Yadav
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Yadav, Jadam, or Jadav[1] refers to a grouping of traditionally non-elite,[2][3] peasant-pastoral communities or castes in India that since the 19th and 20th centuries[4][5] have claimed descent from the mythological king Yadu as a part of a movement of social and political resurgence.[6] The term Yadav now covers many traditional peasant-pastoral castes such as Ahirs of the Hindi belt and the Gavli of Maharashtra.[2][7]
Regions with significant populations | |
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Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Bihar, Jharkhand, Nepal, Mauritius, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh | |
Languages | |
Hindi, Ahirwati, Urdu, Haryanvi, Punjabi, Telugu, Tamil, Gujarati, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri, Marwari, Kannada, Odia, Bengali | |
Religion | |
Hinduism |
Historically, the Ahir and Yadav groups had an ambiguous ritual status in caste stratification.[8][lower-alpha 1] Since the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Yadav movement has worked to improve the social standing of its constituents,[10] through Sanskritisation,[11] active participation in the armed forces,[4] expansion of economic opportunities to include other, more prestigious business fields, and active participation in politics.[10] Yadav leaders and intellectuals have often focused on their claimed descent from Yadu, and from Krishna,[12] which they argue confers kshatriya status upon them,[13] and effort has been invested in recasting the group narrative to emphasise kshatriya-like valour,[14] however, the overall tenor of their movement has not been overtly egalitarian in the context of the larger Indian caste system.[15] Yadavs benefited from Zamindari abolition in some states of north India like Bihar, but not to the extent that members of other Upper Backward Castes did.[16]