8 The origin of yadav dynasty upto king vasudev

ORIGIN

Today Yadavs constitutes 20% of India’s population and over 3% of world population-in terms of sheer numbers this translate to 20 crores or 200 millions. Yadav’s are the largest race in the history of the whole world. Out of 223 countries in whole world, there are only 4 countries including India with over 200 million population. It has been truly said that yadav’s are not merely a community but a “nation” in themselves.

Creation

The Supreme Personality of Godhead is the source of everything. There is no one neither equal to Him nor greater than Him. He expands Himself as Maha Vishnu. When Maha Vishnu exhales then unlimited universes are created from the pours of His body and when He inhales then all the Universes are destroyed. Maha Vishnu exhales and inhales once at every one lifetime of a Bramha (100 years of Bramha ji= 311 trillion 40 billion earthly years). Bramha ji life consists of 100 years. 12 hours of Bramha ji consists of 4 billion 320 million earthly years. Then Maha Visnu’s expansion is Garbodakshayi Vishnu. Garbodakshayi Vishnu’s expansion is Ksirodakshayi Vishnu. Lord Bramha is born from the Lotus flower which sprouted from the navel of Garbodakshayi Vishnu. When we speak of Hindu concept of trinity of Bramha, Vishnu and Mahesh- the Vishnu referred here indicates Garbodakshayi Vishnu, who is an expansion of expansion of Shri Krishna.
 Bramha ji from his consciousness or mind created many sons including Lord Siva, Narada Muni, Four Kumaras, Bhrigu Muni, Kratu, Pulaha, Vasistha, Angira, Pulastya, Marichi and Atri. Marichi produced Kashyap from his dhyan or prayers. Bramhaji was not pleased by the rate of slow growth of mankind. Thereby, he ordered his son Prajapati to marry Aditi. This new pair gave us Vivashwan or Surya. Later, the love between Surya and Surenu gave us Suryavanshi Manu. In Suryavansha, Lord Shri Rama appeared in Treta Yuga.

 The Birth of Yaduvansha

 

Som (the Moon God) was born from Atri and Atri was born from Bramha’s mind. So all Yadav’s are Somvanshi or Chandravanshi. From the start of Somvansh/Chandravansh to Shree Krishna, there were 46 generations of kings, all listed below. The dates etc. are discussed at end of generation 46, i.e. Shree Krishna's. In Sata Yuga a person’s maximum life span was 100,000 years. In Treta Yujga a person’s maximum life span was 10,000 years. In Dvapar Yuga a person’s maximum life span was 1,000 years. In Kali yuga a person’s maximum life span is around 100 years. Sata Yuga lasted for 17,28,000 years. Treta Yuga lasted for 12,96,000 years. Dvapar Yuga lasted for 8,64,000 years and Kali Yuga will last for 4,32,000 years. The moment Lord Krishna finished His lila on this earth planet, Dvapara yug ended and Kali Yuga started. So around 5,100 years of Kaliyuga have passed and there is more 4,26,900 years of Kali Yuga is remaining . After the end of Kali yuga again Sata yuga will start.
 The dynasty of Moon (Som or Chandra)

1. Som, Somvansh/Chandravansh

2. Buddh

(Atri was one of Bramha's seven sons who married Bhadra. He later went on to conceive a son named Som. Som was very attractive young man and eloped with Rishi Brahaspti's wife, Tara. Som and Tara gave birth to Buddh (not Lord Buddha) during the absence of Rishi Brahaspti.)

3. Pururuva or Yela

PURURAVA & URVASHI

According to Bhagavat, son of Som and grandson of Atri, Rishi Buddh came to Bharat-khand for offering prayers and relieves his remorse. Suryavanshi Manu's daughter Ila fell in love with Buddh. They together conceived a son named Pururuva. Later, he became a chakravarti samrat or a great king. The Pururuva dynasty was called "Yela", derived from mother, Ila. Pururuva established the city of Prayag which later became the capital of his kingdom. Prayag was later named after him and till date it is refered as Yelahabad (Allahabad-Muslims started pronouncing like this in later centuries). During the times of King Pururuva, King Indra's enemy Danavraj Keshi used to rule Hiranyapur. King Pururuva helped Indra in defeating Keshi. Indra, in courtesy, offered Pururuva an apsara, called Urvashi, as a gift. This pair gave birth to six sons, eldest being Ayu, followed by Amavasu, Visvasu, Ritayu, Satayu and Ayutuyu. After sixty years of being together with Pururuva, Urvashi returned to the heavens.

The Ichwaku and Ela Arya were essentially the two branches of Suryavansh and Somvansh who established the mid regions of Kaushalya (Ayodhya), Pryag, Mathura, Kashi and Kanyakubj. Manu's Ichwaku built Ayodhya, Pururuva's eldest son Ayu, built Mathura while the youngest, Amavasu, built Kanyakubj. Finally, Pururuva's grandson built Kashi.

