Gorwar

Gorwar or Godwad, (in different periods also was called Chandravati Kingdom, Sirohi State) is a region of Rajasthan state in India, which lies in the southwest Rajasthan and borders with the state of Gujarat.

Geography

It stretch along the edge of the Aravalli Hills and is bounded by Mewar in the south-east and Gujarat in the south-west. It covers the region of Jalore, Sirohi and the southern portion of Pali district of Rajasthan. Falna, Abu Road, Sanderao and Sirohi are the main towns of the region.

The Sukri river and its tributaries flows through this region and flows in the west direction to join the Luni River before it evacuates into the Rann of Kutch. The West Banas River drains the southeastern part of the region.

The region has an arid semi- desert climate and falls under the category of the Northwestern thorn scrub forests eco-region. The western part of the Jalore district has a desert landscape as it falls in the Thar Desert and has a desert landscape complete with sand dunes..

History

From the early 10th century the region was ruled by the Paramaras of Abu from the capital Chandravati. The first Paramar ruler of the area was Sindhuraja.

In 1024, the kingdom was attacked and plundered by Mahmud Ghazni, when he passed through Rajasthan to attack Anhilwada. After defeating Prithviraj Chauhan III in 1192, the Muslim Army also attacked Chandravati. In 1197 Qutubuddin Aibak general Khusrav defeated its king Dharavarsha near the foot of Mount Abu.

In about 1315 the region passed into hands of Deoras, a branch of the Chauhan clan of Rajputs. Deoraj, founder of the dynasty, claimed descent from Prithviraj Chauhan III, the last Hindu ruler of Delhi. In 1405, Rao Sobhaji (6th in descent from Rao Deoraj) founded the town of Shivpuri on the western slope of Siranwa Hill. Shivpuri today lies in ruins. In 1425, his son and successor, Sehastramal (or Sahastramal, Sehastramal), founded a fortress on the eastern slope of the same hill, which became his capital and grew into the present-day town of Sirohi. The capital was shifted to Sirohi around 1450.

During the early years of the 19th century, Sirohi Kingdom suffered much from wars with Jodhpur and the Meena hill tribes of the area. The protection of the British was sought in 1817; the pretensions of Jodhpur to suzerainty over Sirohi were disallowed, and in 1823 a treaty was concluded with the British government. Sirohi became a self-governing princely state within British India, and part of the Rajputana Agency.

For services rendered during the Revolt of 1857, the Rao received a remission of half his tribute. The state was traversed by the Rajputana Railway in the 19th century, and a station was built at Abu Road, 28 miles south of the town of Sirohi. Rao Keshri Singh (ruled 1875-1920) and his successors were granted the title Maharao (equivalent to Maharaja) in 1889.

Demographics

The area of the state was 5,087 km² (1,964 sq mi) and its population in 1901 was 154,544. The population of the town of Sirohi that year was 5651. These figures represented a decrease of 17% from the figures that obtained in the previous census of 1891; this was presumably the result of the famine that stalked the land for much of that decade.

Economy

The state manufactured sword-blades and other weapons, but little else. In 1901 the gross revenue of the state was approximately Rs 28,000, and the tribute to the British Raj was set at a mere Rs 450. The Crosthwaite Hospital was opened by Sir Robert Crosthwaite in December 1897.

The Sirohi state joined India after the independence and became the part of Rajasthan state later in 1960.

References

• Godwad Circuit of Rajasthan

External links

• Traditional shepherd life in Godwar -Rajasthan