Gopa (caste)

Synonyms of Ahirs in India and Nepal

Gopa

Kuladevta (male)| Shri Krishna
Religions| Hinduism
Languages| Varies depending on region
Populated states| India, Nepal

Gopa or Gop or Gope is a synonym of the Ahir (Yadav) caste in India and Nepal.[1][2][3][4] It is generally used as a title by the Ahir caste in the states of Bihar in India[5][6][7] and Terai region of Nepal.[8]

## Etymology

[edit]

The Sanskrit word Gopa,[9] originally meant only a cowherd; it then came to mean the head of cowpen and lastly the chief of a tribe.[10][11]

## Origin and history

[edit]

Buddhaswami, an ancient scholar, in his Brhatkathaslokasamgraha has mentioned the story of an Abhira who lived in a 'Ghosha' where both the terms 'Abhira' and 'Gopa' have been used for the same people.[12]

The Amarakosha lists Gopa, Gopala, Gosamkhya, Godhuk, and Ballava as synonyms for Abhira and states that the village or settlement where Abhiras lived was called Ghosa or Abhirapalli.[13]

Gwalior was known as Gopagiri in ancient and early medieval times, as mentioned in inscriptions by rulers such as Mihirkula[14][15] and in an 876 AD inscription of Bhoja Deva,[16] which suggest some kind of association of this place with pastoral communities like the Gopas.[17]

### Dynasties, chieftaincy & zamindari

[edit]

* Gopala-Gupta dynasty and Mahisapala dynasty of Nepal.[18][19]
* Sadgope Dynasty of Gopbhum.[20] It had two Sadgope (Gopa) kings, one ruled from Amrargar and other from Dhekur (also known as Trisasthigar).[21][22][23]
* Sadgope rulers of Midnapore Raj, Narajole Raj, Narayangarh and Balrampur in Bengal.[24][25][26]
* Gopa or Ahir chieftain of Murho Estate, Parasadi Estate, Belwarganj Estate, Ranipatti Estate, Tintanga Estate in Bihar.[27][28][29]

## Gop Jatiye Mahasabha

[edit]

Gop Jatiye Mahasabha was formed by Babu Rash Bihari Lal Mandal in 1911, It was the regional organization of Gope or Ahir caste of Bihar.[30][31][32] Later, the All-India Yadav Mahasabha was formed by merging the Gop Jatiye Mahasabha and other regional organisation of Ahirs. AIYM first National Conference was held in Purnea, Bihar on 17 to 20 April 1924.[33]

## See also

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* Yadav
* Ahir
* Bihari Ahir
* Yadavs of Nepal
* Sadgop