4. King Ayu

King Pururuva's & Urvashi (apsara from heavenly Planet-swargaloka) son, Ayu was the fourth Somvanshi. The tree is as follows:
King Ayu married King Sarvbhanu's (Rahu) daughter Prabha. Yuvraj Nahush was their eldest son. Kshtravardh, Rambh, Rajji and Adena were their other four sons. As mentioned before, King Ayu established the city of Mathura on the banks of Yamuna River. In times to come, Prayag was considered to be the Yadav's mainland and Mathura was the capital for many generations during their rule. The Tartars from Mid-Asia considered Ayu to be their forefather. In their local language "Ayu" was considered plural of Chandrama (moon) and was considered a symbolic representation of God. Tartar's "Ayu", Chineese "Yu" and Puranas' "Ayu" are all synonyms of Indu or Chandrama (moon). New castes kept emerging and Ayus kept fading as the time Yadav progressed.

5. King Nahush

The prince of King Ayu. He married queen Vraja. They had six sons, Princes Yati, Yayati, Samati, Ayati, Viyati and Kriti along with a Princess, Ruchi, who later married Aapnavan- the son of Chayavan rishi and Sukanya.
 In the 10th war with Devasurs, King Indra killed the Trishira bramhin. He was condemned for killing a bramhin and as a result, Indra escaped heaven and took hiding in an unknown place. During his absence, the kings of heaven chose King Nahush to take care of their kingdom. Unfortunately, one day, King Nahush got attracted towards Indra's queen, Sachi ( Indrani ) and in a rush to reach her, ordered the Bramhins to take his paliki to Sachi. This request infuriated the bramhins since they cursed the King and got him removed from his position as a King of heaven.

6. King Yayati

The eldest Prince of King Nahush. The eldest son of Nahus, Yati was very religious by nature. He forgoed his birthright to rule the kingdom by his pure will and opted for bhakti instead. The second son of Nahush, Yayati became the king in place of Yati. King Yayati had two wives. One was Devyani, the daughter of Danav guru, Sukracharya and the other was Sharmishtha, the daughter of Danav King. Devyani was the mother of Princes Yadu and Turvasu whereas Sharmishta was the mother of Druhu, Anu and Puru. All of the Princes earned good names and fame during time of Rig Veda and were jointly called as Panchjanya.

 

King Yayati, in order to please his senses ordered Yadu to exchange his youth with him. Yadu and the other three sons refused their father's request except the youngest son, Puru. Rishi Ushna Bhargav, using the youth sciences transformed the youth of a son into a father and vice-versa. King Yayati, unpleased with Yadu, took away his birthright to rule and gave it to Prince Puru instead. Prince Puru was married to Princess Pausthi. Before the youth exchange with his father, his sons were called Pauravs. The Paurav dynasty was carried forward by Kuru and the Kuru descendants, Kaurav and Pandav, carried forward Kuru dynasty. On the other hand, Yadu's dynasty was called "Yaduvanshi".
King Yayati distributed his kingdom amongst his five sons. Prince Puru received the great Prayag, the capital, situated between southern regions of Ganges and Yamuna; Prince Yadu received the south western teritories which included Charmvati (chambal ), Vetravati ( Betva ) and Shuktimati ( Keyn ). Prince Druhu received western regions of Yamuna; Prince Anu got the city of Kanyakubj and Prince Turvasu received the south eastern teritories of Riva. The Druhu and Anu dynasty captured Punjab and North-Western frontier states as well in later times. However, they just did not stop here and continued their expansion into west, outside the Bharatvarsh. This resulted in their gradual disappearance from Bharat itself. However, they carried Bharat's culture, civilization and customs into western countries. The Baktryiya Yunani who were also known as 'Yavan', were Anu's dynasty. Later on, the Turvasu dynasty also drifted from Bharatvarsh. Only Yadu and Puru dynasty remained in Bharat and completely transformed the face of Bharatvarsh in time to come.
Yadu and Puru dynasty remained the central point of source of Bharat Varshs history. King Puru was great grandfather of King Dushyant and had a son named Bharat. It is from Bharat that the country got its name and came to be known as Bharatvarsh. King Kuru was born during King Puru's time, whose offspring’s were Kaurav and Pandav. These were the same renowned Kaurav and Pandavs who fought the epic battle of Mahabharat. The dynasty of king Yadu - Andhak, Vrasni and Bhoj, under the leadership of Shree Krishna, helped the Pandavs win the battle.
As mentioned earlier, King Yayati helped the Devgans during the battle with Devasurs. The pleased Indra had offered Yayati a divya-charriot as a gift for his help. Many centuries later, Jarasandh got the same charriot as a privilege of being Janmeyjaya, son of King Kuru. However, Shree Krishna obtained the same later on by power.

King Yayati became tired of ruling the vast territories from Prayag to Mid-States. Therefore, during his older days, he took off to the forests and eventually became a monk.

