Dhar State

Dhar State धार रियासत
Princely State of British India
1730–1947 →
Flag
Dhar State in the Imperial Gazetteer of India
History
•	Established	1730
•	Independence of India	1947
Area
•	1941	4,660 km2 (1,799 sq mi)
Population
•	1941	253,210
	Density	54.3 /km2  (140.7 /sq mi)
Today part of		India
Columbia-Lippincott Gazetteer (New York: Columbia University Press, 1952) p. 510

HH Maharaja Udaji Rao II Puar of Dhar

City Palace, built in 1875

Dhar State was a princely state of British Raj ruled by the Rajput Pawar dynasty, of Kshatriya Maratha- lineage. It was a salute state in the colonial sway of the Central India Agency. Dhar began as one of the states during Maratha dominance in India about 1730. In 1941 it had an area of 1,798 square miles (4,660 km²) and a population of 253,210. Dhar(anagar) was the capital of the state since 1732 (from the 1728 foundation, the Raja's first seat had been Multhan). In 1948 it became part of Madhya Bharat.^[1]

Lying between 21°57' and 23°15' north, and 74°37' and 75°37' east, Dhar State was bordered on the north by Ratlam State; east by parts of Gwalior and Indore States; on the south by Barwani State, and on the west by Jhabua State and portions of Gwalior and Indore.

Hemendra Singh Rao Pawar is the present head of the former ruling family of the now defunct state.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

History

The Parmar clan Rajput rulers of the state claimed descent from the legendary Vikramaditya and the Paramara king Bhoja. The present Dhar dynasty was founded in 1729 by Udaji Rao Puar, a distinguished Maratha general who received the territory as a grant from the Peshwas. During the Pindhari raids, the state's territory was whittled away, until it was restored in size on 10 January 1819, when it signed a Subsidiary alliance agreement with the British East India Company and became a major Princely state, enjoying indirect rule under British protectorate. The name of the state was taken from old city of Dharlong, famous as the capital of Parmar Rajputs. The state was confiscated for rebellion in 1857 but was restored in 1864 with reduction in territory.

Rulers

The British granted Dhar a Hereditary gun salute of 15-guns,

Rajas

Maharajas

The current head of the former ruling family, the self-coronated Maharaja Shrimant Hemendra Singh Rao Pawar of Dhar State seated on the Gadi (throne) of the Kshatriya Maratha-Rajput Pawar (Puar/Parmar) Clan at his "coronation" on 15th January 2015 at the 300-year-old 'Rajwada' (Old Palace) of Dhar.

The line is nominally continued

Dhar Thikanas

A separate department to superintend Thakurs and Bhumias, Entitled "Department of Thakurans, Bhumian and Thikanejat" was established in 1921, at which time there were 22 such estates in Dhar State.

The nobles of Dhar Holding jagir lands (feudatory estates), all of whom paid tribute to the Darbar (state government), were divided between Thakurs and Bhumias.

The Thakurs with one exception were Rajput landholders whose estates were located in the North of the state. Locally, the Thakurs were styled Talukdars and their holdings kothari. By caste there were 8 Rathor Rajputs, one Pawar and one Kayasth.

The Bhumias or "Alloidal" Chiefs were all Bhilalas, a clan claiming mixed tribal Bhil people and Rajput (Chauhan) descent. Their grants were originally obtained from the Darbar on the understanding that they kept the peace among the Bhils and other wild hill tribes. They paid yearly tribute to the Darbar, while some received cash allowances (Bhet-Ghugri), an ancient feudal custom which has its origins in Blackmail.

Thakurs

(the first four were holdings guaranteed by the British)

1. Multhan - The estate consisted of 29 villages in the Badnawar pargana.
2. Kac(c)hi Baroda - The chief, Thakur Bharat Singh, who was born in 1893 and succeeded in 1901, was adopted from a Sailana family. He was a Rathor Rajput, related to the Ratlam State ruling family. The residence of the chief is the town of Multhan, situated on the Ratlam river, on the Dhar road 5 miles from Badnawar and 26 miles from Dhar city. Area 99 square miles. Population was 11,804 in 1931.
3. Dotria - The chief in 1928 was Thakur Onkar Singh, another Rathor Rajput. He was born in 1887, succeeded in 1892 and was invested in full powers in 1908. He also held lands from the great Gwalior State. Area - 27.7 miles.
4. Bakhatgarh - The ruler, Rao Thakur Raisingh, a Pawar Rajput, was born in 1889 and succeeded to the gaddi (throne) in 1912. In 1927, the estate, consisting of 35 villages, yielded a revenue of 74,000 Rupees.
5. Bidwal - The chief, Thakur Jaswant Singh, a Rathore Rajput of the Fatehsinghaut clan, was born in 1881, and succeeded on adoption in 1866. The estate consisted of eight villages in the above Badnawar pargana, yielding an annual revenue of 51,000 Rupees in 1928.
6. Kod
7. Dharsi Khera
8. Mangaliya
9. Maswadia
10. Kathodia
11. Mangela
12. Bercha
13. Dana (Pana)
14. Ghatgara

Bhumias

1. Bara Barkheda
2. Bharud Pawar
3. Kali Baodi
4. Pipalda (Garhi)
5. Chhota Barkheda
6. Tirla (Nimkheda)
7. Bhawania (Bazurg)
8. Kathodia

Postal/Philatelic Information

In 1897 primitive stamps with entirely native text. The second definitive issue bore the name DHAR STATE in Latin script; a total of 8 stamps. Since 1901 Indian stamps have been in use.

See also

• Maratha Empire
• List of Maratha dynasties and states
• List of princely states of British India (alphabetical)
• Dewas State

References

External links

• Media related to Dhar State at Wikimedia Commons

Coordinates: 22°36′N 75°18′E / 22.6°N 75.3°E / 22.6; 75.3