Ahir

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Ahir or Aheer (derived from the Sanskrit word: abhira)[1] is a community of traditionally elite pastoralists in India, most of whom now use the Yadav surname, as they consider the two terms synonymous.[2] The Ahirs are variously described as a caste, a clan, a race, and/or a tribe.

The traditional occupations of Ahirs are cattle-herding and agriculture. Since late 19th century to early 20th century, Ahirs have adopted Yadav word for their community and have claimed descent from the mythological king Yadu. This is a part of a movement of social and political resurgence (sanskritisation) under the influence of Arya Samaj.[3]

Ahirs are found throughout India but are particularly concentrated in the northern area. Apart from India, Ahirs have significant population in Nepal, Mauritius, Fiji, South Africa and the Caribbean especially Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, and Suriname. In Mauritius and Caribbean they are mostly the descendants of indentured servants who arrived in the 19th and 20th centuries from the former pre-partitioned sub-continent of India during the British Raj.[4]

Etymology

Ahir is believed to be a derivation of the Sanskrit word, "abhira", and the present term in the Bengali and Marathi languages is abhir.[5][6]

History

Early history

Theories regarding the origins of the ancient Abhira – the putative ancestors of the Ahirs – are varied for the same reasons as are the theories regarding their location; that is, there is a reliance on interpretation of linguistic and factual analysis of old texts that are known to be unreliable and ambiguous.[7]

Some, such as A. P. Karmakar, consider the Abhira to be a Proto-Dravidian tribe who migrated to India and point to the Puranas as evidence. Others, such as Sunil Kumar Bhattacharya, say that the Abhira are recorded as being in India in the 1st-century CE work, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea. Bhattacharya considers the Abhira of old to be a race rather than a tribe.[7] The sociologist M. S. A. Rao and historians such as P. M. Chandorkar and T. Padmaja say that epigraphical and historical evidence exists for equating the Ahirs with the ancient Yadava tribe.[8][9][10]

Whether they were a race or a tribe, nomadic in tendency or displaced or part of a conquering wave, with origins in Indo-Scythia or Central Asia, Aryan or Dravidian – there is no academic consensus, and much in the differences of opinion relate to fundamental aspects of historiography, such as controversies regarding dating the writing of the Mahabharata and acceptance or otherwise of the Indo-Aryan migration (which is universally accepted in mainstream scholarship).Template:Refn Similarly, there is no certainty regarding the occupational status of the Abhira, with ancient texts sometimes referring to them as pastoral and cowherders but at other times as robber tribes.[11]

Kingdoms

Template:Expand section

Military involvements

'B' Company (Ahir), 1st Battalion, The 5th Light Infantry, Quetta, 1918[15]
Indian officers, 'B' Company (Ahir), 1st Battalion, 5th Light Infantry, Quetta 1918.[16]
Brave Ahir
Veer Ahir
Ahir soldiers at Rezang La (1962)
File:Ahir Dham.jpeg
Ahir Dham
Rezang La Memorial

The British rulers of India classified the Ahirs of Punjab as an "agricultural tribe" in the 1920s, which was at that time synonymous with being a "martial race".[17] This was a designation created by administrators that classified each ethnic group as either "martial" or "non-martial": a "martial race" was typically considered brave and well built for fighting,[18] whilst the remainder were those whom the British believed to be unfit for battle because of their sedentary lifestyles.[19] However, the martial races were also considered politically subservient, intellectually inferior, lacking the initiative or leadership qualities to command large military formations. The British had a policy of recruiting the martial Indians from those who has less access to education as they were easier to control.[20][21] According to modern historian Jeffrey Greenhunt on military history, "The Martial Race theory had an elegant symmetry. Indians who were intelligent and educated were defined as cowards, while those defined as brave were uneducated and backward". According to Amiya Samanta, the marital race was chosen from people of mercenary spirit (a soldier who fights for any group or country that will pay him/her), as these groups lacked nationalism as a trait.[22] Ahirs had been recruited into the army from 1898.[23] In that year, the British raised four Ahir companies, two of which were in the 95th Russell's Infantry.[24]Template:Page needed In post-independence India, some Ahir units have been involved in celebrated military actions, such as at Rezang La in the 1962 Sino-Indian War that saw the last stand of Charlie company, consisting of 114 Ahirs of 13 Kumaon, and in the 1965 India-Pakistan War.[25][26][27][28]

