Gwalvanshi
Encyclopedia
Gwalvanshi were people associated with sacred cows. Amarkosa, an ancient Sanskrit text treats them as synonym of Abhira. The term Gwal was derived from Gopal or "protector of cows". Gwalvanshi say that they are descended from the Gwala or herdsman dynasty and the Gopi
s, who danced with the god Krishna in the woods of Vrindavan and Gokul.
Gwalvanshis have three subcastes: Bharotias, Jijhotias, Kaoras (Kamarias). The term Jijhotias is derived from Jajhauti, the old name of Bundelkhand, from whence they emigrated. They do not drink liquor and on that account considered themselves superior to other subcastes. The Bharotias had migrated from Mathura. The Kaoras claimed that they descended from the Kauravas of the Mahabharat. Ahirs are descended from Krishna
was raised between Gwals who were his childhood friends. Mahabharata says Gaurs are part of Yaduvanshi Kshatriya
s. Gwalvanshi's belongs the Gwallas of Bengal. The caste is also known as Gaoli and Gawari, and those who were retained by the Gonds in their own service are known as Gaolans. Yadavs of Eastern Uttar Pradesh
, Bihar
, West Bengal
, Chhattisgarh
and Jharkhand
are Gwalvanshi. According to British historian Elliot Gwalvanshi do not have gotra
s.
The transformation of all Ahirs (Yaduvanshi Ahirs, Nandvanshi
and Gwalvanshi) into Yaduvanshi Yadav
s was promoted by the All India Yadav Mahasabha which was founded in 1927. Gwalvanshi Ahirs are cultivators or tenants in places Like Eastern Uttar Pradesh
and Bihar
(and Thakurs, the main landowning group).
To upgrade their martial status, Nandvanshi and Gwalvanshi Ahirs at the turn of the century not only began to claim Chandravanshi Kshatriya
status but also to adopt Arya Samaj
practices in a big way.
Uttar Pradesh
and Bihar
witnessed widespread Jenevo movements in the first two decades of the 20th century as Ahirs began to don the sacred thread in accordance with Arya Samaj practices. These years also saw the sprouting of Arya mandirs, pracharaks, priests and schools in many parts of India.
Gwalvanshis emerged as major protectors of cattle and the celebration of Janmashtmi (Krishna’s birthday) became a major event in their social and religious life.
Gopi
Gopi is a word of Sanskrit origin meaning 'cow-herd girl'. In Hinduism specifically the name gopi is used more commonly to refer to the group of cow herding girls famous within Vaishnava Theology for their unconditional devotion to Krishna as described in the stories of Bhagavata Purana and...
s, who danced with the god Krishna in the woods of Vrindavan and Gokul.
Gwalvanshis have three subcastes: Bharotias, Jijhotias, Kaoras (Kamarias). The term Jijhotias is derived from Jajhauti, the old name of Bundelkhand, from whence they emigrated. They do not drink liquor and on that account considered themselves superior to other subcastes. The Bharotias had migrated from Mathura. The Kaoras claimed that they descended from the Kauravas of the Mahabharat. Ahirs are descended from Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
was raised between Gwals who were his childhood friends. Mahabharata says Gaurs are part of Yaduvanshi Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
s. Gwalvanshi's belongs the Gwallas of Bengal. The caste is also known as Gaoli and Gawari, and those who were retained by the Gonds in their own service are known as Gaolans. Yadavs of Eastern Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
, West Bengal
West Bengal
West Bengal is a state in the eastern region of India and is the nation's fourth-most populous. It is also the seventh-most populous sub-national entity in the world, with over 91 million inhabitants. A major agricultural producer, West Bengal is the sixth-largest contributor to India's GDP...
, Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh is a state in Central India, formed when the 16 Chhattisgarhi-speaking South-Eastern districts of Madhya Pradesh gained separate statehood on 1 November 2000....
and Jharkhand
Jharkhand
Jharkhand is a state in eastern India. It was carved out of the southern part of Bihar on 15 November 2000. Jharkhand shares its border with the states of Bihar to the north, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to the west, Orissa to the south, and West Bengal to the east...
are Gwalvanshi. According to British historian Elliot Gwalvanshi do not have gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
s.
Social Status
- Uttar Pradesh AzamgarhAzamgarhAzamgarh is a town in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is headquarters of Azamgarh district and Azamgarh Division.-History:Azamgarh, one of the easternmost districts of the State, once formed a part of the ancient Kosala kingdom, except the north-eastern part of it which was included in the...
, BanaresBañaresBañares is a village in the province and autonomous community of La Rioja, Spain.-References:...
, JaunpurJaunpur, Uttar PradeshJaunpur is a city and a municipal board in Jaunpur district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.Jaunpur district is located to the northwest of the district of Varanasi in the eastern part of the North Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. According to the 2001 census, Jaunpur district had a population...
, Gorkakhpur and Mirzapur DistrictMirzapur DistrictMirzapur district is one of the 70 districts of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The district is bounded on the north by Sant Ravidas Nagar and Varanasi districts, on the east by Chandauli district, on the south by Sonbhadra district and on the norhwest by Allahabad district. The district...
. - Bihar has GopalganjGopalganj District, IndiaGopalganj is the administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. The district headquarter is located in the town of Gopalganj and the district is a part of Saran Division. Languages spoken are Bhojpuri, Urdu and Hindi.-History:...
, BankaBanka DistrictBanka is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar in India.-History:Banka is the homeland of great revolutionary Satish Prasad Jha, one of seven martyrs who hoisted the flag of India at the Secretariat building near Patna on 11 August 1942. Jha was born in Khadihara near Dhakamod, Banka...
