To, LT. COLONEL HIS HIGHNESS MAHARAJA DHIRAJ MAHARAJAJI SHREE SIR DOWLAT SINGHJI SAHEB BAHADUR, K. C. 8.1., MAHARAJA OF IDAR. In accordance with Your Highness' instructions, I beg to submit the following report on the Administration of Yonr Highness' State for the year 1926-27 covering the period of 12 months from 1st October 1926 to 30th September 1927. 1 beg to remain, Your Highness' most obE>dient servant, Himatnagar, 1 H. B. Kotak. 30th April.l928. ) Dewan, Idar State. ADMINISTRATION REPORT OF THE IDAR STATE. FOR THE YEAR 1926·-27 ENDING 30TH SEPTEMBER 1927. ' ·6" • CHAPTER I. General and Political.· 1. rrhe Slnte of Iclar, popularly known as "Nani :Marwar ", ]::; situatell in the north-east of Guzerat lying lJetween 23° G' and 24° 30' north latitude .and Po:-;ition. 72° 49' and 7:3° 43' east longitude. It is bounded on the north by the Native States of Sirohi and :\Iewar, on the east hy the State of Dun­ garpnr and ou the f:\outh m1<l west by the British District of Ahmr:~.laha<l mul the territory of Baroda. 2. rrhe exti'Ollle length and breadth of the State are 9G aud 58 miles respectively. It has an area of Area, J ,GG9 square miles and a total population of Extent and 202, 811 souls, wl1ieh gives a dem,ity of 122 . Population. persons per square mile. a\·e1·ag8 gross revenue and expenditure, inclusive of AYerage all alienations, worked out on the last five rPv.enue and years :.md a half, is Rs. IG,47,379 and Rs. Expeuditme. 1:3,01~31-± respectively, 4. Tbe State pays an yearly hilmte of Rs. 30,340 to His IIi !!:]mess tb e G ai kwar of Baroda under the Trilmte. denomination of Gbasdana while it annually J',)ceives Rs. 52,~27 on account of Khichadi and otllet· Haj Haks from its subordinate Jagirda.rs th~~· trih~1tr~ ·lwying rralukas of the l\Iahi Kantha AgencY. and others. 5. Th0. r:onntry is intPJ·sperscd with hills and rivers, the Cl- lll.'illeip~ or \Yl1i<:h are tho Bahannati, tho Hatlnnati, the l\Ieshvo " and the Vatrak. rrhe soil is rich and fertile Plly:-;ir~nl . ~~xcepting the hilly tracts on the north and on· Fea tnt·l's. the east. The soil is black cotton or light F1andy. 'rl1e average rain fall of the State is :lbont 3;) inches and the principal products are wheat, rapesen<J, metl1i, makld, all sorts of pulses arid oil-&eeds, ri(w, sn;:;are:\110 and cott<_21;:c .. ,-.. l\Im1go and .Malmra trees grow in nhn1H1rmt IJlinntil~~ throngl_yt' the State. ....I) 'l'be BtatP is uotN1 for its f'nnd stone which far excels in tPxtnre, tinlne.c;K and durability the Porlnmdar antl Dlmmgadbrn ~':\tout>. The grmlite rocks at hlnr are nseertained to be of tbe hest qnnlity. Bhetali boast~ of lime stone quarries, the lime prepare(l f1·om which i~ note([ for its quality. 11 OoFJ" or ''Khnro" of n high (1nality ful' preparation uf soap::; abounds in Hiuwtnagar and Bayad Tal nkns. Ou the wr::;t, white elay on the Sahnrmati hank lt>utls i tsPlf llest for tl1e preparation of sizing matedal. 'l'l1e l:;tnte ha::; nlsl> mines of mien, asbestos and steatite. It also ahonmls in rich fon•st..s wbere teak wood, bamboos, babul awl khaklu·as ,grow in n hum1ance The State is eonnected with n railway line from Ahmedabad whieh passes through 3-:1: milt>s of Jdat• territory, terminating at Kbed Bralnna wldeh is noted for its celebrated temples of Amlmji and Brahruaji, the latter hn villg the only largest idol of Brahma in the whole of Itl!lin. G. Amo11g the histol'ienl plnces in the State may be men­ tionell the town of [tbr, the former capital of the State, whieh is enclosed on one side by a brick wall now nlmost in rnins and on the other sides by a Hil::ltorienl ra11ge of bills "\vhieh formed a natural protec­ places of tion in oltl dayS'. 'n1ere are celebrated Jain interest. tPmples situated on Idar lJills drawing Jain pilgrims from neal'ly the whole of Gujarat. P.. Khed Brnhma and 8hamlnji are among the pl'incipJ,¢ places or pilgrimnge and they n ttraet Hindu pilgrims from Oujamt aml other parts especially during the ttnnual fairs. 'l'he Khed Brahma fair lasts from Mnlla 8m1i 15th to FalO'm ~ 1 1':\udi 4th when tr:ulers ft•om J\lewar, l:;!Jirohi, Danta, Baroda and AlnuedalJall g:atbel' in numbers fot· the sale of tbeir wares. The fair at Shumlnji lasts from Kartik Bmli 11th to the end of that month awl attt·nct~ a large number of }Jeople from adjoining ~:Hates aud Britit'>h tPnitory, There is a leper asylum at Blmvnath '>Yhich is another cele­ hrated plnee of pilgrimage in the ~tate. 