Gowala[1][2][3] (also spelled as Goala)[4] is a subcaste of Ahir/Yadav community, [5][6] found from Indian state of Assam, West Bengal, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh[7] and the neighbouring states of Arunachal Pradesh, Punjab and Chandigarh.
[8][9] Traditionally they are herdsman or milkman and considered as a prosperous community.
[10] The Gowalas are closely associated with Krishna and consider themselves to be descendants of Raja Yadu.
By 1910s they became the part of Yadav community as part of Sanskritisation.
[11] This article about an Indian ethnicity or social group is a stub.