Thursday, October 18, 2012

1 Shree Krishna period of yadav dynasty

46. Shree Krishna

  
Demigods praying to mother Yasoda in whose womb Lord Krishna Has appeared
The Supreme Lord Himself! Lord Krishna appeared in this world on 19th July 3228 BC (or 8th day of the dark half of the month of sravan or in Rohini Nakshatra, 8, 63,874 years 4 months 20 days of Dwapar Yuga). Shree Krishna married Princess Rukmani, the daughter of King Bhishmak of Vidarbh state. She was the mother of Pradumna and Goddess Laxmi Herself. Lord Krishna manifested His earthly pastimes for 125 years. He returned to Spiritual world on 18th Feburary 3102 BC and this is the date of the start of Kaliyuga- the current age (millennium which lasts for 4,32,000 years). Lord Krishna spoke Bhagavat Gita when He was 90 years. He spent 3 years 4 months in Gokul, 3 years 4 months in Vrindavan, 3 years 4 months in nandagram, 18 years and 4 months in Dwarka and 96 years and 8 months in Dwarka.

Shree Krishna married eight queens. Later on Krishna rescued 16, 100 princess from the captivity of one demon. These entire princessess requested Krishna to marry them. Lord Krishna obliged them and married to all of them. He expanded Himself into 16,108 and used to live simoultaneouslly with all of them in 16,108 palaces in Dwarka. Each wife on average has 10 sons.  
The name of eight Queens of Krishna is as follows:-


 

Rukamni: The daughter of King Bhishmak of Kananpur. They had nine sons and one daughter. Prince Pradumgn, Sucharu, Chakbhadra, Sadasva, Hasva, Chargupta, Charuk, Charuhas and Princess Charukhasti.


