Princes of India

Wadagam (वड़ागाम) was a princely state in India, situated on the banks of the Mazum River, established in the 18th century and located in the present-day state of Gujarat. The capital was Wadagam.  Title of the prince:  Thakore. Dynasty:  Parmar , of the Rehevar clan. Religion: Hindu. Area: 73 square kilometers. It included 24 villages. Population: 3.938 people in the year 1931. Current head of the dynasty: Hamirsinhji Sangramsinhji , Takhore of Wadagam. History: The state was founded by Kumar Shri Keshavdasji Rajsinhji of Ranasa, the second son of the first Thakore of Ranasan, and a descendant of the ancient princes of Chandrawati. The members of this dynasty shared agnatic ancestry with the Thakores of Mohanpur. Succession is governed by the principle of primogeniture, with the eldest son succeeding. The current Thakore of Wadagam, prince Hamirsinhji Sangramsinhji , ir married to princess Janakkuvarba Hamirsinhji, daughter of the Thakur of Kuda in Rajasthan. Note: Tha...

Wadhwan (वाधवान) was a princely state, situated in the present-day in Surendranagar district in the state of Gujarat, India. Located on the banks of the Bhogavo River. Title of the prince: Thakore . Dynasty: Jhala . Religion: Hinduism. Honorary gun salutes: 9. Area: 627 square kilometers, with 30 villages. Population: 50,915 people in the year 1941. Current head of the dynasty: His Highness Thakore Sahib Shri Chaitanyadevsinhji Surendrasinhji , Thakore Sahib of Wadhwan since 1985. History: Wadhwan was founded around 1630 when Rajoji Prithirajji took control of Wadhwan, which was initially a fiefdom under Halvad-Dhrangadhra State. Rajoji was the grandson of the Raja of Halvad. He established his capital there and became the first Thakore Sahib (the title of the Wadhwan rulers). The Jhala Rajputs, who ruled Wadhwan, are believed to have migrated to Kathiawar (the historical name for the Saurashtra peninsula) in the 8th century AD, possibly originating from Baluchistan. The Jhalas of Wadh...

Wadi or Wadi Jagir (ವಾಡಿ) was a princely state located in the Southern Maratha region. The territory corresponded closely with the Maratha geographical division of the region, located between the rivers Tongbuddra (Tungabhadra) and Krishna, known as the Carnatic country. It currently belongs to the state of Maharashtra. The capital was Miraj. Title of the prince: Jagirdar or Rao. Dynasty: Patwardhan (Kurunwad). Religion: unknown. Affiliation during the British Raj: Bombay Presidency, Kolhapur Agency. Area: 12 square kilometers. Population: 2,022 people in the year 1941. Current head of the dynasty: unknown. History: As in other Indian dynasties, the birth of the state of Wadi has its origin in a family dispute between brothers. Expelled from his lands, Shivrao, of the Patwardhan family, received several villages from the Raja of Askot. The line of the Jagirdars of Wadi, whose territory was recognized as a princely state by the British, comes from Shivrao's third son. The last kno...

Wah (ਵਾਹ or واہ) not a princely state but rather a jagir, or land grant, to the Hyat family. This territory belongs today to the Punjab district in Pakistan. Title: Jagirdar . Dynasty: Hyat (Khattars). Religion: Islam. Current head of the dynasty: unknown. The Hyats originated from the historical town of Wah, whose ancestors were Khattars, an indigenous lineage of northern Punjab. Their conversion to Islam was early, and they were bestowed with the title of Khattar Khan. The town of Wah emerged much later, during the reign of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan in 1645. Over the centuries, various members of the Hyat family distinguished themselves in different roles. In the 19th century, Nawab Karam Hassan Khan allied himself with the British against the Sikhs but was assassinated by his brother. His son, Nawab Muhammed Hyat Khan, was instrumental in restoring the family's prestige with British support, rising to become a high-ranking official and a recognized writer. The family contin...

Wanaparthy, Wanaparthi, or Wanapurthy (ऐनेगुंडी) was a princely state of India, or samasthan, a vassal of the Kingdom of Hyderabad. Located in the southwest of the Mahbubnagar district, it was crossed by the Krishna River. It currently belongs to the Indian state of Telangana. Title of the prince: Raja . Dynasty: Reddy , surname "Janampalli". Religion: Hinduism. Affiliation during the British Raj: Hyderabad. Area: 1,658 square kilometers. It included 124 villages. Population: 62,293 people in the year 1901. Current head of the dynasty: Raja Krishna Dev Rao . History: It was one of the three princely states under the sovereignty of the Nizam of Hyderabad, along with the states of Gadwal and Jatprole. Wanaparthy was founded by Raja Veera Venkata Krishna Reddy, and its history dates back to the 14th century. The Raja belonged to the Motati clan. Ramsagar Palace was built in 1885 during the reign of Raja Rameshwar Rao II. In contemporary times, it was donated as a polytechnic ins...

Wankaner (वांकानेर) was a princely state situated in the historical Halar region of Kathiawar peninsula, now part of Gujarat state in India. Its capital was Wankaner city, located on the banks of the Machchhu River. Wankaner shared borders with Dhrangadhra, Rajkot, and several other smaller princely states.. Title of the prince: Maharana . Dynasty: Jhala . Religion: Hindu. Honorary gun salutes: 11. Area: 1.080 square kilometers. It included 104 villages. Population: 32,653 people in the year 1911. Current head of the dynasty: His Highness Kesri Singhji , Maharana Raj Saheb of Wankaner since 2021. History: The ruling family of Wankaner was the senior branch of the Jhala Rajputs, originating from a succession dispute with the junior branch at Dhrangadhra-Halvad. Sartanji, a son of the disinherited heir of Halvad, established the Wankaner principality after a period of conflict. The descendants of Sartanji ruled Wankaner, maintaining a long-standing feud with Halvad until the Walker settl...

