Junagadh State
Junagadh State was a princely state in the Kathiawar region of western British India, ruled by the Muslim Babi dynasty of Nawabs from its establishment in 1730 until its merger with India in 1948.[1][2] Founded by Sher Khan Babi, who expelled Mughal authorities, the state encompassed approximately 8,643 square kilometers and had a 1941 population of around 671,000, of which Muslims comprised about 19 percent.[3][2] As a British protectorate from 1807, it maintained internal autonomy while paying tribute, and under Nawab Mahabat Khanji III, it advanced conservation efforts for the Asiatic lion in the Gir Forest, alongside infrastructure like dams and educational institutions.[1][2] The state's defining controversy arose during the 1947 partition of India, when Nawab Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III acceded to Pakistan on August 15, despite the state's geographic isolation from Pakistan and its Hindu-majority populace, sparking widespread protests and communal violence.[4][5] India declined recognition of the accession, blockaded the state, and assumed de facto control amid the Nawab's flight to Pakistan; a plebiscite in February 1948 confirmed integration, with 190,779 votes for India against 91 for Pakistan.[4][6] This episode exemplified the tensions in princely state accessions, where demographic realities and contiguity prevailed over monarchical preference, leading to Junagadh's incorporation into the Indian Union as part of Saurashtra State.[5][1]Geography
Territory and Borders
Junagadh State covered an area of 3,337 square miles (8,643 km²) in the Kathiawar Peninsula, a region now within the state of Gujarat in western India.[7] [8] The territory centered around the city of Junagadh, situated at the foot of the Girnar Hills, and extended southward to encompass the Gir Forest—a dense woodland habitat known for Asiatic lions—and reached the Arabian Sea, providing the state with approximately 100 miles of coastline and several ports.[7] The state's land borders primarily adjoined other princely states in the Kathiawar Agency under British suzerainty, including Gondal to the north, Porbandar to the northwest, and Bhavnagar to the east, forming a patchwork of semi-autonomous entities in the Saurashtra region.[3] This configuration placed Junagadh amid a cluster of Hindu-ruled states, despite its own Muslim Babi dynasty governance, with no direct contiguity to Pakistan following the 1947 partition.[9] The territory also included administrative divisions such as talukas of Junagadh, Vanthali, and Manavadar, along with oversight of subsidiary petty states like Babariawad and Mangrol, which added fragmented holdings but were integrated under the Nawab's authority.[10] Geographically isolated from Pakistan by over 200 miles, Junagadh's borders highlighted its enclave-like position within Indian-dominated territory, influencing post-independence accession disputes.[11] The state's compact yet diverse landscape featured hilly interiors, fertile plains, and coastal plains, supporting agriculture, forestry, and maritime trade as key economic pillars.[12]Physical Features
Junagadh State encompassed a diverse terrain within the Saurashtra Peninsula of western Gujarat, featuring predominantly level alluvial plains interspersed with hilly regions. The capital, Junagadh, lay at the western base of the Girnar massif, a 15 km diameter compound of hills and valleys formed by an extinct volcanic intrusion over 60 million years old, with elevations exceeding 1,000 meters and composed of layered gabbros.[13] To the south, the state's territory extended into the Gir Hills, characterized by undulating forested landscapes of dry deciduous vegetation, including acacia and tamarisk stands, which historically supported abundant pastures and wildlife such as Asiatic lions.[14][15] The region bordered the Arabian Sea along its southern and southwestern coasts, providing outlets through ports like Veraval and Mangrol, while lacking perennial rivers typical of Saurashtra, relying instead on seasonal streams draining westward.[9] Key watercourses included the Shetrunji River, originating at 380 meters elevation in the Gir Forest and flowing northwest, as well as smaller seasonal rivers like the Kalwa, Uben, Sonrakh, and Kalwo near the capital.[16][17][18] The semi-arid climate featured hot summers with temperatures up to 38°C and moderate winters, with annual rainfall concentrated in the monsoon season supporting the region's pastoral and forested ecology.[18]Demographics
