PART ONE S THE SE'iTINGS THE DISTRICT IN SPACE AND TIME AREA, QRIGEi, AHlIUJm AND SOCIAL DYNAI4XGS The district of Bhavnagar occupies south eastern portion of Saurashtra. It lies between 20^X3* and north latitude and 71°15* and 72®lB* east longitude. Th« tv/o sides of the district are bounded by the Arabian Sea (also parts of the Amreli district) on the south and the Gulf of Gainbay on the east* The other sides are bounded by Surendranagar and Ahmedabad districts on the north, and Hajkot and Amreli districts on the west. The shape (Fig, i) of the district is roughly crescentic, and has an area of 12, sq,km. The district is divided into three sub-divisions, seven talukas, five mahsls and eight hundred and ninety four villages. Total norulation is 1,405,235 (1971 Census) out of which 6B percent is of rural base. The district derives its name from the city of Bhavnagar, This particular region was called Gohilwad as it was ruled by the various branches of Gohil Rajputs who came to Saurashtra in the later half of the 13th Century (The District Gazetteer 1^69 t 1), As hinted by the archaeological discoveries (of. Chapter two, Foundation Section) , the district wais inhabited by the Stone Age People, e wT le V n o . 1 NfcP Of THB IHAVIAQAR SlSTRICfi o V »c t tvjVi -cT pr'!. o C i OC < e> < z I CO H- O (C K O H -'t The neolithic culture is, however, yet conspicuous by its absence in the district of Bhavnagar. Archaeological explorations and trial diggings (lAR 1957-58 t li8-20i lAR l960-6l : 7-8) have brought to light foci of chalcolithic culture!s) in the district from the valleys of Ghelo and Kalubhar. The Chalcolothic culture of this district, however, does not seem to be so promising as the adjacent districts of Surendranagar (Rangpur) and Ahmedabad (Lothal). The people of Saurashtra are firmly rooted in the past. Legend and tradition attest their historical antiquity. According to one account, Anartta, the son of Saryitl and grandson of Manu, is reputed to have had his capital at Kasasthali or Dwarika in Surastra (V irji, 1952 t 1), Whereas another legend credits the iadava Krsna who is said to have ruled the whole province from the capital at Dwarka (Sankalia, 1941 » 7). Even it finds mention in Panini’ s Ganapatha, The fact is, the early political history of the area concerned, as that of the ancient India, commenced with /the advent of the Mauryas in C .319 B.C, The first king of the Mauryas, Chandragupta having consolidated his power in Magadha extended his imperial sway to the east and the west (Mookerjii, 1928 : 72) and, afterwards, around C. 304 B .C ., turned to north-west and annexed Kathiawad (Kielhom , Epigraphia Indica, 1905-06 : 8 i 36-49). Since then, the Imperial Mauryas, the Indo-Greek Kings, the Western Ksatrapas and the Imperial Guptas were political masters for a pretty long period of Saurashtra* s past, yFrom the Mauryas to the Guptas, period between c, 319 B.C. and c* 470 A,D,, is a period of political consolidation under the strongest and period of disintegration under the weak, leading to the struggle for supremacy. The district of Bhavnagar rose to political prominence with the rise of the Maitrakas, From the copper plates of the Maitrakas, it is known that Senapati Bhattirka, the • • progenitor of the Maitraka dynasty, abandaned the old capital, and the city was shifted from Girinagara (Junagadh) to Valabhi in about A.D. ISO or 490 (Sankalia, 1941 : 28), The early Maitraka-rulers did not assume any royal title like Chakravartin or Mahara.iadhlra.la but continued to style themselves as * Senapati’ or Mahara.ia. Out of 19 rulers of this dynasty (Virji, 1952 : 20), the 12th ruler, Dharasena IV, was first to call himself Chakravartlji (Sankalia, 1941 s 291 V irji, 1952 * 7 7), the other kings who assumed the title of Mahara.iadhlra.la and Paramesvara were all Siladityas, the I5th to 19th rulers in the Maitraka genealogical list. The Maitraka family, known as the Valabhi dynasty, ruled over Saurashtra for over 300 years, and finally Jain tradition records, destroyed by the Arabs, but the other view holds that the Valabhi kingdom was destroyed by the contemporary pratihara king, who set-up one or more feudatory families like the Ghapas and the Chalukyas to rule over this territory (Majumder, R .G ., 1954 s 1 5 D . The fall of the Valabhl dynasty in circa 770 or 738 A.D. (?) is another historical enigma. As implied by the Devali plates (Journal of J.F, Historical Society : 24*25 : 196) , the Rastrakutas might have been the arbitrator' of this district for sometime. The Valas, tracing their origin to Vrishaktu, seemed to have returned and repeopled Valabhl after some inteirval under the leadership of Ebhal Vala, The Vala-rule continued till the thirteen century. Ultimately they were