Ahirwada was a historic region located between the

Parvati Parvati (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, pɑɾʋət̪iː/), also known as Uma (, , IPA: Sanskrit phonology, /ʊmɑː/) and Gauri (, , IPA: /Sanskrit phonology, gə͡ʊɾiː/), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the Devi, ...

and

Betwa , discharge1_min = , discharge1_avg = , date=November 2019 , discharge1_max = , source1 = Vindhya Range , source1_location = Near Obedullaganj, Vindhya Range north of Hoshangabad , source1_coordinates = , source1_elevation = , mouth ...

rivers in Central

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

or modern

Madhya Pradesh Madhya Pradesh (; ; ) is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal and the largest city is Indore, Indore. Other major cities includes Gwalior, Jabalpur, and Sagar, Madhya Pradesh, Sagar. Madhya Pradesh is the List of states and union te ...

. It was between the cities Bhilsa and

Jhansi Jhansi ( ) is a historic city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Toshan) Balwant Nagar was the old name of Jhansi. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand, on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme ...

. Historically Ahirwada was ruled by members of the Ahir community. The name Ahirwada is derived from Ahir and wada Literary meaning the abode of the Ahirs,

History

The

Abhira Abhira may refer to: *Abhira people The Abhira people (Devanagari: आभीर) were a legendary people mentioned in ancient Indian epics and scriptures. A historical people of the same name are mentioned in the Periplus of the Erythr ...

s are often mentioned in Ksatrapa inscriptions of Saurashtra. The

Puranas Puranas (Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature
(1995 Editio ...

and the Brihatsamhita place the Abhiras in the southern region during the

Samudragupta Samudragupta (Gupta script: ''Sa-mu-dra-gu-pta'', ( 335–375 CE) was the second emperor of the Gupta Empire of ancient India. A military genius and a patron of arts, he is regarded among the greatest rulers in Indian history. As a son of th ...

. These tribes slowly spread out in different parts of India. They may have occupied Ahirwada in

at a late date. We know of their occupation in

Rajasthan Rajasthan (; Literal translation, lit. 'Land of Kings') is a States and union territories of India, state in northwestern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the List of states and union territories of ...

also at a late date as is evident from the

Jodhpur Jodhpur () is the second-largest city of the north-western Indian state of Rajasthan, after its capital Jaipur. As of 2023, the city has a population of 1.83 million. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Jodhpur district and ...

inscription of samwat 918, that the Abhira people of this area were a terror to their neighbours, because of their violent demeanour. It was under Khichi dynasty which rose during the time of mughal emperor

Akbar Akbar (Jalal-ud-din Muhammad Akbar, – ), popularly known as Akbar the Great, was the third Mughal emperor, who reigned from 1556 to 1605. Akbar succeeded his father, Humayun, under a regent, Bairam Khan, who helped the young emperor expa ...

. During reign of

Aurangzeb Alamgir I (Muhi al-Din Muhammad; 3 November 1618 – 3 March 1707), commonly known by the title Aurangzeb, also called Aurangzeb the Conqueror, was the sixth Mughal emperors, Mughal emperor, reigning from 1658 until his death in 1707, becomi ...

, ruler was Raja Dhiraj Singh of Khichi dynasty, who for most of the time remained busy in putting down the Ahir rebellion and restoring order.

Puranmal

Puranmal was an Ahir/Yadav King in the Malwa region roughly what is now called the Ahirwada during 1714-1716 (A.D.). Jai Singh was appointed as the viceroy of Malwa by

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

Emperor Farrukhsiyar. In 1714, Raja

Jai Singh II Sawai Jai Singh II (3 November 1688 – 21 September 1743), was the 30th Kachwaha Rajput ruler of the Kingdom of Amber, who later founded the fortified city of Jaipur and made it his capital. He became the ruler of Amber at the age of 11, after ...

Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...

succeeded in suppressing the disorder in

Malwa Malwa () is a historical region, historical list of regions in India, region of west-central India occupying a plateau of volcanic origin. Geologically, the Malwa Plateau generally refers to the volcanic plateau, volcanic upland north of the ...

. The Afgan marauders established control over Sironj with the help of Ahir leader Puranmal. The Ahir country (Ahirwada) stood rebellion under its leader Puranmal, who closed the roads from Sironj to Kalabagh and from his strongholds of Ranod and Indore continued to trouble the government. Raja Jai Singh reached Sironj and defeated Afgan Army in April 1715. The peace so imposed could last no longer and in November 1715, Puranmal Ahir renewed his depredations in Malpur. The Rohilas, Girasias, Bhils, Ahirs and other Hindu princelings rose up in all the sides in Malwa. None of the efforts made by government could control the situation.

Rulers

* Puranmal Ahir of the Yaduvanshi Clan. * Raja Dhiraj Singh of Chauhan Khichi Clan.

References

{{coord missing, Madhya Pradesh Cities and towns in Madhya Pradesh Ahir history

History

Puranmal

Rulers

See also

References