Population Statistics
The population of Junagadh State was enumerated in the Census of India, with the 1941 census recording a total of 670,719 inhabitants across an area of 8,643 square kilometers, resulting in a density of approximately 78 persons per square kilometer.[19] [3] This figure reflected steady growth from earlier enumerations, such as the 1921 census total of 465,493, indicating an average annual increase of about 1.8% over the two decades amid limited industrialization and reliance on agriculture.[20] Urban centers like the capital Junagadh city accounted for a modest portion, with roughly 20-25% of the populace residing in towns by the 1940s, while the majority lived in rural talukas focused on pastoral and farming livelihoods.[21] These statistics underscored the state's sparse settlement patterns, influenced by arid terrain and historical nomadic elements in the population.Religious and Ethnic Composition
In the 1941 census, Junagadh State recorded a total population of 671,000, with Muslims numbering 128,000 or 19% of the inhabitants, while Hindus constituted the vast majority at approximately 80%.[3] [22] This religious imbalance—Muslim rulers governing a predominantly Hindu populace—fueled underlying tensions that intensified during the 1947 accession debates, as Hindu-majority areas expressed strong preferences for integration with India.[3] Smaller religious groups, including Jains and tribal animists, accounted for the remainder, though precise figures for these minorities were not prominently detailed in contemporary records.[23] Ethnically, the state's population was overwhelmingly Gujarati-speaking, reflecting the broader Indic linguistic and cultural framework of the Kathiawar region, with communities divided along caste and occupational lines. Hindu ethnic groups dominated rural agrarian life, including pastoralists such as Ahirs and Rabaris, as well as cultivating castes like Kolis and Patidars, who formed the economic backbone through farming and herding in the fertile plains and hilly tracts.[24] Urban centers like Junagadh city hosted a more mixed profile, with Muslim ethnic enclaves comprising Pathan-origin elites tied to the Babi dynasty, alongside mercantile groups like Memons and Bohras engaged in trade.[3] Tribal populations, such as the Siddis (of African descent) in peripheral areas, represented marginal ethnic minorities, often practicing syncretic customs blending animism with Islam or Hinduism.[25] This ethnic stratification reinforced social hierarchies, with Muslim aristocracy holding disproportionate influence despite numerical inferiority.Historical Development
Ancient and Medieval Foundations
The region encompassing modern Junagadh, centered around the Girnar hill massif, holds evidence of human activity dating back to prehistoric times, with early settlements on the slopes prior to significant Quaternary geological events. However, the earliest documented historical significance emerges during the Mauryan Empire (circa 321–185 BCE), when Junagadh served as a provincial administrative center. Emperor Ashoka (r. 268–232 BCE) inscribed one of his Major Rock Edicts on a large granite boulder near the city, dated to approximately 250 BCE, promoting principles of Dhamma including non-violence, tolerance, and ethical governance in Brahmi script using Prakrit language. These inscriptions, among the fourteen major edicts, underscore the area's strategic value for imperial communication and water management, as Ashoka references improvements to the Sudarshana Lake originally constructed under Chandragupta Maurya (r. 321–297 BCE).[26][27] Post-Mauryan rule saw the incursion of Western Satraps (Shakas), Indo-Scythian rulers who controlled Saurashtra from around 35 BCE to 405 CE. Rudradaman I (r. 130–150 CE), a prominent Shaka mahakshatrapa, repaired the Sudarshana Lake after flood damage, as detailed in his Sanskrit inscription on the same rock as Ashoka's edicts, composed shortly after 150 CE in elegant classical Sanskrit prose—the earliest such example. This multilingual layering of inscriptions on the rock illustrates the site's enduring administrative and hydrological importance, with Rudradaman's work involving embankments and canals to sustain agriculture in the arid region. By the 5th century CE, Gupta emperor Skandagupta (r. 455–467 CE) added his own inscription to the rock, claiming restoration of the dam and crediting prior rulers, reflecting Gupta oversight amid Huna pressures.