Distribution

Ahirs in India are known by numerous other names, including Gauli[29] and Ghosi or Gop in North India.[30] In Gujarat and South India as Ayar, Golla and Konar.[31] Some in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh are known as Dauwa Thakur. [32] The Ahirs have more than 20 sub-castes.[33]Template:Better source needed

North India

They have a significant population in the region around Behror, Alwar, Rewari, Narnaul, Mahendragarh, Gurgaon[34] and Jhajjar[35]Template:Page needed[36] – the region is therefore known as Ahirwal or the abode of Ahirs.[37]

Maharashtra

Ahirani dialect continues to be spoken today in the region and is widespread across Jalgaon, Dhule and Nashik. It is an admixture of Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, ancient Magadhi, Saurashtri, Sauraseni, Lati, Maharashtri, Prakrit and Paishachi.[38][39]

Culture

Ahir culture is rooted in pastoralism and closely associated to the worship of Krishna and Shiva.[40][41] the Ahirs are use the modern-day ‘Yadav’ surname and consider themselves to the Yadu tribe by claiming descent from Yaduvanshi, Nandavanshi, and Goallavanshi.Template:Efn[42][43][44]

The Yadav community of Kashi associated with Chandravanshi Gop Seva Samiti and Shree Krishna Yadav Mahasabha have been performing jalabhishek on a shivling, traditionally for 94 years, starting in 1932.[45]

In June 2020, Andhra Pradesh state government restored 'Golla Mirasi', also known as 'Golla Mandapam', the hereditary rights of the Golla community pertaining to certain rituals at Tirumala temple.[46]

Ahir No Aasro" is a famous Gujarati proverb, meaning "Ahir's shelter" or "Ahir's support." This proverb reflects the kindness and bravery of the Ahir (Yadav) community, meaning that when someone finds shelter nowhere, Ahirs provide shelter.

Diet

In 1992, Noor Mohammad noted that most Ahirs in Uttar Pradesh were vegetarian, with some exceptions who were engaged in fishing and raising poultry.[47]

Language and tradition

Ahirs of Benares speak a Hindi dialect which is different from one used normally.[48][49] Ahirs usually speak the language of the region in which they live. Some languages/dialects named after Ahirs are Ahirani, also known as Khandeshi, spoken in Khandesh region of Maharashtra, Ahirwati spoken in Ahirwal region of Haryana and Rajasthan.

Folklore

File:Veer Lorik.jpeg
Veer Lorik

The oral epic of Veer Lorik, a mythical Ahir hero, has been sung by folk singers in North India for generations.[50] Mulla Daud, a Sufi Muslim, retold the romantic story in writing in the 14th century.[51] Other Ahir folk traditions include those related to Kajri and Biraha.[52]