7. King Yadu and Yaduvansh

The prince of King Yayati, Yadu was a self respecting and a very established ruler. He had four sons. They were: Prince Sashtrajeet, Kroshta, Nal and Ripu. The kings between Rishi Buddh and Yayati were known as Somvanshi. As mentioned before, Yadu had officially lost the title to govern by his father's command since he had refused to exchange his youth with his father. Thereby, he could not have carried on the same dynasty, called Somvanshi. Notably, the only remaining dynasty of King Puru was entitled to be known as Somvanshi. Thereby King Yadu ordered that the future generations of his would be known as "Yadu" or "Yadav" and the dynasty would be known as "Yaduvanshi". The generations of Yadu had an unprecedented growth and got divided into two branches. King Sashtrajeet's generation came to be known as "Haihai Yadav" occupying the northern regions whereas the King Kroshta's generation became to be known as "Kroshta Yadav' occupying southern regions. King Haihai was Satajeet's son and Sashtrajeet's grandson. King Sashtrajeet instituted a new state and a new dynasty and offered the same, by his own will and against his birth right, to be taken care of by his younger brother Kroshta. Thereby, Kroshta officially became the heer of King Yadu.

Consequently, the generations of King Puru, Paurav or Puruvanshi were the only ones to be known as Somvanshi. The Aryas who established the businesses in Kathiavad regions from Kurushetra, Surseni, Indrapasth etc, continued this approach of economy in later times as well.

Thereby, Kathiavad became the business center for Vrashni Yadav's and in vedic times it was recorded that these Yadav traveled many distances using sea etc.  Some excerpts are as follows:

Rig Veda: 6.45.1 ya anayat paravatah suniti turvashu yadu'm. Indrasya sah nah yuvam sakha.
Rig Veda: 1.174.9;6.10.12. pra yat samudram ati shur parshi paraya turvasha yadu swasti.
Rig Veda: 4.30.17, ut tya turvashayadu asnatara sachipati-ah. Indra vidwan aparayat.
Rig Veda: 8.7.18, yen av-ah turvasam yadu'm yen kadvam dhansptam. Raye su tasya dhemahi.
Rig Veda: 8.6.46, satam aham tirindarey sahastram pasharba dadey. Radhati yadvanam. ( Tirindra got Yadav's money ( dhan) due to help from Indra )

8. King Kroshta

After King Yadu, his second son, prince Kroshta acquired the kingdom and became the first Yaduvanshi ruler. His generations became to be known as "Kroshta Yadav"

9. King Vrajnivan or Vrajpita

10. King Swahi King after Kroshta

11. King Ushnak ( a.k.a Roosdrig, Roosdrug, Unkas )

12. King Chitrarath: King after Ushnak

13. King Sashibindu-

A powerful King after King Chitrarath. In Sashibindu's leadership, the Kroshta Yadavs won the states from King Puru's dynasty in addition to some part of land from his brother Druhu's estates. He was from the same timeline as King Mandhata, the great grand father of king Dashrath and Ram. Shashibindu's daughter, Bindumati was married to Mandhata, however, they were great enemies. King Mandhata won the Kanyakubj from Anu's dynasty along with parts of land from Pauravs and Druhavs. The King of Druhavs, Gandhar, fled to what is now known as Afganistan and took shelter there. Later on, this same place was named Gandhar. Sashibindu, in an endless mode to acquire more land, created several problems in the states of Pauravs, Anuvs and Druhavs , resulting in higly unstable states. Therefore, all the lands from the generations of King Yayati and his second wife, Queen Sharmistha:Puru, Anu and Druhu - were acquired by King Sahibindu and King Mandhata. Due to the rise of Kroshta Yadav King Sashibindu, - the Haihai Yadavs had a wrong impact on society as well. Under the leadership of King Arjun Kirtivirya ( Sahastrabahu ), the Haihai Yadavs forced the Bhargav Bramhins of Narmada River to leave Kanyakubj and attain shelter in Ayodhya.

Hahai Yadav King named Arjuna (not Pandava Arjuna), had thousand arms. He had propitiated Lord Dattatreya and has secured from his boons which made him invincible. But Arjuna misused his powers and became a merciless Tyrant.

To end his Tyrant and all such evil Kshatriyas, Lord Vishnu came to earth as Parashurama, the youngest son of Sage Jamadagni and his wife Renuka. He had four brothers. Parashurama was very powerful and was unparallel in austerity as well as in strength. Though a Brahmin son Parashurama had inordinate love for weapons and his favorite weapon was the Axe. Sage Jamadagni had an Ashrama in the forests where he educated his sons and his disciples.

Once when Parashurama & his brothers were away , Arjuna entered Jamadagni's Ashrama . Jamadagni and Renuka were alone in the Ashrama at that time. Jamadagni greeted him and offered him with delicious dishes and with the tasty milk of his cow Kamadhenu and her calf .The king pondered, "How did the sage get such a large quantity of food in this small Ashrama?"

He later on learnt that it was because of Kamadhenu. He than thought to himself that " If Kamadhenu can feed so many people in such a short time then I must possess her."

After the meals he took rest for a while and at the time of departure he ordered his men to seize the cow & her calf & take them to the Capital.  

The Haihai took the Kamdhenu cow of Rishi Jamdagni by force. This was the primary cause of the enimity between Haihai Yadavs and Bramhins. Under the leadership of Parshuram, son of the Rishi Jamdagni, the Bramhins attacked the Kshatriyas twenty one times.

