peninsula
A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...
, near the far north of
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
's west coast, of about bordering the
Arabian Sea
The Arabian Sea ( ar, اَلْبَحرْ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Bahr al-ˁArabī) is a region of the northern Indian Ocean bounded on the north by Pakistan, Iran and the Gulf of Oman, on the west by the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel ...
. It is bounded by the
Gulf of Kutch
The Gulf of Kutch is located between the peninsula regions of Kutch and Saurashtra, bounded in the state of Gujarat that borders Pakistan. It opens towards the Arabian Sea facing the Osman Gulf.
It is about 50 km wide at the entrance bef ...
in the northwest and by the
Gulf of Khambhat
The Gulf of Khambhat, historically known as the Gulf of Cambay, is a bay on the Arabian Sea coast of India, bordering the state of Gujarat just north of Mumbai and Diu Island. The Gulf of Khambhat is about long, about wide in the north and u ...
(Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, it is connected to the rest of
Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the fifth-largest Indian state by area, covering some ; and the ninth ...
and borders on the low, fertile hinterland of
Ahmedabad
Ahmedabad ( ; Gujarati: Amdavad ) is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 (per t ...
. It is crossed by two belts of hill country and is drained radially by nine rivers which have little natural flow aside from in monsoon months, thus dams have been built on some of these. Kathiawar ports have been flourishing centres of trade and commerce since at least the 16th century.
Kshatriya
Kshatriya ( hi, क्षत्रिय) (from Sanskrit ''kṣatra'', "rule, authority") is one of the four varna (social orders) of Hindu society, associated with warrior aristocracy. The Sanskrit term ''kṣatriyaḥ'' is used in the con ...
caste who migrated to the region in the 8th century and controlled the southwestern peninsula of contemporary Gujarat.
History
Kathis were spread out in the entire region and dominated central Saurashtra for some centuries. Although the Kathis are believed to have migrated to the area as late as the 16th century, they have played an important part in the documented history of the region. During the reign of
Pratihar
The Gurjara-Pratihara was a dynasty that ruled much of Northern India from the mid-8th to the 11th century. They ruled first at Ujjain and later at Kannauj.
The Gurjara-Pratiharas were instrumental in containing Arab armies moving east of the ...
Rajput
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
empire stretched from Kathiawad to the Bay of Bengal. A Haddola inscription confirms that Pratihars continued to rule in this region during the reign of Mahipala I. The peninsula is dotted with antiquities and has a continuous history from prehistoric times to the early periods of the ''
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
'' through the
Indus civilization
The Indus Valley Civilisation (IVC), also known as the Indus Civilisation was a Bronze Age civilisation in the northwestern regions of South Asia, lasting from 3300 BCE to 1300 BCE, and in its mature form 2600 BCE to 1900&n ...
. Kathi people particularly influenced the peninsula between the 16th century to the mid-20th century.
In a geopolitical context, the area of Kathiawar forms the core of Saurashtra. In feudal times, there were certain principal divisions in Saurashtra that fell under princely states:
Rajkot State
Rajkot State was one of the princely states of India during the period of British rule. It was a 9-gun salute state belonging to the Kathiawar Agency of the Bombay Presidency. Its capital was in Rajkot, located in the historical Halar region of ...
,
Jamnagar State
Nawanagar was an Indian princely state in the historical Halar region, located on the southern shores of the Gulf of Kutch. It was ruled by the Jadeja Rajput dynasty and became the part of newly formed India. The city is now known as Jamnagar. ...
,
Gondal State
Gondal State is one of the eight first class princely states of Kathiawar Agency, Bombay Presidency in India. the capital of the state is Gondal town.
History
Gondal State is established in 1634 AD by Thakore Shri Kumbhoji I Meramanji, wh ...
,
Bhavnagar State
Bhavnagar State was a princely state with 13 Gun Salutes during the British Raj. It was part of Kathiawar Agency in Saurashtra.
The State of Bhavnagar covered an area of 2,961 sq. miles and had a population of 618,429 in 1941.
Its ruler ...
,
Dhrangadhra State
Dhrangadhra State was a princely state during the British Raj. The town of Dhrangadhra served as its capital. It was also known as Halvad-Dhrangadhra State. Halvad once had been the capital of this state. In 1735, Dhrangadhra was founded as its ...
,
Morbi State
Morvi State, also spelled as Morvee State or Morbi State, was a princely salute state in the historical Halar ''prant'' (district) of Kathiawar during the British Raj.
The town of Morvi (Morbi), Gujarat, was its capital. The Kotwal (surname ...
,
Jasdan State
Jasdan State was a princely state in Saurashtra during the British Raj. Its last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union on 15 February 1948. The capital of the state was in Jasdan town.
History
Jasdan state was founded in 1665 when Vik ...
