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Maharaja Ahibaran (अहिबरन) was a legendary Indian king (Maharaja) of Baran, a city of traders. Maharaja Ahibaran was born Sooryavanshi Kshatriya, but later adopted Vaishya for the well being and prosperity of his praja (people).

The Baranwal communities claim descent from him. He is credited with the establishment of a kingdom of traders in North India named Baran. According to Mahalakshmi Vrata Katha, Lakshmi, the Hindu Goddess of wealth blessed Ahibaran and his descendants with happiness and wealth.

Origin of the legends
An 1871 essay, Agrawalon ki Uttpati written by Bharatendu Harishchandra (1850-1885), a noted author and poet. He claimed to have compiled the legend from "tradition" and "ancient writings", especially a text called Sri Mahalakshmi Vrat Ki Katha. He stated that Sri Mahalakshmi Vrat Ki Katha was contained in the Bhavishya Purana, which exists in several recensions. However, independent researchers have been unable to find the legend in any version of Bhavishya Purana. Some of baranwals also acquired the post in Akbar fort.

Origin of the Baranwal Society in 18th century Some Baranwals, who were zamindars and had attained the title of Rao Bahadur during the British rule in India rightly adopted the Singh surname.

Legends and Beliefs
There is also said that the previous name of King Ahibaran was 'Baran' which is derived from sanskrit word Varana (mean colors). Ahibaran was a Suryavanshi Kshatriya, who was the 21st descendant of King Mandhata, the ruler of Ayodhya. Gunadhi was the lord of his ancient kingdom. His two boys were King Dharmadat and King Subhankar. The children of King Dharmadat established their separate state, whose children are now called Bais Rajputs. King Harshavardhana was in his lineage. The child of the eldest son Subhankar continued to rule in his native state, Chandravati. Their offspring were King Tendumal and his descendant Maharaja Varaksh who took the side of religion in the war of Mahabharata and died by becoming a partisan of Pandavas. The remaining people left Chandravati and came to North India due to the storm in Chandravati. The clan of Maharaja Varaksha laid the foundation of his kingdom in a place called 'Ahar' in the presence of the Emperor of Hastinapur. In the generation of Maharaja Varaksha, King Parmal descendants from him. King Ahibaran born to King Parmal. King Ahibaran was married to Varanavati, the daughter of Khandav's King, who lives in a dense forest of selection trees located in the western part of the Ikshumati River in Antravredi.

It is also said that King Ahibaran was great grandson of Agrasen.

Baran
History of Indraprastha and Hastinapur, Baran in 1200 BC in proximity to the capitals of Pandavas and Kauravas. Moreover, according to Hindu mythology the pandavas had an encounter with Prajapati Daksh, father-in-law of Hindu lord Shiva; the place of their conversation, a pond, is in Bulandshahr. Later, after the fall of Hastinapur, the Pandavas ruled from Ahar, located in the north eastern part of Baran district. Over the years, Maharaja Paramaal built a fort in the region and later, Ahibaran, a Suryavanshi king built a tower named Baran and made the region his capital and named it to Baran/Baranagar.

The ancient ruins found at places in Bhatora Veerpur, Ghalibpur, etc. are indicative of the antiquity of Baran. There are several other important places in the District from where statues belonging to the medieval age and objects of ancient temples have been found. Even today, several of these historical and ancient objects such as coins, statues and inscriptions etc. are preserved in the State Museum Lucknow.

Varanavati River
Varanavati River is a river of north india which flows throughout Bulandshahr district. The Varanavati River flows in almost the entire Bulandshahr district. The history of this river is as old as Bulandshahr. It is also said that the Varanavati River was the most holy river at that time. When Maharaja Ahibaran ruled there, he named the river on his wife name, Varanavati River. Earlier, when the Pandavas ruled there, the river was known as Ikshumati River, it is also described in the Atharvaveda. But presently this river is named after Kali, the Hindu goddess Kali.

Baran Tower
When Maharaja Ahibaran ruled in Bulandshahr, he also built Baran Tower there.

Baran is mentioned in Mahabharata. There is also evidence of baran, The old name 'Baran' can be still be traced in the old Government documents. According to the book Etihasik Sthanavali, Baran was very important and attractive place for many kings at that time. Sir Henry Miers Elliot writes quoting the Yamini which says that, in his Twelfth Expedition A.H. 409 (1018-1019 AD) after passing by the borders of Kashmir, that is, close under the sub-Himalayan range, and crossing the Jumna, Mahmud of Ghazni takes Baran. Later the seat of power went to Dors and Chauhans, with the rise of Hardatta, a Dor ruler who took possession of Baran along with Meerut and Koil. In 1192 CE when Muhammad Ghauri conquered parts of India, his Senapati (Military commander) Qutbu l-Din Aibak surrounded Fort Baran and with the help of traitors, was able to kill King Chandrasen Dor and in the process take control of the Baran kingdom. Baran is presently named as Bulandshahr which mean High city.

It was a rich and prosperous capital state of King Ahibaran's kingdom and numerous copper and gold coins with Greek and Pali inscriptions had been excavated at the site of the fort.

After the fall of Baran, the Baranwal community scattered to different parts of India, mostly to the Gangetic plains of India, and started living under the various names of Bakshi, Choudhary, Gupta, Bharti, Agrawal, Lal, Arya, Shah and Singh. Most of the baranwals adopted Modi surname, which is also this community. They are mostly spread in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal along with a sprinkled presence in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra and the neighboring Kingdom of Nepal. Some of them have spread globally and settled down in USA, United Kingdom and England.

Baranwal gotras
Historically, there has been no unanimity regarding number and names of gotras, and there are regional differences between the list of gotras. The Baranwals are divided into thirty six gotras (exogamous clans). There is also a Goyan gotra which is called hidden clan. Some of the gotras like Kashyap and Kaushik are specific to Rajputs.

• #Garg

• #Vatsil

• #Goyal

• #Gohil

• #Karav

• #Deval

• #Kashyap

• #Vats

• #Atri

• #Vamdev

• #Kapil

• #Gaalab

• #Singhal

• #Aarnay

• #Kashil

• #Upmanyu

• #Yamini

• #Parashar

• #Kaushik

• #Munas

• #Katyapan

• #Kondilya

• #Pulish

• #Bhrigu

• #Sarve

• #Angira

• #Krishrabhi

• #Udhwalak

• #Ashwalayan

• #Bharadwaj

• #Kankhal

• #Mudgal

• #Yamadgiri

• #Chyawan

• #Vedpramiti

• #Sanskritayan