See also

Notes

Template:Notelist

References

  1. ↑ Encyclopaedia of Indian Tribes: The tribal world in transition{{#if:Shashi|, Shashi}. Anmol Publications(1994). ISBN 978-81-7041-836-8
  2. ↑ People of India: Uttar Pradesh{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Anthropological Survey of India(2005). ISBN 978-81-7304-114-3
  3. ↑ Sanskritisation of Ahir:
    • India's silent revolution: the rise of the lower castes in North India{{#if:Jaffrelot|, Jaffrelot}. C. Hurst & Co.(2003). ISBN 978-1-85065-670-8
    • Contributions to Indian sociology{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Mouton(2001) 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."
    • 'Cultural Entrenchment of Hindutva Local Mediations and Forms of Convergence{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Routledge(2011). ISBN 978-1-138-65995-7
    • Limits of Tolerance: Indian Secularism and the Politics of Religious Freedom{{#if:Adcock|, Adcock}. OUP USA(2014). ISBN 978-0-19-999544-8
  4. ↑ *The 'Land of the Vaish'? Caste Structure and Ideology in Mauritius. South Asia Multidisciplinary Academic Journal({Template:Year).
  5. ↑ Encyclopaedia of the Hindu world{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Concept Publishing Company(1992). ISBN 978-81-7022-374-0
  6. ↑ People of Maharashtra.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Krishna – Cult in Indian Art{{#if:Bhattacharya|, Bhattacharya}. M.D. Publications(1996). ISBN 978-81-7533-001-6
  8. ↑ Environment and Ethnicity in India, 1200–1991{{#if:Guha|, Guha}. University of Cambridge(2006). ISBN 978-0-521-02870-7
  9. ↑ Social Movements in India{{#if:Rao|, Rao}. Manohar(1978)
  10. ↑ Temples of Kr̥ṣṇa in South India: History, Art, and Traditions in Tamilnāḍu{{#if:T.|, T.}. Archaeology Dept., University of Mysore(2001). ISBN 978-8-170-17398-4
  11. ↑ The History of Sacred Places in India As Reflected in Traditional Literature{{#if:Malik|, Malik}. BRILL and the International Association of Sanskrit Studies(1990). ISBN 978-90-04-09318-8
  12. ↑ Social Transformation in Post-conflict Nepal: A Gender Perspective{{#if:Yadav|, Yadav}. Taylor & Francis(2016). ISBN 978-1-317-35389-8
  13. ↑ The Beria (Rai Dancers)A Socio-demographic, Reproductive, and Child Health Care Practices Profile{{#if:Sharma|, Sharma}. Sarup & Sons(2006). ISBN 81-7625-714-1
  14. ↑ Historical Researches Series{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}(1963)
  15. ↑ Indian officers and non-commissioned officers from 'B' Company (Ahir), 1st Battalion, The 5th Light Infantry, Quetta, 1918 | Online Collection | National Army Museum, London. collection.nam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  16. ↑ Online Collection | National Army Museum, London. collection.nam.ac.uk. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  17. ↑ The Indian army and the making of Punjab{{#if:Mazumder|, Mazumder}. Orient Blackswan(2003). ISBN 978-81-7824-059-6
  18. ↑ Martial Races and Imperial Subjects: Violence and Governance in Colonial India 1857–1914. European Review of History({Template:Date).
  19. ↑ Martial Races: The military, race and masculinity in British Imperial Culture, 1857–1914{{#if:Streets|, Streets}. Manchester University Press(2004). ISBN 978-0-7190-6962-8
  20. ↑ Khaki and the Ethnic Violence in India: Army, Police, and Paramilitary Forces During Communal Riots{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Three Essays Collective(2003). ISBN 978-81-88789-09-2
  21. ↑ Prostitution, Race, and Politics: Policing Venereal Disease in the British Empire{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Psychology Press(2003). ISBN 978-0-415-94447-2
  22. ↑ Gorkhaland Movement: A Study in Ethnic Separatism{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. APH Publishing(2000). ISBN 978-81-7648-166-3
  23. ↑ Peasants and monks in British India{{#if:Pinch|, Pinch}. University of California Press(1996). ISBN 978-0-520-20061-6