,
Jetpur State Jetpur may refer to the following entities in Gujarat, western India:
* Jetpur, Navagadh
Jetpur is a city and a municipality in Rajkot district in the western Indian state of Gujarat.
History
During the British period, the talukdars of Je ...
Wadhwan State
Wadhwan was a princely state during the British Raj.
The town of Wadhwan in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat was its capital. Its last ruler signed the accession to the Indian Union on 15 February 1948.
History
Wadhwan was founded as a state ...
,
Limdi
Limbdi is a taluka in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat.
History
The area formed a part of the 9-gun salute state during the British Raj, when it was governed by members of a Jhala dynasty.
Limbdi Satyagrah
During the Sa ...
state .However, the main area of Kathiawar now covers 10 districts: Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Porbandar, Amreli, Junagadh, Botad, Morbi, Gir-Somnath.
For a long time, the name Sorath remained limited to the region when the Chudasama
Rajput
Rajput (from Sanskrit ''raja-putra'' 'son of a king') is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating from the Indian subcontinent. The term Ra ...
(Raa' dynasty) ruled from 875 to 1473. At the same time, major Rajput clans that held a sway over this region included the Walas (Kathis), Jethwas, Raijadas, Chudasamas,
Gohil Gohil may refer to:
* Gohil dynasty, 12th-century rulers of Saurashtra in modern Gujarat
* Gohil, a Gujarati'rajsthani clan
* Gahlot, a clan of rajputs
* Dinita Gohil, British actress
* Gigabhai Gohil (died 2020), Indian politician
* Manav Gohil (b ...
Parmar
Parmar is a Rajput clan found in Northern and Central India, especially in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Kutch, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and North Maharashtra.
See also
* Paramara Dynasty
* Panwar Dynasty
* Pawar
* Panw ...
Sarvaiya
The Sarvaiya also spelled ''Sarvaiyya'', ''Sarvia'', ''Sarwia'' are a social group of India, mainly found in Gujarat
Gujarat (, ) is a state along the western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of whi ...
Khachar
Rafik Khachatryan ( hy, Ռաֆիկ Գարեգինի Խաչատրյան; October 7, 1937 – January 16, 1993) was an Armenian sculptor. He was the father of Garegin Khachatryan (1975–1995).
Biography
Khachatryan was a direct descendant of the ...
s, Makwanas, Padayas, and Zalas. Most of the princely states of Kathiawar were brought under the British protectorate by 1820, but the first treaty with the British was made from Kathiawar between Vira Wala (Kathi Ruler) of Jetpur and Colonel Walker at Baroda on 26 October 1803.
Literary comment
The state of the region in the early nineteenth century is shown in Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poetical illustration, "Scene in Kattiawar", to an engraving of a painting by
Clarkson Frederick Stanfield
Clarkson Frederick Stanfield (3 December 179318 May 1867) was a prominent English painter (often inaccurately credited as William Clarkson Stanfield) who was best known for his large-scale paintings of dramatic marine subjects and landscapes. H ...
.
Political history
Before Indian independence in 1947, most of Kathiawar was divided into numerous princely states that were ruled by local potentates who acknowledged British
suzerainty
Suzerainty () is the rights and obligations of a person, state or other polity who controls the foreign policy and relations of a tributary state, while allowing the tributary state to have internal autonomy. While the subordinate party is cal ...
in return for local sovereignty. These states comprised the
Kathiawar Agency
The Kathiawar Agency, on the Kathiawar peninsula in the western part of the Indian subcontinent, was a political unit of some 200 small princely states under the suzerainty of the Bombay Presidency of British India.
The agency's headquarters wer ...
. The rest of the peninsula, primarily in the east along the Gulf of Cambay, were districts ruled directly by the British as part of
British India
The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...
's
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 included part of the peninsula.
After Indian independence, the states of Kathiawar acceded to India under the Instrument of Accession. In 1947, Junagadh's Muslim ruler acceded his territory to
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
. The predominantly Hindu population rebelled, and while the prince fled to Pakistan, a referendum was conducted that merged the kingdom into the Indian Union. The former princely states of Kathiawar were grouped into the new province of Saurashtra, which became the state of Saurashtra in 1950. In 1956, Saurashtra was merged into
Bombay State
Bombay State was a large Indian state created at the time of India's Independence, with other regions being added to it in the succeeding years. Bombay Presidency (roughly equating to the present-day Indian state of Maharashtra, excluding Sou ...
, and in 1960, Bombay state was divided along linguistic lines into the new states of Gujarat (including Kathiawar) and
Maharashtra
Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a states and union territories of India, state in the western India, western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the List of states and union te ...
. Diu was under Portuguese rule until it was occupied by Indian troops by 1961. It integrated into India as part of the union territory of Goa, Daman and Diu in 1962.
