Savantvadi State, also spelt Sawantwadi ruled by the Sawant

Bhonsale 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 ac ...

dynasty was one of the non-salute

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 ...

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, ...

s 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 ...

. It was the only state belonging to the

Kolaba Agency The Deccan States Agency, also known as the Deccan States Agency and Kolhapur Residency, was a political agency of British India, managing the relations of the British government of the Bombay Presidency with a collection of princely states an ...

under 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 became later part of the

Deccan States Agency The Deccan States Agency, also known as the Deccan States Agency and Kolhapur Residency, was a political agency of British India, managing the relations of the British government of the Bombay Presidency with a collection of princely states and ...

. Its capital was at

Sawantwadi Sawantwadi an aesthetic land of artists, is an integral part of the Konkan region which is in the mid-western coast of India. The western coast of India since 1510 A.D. has assumed great importance in Indian history and history of internationa ...

, in the present-day

Sindhudurg district Sindhudurg district (Marathi pronunciation: in̪d̪ʱud̪uɾɡ is an administrative district of the Konkan division in India, which was carved out of the erstwhile Ratnagiri district. The district headquarters are located at Oros and the dis ...

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 ...

. Sawantvadi State measured 438 square kilometers in area. According to the 1931 census, the population was 250,589. The main language of the inhabitants of the state was

Marathi Marathi may refer to: *Marathi people, an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group of Maharashtra, India *Marathi language, the Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Marathi people *Palaiosouda, also known as Marathi, a small island in Greece See also * * ...

.Great Britain India Office. ''

The Imperial Gazetteer of India ''The Imperial Gazetteer of India'' was a gazetteer of the British Indian Empire, and is now a historical reference work. It was first published in 1881. Sir William Wilson Hunter made the original plans of the book, starting in 1869.< ...

''. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908.

History

Sawantwadi state was founded in 1627 by Khem Sawant I, later becoming a vassal state of the

Sultanate of Bijapur The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, was a Shia Islam, Shia,Salma Ahmed Farooqui, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd., 2011), 174. and later Sunni Muslim,Muhammad Qasim ...

. Khem Sawant II made Sundarwadi his capital which later got the name of Sawantwadi as the rulers were known as Sawants. The Sawant dynasty, the head of the Sawantwadi State, arrived in the province in the 16th century. This dynasty ruled over South Konkan for a long time. Their career is full of bravery. These families are considered to be the kings of the Sun dynasty. Mang Sawant of this family was the first to come here in South Konkan. He is considered to be the progenitor of the Sawantwadi dynasty. He came to this province with the army of King of Vijayanagar. Initially, he was stationed at Gandharvagad in Chandgad taluka for some time. Therefore, he was also known as Chandgudhadhipati. After coming to Konkan, he first established his stronghold at Hodawade (Tal. Vengurle). He defeated the local chiefs who had influence in the area at that time. His fame gradually spread in the province. In the previous part, the same Mang Sawant has been referred to as having a conflict with the Lord of Kudaldesha who dominates this part. In 1580, Mang Sawant and Kudaldeshastha Prabhu's general Dev Dalvi jointly declared war on Kudal province. The purpose behind this was to establish the power of the Marathas. The lord of Kudal got help from the emperor of Bijapur. Mang Sawant was killed in a battle between the two armies at Hodawade. It had some fortified hills, such as Manohar and Mansantosh. On 7 April 1765 Savantvadi State became a British protectorate. Sawantwadi acceded to the

Dominion of India The Dominion of India, officially the Union of India,* Quote: “The first collective use (of the word "dominion") occurred at the Colonial Conference (April to May 1907) when the title was conferred upon Canada and Australia. New Zealand and N ...

on 15 August 1947, becoming part of

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 ...

in 1948.

Rulers

* Mang Savant (1554) - He revolted from

Bijapur Bijapur, officially known as Vijayapura, is the district headquarters of Bijapur district of the Karnataka state of India. It is also the headquarters for Bijapur Taluk. Bijapur city is well known for its historical monuments of architectural ...

, tried to establish himself as an independent chief in Hodavda village near Sawantwadi. He defeated the Bijapur troops sent against him and was independent till his death. Mang's successors again became feudatories of the Bijapur kings. * Khem Savant I (1627 - 1640) - On the decline of Bijapur power, Phond Savant's son Khem Savant, who held part of the Vadi country in grant, jaghir, made himself independent. *Som Savant (1640 - 1641) - Khem Savant was succeeded by his son Som Savant and ruled for only 18 months and later his brother, Lakham Savant succeeded him. *Lakham Savant (1641 - 1665) - He, in a predatory incursion, made captive the Desai of Kudal, put him to death, and seized his lands. When Shivaji's power increased (1650), Lakham Savant offered him his allegiance. Shivaji made him Sar Desai of the whole south Konkan. He din't abide by the terms of the treaty (1659) and joined

Bijapur Sultanate The Adil Shahi or Adilshahi, was a Shia,Salma Ahmed Farooqui, ''A Comprehensive History of Medieval India: From Twelfth to the Mid-Eighteenth Century'', (Dorling Kindersley Pvt Ltd., 2011), 174. and later Sunni Muslim,Muhammad Qasim Firishta's T ...

