Brāhman, Ahivāsi
Brāhman, Ahivāsi.—A class of persons who claim to be Brāhmans, but are generally engaged in cultivation and pack-carriage. They are looked down upon by other Brāhmans, and permit the remarriage of widows. The name means the abode of the snake or dragon, and the caste are said to be derived from a village Sunrakh in Muttra District, where a dragon once lived. For further information Mr. Crooke’s article on the caste,[1] from which the above details are taken, may be consulted.
[1] Tribes and Castes of the North-West Provinces and Oudh, s.v.