Coordinates: 21.5°N 70.

13°E

Saurashtra (state)
Saurashtra, also known as United State of Kathiawar, was a separate, western
State within the Union of India from 1948 until 1956,[1] on Saurashtra alias United State of Kathiawar
Kathiawar peninsula, with Rajkot as its capital,[2] on territory now part of Gujarat Saurashtra
state.
State of India
← 1948–1956 →

Contents
History
Formation as United State of Kathiawar
Renamed Saurashtra
Dissolution
Chief officers
Rajpramukhs
Chief Ministers
See also
References
Sources and external links

History
Saurashtra State in India, 1951

Formation as United State of Kathiawar Capital Rajkot

The Saurashtra State was originally named the United State of Kathiawar. It was History
formed on 15 February 1948, out of approximately 200 large and small Princely • Abolition of the 15
States of the colonial Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency of the Baroda, February 1948
British raj territory under direct colonial rule. Western India
and Gujarat
The name of State was given after the Kathiawar and Saurahstra region both of States Agency
which generally denote the same geographical region of lands on the main
• Merger into 1
Bombay State November 1956
peninsula of Gujarat.

It was largely due to efforts and statesmanship of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the influence of Mahatma Gandhi that most of the
States of Kathiawar had agreed to join Union of India and sign the Instrument of Accession. This required a lot of Patel's time, to
meet and convince the local princes and petty subas, totaling 222 inSaurashtra region alone.

Among these in Kathiawar Agency were 14 Salute states, 17 minor and 191 petty Non-salute Princely States 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.[3][4][5][6]

The large Kathiawar peninsula included some prominent princely states of India, notably salute state :

the vast Baroda State, title Maharaja Gaekwar, Hereditary salute of 21-guns (highest native rank in colonial India)
Idar, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute of 15-guns
Bhavnagar State, 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, title Maharaja Rana Sahib,
Hereditary salute of 13-guns
Rajpipla State, title Rajpipla, Hereditary
salute of 13-guns
Cambay, title Nawab, Hereditary salute
of 11-guns
Gondal, title Maharaja, Hereditary salute
of 11-guns
Morvi, 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, title Thakore Sahib, Hereditary
salute of 9-guns
Limbdi, title Thakore Sahib, Hereditary
salute of 9-guns
Palitana, title Thakore Sahib, Hereditary United Saurashtra (Kathiawar) State, 1948-56
salute of 9-guns
Rajkot, title Thakore Sahib, Hereditary
salute of 9-guns
Sachin, title Nawab, Hereditary salute of 9-guns
Wadhwan, 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, Baroda State -which was the third largest Princely state of India, having its territories scattered over
Dwarka in West of Kathiawar to Bombay in South- did not sign the covenant for the formation of the United States of Kathiawar.
Instead the erstwhile Gaekwar 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 on 1 May 1949.[7][8][9]

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel inaugurated the United State of Kathiawar on 15 February 1948. On this occasion he paid tribute to Jam
Sahib and the other rulers of erstwhile Princely States of Kathiawar
, saying :-

“ But for vision, wisdom and patriotism, the happy result you are seeing today would
not have fructified. It was Mahatma Gandhi's dream that Kathiawar should be united
”
and it gladdens my heart that dream of such unification has come true.[10]
The Jam Sahib K. S. Digvijaysinhji of Nawanagar State one of the chief negotiator from the side of rulers of Kathiawar in his reply
observed and said :-

“ It is not as if we were tired monarchs who were fanned to rest. It is not as we have
been bullied into submission. We have by our own free volition pooled our
sovereignties and covenanted to create this new State so that the United State of
Kathiawar and unity of India may more fully be achieved[10] ”
Jawaharlal Nehru described the event as a great step forward and one of the most notable in contemporary Indian history.[10] He
further commended the statesmanship of Sardar Patel and further wrote in his letter to provincial chief ministers on 20 February
1948 :-

“
 “ Six months ago it would have been considered an idle dream to think of an
administrative merger of hundreds of Kathiawar states, let alone such a merger
accompanied by a full responsible government. The peninsula was ridden by
factions and jealousies and it was crazy patchwork of States of varying degree of
sovereignty, with only one thing in common, namely, autocratic rule. On February 15
the whole of peninsula became one unit under one responsible Government. For
which, Sardar Patel has deservedly won high tribute.[10] ”
Upon formation of United State of Kathiawar,Lord Mountbatten also congratulated Sardar Patel, saying :-

“ It appears that you have again scored a brilliant success in your handling of
Kathiawar States problem.[10] ”
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 and others, which did not join the convention and were lingering over joining Pakistan. It was later
after 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 referendum remained under an
Executive Council of popular representatives of Junagadh led by Samaldas Gandhi, for some time, who assisted the administrator
fairs of these states.[6]
appointed by Government of India in managing af

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.[6]

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 (another major
salute state) and also that of Mangrol, Manavadar, Babariawad, Bantva and Sardargarh were officially handed over to Saurashtra
Government.[6]

Dissolution
On 1 November 1956[1] 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 includeKutch State, Saurashtra State, Marathwada & Vidarbha, while a southern portion was excluded, which
went to Karnataka.

