Abhira tribe - Revision history

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← Older revision		Revision as of 22:38, 1 June 2022
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	The '''Abhira tribe''' or '''~~Abhira Kshatriyas~~'~~''<ref>{{Cite book\|url=https://books~~.~~google.com/books?id=wT-BAAAAMAAJ \|title=The Cattle and~~ the ~~Stick: An Ethnographic Profile~~ of the ~~Raut~~ of ~~Chhattisgarh~~\|~~last=Soni\|first=Lok Nath\|date=2000\|publisher=Anthropological Survey of India~~, ~~Government of India, Ministry of Tourism~~ and ~~Culture, Department~~ of ~~Culture\|isbn=978-81-85579-57-3\|language=en\|pages=11–14–16}}</ref>~~<ref>{{~~cite book~~\|~~first~~=~~Ayan~~ \|~~last~~=~~Shome~~ \|title=~~Dialogue & Daggers: Notion~~ of ~~Authority and Legitimacy in the Early Delhi Sultanate (1192 C.E. – 1316 C.E.)~~ \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=~~6Q2qCQAAQBAJ~~ \|year=~~2014~~ \|publisher=~~Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2014~~ \|isbn=~~9789384318468 \|page=43}}</ref> were a people mentioned in ancient Indian epics and scriptures as early as the [[Vedas]].<ref name="dhume@~~1~~">{{cite book~~\|~~last1~~=Dhume\|first1=Anant Ramkrishna Sinai\|title=The Cultural History of Goa from 10000 B.C.-1352 A.D.\|date=1986\|publisher=Ramesh Anant S. Dhume\|page=158\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YtALAAAAIAAJ&q=abhiras}}</ref> ~~A historical people of the same name are mentioned in the ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]''.~~		{{for\|the dynasty\|Abhira dynasty}}
			The '''Abhira tribe''' is mentioned in the ancient Indian epic [[Mahabharata]]. A historical people of the same name are mentioned in the ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]''. They are thought to be people who moved in from eastern Iran in the aftermath of the invasion of [[Alexander the Great]]. Their main base was in the [[Indus River\|Indus]] delta (modern [[Sindh]] and [[Kathiawar]]), where their country is mentioned as "Abiria" and "Aberia" in classical sources. There were also other communities of Abhiras in modern [[Haryana]].<ref>{{citation \|last=Chattopadhyaya \|first=Sudhakar \|title=Some Early Dynasties of South India \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=78I5lDHU2jQC&pg=PA127 \|year=1974 \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass Publ. \|isbn=978-81-208-2941-1 \|pages=127–128}}</ref>

	==Etymology==		==Etymology==
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	Gayatri further developed into a fierce goddess who could even slay a demon. According to [[Varaha Purana]] and [[Mahabharata]], Goddess Gayatri slayed the demon Vetrasura, the son of [[Vritra]] and river [[Vetravati]], on a [[Navami]] day.<ref>{{cite book\|last1=B K Chaturvedi\|title=Varaha Purana\|date=2017\|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd\|isbn=9788128822261\|pages=108\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N6KkDgAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Bibek\|first1=Debroy\|title=The holy Puranas Volume 2 of The Holy Puranas: Markandeya, Agni, Bhavishya, Brahmavaivarta, Linga, Varaha\|date=2002\|publisher=B.R. Pub. Corp.\|isbn=9788176462969\|page=519\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IpwlAQAAIAAJ\|access-date=2019-08-20\|archive-date=2020-10-12\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012022321/https://books.google.com/books?id=IpwlAQAAIAAJ\|url-status=live}}</ref>		Gayatri further developed into a fierce goddess who could even slay a demon. According to [[Varaha Purana]] and [[Mahabharata]], Goddess Gayatri slayed the demon Vetrasura, the son of [[Vritra]] and river [[Vetravati]], on a [[Navami]] day.<ref>{{cite book\|last1=B K Chaturvedi\|title=Varaha Purana\|date=2017\|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd\|isbn=9788128822261\|pages=108\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N6KkDgAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|last1=Bibek\|first1=Debroy\|title=The holy Puranas Volume 2 of The Holy Puranas: Markandeya, Agni, Bhavishya, Brahmavaivarta, Linga, Varaha\|date=2002\|publisher=B.R. Pub. Corp.\|isbn=9788176462969\|page=519\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IpwlAQAAIAAJ\|access-date=2019-08-20\|archive-date=2020-10-12\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012022321/https://books.google.com/books?id=IpwlAQAAIAAJ\|url-status=live}}</ref>

