Ahirani
Ahirani (in Devanagari script: अहिराणी) is the most common language spoken language in the "Khandesh" region of the state of Maharashtra in India. It is believed that during the Moghul rule in India, the Khans ruled this region, thus the name 'Khan-Desh'. Ahirs, the natives of the region, are traditionally cattle-herders, and various Gavali (dairy-owning) kingdoms and forts in this region suggest the name Kanha-desh i.e. land of Krishna or land of the followers of Krishna. The connection of cattle herding and Krishna is well known. The goddess Kanbai is worshiped in Khandesh, a variant of 'Khanh Desh.' In the Rajasthani language, the word 'Khahan' means hay, or dried grass. The land of Khahan is Khandesh. The word 'Khan' is also used by some as a synonym for 'basin', and a metaphor for 'purity'. A detailed study of the various etymologies of the word Khandesh appears in the book Ahirani Boli by Dr. Ramesh Suryawanshi.
The Khandesh region consists of the forests on the eastern basin of the river Waghur, surrounded by the mountain ranges Ajanta to the north, Satpuda to the south, and Chandwad to the west. The native inhabitants of the basin speak the Ahirani language. The Khandesh region consists of grassy land where the Ahiras grazed their cattle. Native speakers of the Ahirani language constitute roughly 95% of the population of the Khandesh region. A 2011 estimate of the population of the Dhulia, Jalgaon and Nandurbar districts, and the Ahirani speaker tehsils of Aurangabad and Nasik district was 10 million. Ahirani is spoken mainly in the districts of Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, and in parts of Nasik and Aurangabad. People in the tehsils of Amalner, Sakri, Dondaiche, Shirpur, Taloda, Shahada, Dhadgaon, Akkalkuwa, Parola, Erandol, Satana, Malegaon, Baglan also speak Ahirani. In the neighboring state if Gujarat, it is spoken in Surat and Vyara, and in Madhya Predesh, Ahirani is spoken in and around Amba-Varla.
Akhil Bharatiya Khandesh Academy, a registered NGO, is working to promote the Ahirani language.
Read more about this topic: Khandeshi Languages