other · Indian princely states

Saurashtra State

1948 CE – 1956 CE · capital Rajkot

The union that merged more than 200 Kathiawar princely states into one Indian state in 1948, with its capital at Rajkot.

Origins

Kathiawar was a patchwork of over two hundred princely states, from Bhavnagar State and Nawanagar to tiny estates. In early 1948, under pressure from V. P. Menon and Sardar Patel, the rulers agreed to merge their states into the United State of Kathiawar, inaugurated in February 1948; Junagadh State joined in 1949.

Rule and society

The Jam Sahib of Nawanagar, Digvijaysinhji, served as Rajpramukh, while an elected government led by U. N. Dhebar ran the administration from Rajkot. Renamed Saurashtra, it became a Part B state of the Indian Union in 1950. Its governments carried out land reform that abolished the girasdari and barkhali landholdings of the old nobility.

Decline and legacy

Under the States Reorganisation Act Saurashtra was merged into the enlarged Bombay State on 1 November 1956. When Bombay was divided in 1960, the region became part of Gujarat.

Lineage

Porbandar State 1193 CE – 1948 CEPalitana State 1194 CE – 1948 CELathi State 1340 CE – 1948 CEMuli State 1470 CE – 1948 CELimbdi State 1500 CE – 1948 CENawanagar State 1540 CE – 1948 CESaurashtra State

Connections (1)

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

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