Major cities
The major cities of Kathiawar are
Rajkot
Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...
in the center of the peninsula,
Jamnagar
Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...
on the Gulf of Kutch,
Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...
on the Gulf of Khambhat, Surendranagar and the historic city
Wadhwan
Wadhwan, also spelled Vadhwan, is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located on the banks of the Bhogavo River, around 3 km from Surendranagar and 111 km from Ahmedabad, Wadhwan is a kn ...
in the central portion of Gujarat,
Porbandar
Porbandar is a city in the States and territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama. It is the administrative center of the Porbandar District and it was the former capi ...
on the west coast, and the historic city of Junagadh in the South. Diu, an island town formerly part of
Portuguese India
The State of India ( pt, Estado da Índia), also referred as the Portuguese State of India (''Estado Português da Índia'', EPI) or simply Portuguese India (), was a state of the Portuguese Empire founded six years after the discovery of a se ...
Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...
Gir Somnath
Gir Somnath is a district of Gujarat, India. It is located on the southern corner of the Kathiawar peninsula with its headquarters at the City Of Somnath.
Gir Somnath was split from Junagadh district in August 2013, when seven new districts ca ...
*
Jamnagar
Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...
Porbandar
Porbandar is a city in the States and territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama. It is the administrative center of the Porbandar District and it was the former capi ...
*
Rajkot
Rajkot () is the fourth-largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat after Ahmedabad, Vadodara, and Surat, and is in the centre of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat. Rajkot is the 35th-largest metropolitan area in India, with a population of ...
The natural vegetation on most of the peninsula is xeric scrub. A range of low hills known as the Gir Hills occupies the south-central portion of the peninsula. The highest of these is Girnar. The hills are home to an enclave of
tropical dry broadleaf forest
The tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forest is a habitat (ecology), habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature and is located at tropical and subtropical latitudes. Though these forests occur in climates that are warm year-roun ...
.
Gir National Park
Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Sasan Gir, is a forest, national park, and wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat, India. It is located north-east of Somnath, south-east of Junagadh and south-west of Amreli ...
and its surroundings host the last remaining Asiatic lion population. Other national parks in Kathiawar are
Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar
Blackbuck National Park is a national park in India located at Velavadar in the Bhavnagar District of Gujarat state, India.
Established in 1976 in the Bhal region of Saurashtra, the park is located around 42 km from the district headquar ...
on the Gulf of Cambay, and
Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch
Marine National Park in the Gulf of Kutch is situated on the southern shore of the Gulf of Kutch in the Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat state, India. In 1980, an area of 270 km2 from Okha to Jodiya was declared Marine Sanctuary. Later, i ...
Sasan Gir
Gir National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary, also known as Sasan Gir, is a forest, national park, and wildlife sanctuary near Talala Gir in Gujarat, India. It is located north-east of Somnath, south-east of Junagadh and south-west of Amreli ...
Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...
Porbandar
Porbandar is a city in the States and territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat, perhaps best known for being the birthplace of Mahatma Gandhi and Sudama. It is the administrative center of the Porbandar District and it was the former capi ...
Virpur (Rajkot)
Virpur is a town in Rajkot district of Gujarat, India. Virpur is the birthplace of saint Jalaram and had a temple dedicated to him here which is popular among pilgrims. Virpur was established and ruled by Koli chieftain Viro Bariyo.
Temples
V ...
Jamnagar
Jamnagar () is a city located on the western coast of India in the state of Gujarat of Saurashtra (region), Saurashtra region. It is the administrative headquarters of the Jamnagar district and the fifth largest city in Gujarat. The city lies ...
Velavadar
Blackbuck National Park is a national park in India located at Velavadar in the Bhavnagar District of Gujarat state, India.
Established in 1976 in the Bhal region of Saurashtra, the park is located around 42 km from the district headqua ...
Wadhvan
Wadhwan, also spelled Vadhwan, is a city and a municipality in Surendranagar district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Located on the banks of the Bhogavo River, around 3 km from Surendranagar and 111 km from Ahmedabad, Wadhwan is a kno ...
Wankaner
Wankaner is a city and a municipality in Morbi district in the State of Gujarat. Until 2013, Wankaner was part of the Rajkot district.
Etymology
The city was named after its location on the Machhu River, "Wankaner" translating to "riverbend" ( ...
Sudama
Sudama (), also known as Kuchela (), is a childhood friend of the Hindu deity Krishna. The story of his visit to Dvaraka to meet his friend is featured in the Bhagavata Purana.
In their legend, Sudama and Krishna study together as children a ...
–
Krishna
Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...
's friend and a character from
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...
*
Baba Balak Nath
Baba Balak Nath is a Hindu deity, who is worshiped with great reverence in the North-Indian state of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab
Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a g ...
