Yadav
Caste community of India / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Yadav (literally, descended from Yadu; also called Ahir or Yaduvanshi), is a caste/clan/tribe of the Indian subcontinent that is predominantly found in India, but also in Nepal and Pakistan. The Ahir/Yadavs were traditionally warrior-pastoralists.[1] As the name of one of the five Aryan clans mentioned in the Rig Veda as Panchjanya, meaning "five people", It is the common name given to the five most ancient Vedic tribes. People of the Yadav/Ahir caste generally follow Vaishnav traditions. In the 1881 census records of the British Empire it is stated that "the Yadavas, who in their turn are identified with the Gwals and Ahirs, were the dominant race at that time.[2][3][4][5][6][7][8] The Yadavs are Kshatriyas and a branch of the Lunar dynasty that descends from Yayati's oldest son Yadu, and parallels the branch (which includes the Kurus) that descends from Yayati's youngest son Puru.[9]
The Yadavs, mentioned in the Mahabharata, were Pastoral-Kshatriyas among whom Krishna was brought up. The Gopas, whom Krishna had offered to Duryodhana to fight in his support when he himself joined Arjuna's side, were no other than the Yadavs themselves, who were also the Ahirs. In the Mahabharata it is mentioned that when the Yadavas (belonging to the Abhira group) abandoned Dwaraka and Gujarat after the death of Krishna and retreated northwards under Arjuna's leadership, they were attacked and broken up.[10]Yadav single largest community/human race alive in the world.