The Gaekwads of Baroda (also spelled as Gaikwads, Guicowars, Gaekwars) (

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: ''Gāyakavāḍa'') are a

Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism.Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...

Maratha dynasty origin of the former

Maratha Empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...

and its subsequent

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

. A dynasty belonging to this clan ruled the

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, ...

Baroda Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...

western India Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of its western part. The Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative division includes the states of Goa, Gujarat, and Maharashtra along with the Union te ...

from the early 18th century until 1947. The ruling prince was known as the Maharaja Gaekwad of Baroda. With the city of

(

Vadodara Vadodara (), also known as Baroda, is the second largest city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It serves as the administrative headquarters of the Vadodara district and is situated on the banks of the Vishwamitri River, from the state capital ...

) as its capital, during the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

its relations with the British were managed by the Baroda Residency. It was one of the largest and wealthiest princely states existing alongside

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 ...

, with wealth coming from the lucrative cotton business as well as rice, wheat and sugar production. Baroda Lvp

Early history

The Gaekwad rule of

began when the

Maratha The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...

general

Pilaji Rao Gaekwad Pilajirao Gaekwad (died 14 May 1732) was a Maratha general. He is considered to be the founder of the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Empire, who became Maharaja of Baroda. Early life Pilaji was the eldest son of Jhingojirao Kerojirao Gaekwad ...

conquered the city from the

Mughal Empire The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

in 1721. The Gaekwads were granted the city as a

Jagir A jagir ( fa, , translit=Jāgir), also spelled as jageer, was a type of feudal land grant in the Indian subcontinent at the foundation of its Jagirdar (Zamindar) system. It developed during the Islamic rule era of the Indian subcontinent, start ...

Chhatrapati Chhatrapati is a royal title from Sanskrit language.The word ‘Chhatrapati’ is a Sanskrit language compound word (tatpurusha in Sanskrit) of ''Chatra (umbrella), chhatra'' (''parasol'' or ''umbrella'') and ''pati'' (''master/lord/ruler''). Th ...

Shahu I Chhatrapati Shahu Bhosale I (Pronunciation: �aːɦuː CE) was the fifth Chhatrapati of the Maratha Empire founded by his grandfather, Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Born into the Bhonsle family, he was the son of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj ...

, the Chhatrapati of the

Maratha empire The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern Indian confederation that came to dominate much of the Indian subcontinent in the 18th century. Maratha rule formally began in 1674 with the coronation of Shi ...

. In their early years, the Gaekwads served as subordinates of the

Dabhade Dabhade (Pronunciation: ̪abʱaːɖe is a Koli and Maratha clan found largely in Maharashtra, India. They were originally centered on Talegaon Dabhade (in present-day Maharashtra), but became the Maratha chiefs of Gujarat. A family belongin ...

family, who were the Maratha chiefs of Gujarat and holders of the ''senapati'' (commander-in-chief) title. When

Umabai Dabhade Umabai Dabhade (died 1753) was a prominent member of the Maratha confederacy, Maratha Dabhade clan. The members of her family held the hereditary title ''senapati'' (commander-in-chief), and controlled several territories in Gujarat. After the d ...

joined

Tarabai Tarabai Bhosale (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪aːɾabaːi ''née'' Mohite) was the regent of the Maratha Empire of India from 1700 until 1708. She was the queen of Rajaram Chhatrapati, Rajaram Bhonsale, and daughter-in-law of the emp ...

's side against

Balaji Baji Rao Baji Bajirao (8 December 1720 – 23 June 1761), also known as Nana Saheb I, was the 8th Peshwa of the Maratha Confederacy in India. He was appointed as Peshwa in 1740 upon the death of his illustrious father, the Peshwa Bajirao I. During ...

, Pilaji's son

Damaji Rao Gaekwad Damaji Rao Gaekwad was the second Maharaja of Baroda reigning from 1732 to 1768 until his death. Early life Damaji, also known as Damaji II, was the third son of Pilaji Rao Gaekwad. His father Pilaji was an adopted son of Damaji I, who had ...

commanded the Dabhade force. He was defeated, and remained under Peshwa's arrest from May 1751 to March 1752. In 1752, he was released after agreeing to abandon the Dabhades and accept the Peshwa's suzerainty. In return, Damaji was made the Maratha chief of Gujarat, and the Peshwa helped him expel the Mughals from Gujarat. Damaji subsequently fought alongside Sadashiv Rao, Vishwas Rao,

Malhar Rao Holkar Malhar Rao Holkar (16 March 1693 – 20 May 1766) was a noble subedar of the Maratha Empire, in present-day India. He was one of the early officers along with Ranoji Scindia to help spread the Maratha rule to northern states and was given the e ...

, Jankoji Scindia Sidhojiraje

Gharge-Desai (Deshmukh) Gharge-Desai (Deshmukh) were the rulers of one of the oldest Maratha princely states of Nimsod in Satara District. History Rana Ratansingh Alias Ranoji from Rajputana (Rajasthan) and ancestor of the family Shrimant Kalojiraje Gharge-Desai ...

and

Mahadji Shinde Mahadaji Shinde (b. 23 December 1730 – 12 February 1794), later known as Mahadji Scindia or Madhava Rao Sindhia, was a Maratha statesman and ruler of Ujjain in Central India. He was the fifth and the youngest son of Ranoji Rao Scindia, the f ...

in the Third Battle of Panipat (1761). After the Maratha defeat at Panipat, the central rule of the Peshwas was weakened. As a result, the Gaekwads, along with several other powerful Maratha clans, established themselves as virtually independent rulers, while recognizing the nominal authority of the Peshwas and suzerainty of the

Bhonsle The Bhonsle (or Bhonsale, Bhosale, Bhosle) are a prominent group within the Maratha clan system of kunbi origin. They claimed descent from the Sisodia Rajputs but were likely Kunbi tiller-plainsmen. History Earliest members The earliest a ...

