Draft:Abhiras of Bhambhagiri

Abhiras of Bhambhagiri were an ruiling branch of Abhiras in Khandesh; who were contemporary to Seunas of Devgiri. Bhambhagiri is identified with modern Bhamer in Pimpalner taluk of Western Khandesh. The Markandeya Purana and Jain literature interestingly describe Khandesh region as Abhiradesa. The rule of the Abhiras over this region is not only evident from the epigraphs but from the oral traditions also.

History
The only well known king of this dynasty namely, Lakṣmīdēva is mentioned in Purshottampuri Plates of Ramchandra. P.K. Gode on the identification of Bhambhagiri writes that; It is a well-known fact in the annals of the Mediaeval History of the Deccan that there were several minor feudatory families ruiling in Khandesh during the Yādava period. Some of them are known by the general name Ābhiras, about whom there are several traditions current in Khandesh. Singhana, the great Yādava King, is said to have defeated several Ābhiras, one of which was a family from Bhambhagiri. His victory over one Laxmi-Deva, the Lord of Bhambhagiri, is mentioned in the Āmber inscription of his general Kholesvara. In the Vrata-Khand of Hemādri; the name of this prince is given as Laxmi-dhara. The defeat of the Lord of Bhambhagiri is also attributed to Singhana in the Paithan Plates of Yadava Ramcandra. Even though there was no possibility of identifying the place Bhambhagiri from the isolated mention of it in these inscriptions. V.V. Mirashi has recently suggested that it is probably identical with Bhamer, a village 4 miles to the south of the Nizampur, in the Pimpalner Taluk of the West Khandesh district. The Government Epigraphist for India gas supplied hom with an inked estampage of a stone inscription preserved in the Manyar's Mosque at Nandurbār in West Khandesh. The record refers itself to the reign of Lakshmi-deva, who is described as "Bhambhagiri Mahā-Mandaleśvara" and who had obtained a boon from the god Vaidyanath, among several other birudas. This inscription is dated on the 8th day in the bright half of the month of Caitra, in Samvat 1269, which date taking the year to be Karttikadi, regularly corresponds with Sunday, 31 March A.D. 1213. From the birudas of the prince Laxmideva of this inscription it is clear that he belongs to the same house of the Ābhiras of Bhambhagiri, described as defeated by Yadava Singhana and as pointed above. From the date of the inscription it appears likely that the house of the Ābhiras of Bhambhagiri continued to rule in Khandesh even after the defeat of Laxmidhara by Singhana, probably under the vassalage of the Later Yadavas of Devagiri. Elsewhere he have also tried to show that a king named Krṣna, possibly belonging to this house, is mentioned in the Saka 1106 inscription carved on the lintel of a matha at Balsane, in the vicinity of Bhāmer.

Rulers
The only known (from Āmbē inscription No.2, Balasane inscription and Rudrakavi's Great Poem of the Dynasty of Rāṣṭrauḍha) rulers of this dynasty are:


 * Lakṣmīdēva alias Lakṣmidhara
 * Krṣna
 * Jagarīkadeva

Legacy
Saying of the current traditions, a tradition of Nandurbar (Khandesh) presents before us an interesting account of an Ahir Raja Nanda, who fought the Turks.

Today the Ahirs (descendants of these Ābhīras) of Khandesh are said to be of seven sub-divisions of which five are known namely, Gválbansi, Bhárvathiya, Dhidhamvar, Ghosi and Gujar.