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] Historians such as P. M. Chandorkar, using both literary and epigraphic sources has argued that the modern Ahirs should be identified with the Yadavas of the classical Sanskrit texts. [7]
The Yaduvanshi Ahirs [8] claim descent from the Rigvedic Yadu tribe of Krishna. [9] [10]
The Nandvanshi Ahirs [10] are the offsprings of Nanda, the foster-father of Krishna. [11]
The Gwalvanshi Ahir are one of the subdivisions of Ahirs. [12] They say that they have descended from the Gopis of Braj and Brindaban (Vrindavan) who danced with Kanhaiya (Krishna). [13] They are also found in Mathura and Brindaban (Vrindavan). [13]
The Ghosi are a division of Ahir community found mainly in North India. They were the zamidars and small rulers of various parts of country. [14] Ghosi trace their origin to Nanda, the professed ancestor of Ghosi Ahirs. [15]
The Phatak Ahirs claim to be descended from Digpal, the Ahir Raja of Mahaban. [14]
The Dauwa Ahirs are the descendants of Shree Balaram, half-brother of Lord Krishna. [16] Dauwas were rulers of Bundelkhand in past. It is said that Dauwas had established their power in Bundelkhand even before Bundela Rajputs. [16]
The Ahar are a Hindu caste of agriculturists. [17] The Ahar tribe are spread through Rohilkhand and other districts of North-Western provinces, following pastoral pursuits. They are of Yaduvanshi stock. [18]
Dhadhor is a tribe of Ahirs. They are reckoned in Tashreeh-al-akwam amongst the Doab Ahirs. [19]
Kamarias (or Yaduvanshi Thakurs) [20] are a clan of Nandvanshi Ahirs [21] [22] [23] in Braj.
Krishnaut or Kishnaut are Ahirs that inhabits the state of Bihar. [24] [25] The term Krishnaut which to them denotes their descent from Lord Krishna. [26] [27]
The Yadavs who migrated from Mathura (Braj) to Bihar and its surrounding areas came to be known as Mathuraut or Majrauth. [28] They inhabit the Indian states of Bihar and Jharkhand. [29] [30] [31] [32] They claim to be descended from the Yadava king Madhu.
The Ayar are a clan of Ahirs found in South India and Gujarat [33] and are related to the historic Abhiras (Yadavas) mentioned in the Puranas. [34] they are also called Konar and Idaiyar in South India. [35] [36] [37]
Sorathia is a Ahir clan found in the state of Gujarat in India. According to prof Bhagwan Singh Suryavanshi they are the descendents of Abhira chief Rao Navaghana of Junagadh. [38]
The Yadava were an ancient Indian people who believed to be descended from Yadu, a legendary king of Chandravamsha lineage.
The Dhangars are a herding caste of people found in the Indian states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Goa, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. They are referred to as Gavli in southern Maharashtra, Goa and northern Karnataka, Golla in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and Ahir in northern Maharashtra. Some Gavlis live in forested hill tracts of India's Western Ghats. Gavli, also known as Dange or Mhaske, and Ahir are a sub-caste of Dhangar. However, there are many distinct Gavli castes in Maharashtra and Dhangar Gavli is one of them.
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.
Ahir or Aheer are 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 community, a race and a tribe.
Yaduvanshi, Yaduvamsha, or Yadava are an ancient people reputed to have descended from the legendary king Yadu.
Malik Sohrab Dodai was a son of Doda mercenary who moved to Multan (Punjab) in the late 15th century with his father Mir Doda Khan at the behest of the Langah dynasty. He was accompanied by his sons, Ghazi Khan, Fateh Khan, and Ismail Khan.
Yadav, Jadam, or Jadav refers to 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.
The Sorathia are a sub-group of the Ahir caste found in the state of Gujarat in India. According to prof Bhagwan Singh Suryavanshi they are the descendents of Abhira chief Navaghana of Junagadh.
Gavli is a Hindu caste in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh. They are a part of the Yadav community.
Aphariya (Abhirya) also spelt as Affariya, Afariya or Phariya) is a subclan of Yaduvanshi Ahirs. Aphariyas ruled the Ahirwal state of Haryana.
The Abhiras were a legendary people mentioned in ancient Indian epics and scriptures as early as the Vedas. they were a warlike tribe is admitted by all. Probably they were a nomadic people as they are associated with various peoples and provinces. 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.
The Golla are a Telugu-speaking pastoral community primarily living in the states of Andhra Pradesh 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 Backward Caste.
The Hindu Ghosi or Ghosi Thakur are a community of Ahirs (Yadav) 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.
Chhokar, sometime spell as Chokar or Chokhar, is a clan of the Hindu and Muslim Gurjar people found in the south Asian regions of India, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
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.
Krishnaut or Kishnaut Ahir is a clan of the Yadav (Ahir) caste found in Bihar, Jharkhand and Nepal. The term Krishnaut which to them denotes their descent from Lord Krishna.
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. Ahirs are among the land owning caste in the plains of Bihar.
The Majhraut or Majraut is a clan of Ahir (Yadav) that inhabits the Indian state of Bihar and Jharkhand. They are also found in different parts of Nepal. They claim to be descendants of the Yadava king Madhu of Mathura.
Yadavs of Nepal, also known as Ahir or Gope are one of the prominent caste of Nepal. According to the 2021 Nepal census, 1,228,581 people are Yadav.
Gwalvanshi Ahir is a dominant subdivision of Ahirs.
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