			===Goddess Durga===
			[[File:Durga Mahisasuramardini.JPG\|thumb]]
			[[Durga]] is a [[Hindu deities\|major deity]] in [[Hinduism]]. She is worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess [[Adishakti\|Devi]] and is one of the most popular and widely revered among Indian divinities. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction and wars.{{sfn\|Encyclopedia Britannica\|2015}}{{sfn\|David R Kinsley\|1989\|pp=3–4}}{{sfn\|Charles Phillips\| Michael Kerrigan\| David Gould\|2011\|pp=93–94}} Her legend centres around combating evils and demonic forces that threaten peace, prosperity, and [[Dharma]] the power of good over evil.{{sfn\|David R Kinsley\|1989\|pp=3–4}}{{sfn\|Paul Reid-Bowen\|2012\|pp=212–213}} According to Hindu legends, Durga is created by the gods to defeat the demon [[Mahishasura]], who could be only killed by a female. Durga is seen as a motherly figure and often depicted as a beautiful woman, riding a lion or tiger, with many arms each carrying a weapon and often defeating demons.{{sfn\|Wendy Doniger\|1999\|p=306}}{{sfn\|David R Kinsley\|1989\|pp=3–5}}{{sfn\|Laura Amazzone\|2011\|pp=71–73}}{{sfn\|Donald J LaRocca\|1996\|pp=5–6}}

			The historian Ramaprasad Chanda stated in 1916 that Durga evolved over time in the Indian subcontinent. A primitive form of Durga, according to Chanda, was the result of "[[syncretism]] of a mountain-goddess worshiped by the dwellers of the [[Himalaya]] and the [[Vindhya]]s", a deity of the [[Abhiras]] conceptualised as a war-goddess. In the [[Virata Parva\|Virata Parvan stuti]] and [[Vaishnavism\|Visnuite]] texts, the Goddess is called the Māhāmāyā, or the Yoganidrā of [[Vishnu\|Visnu]]. These further points her Abhira or [[Gopa (caste)\|Gopa]] origins.<ref>{{cite book\|first=Indira S. \|last=Aiyar \|title=Durga As Mahisasuramardini \|year=1997 \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L4bXAAAAMAAJ&q=parvan+stuti \|publisher=Gyan Publishing House, 1997 \|isbn=9788121205108 \|page=217}}</ref> Durga then transformed into Kali as the personification of the all-destroying time, while aspects of her emerged as the primordial energy ([[Adya Sakti]]) integrated into the [[samsara]] (cycle of rebirths) concept and this idea was built on the foundation of the Vedic religion, mythology and philosophy.{{sfn\|June McDaniel\|2004\|p=214}}

			The 6th-century CE inscriptions in early Siddhamatrika script, such as at the Nagarjuni hill cave during the [[Maukhari]] era, already mention the legend of her victory over Mahishasura (buffalo-hybrid demon).<ref>{{cite book\|author=Richard Salomon\|title=Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t-4RDAAAQBAJ \|year=1998\|publisher=Oxford University Press\|isbn=978-0-19-509984-3\|pages=200–201}}</ref>

