Porbandar State


Porbandar State was a princely state during the British Raj ruled by Jethwa dynasty. It was one of the few princely states with a coastline.
The capital of state was the harbour town of Porbandar. Some other important towns of state were Bhanvad, Chhaya, Ranpar, and Shrinagar. Earlier Shrinagar served as the capital of Jethwas, then Ghumli served as the capital, but was lost to the Jadejas, however, architectural heritage built by them still stands at Ghumli. During the British Raj, the state covered an area of, encompassing 106 villages and a population, in 1921, of over 100,000 people. It enjoyed a revenue of Rs. 21,00,000/-.

History

In 1193 Porbandar State was founded by an ancestral ruler expelled from Morvi State.
In 1307 the state was renamed 'Ranpur' and in 1574 it was renamed 'Chhaya'. Finally in 1785 the state reverted to the name Porbandar.
On 5 December 1809 it became a British protectorate and between 1886 and 15 September 1900 the state was administered by the Bombay Presidency. It was part of the Kathiawar Agency from 1819 to 1922.
In 1888, during the reign of Vikramatji Khimojiraj, the State started metre-gauge railway called Porbandar State Railway, which after independence was merged in to Saurashtra Railway.
Upon the Independence of India in 1947, the state acceded unto the dominion of India. It was merged with the 'United State of Kathiawar', effective from 15 February 1948 and eventually came to form part of the present-day state of Gujarat.
The grandfather of Mahatma Gandhi, the leader of Indian independence movement, Uttamchand Gandhi and later his father – Karamchand Gandhi and uncle – Tulsidas Gandhi, served as Dewan to Rana of Porbandar state.

Rulers

Porbandar State was ruled by the Jethwa dynasty of Rajputs. By 1947, the rulers held the style of "Highness" and the title of "Maharaj Rana Sahib"; they were entitled to a salute of 13 guns as a hereditary distinction.

Ranas

Flag

The flag is an elongated triangle in light orange with a purple variegated edge; near the pole, a red triangle with a double triangular red flag on its shaft, a long inscription in red.

Coat of Arms

The coat of arms features Hanuman. The crest is a bull, and supporters are two bisons. The motto was "Sri Vusubh dwuj ya numah"