Every time, the kshatriyas lost. Therefore, they accepted the defeat as their ill fate and the Bramhins over took the ruling. During the Bramhin ruling, the Vaishyas and Sudras became troublesome broke away from the established caste system. Teasing and harassing Bramhin ladies became a normal act. Due to the lack of peace and law and order, the high caste society became highly sensitive and unstable from the lower caste. During these tough times, by the advise of Rishi Kashyap and other Rishis, King Vidurth – a Puruvanshi - overtook the ruling and brought back the peace to the Bramhins from the lower caste.

14. King Bhoj
15. King Prithushrava
16. King Dhamraa
17. King Ushna
18. King Ruchak
19. King Jyamagh
20. King Vidharbh

Established the southern state of Vidharbh. He had three sons named Krath, Kaushik and Rompad. One of the decendants of Rompad was called Chedi. He established the states of Chedi, which is now known as Chanderi.

21. King Krath
22. King Kunti or Kriti
23. King Dhrishti
24. King Nivriti
25. King Darshah , whose generations were called as "Darshah Yadav".
26. King Vyom
27. King Bhim
28. King Jimut
29. King Vikriti
30. King Bhimrath
31. King Navrath
32. King Dashrath
33. King Shakuni
34. King Karibhi
35. King Devrat
36. King Devshtra
37. King Madhu

During his rule, Yadavs had become very powerful. The generations of King Madhu, known as "Madhu Yadav" or "Madhav" ruled from the South-Western states of Gujarat to Northern states of Yamuna River.

38. King Kumarvansh (Kuruvashah)
39. King Anu (Anshu)
40. King Puruhotra (Purumitra)
41. King Satvatta

He had six sons named Princes Bhajan, Bhajman, Divya, Devvardh, Andhak, Mahabhoj and Vrashni. The dynasties of Satvatta, Andhak and Vrishni were known as "Satvatta Yadav", "Andhak Mahabhoj Yadav" and "Vrishni Yadav" respectively. King Satvatta was from the same time period as King Ram of Ayodha. After Lord Ram disappeared, the Ayodha Kingdom lost its prestige. In a few generations, the states of Yadavs and Pauravs excelled and took the lead. The Yadavs mainly had four states of which Andhak and Vrishni were most significant. King Andhak's state was in Mathura and had two sons, Prince Kukur and Bhajman. The generations of Kukur were Drashnu, Kapot-Rome, Devatta Viloman, Nal, Abhijit, Punarvasu and Ahuk. Ahuk had two sons, Devak and Ugrasen. Devak's daughter, Devaki was married to King Vasudev and gave us Lord Shree Krishna. Ugrasen, King of Mathura had a son named Kans, who by force, dethroned his father from his kingdom and became the new king. Furthermore, Kans locked his father Ugrasen, cousin sister Devki and Vasudev in jail. The king of Magadh state, Jarasandh was Kans's father in law. Shree Krishna killed Kans and returned the kingdom back to Ugrasen. Later on, Jarasandh was killed by Bhim. King Bhajman's generations included Vidurth, Rajdhidev, Shur, Shodashav, Shami, Pratikshrat, and Hridayak. Hridayak had five sons named Kritvarma, Darvah, Devrath, Shatdhanva and Devgarbh. The eldest son of Hridayak, Prince Kritvarma, in spite of being a Bhojvanshi, took Kauravs side during the great battle of Mahabharat. His younger brother, Shatdhanva killed Shatrajeet, a Vrashni Yadav as well as father of Shree Krishna's Queen Satyabhama. Retroactively, Shree Krishna killed Shatdhanva.

42. King Vrashni-King Vrashni had three sons named Sumitra, Yudhajeet and Devmudh. The generations of Yudhajeet were Satyaki, Prasen and Shatrajeet (killed by Shatd hanva,as mentioned in 41).

43. King Devmudh

44. King Sursen

The father of Prince Vasudev and Princess Pratha. Pratha was an adopted daughter of King Kuntibhoj, and in time to come, she was known as the famous Kunti. Kunti was married to King Pandu with whom she gave three key players of Mahabharat, Princes Yudhishtir, Bhim and Arjun. Madri, the sister of Madradesh King Shalv, was the second wife of King Pandu and gave the remaining two Pandavs, Princes Nakul and Sahdev. The second daughter of King Sursen, named Shrutvata, was the mother of King Shishupal of Chedi state. The second son of King Sursen was Devbhag and his son was Uddhav.

 

45. King Vasudev

Kamsa trying to kill Devaki and Vasudev Maharaj trying to protect her

King Vasudev was brother of Kunti and their father was King Surasen. King Vasudev had two queens. Queen Rohini, mother of Shree Balram and Queen Devaki, mother of Shree Krishna. Queen Rohini was daugther of King Prateep and Sunanda. King Prateep, a Puruvanshi (King Kuru's dynasty) was from Hastinapur. Shree Balram was an avatar of Sheshnag whereas Shree Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead. He is the source of everything..