Satyabhhabha (A Yadav princess): The daughter of King Shatrajeet Yadav. They had seven sons. Prince Bhanu, Bhimrath, Khad, Rohit, Diptiman, Tambrandh and Jalandham.
Surya: The daughter of Surya
Mantra Vranda: The daughter of Mantra Vrand. They had three sons. Prince Sumitra, Charumitra and Mitravind.
Satya: The daughter of King Satyajeet.
Lakshmana: The daughter of King Mandra.
Jamvanti: The daughter of King Jamvan. They had a son named Samb.
Bhadra: The daughter of King Bhadrasen.
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Lord Shree Krishna used to rule the state of Surseni from Mathura having killed His maternal uncle Kamsa- the King of Andhak. Jarasandh, a powerful ruler of Puruvansh, happened to be father in law of Kansa. Jarasandh attacked Mathura 17 times in revenge of Kansa death by Shree Krishna and was defeated every time and was very insecure and was very angry and envious to Lord Krishna. Lord Krishna decided to shift His Kingdom from Mathura to Gujarat(Saurashtra, Kathiavad, Sindh) and made Dwarka as His capital.
The various generations of Yadu were ruling many different parts of the Bharatvarsh. Amongst them, the major ones were Sattavatt, Bhoj, Haihai, Chedi, Vidharbh, and Vrishni. Shree Krishna was leading these Yadu Kings as a "Bhoj". After ruling for 18 years and 4 months from Mathura, Lord Shree Krishna later moved the capital from Mathura to Dwarika of Kathiavad. Dwarika was also known as Dwarvati, Jagatkoot and Kushsthali. Dwarika is situated at the far most frontier of the western frontiers. Lord Krishna ruled from Dwarka for 96 years.
The decision of changing capitals by Shree Krishna had many advantages to his kingdom. The change reduced the possibility of any major wars with Jarasandh as there was a great natural boundary to cross, the Thar Desert. Secondly, the move also proved helpful in controlling the Arabs and Kings of nearby regions of Kathiavad, such as Sauveer and Sindh. Additionally, business trade with other countries of Indian Ocean and  Atlantic was more profitable. Afterwards, the Yadavs of Dwarika established much closer ties with the generations of Anu and Druhu of Gandhar (Afganistan) state. Third, further promotion of Vaishnav philosophies amongst western regions was made possible through these situational changes. The archeological findings in these regions do include temples and their remainings. Unfortunately, in later times, the Buddha dharma and Islamic religions reduced these established remnants of Yaduvanshi's in these regions.
Multan was known by many other names such as Kashyappur, Haspur, Bhagpur, Sambhalpur, and Prahladpur. Kashyappur was established by Kashyap, father of Aditya ( Suryadev). Father of Prahlad, King Hirankashyap was from the dynasty of "Daitya", or devils. Shree Krishna, defeated the grandson of Hiranyakashyap, Banasur and gave the state of Sindh-Multan to his son, Samb. Prince Samb was suffering with leprosy due to a curse by Rishi Durvasa. Thus, he could not stay inside the palace of Multan, but stayed outside in a garden instead. Shree Krishna requested Garud to ask the Ayurvedists of Shakdweep to find a cure for Prince Samb. The Ayurvedists told Prince Samb to pray to Lord Suryadev in order to find a cure for his predicament. Prince Samb acknowledged the same and got cured. Thereafter, he made a marvelous temple for Suryadev in the city of Multan. This temple was known for offering prayers to Lord Suryadev and patients of leprosy from all corners used to come here and obtain the Lord's blessings.
Lord Shree Krishna's grandson and son of Pradhyumna, Prince Anirudh was married to daughter of King Banasur or Multan, Princess Usha. They had a son named Mrigketan. Yet another son of Banasur was Kou Bhand, who had a daughter named Ramaa. Thus, Usha was Ramaa's "bua". Once Ramaa had accompanied her bua Usha to Dwarika, Usha's sasural. Once arrived, Anirudh's Uncle, Sambh got attracted towards Ramaa and married her. They had a son named Ushneek or Ushaneer. Prince Kou Bhand became King after Banasur. But since he had no son, he called up Ushneek and make him the King of Sonitpur, the capital of Mistra. Many centuries later, one of the generations of King Ushneek, Devendra lost the kingdom to Nabi  Mohammad and as a result his son, Prince Ugrasen was forced to convert to Islam. Prince Ugrasen was also known as Asvapati. Devendra's second son, Prince Gajpati came to Surat and established his own state. Gajpati's generations were known as "Chudasiya Yadavs". Devendra's third son defeated Firozshah in Gazni and ruled thereafter. Devendra's fourth son ruled the states of Kacch and Sindh.
It is interesting to note exactly how the "Hindu" word could have come into existence. The Arabic people used to refer those living on the eastern province of Sindhu river Sindhu’s. But since in Arabic language they pronounce “S” as “H”, it became Hindu. So in real sense there is no religion called Hindu. This is the word coined by Arab’s to refer to the people living after the Sindhu River. Actually the dharma of all followers of Vedic literature is” Sanatan Dharma”.  The aforementioned texts do symbolize that "Hindu" word is a mixed derivation of "Yadu" and "Yahudi". Furthermore, what about "Christ" and "Christian", which resembles so closely to "Krishna”? This is indicative of the fact that the establishment of Yadhuvanshis in the western regions for a long period of time and their subsequent amalgamation into their religion and culture (Islamic and Judaism), carries some weight in supporting similar sounding words in both languages.
During Mahabharat, Lord Shree Krishna led the team and states of Yadav, Vrishni, Bhoj and Kukur. Akroor was the lead from Bhoj and Balram was his strong supporter; Ahuk led the Andhak Yadav; Akroor and Ahuk were friends with Shree Krishna. However, there was always an internal rift amongst them to attain the main lead for the combined front. The main contenders were: Ahuk, Akroor, Gadh, Pradhumn, Balram and Brabhu Ugrasen. Except Brabhu, rest of the leaders opposed Shree Krishna, yet simultaneously, they were strongly supporting Shri Krishna. However, from time to time, Shree Krishna felt that here was a lack of true commitment from the combined front. Thereby, He had complained to Narad Muni that Balram with his physical power; Gadh with his great thinking power, Pradhumn with his attractive personality used to make Him weaker unnecessarily as well as abused their powers against the will of Akroor, Ahuk and Brabhu. Narad Muni asked Shree Krishna to keep patience as He was the main leader of the Yadu combined front, and that He should oversee small mistakes of His supporters. Otherwise, all of them would suffer! (Off course Lord Krishna is the Supreme Personality of Godhead Himself and through His pastimes He teaches us various lessons. In truth He does not needs anyone’s suggestion or advice. He only does so to  glorify His devotees.)
Mahabharat was based on a wide, joint Bharat varsh, which means the whole world. Ayravrat, is referred to the whole world.
After the terrible years of Mahabharata, everything was decadent. The aftermath of the great battle was so mammoth that for a few centuries to come, history stood still with no life. In this long stretch of time, there was no major event to be noted by the historians. It is said that this phase of history was stagnant until the rise of Gautam and Mahavir.


