Ahir clans

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Ahir (Sanskrit: Abhira) [1] is a caste found in the Indian subcontinent, mainly modern-day India, Nepal and Pakistan. [2] [3] [4] [5] The Ahir clans are spread almost all over country. [6] Ahirs are also known as Yadav, a surname they adopted following Sanskritisation in the 20th century. [7] [8] [9] The Ahir clans are spread almost all over country. [10]

Contents

Etymology

The word "ahir" is derived from the Sanskrit word "abhira." [11] [1]

Clans

Nandvanshi Ahirs

The Nandvanshi Ahirs are a section of Ahirs. [12] Kamarias [13] are also a sub-clan of Nandvanshi Ahirs [14] [15] [16] in Uttar Pradesh.

Gwalvanshi Ahirs

Gwalvanshi Ahirs have migrated to other parts of Uttar Pradesh from Mathura and they claim descent from gopis and gopas of Krishna's time. [17]

Ghosi

The Ghosi are a division of Ahir community found mainly in North India. The Ghosis are found in both Hindu and Muslim religion. [18] [19] They were the zamidars and small rulers of various parts of country. [20]

Phatak

The Phatak Ahirs claim to be descended from Digpal, the Ahirs of Mahaban. [20]

Dauwa

The Dauwas claim to be the descendants of Shree Balaram.[ citation needed ] According to Harihar Nivas Dvivedi, all Ahirs and their sub-castes are Shudras, but Dauwa Ahir is considered as comparatively lower as a caste than pure Ahirs. [21] In Bundelkhand, Dauwa Ahirs were allied with Bundela Rajputs and Dauwa women served as wetnurses for Bundela princes as part of a symbolic ritual. [22]

Dhadhor

Dhadhor is a subcaste of Ahirs. [23]

Krishnaut

Krishnaut or Kishnaut are Ahirs that inhabits the state of Bihar. [24] [25]

Majhraut

They inhabit the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand. [26] [27] [28] [29]

Sorathia

Sorathia is an Ahir clan found in the state of Gujarat in India. According to B.S Suryavanshi, they are the descendents of chief Rao Navaghana of Junagadh. [30]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kayastha</span> Community of India

Kayastha denotes a cluster of disparate Indian communities broadly categorised by the regions of the Indian subcontinent in which they were traditionally located—the Chitraguptavanshi Kayasthas of North India, the Chandraseniya Kayastha Prabhus of Maharashtra, the Bengali Kayasthas of Bengal and Karanas of Odisha. All of them were traditionally considered "writing castes", who had historically served the ruling powers as administrators, ministers and record-keepers.

Sanskritisation is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek upward mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper castes. It is a process similar to "passing" in sociological terms. This term was made popular by Indian sociologist M. N. Srinivas in the 1950s. Sanskritisation has in particular been observed among mid-ranked members of caste-based social hierarchies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abhira kingdom</span> Ancient Indian History

The Abhira kingdom in the Mahabharata is either of two kingdoms near the Sarasvati river. It was dominated by the Abhiras, sometimes referred to as Surabhira also, combining both Sura and Abhira kingdoms. Modern day Abhira territory lies within Northern areas of Gujarat and Southern Rajasthan, India.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ahir</span> Social community of India

Ahir or Aheer is a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a caste, a clan, a race, and/or a tribe.

Kushwaha is a community of the Indo-Gangetic Plain that has traditionally been involved in agriculture, including beekeeping. The term has been used to represent different sub-castes of the Kachhis, Kachhvahas, Koeris and Muraos. The Kushwaha had worshipped Shiva and Shakta, but beginning in the 20th century, they claim descent from the Suryavansh (Solar) dynasty via Kusha, one of the twin sons of Rama and Sita. At present, it is a broad community formed by coming together of several caste groups with similar occupational backgrounds and socio-economic status, who, over the time, started inter-marrying among themselves and created all India caste network for caste solidarity. The communities which merged into this caste cluster includes Kachhi, Kachhwaha, Kushwaha, Mali, Marrar, Saini, Sonkar, Murai, Shakya, Maurya, Koeri and Panara.

Yadavs are a grouping of traditionally non-elite, peasant-pastoral communities or castes in India that since the 19th and 20th centuries have claimed descent from the legendary king Yadu as a part of a movement of social and political resurgence. The term Yadav now covers many traditional peasant-pastoral castes such as Ahirs of the Hindi belt and the Gavli of Maharashtra.

Sadgop, also spelled as Sadgope, is a Bengali Hindu Yadav (Gopa) caste. Traditionally they are engaged in cultivation. Since late mediaeval period Sadgops had established themselves as dominant political power in peripheral lateritic forest areas of Rarh region, now included in Birbhum, Burdwan and Midnapore districts. Karnagarh, Narajole, Narayangarh and Balarampur in Midnapore and several other zamindari estates in Burdwan, Hooghly, Birbhum belonged to them. As of late nineteenth century they were one of the fourteen castes belonging to 'Nabasakh' group.