	==Rule of the Konkan==		==Rule of the Konkan==
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	==Abhiras of Gupta empire ==		==Abhiras of Gupta empire ==
			{{main\|Abhira dynasty}}
	During the reign of [[Samudragupta]] (c. 350), the Abhiras lived in [[Rajputana]] and [[Malwa\|Malava]] on the western frontier of the [[Gupta empire]]. Historian [[Dineshchandra Sircar]] thinks of their original abode was the area of Abhiravan, between [[Herat]] and [[Kandahar]], although this is disputed.<ref name="google10">{{cite book\|first=Tej Ram \|last=Sharma \|title=A political history of the imperial Guptas: from Gupta to Skandagupta \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWVZWjNAcAgC&pg=PA87 \|year=1989 \|publisher=Concept Publishing Company \|isbn=978-81-7022-251-4 \|page=87}}</ref> Their occupation of [[Rajasthan]] also at later date is evident from the [[Jodhpur]] inscription of [[Hindu calendar\|Samvat]] 918 that the Abhira people of the area were a terror to their neighbours, because of their violent demeanour.<ref name="google10"/> Abhiras of Rajputana were sturdy and regarded as [[Mleccha]]s, and carried on anti-Brahmanical activities. As a result, life and property became unsafe. Pargiter{{who\|date=January 2018}} points to the Pauranic tradition that the Vrishnis and Andhakas, while retreating northwards after the [[Kurukshetra War]] from their western home in Dwarka and Gujarat, were attacked and broken up by the rude Abhiras of Rajasthan.<ref>{{cite book\|first=Kailash Chand \|last=Jain \|title=Ancient cities and towns of Rajasthan: a study of culture and civilization \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FQx5a48dzlYC \|year=1972 \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass\|isbn=9788120806696 }}</ref> They were the supporters of the [[Duryodhana]]<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aqo4AAAAIAAJ&q=Abhira+warriors \|title=Man in India – Google Books \|date=17 July 2007}}</ref><ref>Man in India, Volume 54-page-39</ref> and [[Kaurava]]s, and in the Mahabharata,<ref>Ancient Nepal</ref> Abhir, Gopa, Gopal<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrAwAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Abhiras+and+Gopalas+are+synonymous \|title=Ancient Nepal – D. R. Regmi, Nepal Institute of Asian Studies – Google Books \|date=1 December 1973 \|last1=Regmi \|first1=D. R. }}</ref> and Yadavas are all synonyms.<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=43Fzt-G_-XYC&q=great+abhiras&pg=PA3 \|title=Encyclopaedia of ancient Indian ... – Subodh Kapoor – Google Books \|isbn=9788177552980 \|last1=Kapoor \|first1=Subodh \|year=2002 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZAiAAAAMAAJ&q=abhiras+looted+arjuna \|title=Social movements and social ... – M. S. A. Rao – Google Books \|date=14 December 2006 \|last1=Rao \|first1=M. S. A. \|isbn=9780333902554 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZAiAAAAMAAJ&q=Kauravas \|title=Social movements and social ... – M. S. A. Rao – Google Books \|date=14 December 2006 \|last1=Rao \|first1=M. S. A. \|isbn=9780333902554 }}</ref> They defeated the hero of Mahabharatha war, and did spare him when he disclosed the identity of the members of the family of Sri Krishna.<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJNHAAAAMAAJ&q=looted+the+train+of+Arjuna%2C \|title=Yadavas through the ages, from ... – J. N. Singh Yadav – Google Books \|date=28 August 2007 \|isbn=9788185616032 \|last1=Singh Yadav \|first1=J. N. }}</ref> The [[Gopas]], whom [[Krishna]] had offered to Duryodhana to fight in his support when he himself joined Arjuna's side, were no other than the [[Yadavas]] themselves, who were also the Abhiras.<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CGMqAQAAIAAJ&q=Gopas%2C+whom+Krishna \|title=Man in India – Google Books \|year=1974 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oFHRAAAAMAAJ&q=abhiras \|title=Ethnic history of Gujarat – Popatlal Govindlal Shah – Google Books \|date=13 February 2009 \|last1=Shah \|first1=Popatlal Govindlal }}</ref><ref>Ethnic history of Gujarat</ref> The Abhiras also have been described as [[Kshatriya\|Vrata Kshatriyas]].		During the reign of [[Samudragupta]] (c. 350), the Abhiras lived in [[Rajputana]] and [[Malwa\|Malava]] on the western frontier of the [[Gupta empire]]. Historian [[Dineshchandra Sircar]] thinks of their original abode was the area of Abhiravan, between [[Herat]] and [[Kandahar]], although this is disputed.<ref name="google10">{{cite book\|first=Tej Ram \|last=Sharma \|title=A political history of the imperial Guptas: from Gupta to Skandagupta \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWVZWjNAcAgC&pg=PA87 \|year=1989 \|publisher=Concept Publishing Company \|isbn=978-81-7022-251-4 \|page=87}}</ref> Their occupation of [[Rajasthan]] also at later date is evident from the [[Jodhpur]] inscription of [[Hindu calendar\|Samvat]] 918 that the Abhira people of the area were a terror to their neighbours, because of their violent demeanour.<ref name="google10"/> Abhiras of Rajputana were sturdy and regarded as [[Mleccha]]s, and carried on anti-Brahmanical activities. As a result, life and property became unsafe. Pargiter{{who\|date=January 2018}} points to the Pauranic tradition that the Vrishnis and Andhakas, while retreating northwards after the [[Kurukshetra War]] from their western home in Dwarka and Gujarat, were attacked and broken up by the rude Abhiras of Rajasthan.<ref>{{cite book\|first=Kailash Chand \|last=Jain \|title=Ancient cities and towns of Rajasthan: a study of culture and civilization \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FQx5a48dzlYC \|year=1972 \|publisher=Motilal Banarsidass\|isbn=9788120806696 }}</ref> They were the supporters of the [[Duryodhana]]<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aqo4AAAAIAAJ&q=Abhira+warriors \|title=Man in India – Google Books \|date=17 July 2007}}</ref><ref>Man in India, Volume 54-page-39</ref> and [[Kaurava]]s, and in the Mahabharata,<ref>Ancient Nepal</ref> Abhir, Gopa, Gopal<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrAwAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Abhiras+and+Gopalas+are+synonymous \|title=Ancient Nepal – D. R. Regmi, Nepal Institute of Asian Studies – Google Books \|date=1 December 1973 \|last1=Regmi \|first1=D. R. }}</ref> and Yadavas are all synonyms.<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=43Fzt-G_-XYC&q=great+abhiras&pg=PA3 \|title=Encyclopaedia of ancient Indian ... – Subodh Kapoor – Google Books \|isbn=9788177552980 \|last1=Kapoor \|first1=Subodh \|year=2002 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZAiAAAAMAAJ&q=abhiras+looted+arjuna \|title=Social movements and social ... – M. S. A. Rao – Google Books \|date=14 December 2006 \|last1=Rao \|first1=M. S. A. \|isbn=9780333902554 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZAiAAAAMAAJ&q=Kauravas \|title=Social movements and social ... – M. S. A. Rao – Google Books \|date=14 December 2006 \|last1=Rao \|first1=M. S. A. \|isbn=9780333902554 }}</ref> They defeated the hero of Mahabharatha war, and did spare him when he disclosed the identity of the members of the family of Sri Krishna.<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJNHAAAAMAAJ&q=looted+the+train+of+Arjuna%2C \|title=Yadavas through the ages, from ... – J. N. Singh Yadav – Google Books \|date=28 August 2007 \|isbn=9788185616032 \|last1=Singh Yadav \|first1=J. N. }}</ref> The [[Gopas]], whom [[Krishna]] had offered to Duryodhana to fight in his support when he himself joined Arjuna's side, were no other than the [[Yadavas]] themselves, who were also the Abhiras.<ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CGMqAQAAIAAJ&q=Gopas%2C+whom+Krishna \|title=Man in India – Google Books \|year=1974 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book\|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oFHRAAAAMAAJ&q=abhiras \|title=Ethnic history of Gujarat – Popatlal Govindlal Shah – Google Books \|date=13 February 2009 \|last1=Shah \|first1=Popatlal Govindlal }}</ref><ref>Ethnic history of Gujarat</ref> The Abhiras also have been described as [[Kshatriya\|Vrata Kshatriyas]].