  
After the end of the Mahabharata war, the infuriated Gandhari, Queen of Hastinapur, remarked to Shree Krishna that if He wanted, the war could have been prevented even after the failure of the peace talks. According to her, Shree Krishna that He was very well aware of the results of the war and in spite of this, he encouraged the war between the Kauravs and Pandavs. Her extreme grief over her sons made her blame Shree Krishna for the end of her "kul" or death of all of her sons. She cursed Him that as He failed to stop the war between the Pandavs and the Kauravs by all means, similarly, His Yaduvansh would suffer and perish in the next 36 years.


As per scriptures and the ancient historical texts, after the end of the Mahabharat war, Rishi Vishwamitra and Narad Muni came to Dwarika. The Yadav princess, in order to trick the rishis, wrapped Samb with cloth and took him to the rishis for their blessings so that he could beget a son. The rishis were already aware of this by their sheer knowledge and cursed him instead. The curse was that during Bharya time, the Sambh, turned into a lady, would beget a "moosal" (type of weapon), which in turn would be used by the Andhak, Vrishni and other Yaduvanshi to kill each other. Lord Balram and Lord Shree Krishna would disappear right  then the way they came from the Spiritual world.

Lord Shree Krishna had knowledge of this curse and, thus, requested the Yaduvanshis to leave Dwarika right away and go for a pilgrimage to Prabhas (now known as Somnath, situated at the sea of Kathiavad, also known as yadu-sthal). He also told them to stay away from alcoholic beverages during their trip. Despite His warnings, The Andhak, Vrishni and the rest of the Yaduvanshis stopped for a break on their route to Prabhas and did consume alcoholic beverages. By now, the curse of the rishis came into effect and Sambh gave birth to a "moosal". In order to reduce its effect, they crushed the moosal or the iron club into “burada” or powder and sprayed it all around their camps.
 The drunken Vrishni, Satyaki, called upon Andhak Bhoj, Kritvarma. Pradhumgn supported this move of Satyaki. The main cause of their anger was the fact that in spite of being a Yadav, Kritvarma had helped the Kauravs during Mahabharat. Furthermore, after the Mahabharat, Kritvarma had sided with Aswathama, who broke war rules and had attacked the the sons of Pandavs while they were asleep. The intoxicated Satyaki got hold of a sword somehow and beheaded Kritvarma along with many others. This act had a ripple effect and other Andhak and Bhoj Yadavs called upon Satyaki in revenge and killed him along with Pradhumgn. By this act, the Yadus in war were polarized in two sides. Shree Krishna became angry by the death of his son, Pradhyumna When He could not find any arms, He pulled out the nearby grass and trees which turned into "moosal" (watch the rishis curse here) through which He crushed many of his opponents. Following Shree Krishna, the armless Andhak and the rest of Yaduvanshis also started pulling out plants and grasses which turned into steel moosals. By this act of madness, Sambh, Charudesan and Anirudh all got killed. When Lord Shree Krishna saw His sons and grandsons getting killed, called upon his Sudarshana Chakra. Everything was finished within blink of an eye. Thus, the war amongst Yaduvanshis had begun and soon many died at the home front. This war ran for some period of time in which there was no differentiation between wrong and right. All sorts of weapons and techniques were used. When there were no remains of weapons, the Yaduvanshis took on rocks, lathis, gadas etc. This was intolerable to Shree Krishna and Balram.


