Yadav

Yadav is a traditionally warrior-pastoral community of India and Nepal, most of the modern Yadavs are in military services or chiefly engaged in agricultural practices, and less than a third is engaged in cattle herding.^[1]

They are not confined to any particular region but inhabit almost all parts of the country.

However, they dominate Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Bengal, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.^[2]

Origin and History

In the Rigveda

The word Yadav is described as "descendants of Yadu" Yadu is one of the five early Indo-Aryan tribes (Panchajana) described in the Rigveda.^[3] The Yadu's had a tribal association with the Turvasu tribe, and they often were described together.^[4][5] Yadu partially Indo-Aryan-culture influenced the Indus tribe. By the time of the arrival of the Puru and Bharata tribes, the Yadu-Turvasu had settled in the Punjab, with the Yadu's possibly living along the banks of the Yamuna River.^[6]

Mandalas 4 and 5 of the Rigveda describe the Yadav's (Yadavas) and Turvasas as a foreign tribe and mention them being brought to India by sea and settled by Indra.^{[7][8][9][10][11][12]}

In Rigveda X.62.10, the Yadus and Turvashas are described as Das-Dasyu and Barbarians ( Mlechchha ). Historian R.P. Chanda speculated that the Yadu people originally inhabited Western Asia, from where they came to India, settled in the Surashtra or Kathiawar peninsula and then spread to Mathura.^[13]

In the Epics and Puranas

A.D. Pusalkar observed that the Yadavs were called Asuras in the Epics and Puranas, which may be due to their mixing with non-Aryans and laxity in following the Aryan religion. In the Mahabharata, the Yadavs are once called Vratyas and at another place, Krishna talks about his tribe which included eighteen thousand Vratyas.^[14]

From the genealogical sections of several major Puranas, it can be inferred that the Yadavs were spread across the Aravalli region, Gujarat, the Narmada Valley, the northern Deccan, and the eastern Gangetic valley. The Mahabharata and the Puranas mention that the Yadus or Yadavs, a confederation of several clans, ruled the Mathura region. The Mahabharata also mentions the migration of Yadavs from Mathura to Dwarka due to pressure from the Paurava rulers of Magadha and possibly the Kauravas.^{[15][16][17][18]}

Shri Ramdhari Singh, M.A. writes in his article titled “History of Andhaka-Vrishni-Sangha” –

“

"The Yadav caste was extremely hard-working and fun-loving. That caste belonged to the cowherds, who lived with their cattlemen in a very fertile and convenient place on the banks of Yamuna. They lived a comfortable life by producing milk, curd, butter and ghee in sufficient quantities."[19]

”

The Yadavs of the Mahabharata period were known as followers of the Vaishnavism, with Sri Krishna as their leader: they were all cowherds by profession. However, they also assumed the status of Kshatriyas, participating in the battle of Kurukshetra. The present-day Ahirs are also followers of the Vaishnavism.^[20]

Relation With Ahirs

Scholar M. S. A. Rao states that there is Historical evidence for identifying the Ahirs with the ancient Yadavs.^[21] Historian P. M. Chandorkar, using both literary and epigraphic sources, has argued that the modern Ahirs and Gavlis – until recently cattle-keepers – should be identified with the Yadavs and Abhiras of the classical Sanskrit texts. He also notes that Khandesh, on the margin of the central Indian forests, was earlier known as the land of the Ahirs, and the local Marathi dialect continued to be called Ahirani.^[22]

Historian T. Padmaja writes in her book Temples of Krishna in South India: History, Art, and Traditions in Tamil Nadu, Ahirs are known as Ayar in Tamil, Ahirs migrated to Tamil Nadu and established their kingdoms and copper plate grants and inscriptions mention these Ayar/Ahirs as being of Yadu/Yadav lineage.^[23]

Mythological characters Of Yadavs

Goddess Gayatri

• Gayatri is the expressed form of the popular Gayatri mantra, which is a bhajan of Vedic texts. She is also known as Savitri and Vedmata (Mother of the Vedas).

According to the Puranas, Gayatri was an Ahir girl who helped Brahma in the sacrifice performed at Pushkar Purāṇa, a Critical Study.^[24][25]

Goddess Durga

• Durga is a major goddess in Hinduism. She is worshiped as a key aspect of Goddess Maa and is one of the most popular and widely respected among Indian deities.

According to Chanda, a primitive form of Durga, was the result of "the syncretism of a mountain-goddess worshiped by the inhabitants of the Himalaya and Vindhya" as a war-goddess of the Abhir. In the Virata Parva Stuti and the Vishnu text, the goddess is called Mahamaya or Yoga Nidra of Vishnu. These indicate his Abhir or Gop origin. Durga then transformed into Kali as the incarnation of all-destructive time and this idea was built on the foundation of Vedic religion, Mythology and Philosophy.^[26][27]

Goddess Radha

• Radha is also called Radhika, a Hindu goddess and she was the daughter of Vrishabhanu, a Yadav (Ahir) ruler of Barsana.^[28][29][30]

As a Warrior Caste

Mythology

Yadavs are great warriors.^[31] The Narayani army that Lord Krishna gave to Duryodhana to fight in the Mahabharata was of Ahir Kshatriyas. Brave Ahir warriors were also present in the Samsaptaks. Ahirs are mentioned as Kshatriya in the Mahabharata and were a very important part of the Chakravyuh created by Dronacharya, who allowed only Brahmins and Kshatriyas in his army.^{[32][33][34][35]}

Modernly

The British rulers of India classified the Ahirs as "fighting castes". They had long been recruited into the army.^[36] The British government then formed four companies of Ahirs, two of which were in the 95th Russell Infantry.^[37] The velour and sacrifice of Ahir soldiers at the Rezang La front of the Ahir Company of the 13th Kumaon Regiment during the 1962 Sino-Indian War is still admired in India. And in memory of their bravery, the battle site memorial was named "Ahir Dham".^[38][39]

Classification and Social Status

In most Indian states, the Yadav community is classified under the Other Backward Classes (OBC) category. This classification, however, is primarily an administrative and socio-economic category introduced to extend educational and employment opportunities, rather than a designation of ritual or traditional social rank. Several scholars have noted that the OBC framework does not necessarily correspond to ideas of “low caste”, but instead reflects communities that were considered socially and educationally disadvantaged in the modern period.

Historical Position

Historically, Yadavs have been regarded as an intermediate to upper peasant community, often associated with landholding, pastoral traditions, and martial identity. In Bihar, sociological rankings conducted in the mid-20th century placed Yadavs among the “high” social ranking groups, next only to Brahmins and other upper castes, rather than among the lowest or depressed communities. Similar observations have been made by various colonial and post-colonial ethnographic studies which described Yadavs as a politically assertive and socially influential group.^[40]

Regional Variations

The social position of Yadavs has often been comparatively stronger in regions such as Uttar Pradesh and Haryana, where the community historically held significant land, military reputation, and political leadership. In northern India, the Yadavs have played an important role in regional politics, agrarian leadership and identity consolidation movements, further strengthening their public and social standing.^[41]

OBC Classification and Modern Context

The inclusion of Yadavs in the OBC list in several states during the late 20th century was largely influenced by socio-economic policy frameworks such as the Mandal Commission. Scholars widely emphasize that this categorization reflects developmental and welfare policy considerations, and should not be equated with notions of ritual inferiority. Today, Yadavs constitute one of the most socially and politically influential communities in several northern Indian states.