Ahīr, cattle-tending caste widespread in northern and central India. Considerable historical interest attaches to this caste, because its members are thought to be identical with the Ābhīras of Sanskrit literature, who are mentioned repeatedly in the great epic the Mahābhārata. Some scholars contend that these cattlemen, scattered over southern Rājasthān and Sind (now part of Pakistan), played a role of importance in the early development of the god Krishna as the cowherd, which has continued to be a significant aspect of the Krishna legend.