The Abhira dynasty was a dynasty that ruled over the western
Deccan, where they succeeded the
Satavahanas. From 203 to roughly 260, they formed a vast kingdom. They were from the
Abhira kshatriya clan.
Abhira Era started by
Ishwarsena in AD 249, continued with them and was called
Abhira-Traikutika era. This era was later continued by
Kalachuri Dynasty, calling it
Kalachuri era, and later
Kalachuri-Chedi era.
Etymology
The term
Abhira (a-bhi+ra+a) literary means one who frightens or causes fear. According to Pran Nath Chopra, The name
Abhira may stem from a-bhira—a, not bhira, fear-fearless.
Origin
The Abhiras were from the
Yaduvanshi Kshatriya clan. 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.
By 181 A.D, the Abhiras had gained considerable influence at the Kshatrapa court. Some of them were even serving as generals.
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.
The inscription also gives a detailed genealogy of the kings up to Rudrasimha:
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.
The Abhira dynasty was probably related Abhira Rudrabhuti.
History
The history of the Abhiras is shrouded in much obscurity.
The Abhira dynasty was founded by
Ishwarsena. The branch came to power after the demise of the
Satavahanas in the
Nasik
Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...
region of
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
, 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.
Ten Abhira kings ruled in the
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
region of the
Deccan, whose names have not been mentioned in the
Puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
.
An Abhira king is known to have sent an embassy to the
Sassanid ''
Shahanshah'' of
Persia,
Narseh, to congratulate him on his victory against
Bahram III
Bahram III (also spelled Wahram III or Warahran III; pal, 𐭥𐭫𐭧𐭫𐭠𐭭, New Persian: ), was the sixth king (shah) of the Sasanian Empire. He was son and successor of Bahram II.Touraj Daryaee, ''Sasanian Persia'', (I.B.Tauris Ltd, 201 ...
.
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.
The duration of the Abhira rule is uncertain, with most of the
Puranas
Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...
giving it as sixty-seven years, while the
Vayu Purana gives it as one hundred and sixty-seven years.
According to V.V Mirashi, the following were the feudatories of the Abhiras-
* The
Maharajas of Valkha
* Isvararata
* The kings of
Mahishmati
Mahishmati (IAST: Māhiṣmatī) was an ancient city in present-day central India. It was located in present-day Madhya Pradesh, on the banks of Narmada River, although its exact location is uncertain.
It is mentioned in several ancient texts, a ...
* The
Traikutakas
The Abhiras spoke
Apabhraṃśa
Apabhraṃśa ( sa, अपभ्रंश, , Prakrit: , ta, அவப்பிரஞ்சனம், , ) is a term used by '' vaiyākaraṇāḥ'' (native grammarians) since Patañjali to refer to languages spoken in North India before the ris ...
, 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.
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.
Patanjali
Patanjali ( sa, पतञ्जलि, Patañjali), also called Gonardiya or Gonikaputra, was a Hindu author, mystic and philosopher. Very little is known about him, and while no one knows exactly when he lived; from analysis of his works it i ...
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.
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''.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
So this concludes that Ishwarsena's predecessor was his elder brother Sakasena, and
Ishwarsena ascended the throne after his death.
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.
Abhira Ishwarsena
Ishwarsena was the first independent Abhira king. He was the son of Abhira Sivadatta and his wife Mathari.
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.
He (Ishwarsena) started an era which later became known as the
Kalachuri-Chedi era. His descendants ruled for nine generations.
Ishwarsena's coins are dated only in the first and second years of his reign and are found in
Saurashtra and Southern
Rajputana
Rājputana, meaning "Land of the Rajputs", was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the present-day Indian state of Rajasthan, as well as parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and some adjoining areas of Sindh in modern-day ...
.
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.
The
Abhiras began to rule in Southern and western
Sourashtra
Saurashtra (Saurashtra script: , Tamil script: சௌராட்டிர மொழி, Devanagari script: सौराष्ट्र भाषा) is an Indo-Aryan language spoken primarily by the Saurashtrians of Southern India who migrated ...
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.
is evident from the epigraphical records of the
Yadavas of
Devagiri and the
Hoysalas that the
Abhiras were called
Ahuras and
Gualas in the
13th century
The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 ( MCCI) through December 31, 1300 ( MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar.
The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched from Eastern Asia to Eastern Eu ...
. This proves that the
Abhiras,
Gopas and
Ghoshas were not different people.
List of rulers
The following is the list of the sovereign and strong Abhira rulers-
* Abhira Sivadatta
* Sakasena alias Saka Satakrni
*
Abhira Ishwarsena alias ''Mahaksatrapa'' Isvaradatta
* Abhira Vashishthiputra Vasusena
Territory
The Abhiras ruled western Maharashtra which included
Nasik
Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...
and its adjoining areas,
Aparanta,
Lata,
Ashmaka,
and
Khandesh Their core territory included
Nasik
Nashik (, Marathi: aːʃik, also called as Nasik ) is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated on the banks of river Godavari, Nashik is the third largest city in Maharashtra, after Mumbai and Pune. Nashik ...
and the adjoining areas.
The Abhira territory also may have consisted of
Malwa, which they gradually seized from the
Kshahratas.
Decline
After the death of Abhira Vashishthiputra Vasusena, the Abhiras probably lost their sovereign and paramount status.
The Abhiras lost most of their domains to the rising
Vakatakas (north) and the
Kadambas (south-west).
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
Vidarbha (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a Proposed states and union territories of India#Maharashtra, proposed state of central India, comprising th ...
and
Khandesh region. They continued to rule, but without sovereignty, until they came into conflict with the
Kadamba king Mayurasarman and were defeated.
Descendants
The descendants of the Abhiras can be recognized by their surnames, such as ''
Ahir
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...
, Ahire, Ahir-Rao'' etc. These surnames are commonly found in Khandesh and
Western Maharashtra
Desh is a region adjacent to the Western Ghats between the Godavari River and Krishna River, a part of Deccan Plateau, in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. The region is hilly and slopes towards the east, and is drai ...
.
According to Ganga Ram Garg, the modern-day
Ahir
Ahir or Aheer are a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most members of which identify as being of the Indian Yadav community because they consider the two terms to be synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...
caste are descendants of Abhira people and the term ''Ahir'' is the
Prakrit form of the
Sanskrit term ''Abhira''.
This view gets support in many writings.
See also
*
Ishwarsena
*
Satavahana dynasty
*
Nashik
*
Traikutaka dynasty
References
Sources
* {{cite book , last= Banerjee , first=Biswanath , year=1999 , title=Shudraka , series=Makers of Indian Literature , publisher=Sahitya Academy , location=New Delhi , isbn=81-260-0697-8
Hindu dynasties
History of Maharashtra
Social groups of India