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	{{reflist}}		{{reflist}}

			===Sources===
			* {{cite web \| title=Durga - Hindu mythology \| website=Encyclopedia Britannica \| date=19 February 2015 \| url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Durga \| ref={{sfnref \| Encyclopedia Britannica \| 2015}} \| access-date=15 February 2017}}
			* {{cite book \|author=Laura Amazzone \|editor=Patricia Monaghan \|title=Goddesses in World Culture \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qotjet-Hb0MC \|year=2011 \|publisher=ABC-CLIO \|isbn=978-0-313-35465-6}}
			* {{cite book \|author=Wendy Doniger \|title=Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions \|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780877790440 \|url-access=registration \|year=1999 \|publisher=Merriam-Webster \|isbn=978-0-87779-044-0}}
			* {{cite book \|author=David R Kinsley \|title=The Goddesses' Mirror: Visions of the Divine from East and West \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b0jmXOPBXkwC \|year=1989 \|publisher=State University of New York Press \|isbn=978-0-88706-835-5}}
			* {{cite book \|author=Donald J LaRocca \|title=The Gods of War: Sacred Imagery and the Decoration of Arms and Armor \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8B5B4B5IcQkC \|year=1996 \|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art \|isbn=978-0-87099-779-2}}
			* {{cite book \|author=June McDaniel \|title=Offering Flowers, Feeding Skulls: Popular Goddess Worship in West Bengal \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=caeJpIj9SdkC \|year=2004 \|publisher=Oxford University Press \|isbn=978-0-19-534713-5}}
			* {{cite book \|author1=Charles Phillips \|author2=Michael Kerrigan \|author3=David Gould \|title=Ancient India's Myths and Beliefs \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p3-RkE-Xxa0C \|year=2011 \|publisher=The Rosen Publishing Group \|isbn=978-1-4488-5990-0}}
			* {{cite book \|author=Paul Reid-Bowen \|editor1=Denise Cush \|editor2=Catherine Robinson \|editor3=Michael York \|title=Encyclopedia of Hinduism \|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kzPgCgAAQBAJ \|year=2012 \|publisher=Routledge \|isbn=978-1-135-18979-2}}
	[[Category:History of Haryana]]		[[Category:History of Haryana]]
	[[Category:History of Rajasthan]]		[[Category:History of Rajasthan]]

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{{EngvarB|date=February 2021}}
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The '''Abhira tribe''' or '''Abhira Kshatriyas'''<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wT-BAAAAMAAJ |title=The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh|last=Soni|first=Lok Nath|date=2000|publisher=Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture|isbn=978-81-85579-57-3|language=en|pages=11–14–16}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first=Ayan |last=Shome |title=Dialogue & Daggers: Notion of Authority and Legitimacy in the Early Delhi Sultanate (1192 C.E. – 1316 C.E.) |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6Q2qCQAAQBAJ |year=2014 |publisher=Vij Books India Pvt Ltd, 2014 |isbn=9789384318468 |page=43}}</ref> were a people mentioned in ancient Indian epics and scriptures as early as the [[Vedas]].<ref name="dhume@1">{{cite book|last1=Dhume|first1=Anant Ramkrishna Sinai|title=The Cultural History of Goa from 10000 B.C.-1352 A.D.|date=1986|publisher=Ramesh Anant S. Dhume|page=158|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YtALAAAAIAAJ&q=abhiras}}</ref> A historical people of the same name are mentioned in the ''[[Periplus of the Erythraean Sea]]''.

==Etymology==
Etymologically, he who can cast terror on all sides is called an Abhira.,<ref>{{cite book|title= The Cattle and Stick |first= Lok Nath |last=Soni |publisher= Anthropological Survey of India |year=2000 |page=14 |isbn= 9788185579573 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wT-BAAAAMAAJ&q=abhira}}</ref> Abhira meaning fearless.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Yadava|first=S. D. S.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p69GMA226bgC&dq=+abhira+meaning+fearless&pg=PA1|title=Followers of Krishna: Yadavas of India|date=2006|publisher=Lancer Publishers|isbn=978-81-7062-216-1|language=en}}</ref>

