Kathiawar

2026-07-17T08:11:19Z

207.179.164.195:

{{Short description|Peninsula in Western India}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2014}}
{{EngvarB|date=April 2015}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2015}}
{{about|the peninsula in western India|the region|Saurashtra (region)}}
{{other uses|Saurashtra (disambiguation)|Kathiawari (disambiguation)}}
[[File:Saurashtra Gujarat India Satellite Map 3 February 2015.jpg|thumb|Kathiawar peninsula as seen from the [[NASA Earth Observatory]]]]
'''Kathiawar''' ({{IPA-gu|kɑʈʰijɑʋɑɽ|}}) is a [[peninsula]], near the far north of [[India]]'s west coast, of about {{convert|23500|sqmi|km2|abbr=on|order=flip}} 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, it is connected to the rest of [[Gujarat]] and borders on the low, fertile hinterland of [[Ahmedabad]]. 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.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Trivedi |first1=A. B. |year=1943 |title=Kathiawar economics |location=Bombay |publisher=AB Trivedi, Khalra College |url=https://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10973/28947/GIPE-012479.pdf?sequence=2}}</ref>

== Etymology and history ==
[[File:Kathiawar map.jpg|thumb|Kathiawar 1855 with its four ''[[prant]]'' districts: [[Halar]], [[Jhalavad]], [[Sorath prant|Sorath]] and [[Gohelwar|Gohilwad]].]]
[[File:PINQ3113.jpg|thumb|Arrow Pillar or Baan-Stambh at Somnath]]
Kathiawad means the land of the [[Kathi Darbar|Kathis]], a [[Kshatriya]] caste who migrated to the region in the 8th century and controlled the southwestern peninsula of contemporary Gujarat.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chandrani |first1=Yogesh|title=Legacies of Colonial History: Region, Religion, and Violence in Postcolonial Gujarat |issue=1 |page=2 |url=https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/.../Chandrani_columbia_0054D_11531.pdf}}</ref>

== History ==
Kathis were spread out in the entire region and dominated central [[Saurashtra (region)|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 [[Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty|Pratihar]] ruler [[Mihira Bhoja|Mihir Bhoj]], the [[Rajput]] empire stretched from Kathiawad to the Bay of Bengal.<ref>{{cite book|title=The history of the Pratihāras|author=Baij Nath Puri|publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers|year=1986|page=xvii}}</ref> A Haddola inscription confirms that [[ Pratihar]]s continued to rule in this region during the reign of [[Mahipala I]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of Jainism|author=Narendra Singh|publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD.|year=2001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DSzlv9pcJtsC&pg=PA4857&dq}}</ref> The peninsula is dotted with antiquities and has a continuous history from prehistoric times to the early periods of the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' through the [[Indus civilization]].{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} Kathi people particularly influenced the peninsula between the 16th century to the mid-20th century.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

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]], [[Jamnagar State]], [[Gondal State]], [[Bhavnagar State]], [[Dhrangadhra State]], [[Morvi State]], [[Jasdan State]], [[Jetpur State]], and [[wankaner State]] ,[[wadhwan State]], [[limdi]] state .However, the main area of Kathiawar covered 10 districts: Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Porbandar, Amreli, Junagadh, Botad, Morvi, Gir-somnath.

For a long time, the name Sorath remained limited to the region when the Chudasama [[Rajput]] (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), [[Jethwa]]s, Raijadas, [[Chudasama]]s, [[Gohil]]s, [[Jhala]]s, [[Jadeja]]s, [[Chavda]]s, [[Parmar]]s, [[Patgirs or Pargir]]ss, [[Sarvaiya]]s, [[Solanki (clan)|Solankis]], Khumans and [[Khachar]]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 State|Jetpur]] and Colonel Walker at Baroda on 26 October 1803. {{Citation needed|date=November 2020}}


=== Literary comment ===
{{wikisource|Letitia Elizabeth Landon (L. E. L.) in Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835/Scene in Kattiawar|'Scene in Kattiawar'<br>a poem by L. E. L.}}
The state of the region in the early nineteenth century is illustrated in [[Letitia Elizabeth Landon]]'s poem, "Scene in Kattiawar".

