Sawantwadi State


Savantvadi State, also spelt Sawantwadi ruled by the Sawant Bhonsale dynasty was one of the non-salute Maratha princely states during the British Raj. It was the only state belonging to the Kolaba Agency under the Bombay Presidency, which became later part of the Deccan States Agency. Its capital was at Sawantwadi, in the present-day Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
Sawantvadi State measured 438 square kilometers in area. According to the 1931 census, the population was 250,589. The main language of the inhabitants of the state was Marathi.

History

The ancestor of Sawantwadi state, Mangal or Mang Sawant came to this area of South Konkan along with the army of Bijapur around 16th Century to serve as a Subhedar. He belonged to the Sisodia family from Udaipur.
Sawantwadi state was founded in 1627 by Khem Sawant I, later becoming a vassal state of the Sultanate of Bijapur. Khem Sawant II made Sundarwadi his capital which later got the name of Sawantwadi as the rulers were known as Sawants.
It had some fortified hills, such as Manohar and Mansantosh.
On 7 April 1765 Savantvadi State became a British protectorate.
Sawantwadi acceded to the Dominion of India on 15 August 1947, becoming part of Bombay State in 1948.

Rulers

The rulers of Sawantvadi State were Hindu and belonged to the Sawant Bhonsle clan. They used the title of Raja Bahadur from 1785 onwards, a hereditary title granted to the head of the family by Shah Alam II.

Title ''Raja Sar Desai''

The Present Head of the family is His Highness Khem Sawant VI. The erstwhile royal family is now striving hard to promote and carry forward the legacy of art of Ganjifa and Lacquer ware which was once revived by His Highness Lt. Col. Shivramraje Sawant Bhonsle and Her Highness Satvashiladevi Bhonsle in the Sawantwadi Palace. They are also coming up with a boutique hotel whose centre theme revolves around the Dashavtar Ganjifa.