political kingdoms in western India after the decline of Maurya and Satvahan empire.

Greek historians' reference of Abisares are thought to be of Abhira chief.[12] Ahirs ruled the whole of Haryana under the Mogul rule and later were declared as independent kings.[citation needed]

[edit] In religious scriptures

The Manusmrti refers to Abhiras as sons of Brahmin and Ambashta. The earliest inscription about them refers to them as Abhira Brahmin.[13]

Ptolemy and Sreemad Bhagwatam wrote similar accounts of a country called Abhira at the mouth of the river Indus. Nineteenth century writers, such as Christian Lassen Gesenius, Sir Emerson Tennent, and Max Müller, mentioned an "Ophir", a seaport on the southwest coast of India which may correspond to Ophir,[14] mentioned in the Tanakh. In the Coptic language, Sofir, the name of India, refers to Surabhir.

Many scholars believe both Gupta Empire[15] and Mauryas[citation needed] The original cult of Krishna, especially the aspect dealing with Krishna's boyhood in Vrindavan and his dalliances with the Gopis, has been attributed to the Ahir or Abhir tribe. The merging of this Krishna with the hero of the Mahabharat did not occur until about 4th century CE[16][17][18]

Map of "Bharatvarsha" (Kingdom of India) during the time of Mahabharata and Ramayana. (Title and location names are in English.) [edit] Ahir as an ethnic category

According to sociologist M. S. A. Rao, Yadava is an ethnic category consisting of several allied castes, which together constitute about one-tenth of the total population of India. These castes are found in different parts of India, Burma, Nepal and Sri Lanka and are known as the "Ahir" in the Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Rajasthan; the "Goalas" and "Sadgopa" or Gauda in Bengal and Orissa; Dhangar in Maharashtra; Yadava and Kurubas in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Idayan and Konar in Tamil Nadu. There are also several sub-regional names such as Thetwar and Rawat in Madhya Pradesh, and Mahakul (Great Family) in Bihar.[citation needed]

M.S.A Rao further states that the Allahabad iron pillar inscription of Samudragupta (4th century AD) mentions the Abhiras as one of the tribal states of west and south west India, who paid homage to the emperor (churn, 1943:81). A 4th century (AD) inscription found in Nashik speaks of an Abhira king, and there is proof that in the middle of the 4th century the Abhiras were settled in eastern Rajputana and Malwa. Similarly, when the Kathis arrived in Gujarat in the 8th century, they found the greater part of the country in the possession of the Ahirs. The Mirzapur district of the United Provinces has a tract known as Ahraura, named after the Ahir, and near Jhansi, another piece of country was called Ahirwar. The Ahirs were also kings of Nepal at the beginning of the Christian era. Khandesh and the Tapti valley were other regions where they were kings.[citation needed]

This indicates that the Abhiras, who rose to political prominence in the 2nd century BC., had a chequered political career until the 14th century AD when their importance was over-shadowed by the Mughals, but even during the Mughal period the Ahir and Golla rajahs were a power to be reckoned with. The Gawlis rose to political power in Deogarh, on the Chhindwara Plateau in the central provinces. The Saugar traditions trace the Gawli supremacy to a much later date, as the tracts of Etawa and Khurai are held to have been governed by chieftains till the close of the 17th century[19]

Ahir kingdoms

Royal emblem of Kalachurya. Kalachuri belonged to Abhira Dynasty Ahir kings ruled present-day India and beyond. At the beginning of the Christian era (CE), the invading Scythians and Kushans forced most of the Ahirs to lower Rajasthan in the Arbuda (Aravali region). In Marubhumi (Marwar), Saurashtra and Maharashtra areas, they served the local rulers and established their own rule. Ahirs laid the foundation of Ahir Batak town, which was called Ahrora, located in Central provinces, and Ahirwar in Jhansi district in 108 CE. Rudramurti Ahir became the chief of the army and later on the King. Madhuriputra, Ishwarsen and Shivdutta were well-known kings of this lineage. Ishwarsena, a great Ahir general, became master of Western Deccan in place of the famous Satavahanas. He took the title of Rajan and an era was named after him. His descendants continued to rule for nine generations. This generation of Abhira kings ruled for 167 years till last of them was ousted by their Traikutaka feudatory in AD 415.[20] It is generally supposed that Traikutakas were a different dynasty of Abhira,[21][22] and hence are sometimes called Abhira-Traikutika.[23] Indradutta, Dahrasena & Vyaghrasena were well known kings from this dynasty.[24] Traikutakas were known for their Vaishnava faith, who claimed to be Yadav of Haihaya branch[25] and Dahrasena performed Ashvamedha yajna too[26] Abhira Era started by Ishwarsena in AD 249, continued with them and was called Abhira-Traikutika era.[27] This era was later continued by Kalachuri Dynasty, calling it Kalachuri era, and later Kalachuri-Chedi era.[28] After the rule of five traikuta kings, they retired to central provinces and assumed the name Haiyhaya (Chedi) and Kalachuri.[29] Historians call this entire era as Abhira-Traikutika-Kalachuri-Chedi era[30]

In a cave inscription at Nashik, references were made to an Ahir prince named Ishwersena, son of Shivdutta. Another inscription, found at Gunda and dated 181 CE, in the reign of the Kshatrapa Rudrasinha, described his general Rudrabhuti, who was called Ahir. When the kathis arrived in Gujarat, they found the greater part of the country controlled by Ahirs. The old fort Asirgarh(short of Asa Ahir Garh), in Khandesh, retains the name of its founder Asa Ahir. For centuries the Ahirs were eclipsed as a political power in Haryana until the time of the Pratihara dynasty.[citation needed]

Ahirs ruled the whole of Haryana under the Mogul rule and later were declared as independent kings. Vātsyāyana also noted the Abhira kingdoms in the Kama Sutra.Ahirs also ruled beyond the geographical borders of present-day India, as kings of the hilly terrain of Nepal. Eight kings of the first Ahir dynasty ruled Nepal, the first being Bhuktaman and the last Yaksha Gupta. Owing to pastoral disputes, this dynasty was replaced by another Ahir dynasty. The second Ahir dynasty had a succession of three kings: Badasimha, Jaymati Simha, and Bhuban Simha. Their rule ended when the Kirati invaders defeated Bhuban Simha