Saurashtra, also known as United State of Kathiawar, was a State of

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

that existed between 1948 and 1956,States of India since 1947
/ref> on Saurashtra alias Kathiawar peninsula, with

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 ...

as its capital,

History

Formation as United State of Kathiawar

Saurashtra State was originally named the United State of Kathiawar. It was formed on 15 February 1948, from approximately 200 large and small Princely States of the colonial

Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency The Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency was an agency of the Indian Empire, managing the relations of the Provincial Government of the Bombay Presidency with a collection of princely states. The political agent in charge of the ag ...

of 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 him ...

territory under direct colonial rule. The name of State was given after the

Kathiawar Kathiawar () is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat (Gulf of Cambay) in the east. In the northeast, i ...

and Saurashtra region, both of which generally denote the same geographical region of lands on the main peninsula of Gujarat. The persuasions of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the influence of

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...

are credited for persuading most of the States of Kathiawar to join the Union of India and sign the Instrument of Accession. Patel met and managed to convince the local princes and petty subas, totaling 222 in Saurashtra region alone. Among these in Kathiawar Agency were 14

Salute state A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj that had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also ...

s, 17 minor and 191 petty Non-salute

Princely State 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 ...

s and 46 Estates (Jagir-level). Most of the native rulers of the Kathiawar States entered into a Covenant for the formation of the United States of Kathiawar on 24 January 1948.Indian Philately
/ref> The large Kathiawar peninsula included some prominent

princely state 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 ...

s of India, notably

salute state A salute state was a princely state under the British Raj that had been granted a gun salute by the British Crown (as paramount ruler); i.e., the protocolary privilege for its ruler to be greeted—originally by Royal Navy ships, later also ...

: * the vast

Baroda State Baroda State was a state in present-day Gujarat, ruled by the Gaekwad dynasty of the Maratha Confederacy from its formation in 1721 until its accession to the newly formed Dominion of India in 1949. With the city of Baroda (Vadodara) as its ...

, title Maharaja Gaekwar, Hereditary salute of 21-guns (highest native rank in colonial India) * Idar, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 15-guns *

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 ...

, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 13-guns (15-guns local) * Navanagar, title Maharaja Jam Sahib, Hereditary salute of 13-guns (15-guns local) * Dhrangadhra(-Halvad), title Maharaja Raj Sahib, Hereditary salute of 13-guns *

Porbandar Porbandar is a city in the 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 capital of the Porbandar princel ...

, title Maharaja Rana Sahib, Hereditary salute of 13-guns *

Rajpipla State The Kingdom of Rajpipla or Rajpipla State was a princely state, with full internal jurisdiction, in India ruled by the Gohil Rajput dynasty for over 600 years from around 1340 till 1948. It was the largest State, and the only first-clas ...

, title Rajpipla, Hereditary salute of 13-guns *

Cambay Cambay, Kambay or Khambhat was a princely state in India during the British Raj. The City of Khambat (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 C ...

, title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 11-guns * Gondal, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 11-guns *

Morvi Morbi or Morvi is a city in the Morbi district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is situated on the Kathiawar peninsula. , the city's population was determined to be 194,947. The city is on the Machhu River, from the sea and from Rajkot. Hi ...

, title Maharan, Hereditary salute of 11-guns * Wankaner, title Maharana Raj Sahib, Hereditary salute of 11-guns * Baria, title Maharaol, Hereditary salute of 9-guns (11-guns personal) * Dharampur, title Raja, Hereditary salute of 9-guns (11-guns personal) *

Dhrol Dhrol is a city and a municipality in Jamnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. Geography Dhrol is located at . It has an average elevation of 26 metres (85 feet). Demographics India census,https://censusindia.gov.in/pca/Se ...

, title Thakore Sahib, Hereditary salute of 9-guns * Limbdi, title Thakore Sahib, Hereditary salute of 9-guns * Palitana, title Thakore Sahib, Hereditary salute of 9-guns *

, title Thakore Sahib, Hereditary salute of 9-guns * Sachin, title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 9-guns *

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 ...

, title Maharana, Hereditary salute of 9-guns and many smaller non-salute-states, including petty (e)states, often not more than one or two villages, making the peninsula the most fragmented of feudal age India. Among the States of Kathiawar,

-which was the third largest Princely state of India, having its territories scattered over Dwarka in West of Kathiawar to

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

in South- did not sign the covenant for the formation of the United States of Kathiawar. Instead the erstwhile

Gaekwar The Gaekwads of Baroda (also spelled as Gaikwads, Guicowars, Gaekwars) (IAST: ''Gāyakavāḍa'') are a Hindu Maratha dynasty origin of the former Maratha Empire and its subsequent Princely States. A dynasty belonging to this clan ruled the prin ...

