The Machhoya Ahir are a

gotra In Hindu culture, the term gotra (Sanskrit: गोत्र) is considered to be equivalent to lineage. It broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor or patriline. Generally, the gotra fo ...

of the

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 ...

found in the

Rajkot Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...

, Kutch,

Junagadh Junagadh () is the headquarters of Junagadh district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located at the foot of the Girnar hills, southwest of Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar (the state capital), it is the seventh largest city in the state. Literally t ...

,Amreli,

Bhavnagar Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...

, Morbi, Jamnagar state of

Gujarat Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

.People of India Gujarat Volume XXII Part One edited by R.B Lal, S.V Padmanabham & A Mohideen page 46 to 49 Popular Prakashan

Origin

When the

Ahirs 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 ...

came from Mathura to Dwarka with Lord Krishna, they spread all over Saurashtra and Kutch

region.The Maschoiya are a community of

s who are said to have settled along the banks of the Machhu-katia river, and the word Maschhoiya literally means those from Macchu-katia. According to the traditions of the Maschoiya were originally Soomra

s, and an ancestor left

Sindh Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...

for Saurashtra, where she married an

king. Their descendants thus became Maschoiya Ahir. The Maschoiya Ahir are found mainly in

Rajkot District Rajkot district is one of the 33 districts of the Indian state of Gujarat. Located in Saurashtra peninsula, Rajkot city is the administrative headquarters of the district. It is the third-most advanced district in Gujarat and the fourth most po ...

, Kutch District,

Morbi District Morbi district is in the state of Gujarat, India. It was formed on August 15, 2013, along with several other districts, on the 67th Independence Day of India. Morbi city is the administrative headquarters of the district. The district has 5 taluk ...

Junagadh District Junagadh district is a district of the Indian state of Gujarat. Its administrative headquarters is the city of Junagadh. Geography The district is located on the Kathiawar peninsula in western Gujarat. It is surrounded by Rajkot District (North) ...

, Amreli and

found in. They are a

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

speaking community.

Present circumstances

The Maschoiya are divided into a number of exogamous clans called ''Ataks'' like Humbal, Ahir, Lokhil, Khimaniya, Mand(Marand), Miyatra (Myatra), Makawana, Dangar, Sonara, Jalu(Jaru), Chaiya(Chhaiya), Bakotra(Bakutra), Virda, Kangad, Zer, Lavadiya, Meta, Herbha, Hethvadiya, Chavda, Jatiya, Lula, Balasara, Gujariya, Kothivar Goyal(Gohel) Chudasama, Avadiya, Segaliya, Khatariya, Jiladiya, Kuvadiya, Garchar, Kihor And many more all of which are of equal status. They belong to

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 ...

varna . Unlike other

communities in

, the Maschoiya practice consanguineous marriages. Most of working on salt industry,transport,construction,farming,and extra fields.

References

{{Ahir clans , state=collapsed; Ahir

Origin

Present circumstances

See also

References