The remaining Yadhuvanshis having realized their mistakes started looking for Shree Krishna and Balram. They found Balram under a tree in deep meditation. Soon after, there came a white snake from his mouth and escaped towards Arabian Sea after which Balram ji returned to the the Spiritual abode. This story reaffirms the fact that Balram was an avatar of Shesh Naag. Well, it was about time for Gandhari's curse to come into play. Shree Krishna, cognizant of all this, went to the forests and slept under a tree. From one of camps of Kaboos, Jara was following a deer as his prey. From distance, he mistook Shree Krishna's left foot for the deer's ear and shot arrows right on. When he came to claim his prey, he realized the mistake he had committed and began asking for Lord's forgiveness. Shree Krishna, while forgiving Jara Kaboo, explained that in their previous lives, He as Lord Ram had killed him as Bali while hiding behind a tree.  Soon after, Shree Krishna became quiet and He returned to the Spiritual world. Lord Shri Krishna is the Supreme  Personality of Godhead and He appeared on earth to protect His devotees and to eliminate the troublemakers and evil people. After finishing His lila He returned to His Spiritual abode where He lives and performes beautiful pastimes with His devotees.


All His Yadav associates, who has taken birth on earth to assist and partake in the divine lila of the Supreme personality of Godhead Krishna, returned to their respective place in swargaloka and in the spiritual world.
After these terrible times, Arjun performed the dahya-sanaskar of Balram, Shree Krishna and other Yaduvanshi in Prabhas. Upon his return from Prabhas to Dwarika, Arjun brought together the widows, kids and old men and women and built protected camps for them. Afterwards, he started moving the camps to Mathura. As soon as he crossed the border of Dwarika, the city of Dwarika submerged in the sea along with the remains of its ancestors. The archeological findings have recovered many remains from Dwarika. When Arjun crossed into the ranges of Ahirvati and Abhirvati of Northern Rajasthan and Hariyana, the local Abhirs attacked Arjun and the remaining Yaduvanshi. They kidnapped young widows, women and kids. Seeing this, the remaining old women and men requested Arjun to protect their kids from Abhirs. However, Arjuna knew their fate. He could see their future in Mathura and could not use any force. It was apparent that none of the Abhirs could have sustained Arjuna's Gandiv. However, he could not use force even against his own will. Mighty Arjuna understood that without the will of the Supreme Personality of Godhead Shri Krishna, he is just like a puppet. 
Having heard the sad news of return of Balram and Shree Krishna to the Spiritual Abode, and internal fight amongst Yaduvanshis, the son of Pradhyumna, Vrijnabh, of Mathura took off to Dwarika from Mathura. On  the way, when he heard of the death of his father, he could not bear the pain and died of a heart attack. He had two sons with him at the same time of which the elder, Vraj, returned to Mathura and became the new King while the younger Kheer, went to Dwarika. 
The Ahirs of Mathura and Braja regions were known to be peace loving cowherds whereas the Abhirs of Hariyana and Mahendraghad, who later on became to be called as Ahirs, were powerful and accomplished warriors. The generations from the kidnapped women or widows were known as Yaduvanshis. However, the ones with Abhir fathers became to be known as Yadavs. Out of these Yadavs, many have been categorized into backward classes whereas the rest of them are flourishing farmers in Hariyana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states.
King Hanspat of Hisar city was the 76th Yaduvanshi King after Shree Krishna as per Bharat calander. Accordingly, King Hanspat was born roughly 2520 years after Shree Krishna.









3 Ancient Yadav Kingdoms




Yadav kingdoms

The lineage of several rulers of ancient and medieval India is traced to Yadu. These
include Lord Shri Krishna, as well as historical rulers such as King Porus, who fought Alexander the Great in the Battle of the Hydaspes River.As Raghav (Raghuvanshi) s of Suryavansha, The Yaduvanshi is one of the sub-divisions of Chandravanshi Rajputs.

                                             Ancient Yadav Kingdoms:

                                            * Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri
                                             * Surasena Kingdom
                                              * Vidarbha Kingdom
                                             * Dwaraka Kingdom
                                             * Kunti Kingdom
                                             * Saurashtra Kingdom
                                             * Heheya Kingdom
                                             * Nishadha Kingdom
                                             * Gurjara Kingdom
                                             * Karusha Kingdom
                                             * Chedi Kingdom
                                             * Dasarna Kingdom
                                             * Avanti Kingdom
                                             * Malava Kingdom
                                             * Anarta Kingdom
                                             * Youdheya Kingdom
                                             * Vijaya Nagara Kingdom
                                            *Mathura Kingdom
                                            * Mysore Kingdom
                                            * Nepal Kingdom
                                            *Jaisalmer Kingdom
                                            * Maratha Kingdom
YADAV's Kingdom in 1200 AD