 

 

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16 HISTORY OF YADUVANSHI 'S

HISTORY OF YADUVANSHI 'S

Yadav is a category consisting of several allied castes which together constitute about 20% of the total population of India, 20% population of Nepal and about 3% population of the planet earth. Yādav is an caste found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Russia, Middle East and  claims descent from ancient king Yadu, the name of one of the five Aryan clans mentioned in the Rig Veda as Panchjanya, meaning "five people", is the common name given to five most ancient Vedic Kshatriya clans. The Yadav caste generally follows Vaishnav traditions, and share Vaishnav Dharmic religious beliefs. They are the worshippers of Lord Krishna or Lord Vishnu. Yadav’s are classified under the Kshatriya varna in Hinduism and remained in power in India and Nepal until 1200-1300AD, before the arrival of Muslim invaders.

Two things are common to these cognate castes. Firstly, they claim to be the descendants of the Yadu Dynasty (Yadav) to which Lord Krishna belonged. Secondly, many castes in this category have a set of occupations centering round cattle. Krishna pastimes lends a kind of legitimacy to the pastoral occupations relating to cattle, and as the castes following these occupations are to be found in almost all parts of India, the Yadav category encompasses a whole range of related castes.

According to Vedic literatures, the Yaduvanshis or Yadavs are the descendants of Yadu, the eldest son of King Yayati. From his line was born Madhu, who ruled from Madhuvana, situated on the banks of river Yamuna, which extended up to Saurastra and Anarta (Gujrat). His daughter Madhumati married Harinasva of Ikshvaku race, from whom Yadu was born again, this time being ancestor of Yadavas. Nanda, the foster father of Krishna, was born in the line of succession of Madhu and ruled from the same side of Yamuna. Jarasandh, Kansa's father-in-law, and king of Magadha attacked Yadavas to avenge Kansa's death. Yadavas had to shift their capital from Mathura (central Aryavart) to Dwaraka (on the western coast of Aryavart) on the Sindhu. Yadu was a legendary Hindu king, believed to be an ancestor of the Lord Shri Krishna, who for this reason is also referred to as Yadava. Genetically, they are in Indo-Caucasoid family. A study in East of India shows their gene structure is similar to Brahmin, Kayastha & Rajput living in the same area.

Some historians also seek a connection between Yadavas and Jews. According to their theory, the Greeks were referred to the Jews as Judeos, or Jah deos or Yadavas, meaning people of Ya.

In Russia, many Russians have surname “Yadav”.

James Tod demonstrated that Ahirs were included into the list of 36 royal races of Rajasthan (Tod,1829,Vol1,p69 ii,p358).

Places of Yadav prominence in Northern India

* Rajasthan has Alwar, Jhunjhunu, Bharatpur.
* Haryana has Gurgaon, Narnaul , Rewari , Mahendragarh,.
* Uttar Pradesh has Kanpur, Etawah, Farukhabad, Kannauj, Auraiya, Unnao, Hardoi, Agra, Azamgarh, Badaun, Etah, Firozabad, Gorkakhpur.

* Bihar has Gopalganj, Banka, Darbhanga, Siwan, Chhapra, Madhubani, Munger.

Rao Birender Singh Yadav was the second chief minister of Haryana and Chaudhary Brahm Prakash Yadav was the first chief minister of Delhi. In Marubhumi (Marwar), Saurashtra and Maharashtra they served the local rulers and established their own rule. Ishwarsena, a great Ahir general, became master of Western Deccan in place of the famous Satava-hanas. He took the title of Rajan and an era was named after him. His descendants continued to rule for nine generations.

Pran Sukh Yadav (1802–1888) was an extraordinary military commander of his time. He was a close friend of Hari Singh Nalwa and famous Punjab ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh.In his early career he trained Sikh Khalsa army. After the death of Maharaja Ranjit Singh he fought in both the First and Second Anglo-Sikh Wars, due to his extreme hatred towards Britishers after the defeat of Sikhs he started giving military training to the farmers of Narnaul and Mahendragarh region.

Another king Rao Tula Ram was born on 9 December 1825 in a Royal Rao Bhadur Nirpur Yadav family which belonged to "Rao Bhadur Ghari-Bolni" in village Rampura (Rewari). His father was Puran Singh and his mother's name was Gyan Kaur who was daughter of Great Jat ruler Maharaja Ranjit Singh. In 1857, Rao Tula Ram led the rebellion in Haryana along with his brother Rao Bhadur Tula Ram of Ghari Bolni and Rao Gopal Dev of Nirpur.For centuries the Ahirs were eclipsed as a political power in Haryana until the time of the Pratihara dynasty. In time they became independent rulers of Southwest Haryana. Although the Ahirs and Yadavas form one group, the former are an important community of Haryana, but numerically they constitute less than 10% of the total population. Most of them live in the region around Rewari, Narnaul, Mahendragarh and Gurgaon which is therefore known as Ahirwal or the abode of Ahirs.

Yadavs in Maharashtra

Devagiri fort - The capital of Yadavas of Devagiri

The Seuna, Sevuna or Yadava dynasty (850 - 1334) was an Indian dynasty, which at its peak ruled a kingdom stretching from the Tungabhadra to the Narmada rivers, including present-day Maharashtra, north Karnataka and parts of Madhya Pradesh, from its capital at Devagiri (present-day Daulatabad in Maharashtra). It claimed descent from the Chandravanshi Yadavs of North India.

