State of Bhavnagar

                                        State of Bhavnaga

                                     


                                              Bhavsinhji ensured that Bhavnagar benefited from the revenue that was brought in from maritime trade, which was monopolised by Surat and Cambay. As the castle of Surat was under the control of the Sidis of Janjira, Bhavsinhji brokered an agreement with them, giving the Sidis 1.25% of the revenue by Bhavnagar port. Bhavsinhji entered into a similar agreement with the British when they took over Surat in 1856.Whilst Bhavsinhji was in power, Bhavnagar grew from a small chieftainship to a considerably important state. This was due to the addition of new territories as well as the income provided by maritime trade. Bhavsinhji's successors continued to encourage maritime trade through Bhavnagar port, recognising its importance to the state. The territory was further expanded by Bhavsinhji's grandson, Vakhatsinhji Gohil when he took possession of lands belonging to Kolis and Kathis, obtained Rajula from the Navab Saheb Ahmad Khan, and merged Ghogha Taluka into the state. In 1793, Vakhatsinhji conquered the forts of Chital and Talaja, and later conquered Mahuva, Kundla, Trapaj, Umrala and Botad.Bhavnagar remained the main port of the state, with Mahuva and Gogha also becoming important ports. Because of the maritime trade, the state prospered compared to other states. During the late 19th century, the Bhavnagar State Railway was constructed. This made Bhavnagar the first state that was able to construct its railway system without any aid from the central government, which was mentioned in the Imperial Gazetteer. Mr Peile, a political agent, described the state as follows: "With flourishing finances and much good work in progress. Of financial matters I need say little; you have no debts, and your treasury is full."^[4] Between 1870 and 1878 the state was put under joint administration, due to the fact that Prince Takhtsinhji was a minor. This period produced some notable reforms in the areas of administration, revenue collection, judiciary, the post and telegraph services, and economic policy. The ports were also modernised. The two people who were responsible for those reforms were Mr E. H. Percival of the Bombay Civil Service and Sri Gaurishankar Udayshankar Oza, Chief Minister of Bhavnagar State Bhavngar Boroz. In 1911, HH Maharani Nundkanvarba of Bhavnagar, was awarded the Order of the Crown of India, the highest Imperial award for women of the Empire. The former princely state of Bhavnagar was also known as Gohilwad; "Land of the Gohils" (the clan of the ruling family). The current royal family of Bhavnagar resides in the Nilambagh Palace. Part of the Palace has been converted to a heritage hotel. The current Royal Family of Bhavnagar comprises Maharaja Vijayraj Singh Gohil and Maharani Samyukta Kumari,

      

Name	Reign	Title
Ratanji (d. 1703) II	1660–1703	Thakur Sahib
Bhavsinhji I Ratanji (1683–1764)	1703–1764	Thakur Sahib
Akherajji II Bhavsinhji (1714–1772)	1764–1772	Thakur Sahib
Wakhatsinhji Akherajji (1748–1816)	1772–1816	Thakur Sahib
Wajesinhji Wakhatsinhji (1780–1852)	1816–1852	Thakur Sahib
Akherajji III Bhavsinhji (1817–1854)	1852–1854	Thakur Sahib
Jashwantsinhji Bhavsinhji (1827–1870)	1854 – 11 April 1870	Thakur Sahib
Takhatsinhji Jashwantsinhji (1858–1896)	11 April 1870 – 29 January 1896	Thakur Sahib
Bhavsinhji II Takhatsinhji (1875–1919)	29 January 1896 – 1 January 1918	Thakur Sahib
	1 January 1918 – 17 July 1919	Maharaja Rao
Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavsinhji (1912–1965)	17 July 1919 – 15 August 1947	Maharaja Rao
Virbhadrasinhji Krishnakumarsinhji Gohil (1932–1994) ^	1 April 1965 – 26 Jul 1994	Maharaja Rao
Vijayrajsinhji Virbhadrasinhji Gohil (1968) ^	26 July 1994 –	Maharaja Rao