Aphariya (Abhirya) also spelt as Affariya, Afariya or Phariya) is a subclan of Ahirs. Aphariyas ruled the Ahirwal state of Haryana.

The Abhira people were a legendary people mentioned in ancient Indian epics and scriptures. A historical people of the same name are mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. The Mahabharata describes them as living near the seashore and on the bank of the Sarasvati River, near Somnath in Gujarat and in the Matsya region also.

Gopa or Gop or Gope is a synonym of the Yadav (Ahir) caste. It is generally used as a title by the Ahir caste in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal of East India and even in Terai region of Nepal.

The Koeri, also referred to as Kushwaha and more recently self-described as Maurya in several parts of northern India are an Indian non-elite caste, found largely in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, whose traditional occupation was agriculture. According to Arvind Narayan Das they were horticulturists rather than agriculturists. They are also recorded as performing the work of Mahajan in credit market of rural parts of Bihar and Bengal in 1880s. Koeris have attempted Sanskritisation— as part of social resurgence. During the British rule in India, Koeris were described as "agriculturalists" along with Kurmis and other cultivating castes. They are described as a dominant caste in various opinions.

The Golla are a Telugu-speaking pastoral community primarily living in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana with smaller numbers in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. They are related to other pastoral-herding castes like Gulla, Gullar, Gollewar, Gavli and Dhangar and are a part of the larger Yadav community. They are classified as a Other Backward Caste.

The Hindu Ghosi are a community of Ahirs in India. They are divided into various sections and lineages. The Ghosis have a system of panches and hereditary chaudhris. If one of the latter's line fail, his widow may adopt a son to succeed him, or, failing such adoption, the panch elects a fit person.

Phatak or Phaatak is a sub-caste of the Indian Ahir-Yadav community.

Gopal or Gouda is an Indian caste, from Odisha State in East India. Their traditional occupations include dairy farming, cattle herding, cultivation and carrying palanquins of deities. They also worked as Paikas (soldiers) under the kings. Gopal is the name of the milkmen or herdsmen caste in Odisha, which is known by other names in various parts of India.

Modern historians agree that Rajputs consisted of a mix of various different social groups and different varnas. Rajputisation explains the process by which such diverse communities coalesced into the Rajput community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Murho Estate</span>

Murho Estate was a chieftaincy and later a Zamindari (Estate) of Yadava in erstwhile Bhagalpur district of Bihar.

Gowala is a subcaste of Ahir/Yadav community, found from Indian state of Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh and the neighbouring states of Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Chandigarh. Traditionally they are herdsman or milkman and considered as a prosperous community.

Yadavs in Bihar refers to the people of Yadav community of the Indian state of Bihar. They are also known as Ahir, Gope, etc. The Yadavs form nearly 14.26 % of the state's population and are included in the Other Backward Class category in the Bihar state of India.

Yadavs of Nepali origins, also known as Ahir or Gope are one of the prominent Nepalese caste under Madhesi subdivision. According to the 2021 Nepal census, 1,228,581 people are Yadav.

