Gopa or Gop or Gope is a synonym of the
Yadav
Yadav refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite, Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern state ...
(
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.
It is generally used as a title by the Ahir caste in the states of
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...
and
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
of East India and even in
Terai
The Terai or Tarai is a lowland region in northern India and southern Nepal that lies south of the outer foothills of the Himalayas, the Sivalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. This lowland belt is characterised by tall grasslands, scr ...
region of Nepal.
Etymology
The sanskrit word Gopa, a king, originally meant only a cowherd; it then came to mean the head of cowpen and lastly the chief of a tribe.
Origin and History
According to
Bhagavata Purana
The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...
, The Gopas are
re-incarnation
Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrection is a ...
of
Devas
Devas may refer to:
* Devas Club, a club in south London
* Anthony Devas (1911–1958), British portrait painter
* Charles Stanton Devas (1848–1906), political economist
* Jocelyn Devas (died 1886), founder of the Devas Club
* Devas (band), ...
. They are the messengers of
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
, They are fond of Gavya or the products of
Cows
Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, cloven-hooved, herbivores. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus ''Bos''. Adult females are referred to as cows and adult mal ...
. The relation between Krishna and the Gopas is that between an object and its image.
In
Rigved
The ''Rigveda'' or ''Rig Veda'' ( ', from ' "praise" and ' "knowledge") is an ancient Indian collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns (''sūktas''). It is one of the four sacred canonical Hindu texts (''śruti'') known as the Vedas. Only one Sha ...
Dasam Mandal Maharaj
Yadu
This is a list of ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes that are mentioned in the literature of Indic religions.
From the second or first millennium BCE, ancient Indo-Aryan peoples and tribes turned into most of the population in the northern p ...
is mentioned as Gopa. The Gopa and Gopati were epithets given to the King.
In
Harivamsa Purana
was composed by Acharya Jinasena in 783 AD. It is divided into 66 cantos and contains 12,000 slokas. The book aims to narrate the life of Neminatha, the twenty-second Tirthankara in Jainism. According to the Jain sources, Krishna is the ...
, it has been said that Gopas and Yadav are generic of same lineage and they are called Gope or Yadav.
Amarakosha gives
Abhira
The Abhira tribe is mentioned in the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. A historical people of the same name are mentioned in the ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea''. They are thought to be people who moved in from eastern Iran in the aftermath of ...
as synonym for Gopa.
Mahabharat's Narayani (Gopayan) Army
Narayani Sena (Gopayan) or Yadav(Ahir) Sena, the army of Lord Krishna of
Dwarka Kingdom is called as the supreme Sena of all time. It is described in the Mahabharat as being all of the
Abhira caste. They were the basic threat to the rival kingdoms. Fearing Narayani Sena, many Kings did not try fighting against Dwaraka. Because Dwaraka sorted most of the threats through Krishna's politics and talent of Yadavas. Using Narayani Sena, the Yadavas extended their empire to most of India.
When Narayani Sena was fighting for Kauravas, only Kritavarma and his army unit fought for the Kauravas. Satyaki fought for the Pandavas. The rest of the Atirathas and Maharathis were withheld from the Kurukshetra war on the advice of Balram and Krishna.
These Gopas, whom Krishna had offered to Duryodhana to fight in his support when he himself joined Arjuna's side, were no other than the Yadavas themselves, who were also the Abhiras. They were the supporters of the Duryodhana and Kauravas, and in the Mahabharata, Abhir, Gopa,
Gopal
Gopal may refer to:
* Gopal (caste), a social community of Odisha in India
* Gopal (Krishna), the infant/child form of Lord Krishna
* Gopal Bansa, ancient Kingdom in Nepal
* The Gopalas, an early Gaudiya Vaishnava institution
* Gandhian Organisatio ...
and Yadavas are all synonyms. They defeated the hero of Mahabharatha war (Arjuna), and spared him when he disclosed the identity of the members of the family of Sri Krishna.
Sanskritisation
Since 1930 during the
Sanskritisation
Sanskritisation (or Sanskritization) is a term in sociology which refers to the process by which castes or tribes placed lower in the caste hierarchy seek 'upward' mobility by emulating the rituals and practices of the dominant castes or upper ...
of castes in India, The Gopas started to be incorporated into a newly established
Yadav
Yadav refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite, Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern state ...
Kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...
community, along with Ahir, Gops, Goalas, and Sadgops.
Kingdoms
*
Gopala Dynasty
Gopala Dynasty (Gopal Bansha) was a first dynasty of Nepal founded by Gopa (caste), Gopa (Yadava) in the Kathmandu Valley. The Lunar dynasty is the origin of the Gopala. The Kings of Gopala Bansha ruled over Nepal for 505 years. It was replaced b ...
of
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...
, it was established by the Gopa.
*Sadgop Dynasty of
Gopbhum
Gopbhum or Gopbhumi is a historical region of West Bengal state in East India, Eastern India. It included the entire area between the Ajay River, Ajay and Damodar River, Damodar rivers, which is present-day Purba Bardhaman district, Purba Bardhaman ...
. It had two Sadgop (Gopa) kings, one ruled from
Amrargar
Amarargar (more appropriately Amragarh, as per the Bengali spelling) is a village in Ausgram II CD block in Bardhaman Sadar North subdivision of Purba Bardhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India.
History
Around the 11th century, King ...
and other from Dhekur (also known as Trisasthigar).
*Sadgop Raja of
Narajole
Narajole (also referred to as Nij Narajol) is a village and gram panchayat in Daspur I CD Block in Ghatal subdivision of Paschim Medinipur district in the state of West Bengal, India.
History
According to Binoy Ghosh, Narajole's ruling clan ...
.
*Sadgop Kings of
Narayangarh and Balrampur.
Culture
In
Kosi division of Bihar, people of the Gopa or
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 ...
(
Yadav
Yadav refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite, Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern state ...
) caste worship their caste deity Bisu Raut, whose temple is situated on the banks of the Gogri river.
Gop Jatiye Mahasabha
Gop Jatiye Mahasabha was formed by Babu Ras Bihari Lal Mandal in 1911, It was the regional organization of Gope or Ahir caste of Bihar, Bengal & Orissa.
Later, the
All-India Yadav Mahasabha was formed by merging the Gop Jatiye Mahasabha and
Ahir/Yadav Kshatriya Mahasabha. AIYM first National Conference was held in Purnea, Bihar on 17 to 20 April 1924.
See also
*
Yadav
Yadav refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite, Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern state ...
*
Bihari Ahir
*
Sadgop
The Sadgop sub-caste is a Bengali Hindu
Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cul ...
References
{{Social groups of Maharashtra
Yadav
Yadav refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite, Quote: "The Yadavs were traditionally a low-to-middle-ranking cluster of pastoral-peasant castes that have become a significant political force in Uttar Pradesh (and other northern state ...
Indian castes
Social groups of Bihar
Social groups of Haryana
Social groups of West Bengal
Social groups of Maharashtra
Social groups of Chhattisgarh
Social groups of Uttar Pradesh