Solaskars are another group that belong to the Kshatriya Yadav clan, and claim to be the successors of the Yadavas of Devagiri. They are the protectors of sixteen Shiva temples situated in the hillside region of Satara. Solashi (place of Solaskar) is in North Koregaon Area on the South East side of Khambatki Ghat while coming from Pune to Satara. The village is recognized by an old and nice temple of Shul-Pateshwar. On the North side of the village is a large mountain (same one of Khambati ghat) on which temples of Hareshwar and Dhareshwar were built. It has a height of 4000 meters. Solashi is one of the villages situated on the northern side of Koregaon. It is famous for the God Hareshwara. There are sixteen small temples of Lord Shiva around the entire village. All Solaskar families in Solashi are vegetarians.

The Jadhavs also claim descent from the Yaduvanshi clan.

Yadavs of Tamil Nadu and Kerala
Veeran Azhagu Muthu Kone (Freedom Fighter)

Konar

Konar or Idaiyar or Tamil Yadavar is a caste from the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is a sub-division of Yadava community. They are also known as Ayars. Konars are distributed throughout the state of Tamil Nadu. They are one of the ancient Tamil castes.

Konar in ancient literature

Ilango Adigal had mentioned Konars of Madurai in his Tamil epic Silapathikaram, which is considered to be one of the five famous epics of Tamil literature. According to this epic, they gave accommodation for Kannagi. They occupied grasslands known as Mullai in Ancient Tamil country. Konars traditionally raise cows, goats and sheeps and sell milk.

Maniyani

(Kolaya, Ayar, Mayar, Maniyani and Iruman)

Maniyani is a caste of Kerala that claims descent from Krishna. The Maniyani are the Kshatriyas of Kerala, India. Maniyanis are also known as Kola- Aya (Kolayars). They are the Yadavas of Kolathnadu and Thulunad.[78] They are seen in Kannur and Kasargod Districts. Ayar is a common surname for Yadavas through out India. They settled in north Kerala about 3000 years back. Kola is the name of Yadava clan who settled in North Kerala and Southern Karnataka.

The emergence of an educated and religiously orthodox elite among the Yadavs, after the religious movements of Arya Samaj and Janeu movements led to the formation of the All-India Yadava Mahasabha in 1923 in Allahabad. The AIYM immediately engaged itself in two issues. It appealed to its castemen in all regions to add “Yadav” to their names and at the same time launched on a major programme of social reform. The regional organisation of the Hyderabad Rashtra Yadav Mahajana Samajam, for example, appealed to the Census Commission that their caste name Ahir be changed to Yadava.

All India Yadav Mahasabha is also pressing Indian government for the formation of Yadav regiment in Indian Army after they showed their bravery in the 1965 Indo-China war. In 1966 the AIYM held its annual conference in Etawa, with Mulayam Singh Yadav as chairman of the reception committee and Rao Birender Singh the scion of the Rewari dynasty as president. After Independence, the Yadavs have emerged as the leaders of the other backward classes. Prof. Rao’s study of the Yadava elite in the various states (based on the members and supporters of the All India Yadav Sabha and not on those of the rival All India Yadav Mahasabha) reveals the growth of varied business and professional groups within the caste category. Heading the list are businessmen who comprise roughly 21 per cent of the elite. They include dairy owners, contractors, tobacco and timber merchants, wholesale grass dealers, owners of engineering firms and other industries as well as restaurant owners. They are followed by the large farmers who comprise around 21 per cent of the Yadav elite. Politicians (MPs, MLAs, ministers, municipal councillors, district board members, office-bearers of political parties) constitute 17 percent of the elite and school and college teachers, doctors, lawyers and engineers together another 20 percent.

Yadavs in the military

The Yadav community has served the Indian armed and defense forces and laid down their lives to safeguard India. Some prominent battles fought by Ahir soldiers are the
 Indo-China war, the kargil war, Akshardham, and Parliament attacks. Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav of the Indian army was awarded the highest Indian military honour, Param Vir Chakra for his actions during the Kargil War on 4 July 1999.

During the Burma Campaign of the Second World war, Havaldar Umrao Singh, a
gunner, won the Victoria Cross; which is a world–wide symbol of the recognition of the highest form of bravery in the face of the enemy; in hand to hand combat with the Japanese infantry, when its do or die squads raided his gun position, in the Kaladan Valley. He killed ten of them with his bare hands armed only with the gun bearer (a heavy metallic tool) they found him exhausted and bleeding in the morning but still alive amidst a pile of Japanese corpses littered around the gun, which, remarkably, was found to be still fit for immediate firing.

     

 In the Indo-China War of 1962, the Ahirs (almost all of them from the Ahirwal region of
Southern Haryana) of 13 Kumaon Regiment set an unparallel example in the military history of Aryavart by defending their position at Rezang La in Ladakh district of Jammu and Kashmir. The battle of Rezang La, a ridge overlooking the strategic Chushul plains in Ladakh, to defend the highest air strip in the world located at 16,000 feet — just across the Chinese claim line — is a chapter in the history of the Indian army which has been compared by some Indian military historians with the famed Battle of Thermopylae. In the final phase of the Indo-China War of 1962, where Indian units typically offered little resistance while being routed by attacking PLA forces, the Ahir Charlie Company from 13 Kumaon Regiment, set a rare example of raw courage, bravery and dedication by literally fighting to the last man. Of the 120 defenders, only four survived, all seriously wounded. The dead bodies of those who died were discovered after the winter, frozen, mostly holding their weapons but with no ammunition. According to some accounts, several jawans, having run out of ammunition, came out of the pickets and charged the enemy with bare hands. Lance Naik Ram Singh killed several Chinese soldiers after lifting and hitting them against the rocks. It is also believed that these jawans inflicted heavy casualties on the attackers. Of the 120 soldiers, 114 were Yadavas from Ahirwal region of Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi.
 