– One of the legendary
Nath
Nath, also called Natha, are a Shaiva sub-tradition within Hinduism in India and Nepal. A medieval movement, it combined ideas from Buddhism, Shaivism and Yoga traditions in India.Chaurasi Siddhas
* Neminath – One of the
Siddha
''Siddha'' (Sanskrit: '; "perfected one") is a term that is used widely in Indian religions and culture. It means "one who is accomplished." It refers to perfected masters who have achieved a high degree of physical as well as spiritual ...
Swaminarayan
Swaminarayan (IAST: ', 3 April 1781 – 1 June 1830), also known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and Asceticism, ascetic, who is believed by followers to be a manifestation of God Krishna, or as the highest Theophany, manifestation of ...
– Believed to be the manifestation of Purushottam/Parabrahma. Also known as
Sahajanand Swami
Swaminarayan (IAST: ', 3 April 1781 – 1 June 1830), also known as Sahajanand Swami, was a yogi and ascetic, who is believed by followers to be a manifestation of God Krishna, or as the highest manifestation of Purushottam, and around ...
*
Pramukh Swami Maharaj
Pramukh Swami Maharaj (born Shantilal Patel; ordained Narayanswarupdas Swami; 7 December 1921 – 13 August 2016) was the guru and Pramukh, or president, of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), a major branch of t ...
– Guru and Pramukh, or president, of the BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, an international Hindu socio-spiritual organization.
* Dayanand Saraswati – Hindu religious scholar, reformer, and founder of the
Arya Samaj
Arya Samaj ( hi, आर्य समाज, lit=Noble Society, ) is a monotheistic Indian Hindu reform movement that promotes values and practices based on the belief in the infallible authority of the Vedas. The samaj was founded by the sanny ...
*
Jalaram Bapa
Jalaram Bapa ( gu, જલારામ બાપા) popularly known as Bapa ( gu, બાપા) (4 November 1799 (Samvat 1856) – 23 February 1881 (Samvat 1937)) was a Hindu saint from Gujarat, India. He was born on 4 November 1799, one week a ...
– A mystic and saint
* Shrimad Rajchandra – A prominent Jain philosopher
*
Morari Bapu
Morari Bapu (Moraridas Prabhudas Hariyani) is an Indian spiritual leader and preacher from Gujarat who is known for his discourses on Ramcharitmanas across various cities in India and abroad.
Early life
Morari Bapu was born on 19 February 1947 ...
– Preacher, teacher, thinker
* Ramesh Bhai Ojha (Hindi: रमेश भाई ओझा) – Hindu spiritual leader and preacher of Vedanta Philosophy
* Gangasati – Paanbai & Kahadsinhji Gohil mystic saints near ''samadhiyala''
*
Kanji Swami
Kanji Swami (1890–1980) was a teacher of Jainism. He was deeply influenced by the ''Samayasāra'' of Kundakunda in 1932. He lectured on these teachings for 45 years to comprehensively elaborate on the philosophy described by Kundakunda and ot ...
– Jain scholar & Saint of Songadh, Also known as "Koh-i-Noor of Kathiawar"
Society, ideology, politics, leadership
*
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure ...
– pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India, and '' Father of Nation''
*
Muhammad Ali Jinnah
Muhammad Ali Jinnah (, ; born Mahomedali Jinnahbhai; 25 December 1876 – 11 September 1948) was a barrister, politician, and the founder of Pakistan. Jinnah served as the leader of the All-India Muslim League from 1913 until the ...
– lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan and Pakistani Father of the Nation
*
U. N. Dhebar
Uchharangrai Navalshankar Dhebar (21 September 1905 – 11 March 1977) was an Indian Independence activist who served as the Chief Minister of Saurashtra State from 1948 to 1954 and the President of the Indian National Congress from 1955 to ...
– Freedom fighter ( Indian independence), and President of the Indian National Congress
*
Virchand Gandhi
Virachand Raghavji Gandhi (25 August 1864 – 7 August 1901) was a Jain scholar who represented Jainism at the first World Parliament of Religions in 1893. A barrister by profession, he worked to defend the rights of Jains, and wrote and lecture ...
– First Gujarati Patriot from Mahuva to visit USA officially and participate in first World Religion Parliament, 1893
*
Fatima Jinnah
Fatima Jinnah ( ur, ; 31 July 1893 – 9 July 1967), widely known as Māder-e Millat ("Mother of the Nation"), was a Pakistani stateswoman, politician, dental surgeon and one of the leading founders of Pakistan. She was the younger sister of ...
Bhagavadgomandal
''Bhagavadgomandal'' (Gujarati: ભગવદ્ગોમંડલ) is officially the first encyclopedia and dictionary entirely in Gujarati.
Conceived by King Bhagvatsingh of Gondal (ગોંડલના ઠાકોરસાહેબ) in 1928 ...
