Social position and occupation. 28. In Cawnpur they will eat kachchi and pakki with all Brâhmans; pakki, with Râjputs and Banyas, and drink and smoke with none but members of their own caste. In Mirzapur they drink water from the hands of Brâhmans, Kshatriyas, and all Vaisyas, except Kalwârs. They will eat Kachchi cooked by a Brâhman, but only if they are well acquainted with him. In Behâr, according to Mr. Risley, they rank with Kurmis and similar castes, from whose hands a Brâhman can drink water. Towards Delhi, Sir H. M. Elliot states, that they eat, drink, and smoke in common, not only with Jâts and Gûjars, but also under a few restrictions with Râjputs. In other places Râjputs would indignantly repudiate all connection with Ahîrs. In rural belief the Ahîr is a boor, faithless, greedy, and quarrelsome. Like Gadariyas and Gûjars, they are naturally dwellers in the jungle—

Ahîr, Gadariya, Gûjar,

Ye tînon châhen ûjar.

The other local proverbs are not much more complimentary to them—Ahîr se jab gun niklê, jab bâlu se ghi—“You can as soon get good out of an Ahîr as butter from sand”; “Blood out of a stone.” Ahîr dekh Gadariya mastâna—“If the Gadariya gets drunk he learns it from the Ahîr.” Ahîr ka pet gahir, Brâhman ka pet madar—“The Ahîr’s belly is deep, but the Brâhman’s a bottomless pit.” Ahîr ka kya jajmân, aur lapsi ka kya pakwân—“As soon be an Ahîr’s client as hold gruel a dainty.” His primary business is the tending of cattle and making of ghi, and [[66]]selling milk. He is not above the suspicion of adulterating his ghi with substances which are an abomination to orthodox Hindus or Musalmâns. As a cultivator he does not take a high place, as he depends more on his cattle than on his field, and in some places he is not free from the suspicion of cattle stealing. [[67]] [[68]]

Distribution of Ahîrs according to the Census of 1891.

District.Sub-Castes.Total.
Benbansi.Bhirgudi.Dauwâ.Dhindhor.Gaddi.Gamel.Ghorcharha.Ghosi.Gûjar.Guâlbans.Jâdubans.Kamariha.Khunkhuniya.Kur.Nandbans.Pâthak.Rajauriya.Râwat.Others.
Dehra Dûn … … … … 3 25 … 1 … 1,782 103 … … … … … … … 371 2,285
Sahâranpur … … … 11 … … … … … 2,594 3,241 … … … … … … … 151 5,997
Muzaffarnagar … … … … … … … … … 246 307 … … … 38 22 … … 382 995
Meerut 463 … … … … … … 139 … 3,180 12,841 … … … 463 … … … 1,413 18,499
Bulandshahr … … … … 8 … … 289 … 165 3,539 … … … 618 … … … 4,779 9,398
Aligarh … … … … … … … 753 … 327 8,977 … … … 5,840 … … 4 13,149 29,050
Mathura … … … … … … … 50 … 884 1,557 1 … … 2,716 17 … … 946 6,171
Agra … 8 2 … … … … 1,474 5 979 627 59 … … 29,778 62 … 42 1,640 34,676
Farrukhâbâd …12,884… … … … 1,133 48,703 32 4,460 407 4,202 35 30 6,753 801 3,775 168 2,520 85,903
Mainpuri … 1 4 … … 28 … 69,554 … 99 27 48,392 14 1 5,8336,406 7,984 34 2,532 1,40,909
Etâwah … … … … … … … 29,504 … 941 4 53,078 … … 5,571 … … … 1,691 90,789
Etah … 2,875… 218 … … … 23,973 … 621 470 14,572 … 2,153 23,434 160 … 2,197 8,234 78,907
Bareilly … 1… … … … … … … 38 816 … … … … … … … 5,316 6,171
Bijnor … … … … … … 7 … … 239 5,182 … … … … … … … 248 5,676
Budâun … … … … … … … 159 … 210 36 … … … 102 … … … 354 861
Morâdâbâd … 6… … … … … 700 … 139 14,293 5 … … 3 … … … 3,530 18,676
Shâhjahânpur 910,487168 322 … 1,8491,970 8,514 40 19,088 6,683 1,350 … 11 193 218 41,039 20,273 72,218
Pilibhît … … … … … … … 5 34 48 257 … … … 1 … … 8 728 1,081
Cawnpur … 1,027 22 26,634 … 4 43 64,709 12 5,756 199 … 14 … 447 … … 33 20,483 1,19,383
Fatehpur … … … 14,239 … 121 20 2,535 158 35,375 262 … 24 … 34 … … … 7,275 60,033
Bânda … 1 74 9,534 … … … 3,669 133 49,022 1 58 18 … 11 … … … 7,131 69,652
Hamîrpur … … 50 5,383 … … … 11,910 … 1,906 118 1,809 9 … 4,219 … … … 4,307 29,711
Allahâbâd … … … 247 … 83 … 78 2 1,38,413 11,297 … 1 … 142 … … … 1,186 1,51,449
Jhânsi … … 9 … … … … 1,442 68 852 381 1,489 … 408 17,831 26 … … 10,579 33,085
Jâlaun … … 69 2,902 … … … 2,850 8 541 24 760 … … 5,042 … … … 2,393 14,589
Lalitpur … 48 46 1 … … … 618 2 21 75 20 … … 25,275 … … … 1,408 27,514
Benares … … … 10,581 … … … 3 5 72,539 13 … … … … … … … 2,303 85,449
Mirzapur … … … … … … … … 1 1,11,821 … … … … … … … … 1,416 1,13,238[[69]]
Jaunpur … … … 18,669 … … … … … 1,76,827 … … … … 201 … … … 1,0311,96,723
Ghâzipur … … … 36,445 … … … 4 … 1,31,907 … … … … … … … 1 1,2131,69,570
Ballia … … … 40,753 … … … … … 33,699 … … … … … … … … 22,606 97,058
Gorakhpur … … … 66,251 … … … 2 … 2,76,185 1 … … … … … … … 4,5593,46,993
Basti … … … 14,557 … … … … 156 1,60,143 1,180 … … … … … … … 8,8981,84,934
Azamgarh … … … 7,257 … … … … 31 2,34,522 … 14,296 … … … … … … 12,5692,68,675
Garhwâl … … … … … … … … … 35 … … … … … … … … 2 37
Tarâi … … … … … … … 964 … 510 460 … … … … … … 11 134 2,079
Lucknow … … … 20,974 … 7,438 17 2,757 2 11,143 25,620 … 39 … 3,260 … … … 2,552 73,802
Unâo … … … 19,8183,040 7,373 137 32,848 13 23,025 4,988 … 769 … 2,729 … … … 10,7711,05,511
Râê Bareli … 9,299… 43,664 … 25,696 62 1,346 254 46,610 1,926 … 94 … … … … … 7311,29,682
Sîtapur … … … 5,429 … 3,947 104 16,275 17 48,784 17,909 65 46 … 93 7 … 99 4,118 96,893
Hardoi … 1,099… … … … 2,760 42,644 3 25,256 3,070 2,302 … 61 … … … … 1,692 78,887
Kheri … 84… 2,421 … 151 96 155 242 65,425 4,611 … 82 … … … … 94 918 74,279
Faizâbâd … … … 3,859 … … … 36 12 1,34,212 213 … … … … … … … 3321,38,664
Gonda … … 29 12,453 … 46 … … 30 1,33,891 627 … … … … … … … 1091,47,185
Bahrâich … … … 16,636 … … … … … 98,153 484 … 19 … … … … … 3661,15,658
Sultânpur … … … 6,566 … 871 … … … 1,18,936 … … … … … … … … 2,1961,28,569
Partâbgarh … 139… 4,406 … 1,847 … … 16,490 88,155 21 … … … … … … … 1,5101,12,568
Bârabanki … … … … … 909 … … … 92,981 34,935 … 160 … … … 709 … 9,0001,38,694
Total47237,9594733,90,2303,05150,3886,3493,68,66317,75023,52,6851,67,7821,42,4581,3242,6641,40,6277,71912,4723,7302,12,04539,18,826