On this horrific battle, Major-General Ian Cardozo, in his book Param Vir, Our Heroes Battle writes, “When Rezang La was later revisited dead jawans were found in the trenches still holding on to their weapons... every single man of this company was found dead in his trench with several bullet or splinter wounds. The 2-inch mortar man died with a bomb still in his hand. The medical orderly had a syringe and bandage in his hands when the Chinese bullet hit him... Of the thousand mortar bombs with the defenders all but seven had been fired and the rest were ready to be fired when the (mortar) section was overrun.”

General T.N. Raina said, "You rarely come across such example in the annals of world military history when braving such heavy odds, the men fought till the last bullet and the last man. Certainly the Battle of Rezang La is such a shining example."

General K S Thimayya remarked, "I had said many years ago that the Army must have a Ahir Regiment. The supreme sacrifice of the Charlie Company has fulfilled my expectations. I hope a suitable memorial will be built in Ahirwal in their memory so that the generations to come may seek inspiration from the immense courage and valour of their forefathers."

The heroes who were awarded the Vir Chakra in 1962 defending Rezang La were Naik Hukum Chand (posthumous), Naik Gulab Singh Yadav, Lance-Naik Singh Ram (posthumous), Subedar Ram Kumar and Subedar Ram Chander. All were from the Ahirwal region.

A small memorial for the dead soldiers in Rezang La reads:

How can a man die better,
Than facing fearful odds,
For the ashes of his fathers,
And temples of his gods.
To the sacred memory of the Heroes of Rezang La,
114 Martyrs of 13 Kumaon who fought to the Last Man,
Last Round, Against Hordes of Chinese on 18 November 1962.
Built by All Ranks 13th Battalion, The Kumaon Regiment.

Political Influence
Through numerous political parties such as the Samajwadi Party, Rashtriya Janata Dal, Janata Dal (Republic), Janata Dal (Communal) and Makkal Tamil Desam (Tamil Nadu), the Yadavs have considerable political influence, especially in the North Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Also, in Nepal they are in prominent political positions. The 1^st President of Nepal is Shri Ram Baran Yadav. The 1^st Chief Minister of Delhi and the 2^nd Chief Minister of Harayana was Yadav. Shri Lalu Prasad Yadav was the best railway minister ever and he revived Indian Railways completely which became a case study for Universities like Harvard and Oxford. Himachal Pradesh, Harayana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and many other states had Yadav Chief Ministers. Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav was the Defence Minister of India.

Other Notable Yadav’s

Miss Ekta Chowdhary became the Miss India Universe 2009. Many other Yadavs had been selected for the beauty pageants. Baba Ramdev ji is the Yoga guru and is world famous. Rajpal Yadav and Raghubir Yadav are the famous comedians & actors.

Religious Seats of Yadavs

Besides Kingdoms, chiefdoms and jagirs, the Yadavas had peethams (seats) granted to them by virtue of their religious powers. For instance, there were fourteen seats (peethams) among the Yadavas of Warangal according to a sanad granted in 1425 (Shaka Samvat), by Sree Pratapa Rudra, Maharaja of Warangal, to Sree Kondiah Guru, as the head of the fourteen seats. Subsequently when Bhagyanagar was founded by Sultan Abdulla of Kutub Shahi in A.D. 1560 the rights of the Yadavas were acknowledged and recognized, and the name Golkonda was substituted for Manugal.

According to the charter awarded by the Sultan Abdullah of Qutb Shahi dynasty in 1071 Hijri, Kondiah built the fort for the Sultan by using his charisma in resolving the mystery of the site, and also discovered for him gold coins buried underground. In return, the Sultan gave him the Charter conferring upon Kondiah the rights and privileges due to the head of the fourteen seats, and of twelve classes of Gollas and two classes of shepherds (Kuruba Gollas). Kondiah, although a follower of Basaveshwara (Lingayat), was the head of the Yadava Peethams. Perhaps the Gollas at this time were under the influence of Veerasaivism, although they were incorporated into the Yadava category.

Dialects

Although the Abhiras constituted a distinct ethnic group, they spoke diverse regional dialects. The language of the Ahirs was known as Ahirani in Khandesh, resembling Marathi. While the Ahirs of Kathiawad and Kachh have a dialect which resembles Gujarathi (Bhandarkar, 1911:17). Abhira bhasha is in fact considered to be Apabhransha. In the ninth century B.C., it had become the language of the people, and was spoken from Saurashtra, and Shastri (1967) proves that poetry was composed in the language around the sixth century B.C. Suryavamsi (1962:14-15) mentions the following two dialects in addition to the ones above--Gaddi, which is currently the dialect spoken in Gadderan, on the outskirts of the Chamba and Kangra hills, and Gandi, spoken in some parts of Madhya Pradesh. Abhiri as a dialect has been recorded by Sanskrit poets such as Bharata and Dandin. Yadav (1916:15), notes that the dialect the people of Ahirwal in Haryana speak, has a resemblance to Rajasthani, and Grierson (1916:9), considers Ahirwati a branch of eastern Rajasthani and western Hindi.

