princely state · Indian princely states

Rajkot State

1620 CE – 1948 CE · capital Rajkot

A Jadeja Rajput state of Kathiawar whose capital hosted the British agency for the peninsula and where Gandhi spent his boyhood.

Origins

Rajkot was founded in 1620 by Vibhaji Ajoji, a grandson of Jam Sataji of Nawanagar, who received the area as his share. The town was later briefly held by Mughal officers, but the Jadeja line recovered it.

Rule and society

The Thakore Sahibs ruled a small territory, but Rajkot became important as the seat of the British agency for Kathiawar and of Rajkumar College for princes. Karamchand Gandhi, father of Mohandas Gandhi, served as its diwan. Lakhajirajsinhji II introduced a representative assembly, while the 1939 Rajkot satyagraha challenged his successor.

Decline and legacy

Rajkot merged into the United State of Saurashtra in 1948 and served as that state's capital until 1956. It became part of Bombay State and then Gujarat in 1960, and is now one of Gujarat's largest cities.

Lineage

Rajkot StateSaurashtra State 1948 CE – 1956 CE

Connections (2)

Rajkot State was a protectorate of Company rule in India1807 CE – 1858 CE
Rajkot State was a protectorate of British Raj1858 CE – 1947 CE

More states of Indian princely states →

Cite this page

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). Rajkot State. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/rajkot-state
MLA: “Rajkot State.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/rajkot-state. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “Rajkot State.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/rajkot-state.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Rajkot State’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/rajkot-state (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