, DarbhangaDarbhangaDarbhangā is a twin city and a municipal corporation and the capital city of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India. It is one of the most important districts of North Bihar situated in the very heart of Mithilanchal. According to the latest 2011 census, the...
, SiwanSiwan DistrictSiwan district is one of the districts of Bihar state, India. Siwan town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Siwan district is a part of Saran Division since 1972. The town is known for its great past especially for First President of Indian Republic who belonged to Jeeradei. The...
, Sahabad , SasaramSasaramSasaram , sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is the administrative headquarters of the Rohtas district in the Indian state of Bihar.It is one of the oldest cities in India, and is famous for production of stone chips and for the local quarrying industry...
, GayaGaya, IndiaGaya is the second largest city of Bihar, India, and it is also the headquarters of Gaya District.Gaya is 100 kilometers south of Patna, the capital city of Bihar. Situated on the banks of Falgu River , it is a place sanctified by both the Hindu and the Buddhist religions...
, RohtasRohtasRohtas can refer to:*Rohtas, Pakistan, a village located in Rohtas Fort, Pakistan*Rohtas Fort, Pakistan*Rohtas District, a district in Bihar, India*Rohtas Plateau in north-western Bihar...
, Palamau, Hazaribag ChhapraChhapraChhapra is a city and headquarters of Saran district in the state of Bihar, India. Chhapra is also written as Chapra. It is situated near the junction of the Ghaghara River and The Ganges River....
, Madhubani, MungerMungerMunger town is the headquarters of Munger district, in the Indian state of Bihar. Historically, Munger is known for its manufacturing of iron articles such as firearms and swords. One of the major institutions in Munger is Bihar School of Yoga. It is one of the foremost learning center in the...
.
The transformation of all Ahirs (Yaduvanshi Ahirs, Nandvanshi
Nandvanshi
Nanda or Nandagopa, according to the Harivamsha and the Puranas, was the head of the gopas .It is said that Nand Baba owned 9 lakhs of cows Nandvanshi Ahirs are descendants of Nand....
and Gwalvanshi) into Yaduvanshi Yadav
Yadav
Yādav refers to an umbrella group of traditionally non-elite pastoral communities, or castes, in India and Nepal which since the nineteenth and twentieth centuries has claimed descent from the mythological King Yadu as a part of a movement of social and political resurgence.The term 'Yadav' now...
s was promoted by the All India Yadav Mahasabha which was founded in 1927. Gwalvanshi Ahirs are cultivators or tenants in places Like Eastern Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
and Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
(and Thakurs, the main landowning group).
To upgrade their martial status, Nandvanshi and Gwalvanshi Ahirs at the turn of the century not only began to claim Chandravanshi Kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
status but also to adopt Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj is a Hindu reform movement founded by Swami Dayananda on 10 April 1875. He was a sannyasi who believed in the infallible authority of the Vedas. Dayananda emphasized the ideals of brahmacharya...
practices in a big way.
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
and Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
witnessed widespread Jenevo movements in the first two decades of the 20th century as Ahirs began to don the sacred thread in accordance with Arya Samaj practices. These years also saw the sprouting of Arya mandirs, pracharaks, priests and schools in many parts of India.
Gwalvanshis emerged as major protectors of cattle and the celebration of Janmashtmi (Krishna’s birthday) became a major event in their social and religious life.
Notables
- Laloo Prasad Yadav, RJD leader Bihar,Former Union Cabinet Minister of India. Former Chief Minister of Bihar
- Pappu YadavPappu YadavRajesh Ranjan पप्पू यादव , better known as Pappu Yadav, is an Indian politician. He won elections to the Lok Sabha in 1991, 1996, 1999, and in 2004 from several constituencies in Bihar on the RJD ticket. On 2008-02-14, he was convicted in the murder of Communist Party of India legislator Ajit...
, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP - Sadhu Yadav Congress Party Bihar.
- Om Prakash YadavOm Prakash YadavOm Prakash Yadav is an Indian politician from Bihar. In the Indian General Election, 2009, he was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from...
, - MP Siwan - Babulal GaurBabulal GaurBabulal Gaur is a current cabinet minister in BJP ministry of Madhya Pradesh and a former Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, India. He was born in a Yadav family in a village in Uttar Pradesh. He served as chief minister from August 23 2004 following the resignation of Uma Bharti...
, former chief Minister of Madhya PradeshMadhya PradeshMadhya Pradesh , often called the Heart of India, is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and Indore is the largest city....
. - Ras Bihari Lal Mandal, 1866–1918, Zamindar-Murho( Bihar), Founder of All India Gope Jatiya (Yadav) Mahasabha (1910), one of founder leaders of Indian National Congress from Bihar, fought against British Rule, demanded full independence, submitted Petition to Montague-Chelmsford Committee, Father of Bhubneshwari Prasad Mandal (MLC, Bihar-Orissa Legislative Council 1924), Kamleshwari Prasad Mandal (MLC, Bihar, 1937) and Bindheshwari Prasad Mandal, former Chief Minister, Bihar 1967-68.
- Narsingh Pancham YadavNarsingh Pancham YadavNarsingh Pancham Yadav is an Indian wrestler. At the 2010 Commonwealth Games, he won a gold in the Men's freestyle 74 kg wrestling.Narsingh Yadav is the son of Pancham Yadav and Bhulna Devi from eastern Uttar Pradesh...
, wrestler.