Legends of the cowherd Krishna and his dances with cowherdesses are mentioned in the Sangam classics. The term Ayarpati (cowherd settlement) is found in Cilappatikaram (Iyer, 1950). It is argued that the term Ayar has been used for the Abhiras in ancient Tamil literature, and V. Kanakasabha Pillai (1904) derives Abhira from the Tamil wordAyir which also means cow. He equates the Ayars with Abhiras, and Suryavanshi (1962:17-18) treats this as evidence of migration of the Abhiras to the south in the first century A.D.

Thus, linguistic evidence is used to support the argument that the Abhiras spread to different parts of India, and that they retained different but related cultural traditions. The most common denominator, as was pointed out earlier, was a descent from the Yadu dynasty and their association with cattle.

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Many groups and clans claiming descent from the ancient Yadu clan call themselves Yadavs. The major clans among these are:

• Ahirs (variously called Ahira and Abhira) are divided into clans called Khanap:
  • Nandavanshi (descendants of Nanda}
  • Gwalvanshi (descendants of Holy Gwals)
  • Dadhor
• Ayar (South India)
• Adhikari (Bengal & Orrisa)
• Banaphar
• Behera, Pradhans in Orissa
• Bharwad in Gujarath
• Bhagat (Bihar) 
• Bhatrajus (Andhra Pradesh)
• Bhati
• Bhragudev (Central UP)
• Chawda (Gujarat)
• Chaudhary (Gujarat, UP, Harayana)
• Deshwal (some city in U.P)
• Dhangars (in Maharashtra and Karnataka), having 108 clans
• Dadhor (Eastern UP)
• Doss (Tamil Nadu & Kerala)
• Edayar (Tamil Nadu)
• Gaurs (also called Goriya, and mentioned in the Mahabharata)
• Gawli
• Gadri / Gadariya
• Gaddi in Chamb and Kangra districts of Himachal Pradesh.
• Golla
• Gopala
• Gosia (Central UP)
• Gouda (Orissa)
• Gowda (Karanatka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh)
• Goyal
• Ghosh (Bengal & Orrisa)
• Gwal (Eastern UP)
• Iruman (Kerala, Karanatka)
• Idaiyar (Tamil Nadu)
• Idayan
• Jadam
• Jadav (Maharastra)
• Jambavas (Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala)
• Jadon
• Jadeja
• Kalchuri

• Karayalar
• Kone [Linage from a Yadava king name] Tamil Nadu
• Konar (Tamil Nadu and Kerala)
• Kolaya (Kerala, Karanatka)
• Kondayankotth (Tamil Nadu)
• Kurubas or Gollas ( Karnataka)
• Krishnauth (claiming direct lineage from Lord Shri Krishna)
• Kurubas (Karnataka)
• Kuruba, Kuruma (Orissa)
• Kondayankotth-Tirunelveli-Tamilnadu
• Mahakul –The great Family (Bihar)
• Maniyani (in Kerala)
• Manthri (Andhra Pradesh)
• Mayar (Kerala, Karanatka)
• Manjrauth (linked with Jarasandh)
• Mandal (Bihar)
• Maniyani (Tamil Nadu & Kerala)
• Mohaladiya (Alwar, Rajasthan)
• Nambiyar (Tamil Nadu & Kerala)
• Nayakkar (Tamil Nadu & Kerala)
• Nirwan
• Oraon
• Pillai (in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala)
• Pradhans
• Puhanian
• Rabari (Gujarat)
• Rai
• Rauts /Rawat
• Rao Saheb
• Sadgops (in Bengal)
• Sandilya (Central UP)
• Souryasaini
• Saini or Shoorseni/Surasena/Shaursaini
• Servai, (Tamil Nadu)
• Sridhar
• Surabhirs
• Surasena
• Taljunghi
• Thatte
• Thetwat
• Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu & Kerala)
• Yadav or Yadava  
• Yadavulu
• Vadukayar, Tiruvnelveli in Tamil Nadu
• Vathiyar (Tamil Nadu & Kerala)

The Yadavas of Eastern India are traditionally divided into three major clans or shakhas ("branches"):
* Krishnaut or Kishnauth, the descendants of Krishna
* Madhauth or Majhauth, the descendants of Madhu, ancestor of Yadu.
* Gaur, Gor or Gorya, a very ancient Yadav clan of Epic Mahabharata.

Yadavas of Western India (whom Denzil Ibbetson also terms as Ahir) are traditionally divided into three major clans called Khanap:

* Yaduvanshi - Descendants of Yadu
* Nandvanshi - Descendants of Nanda
* Gwalvanshi - Descendants of Holy Gwals (Original word Gaur becomes Gwar and then Gwal)