DWARKA
Submerge Dwarika
Artifacts found in the submerged city of Dwarka, amongst them a copper bell.
Carbon dating shows that its about 5000 years old.
According to srimad Bhagavatam & other sciptures, Dwarka submerged in year
3102 B.C (which is approx 5100 years)

J.N. Singh, a famous historian, gives the following account in his Yadav's Through The Ages, " he Hoysalas ruled illustriously for over three centuries and have left in the country imperishable monuments of art and culture. They were family of kings who ruled over practically the whole of the Kannada country at the height of their power. They scheduled the hill tribes known as Malepas in the Western Ghats and they assumed the title 'Maleparoleganda'. The account of their origin can be traced in some of their inscriptions. They claimed Sosevura (Sasakapura of Sanskrit writers) as their birthplace.

This place has been identified with Angadi of Mudigere Taluk in chikamanglura district. It has been mentioned as the seen of the incident between Sala and the tiger. When Sala,' an ornament of the Yaduvamsa' (Yaduvamsojvala tilakan) was worshiping the goddess Vasantike of Sasakapura, a tiger came from the forest. The holiman Sodutta, who was there gave him his fan saying 'Poysala' (Strike, Sala). Sala killed the tiger. From that time the name of Poysala become the designation of the Yadava kings (E.C. VOL. VI, Cm. 20.). Almost the same account, though differing in certain details, is found in many of their inscriptions. According to another version, when Sala was hunting along the slopes of the Sahya mountains (or the Western Ghats), he was astonished to see a hare (SKt. Sasa) pursuing a tiger, while he was walking alone saying to himself, 'this is heroic soil', a holy muni near by, being afraid of the tiger, called out 'Poy-Sala' and before it could proceed the length of a span Sala slew it with his sword (E.C., VOL. V, PART I B1. 171.). It is after this incident that the place came to be known as Sasakapura.

The founder of the Wodeyar dynasty, Vijaya, also claimed descent from the Yadu and took on the name Yadu-Raya. According to S.C. Raychoudhary (author of Social, Cultural and Economic History of India), a noted historian, "The Pandya kingdom generally associated with the Pandus of the Mahabarata covered the districts of Madura and Tinnivelly as well as certain portions of south Travancore." 

Dr. V. Manickam in his path-breaking work Kongu Nadu gives an expanded version of his doctoral thesis submitted to the University of Madras as follows, "It was noted that the pastoral people (Ayar) of the Mullai land in Kongu formed the major component of the Vellalar community of the medieval period. It is Dr. V. Manickam thesis that the Vellalar of Kongu were nothing but the pastoral people of Kongu, of course,with some additions (p 553). However, We come across references to Idaiyar of Kiranur, alias Kolumam Konda Cholanallur (SII : 5:283), Kon from the same place (SII : 5: 265,267,269), and Yatavar in two epigraphs from Chevur (Eye Copy 94,98). Further, there are also references to Tiruvayappadi nattar, which indicate the supra-local activities of the herdsmen discussed in chapter 15. The presence of the herdsmen, with the titles as found in the macro region, may be explained as survivors of the pastoral people of the pre-Chola period who were reluctant to integrate themselves in the new setup or new additions.

Rawal Jaisal laid the foundation stone of Jaisalmer in 1156 A.D. He hailed from the Yaduvanshi Rajput kin group. The city has an interesting legend associated with it, according to which, Lord Krishna, the head of the Yadav Clan, foretold Arjuna, one of the Pandava brothers of the Mahabharata that a remote descendent of the Yadav Clan would build his kingdom atop the Trikuta Hill. His prophecy was fulfilled in 1156 AD when Rawal Jaisal, abandoned his fort at Lodurva and founded a new capital Jaisalmer, perched on the Trikuta Hill. However, historical facts contradicts this claim, because Trikuta Hill is actually near Deccan, a range of hills bordering Nashik, where one Abhira dynasty, Traikuta, directly claiming descent from ancient Haihai Yadav King, Nala, in 5th century A.D., had built kingdom on original Trikuta Hill, and hence assumed the title Traikuta.
Also Shivaji was the great Maratha fighter whose mother Jijabai was a Yadav.