''
* Maharaja Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja of Jamnagar - India's first delegate at the League of Nations in 1920, then a UN represtative, Head of Korean War rehabilitation. Sheltered 500 Polish children in his state during WWII;
The Good Maharaja
''The Good Maharaja'' () is an unreleased Indo-Polish war epic film directed by Vikash Verma, and produced by G7 Films Poland. The film stars Sanjay Dutt in the title role of Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja, the Maharaja Jam Sahib of Nawana ...
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
of
Bhavnagar
Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of Gujarat, a States of India, state of India. It was founded in 1723 by Gohil Koli, Bhavsinhji Takhtasinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, whi ...
*
Balwantrai Mehta
Balwantrai Mehta ( – ) was an Indian politician who served as the second Chief Minister of Gujarat state, India. He participated in Indian independence movement and later held various public offices. He is considered as the 'Architect of ''Pa ...
– Freedom fighter, social worker and pioneer of concept of Panchayati Raj
*
Jivraj Mehta
Jivraj Narayan Mehta (29 August 1887 – 7 November 1978) was an Indian politician and the first Chief Minister of Gujarat. He also served as the first "Dewan" (Prime Minister) of the erstwhile Baroda state, and Indian high commissioner to the ...
– Politician, first
Chief Minister of Gujarat
The Chief Minister of Gujarat is the chief executive of the government of the Indian state of Gujarat. The governor appoints the chief minister, whose council of ministers are collectively responsible to the assembly. The chief minister's term ...
Litterateur
An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or as ...
, social reformer and freedom fighter
* Kalaguru Ravishankar Raval – a painter, art teacher, art critic, journalist and essayist
*
Dalpatram
Dalpatram Dahyabhai Travadi (21 January 1820 – 25 March 1898) was a Gujarati language poet during 19th century in India. He was the father of Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi, a poet.
He led social reform movements in Ahmedabad, and wrote articles again ...
– Poet of Gujarati literature
*
Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi
Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi (16 March 1877 – 9 January 1946) was an Indian writer and poet in Gujarati language of Gujarati literature. His name is sometimes spelled as Nhanalal.
Biography
Nanalal was born on 16 March 1877 in Ahmedabad as the fou ...
Gujarati literature
The history of Gujarati literature ( gu, ગુજરાતી સાહિત્ય) may be traced to 1000 AD, and this literature has flourished since then to the present. It is unique in having almost no patronage from a ruling dynasty, othe ...
*
Dula Bhaya Kag
Dula Bhaya Kag (25 November 1903 – 22 February 1977) or Kag Bapu was an Indian poet, songwriter, writer, and artist born in 1903 in Sodvadari village, a village in the Saurashtra region, near Mahuva in the Indian state of Gujarat. He is mainl ...
– Poet, social reformer and freedom fighter
*
Amrut Ghayal
Amrutlal Laljee Bhatt (1916–2002), better known by his pen name Amrut Ghayal, was a Gujarati language poet from India.
Life
Amrutlal Bhatt was born in Sardhar near Rajkot on 19 August 1916 to Lalji Bhatt and Santokben. He studied up to sevent ...
– Shayar of Gujarati Ghazal
*
Kavi Kant
Manishankar Ratnji Bhatt ( gu, મણિશંકર રત્નજી ભટૃ), popularly known as Kavi Kant ( gu, કવિ કાન્ત) was a Gujarati poet, playwright and essayist. He is an innovator of ''Khandkavya'', a typical Gujarati ...
– Poet
*
Harilal Upadhyay
Harilal Upadhyay (Gujarati language, Gujarati: હરિલાલ ઉપાધ્યાય) was a Gujarati novelist and poet. He wrote more than 100 books.
Life
Harilal Upadhyay was born on 22 January 1916 in Mota Khijadiya village near Rajkot ...
Gujarati language
Gujarati (; gu, ગુજરાતી, Gujarātī, translit-std=ISO, label=Gujarati script, ) is an Indo-Aryan language native to the Indian state of Gujarat and spoken predominantly by the Gujarati people. Gujarati is descended from Old Gu ...
*
Chunilal Madia
Chunilal Madia (12 August 1922 – 29 December 1968) was a Gujarati author from Gujarat, India, primarily known for his novels and short stories set in rural Saurashtra. Recipients of several awards, he is considered one of the leading writers of ...
– Author, playwright, poet, journalist, editor
*
Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh
Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh (born 16 February 1937) is a painter, poet and art critic from Gujarat, India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1983 and Padmabhushan in 2014 for his contribution in field of art.
Early life
Sheikh was born on 16 Febr ...
Ruswa Majhalumi
Imamuddin Murtaza Khan Babi (Gujarati: બાબી ઈમામુદ્દીનખાન મુર્તઝાખાન), better known by his pen name Ruswa Majhalumi (Gujarati: રુસ્વા મઝલૂમી), was a Gujarati language p ...