. In 1660, Shivaji sent one of his earliest followers, Baji Phasalkar. He fought a drawn battle with Lakham's commander Kay Savant. Both were slain in the battle. In 1662, Shivaji defeated Lakham. From political and family motives, for the Savants like himself belonged to the Bhonsla family, Shivaji reinstated Lakham. *Phond Savant (1665 - 1675) - Lakham was succeeded by his brother Phond Savant.

Title ''Raja Sar Desai''

*1675 – Feb 1709 Khem Savant II Bhonsle (b. 16.. – d. 1709) - He helped

Mughals 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 ...

against

Shivaji Shivaji Bhonsale I (; 19 February 1630 – 3 April 1680), also referred to as Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, was an Indian ruler and a member of the Bhonsle Maratha clan. Shivaji carved out his own independent kingdom from the declining Adils ...

and in return got more territory from them. *Feb 1709 – 2 Jan 1738 Phond Savant II Bhonsle (b. 1667 – d. 1738) * 2 Jan 1738 – 1755 Ramachandra Savant I Bhonsle (b. 1712 – d. 1755) * 2 Jan 1738 – 1753 Jayram Sawant Bhonsle – Regent (d. 1753) *1755 – 1763 Khem Savant III Bhonsle (b. 1749 – d. 1803) *1755 – 1763 Soubhagyavati Janaki Bai Bhonsle (f) – Regent

Title ''Raja Bahadur''

*1763 – 6 Oct 1803 Khem Savant III (s.a.) - He received RajaBahadur Title from Delhi Badshah Shaha alam on recommendation of Jivbadada Kerkar & Mahadji Shinde. * 6 Oct 1803 – 1805 Rani Lakshmi Bai (f) – Regent (b. 17.. – d. 1807) *1805 – 1807 Ramachandra Savant II "Bhau Saheb" (b. 17.. – d. 1809) *1807 – 1808 Phond Savant II (d. 1808) *1808 – 3 Oct 1812 Phond Savant III (b. 17.. – d. 1812) *1807 – 1808 Rani Durga Bai (f) – Regent (d. 1819) (1st time) * 3 Oct 1812 – 1867 Khem Savant IV "Bapu Saheb" (b. 1804 – d. 1867) * 3 Oct 1812 – 28 Dec 1818 Rani Durga Bai (f) – Regent (s.a.) (2nd time) *28 Dec 1818 – 11 Feb 1823 Regents ** – Rani Savitri Bai Raje (f) ** – Rani Narmada Bai (f) (b. 1783 – d. 1849) *1867 – 7 Mar 1869 Phond Savant IV "Bapu Saheb" (b. 1828 – d. 1869) * 7 Mar 1869 – Dec 1899 Raghunath Savant "Baba Saheb" (b. 1862 – d. 1899) ** 7 Mar 1869 – c.1880 .... -Regent *Dec 1899 – 23 Apr 1913 Shriram Savant "Aba Saheb" (b. 1871 – d. 1913) **Dec 1899 – 17 Jun 1900 .... -Regent *24 Apr 1913 – 4 Jul 1937 Khem Savant V "Bapu Saheb" (b. 1897 – d. 1937) (from 4 Jun 1934, Sir Khem Savant V) * (Eldest Son of Khem Savant went to England Radhakrishna Samant (Savant)) lost claim to throne *24 Apr 1913 – 29 Oct 1924 Rani Gajara Bai Raje (f) – Regent (b. 1887 – d. 19..) * 4 Jul 1937 – 15 Aug 1947 Shivramraje Savant Bhonsle (b. 1927 – d. 1995) * 4 Jul 1937 – 12 May 1947 Rani Parvati Bai Raje (f) – Regent (b. 1907 – d. 1961) The Present Head of the family is His Highness Khem Sawant VI. The erstwhile royal family is now striving hard to promote and carry forward the legacy of art of

Ganjifa Ganjifa, Ganjapa or Gânjaphâ, is a card game and type of playing cards that are most associated with Persia and India. After Ganjifa cards fell out of use in Iran before the twentieth century, India became the last country to produce them. The f ...

and Lacquer ware which was once revived by His Highness Lt. Col. Shivramraje Sawant Bhonsle and Her Highness Satvashiladevi Bhonsle in the

Sawantwadi Palace Sawantwadi an aesthetic land of artists, is an integral part of the Konkan region which is in the mid-western coast of India. The western coast of India since 1510 A.D. has assumed great importance in Indian history and history of internationa ...

. They are also coming up with a boutique hotel whose centre theme revolves around the Dashavtar Ganjifa.

References

4. https://www.esakal.com/kokan/sawant-bhosale-family-history-konkan-sindhudurg-404266

External links

* {{Coord, 16.00, N, 73.75, E, region:IN-KN_type:city_source:kolossus-cawiki, display=title Princely states of India Bombay Presidency History of Maharashtra Sindhudurg district Konkan Sawantwadi 1627 establishments in India 1948 disestablishments in India