=== Political history ===
[[File:SaurashtraKart.jpg|thumb|right|United Saurashtra (Kathiawar) State 1947-56]]
{{Unreferenced-section|date=September 2020}}
Before Indian independence in 1947, most of Kathiawar was divided into numerous [[princely states]] that were ruled by local potentates who acknowledged British [[suzerainty]] in return for local sovereignty. These states comprised the [[Kathiawar Agency]]. 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]]'s [[Bombay Presidency]], 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]]. 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 [[Saurashtra (state)|the state of Saurashtra]] in 1950. In 1956, Saurashtra was merged into [[Bombay State]], and in 1960, Bombay state was divided along linguistic lines into the new states of Gujarat (including Kathiawar) and [[Maharashtra]]. [[Diu, India|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|Goa, Daman and Diu]] in 1962.

== Major cities ==
{{Unreferenced-section|date=September 2020}}
[[Image:Map GujDist Saurastra.png|thumb|350px|Presents Districts of old Kathiawar, [[Gujarat]]. (Note: [[Diu district|Diu]] is not politically a part of [[Gujarat]], currently it belongs to the [[Union Territory]] of [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu]].)|alt=]]

The major cities of Kathiawar are [[Rajkot]] in the center of the peninsula, [[Jamnagar]] on the Gulf of Kutch, [[Bhavnagar]] on the Gulf of Khambhat, [[Surendranagar]] and the historic city [[Wadhwan]] in the central portion of Gujarat, [[Porbandar]] on the west coast, and the historic city of [[Junagadh]] in the South. [[Daman and Diu|Diu]], an island town formerly part of [[Portuguese India]] and now part of the Indian [[union territory]] of [[Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu]], lies off the south coast of Kathiawar. The city of [[Somnath]] and its temple are also located on the south coast.

== Districts in Kathiawar Region ==
* [[Amreli district|Amreli]]
* [[Botad district|Botad]]
* [[Bhavnagar district|Bhavnagar]]
* [[Devbhumi Dwarka district|Devbhoomi Dwarka]]
* [[Gir Somnath district|Gir Somnath]]
* [[Jamnagar district|Jamnagar]]
* [[Junagadh district|Junagadh]]
* [[Morbi district|Morbi]]
* [[Porbandar district|Porbandar]]
* [[Rajkot district|Rajkot]]
* [[Surendranagar district|Surendranagar]]
* Part of [[Ahmedabad]] ([[Dhandhuka taluka|Dhandhuka taluka)]]

== Geography and ecosystem ==
[[File:Scene in Kattiawar, Travellers and Escort.jpg|thumb|Scene in Kattiawar, Travellers and Escort, 1830]]
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 and subtropical dry broadleaf forests|tropical dry broadleaf forest]].<ref>{{WWF ecoregion |id=im0206 |name=Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests}} Accessed 16 September 2020.</ref>

[[Gir National Park]] and its surroundings host the last remaining [[Asiatic lion]] population.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Singh, H. S. |author2=Gibson, L. |title=A conservation success story in the otherwise dire megafauna extinction crisis: The Asiatic lion (''Panthera leo persica'') of Gir forest |year=2011 |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=144 |issue=5 |pages=1753–1757 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.009 |url=http://www.dbs.nus.edu.sg/lab/cons-lab/documents/Singh_Gibson_Biol_Cons_2011.pdf}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Singh, H. S. |year=2017 |title=Dispersion of the Asiatic lion ''Panthera leo persica'' and its survival in human-dominated landscape outside the Gir forest, Gujarat, India |journal=Current Science |volume=112 |issue=5 |pages=933–940 |doi=10.18520/cs/v112/i05/933-940|doi-access=free }}</ref> Other national parks in Kathiawar are [[Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar]] on the Gulf of Cambay, and [[Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch]], near Jamnagar.{{cn|date=May 2019}}

== Antiquity (places: history, archaeology, nature, religion) ==
[[File:Mer Dandiya.jpg|thumb|People of ''Mer'' Community (primarily found in Saurashtra) in one of the [[Sword dance]] forms]]
[[File:Bhil women of Kathiawar Gujarat 1890.jpg|thumb|Bhil women of Kathiawar, 1890]]
[[File:KITLV 88174 - Unknown - Temple at Kathiawad in British India - 1897.tif|thumb|[[Gop Temple]] in Kathiawad, 1897.]]

