Kathiawar: Difference between revisions

Kathiawad means the land of the [[Kathi Darbar|Kathis]], a [[Kshatriya]] caste who migrated to the region in the 8th century and controlled the southwestern peninsula of contemporary Gujarat.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Chandrani |first1=Yogesh|title=Legacies of Colonial History: Region, Religion, and Violence in Postcolonial Gujarat |issue=1 |page=2 |url=https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/.../Chandrani_columbia_0054D_11531.pdf}}</ref>

Kathis were spread out in the entire region and dominated central [[Saurashtra (region)|Saurashtra]] for some centuries. Although the Kathis are believed to have migrated to the area as late as the 16th century, they have played an important part in the documented history of the region. During the reign of [[Gurjara-Pratihara dynasty|Pratihar]] ruler [[Mihira Bhoja|Mihir Bhoj]], the [[Rajput]] empire stretched from Kathiawad to the Bay of Bengal.<ref>{{cite book|title=The history of the Pratihāras|author=Baij Nath Puri|publisher=Munshiram Manoharlal Publishers|year=1986|page=xvii}}</ref> A Haddola inscription confirms that [[ Pratihar]]s continued to rule in this region during the reign of [[Mahipala I]].<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopaedia of Jainism|author=Narendra Singh|publisher=Anmol Publications PVT. LTD.|year=2001|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DSzlv9pcJtsC&pg=PA4857&dq}}</ref> The peninsula is dotted with antiquities and has a continuous history from prehistoric times to the early periods of the ''[[Mahabharata]]'' through the [[Indus civilization]].{{citation needed|date=November 2020}} Kathi people particularly influenced the peninsula between the 16th century to the mid-20th century.{{citation needed|date=August 2020}}

In a geopolitical context, the area of Kathiawar forms the core of Saurashtra. In feudal times, there were certain principal divisions in Saurashtra that fell under princely states: [[Rajkot State]], [[Jamnagar State]], [[Gondal State]], [[Bhavnagar State]], [[Dhrangadhra State]], [[Morvi State]], [[Jasdan State]], [[Jetpur State]], and [[wankaner State]] ,[[wadhwan State]],  [[limdi]] state .However, the main area of Kathiawar covered 10 districts: Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Surendranagar, Porbandar, Amreli, Junagadh, Botad, Morvi, Gir-somnath.