Maharaja of Satara.

British suzerainty

The Gaekwads, together with several

chieftains, fought the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

in the

First Anglo-Maratha War The First Anglo-Maratha War (1775–1782) was the first of three Anglo-Maratha Wars fought between the British East India Company and Maratha Empire in India. The war began with the Treaty of Surat and ended with the Treaty of Salbai. The w ...

. On 15 March 1802, the British intervened to defend a Gaekwad Maharaja,

Anand Rao Gaekwad Anand Rao Gaekwad was the seventh Maharaja of Baroda State reigning from 1800 to 1819 with the regents of Fateh Singh II and Sayaji Rao Gaekwad. He became Maharaja of Baroda after the death of Govind Rao Gaekwad. Death He died in 1819 and was ...

, who had recently inherited the throne against rival claimants, and the Gaekwads concluded the Treaty of Cambey with the British that recognized their independence from the

and guaranteed the

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 ...

s of Baroda local autonomy in return for recognizing British suzerainty. Maharaja Sayaji Rao III, who took the throne in 1875, did much to modernize Baroda, establishing compulsory primary education, a library system and the

Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda The Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, formerly Baroda College, is a public university in the city of Vadodara, in Gujarat state, India. Originally established as a college in 1881, it became a university in 1949 after the independence of ...

. He also encouraged the setting up of

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

factories, which helped create Baroda's textile industry. He is well known for offering

B. R. Ambedkar Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar (14 April 1891 – 6 December 1956) was an Indian jurist, economist, social reformer and political leader who headed the committee drafting the Constitution of India from the Constituent Assembly debates, served ...

a scholarship to study at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. Upon

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 ...

attaining its independence in 1947, the last ruling Maharaja of

, Pratapsinhrao, acceded to India. Baroda was eventually merged with

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 ...

, which was later divided, based on linguistic principle, into the states 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

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 ...

in 1960. Gaekwad, or Gayakwad, also survives as a fairly common Maratha

surname In some cultures, a surname, family name, or last name is the portion of one's personal name that indicates one's family, tribe or community. Practices vary by culture. The family name may be placed at either the start of a person's full name ...

, found mainly in the Indian state of

Gaikwad Maharajas of Baroda

* Nandaji Rao Gaikwad, died May 1721 ** Kerojirao *** Jhingojirao ****

Pilaji Rao Gaikwad Pilajirao Gaekwad (died 14 May 1732) was a Maratha empire, Maratha general. He is considered to be the founder of the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Empire, who became Baroda state, Maharaja of Baroda. Early life Pilaji was the eldest son of ...

, reigned from 1721, died 14 May 1732 ***** I. Damaji Rao, reigned from 1732, died 18 August 1768 ****** II. Sayaji Rao I, reigned 1768–1778, died 1792 ****** III. Fateh Singh Rao I, born before April 1751, reigned from 1778, died 26 December 1789 ****** IV. Manaji Rao, born before April 1751, reigned from 1789, died 27 July 1793 ****** V. Govind Rao, born 175?, reigned from 1793, died 19 September 1800 ******* VI. Anand Rao, born 179?, reigned from 1800, died 2 October 1819 ******* VI. Sayajirao II, born 3 May 1800, reigned from 1819, died 28 December 1847 ******** VII. Ganpat Rao, born 1816, reigned from 1847, died 1856 ******** VIII. Khanderao II

GCSI The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes: # Knight Grand Commander (:Knights Grand Commander of the Order of the Star of India, GCSI) # ...

, born 1828, reigned from 1856, died 14 June 1870 ******** IX. Malhar Rao, born 1831, reigned 1870 – 19 April 1875, died in obscurity in 1882 ***** Prataprao (d. 1737 Kavlana branch) ****** Kalojirao ******* Gabajirao ******** Bhikajirao ********* Kashirao (1832-1877) ********** X. Sayajirao III

GCIE The Most Eminent Order of the Indian Empire is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria on 1 January 1878. The Order includes members of three classes: #Knight Grand Commander ( GCIE) #Knight Commander ( KCIE) #Companion ( CIE) No app ...

, born 10 March 1863, reigned from 1875, died 6 February 1939 *********** ''Yuvraja'' Fatehsinhrao (1883-1908) ************ XI. Pratap Singh Rao

, born 29 June 1908, reigned from 1939, titular Maharaja from 1949, deposed 1951, died 19 July 1968 ************* XII. Fatehsinhrao II, born 2 April 1930, titular Maharaja 1951–1971, family head: 1971–1988, died 1 September 1988 ************* XIII.

Ranjitsinh Ranjitsinh is an Indian masculine given name. Notable people with the name include: * Ranjitsinh Disale, Indian teacher * MK Ranjitsinh Jhala, Indian author * Ranjitsinh Mohite-Patil, Indian politician * Ranjitsinh Pratapsinh Gaekwad Ranjitsin ...

, born 8 May 1938, family head from 1988, died 9 May 2012 ************** XIV. Samarjitsinh, born 25 April 1967, family head since 2012

References

External links

Official Website of the Gaekwads of Baroda
{{MarathaEmpire History of Vadodara Indian surnames Kunbi clans Hindu dynasties Maratha clans Maratha Empire 1721 establishments in India

Early history

British suzerainty

Gaikwad Maharajas of Baroda

See also

References

External links