==History==
Sunil Kumar Bhattacharya says that the Abhiras are mentioned in the first-century work of [[classical antiquity]], the ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea''. He considers them to be a race rather than a tribe.<ref name="Bhattacharya1996p126">{{cite book |title=Krishna — Cult in Indian Art |first=Sunil Kumar |last=Bhattacharya |publisher=M.D. Publications |year=1996 |isbn=9788175330016 |page=126 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SyyNIL7Ug2kC}}</ref> Scholars such as [[Ramaprasad Chanda]] believe that they were [[Indo-Aryan peoples]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Ramaprasad |last=Chanda |author-link=Ramaprasad Chanda |title=The Indo-Aryan races: a study of the origin of Indo-Aryan people and institutions |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=h-bkVF3kXGQC|year=1969 |publisher=Indian Studies: Past & Present|page=55}}</ref> but others, such as [[Romila Thapar]], believe them to have been indigenous.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thapar|first=Romila|author-link=Romila Thapar|title=Ancient Indian Social History: Some Interpretations|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fK3VTUrWsD0C|year=1978|page=149|publisher=Orient Blackswan|isbn=978-81-250-0808-8}}</ref> The [[Puranas|Puranic]] Abhiras occupied the territories of [[Herat]]; they are invariably juxtaposed with the Kalatoyakas and [[Harita]]s, the peoples of Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite book|first=Sudāmā |last=Miśra |title=Janapada state in ancient India |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Dua1AAAAIAAJ |year=1973 |publisher=Bhāratīya Vidyā Prakāśana}}</ref>

According to Jayant Gadkari tribes such as Vrusni, Andhaka, Satvatas and Abhiras after a period of long conflicts came to be known as Yadavas.<ref name="Society and Religion">{{cite book|author= Jayant GadKari |title=Society and Religion|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zst_7qaatp8C&q=Yadavas|volume=53|year=1991|publisher=Gopson Papers|page=184|isbn=9788171547432}}</ref>

In the Padma-puranas and certain literary works, the Abhiras are referred to as belonging to the race of Krishna.<ref name="garg"/>

There is no certainty regarding the occupational status of the Abhiras, with ancient texts sometimes referring to them as warriors, pastoral and cowherders but at other times as plundering tribes.<ref>{{cite book |first=Aditya |last=Malik |chapter=The Puskara Mahatmya: A Short Report |page=200 |title=The History of Sacred Places in India As Reflected in Traditional Literature |editor-first=Hans |editor-last=Bakker |location=Leiden |year=1990 |isbn=9789004093188 |publisher=BRILL and the International Association of Sanskrit Studies |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wPgBdyxD5MkC&pg=PA200}}</ref>

Along with the [[Vrishni]]s, the [[Yadava#The Satvatas|Satvatas]] and the [[Yadava]]s, the Abhiras were followers of the Vedas, who worshipped [[Krishna]], the head and preceptor of these tribes.<ref>{{cite book|last=Radhakrishnan|first=S.|title=Identity And Ethos|date=2007|publisher=Orient Paperbacks|isbn=978-8-12220-455-1|pages=31–32|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XJTDELuvZKsC&pg=PA31}}</ref><ref name="garg">{{cite book |first= Dr Ganga Ram |last= Garg | page = 113 |title= Encyclopaedia of Hindu world |year= 1992 |publisher= Concept Publishing|isbn= 9788170223740 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=w9pmo51lRnYC&pg=PA113}}</ref>

In archaeological inscriptions Abhiras are mentioned as belonging to the race of Lord Krishna.<ref>{{cite book |first= Padmaja |last= T | page = 34 |title= Ay velirs and Krsna|year= 2002 |publisher= University of Mysore|isbn= 9788170173984 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=pzgaS1wRnl8C&q=abhiras&pg=RA1-PA34}}</ref><ref name="garg"/> According to [[K. P. Jayaswal]] the abhiras of Gujarat are the same race as Rastrikas of Emperor Asoka and Yadavas of the Mahabharatha.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gPAdAAAAMAAJ&q=Abhiras| title=The Glory that was Gūrjaradeśa, Volume 1| publisher= Bharathiya Vidya Bhavan | work= History | author= Mularaja solanki | year=1943| pages=30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.499265| title= Hindu Polity| publisher= Bangalore Print | work= History | author= K P Jayaswal | year= 1943| pages=141}}</ref>

===Connection to Ahir===
According to Ganga Ram Garg, the modern-day [[Ahir]] caste are descendants of Abhira people and the term ''Ahir'' is the [[Prakrit]] form of the [[Sanskrit]] term ''Abhira''.<ref name="garg"/> Bhattacharya says that the terms ''Ahir'', ''Ahar'' and ''Gaoli'' are current forms of the word ''Abhira''.<ref name="Bhattacharya1996p126"/> This view gets support in many writings.