- Imamuddin Murtaza Khan Babi, a Gujarati language poet and a royal of Pajod state.
Sports, adventure
*
K. S. Ranjitsinhji
Colonel H. H. Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji Vibhaji II, Jam Saheb of Nawanagar, (10 September 1872 – 2 April 1933), often known as Ranji or K. S. Ranjitsinhji, was the ruler of the Indian princely state of Nawanagar from 1907 to 1933, as Ma ...
–
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, an ...
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
er
*
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji (13 June 1905 – 5 December 1959) was a cricketer who played for England. Playing in the era before the Indian cricket team, he is considered one of India's first great batsmen, alongside his uncle Ranjitsinhji, who also ...
– Cricketer
*
Vinoo Mankad
Mulvantrai Himmatlal "Vinoo" Mankad (; 12 April 1917 – 21 August 1978) was an Indian cricketer who appeared in 44 Test matches for India between 1946 and 1959. He was best known for his world record setting opening partnership of 413 runs wi ...
– Cricketer
*
Ashok Mankad
Ashok Mulvantrai Mankad (12 October 1946 – 1 August 2008) was an Indian cricketer. A right-handed batsman, he played for India in 22 Test matches.
Ashok Mankad was born in a Vadnagra Nagar Brahmin family as the eldest son of Vinoo Manka ...
– Cricketer
*
Dilip Doshi
Dilip Rasiklal Doshi (born 22 December 1947) is a former Indian cricketer of Gujarati origin who played in 33 Test matches and 15 One Day Internationals from 1979 to 1983.
Doshi is one of only four Test bowlers that played their first Test af ...
– Cricketer
*
Karsan Ghavri
Karsan Devjibhai Ghavri (born 28 February 1951) is a former Indian cricketer who played in 39 Test matches and 19 One Day Internationals from 1974 to 1981. He played in the 1975 and 1979 World Cups.
Ghavri started his career playing Ranji Tr ...
Siddharth Trivedi
Siddharth Kishorkumar Trivedi (born 4 September 1982) is an Indian cricketer who represented Gujarat. Currently, he plays for Saurashtra cricket team on his return to domestic circuit.
Domestic career
Trivedi is right-handed batsman and a rig ...
– Cricketer
*
Cheteshwar Pujara
Cheteshwar Arvind Pujara (born 25 January 1988) is an Indian international cricketer who plays Test cricket for India and represents Saurashtra in domestic cricket. He is a right-handed batter and is known for his disciplined batting style.
...
– Cricketer
*
Jaydev Unadkat
Jaydev Dipakbhai Unadkat (born 18 October 1991) is an Indian professional cricketer who has played for the Indian national team. He plays for Saurashtra in domestic cricket. He represented India in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup in 2010. In Ma ...
– Cricketer
Cinema, entertainment, music, folklore
*
Mohammed Chhel
Mohammed Chhel (, ) originally a fakir ( mystic) was a renowned magician of Saurashtra, Gujarat. Mohammed Chhel was born in 1850 in Ningala, a small village and a railway junction in Gadhada Taluka of Bhavnagar district in Saurashtra, Gujarat (I ...
– A magician and a
Fakir
Fakir ( ar, فقیر, translit=faḳīr or ''faqīr'') is an Islamic term traditionally used for Sufi Muslim ascetics who renounce their worldly possessions and dedicate their lives to the worship of God. They do not necessarily renounce al ...
(mystic)
*
Vijay Bhatt
Vijay Bhatt (born Vrajlal Jagneshwar Bhatt; 12 May 1907 – 17 October 1993) was a producer-director-screenwriter of Hindi cinema, who made such films as '' Ram Rajya'' (1943), ''Baiju Bawra'' (1952), ''Goonj Uthi Shehnai'' (1959) and ''Himalay ...
– Producer, director and screenwriter
*
Nanabhai Bhatt
Nanabhai Bhatt (12 June 1915 – 24 April 1999) was an Indian film director and producer who worked in Hindi and Gujarati cinema. He is known for making over a hundred fantasy and mythological films, including ''Mr. X'' (1957), ''Zimbo Comes t ...
– Indian film director and producer; father of
Mahesh Bhatt
Mahesh Bhatt (born 20 September 1948) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter known for his works in Hindi cinema. A stand-out film from his earlier period is ''Saaransh'' (1984), screened at the 14th Moscow International Film F ...
and
Mukesh Bhatt
Mukesh Bhatt (born 5 June 1952) is an Indian people, Indian film producer and actor who has produced several Bollywood films. He is the younger brother of Mahesh Bhatt, and also the co-owner of the production company Vishesh Films, set up in 19 ...
*
Dina Pathak
Dina Pathak (née Gandhi; 4 March 1922 – 11 October 2002) was an Indian actress and director of Gujarati theatre and also a film actor. She was an activist and President of the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW).