'rhe waters of a Kund there are hPliPved to he ewluwed with a healing. property. 7. The present ::)tato of ltlnr was founded in 1729 A. D. by the two lw>tllf'J's, Ual1at'ajaR Auand 8inghji and Uai Singhji, H.atlwre Prince::~ f!'om .Jodhpur, who acqtlir.ed tlli s teni tory by the valour of their arms and (•on~olit1ntell it. Since then the territory of ldnr bns, except for a very short period when it passe(l lJnck in the han as of the RMs of Polo a.JH: n.~.~.hwm·~ nltinu\te:~ cntlin~ in the re-conquest lJy .Maharaja ~lllv tllllgh 111 :\. D. l1;1l~ contmnell Ullller the sway of the Smya 3 Vnu:-;]ti (Bolar rnee) HaOwre Clan. who l1ave the proud privilege o[ ]piu.~ the •lir'-~~t uescenclant~ oE the hero of the great epic Hnmayan. They were originally J.:nown as Rashtra or Rashtric meanin~ c~onntry or rnlcr. Rnsl1tra wns [':)Ubf~equently by general llSf\ rry:-:tnlli:-:r·d into Hnthorr. Theil' rnrliest mention is found in tlH~ ediel:-; o[ A:-;IJoka a::; rulers of. the Deccan. \Vhen the Decc~l\11 l(in~dom broke up, it nppe;tl'S that they carved out a new Kingclom ill CPJJtrnl Imlia makiug Kauuaj hS tl1eir capital. From tiH~l'Ci tlwi1· dPePI~tlaJlts mi~1·ate(l into \Vestern Rajputana and fonn<lP<l the print·ipality of J[nnnn·. In 1728 Anand Singh ancl Itai Bingll, two ln·otl!f'l'S of the ltfljn of .Jodhpur, accompanied by n few hot· ...;em<•JJ from Vnmo allll Palanpur and tl1e Kolees of Oo1hYara e:-;tabl i:-::}lf'll tl1emsel n•s in film· witbout much difficulty. 'CJI('\ lbtbotl clnn is said to hA tl1e l::tf-Jt tbat effected a settlement in <Jnjarat by eoJHpH:•st. AnalHl :Singh was the first l\Iaharajaof !dar and the prE·sent rniPr His Highness MalJaraja Dhiraj 1\Iaharajaji Lt. Co1ollcl fSir Bhree Dow]at Bingl1ji Balwdoor, K. c. s. I., the ninth to sneeed lo thn Uadi of Idar. llif:l Highness was born at Jodh~ pm· in .:\lay 1818, and. was et1neated at the Mayo College, Ajmer. He receind };-~ ~lilitary trahJillg jn tlHl Imperial Service Cavalry, .• Tot1hpne, aml subsequently worked tlJere as Squadron Conunand­ aut and A1ljuhuJt Joe f:lome years. He also acted as 1\lilitary. 1-:ieerdal'y awl l\JemlJ,~l' of tho Council at Jodhpur. He was adopted hy Uis Hi:!,'hll8HS Mahal'aja Dltimj :Maharaja General Sir Pratap Si11ghji ~a!Jeh, on l1is acce:'\sion to the ldar Gaddl in 1902 awl wm1 pnt in d1nrgr~ of the administration of the State, which }JC r·nnie<l on snc:ec·~sfully, till the latt('l' abdicated in 1910. Hi::.; Higllll<'~·s accompa11ied his fatl1er l\lnharaja Sir Pratap Ningllji to England in 1902 to attewl the coronation of His late :Majesty King Ed wm·•l VJJ, :::u11l waf-J there made fill A-D-C to the Pl'f'Pf:'llt 1\:illg-EllllJCl'Ol'. tllell H. H. H. the Prince of vVales. His lli~dlltPHH agaiu dsited Englaud as l\JalJaraja of Idar on the cor.<Jllntion of llis llu]lerinl ~Jaje:-:;ty 1\.h1g George V, and took part i 11 n ll. <;rfieinl fuuctious, a pertaiuillg to tbe l1appy occasion. His 11 i~11tlc·:-:s was fornu,]]y installea on the Ga<.li on 21st .Tnly l!Jll, and rtl!(·uded His .;\[njf'Hiy'::; Coronation Dnrbar held at Delhi iu tl1o !'nnw· yeat·. At: the ont-lJrrak of tlw Great war, His Highness at once offet·r•l l1is prm·Hmal HOI'Vices to the Hovernment, and placed all the resom·r~e:'; <·>E the stntn at their disposal. vVith tLo !dar State 1mperin1 ~Prv·iee Despntcl1 Hi<1ers, His Highness saw active ser­ ,·ic~e iu Egypt. On rdnnt frolll Egypt, His Iliglmess was promoted to the 1I<mrary r:111k IJI' J... t. C()loucl ia the Britisl1 Army, and was later 4 on created Kui.~ht Commander of the .Most Exalted Order of the ::;tar of lntlin in 1920. Be~ ides the many concessions nllowell to recruits, His High­ ness l1el pell llte no rerumeu t with men, ma terinl and money to the Pxtent of' a smu of more tl1nn three nntl a hnlf lacs. 8. His .Highness lm~ three sons. 'fha eldest :Maharaja Kumar ~hn'e llimmnt Binghji, who is the Heir-Apparant, is in his 29th year. He acco- Heir appereut, mpnnied llis Highness to Europe, when the latter went to attetHl the coronation of the King-Emperor iu London, and ncted as Page to His Imperia! .:\[njesty at tl1e Coronation Durba r, held at Delhi in 1911.