Kathiawar

Coordinates: 22°N 71°E / 22°N 71°E / 22; 71
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

This article is about the peninsula in western India. For the region, see Saurashtra (region).
For other uses, see Saurashtra (disambiguation) and Kathiawari (disambiguation).
Kathiyawar
Saurashtra
UTC+5:30 (IST
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Kathiawar ([kɑʈʰijɑʋɑɽ]) is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about 61,000 km2 (23,500 sq mi) bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat 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.[1]

Etymology and history

The name Kathiawad seems to have been derived from the early settlements of Kathikas or Kathis who entered Gujarat from Sindh in early centuries of the Common Era.[2][3]

History

A young Mahatma Gandhi in traditional Kathiawari dress.

Kathis were spread out in the entire region and dominated central

Indus civilization.[citation needed] Kathi people particularly influenced the peninsula between the 16th century to the mid-20th century.[citation needed
]

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:

Limdi
state .However, the main area of Kathiawar now covers 10 districts: Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Porbandar, Amreli, Junagadh, Botad, Morbi, Gir-Somnath.

For a long time, the name Sorath remained limited to the region when the Chudasama

Khachars, 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 and Colonel Walker at Baroda on 26 October 1803. [citation needed
]

Literary comment

Kathiawar 1855 with its four prant districts: Halar, Jhalavad, Sorath and Gohilwad.
Arrow Pillar or Baan-Stambh at Somnath
Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The state of the region in the early nineteenth century is shown in Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poetical illustration, "Scene in Kattiawar", to an engraving of a painting by Clarkson Frederick Stanfield.[6]

Political history

United Saurashtra (Kathiawar) State 1947-56

Before Indian independence in 1947, most of Kathiawar was divided into numerous

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 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 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, Daman and Diu in 1962.

Major cities