A doyenne of Hindi a ...
– Actor, director of
Gujarati
Gujarati may refer to:
* something of, from, or related to Gujarat, a state of India
* Gujarati people, the major ethnic group of Gujarat
* Gujarati language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by them
* Gujarati languages, the Western Indo-Aryan sub- ...
Shahabuddin Rathod
Shahabuddin Rathod is a Gujarati people, Gujarati scholar, teacher and humorist. He was awarded Padma Shri in the field of literature and education in 2020.
Life
Shahabuddin Rathod was born on 8 December 1937 at Thangadh (now in Surendrana ...
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
actress
*
Dimple Kapadia
Dimple Kapadia (born 8 June 1957) is an Indian actress predominantly appearing in Hindi films. Born and raised in Mumbai by wealthy parents, she aspired to become an actress from a young age and received her first opportunity through her father ...
–
Bollywood
Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...
Mehul Kumar
Mohammed Ibrahim Baloch (or Bloch; born 1949), better known as Mehul Kumar, is an Indian filmmaker and writer in Bollywood.K. Lal – Indian magician
*
Alka Yagnik
Alka, AlkA or ALKA may refer to: People
* Alka Ajith (born c. 1997), Indian multilingual playback singer
* Alka Amin (active from 2011), Indian television actress
* Alka Balram Kshatriya, Indian politician, Member of the Parliament of India repr ...
– Singer
* Ben Kingsley – Actor (ancestral roots in Saurashtra)
*
Hemant Chauhan
Hemant Chauhan is an Indian writer and singer associated with Gujarati literature and music. He was born on 7 November 1955 in Kundni village in Rajkot district of Gujarat. He specializes in Bhajan, religious and Garba songs and other folk gen ...
– Singer, Bhajanik
*
Neeraj Vora
Neeraj Vora (22 January 1963 14 December 2017) was an Indian film director, writer, actor and composer from Gujarat. He made a mark in Bollywood with his work as a writer for Ram Gopal Verma's film '' Rangeela'' (1995). His directorial debut ...
– Film director, dialogue writer, actor
*
Himesh Reshammiya
Himesh Reshammiya (born 23 July 1973) is an Indian playback singer, music director, songwriter, film & music producer and actor in Hindi cinema. He started his career as music director in the film '' Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya'' in 1998 and made ...
– Music composer, singer, artist
* Dilip Joshi – Cinema and television actor
*
Anjum Rajabali
Anjum Rajabali is a veteran Indian screenwriter and teacher. He has written films like ''Drohkaal'' (1994), ''Ghulam'' (1998), ''The Legend of Bhagat Singh'' (2002) and ''Raajneeti'' (2010). He is also known for his leadership and lobbying for ...
– Screenwriter, actor, producer
*
Chhel Vayeda
Chhel Anandji Vayeda (1935 – 12 November 2014) was a Gujarati art director and production designer from India.
Early life
Chhel was born in 1935 in Dwarka (now in Gujarat) to Anandji and Jayakunvar. He was the youngest in seven siblings. His ...
– Art director and production designer
*
Pan Nalin
Nalin Kumar Pandya or Pan Nalin is a filmmaker of Indian origin. Nalin is best known for directing award-winning movies like Samsara, Valley of Flowers, and Angry Indian Goddesses. His debut feature SAMSARA (Miramax) was worldwide critical a ...
– Film director, screenwriter and documentary maker
*
Sanjay Chhel
Sanjay Chhel is an Indian film director, writer and lyricist.
Early life
Sanjay Chhel was born on 14 October 1967 at Dwarka in Gujarat, India. He spent his childhood in Mumbai. He is son of art director and production designer Chhel Vayeda.
...
Nanji Kalidas Mehta
Nanji Kalidas Mehta, MBE (17 November 1887 – 25 August 1969) was an industrialist and philanthropist from Gujarat. He founded the Mehta Group of Industries in British East Africa, now having its head office in India. His son Mahendra Mehta, d ...
– Industrialist and philanthropist
*
Muljibhai Madhvani
Mulji Prabhudas Madhvani (1894–1958), commonly referred to as Muljibhai Madhvani was an Indian-born Ugandan businessman, entrepreneur, industrialist and philanthropist. Born in India, he migrated to Uganda when he was only 14 years old. In 191 ...
– Businessman, entrepreneur, industrialist and philanthropist
*
Nautamlal Bhagavanji Mehta
Nautamlal Bhagavanji Mehta, or the Nagar Sheth of Jetpur (2 September 1879 – 2 September 1968) was an Indian independence activist and a supporter of Mahatma Gandhi. He was also a prominent businessman and a pioneer of the Gandhian Movement ...
