Vana is a town and minor former Rajput minor
princely state on
Saurashtra
Saurashtra, Sourashtra, or variants may refer to:
** Kathiawar, also called Saurashtra Peninsula, a peninsula in western India
** Saurashtra (state), alias United State of Kathiawar, a former Indian state, merged into Bombay State and since its d ...
peninsula in
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, 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 List of states and union territories ...
,
Western India
Western India is a loosely defined region of India consisting of western states of India, Republic of India. The Ministry of Home Affairs (India), Ministry of Home Affairs in its Western Zonal Council Administrative divisions of India, Adminis ...
.
History
Vadal was a non-salute princely state in
Jhalawar ''prant'', comprising Vana and two other villages, under
Jhala
Jhala (Hindi: झाला, ) is a term in Hindustani classical music which denotes the fast-paced conclusions of classical compositions or raga
A raga ( ; , ; ) is a melodic framework for improvisation in Indian classical music akin to a mus ...
Rajput
Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...
Chieftains.
It had a population of 2,749 in 1901, yielding a state revenue of 26,000 Rupees (all from land; 1903–4) and paying 3,993 Rupees tribute to the
Junagarh State
The State of Junagadh or Junagarh was a princely state located in Gujarat, It was ruled by the Muslim Babi dynasty since 1654 by first Nawab of Junagadh even within the Maratha Confederacy and later British India. which, after the partition ...
.
During the
British Raj
The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent,
*
* lasting from 1858 to 1947.
*
* It is also called Crown rule ...
, the petty state was under the colonial
Eastern Kathiawar 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 ...
.
The Queens who hail from Vana state
According to the book ''Bangalorean'' (https://bookbangalorean.com/) by Kaveri Sinhji, published in December 2024, the village of Vana in Saurashtra has a notable historical association with the royal families of India. In 1900, Pratap Kunwarba, a nine-year-old daughter of a respected jagirdar (landholder) from Vana, married the 13-year-old heir to the Mysore throne, Sri Krishnaraja Wadiyar IV. As Maharani of Mysore, Pratap Kunwarba resided in Bangalore Palace and spent considerable time in the city.
In the 1930s, her sister, Raj Kunwarba, who became the Maharani of Gondal State, acquired 32 acres of land adjacent to Bangalore Palace and established Jayamahal Palace, where she lived and raised her seven children. Their brother, Rana Lakshman Sinhji, later moved to Bangalore as well, setting up his residence, known as "Beaufort," on a neighboring 10-acre property. There, he raised one daughter, two sons, and 13 grandchildren.
The ties between Vana and Mysore led to a series of royal marriages between northern and southern princely states, as well as a trend among royals to establish summer residences in Bangalore, drawn by its proximity to the Mysore royal family. Notably, the five Gondal princesses married into prominent royal families of Orchha, Palitana, Bhavnagar, Wadhwan, and Dharampur, earning Vana the distinction of being a small village that produced one of the highest numbers of queens in India.
External links
* https://bookbangalorean.com/
DSAL.UChicago - Kathiawar
Princely states of Gujarat
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