## References

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1. ^ Singh, K. S. (2008). People of India: Bihar (2 pts.). Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-81-85579-09-2.
2. ^ Rao, M. S. A. (1987). Social Movements and Social Transformation: A Study of Two Backward Classes Movements in India. Manohar. ISBN 978-0-8364-2133-0.
3. ^ Madhusudan Das (1980). Madhusudan Das, the Legislator: His Speeches. Pragati Utkal Sangha.
4. ^ Dalip Kumar (2007). Rural Development and Social Change: Thoughts of Swami Sahajanand. Deep & Deep Publications. pp. 106–. ISBN 978-81-8450-000-4.
5. ^ Singh, Kumar Suresh (2008). People of India: Bihar, including Jharkhand (2 pts). Anthropological Survey of India. ISBN 978-81-7046-303-0.
6. ^ Singh, Kumar Suresh (1998). India's Communities. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-563354-2.
7. ^ Singh, Santosh (9 October 2015). Ruled or Misruled: Story and Destiny of Bihar. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-93-85436-42-0.
8. ^ Yadav, Sohan Ram (1992). Rural and Agrarian Social Structure of Nepal. Commonwealth Publishers. ISBN 978-81-7169-174-6.
9. ^ Alexander, James Bradun (1893). The Dynamic Theory of Life and Mind: An Attempt to Show that All Organic Beings are Both Constructed and Operated by the Dynamic Agencies of Their Respective Environments. Housekeeper Press.
10. ^ Humboldt library of science. no. 131 | pt. 2, 1890. Humboldt Publishing Company. 1890.
11. ^ Rogozin, Z. A. (2005). Vedic India: As Embodied Principally In The Rigveda. Cosmo Publications. ISBN 978-81-307-0085-4.
12. ^ Yadav, J. N. Singh (2001). Yadavas of South India. Yadava Publications. p. 8.
13. ^ Sharma, Tej Ram (1978). Personal and Geographical Names in the Gupta Inscriptions. Concept Publishing Company. p. 126.
14. ^ Balogh, Dániel (12 March 2020). Hunnic Peoples in Central and South Asia: Sources for their Origin and History. Barkhuis. ISBN 978-94-93194-01-4.
15. ^ Misra, B. D. (1993). Forts and Fortresses of Gwalior and Its Hinterland. Manohar Publishers and Distributors. p. 6\. ISBN 978-81-7304-047-4.
16. ^ Cunningham, Alexander (6 December 2022). Archeological Survey of India: Vol. II. BoD – Books on Demand. ISBN 978-3-368-13568-3.
17. ^ Basant, P. K. (2012). The City and the Country in Early India: A Study of Malwa. Primus Books. p. 64\. ISBN 978-93-80607-15-3.
18. ^ Nepālī Saṃskr̥ta abhilekhoṃ kā Hindī anuvāda (in Hindi). Īsṭarna Buka Liṅkarsa. 1985. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
19. ^ Satyal, Yajna Raj (1988). Tourism in Nepal: A Profile. Nath Publishing House. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
20. ^ Bengal (India), West (1965). West Bengal District Gazetteers: Barddhamān. State editor, West Bengal District Gazetteers.
21. ^ Smith, William L. (1980). The One-eyed Goddess: A Study of the Manasā Maṅgal. Almqvist & Wiksell International. ISBN 978-91-22-00408-0.
22. ^ McLane, John R. (25 July 2002). Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-52654-8.
23. ^ McLane, John R. (25 July 2002). Land and Local Kingship in Eighteenth-Century Bengal. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-52654-8. Archived from the original on 23 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
24. ^ Bandyopadhyay, Sekhar (1 July 2004). Caste, Culture and Hegemony: Social Dominance in Colonial Bengal. SAGE Publications India. ISBN 978-81-321-0407-0.
25. ^ Gupta, Swarupa (2009). Notions of Nationhood in Bengal: Perspectives on Samaj, C. 1867-1905. BRILL. ISBN 978-90-04-17614-0.
26. ^ The Journal of Asian Studies. Association for Asian Studies. 1970.
27. ^ Datta, Kalikinkar (1957). History of the Freedom Movement in Bihar. Government of Bihar.
28. ^ Jha, Shashi Shekhar (1972). Political Elite in Bihar. Vora. p. 308\. ISBN 978-0-8426-0365-2.
29. ^ "A village that symbolises Bihar". www.rediff.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2021.
30. ^ Madhusudan Das (1980). Madhusudan Das, the Legislator: His Speeches. Archived 2023-03-17 at the Wayback Machine Pragati Utkal Sangha.
31. ^ Banerjee, Supurna; Ghosh, Nandini (17 September 2018). Caste and Gender in Contemporary India: Power, Privilege and Politics-Google Books. ISBN 9780429783951. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
32. ^ Alam, Jawaid (January 2004). Government and Politics in Colonial Bihar, 1921-1937. ISBN 8170999790. Archived from the original on 17 March 2023. Retrieved 14 June 2020.
33. ^ Banerjee, Supurna; Ghosh, Nandini (17 September 2018). Caste and Gender in Contemporary India: Power, Privilege and Politics. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-0-429-78395-1.