The name of the State of Haryana may have been derived from its ancient inhabitants: Abhirayana. The name `Abhira` may stem from a-bhira meaning fearless, i.e Yadav.

Yadav dominated areas in National Capital Region (NCR) includes Gurgaon, Manesar, Behror, Bawal, Dharuhera, Pataudi, Bhiwadi, Badshahpur, Kosli, Alwar and Rewari.

Some of the villages in Ahirwal with Yadav prominence are:-

* Delhi has Haider Pur, Jwala Heri, Rajokri, Madipur, Surehra, Samaypur, Badli, Najafgarh, Todapur, Khaira, Sakarpur, Bagdola, Gudhana and Kapashera.
* Gurgaon has Wazirabad, Samaspur, Kanhai, Badshapur, Islampur, Sukhrali, Hyatpur, Shilokhra, Tikri, Teekli, Sahraul, Khedki, Daula, Fazilpur, Sikohpur , Nathupur, Chakkarpur, Sikanderpur, Nawada, Mohmmadpur, Dundahera, Iqbalpur, Smalkha, Bamdoli, Mirpur, Sashand and Manesar.
* Noida has Sarfabad, Garhi Chaukhandi, Patwari,Hoshiyarpur, Khanjarpur, Zahilabad,Rasoolpur Navada, Partha, Sorkhla and Naharpur etc.



Yadav kingdoms

The lineage of several rulers of ancient and medieval India is traced to Yadu. These
include Lord Shri Krishna, as well as historical rulers such as King Porus, who fought Alexander the Great in the Battle of the Hydaspes River.As Raghav (Raghuvanshi) s of Suryavansha, The Yaduvanshi is one of the sub-divisions of Chandravanshi Rajputs.

Ancient Yadav Kingdoms:

* Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri
* Surasena Kingdom
* Vidarbha Kingdom
                                             * Dwaraka Kingdom
                                             * Kunti Kingdom
                                             * Saurashtra Kingdom
                                             * Heheya Kingdom
                                             * Nishadha Kingdom
                                             * Gurjara Kingdom
                                             * Karusha Kingdom
                                             * Chedi Kingdom
                                             * Dasarna Kingdom
                                             * Avanti Kingdom
                                             * Malava Kingdom
                                             * Anarta Kingdom
                                             * Youdheya Kingdom
                                             * Vijaya Nagara Kingdom
                                            *Mathura Kingdom
                                            * Mysore Kingdom
                                            * Nepal Kingdom
                                            *Jaisalmer Kingdom
                                            * Maratha Kingdom

Read more at http://yadavinhistory.blogspot.in/2011/03/history-of-yaduvanshi-s-yadav-is.html#kSL7Rj7hB4flLkpo.99

0 Relation to Ahirs =Abhira=Fearless

Relation to Ahirs =Abhira=Fearless

Ahirs synonyms are Yadav and Rao Sahab. Rao Sahab is only used in Ahirwal region consisting of territories of few villages of Delhi, Southern Haryana & Behrod area of Alwar district (Rajasthan). Historically, Ahir laid the foundation of Ahir Batak town which was later called Ahrora and Ahirwar in Jhansi district in A.D.108. Rudramurti Ahir became the chief of the Army and later on, the king. Madhuriputa, Ishwarsen and Shivdatta were well known kings from the lineage who mingled with Yadav Rajputs, Sainis, who are now found by their original name only in Punjab and in the neighbouring states of Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. They claim descent from Yaduvanshi Rajputs of the Yaduvanshi Surasena lineage, originating from Yadav King Shoorsen, who was the grandfather of both Krishna and the legendary Pandava warriors. Sainis relocated to Punjab from Mathura and surrounding areas over different periods of time.

All Yadav sub castes descent from the Yadu lineage, these include the Ahirs in the North and West India; The Ghosh or the "Goalas" and "Sadgopa" or Gauda in Bengal and Orissa; Dhangar in Maharashtra; Yadav and Kurubas in Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka and  dayan and Konar in Tamil Nadu. There are also several sub-regional names such as  hetwar and Rawat in Madhya Pradesh, and Mahakul (Great Family) in Bihar. The traditional occupation of most of these castes relates to cattle.

