Cambay, Kambay or Khambhat was a

princely state A princely state (also called native state or Indian state) was a nominally sovereign entity of the British Raj, British Indian Empire that was not directly governed by the British, but rather by an Indian ruler under a form of indirect rule, ...

in India during the British Raj. The City of

Khambat Khambhat (, ), also known as Cambay, is a city and the surrounding urban agglomeration in Anand district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once an important trading center, but its harbour gradually silted up, and the maritime trade m ...

(Cambay) in present-day Gujarat was its capital. The state was bounded in the north by the Kaira district and in the south by the Gulf of Cambay. Cambay was the only state in the Kaira Agency of the Gujarat division of the

Bombay Presidency The Bombay Presidency or Bombay Province, also called Bombay and Sind (1843–1936), was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India, with its capital in the city that came up over the seven islands of Bombay. The first mainl ...

, which merged into the Baroda and Gujarat States Agency in 1937.

History

Cambay was founded as a state in 1730 by the penultimate Nawab of the Mughal Empire, Mirza Ja‘far Mu’min Khan I, the last of the Mughal governors of Gujarat, at the time of the dismemberment of Mughal rule in India. In 1742 Mirza Ja‘far Mu’min Khan I defeated his brother-in-law Nizam Khan, governor of Khambhat, and established himself in his place. In 1780 Cambay was taken by the British Army, led by General Goddard Richards, but it was restored to the Marathas in 1783. Finally it was ceded to the British by the Peshwa after the Treaty of Bassein in 1803. Cambay became a British protectorate in 1817. The state was provided with a railway in 1901. Cambay's last ruler signed the accession to the

Indian Union Union of India or Indian Union may refer to: * The country of India * Dominion of India (1947–1950) * The Government of India, whose legal name is "Union of India" as per Article 300 of the Indian constitution * Political integration of India ...

on 10June 1948.

Hub of mercantile activity

The traders and the merchants reached here from across the world. Cambay was known for its cotton and silk cloths. Cambay was one of India's most active trade center since the 14th century (Source:

Ibn Battuta Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Battutah (, ; 24 February 13041368/1369),; fully: ; Arabic: commonly known as Ibn Battuta, was a Berbers, Berber Maghrebi people, Maghrebi scholar and explorer who travelled extensively in the lands of Afro-Eurasia, ...

). After 200 years, Duarte Barbosa described Cambay as an important commercial center with

carpets A carpet is a textile floor covering typically consisting of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile was traditionally made from wool, but since the 20th century synthetic fibers such as polypropylene, nylon, or polyester have ...

, and other textile goods in Mughal established

industries Industry may refer to: Economics * Industry (economics), a generally categorized branch of economic activity * Industry (manufacturing), a specific branch of economic activity, typically in factories with machinery * The wider industrial secto ...

Rulers

The rulers of the state bore the title of ' Nawab' and had the privilege of an 11- gun salute.

Nawabs

*1730 – 1742 Mirza Jaffar Mumin Khan I, last Muslim Governor of Gujarat *1742 – 1743 Nur-ud-din Muftakher Khan *1743 – 1784 Najm ad-Dawla Ja`far Mu´min Khan II *1784 – 1790 Mohammad Qoli Khan (d. 1790) *1790 – 28 October 1823 Fath `Ali Khan (d. 1823) *1823 – 15 March 1841 Banda `Ali Khan (d. 1841) *1841 – Apr 1880 Husayn Yawar Khan I (d. 1880) *11 Jun 1880 – 21 January 1915 Najib ad-Dawla Mumtaz al-Molk Ja`far `Ali Khan (b. 1848 – d. 1915) *21 Jan 1915 – 1930 .... -Regent *21 Jan 1915 – 15 Aug 1947/10 June 1948 Nizam ad-Dawla Najm ad-Dawla Mumtaz al-Molk Husayn Yawar Khan II (b. 1911 – d. ....)

List of Nawabs of Cambay state

*Mirza JA'AFAR MU'MIN KHAN I 1730/1742, last Muslim Governor of Gujarat *Nawab NURADDIN MUFTAKHAR KHAN 1742/1743 *Nawab JA'AFAR MU'MIN KHAN II 1743/1784 *Nawab MUHAMMED QULI KHAN 1784/1790, son of Najam Khan (poisoned 1748), married and had issue. He died 1790. *Nawab FATH ALI KHAN (qv) *Nawab FATH ALI KHAN 1790/1823, eldest of three sons, he received the title Najum-ud-Daulah Mumtaz-ul-Mulk Khan Bahadur Dilawar Jung, and the rank of a commander of six thousand as Nawab of Cambay. *Najum-ud-Daulah Mumtaz-ul-Mulk Momin Khan Bahadur Dilawar Jung Nawab BANDA ALI KHAN 1823/1841 *Najum-ud-Daulah Mumtaz-ul-Mulk Momin Khan Bahadur Dilawar Jung Nawab HUSAIN YAWAR KHAN I 1841/1880 *Najum-ud-Daulah Mumtaz-ul-Mulk Momin Khan Bahadur Dilawar Jung Nawab JA'AFAR ALI KHAN Bahadur 1880/1915, born 1848, succeeded 11 June 1880 (#1), married 1stly, 1876, Bibi Gauhar Khanum Saheb, married 2ndly, 1882, Bibi Khurshid Jahan Begum. He died 21 January 1915. *HH Najum-ud-Daulah Mumtaz-ul-Mulk Momin Khan Bahadur Dilawar Jung Nawab Mirza HUSAIN YAWAR KHAN II Bahadur 1915/- , born 16 May 1911, educated at Rajkumar College, Rajkot; married January 1936, Nawabzadi Safia Sultan Qizilbash, daughter of Nawab Sir Fateh Ali Khan Qizilbash of Lahore (see Nawabganj), and had issue. *HH Najum-ud-Daulah Mumtaz-ul-Mulk Momin Khan Bahadur Dilawar Jung Nawab Mirza MUHAMMED JA'AFAR ALI KHAN

References

* https://web.archive.org/web/20091009120131/http://www.uq.net.au/~zzhsoszy/ips/c/cambay.html

External links

* {{coord, 22.3, N, 72.62, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title Princely states of India Anand district Gulf of Khambhat Bombay Presidency 1730 establishments in India 1948 disestablishments in India