Radhanpur State

Radhanpur State
રાધનપુર
Princely State of British India
←
1753–1948 →

Coat of arms

Location of Radhanpur State at the northern end of Saurashtra
History
 - Established 1753
 - Indian independence 1948
Area
 - 1931 2,978 km2 (1,150 sq mi)
Population
 - 1931 61,548 
Density 20.7 /km2  (53.5 /sq mi)
Public Domain This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
Carved Wooden houses from the palace of the Nawab of Radhanpur

Radhanpur State was a princely state in India during the British Raj. Its rulers belonged to the Babi, family of Usmankhel sept of Yusufzai Pathan tribe. The last ruling Nawab of Radhanpur, Nawab Murtaza Khan, signed the accession to the Indian Union on 10 June 1948.[1]

The town of Radhanpur in the Saurashtra region of Gujarat was its capital. It was surrounded by a loopholed wall; the town was formerly known for its export trade in rapeseed, grains and cotton.[2]

History

In 1753 Jawan Mard Khan II, son of Jawan Mard Khan I who assisted Mughal Empire in the rule of Gujarat, became independent ruler of Radhanpur, among other territories. In 1706 Jafar Khan was appointed governor of Patan and in 1715 his son Khan Jahan (Jawan Mard Khan I) was appointed governor of Radhanpur and other territories. After the collapse of the Mughal Empire and the beginning of Maratha rule in the area, Radhanpur State was founded as a independent kingdom around 1753 by Jawan Mard Khan II.[3] On 16 December 1813, Radhanpur became a British protectorate and in 1819 the British helped the Nawab to expel the Khosa raiders, a predatory tribe which used to make incursions from Sindh. The state was part of the Palanpur Agency of the Bombay Presidency, which in 1925 became the Banas Kantha Agency. British administrators took charge of the regency of the state on two occasions, when two separate Nawabs died leaving a minor son as successor.

The Nawab of Radhanpur was empowered by the British to control the external relations, as well as to mint their own coins, of the state.[4] The latter privilege lasted until 1900, when Radhanpur State had to adopt the Indian currency. The state's progressive Nawab briefly introduced decimalization, with 100 fuls equaling one rupee, long before India began to use the decimal currency system in 1957.

In 1943, with the implementation of the 'attachement scheme', Radhanpur State enlarged its territory by an additional 2,234 km² when some lesser princely states were merged. The population of the merged territories was about 33,000 inhabitants, which brought the total population Radhanpur State to 100,644,

Rulers

Radhanpur State was ruled by a branch of the Babi Dynasty and had the right to an 11 gun salute. The rulers of the state bore the title 'Nawab'. They were related to the ruling houses of Junagadh and Balasinor, two other Gujarat princely states. [5]

Nawabs

See also

References

  1. ↑ Radhanpur State - Princely State (11 gun salute)
  2. ↑ Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 21, p. 23.
  3. ↑ Royal House of Radhanpur
  4. ↑ Chisholm 1911, p. 785.
  5. ↑ Princely States of India

Coordinates: 23°50′N 71°36′E / 23.833°N 71.600°E