[[M. S. A. Rao]] and historians such as P. M. Chandorkar and T. Padmaja have explained that epigraphical and historical evidence exists for equating the Ahirs with the ancient Abhiras and [[Yadava]] tribe.<ref>{{Cite book|first = Sumit | last = Guha |title=Environment and Ethnicity in India, 1200–1991| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=GSa5blriOYcC&pg=PA47|year = 2006| publisher = University of Cambridge|page=47|isbn=978-0-521-02870-7}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book| first = M. S. A. | last=Rao |title=Social Movements in India|volume=1| url =https://books.google.com/books?id=SODZAAAAMAAJ|year=1978 | publisher =Manohar|pages=124, 197, 210}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book | first = Padmaja|last= T. |title=Temples of Kr̥ṣṇa in South India: History, Art, and Traditions in Tamilnāḍu|url =https://books.google.com/books?id=pzgaS1wRnl8C&pg=RA1-PA35|year = 2001 | publisher = Archaeology Dept., University of Mysore|pages=25, 34|isbn=978-8-170-17398-4}}</ref>

==Legendary characters in Hinduism==
===Goddess Gayatri===
[[File:Gayatri1.jpg|150px|thumb|left|Gayatri's Illustration by [[Raja Ravi Verma]]. In illustrations, the goddess often sits on a [[Nelumbo nucifera|lotus]] flower and appears with five heads and five pairs of hands.]]

[[Gayatri]] is the personified form of popular [[Gayatri Mantra]], a hymn from [[Vedic]] texts.<ref name="brad">{{cite book|last1=Bradley|first1=R. Hertel|last2=Cynthia|first2=Ann Humes|title=Living Banaras: Hindu Religion in Cultural Context|date=1993|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=9780791413319|page=286|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r-OYL6Khg0UC|access-date=2019-08-20|archive-date=2020-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012022316/https://books.google.com/books?id=r-OYL6Khg0UC|url-status=live}}</ref> She is also known as Savitri and Vedamata (mother of vedas).<ref>Constance Jones, James D. Ryan (2005), ''Encyclopedia of Hinduism'', Infobase Publishing, p.167, entry "Gayatri Mantra"</ref><ref>Roshen Dalal (2010), ''The Religions of India: A Concise Guide to Nine Major Faiths'', Penguin Books India, p.328, entry "Savitr, god"</ref>

According to [[Padma Purana]], lord [[Indra]] brought Gayatri, an Abhira girl, to help Brahma in a [[Yajna]] in [[Pushkar]]. She was married to Brahma during Yajna.<ref>{{cite book|first=K. Damodaran |last=Nambiar |title=Nārada Purāṇa, a Critical Study |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ADIqAAAAYAAJ |year=1979 |publisher=All-India Kashiraj Trust, 1979 |page=145}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Wadia|first=Sophia|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1SMLAQAAMAAJ&q=gayatri+abhira|title=The Aryan Path|date=1969|publisher=Theosophy Company (India), Limited|language=en}}</ref><ref name="arya rel">{{Cite book|last=Arya|first=Sharda|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KDQqAAAAYAAJ&q=abhira|title=Religion and Philosophy of the Padma-purāṇa|date=1988|publisher=Nag Publishers|isbn=978-81-7081-190-9|language=en}}</ref>

Brahma's first wife is Savitri and Gayatri is the second. The story says that Savitri became angry knowing the wedding of Gayatri with Brahma and cursed all the gods and goddesses engaged in the event.<ref name="bulbul">{{cite book|last1=Sharma|first1=Bulbul|title=The book of Devi|date=2010|publisher=Penguin Books India|isbn=9780143067665|pages=72–75|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=on_ZhlB5taUC|access-date=2019-08-20|archive-date=2020-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012022320/https://books.google.com/books?id=on_ZhlB5taUC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="ban">{{cite book | last1=Bansal | title=Hindu Gods and Goddesses | publisher=Smriti Books | date=2005 | first1=Sunita Pant | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xhrnkdByWDIC | page=23 | isbn=9788187967729 | access-date=2019-08-20 | archive-date=2016-05-14 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160514201346/https://books.google.com/books?id=xhrnkdByWDIC | url-status=live }}</ref>

However, in Padma Purana, after Savitri was appeased by [[Brahma]], [[Vishnu]] and [[Lakshmi]], she accepts Gayatri Abhira as her sister happily.<ref name="bar">{{cite book|last1=Holdrege|first1=Barbara A.|title=Hindu Mythology, Vedic and Puranic|date=2012|publisher=SUNY Press|isbn=9781438406954|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YlvikndgEmIC|access-date=2019-08-20|archive-date=2020-08-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200820030816/https://books.google.com/books?id=YlvikndgEmIC|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="arya rel"/>

In some puranas, Gayatri is said to be the other name of [[Sarasvati]], the wife of Brahma.<ref>{{cite book|title=Guru Granth Sahib an Advance Study|publisher=Hemkunt Press|isbn=9788170103219|page=294|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=8170103215|access-date=2019-08-20|archive-date=2020-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012022317/https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=isbn:8170103215|url-status=live}}</ref> According to [[Matsya Purana]], [[Brahma]]'s left half emerged as a female, who is celebrated under the names of Sarasvati, Savitri and Gayatri.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ludvík|first1=Catherine|title=Sarasvatī, Riverine Goddess of Knowledge: From the|date=2007|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004158146|page=119|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=9004158146|access-date=2019-08-20|archive-date=2020-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012022320/https://www.google.com/search?tbo=p&tbm=bks&q=isbn:9004158146|url-status=live}}</ref> In [[Kurma Purana]], [[Gautama Maharishi|Gautama rishi]] was blessed by Goddess Gayatri and able to eliminate the obstacles he faced in his life. [[Skanda Purana]] tells that Gayatri is the wife of Brahma making her a form of [[Saraswati]].<ref name="vans">{{cite book|last1=Kennedy|first1=Vans|title=Researches Into the Nature and Affinity of Ancient and Hindu Mythology by Vans Kennedy|date=1831|publisher=Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_JpgIYbEtdQ8C/page/n337 317]–324|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_JpgIYbEtdQ8C}}</ref>

