The legendary 12th century generals Alha and Udal, who appear in the Alha-Khand ballads, were said to belong to this clan. In the ballads, the Banaphars was susceptible to "mean caste" slurs from other Rajputs because of their "mixed" background.[1][2] Ballads referring to Alha and Udal describe great bravery in the medieval period.[3]
References
^ abHiltebeitel, Alf (1 May 1999). Rethinking India's oral and classical epics: Draupadī among Rajputs, Muslims, and Dalits. University of Chicago Press. pp. 162–163. ISBN9780226340500. Presumably it is an issue that would interest Ālhā audiences sensitive to the mixed-caste Kṣatrya-Ahir identity of the Banāphars... Ūdal (and the rest of the Banāphars) is susceptible to "mean caste" slurs and slights because of his combined Kṣatriya (Rajput) and cowherd (Ahir) background.
^Crowley, Thomas (7 September 2020). Fractured Forest, Quartzite City: A History of Delhi and its Ridge. p. 277. ISBN9789353885564. The Banaphars also identify themselves as Rajputs. Throughout this epic, though, they have various caste slurs hurled at them by higher-status Rajputs who claim that the Banaphar line is contaminated with the blood of Ahirs, a nomadic pastoral community.