Page:The People of India — a series of photographic illustrations, with descriptive letterpress, of the races and tribes of Hindustan Vol 1.djvu/56

Rh princes. Yemmee Gooda, the hill of the buffaloes, Yenna Gooda, the hill of butter, Gwalconda, or Golconda, the Shepherd's hill. Gawilgurh, in Berar, Aseergurh, in Khandesh, Gwalior, and many others, no doubt belonged to them, and were, possibly, the capitals of princes of these tribes, originally perhaps, nomadic Scythians. The latest authentic record of princely power among the Ahirs, is probably that of Asa Ahir, of Aseergurh, in Khandesh, whose fort was taken by stratagem, by Nusseer Khan Farookhy, afterwards king of that province, about the year 1410 A.D., when Asa and the whole of his family were cruelly put to death. This "shepherd king" is related to have possessed the greater part of Khandesh, Berar, and Gondwana, with 5,000 buffaloes, 5,000 cows, and 20,000 sheep; all of which, with his family jewels, and his territory, became the spoil of his Mahomedan conqueror, who rebuilt Asa's fort, calling it Aseerghur, as contracted from Asa-Ahir-Ghur, or the fort of Asa Aheer, which was, no doubt, its original appellation. The tribes of Ahirs and Gwallas, of Berar and Khandesh, are still very numerous, and have stations in the Satpoora and other mountain ranges, where they pasture their large herds of cattle during the greater part of the year. Among these tribes, many curious traditions of ancient greatness still exist.