Abhira Era started by Ahir King Ishwarsena in AD 249, continued with them and was called Abhira-Traikutika era. This era was later continued by Kalachuri Dynasty, calling it Kalachuri era, and later Kalachuri-Chedi era. After the rule of five traikuta kings, they retired to central provinces and assumed the name Haihaya (Chedi) and Kalachuri. Historians call this entire era as Abhira-Traikutika-Kalachuri-Chedi era. In the Ramayana and Mahabharata the Abhiras in the West are spoken of, and in the Puranic Geographie, the country on the western coast of India from the Tapti to Devagarh, is called Abhira or the region of cowherds. It seems probable that they were connected with the Yadavas who were in power in the eighth, and again appear as the rulers of Devagiri or Daulatabad in the 12th and 13th century.

Etymologically, The term Abhira means a Cow-herd or a Gopa. the Abhiras were the same as the Gopas or Ballavas of Mathura.

Origin and history, According to sociologist M. S. A. Rao, The Abhiras are equated with Ahirs, Gopas and Gollas, and all of them are considered Yadavas.

The Bhagavata calls the Abhiras, 'Saurashtra' and 'Avantya' rulers (Saurashtra-Āvanty Ābhīrāḥ), and the Vishnu treats the Abhiras as occupying the Surashtra and Avanti provinces. The Abhiras have been well-known since epic times as a martial tribe.

According to the Mahabharata, the Abhiras lived near the seashore and on the bank of the Sarashvati, a river near Somnath in Gujarat.

Accoording to some authors, the origin of the Abhiras is steeped in obscurity. Though, we often come across references about them in Ancient Indian literature, hardly any of them throw light on the problem of their origin. The Mahābhashya of Patañjali simply mentions them as a caste/tribe distinct than the Sudras.

The Abhiras are Kshatriyas and specifically Yaduvanshi.

in the Mahabharata, Ahir, Gopa, Gopal and Yadavas are all synonyms. The Amarakośa mentions Gopa, Gopāla, Gosaṁkhya, Godhuk and Ballava as the synonyms for Abhira and says that the village or place where Abhiras lived is named as ghosa or Abhirapalli.

Several such dynasties, like the kalachuris, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, and later the Yadavas, trace their origin to Abhira (pastoralist) clans.

The Chudasama dynasty, originally of Abhira clan from Sind wielded great influence around Junagadh from the 875 A.D. onwards when they consolidated themselves at Vanthali (ancient Vamanasthali) close to Girnar under their - King Ra Chuda.