* [[Dvārakā|Dwarika]]
* [[Somnath]]
* [[Sasan Gir]] and interiors / Kathi territories in [[Amreli]]-[[Bhavnagar]] districts
* [[Vallabhi]]
* [[Porbandar]]
* [[Junagadh]]
* [[Shatrunjaya|Shatrunjay Hills]], [[Palitana]]
* [[Sihor]]
* [[Palitana]]
* [[Virpur (Rajkot)]] and [[Gondal, India|Gondal]]
* [[Jamnagar]] & [[Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch|Marine National Park]]
* [[Velavadar Black Buck Sanctuary|Velavadar]]
* Old cities of [[Gondal, India|Gondal]], [[Wadhvan]], [[Morbi]], [[Wankaner]]
* [[Diu, India]]

== Notable characters and figures ==
{{alumni|people|date=October 2013}}

=== Religion, pre-history, spirituality ===
* [[Sudama]] – [[Krishna]]'s friend and a character from [[Mahabharata]]
* [[Baba Balak Nath]] – One of the legendary [[Nath]]s and [[Siddha#The eighty-four Siddhas in the Varna.28na.29ratnakara|Chaurasi Siddhas]]
* [[Neminath]] – One of the [[Siddha]]s and 22nd Jain [[Tirthankar]]
* [[Narsinh Mehta]] (1414-1481) – Poet and saint
* [[Swaminarayan]] – Believed to be the manifestation of Purushottam/Parabrahma.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Williams on South Asian Religions and Immigration: Collected Works|publisher=Routledge|year=2017|isbn=9781351143103}}</ref> Also known as [[Sahajanand Swami]]
* [[Pramukh Swami Maharaj]] – 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]]
* [[Jalaram Bapa]] – A mystic and saint
* [[Shrimad Rajchandra]] – A prominent Jain philosopher
* [[Morari Bapu]] – 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]] – Jain scholar & Saint of Songadh, Also known as Kohinoor of Kathiawad

=== Society, ideology, politics, leadership ===
* [[Mahatma Gandhi|Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi]] – pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India, and ''[[Father of Nation]]''
* [[Muhammad Ali Jinnah]] – lawyer, politician, statesman and the founder of Pakistan and Pakistani [[Father of the Nation]]
* [[U. N. Dhebar]] – Freedom fighter ([[Indian independence movement|Indian independence]]), and President of the Indian National Congress
* [[Virchand Gandhi]] – First Gujarati Patriot from Mahuva to visit USA officially and participate in first World Religion Parliament, 1893
* [[Fatima Jinnah]] – Mother of Pakistani Nation
* [[Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel]] - Iron Man of India

=== Governance, nobility, reforms, politics ===
* Nawab Sir [[Muhammad Mahabat Khan III]] – [[Babi (title)|Babi]] of [[Junagadh]] state
* [[Takhtsinhji|Maharaja Sir Takhtsinhji Gohil of Bhavnagar]] – Reformist and progressive ruler who constructed the [[Bhavnagar State Railway]]
* [[Bhagvat Singh|Maharaja Bhagvatsinhji of Gondal]] – A progressive and enlightened ruler, wrote ''[[Bhagavadgomandal]]''
*[[Krishna Kumarasingh Bhavasingh|Maharaja Krishnakumar Sinjhji Gohil]] – Reformist, progressive and noble [[Maharaja]] of [[Bhavnagar]]
* [[Balwantrai Mehta]] – Freedom fighter, social worker and pioneer of concept of Panchayati Raj
* [[Jivraj Narayan Mehta|Jivraj Mehta]] – Politician, first [[Chief Minister of Gujarat]]

=== Art, literature, poetry, journalism, socialism ===
* [[Jhaverchand Meghani]] – [[Litterateur]], social reformer and freedom fighter
* [[Ravishankar Raval|Kalaguru Ravishankar Raval]] – a painter, art teacher, art critic, journalist and essayist
* [[Dalpatram]] – Poet of Gujarati literature
* [[Nanalal Dalpatram Kavi]] – Author and poet
* [[Kalapi|Sursinhji Takthasinhji Gohil]] – Known for poetry and [[Gujarati literature]]
* [[Dula Bhaya Kag]] – Poet, social reformer and freedom fighter
* [[Amrut Ghayal]] – Shayar of Gujarati Ghazal
* [[Kavi Kant]] – Poet
* [[Harilal Upadhyay]]<ref>[http://www.harilalupadhyay.org "A Few Words about Shri Harilal Upadhyay"]</ref> – Author in the [[Gujarati language]]
* [[Chunilal Madia]] – Author, playwright, poet, journalist, editor
* [[Ghulam Mohammed Sheikh]] – Painter, writer, art critic
* [[Rajendra Shukla (poet)|Rajendra Shukla]] – Poet
* [[Ramesh Parekh]] – Poet