  24. ↑ Social movements and social transformation: a study of two backward classes movements in India{{#if:Rao|, Rao}. Macmillan(1979). ISBN 978-0-333-90255-4
  25. ↑ Remembering Rezang La heroes. Sainik samachar(7 January 2007).
  26. ↑ Heroes of Rezang La 1962. The Tribune(15 December 2018).
  27. ↑ Don't forget the heroes of Rezang La. The Hindu(20 November 2012). Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  28. ↑ Combat Diary: An illustrated history of operations conducted by 4th Kumaon{{#if:Singh|, Singh}. Lancer Books(2010). ISBN 978-1-935501-18-3
  29. ↑ Gonds of the Central Indian Highlands{{#if:Mehta|, Mehta}. Concept Publishing Company(1994)
  30. ↑ Sons of Krishna: the politics of Yadav community formation in a North Indian town, Michelutti, Lucia. London School of Economics and Political Science.
  31. ↑ * India's Unequal Citizens: A Study of Other Backward Classes{{#if:Singh|, Singh}. Manohar, 1994(1994). ISBN 978-81-7304-069-6
    • Protective Discrimination: Other Backward Classes in India{{#if:Sharma|, Sharma}. Raj Publications, 2002(2002). ISBN 978-81-86208-23-6
  32. ↑ Between History and Legend: Status and Power in Bundelkhand{{#if:Jain|, Jain}. Orient Blackswan(2002). ISBN 978-8-12502-194-0
  33. ↑ Awareness in Weaker Section: Perspective Development and Prospects{{#if:Patel|, Patel}. M. D. Publications Pvt. Ltd(1997). ISBN 978-8-17533-029-0
  34. ↑ Guru Nanak Journal of Sociology{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Sociology Department, Guru Nanak Dev University(2003)
  35. ↑ Haryana{{#if:Verma|, Verma}. National Book Trust, India(1975)
  36. ↑ Haryana: Past and Present{{#if:Sharma|, Sharma}. Mittal Publications(2006). ISBN 978-81-8324-046-8
  37. ↑ The Vernacularisation of Democracy: Politics, Caste, and Religion in India{{#if:Michuletti|, Michuletti}. Routledge(2008). ISBN 978-0-415-46732-2
  38. ↑ Template:Cite periodical
  39. ↑ Environment and Ethnicity in India, 1200–1991{{#if:Guha|, Guha}. University of Cambridge(2006). ISBN 978-0-521-02870-7
  40. ↑ .The Beria (Rai Dancers)A Socio-demographic, Reproductive, and Child Health Care Practices Profile{{#if:danielou|, danielou}. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co(2005). ISBN 978-1-59477-048-7
  41. ↑ Book of Vishnu{{#if:Kirshna|, Kirshna}. Penguin UK(2009). ISBN 978-81-8475-865-8
  42. ↑ Template:Cite thesis
  43. ↑ Ahirs division through Sanskritization :
    • Caste in Question: Identity Or Hierarchy?{{#if:Gupta|, Gupta}. SAGE Publications(2004-11-08). ISBN 978-81-321-0345-5
    • The Vernacularisation of Democracy: Politics, Caste, and Religion in India{{#if:Michelutti|, Michelutti}. Routledge(2008). ISBN 9780415467322
    • Poverty and the Quest for Life: Spiritual and Material Striving in Rural India{{#if:Singh|, Singh}. University of Chicago Press(2015). ISBN 978-0-226-19468-4
  44. ↑ The Scheduled Castes in India{{#if:Kashyap|, Kashyap}. Gyan Publishing House(1996). ISBN 978-81-212-0511-5
  45. ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/varanasi/yadav-bandhus-perform-jalabhishek-of-lord-shiva/articleshow/92968938.cms
  46. ↑ https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/andhra-pradesh/yadavas-hail-restoration-of-golla-mirasi/article31816586.ece
  47. ↑ New Dimensions in Agricultural ...{{#if:Mohammad|, Mohammad}. Concept Publishing Company(1992). ISBN 978-81-7022-403-7
  48. ↑ .The Beria (Rai Dancers)A Socio-demographic, Reproductive, and Child Health Care Practices Profile{{#if:danielou|, danielou}. Inner Traditions / Bear & Co(2005). ISBN 978-1-59477-048-7
  49. ↑ Book of Vishnu{{#if:Kirshna|, Kirshna}. Penguin UK(2009). ISBN 978-81-8475-865-8
  50. ↑ Magahi Folklore and Folk Tales{{#if:Verma|, Verma}. Manohar(2008). ISBN 9788173048043
  51. ↑ Spectrum. The Sunday Tribune(1 August 2010). Retrieved 13 July 2014.
  52. ↑ The Concise Garland Encyclopedia of World Music: The Middle East, South Asia, East Asia, Southeast Asia{{#if:|, {{{last}}}}. Routledge(2008). ISBN 978-0-415-97293-2

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