References

  1. 1 2 Shashi, Shyam Singh (1994). Encyclopaedia of Indian Tribes: The tribal world in transition. Anmol Publications. ISBN   978-81-7041-836-8.
  2. ↑ Shashi, Shyam Singh (1994). Encyclopaedia of Indian Tribes: The tribal world in transition. Anmol Publications. p. 76. ISBN   978-81-7041-836-8.
  3. ↑ Heath, Anthony F.; Jeffery, Roger (2010). Diversity and Change in Modern India: Economic, Social and Political Approaches. OUP/British Academy. p. 223. ISBN   978-0-19-726451-5.
  4. ↑ Gurung, Harka B. (1996). Faces of Nepal. Himal Books. p. 80. ISBN   978-99933-43-50-9.
  5. ↑ Biographical Encyclopedia of Pakistan: Millennium 2000. Research Institute of Historiography, Biography and Philosophy. 2001.
  6. ↑ Fox, Richard Gabriel (1971). Kin, Clan, Raja, and Rule: Statehinterland Relations in Preindustrial India. University of California Press. ISBN   978-0-520-01807-5.
  7. ↑ Jassal, Smita Tewari; École pratique des hautes études (France). Section des sciences économiques et sociales; University of Oxford. Institute of Social Anthropology (2001). "Caste in the Colonial State: Mallahs in the census". Contributions to Indian sociology. Mouton. pp. 319–351. Quote: "The movement, which had a wide interregional spread, attempted to submerge regional names such as Goala, Ahir, Ahar, Gopa, etc., in favour of the generic term Yadava (Rao 1979). Hence a number of pastoralist castes were subsumed under Yadava, in accordance with decisions taken by the regional and national level caste sabhas. The Yadavas became the first among the shudras to gain the right to wear the janeu, a case of successful sanskritisation which continues till date. As a prominent agriculturist caste in the region, despite belonging to the shudra varna, the Yadavas claimed Kshatriya status tracing descent from the Yadu dynasty. The caste's efforts matched those of census officials, for whom standardisation of overlapping names was a matter of policy. The success of the Yadava movement also lies in the fact that, among the jaati sabhas, the Yadava sabha was probably the strongest, its journal, Ahir Samachar, having an all-India spread. These factors strengthened local efforts, such as in Bhojpur, where the Yadavas, locally known as Ahirs, refused to do begar , or forced labour, for the landlords and simultaneously prohibited liquor consumption, child marriages, and so on."
  8. ↑ Mandelbaum, David Goodman (1970). Society in India. Vol. 2. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 443. ISBN   978-0-520-01623-1.
  9. ↑ Jaffrelot, Christophe (2003). India's silent revolution: the rise of the lower castes in North India. Columbia University Press. pp. 210–211. ISBN   978-0-231-12786-8. Quote: "In his typology of low caste movements, (M. S. A.) Rao distinguishes five categories. The first is characterised by 'withdrawal and self-organisation'. ... The second one, illustrated by the Yadavs, is based on the claim of 'higher varna status' and fits with Sanskritisation pattern. ..."
  10. ↑ Fox, Mr. (1971). Kin, Clan, Raja, and Rule: Statehinterland Relations in Preindustrial India. University of California Press. p. 19. ISBN   9780520018075.
  11. ↑ "People of Maharashtra" (PDF).
  12. ↑ Gupta, Dipankar (2021). Caste in Question. SAGE Publication. p. 58. ISBN   9788132103455. Their original caste title was Ahir. The idea of a unique Krishnavanshi kinship category which fuses traditional subdivisions Yaduvanshi, Nandavanshi and Goallavanshi into a single endogamous unit
  13. ↑ Mutatkar, Ramchandra Keshav (1978). Caste Dimensions in a Village. Shubhada-Saraswat.
  14. ↑ Dass, Arvind (2002). Caste System: Caste commentaries and documentation. Dominant Publishers and Distributors. ISBN   978-81-7888-029-7.
  15. ↑ Mutatkar, Ramchandra Keshav (1978). Caste Dimensions in a Village. Shubhada-Saraswat.
  16. ↑ Gupta, Dipankar (8 December 2004). Caste in Question: Identity Or Hierarchy?. SAGE Publications. ISBN   978-0-7619-3324-3.
  17. ↑ Michelutti, Lucia (29 November 2020). The Vernacularisation of Democracy: Politics, Caste and Religion in India. Taylor & Francis. p. 22. ISBN   978-1-000-08400-9.
  18. ↑ Russell, Robert Vane “ Sir D. Ibbetson says that in the Punjab the name Ghosi is used only for Muhammadans, and is often applied to any cowherd or milkman of that religion, whether Gujar, Ahir or of any other caste, just as Goala is used for a Hindu cowherd. It is said that Hindus will buy pure milk from the Musalmān Ghosi, but will reject it if there is any suspicion of its having been watered by the latter, as they must not drink water at his hands.“ (28 September 2020). The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India (Complete). Library of Alexandria. ISBN   978-1-4655-8294-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ Hasnain, Nadeem “ Ghosi is a Muslim caste of herdsmen. The name of this community is derived from the word 'ghosh' meaning 'to shout' while herding the cattle. Crooke (ibid) mentions that they are converts like the Gaddi from the Ahir community. They belong to the Sunni sect of Islam. They use Urdu as mother tongue and also speak Hindi.” (2016). The Other Lucknow. Vani Prakashan. ISBN   978-93-5229-420-6.
  20. 1 2 Lucia Michelutti, Sons of Krishna: the politics of Yadav community formation in a North Indian town (2002) London School of Economics and Political Science University of London, p.90-98
  21. ↑ Dvivedi, Harihar Nivas (1963). The Madhya Pradesh Leading Cases, 1882-1956. Law Journal Publications. p. 198.
  22. ↑ Jain, R.K. (2002). Between History and Legend: Status and Power in Bundelkhand. Orient Blackswan Private Limited. p. 32. ISBN   978-81-250-2194-0 . Retrieved 1 December 2024.
  23. ↑ India Today. Aroon Purie for Living Media India Limited. 1994.
  24. ↑ Bihar (India); Choudhury, Pranab Chandra Roy (1957). Bihar District Gazetteers: Bhagalpur. Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar.
  25. ↑ The National Geographical Journal of India. National Geographical Society of India. 1975.
  26. ↑ Bihar (India); Choudhury, Pranab Chandra Roy (1957). Bihar District Gazetteers: Bhagalpur. Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar.
  27. ↑ Singh, Rana P. B. (1977). Clan Settlements in the Saran Plain (Middle Ganga Valley): A Study in Cultural Geography. National Geographical Society of India, Banaras Hindu University.
  28. ↑ Bihar (India); Choudhury, Pranab Chandra Roy (1962). Bihar District Gazetteers: Hazaribagh. Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar.
  29. ↑ Siddiqui, M. K. A. (1993). Inter-caste and Inter-community Relationship: Developing Patterns. Commonwealth Publishers. ISBN   978-81-7169-260-6.
  30. ↑ SurvaVanshi, Bhagwansingh (1962). Abhiras their history and culture. p. 84.
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