[27][28] In the medieval period, from the 9th century onward, the Chudasama dynasty—a Rajput clan—established Junagadh (then known as Junagadh or Girinagar) as their primary capital, ruling for approximately 600 years until the late 15th century. Notable rulers included Chandra Chuda (r. 875–907 CE), under whom the Uparkot Fort—a massive citadel originally dating to Mauryan times but extensively fortified with triple walls, moats, and Buddhist caves—was rebuilt and expanded to defend against invasions. The Chudasamas patronized Hinduism and Jainism, leveraging Girnar's sanctity as the nirvana site of Tirthankara Neminatha (circa 22nd Tirthankara), with temple constructions enhancing the hill's pilgrimage status. Their rule ended with conquest by the Gujarat Sultanate under Mahmud Begada in 1472 CE, shifting control to Muslim governors who maintained the fort's defenses while integrating the area into the sultanate's feudal structure until Mughal incorporation in the 16th century.[29][28][30]Rise of Babi Dynasty
The Babi dynasty traced its origins to the Usmankhel Yusufzai Pashtuns, who entered northern India as military retainers under the Mughal emperor Humayun in the mid-16th century, with Usman Khan Babi serving as a key follower during Humayun's campaigns.[2] Descendants of this clan rose through the Mughal administrative hierarchy in Gujarat, leveraging martial skills amid the empire's gradual fragmentation in the early 18th century. Junagadh, previously a Rajput stronghold conquered by Muslim forces in 1472 under the Gujarat Sultanate and later incorporated into Mughal domains, became a focal point for local power struggles as central authority waned.[2] Sher Khan Babi, a prominent clan leader and Mughal appointee in the region, exploited this vacuum to assert control. In 1735, he expelled the incumbent Mughal governor (faujdar) of Junagadh, thereby founding an independent polity centered on the city and its surrounding territories in southern Kathiawar.[2] This seizure was facilitated by alliances with local chieftains distressed by Maratha raids and Mughal neglect, allowing Sher Khan to organize defense and administration without formal imperial sanction. His success stemmed from the dynasty's Pathan martial tradition, which proved effective against fragmented foes, marking the transition from vassalage to de facto sovereignty.[7] Under Sher Khan and his immediate successors, the Babis consolidated holdings by repelling Maratha incursions and integrating adjacent parganas, establishing a hereditary Muslim rulers' line over a predominantly Hindu agrarian base. Sher Khan, who ruled until approximately 1758, adopted the title Nawab Bahadur Khanji I and appointed Hindu dewans like Dalpatram (1748–1751) and Jagannath Morarji to handle revenue and civil affairs, fostering initial stability.[7] This pragmatic governance enabled the dynasty to endure as one of Gujarat's few independent Muslim principalities, setting the stage for expansion into revenue-generating ports and estates by the late 18th century.[2]British Suzerainty and Internal Dynamics
Junagadh State entered British suzerainty in 1807 when Nawab Muhammad Hamid Khanji I concluded the Walker Settlement with Colonel Walker of the East India Company, acknowledging British paramountcy over external affairs and defense in exchange for protection against Maratha incursions and internal autonomy.[31][1] This arrangement formalized Junagadh's status as a princely state within the Kathiawar Political Agency, where the British maintained oversight through a resident political agent but refrained from direct interference in domestic governance unless prompted by lapses in administration or succession disputes.[32] Subsequent engagements, such as the 1821 treaty with the East India Company and the 1879 cession of criminal jurisdiction over railway lands, reinforced this subsidiary alliance without eroding the Nawab's core authority.[33][34] Internally, the Babi Nawabs governed a predominantly Hindu population—estimated at over 80% by the late 19th century—through a blend of traditional Islamic administrative practices and incremental modernizations, fostering relative communal harmony absent major recorded uprisings during the British era.[35] The state retained elements of the Mughal mansabdari system for revenue collection and military organization, overseen by a diwan (prime minister) and departmental officials.