Maharaja of Baroda, Pratap Singh Gaekwad declared a full responsible Government on 4 September 1948, under Jivraj Narayan Mehta, as Prime Minister of the State, as per scheme envisioned by Sardar Patel. The Baroda State later merged itself 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 So ...

on 1 May 1949.Baroda State
/ref> Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel inaugurated the United State of Kathiawar on 15 February

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

. On this occasion he paid tribute to

Jam Sahib Jam Sahib ( gu, જામ સાહેબ), is the title of the ruling prince of Nawanagar, now known as Jamnagar in Gujarat, an Indian princely state. Jam Sahibs of Nawanagar References External links Nawanagar History and Genealogyat '' ...

and the other rulers of erstwhile Princely States of Kathiawar, saying :- The

K. S. Digvijaysinhji of

Nawanagar 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. ...

one of the chief negotiator from the side of rulers of Kathiawar in his reply observed and said :-

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India du ...

described the event as a great step forward and one of the most notable in contemporary Indian history. He further commended the statesmanship of Sardar Patel and further wrote in his letter to provincial chief ministers on 20 February 1948 :- Upon formation of United State of Kathiawar,

Lord Mountbatten Louis Francis Albert Victor Nicholas Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (25 June 1900 – 27 August 1979) was a British naval officer, colonial administrator and close relative of the British royal family. Mountbatten, who was of German ...

also congratulated Sardar Patel, saying :- However, it was sad that Mahatma Gandhi was not alive by that time to see his dream of whole of Kathiawar getting united under one umbrella. Even after creation of United States of Kathiawar, there were some patches of lands in Kathiawar belonging to princely states of Junagadh, Mangrol,

Manavadar Manavadar is a city and a municipality in Junagadh district of India. History Bantva Manavadar was a princely state of British India. Founded in 1733, it became a British protectorate in 1818. On 25 September 1947, it acceded to the newly for ...

and others, which did not join the convention and were wishing to join

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 ...

. It was later after violent integration of Junagadh into Union of India that a referendum was held and Junagadh, Mangrol, Manavadar, Babariawad and others became ''a legal part of India''. However, due to some technicalities, these territories even after the referendum remained under an Executive Council of popular representatives of Junagadh led by Samaldas Gandhi, for some time, who assisted the administrator appointed by Government of India in managing affairs of these states.

Renamed Saurashtra

In November 1948, the United State of Kathiawar was renamed the United State of Saurashtra or Saurashtra State, when a supplementary covenant was negotiated and executed by the native rulers of the princely states merged into United State of Kathiawar. Once the Saurashtra Union came into existence, a second supplementary covenant was executed in January 1949, providing the integration of Junagadh with Saurashtra. A few days later on 20 February 1949, the administration of

Junagadh State Junagarh or Junagadh ( ur, ) was a princely state in Gujarat ruled by the Muslim Babi dynasty in British India, until its integration into the Union of India in 1948. History Muhammad Sher Khan Babai was the founder of the Babi Pashtun d ...

(another major salute state) and also that of Mangrol,

, Babariawad, Bantva and Sardargarh were officially handed over to Saurashtra Government.

Dissolution

On 1 November 1956 Saurashtra State ceased to exist as a State and became a part of Bombay State, the territory of which was enlarged on that day to include

Kutch State Kutch State was a state within India from 1947 to 1956. Its capital was Bhuj. The state's territory now forms a Kachchh district within the Indian state of Gujarat. History Kutch State was formed out of the territory of the former prince ...

, Saurashtra State, Marathwada &

Vidarbha Vidarbha (Pronunciation: �id̪əɾbʱə is a geographical region in the east of the Indian state of Maharashtra and a proposed state of central India, comprising the state's Amravati and Nagpur divisions. Amravati Division's former name is Be ...

, while a southern portion was excluded, which went to

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO 15919, ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a States and union territories of India, state in the southwestern region of India. It was Unification of Karnataka, formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reor ...

. Following Mahagujarat Movement, the

was again dissolved to be carved into two separate states of

Maharashtra Maharashtra (; , abbr. MH or Maha) is a state in the western peninsular region of India occupying a substantial portion of the Deccan Plateau. Maharashtra is the second-most populous state in India and the second-most populous country subdi ...

and

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 ...

created on linguistic basis on 1 May 1960 With this, the area of Saurashtra State again became a geographically defined region, Saurashtra, within the State of Gujarat.

Chief officers

Rajpramukhs

The following princes of salute states served as Rajpramukh (premier Prince), i.e. Head of the State : * Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji (b. 1912 - d. 1965), the last ruler of

, was acting Rajpramukh. * Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji, last ruler of Nawanagar, was Rajpramukh from 1948 until 31 October 1956 ** Mayurdwajsinhji Meghrajji III, the last ruler of

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 ...

, was appointed as Upa-Rajpramukh alias Deputy Rajapramukh, to serve as acting Rajpramukh during the absence of Rajpramukh. He worked as Uprajpramukh from 1948 till 1956.

Chief Ministers

* Uchharangray Navalshankar Dhebar acted as Chief Minister of State from 1948 till December 1954 (b. 1905 - d. 1977) INC . * Rasiklal Umedchand Parikh was second and last Chief Minister of State from 19 December 1954 till 1956 (b. 1910 - d. 1982) INC .

References

Sources and external links

WorldStatesmen - India - States post 1947
{{Authority control Former states and territories of India History of Gujarat (1947–present) Political integration of India Vallabhbhai Patel 1956 disestablishments in India States and territories established in 1948 1948 establishments in India States and territories disestablished in 1956