The Ahirs, also referred to as Abhira or Abhir, also claim descent from Yadu through Krishna, and are identified with the Yadavs. In the 1881 census records of the British empire, Yadavs are identified as Ahirs.

Besides Scriptural origin, historical evidence exists for identifying the Ahirs with the Yadavas. It is argued that the term Ahir comes from Abhira (Behandarkar, 1911; 16), who where once found in different parts of India, and who in several places wielded political power. Ancient Sanskrit classic, Amarkosa, calls gwal, gopa & ballabh to be the synonym of Abhira. A Chudasama prince styled Grahripu and Ruling at Vanthali near Junagarh described in the Dyashraya kavya of Hemachandra, describes him both as a Abhira and a Yadav. Further, in their Bardic traditions as well as in popular stories Chudasmas are still called Ahir Ranas.[ Again, many remains of Khandesh (historical stronghold of Abhiras) are popularly believed to be of Gawli Raj, which archaeologically belongs to the Yadvas of Devgiri. Hence, it is concluded that Yadvas of Devgiri were actually Abhiras. Moreover, there are sufficient number of clans within Yadav, who trace their lineage from Yadu and Lord Krishna, some of which are mentioned in Mahabharata as Yadav Clans, like Gaur, Krishnauth etc. Vātsyāyana also mentions the Abhira kingdoms in the Kama Sutra.


Ahir’s also ruled beyond the geographical borders of present day India, as king of the hilly terrain of Nepal. Eight kings of the first Yadav dynasty ruled Nepal, the first being Bhuktaman and the last Yaksha Gupta. Owing to pastoral disputes, this dynasty was then replaced by another Yadav dynasty. This second Yadav dynasty had a succession of three kings, they were Badasimha, Jaymati Simha and Bhuban Simha and their rule ended when the Kirati invaders defeated Bhuban Simha, the last Yadav king of Nepal.
It is argued that the term Ahir comes from Abhira who were once found in different parts of India, and who in several places wielded political power. The Abhiras are equated with Ahirs, Gopas and Gollas, and all of them are considered Yadavas.

Abhira means "fearless" and appear in most ancient historical references dating back to the Abhira kingdom of the Saraswati Valley, who spoke Abhiri until the Buddhist period.  Analysis of Hindu scriptural references of the Abhira kingdoms has led some scholars to conclude that it was merely a term used for Holy Yadava Kingdoms. In Bhagavatam, the Gupta dynasty has been called Abhir.

It is also stated that the Allahabad iron pillar inscription of Samudragupta (fourth
century AD) mentions the Abhiras as one of the states of west and south west India. A fourth century AD inscription found in Nashik speaks of an Abhira king and there is proof that in the middle of the fourth century the Abhiras were settled in eastern Rajputana and Malwa. Similarly, when the Kathis arrived in Gujarat in the eighth century, they found the greater part of the country in the possession of the Ahirs. The Mirzapur district of the United Provinces has a tract known as Ahraura, named after the Ahir and another piece of country near Jhansi was called Ahirwar. The Ahirs were also kings of Nepal at the beginning of the Christian era. Khandesh and the Tapti valley were other regions where they were kings. The Gavlis rose to political power in Deogarh, on the Chhindwara Plateau in the central provinces. The Saugar traditions traced down the Gavli supremacy to a much later date, as the tracts of Etawa and Khurai are said to have been governed by the chieftains till the close of the seventeenth century.
Scholars, such as Robert Sewell believe that the rulers of Vijayanagara Empire were Kurubas (also known as Yadavas).  Some early inscriptions, dated 1078 and 1090, have implied that the Hoysalas of Mysore were also the descendants of the original Yadava clan, by referring to the Yadava vamsa (clan) as Hoysala vamsa. The founder of the Wodeyar dynasty, Vijaya, also claimed descent from the Yadu and took on the name Yadu-Raya.

Many ruling Rajput clans of India traced their origin to the Yaduvanshi lineage, a major branch of the Chandravanshi Kshatriyas. These include the Banaphars and the Jadejas. The Seuna Yadavas of Devagiri also claimed descent from the clan of Lord Krishna.
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. 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 word Ayir which also means cow. He equates the Ayars with Abhiras, and scholars treat this as evidence of migration of the Abhiras to the south in the first century AD.