[31] Nawab Mahabat Khanji II (r. 1851–1882) introduced a formalized Revenue Department to enhance fiscal efficiency, while his successors, including Rasul Khanji (r. 1892–1913), established the Alienation Department in 1895 to manage land grants and indebtedness.[31] Economic and infrastructural reforms under suzerainty included the construction of the Junagadh-Port Bandar railway in 1886, connecting the state to broader networks, and later initiatives like an electric powerhouse in 1929, which supported limited industrialization while preserving agrarian foundations.[31] These developments, funded through state revenues and occasional British loans, aimed at self-sufficiency but highlighted dependencies, as the Nawabs navigated British expectations for progressive rule amid a diverse populace where Hindu taluqdars held significant local influence alongside Muslim elites.[15] The absence of systemic communal friction until the 1940s underscores the efficacy of personalized Nawabi patronage in maintaining order, though underlying demographic disparities sowed seeds for later tensions.[36]Key Internal Conflicts
One of the earliest recorded internal conflicts in Junagadh State occurred during the reign of the first Nawab, Sher Khan Babi (r. 1730–1748), when Koli chieftain Mansa Khant led a rebellion against the newly established Babi dynasty's authority. The Kolis, a local tribal community, resisted the imposition of Muslim rule following the decline of Mughal influence, with Mansa Khant seizing the strategic Uparkot Fort and conducting raids across the region for approximately 13 months. This uprising highlighted early ethnic and administrative frictions between the incoming Pathan rulers and indigenous groups, though the Nawab eventually suppressed it with external aid, consolidating control over the territory.[37] During the British suzerainty period (from the early 19th century onward), internal dynamics were shaped by the Nawabs' absolute rule amid a predominantly Hindu population (estimated at over 80% by the 1940s), fostering grievances over fiscal mismanagement, favoritism toward Muslim elites in administration, and lack of representative institutions. The Nawabs' extravagance, particularly under Muhammad Mahabat Khan III (r. 1933–1947), who accrued significant debts through palace constructions and luxuries, exacerbated economic strains on subjects, leading to widespread discontent.[32] The formation of the Junagadh Praja Mandal in the late 1920s marked a structured reform movement, affiliated with the All-India States People's Conference, demanding civil liberties, responsible government, and curbs on autocratic excesses. Agitations intensified in the 1930s and 1940s under leaders like Samaldas Gandhi, who later became president, targeting the repressive policies of Dewan Sir Shah Nawaz Khan (appointed 1943), including press censorship, arbitrary arrests, and suppression of public assemblies. Satyagrahas and protests, often coordinated from adjacent British territories like Rajkot, sought constitutional reforms and greater Hindu representation, reflecting causal tensions from dynastic absolutism clashing with emerging democratic aspirations amid colonial-era political awakening. These movements, while non-violent, faced state crackdowns, underscoring systemic imbalances in a Muslim-ruled state with Hindu-majority demographics.[32][38]Governance and Rulers
List of Nawabs
The Babi Nawabs ruled Junagadh State from its establishment as an independent entity in 1748 until the accession crisis of 1947. The dynasty originated from Pashtun Babi tribesmen who gained control over the region following the decline of Mughal authority. There were nine recognized Nawabs, each bearing titles such as Shri Diwan Nawab and later receiving British honors including gun salutes and knighthoods.[2] The following table enumerates the Nawabs with their reign periods:| No. | Name | Reign Period |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muhammad Bahadur Khanji I (also known as Muhammad Sher Khan Babi) | 1748–1758 |
| 2 | Muhammad Mahabat Khanji I | 1758–1774 |
| 3 | Muhammad Hamid Khanji I | 1774–1811 |
| 4 | Muhammad Bahadur Khanji II | 1811–1840 |
| 5 | Muhammad Hamid Khanji II | 1840–1851 |
| 6 | Muhammad Mahabat Khanji II | 1851–1882 |
| 7 | Muhammad Bahadur Khanji III | 1882–1892 |
| 8 | Muhammad Rasul Khanji | 1892–1911 |
| 9 | Muhammad Mahabat Khanji III | 1911–1947 |