Accoording to some authors, the origin of the Abhiras is steeped in obscurity. Though, we often come across references about them in Ancient Indian literature, hardly any of them throw light on the problem of their origin. The Mahābhashya of Patañjali simply mentions them as a caste distinct from the Sudras.[15][page needed][16][page needed]
They were among the successors of the Satavahanas in the Western Deccan. Some of them entered the military service of the Western Satraps (Sakas), and helped them in conquest of new territories.[1] By 181 A.D, the Abhiras had gained considerable influence at the Kshatrapa court. Some of them were even serving as generals.[18][page needed]
The Gunda inscription dated Saka year 103 (181 CE) refers to Abhira Rudrabhuti as the senapati (commander-in-chief) of the Saka satrap (ruler) Rudrasimha.[1][19][20][21][22][page needed][23] The inscription also gives a detailed genealogy of the kings up to Rudrasimha:[24]
"Hail ! On the [auspicious] fifth tithi of the bright fortnight of Vaisakha during the auspicious period of the constellation of Rohini, in the year one hundred and three — 100 3 — (during the reign) of the king, the Kshatrapa Lord Rudrasiha (Rudrasimha), the son of the king, the Maha-Kshatrapa Lord Rudradaman (and) son’s son of the king, the Kshatrapa Lord Jayadaman, (and) grandson’s son of the king, the Maha-Kshatrapa Lord Chashtana, the well was caused to be dug and embanked by the general (senapati) Rudrabuthi, the son of the general (senapati) Bapaka, the Abhira, at the village (grama) of Rasopadra, for the welfare and comfort of all living beings."
The inscription refers Rudrasimha to as simply a ksatrapa, ignoring the existence of any mahaksatrapa. According to Sudhakar Chattopadhyaya, this indicates that the Abhira general was the de facto ruler of the state, though not assuming any higher title. The inscription states Abhira Rudrabhuti as the son of the general Bapaka.[19][page needed] The Abhira dynasty was probably related Abhira Rudrabhuti.[1][page needed][19][page needed]
The history of the Abhiras is shrouded in much obscurity.[1] The Abhira dynasty was founded by Ishwarsena. The branch came to power after the demise of the Satavahanas in the Nasik region of Maharashtra, with the help and consent of the Western Satraps (Sakas). They were known as Gavali rajas indicating that they were cowherds by profession before becoming kings.[1] Ten Abhira kings ruled in the Maharashtra region of the Deccan, whose names have not been mentioned in the Puranas.[1]
An Abhira king is known to have sent an embassy to the SassanidShahanshah of Persia, Narseh, to congratulate him on his victory against Bahram III.[27][1][page needed]
During the time of the Gupta Empire, the Indian emperor Samudragupta recorded Abhira as a "frontier kingdom" which paid an annual tribute. This was recorded by Samudragupta's Allahabad Pillar inscription, which states the following in lines 22–23.
"Samudragupta, whose formidable rule was propitiated with the payment of all tributes, execution of orders and visits (to his court) for obeisance by such frontier rulers as those of Samataṭa, Ḍavāka, Kāmarūpa, Nēpāla, and Kartṛipura, and, by the Mālavas, Ārjunāyanas, Yaudhēyas, Mādrakas, Ābhīras, Prārjunas, Sanakānīkas, Kākas, Kharaparikas and other nations."
The duration of the Abhira rule is uncertain, with most of the Puranas giving it as sixty-seven years, while the Vayu Purana gives it as one hundred and sixty-seven years.[1][29] According to V.V Mirashi, the following were the feudatories of the Abhiras-[30]
The Abhiras spoke Apabhraṃśa, and seem to have patronized Sanskrit. The Nasik cave inscription of Isvarsena is written mostly in Sanskrit. Several guilds flourished in their kingdom, in which people invested large amounts for making endowments. This indicates peace, order and security in the kingdom of the Abhiras.[29]
Mahaksatrapa Isvaradatta
According to Dr. Bhagwan Lal, The Abhira or Ahir King Ishvardatta entered Gujarat from North Konkan defeated Vijayasena, a Kshatriya and established his supremacy.[31][page needed]
Patanjali in his Mahabhashya mentioned about Abhira kings. Abhira chieftains served as Generals to the Saka rulers. In the second century A.D., an Ahir Chief Isvaradatta became the Mahakshatrapa(Supreme King). The Abhira played a key role in causing downfall of Satvahanas in third century A.D.[32]
Saka Satakarni
Another king claiming to be a son of Mathari besides Abhira Ishwarsena is Sakasena. He is identified with Saka Satakarni, whose coins have been found over Andhra Pradesh and is taken to be a Satavahana king and successor of Yajna Sri Satakarni. However, K.Gopalchari thinks that Sakasena was a Abhira king. Reasons:
The name of Sakasena or Saka Satakarni does not occur in the Puranic genealogies of the Satavahana kings. He claimed to be th son of Mathari, the wife of Abhira Sivadatta, as indicated by his epithet Mathariputra.[1]
The traditional title of Siri which is found on most coins and inscriptions of the Satavahanas is significantly absent in the case of this ruler.[1]
Considering the dynastic rivalry between the Saka Kshatrapas, the naming of a Satavahana prince with its main content as Saka is very unnatural and unlikely.[1]
The Abhiras were earlier in the service of the Saka rulers of Ujjaini, and in those days, feudatory chiefs used to name their sons after the names of their overlords. The name of Sakasena was probably a result of this practice. The suffix of Sena in his name also suggests that he was an Abhira king and related to Ishwarsena.[1]
So this concludes that Ishwarsena's predecessor was his elder brother Sakasena, and Ishwarsena ascended the throne after his death.[1]
Sakasena was probably the first great Abhira king. His inscriptions from the Konkan and coins from Andhra Pradesh suggest that he ruled over a large portion of the Satavahana Empire.[1]
Abhira Ishwarsena
Ishwarsena was the first independent Abhira king. He was the son of Abhira Sivadatta and his wife Mathari.[1] Ashvini Agrawal thinks he was a general in the service of Rudrasimha I who deposed his master in 188 A.D and ascended the throne. Ashvini Agrawal further says that Rudrasimha I soon deposed him and regained the throne in 190 A.D.[18] He (Ishwarsena) started an era which later became known as the Kalachuri-Chedi era. His descendants ruled for nine generations.[33] Ishwarsena's coins are dated only in the first and second years of his reign and are found in Saurashtra and Southern Rajputana.[34]
The Traikuta rule of Aparanta or Konkan begins in A.D. 248 (Traikuta era) exactly the time of Ishwarsena's rule, hence Traikutas are identified with the Abhira dynasty.[35][page needed]
The Abhiras began to rule in Southern and western Sourashtra from the second half of the 10th century A.D their capital was vamanshtali, modern vanthali nine miles west of Junagadh. They became very powerful during the reign of Graharipu who defeated the Saindhavas and the Chaulukyas.[36][page needed]
List of rulers
The following is the list of the sovereign and strong Abhira rulers-
After the death of Abhira Vashishthiputra Vasusena, the Abhiras probably lost their sovereign and paramount status.[1] The Abhiras lost most of their domains to the rising Vakatakas (north) and the Kadambas (south-west).[42] The Abhiras were finally supplanted by their feudatories, the Traikutakas. But still many petty Abhira chieftains and kings continued to rule until the fourth century, roughly till 370 AD, in the Vidarbha and Khandesh region. They continued to rule, but without sovereignty, until they came into conflict with the Kadamba kingMayurasarman and were defeated.[27][1]
Descendants
The descendants of the Abhiras can be recognized by their surnames, such as Ahir, Ahire, Ahir-Rao etc. These surnames are commonly found in Khandesh and Western Maharashtra.[1]
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.[43] This view gets support in many writings.[1]
^Society, Bihar Research (1933). The Journal of the Bihar Research Society. The Bhagavata calls the Abhiras, 'Saurashtra' and 'Avantya' rulers (Saurashtra-Āvanty Ābhīrāḥ), and the Vishnu treats the Abhiras as occupying the Surashtra and Avanti provinces.
^Garg, Gaṅgā Rām (1992). Encyclopaedia of the Hindu World. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN978-81-7022-374-0. According to the Mahabharata (Sabha. 31), the Abhiras lived near the seashore and on the bank of the Sarasvati, a river near Somanāth in Gujarāt.
^Soni, Lok Nath (2000). The Cattle and the Stick: An Ethnographic Profile of the Raut of Chhattisgarh. Anthropological Survey of India, Government of India, Ministry of Tourism and Culture, Department of Culture. ISBN978-81-85579-57-3. Some people say that the Abhira were Sudra, but it is wrong and Mahabharat mentions both of them distinctly. It says that both the Sudra and the Abhira were living on the bank of river Saraswati. The Abhira who ruled over the Deccan for some time, were, according to Patanjali's counting, a caste by themselves, not included among the Sudra (Ghurye 1961 : 62). The word 'Jati' is applied by the great grammarian Patanjali to such ethnic groups as the Abhira, whom he declares to be other 'Jati' than the Sudra. By implication the Sudra too were a 'Jati'. 'Varna' and 'Jati' would thus appear to be inter-changeable terms. It is clear that other groups than the four traditional ones were not only in existence, but had come to be recognised as jatis (Vyakaranamahabhashya : 1,2,72).
![The Abhiras during the reign of Ishwarsena.[1][2]](/en/File:Map_of_the_Abhira_Empire.png)
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