Gayatri further developed into a fierce goddess who could even slay a demon. According to [[Varaha Purana]] and [[Mahabharata]], Goddess Gayatri slayed the demon Vetrasura, the son of [[Vritra]] and river [[Vetravati]], on a [[Navami]] day.<ref>{{cite book|last1=B K Chaturvedi|title=Varaha Purana|date=2017|publisher=Diamond Pocket Books Pvt Ltd|isbn=9788128822261|pages=108|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=N6KkDgAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Bibek|first1=Debroy|title=The holy Puranas Volume 2 of The Holy Puranas: Markandeya, Agni, Bhavishya, Brahmavaivarta, Linga, Varaha|date=2002|publisher=B.R. Pub. Corp.|isbn=9788176462969|page=519|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IpwlAQAAIAAJ|access-date=2019-08-20|archive-date=2020-10-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012022321/https://books.google.com/books?id=IpwlAQAAIAAJ|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Rule of the Konkan==
From 203 to 270 the [[Abhira dynasty|Abhiras]] ruled over the whole of the Deccan Plateau as a paramount power. The Abhiras were the immediate successors of the Satavahanas.<ref name="India1991">{{cite book|author=Numismatic Society of India|title=The Journal of the Numismatic Society of India|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sk1mAAAAMAAJ|volume=53|year=1991|publisher=the University of Michigan|pages=91–95}}</ref>

==Rule of the Junagadh==
[[File:Uparkot Fort 19 Clicked by Hariom Raval.jpg|thumb|right|[[Uparkot Fort|Uparkot fort]] rediscovered by Chudasama ruler Graharipu]]
The [[Chudasama dynasty]], originally of Abhira clan from [[Sindh|Sind]] wielded great influence around [[Junagadh]] from the 875 A.D. onwards when they consolidated themselves at [[Vanthali]] (ancient Vamanasthali) close to [[Girnar]] under their - King [[Chudachandra|Ra Chuda]].<ref>{{cite book|first=K. V. Soundara |last=Rajan |title=Junagadh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2eIcAAAAMAAJ |year=1985 |publisher=Archaeological Survey of India, 1985 |page=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Sailendra Nath Sen|title=Ancient Indian History and Civilization|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Wk4_ICH_g1EC&pg=PA344|access-date=3 January 2011|date=1 January 1999|publisher=New Age International|isbn=978-81-224-1198-0|pages=344}}</ref>

A Chudasama prince styled [[Graharipu]] and ruling at Vanthali near Junagadh is described in the Dyashraya-Kavya of [[Hemachandra]] as an Abhira and a Yadava.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FoT6gPrbTp8C&pg=PA25 |title=The Tribes and Castes of Bombay, Volume 1|author=Reginald Edward Enthoven|publisher=Asian Educational Services|year=1990|page=25|isbn=9788120606302}}</ref>

