Ahir clans explained

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]

Etymology

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

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

See main article: Phatak.

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

Dauwa

The Dauwas claim to be the descendants of Shree Balaram. 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

See main article: 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]

Notes and References

  1. Book: Shashi, Shyam Singh . Encyclopaedia of Indian Tribes: The tribal world in transition . 1994 . Anmol Publications . 978-81-7041-836-8 . en.
  2. Book: Shashi, Shyam Singh . Encyclopaedia of Indian Tribes: The tribal world in transition . 1994 . Anmol Publications . 978-81-7041-836-8 . 76 . en.
  3. Book: Heath . Anthony F. . Diversity and Change in Modern India: Economic, Social and Political Approaches . Jeffery . Roger . 2010 . OUP/British Academy . 978-0-19-726451-5 . 223 . en.
  4. Book: Gurung, Harka B. . Faces of Nepal . 1996 . Himal Books . 978-99933-43-50-9 . 80 . en.
  5. Book: Biographical Encyclopedia of Pakistan: Millennium 2000 . 2001 . Research Institute of Historiography, Biography and Philosophy . en.
  6. Book: Fox, Richard Gabriel . Kin, Clan, Raja, and Rule: Statehinterland Relations in Preindustrial India . 1971 . University of California Press . 978-0-520-01807-5 . en.
  7. Book: Jassal. Smita Tewari. École pratique des hautes études (France). Section des sciences économiques et sociales. University of Oxford. Institute of Social Anthropology. Contributions to Indian sociology. 2001. Mouton. 319–351. Caste in the Colonial State: Mallahs in the census. 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. Book: Mandelbaum, David Goodman . Society in India . 2 . University of California Press . Berkeley . 1970 . 978-0-520-01623-1 . 443 .
  9. Book: Jaffrelot, Christophe. India's silent revolution: the rise of the lower castes in North India. 2003. Columbia University Press. 978-0-231-12786-8. 210–211. 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. Book: Fox, Mr.. Kin, Clan, Raja, and Rule: Statehinterland Relations in Preindustrial India . 9780520018075. 1971. 19. University of California Press .
  11. Web site: People of Maharashtra .
  12. Book: Gupta, Dipankar . Caste in Question . SAGE Publication . 2021 . 9788132103455 . 58 . 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. Book: Mutatkar, Ramchandra Keshav . Caste Dimensions in a Village . 1978 . Shubhada-Saraswat . en.
  14. Book: Dass, Arvind . Caste System: Caste commentaries and documentation . 2002 . Dominant Publishers and Distributors . 978-81-7888-029-7 . en.
  15. Book: Mutatkar, Ramchandra Keshav . Caste Dimensions in a Village . 1978 . Shubhada-Saraswat . en.
  16. Book: Gupta, Dipankar . Caste in Question: Identity Or Hierarchy? . 2004-12-08 . SAGE Publications . 978-0-7619-3324-3 . en.
  17. Book: Michelutti, Lucia . The Vernacularisation of Democracy: Politics, Caste and Religion in India . 2020-11-29 . Taylor & Francis . 978-1-000-08400-9 . 22 . en.
  18. Book: 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.“ . The Tribes and Castes of the Central Provinces of India (Complete) . 2020-09-28 . Library of Alexandria . 978-1-4655-8294-2 . en.
  19. Book: 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.” . The Other Lucknow . 2016 . Vani Prakashan . 978-93-5229-420-6 . en.
  20. 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. Book: Dvivedi, Harihar Nivas . The Madhya Pradesh Leading Cases, 1882-1956 . 1963 . Law Journal Publications. 198. en.
  22. Book: Jain, R.K. . Between History and Legend: Status and Power in Bundelkhand . Orient Blackswan Private Limited . 2002 . 978-81-250-2194-0 . 2024-12-01 . 32.
  23. Book: India Today . 1994 . Aroon Purie for Living Media India Limited . en.
  24. Book: Bihar (India). Bihar District Gazetteers: Bhagalpur. Choudhury. Pranab Chandra Roy. 1957. Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar. en.
  25. Book: The National Geographical Journal of India. 1975. National Geographical Society of India.. en.
  26. Book: Bihar (India) . Bihar District Gazetteers: Bhagalpur . Choudhury . Pranab Chandra Roy . 1957 . Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar . en.
  27. Book: Singh, Rana P. B. . Clan Settlements in the Saran Plain (Middle Ganga Valley): A Study in Cultural Geography . 1977 . National Geographical Society of India, Banaras Hindu University . en.
  28. Book: Bihar (India) . Bihar District Gazetteers: Hazaribagh . Choudhury . Pranab Chandra Roy . 1962 . Superintendent, Secretariat Press, Bihar . en.
  29. Book: Siddiqui, M. K. A. . Inter-caste and Inter-community Relationship: Developing Patterns . 1993 . Commonwealth Publishers . 978-81-7169-260-6 . en.
  30. Book: SurvaVanshi, Bhagwansingh . Abhiras their history and culture . 1962 . 84.

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