Saurashtra State
| United State of Kathiawar Saurashtra સૌરાષ્ટ્ર રાજ્ય |
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| State of India | |||||
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| Capital | Rajkot | ||||
| History | |||||
| • | Abolition of the Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency | 15 February 1948 | |||
| • | Merger into Bombay State | 1 November 1956 | |||
Saurashtra, also known as United State of Kathiawar, was a separate, western State within the Union of India from 1948 until 1956, on Saurashtra alias Kathiawar peninsula, with Rajkot as its capital, on territory now part of Gujarat state.
The Saurashtra State was earlier named the United State of Kathiawar. It was formed on 15 February 1948, out of approximately 200 large and small Princely States of the colonial Baroda, Western India and Gujarat States Agency of the British raj territory under direct colonial rule.
The name of State was given after the Kathiawar and Saurahstra region both of which generally denote the same geographical region of lands on the main peninsula of Gujarat.
It was largely due to efforts and statesmanship of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the influence of Mahatma Gandhi that most of the States of Kathiawar had agreed to join Union of India and sign the Instrument of Accession. This required a lot of Patel's time, to meet and convince the local princes and petty subas, totaling 222 in Saurashtra region alone.
Among these in Kathiawar Agency were 14 Salute states, 17 minor and 191 petty Non-salute Princely States, and 46 Estates. Most of the native rulers of the Kathiawar States entered into a Covenant for the formation of the United States of Kathiawar on 24 January 1948.
The large Kathiawar peninsula included some prominent princely states of India, notably salute state :
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