– Freedom fighter, businessman
* Dhirubhai Ambani – Indian business magnate and entrepreneur who founded Reliance Industries
*
Abdul Gaffar Billoo
Abdul Ghaffar Billoo ( ur, عبد الغفار بلّو born 14 January 1937) is a Pakistani philanthropist who founded HANDS International a Nonprofit organisation in Pakistan which has been working since 1975. As a paediatric endocrinologist ...
– Pakistani
pediatric endocrinologist Pediatric endocrinology (British: Paediatric) is a medical subspecialty dealing with disorders of the endocrine glands, such as variations of physical growth and sexual development in childhood, diabetes and many more.
By age, pediatric endocrinol ...
and philanthropist
*
Ahmed Dawood
Seth Ahmed Dawood (15 March 1899 – 2 January 2002) was a Pakistani industrialist and a philanthropist. Dawood founded several companies and The Dawood Foundation (TDF), which established the Dawood College of Engineering and Technology (renam ...
– Industrialist and philanthropist
* Sam Pitroda – Inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker
*
Tulsi Tanti
Tulsi Tanti (2 February 1958 – 1 October 2022) was an Indian businessman best known for being the founder and chairman-cum-managing director of Suzlon. He was known as the ''Wind man of India'' (or India's 'Wind Man') and was the president of th ...
Prince Vijaya
According to the ''Mahāvaṃsa'' chronicle, Prince Vijaya (c. 543–505 BCE) was the first Sinhalese monarchy, Sinhalese king. Legends and records from both Indian and Sri Lanka sources say that he along with several hundred followers came to ...
Ra Navghan
Ra (; egy, rꜥ; also transliterated ; cuneiform: ''ri-a'' or ''ri-ia''; Phoenician: 𐤓𐤏,CIS I 3778 romanized: rʿ) or Re (; cop, ⲣⲏ, translit=Rē) was the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun. By the Fifth Dynasty, in the 25th a ...
Devayat Bodar
Devayat Bodar () was a Yadav (Ahir) chieftain, He was an important figure known for his bravery, sacrifice and love for the motherland, with whose help Ra 'Navghan, the Chudasama ruler got the throne of Junagadh. Devayat Bodar sacrificed his ...
- Historical warrior and savior of
Ra Navghan
Ra (; egy, rꜥ; also transliterated ; cuneiform: ''ri-a'' or ''ri-ia''; Phoenician: 𐤓𐤏,CIS I 3778 romanized: rʿ) or Re (; cop, ⲣⲏ, translit=Rē) was the ancient Egyptian deity of the sun. By the Fifth Dynasty, in the 25th a ...
*
Kadu Makrani
Qadir Baksh Rind Baloch (1811 — November 1887) (famously known as Kadu Makrani) was a 19th-century Indian revolutionary who operated mainly in Kathiawar region of Gujarat but was born and raised in Makran. He is famously known for opposing and ...
– Insurgent of the
Indian rebellion of 1857
The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...
*
Mohkam Singh
Mohkam Singh ( ; 6 June 1663 – 7 December 1704 or 1705), born Mohkam Chand (his given name is also transliterated as Muhkam or Mohkhum), one of the Panj Pyare or the Five Beloved of honoured memory in the Sikh tradition, was the son of Tirath ...
– one of the ''punj pyare'' of Sikh religion, was born in Dwarka
See also
* Koli piracy in India
*
Saurashtra Kingdom
Saurashtra kingdom was one of the kingdom among the many kingdoms ruled by Yadava kings in the central and western India. Other kingdoms in this group include Chedi Kingdom, Dasarna Kingdom, Surasena Kingdom or Vraja Kingdom, Karusha Kingdom, ...
*
Maurya Empire
The Maurya Empire, or the Mauryan Empire, was a geographically extensive Iron Age historical power in the Indian subcontinent based in Magadha, having been founded by Chandragupta Maurya in 322 BCE, and existing in loose-knit fashion until 1 ...
Bhagavadgomandal
''Bhagavadgomandal'' (Gujarati: ભગવદ્ગોમંડલ) is officially the first encyclopedia and dictionary entirely in Gujarati.
Conceived by King Bhagvatsingh of Gondal (ગોંડલના ઠાકોરસાહેબ) in 1928 ...
*
State Bank of Saurashtra
The State Bank of Saurashtra was a government-owned bank in India, with its headquarters at Bhavnagar. It was one of the seven Associate Banks of the State Bank of India, with which it merged on 13 August 2008. At the time of the merger, the ...
*
Memons (Kathiawar)
The ancestors of present-day Memons who settled a few centuries ago in various parts of the districts of India, particularly Kathiawar (now Saurashtra), commonly identified as simply Memons.
The language of Kathiawadi Memons is Memon Memon may re ...
*
Ranji Trophy
The Ranji Trophy (also known as Mastercard Ranji Trophy for sponsorship reasons) is a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between multiple teams representing regional and state cricket associations. Board of Control for Cr ...