Following Mahagujarat Movement, the Bombay State was again dissolved to be carved into two separate states of Maharashtra and
Gujarat created on linguistic basis on 1 May 1960[1] 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 asRajpramukh (premier Prince), i.e. Head of the State :

Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji(b. 1912 - d. 1965), the last ruler ofBhavnagar State, was acting Rajpramukh from
June 1948 till December 1948.[1]
 He was succeeded byDigvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji Jadeja(b. 1895 - d. 1966), theJam Sahib and last ruler of
Nawanagar, who was Rajpramukh from 1948 until 31 October 1956 [1]

Mayurdwajsinhji Meghrajji III, the last ruler of Dhrangadhra State, 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
The Heads of government were :

Uchharangray Navalshankar Dhebaracted as Chief Minister of State from 1948 till December 1954 (b. 1905 - d.
1977) INC .[1]
Rasiklal Umedchand Parikhwas second and last Chief Minister of State from 19 December 1954 till 1956 (b. 1910 -
d. 1982) INC .[1]

See also
Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency
Political integration of India

References
1. Indian States since 1947(http://www.worldstatesmen.org/India_states.html)
2. For all practical purposes, the capital continues to be in Rajkot, whereas Rajpramukh continues to live in Jamnagar
(https://books.google.com/books?id=2EuKAAAAMAAJ&q=rajkot+capital+of+united+state+of+kathiawar&dq=rajkot+c
apital+of+united+state+of+kathiawar&hl=en&ei=qVdoTpG1BoLwrQfawfz_Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resn
um=1&ved=0CDIQ6AEwADgK)
3. The Rulers of the Kathiawar States, including(http://www.indiankanoon.org/doc/1311425/)Wadhwan State, entered
into a Covenant for the formation of the United States of Kathiawar on 24 January 1948.
4. The covenant, entered into by the rulers of Kathiawar States for the formation of the United States of Kathiawar
. (htt
p://openlibrary.org/books/OL5231307M/The_covenant_entered_into_by_the_rulers_of_Kathiawar_States_for_the_fo
rmation_of_the_United_States_of_Kathiawar .)
5. Political and administrative integration of princely statesBy S. N. Sadasivan (https://books.google.com/books?id=kW
ptYbzpXE8C&pg=PA26&lpg=PA26&dq=UNITED+STATE+OF+KATHIAWAR&source=bl&ots=dErpdGrhEq&sig=mIH
Ufl5Q5GK4iLjZ84NxtL0oPq0&hl=en&ei=mjRoTtDxEIjYrQfv853mCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ve
d=0CEUQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=UNITED%20ST ATE%20OF%20KATHIAWAR&f=false). pp. 26, 27.
6. Indian Philately (http://www.oocities.org/indianphilately/chapter23a.htm)
7. Baroda State - responsible government(https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=xdI-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=k0wMAAAAI
BAJ&pg=3890,6471046&dq=baroda-state&hl=en)
8. [ Baroda' s merger into Bombay on 1-5-1949 was an event which Sardar built brick by brick...
(https://books.google.c
om/books?id=KcO1AAAAIAAJ&q=MERGER+OF+BARODA+ST ATE&dq=MERGER+OF+BARODA+STATE&hl=en&
ei=cWxoTuPaGoOurAfrrZDSCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAA) Sardar Patel, in
tune with the millions, Volume 2
9. Baroda State (https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=5Hw-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=4UsMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5018,2762425&
dq=baroda-state&hl=en)
10. India's bismarck, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel By B.Krishna (https://books.google.com/books?id=sLr7z6gNcV0C&pg=P
A112&dq=UNITED+STATE+OF+KATHIAWAR&hl=en&ei=4j9oTt_yLMLprAfppaD9Cg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=resu
lt&resnum=4&sqi=2&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=UNITED%20STATE%20OF%20KATHIAWAR&f=false).
pp. 112, 113.

Sources and external links

WorldStatesmen - India - States post 1947
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