=== Sports, adventure ===
* [[Ranjitsinhji|K. S. Ranjitsinhji]] – [[Maharaja]] of [[Nawanagar State|Nawanagar]], [[cricket]]er
* [[Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji]] – Cricketer
* [[Vinoo Mankad]] – Cricketer
* [[Ashok Mankad]] – Cricketer
* [[Dilip Doshi]] – Cricketer
* [[Karsan Ghavri]] – Cricketer
* [[Ashok Patel]] – Cricketer
* [[Dhiraj Parsana]] – Cricketer
* [[Ajay Jadeja]] – Cricketer
* [[Parthiv Patel]] – Cricketer
* [[Ravindra Jadeja]] – Cricketer
* [[Siddharth Trivedi]] – Cricketer
* [[Cheteshwar Pujara]] – Cricketer

=== Cinema, entertainment, music, folklore ===
* [[Mohammed Chhel]] – A magician and a [[Fakir]] (mystic)
* [[Vijay Bhatt]] – Producer, director and screenwriter
* [[Nanabhai Bhatt]] – Indian film director and producer; father of [[Mahesh Bhatt]] and [[Mukesh Bhatt]]
* [[Dina Pathak]] – Actor, director of [[Gujarati culture|Gujarati]] theatre, activist
* [[Asha Parekh]] – Actress, director, and producer
* [[Shahabuddin Rathod]] – Humorist, writer, teacher
* [[Parveen Babi]] – [[Bollywood]] actress
* [[Dimple Kapadia]] – [[Bollywood]] actress
* [[Manhar Udhas]] – One of the top Ghazalkars
* [[Pankaj Udhas]] – [[Music of India|Indian singer]], Ghazal singer
* [[Mehul Kumar]] – Director, producer
* [[K Lal|K. Lal]] – Indian magician
* [[Alka Yagnik]] – Singer
* [[Ben Kingsley]] – Actor (ancestral roots in Saurashtra)
* [[Hemant Chauhan]] – Singer, Bhajanik
* [[Neeraj Vora]] – Film director, dialogue writer, actor
* [[Himesh Reshammiya]] – Music composer, singer, artist
* [[Dilip Joshi]] – Cinema and television actor
* [[Anjum Rajabali]] – Screenwriter, actor, producer
* [[Chhel Vayeda]] – Art director and production designer
* [[Pan Nalin]] – Film director, screenwriter and documentary maker
* [[Sanjay Chhel]] – Film director, writer and lyricist

=== Business, industry, innovation, entrepreneurship, philanthropy ===
* [[Nanji Kalidas Mehta]] – Industrialist and philanthropist
* [[Muljibhai Madhvani]] – Businessman, entrepreneur, industrialist and philanthropist
* [[Nautamlal Bhagavanji Mehta]] – Freedom fighter, businessman
* [[Dhirubhai Ambani]] – Indian business magnate and entrepreneur who founded Reliance Industries
* [[Abdul Gaffar Billoo]] – Pakistani [[pediatric endocrinologist]] and philanthropist.
* [[Sam Pitroda]] – Inventor, entrepreneur and policymaker
* [[Tulsi Tanti]] – Chairman and managing director of [[Suzlon Energy]]
* [[Abdul Sattar Edhi]] – Founded Edhi Foundation helping poor and needy

=== History and culture ===
* [[Prince Vijaya]] – Exiled prince of [[Sihor]] colonising Sri Lanka
* [[Ra Navghan]] – Historical character during [[Chaulukya dynasty|Solanki]] period
* [[Devayat Bodar]] - Historical warrior and savior of [[Ra Navghan]]
* [[Kadu Makrani]] – Insurgent of the [[Indian rebellion of 1857]]
* [[Banda Singh Bahadur]] – one of the ''punj pyare'' of Sikh religion, was born in Dwarka

== See also ==
* [[Saurashtra Kingdom]]
* [[Maurya Empire]]
* [[Saurashtra language]]
* [[Bhagavadgomandal]]
* [[State Bank of Saurashtra]]
* [[Memons (Kathiawar)]]
* [[Ranji Trophy]]
* [[Kathiawari (horse)|Kathiawari Horse Breed]]
* [[Gyr (cattle)|Gir Cattle or Gir Gaay]]

== References ==
{{reflist|2}}
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Kathiawar}}

==External links==
*[http://kathiawad.com/ kathiawad.com]

{{Gujarat}}
{{Princely states of the Western India States Agency}}

{{clear}}



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[[Category:Cultural history of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Gulf of Khambhat]]
[[Category:Landforms of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Peninsulas of India]]
[[Category:Rajkot]]
[[Category:Regions of Gujarat]]
[[Category:Saurashtra (region)]]

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Kathiawar