Ahir clans

The Ahir (Sanskrit: Abhira)[1] is a Hindu caste and is a subgroup of large set of communities using Yadav word since late 19th century to early 20th century as part of Sanskritisation process.[2][3][4] The Ahir clans are spread almost all over country.[5]

Sub-divisions

Yaduvanshi

The Yaduvanshi Ahir, also spelled Yadubansis, Yadubans, Yadavanshi, Yadavamshi) claim descent from the ancient Yadava tribe of Krishna.

Nandvanshi

A legendary story of the origin of the Nandvanshi Ahirs narrates that on his way to kill the rakshasas, Krishna crossed the river Yamuna accompanied by the Gawlis; those that crossed the river with him became the Ahir Nandabanshi. Nandvanshi and Yaduvanshi titles are fundamentally synonymous[6][7][8]

Gwalvanshi

The Gwalvanshi Ahirs are historically associated with cowherding. According to history professor Rahul Shukla, the Gwalvanshi Ahirs had settled in Azamgarh, Varanasi, Gorkakhpur, Mirzapur etc., besides in Bihar. "They were cultivators or farmers in eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. At the turn of the century, they evolved into business and other vocations in a big way.[9]

Ghosi

The Ghosi are a community found mainly in North India. They were the Zamidaars and small kings of various parts of country.[10] Ghosi trace their origin to King Nand, the professed ancestor of Yaduvanshi Ahirs.[11][12]

Kamaria

Kamaria profess to be the descendants from Yadava vansh (Lineage).in Krishna avatar.[13] They are also known as Kamaria Zamindars.[14]

Phatak

The Phatak Ahirs claim to be descended from Digpal,the Ahir Raja of Mahaban.

Ahar

The Ahar are a Hindu caste of agriculturists.[15] The Ahar tribe are spread through Rohilkhand and other districts of N.W. provinces, following pastoral pursuits. They claim to descended from Yadu.[16]

Krishnaut

Kishnaut or Krishnaut are Ahirs clan that inhabits the state of Bihar.[17][18]The term Krishnaut denotes they are descendants of Krishna

Majhraut

The Majhraut are Ahir clan that inhabits the state of Bihar.[19][20]they are claimed to be descendants of king Madhu.

See also

References

  1. Garg, Gaṅgā Rām (1992). Encyclopaedia of the Hindu world, Volume 1 By Gaṅgā Rām Garg, Page no. 113. ISBN 9788170223740. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  2. 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."
  3. Mandelbaum, David Goodman (1970). Society in India. Vol. 2. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 443. ISBN 978-0-520-01623-1.
  4. 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. ..."
  5. Fox, Mr. (1971). Kin, Clan, Raja, and Rule: Statehinterland Relations in Preindustrial India. p. 19. ISBN 9780520018075.
  6. Michelutti, Lucia (2008). The vernacularisation of democracy: Politics, caste, and religion in India. pp. 114, 115. ISBN 9780415467322.
  7. Lok Nath Soni (2000). The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, Delhi: Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture, 2000 Original from the University of Michigan. p. 16. ISBN 9788185579573.
  8. Gopal Chowdhary (2014). The Greatest Farce of History. Partridge Publishing. p. 119. ISBN 9781482819250.
  9. Ratan Mani Lal (11 May 2014). "Azamgarh: Why Mulayam cannot take Yadav votes for granted". Ratan Mani Lal. firstpost.com. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
  10. 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
  11. Ravindra K. Jain (2002). Between History and Legend: Status and Power in Bundelkhand. Orient Blackswan. p. 32. ISBN 9788125021940.
  12. Provinces (India), Central (1908). Central Provinces District Gazetteers. Printed at the Pioneer Press.
  13. Ramchandra Keshav Mutatkar (1978). Caste Dimensions in a Village. Shubhada-Saraswat. p. 26.
  14. Ramchandra Keshav Mutatkar (1978). Caste Dimensions in a Village. Shubhada-Saraswat. p. 55.
  15. Oliver Mendelsohn,Marika Vicziany (1998). The Untouchables: Subordination, Poverty and the State in Modern India Volume 4 of Contemporary South Asia. Cambridge University Press. pp. xi. ISBN 9780521556712.
  16. Subodh Kapoor (2002). Indian Encyclopaedia, Volume 1. Genesis Publishing Pvt Ltd. p. 108. ISBN 9788177552577.
  17. Bihar (India); Choudhury, Pranab Chandra Roy (1957). Bihar District Gazetteers: Bhagalpur. Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar.
  18. The National Geographical Journal of India. National Geographical Society of India. 1975.
  19. Bihar (India); Choudhury, Pranab Chandra Roy (1957). Bihar District Gazetteers: Bhagalpur. Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar.
  20. The National Geographical Journal of India. National Geographical Society of India. 1975.
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