[[72]]

Ahiwâsi[54].—A land-owning, cultivating and labouring tribe found in Mathura and Mewât. The name is derived from Ahi, “the dragon,” and vâsa, “dwelling.” Their legend connects them with the Rishi Saubhari. In his old age the sage was inspired with a desire for offspring, and going to Râja Madhâtri demanded one of his fifty daughters. Afraid to refuse, and yet unwilling to bestow a daughter upon such a suitor, the king temporised and endeavoured to evade the request. At length it was settled that if any one of the daughters should accept him as a bridegroom the King would consent to the marriage. Saubhari was conducted to the presence of the girls; but on his way he assumed a fair and handsome form, so that all the girls were captivated and contended with each other as to who should become his wife. It ended in his marrying them all and taking them home. He caused Viswakarma to build for each a separate palace, furnished in the most luxurious manner, and surrounded with exquisite gardens, where they lived a most happy life, each one of them having her husband always present with her, and believing that he was devoted to her and her only. By his wives he had one hundred and fifty sons; but as he found his hopes and desires for them to daily increase and expand, he resolved to devote himself wholly and solely to penance and the worship of Vishnu. Accordingly, he abandoned his children and retired with his wives into the forest.[55] The Mathura tradition runs that Saubhari, when he retired to the forest, was wrath because birds used to drop offal and dirt upon his hermitage; accordingly he cursed any bird with death who should venture to approach the place. Just at that time Garuda was engaged in one of his periodical attacks on the snakes, and they at last had to make an agreement with him that they would provide him with a victim daily if he agreed to spare the rest. To this Garuda consented; but the great dragon, Ahi, or Kâliya, rescued the victims, and Garuda, in his wrath, pursued him. Ahi sought everywhere for protection, and at last he was advised to seek refuge with the Rishi Saubhari, whose curse would ward off the attack of Garuda. Hence the village of Sunrakh, in the Mathura District, where the hermitage of Saubhari Rishi was situated, came to be known as Ahivâsa, or “the abode of the dragon,” and from this the Ahiwâsis take their name. [[73]]How far the legend represents some early struggle between Vaishnavism and snake worship it is impossible to say. The Ahiwâsis, then, make themselves out to be the descendants of Saubhari Rishi, and consider Sunrakh to be their headquarters. Sunrakh adjoins the Kâli-mardan ghât at Brindâban. The Pandas of the great temple of Baladeva are all Ahiwâsis, and to use Mr. Growse’s words,—“It is matter for regret that the revenues of so wealthy a shrine should be at the absolute disposal of a community so extremely unlikely ever to make a good use of them.”[56]

Sub-divisions. 2. Mr. Growse calls the Ahiwâsis “a Brâhmanical or rather pseudo-Brâhmanical tribe,” and notes that they have as many as seventy-two sub-divisions, two of the principal of which are called Dighiya and Bajrâwat.[57] These gotras are exogamous, and a man cannot marry in the gotra of his mother or grandmother; he may marry two sisters. The only important gotra mentioned in the Census returns is the Bhorak, of Bareilly.

Tribal council. 3. They have local tribal councils (panchâyat), with hereditary chairmen (chaudhari), which deal with matters affecting the caste, and punish offenders by fine or excommunication.