The Paratharia Ahir is a clan of the

Ahir Ahir or Aheer (derived from the Sanskrit word: abhira) is a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most of whom now use the Yadav surname, as they consider the two terms synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...

caste found in the

Kutch District Kutch district (), officially spelled Kachchh is a district of Gujarat state in western India, with its headquarters (capital) at Bhuj. Covering an area of 45,674 km2, it is the largest district of India. The area of Kutch is larger than ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

state of India. The Paratharia Ahir community consist of a number of clans, the main ones being the Dangar, Bala, Batta, Jatiya, Kerasiya, Chad, Chhanga, Chavada, Gagal, Dheela, Mata and Varchand.

Origin

Paratharia Ahir is a branch of

Ahirs Ahir or Aheer (derived from the Sanskrit word: abhira) is a community of traditionally non-elite pastoralists in India, most of whom now use the Yadav surname, as they consider the two terms synonymous. The Ahirs are variously described as a ...

. The community is believed to have derived its name from the Parathar region, their original homeland. According to their traditions, they migrated from

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient ti ...

to the Parathar region of

Saurashtra Saurashtra, Sourashtra, or variants may refer to: ** Kathiawar, also called Saurashtra Peninsula, a peninsula in western India ** Saurashtra (state), alias United State of Kathiawar, a former Indian state, merged into Bombay State and since its d ...

. The Paratharia then migrated to Kutch about four to five hundred years ago. They are now distributed in eighty four villages in Kutch District, out of which thirty four are in Bhuj Taluka, twenty four Anjar Taluka and twelve villages in Nakathrana. A few are also found in Saurashtra. The Paratharia Ahir has a distinct dialect (language), which is more like Hindi and

Gujarati Gujarati may refer to: * something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India * Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat * Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them * Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...

and it is specific to Paratharia Ahir. Other Ahir like Machhoya, Boricha Ahir, Sorathiya Ahir and Naghera Ahir, etc. in Gujarat Speaks Gujarati language.

Present circumstances

The Paratharia community consist of a number of clans, the main ones being the Dangar, Bala, Batta, Jatiya, Kerasiya, Chad, Chhanga, Chavada, Gagal, Dheela, Mata and Varchand. Each of the clans are of equal status and intermarry. Like neighboring

Hindu Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

communities, the community practice clan exogamy. The Paratharia are a community of small and medium-sized farmers. Milk selling is an important subsidiary of the community. A small number are now petty businessmen.

References

{{Ahir clans , state=expanded Ahir Social groups of Gujarat