==Abhiras of Gupta empire ==
During the reign of [[Samudragupta]] (c. 350), the Abhiras lived in [[Rajputana]] and [[Malwa|Malava]] on the western frontier of the [[Gupta empire]]. Historian [[Dineshchandra Sircar]] thinks of their original abode was the area of Abhiravan, between [[Herat]] and [[Kandahar]], although this is disputed.<ref name="google10">{{cite book|first=Tej Ram |last=Sharma |title=A political history of the imperial Guptas: from Gupta to Skandagupta |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fWVZWjNAcAgC&pg=PA87 |year=1989 |publisher=Concept Publishing Company |isbn=978-81-7022-251-4 |page=87}}</ref> Their occupation of [[Rajasthan]] also at later date is evident from the [[Jodhpur]] inscription of [[Hindu calendar|Samvat]] 918 that the Abhira people of the area were a terror to their neighbours, because of their violent demeanour.<ref name="google10"/> Abhiras of Rajputana were sturdy and regarded as [[Mleccha]]s, and carried on anti-Brahmanical activities. As a result, life and property became unsafe. Pargiter{{who|date=January 2018}} points to the Pauranic tradition that the Vrishnis and Andhakas, while retreating northwards after the [[Kurukshetra War]] from their western home in Dwarka and Gujarat, were attacked and broken up by the rude Abhiras of Rajasthan.<ref>{{cite book|first=Kailash Chand |last=Jain |title=Ancient cities and towns of Rajasthan: a study of culture and civilization |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FQx5a48dzlYC |year=1972 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass|isbn=9788120806696 }}</ref> They were the supporters of the [[Duryodhana]]<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Aqo4AAAAIAAJ&q=Abhira+warriors |title=Man in India – Google Books |date=17 July 2007}}</ref><ref>Man in India, Volume 54-page-39</ref> and [[Kaurava]]s, and in the Mahabharata,<ref>Ancient Nepal</ref> Abhir, Gopa, Gopal<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WrAwAAAAMAAJ&q=The+Abhiras+and+Gopalas+are+synonymous |title=Ancient Nepal – D. R. Regmi, Nepal Institute of Asian Studies – Google Books |date=1 December 1973 |last1=Regmi |first1=D. R. }}</ref> and Yadavas are all synonyms.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=43Fzt-G_-XYC&q=great+abhiras&pg=PA3 |title=Encyclopaedia of ancient Indian ... – Subodh Kapoor – Google Books |isbn=9788177552980 |last1=Kapoor |first1=Subodh |year=2002 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZAiAAAAMAAJ&q=abhiras+looted+arjuna |title=Social movements and social ... – M. S. A. Rao – Google Books |date=14 December 2006 |last1=Rao |first1=M. S. A. |isbn=9780333902554 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tZAiAAAAMAAJ&q=Kauravas |title=Social movements and social ... – M. S. A. Rao – Google Books |date=14 December 2006 |last1=Rao |first1=M. S. A. |isbn=9780333902554 }}</ref> They defeated the hero of Mahabharatha war, and did spare him when he disclosed the identity of the members of the family of Sri Krishna.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QJNHAAAAMAAJ&q=looted+the+train+of+Arjuna%2C |title=Yadavas through the ages, from ... – J. N. Singh Yadav – Google Books |date=28 August 2007 |isbn=9788185616032 |last1=Singh Yadav |first1=J. N. }}</ref> The [[Gopas]], whom [[Krishna]] had offered to Duryodhana to fight in his support when he himself joined Arjuna's side, were no other than the [[Yadavas]] themselves, who were also the Abhiras.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CGMqAQAAIAAJ&q=Gopas%2C+whom+Krishna |title=Man in India – Google Books |year=1974 }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oFHRAAAAMAAJ&q=abhiras |title=Ethnic history of Gujarat – Popatlal Govindlal Shah – Google Books |date=13 February 2009 |last1=Shah |first1=Popatlal Govindlal }}</ref><ref>Ethnic history of Gujarat</ref> The Abhiras also have been described as [[Kshatriya|Vrata Kshatriyas]].

The Abhiras did not stop in Rajasthan; some of their clans moved south and west reaching [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] and [[Maharashtra]] and taking service under the [[Satavahana dynasty]] and the [[Western Satraps]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Haryana: studies in history and culture |url=https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.58846 |year=1968 |publisher=Kurukshetra University|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.gov.ignca.58846/page/n68 44]}}</ref> Also founded a kingdom in the northern part of the [[Maratha]] country, and an inscription of the ninth year of the Abhira king [[Ishwarsena]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Sunil Kumar |last=Bhattacharya |title=Krishna-cult in Indian art |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SyyNIL7Ug2kC&pg=PA10 |year=1996 |publisher=M.D. Publications Pvt. Ltd. |isbn=978-81-7533-001-6 |page=10}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|first1=Ramesh Chandra |last1=Majumdar |first2=Anant Sadashiv |last2=Altekar |title=Vakataka – Gupta Age Circa 200–550 AD |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OswUZtL1_CUC&pg=PA143 |year=1967 |publisher=Motilal Banarsidass |isbn=978-81-208-0026-7 |page=143}}</ref>

==Rule of the Nepal==
An Ahir dynasty ruled pre-12th century areas in present-day [[Nepal]].<ref>{{cite book|first=Punam |last=Yadav|title=Social Transformation in Post-conflict Nepal: A Gender Perspective|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3QQRDAAAQBAJ&pg=PT57|year=2016|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-317-35389-8|page=57}}</ref> According to ''Gopalarājvamshāvali'', the [[genealogy]] of ancient [[Gopal Bansa|Gopala dynasty]] compiled circa 1380s, Nepal is named after ''Nepa'' the cowherd, the founder of the Nepali scion of the Abhiras. In its account, the cow that issued milk to the spot, at which ''Nepa'' discovered the ''[[Jyotirlinga]]'' of [[Pashupatinath Temple|''Pashupatināth'']] upon investigation, was also named ''Ne''.<ref name=Malla>{{Cite conference |title=Nepāla: Archaeology of the Word|last=Malla|first=Kamal P.|author-link=Kamal P. Malla|work=The Nepal Heritage Society Souvenir for PATA Conference|pages=33–39|conference=3rd PATA International Tourism & Heritage Conservation Conference (1–4 November)|location=Kathmandu|year=1983|url=http://www.kpmalla.com/?attachment_id=285|access-date=5 May 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120322214352/http://www.kpmalla.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Nepala.pdf |archive-date=22 March 2012}}</ref>

==See also==
*[[Abhira dynasty]]
*[[Ishwarsena]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:History of Haryana]]
[[Category:History of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:History of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Ancient peoples of India]]
[[Category:Ancient peoples of Nepal]]