overpowered by the Gohils, who, in turn, were overthrown in 1297-98 A.D, by the Muhammadans, And, in course of time, South Gujarat, mainland and its adjunct formed into a province of the Delhi- kingdom. The one time Oohil Kingdom gradually emerged as separate states, the principal branches of the Gohils established their power at (l) Bhavnagar, (2) Palitana, ( 3) Vala and (4) Lathi, Bhavnagar was the largest of these States, .'its first capital was at Umrala (1309 A.D,), then shifted to Sihor in A,D, 1547 and later on in 1723, under the stress of political condition then prevailing in Saurashtra, the choice fell on bhavnagar. The foundation of British rule in the 19th century is a turning point in Indian history, administrative charges were from mediafval to modem, Gujarat ceased to be a province of the Delhi Sultanate as it used to be in the Muslim period and was under British rule included in the Bombay Presidency, It had three fold administrative units* A) British districts (consisting of Ahmedabad, Broach and Panchamahals, Kaira and Surat) ; (B) Agency-administered areas (included Eastern Kathiawar Agency, Western Kathiawar Agency, Sabarkantha Agency and Gujarat State Agency) and (C) Other states and Estates (chief among them were Baroda, Kutch, Nawanagar, Junagadh and Bhavnagar), Till the entire Saurashtra-Peninsula was politically fragpiented. The integration and consolidation of princely areas took place after the independence of the country on 15th August 1947. 'ihe reorganisation of the country led to the formation of Gujarat State in 1950, the district was made, with extinction of princely areas, the principal adtoinistrative unit in the new structure of the newly created S ta te» The district then known as Gohilwad was consisted of the former princely States and Thanas of Bhavnagar, Palitana, Vala, Lathi, Raisankali, Jafrabad, Lakhapadar, Dedan and Songadh. On the basis of rlus-rainus spatial adjustment, the present district of Bhavnagar was formed in 1959 which is now comprised of the fomer Gohiwad district less (i) all villages of Rajula Mahal except one, (ii) Jafrabad Mahal, (iii) Lilia Mahal, (iv) Lathi Mahal minus twelve villages, (v) two villages of Jmrala Mahal and two villages of Gadhada ttahal. And territories added are t (i) Gogha Mahal, (ii) Seven villages of Daninagar Mahal, Arareli district and (iii) three villages of flajula Mahal, Since 1959 no major changes took place in the spatial adjustment of the district, exempting the adjustment in the boundaries of talukas resulting from the transfer of l6 villages of Gogha & Mahal to bhavnagar and Sihor talukas. From the Maitrakas to the Muhammadans, and following them, this region has, however, witnessed cycles of rolitico- adrainistrative changes. Structural analysis, so far as politico-administrative changes are concerned, would show growth and decay, but the mainstream of social tradition of this district remains a part and parcel of that "Tradition” ? which sprang from the prehistoric period, carried forward by its own flow, and ultimately embellished, as a process of synthesis which can be termed Indian culture. Today, basing on the means of subsistence, total populace of the district is divisible into two classes - workers and non-workers. The working r>opulation is subdivided into - (a) Persons engaged in agricultural pursuits and (b) persons engaged in non-agricultural pursuits. The non­ working class, however, is mainly represented by full-time students, persons seeking employment, or engaged in household duties etc,etc. In the economic sphere of the district, the most vital role is t;layed by the agriculturists who form more than 60 per cent of the vMorking populace. However, the district also shows a moderate degree of industrialization. As the striking feature of economy indicating the predominance of agriculture, the district does not show uniformity in the distribution of rxspulation, Zones with levelland and fertile soil show the higher r^ofulation density than the barren uncultivated land, hilly-tracts or areas under forest. The density of population in the urban area is naturally higher than the rural area. But when the prorortion of Hural-urban population to the total population in the district is worked out, the percentage ratio comes to 68,52 i 31.48. I'his implies an importance of villages in the total set up of the district, ihus, owing to rural-oriented society with agriculture based economy, the general life-pattem of the district is still traditional, Ko doubt the convenient transportation by buses have made cities accessible to the rural folk, yet the old-fashioned character of villages can be seen through­ out the district, as it has more than 800 villages. Proximity to city life has not marred the rural naviete.