Wao (વાવ), also known as Vav, Wai, or Way, was a princely state of India, near Palanpur, in the present-day state of Gujarat. It bordered the states of Jodhpur to the north; Tharad to the south and east; Suigam to the southwest; and Kutch to the northwest or Way. Title of the prince: Rana or Thakor. Dynasty: Parmar/Chauhan (?) Rajput. Religion: Hindu. Affiliation during the British Raj: Gujarat Division of the Bombay Presidency, Palanpur Agency, from 1925 Banas Kantha Agency. Area: 537 square miles. It included 58 villages. Population: 24,673 people in the year 1941. Current head of the dynasty: unknown. History: The rulers of Vav came from Sambhar and Nadol in Merwara and also claimed kinship with Prithviraj Chauhan, the emperor of Delhi. Rana Vaja founded the city of Vav as his new capital after losing Tharad. This event occurred after his father, Rana Punja, was killed in battle in 1283, and Rana Vaja regained his patrimony with the help of his father-in-law, the Raval of Jaisalme...

The state of Warahi I (વરાહી સિનિયર), also known as Moti Jatwad or Warahi Senior, was an independent princely state of India. The territory was merged with the present-day state of Gujarat.   Title of the prince: Malek Saheb . Dynasty:  Malek (or Malik). Religion: Muslim. Affiliation during the British Raj: Bombay Presidency, Banas Kantha Agency. Area: 311 square kilometers, and included 16 villages. Authority over other lands and settlements was complex due to overlapping rights with other states. Population: 1.908, in 1911 year. Current head of the dynasty: unknown. History: The ruling dynasty was the Malek (or Malik) family, belonging to the Muslim Jat ethnicity, who also reigned in the breakaway state known as Warahi II or Warahi Junior. The family established itself in these lands during the 15th century, founding the states of Warahi, Vanod, and Bajana. Malek Isaji is recorded as the founder of the dynasty. The ruler held the title of Malek Saheb , and succession follow...

The second state of Warahi or Warahi Junior (વરાહી જુનિયર), was a secession from the first state of Warahi (Warahi Senior). Title of the prince: Malek Saheb . Dynasty:  Malek (or Malik), Jat ethnicity. Religion: Muslim. Population: 1.253 people in the year 1921. Current head of the dynasty: unknown. The ruling dynasty was the Malek  family, belonging to the Jat ethnicity and adhering to the Muslim faith. This same dynasty also held dominion over Warahi I. Succession followed the principle of male primogeniture. Its rulers were Jat Muslims with historical ties to the Sindh region. The history of Warahi Junior is closely intertwined with that of the Bajana state, as both territories were initially conquered by the same leader, Malik Isaji, in the late 15th or early 16th century, in a region that had previously been under a Mughal viceroyalty. The last effective ruler of Warahi Junior was Malek Shri Ravaji Muradkhanji, born in 1923. He fathered a son named Malek Shri Muradkhanji...

Wasna or Vasna (वासणा) was a small princely state located in the region that is now part of the state of Gujarat, India. It was located on the banks of the Sabarmati River and bordered the states of Baroda and Pethapur.  Title of the prince: Thakur . Dynasty:  Rathor Rajputs . Religion: Hindu. Area: 10 square miles and comprised 6 villages. Population: ?. Current head of the dynasty: unknown. History: The name of the dynasty was Rathor Rajputs, who arrived in the Gujarat region in 1476, with the principality of Wasna being established in the year 1629. Succession was by male primogeniture.  It was a 5th class state before the abolition of the class system in 1928, and it was a feudatory of the Baroda State.  In 1932, the Thakur of Wasna was Prince Bapusinhji Takhatsinhji. Sources: The Indian States 1932, India NetZone , Dolarna Vasna For add or correct information: picpus1965@yahoo.es

Zainabad, also spelled Zainbad (ज़ीनाबाद), was a small former princely state spanning 78 square kilometers. Located in the Rann of Kutch, in what is now the state of Gujarat, India. Title of the prince: Talukdar . Dynasty: Multani Malek . Religion: Muslim. Area: 10 square miles and comprised 6 villages. Population: 3.456 people in 1921 year, comprised 7 villages. Current head of the dynasty: Malek Shri Mahomed Shabbir Khan . The Multani Malek family traces its lineage back to the Sufi saint Khwaja Bahudin Zakaria. A significant event in their history recounts how, in the 13th century, Malek Bakhan avenged his father's death and was rewarded with the state of Dasada by the king of Ahmedabad. Zainabad subsequently separated from Dasada and was renamed in honor of Malek Shri Zain Khanji. The traditional succession followed a patrilineal system, passing to the eldest son of the first wife. The princely state of Zainabad was initially part of the Baroda State during the British Raj. Lat...

Zhari Garkhadi (ઝરી ગરખાડી), also called Jerigurkhadi or Jharia Garkhari, is one of the 14 sovereign states grouped into a larger princely state called Dang or Dangs, which made it a unique territorial entity in India under the British Raj. Dangs was located in the former Khandesh district, and today in the present-day state of Gujarat, in India. Of these 13 are Bhils and 1 a Kokani. Of the Chiefs, 4 are Rajas, 8 are Naiks, 1 is a Pradhan, and 1 a Powar. It appears that today the titles have been simplified to Manas and Naiks. The sovereign of Zhari Garkhadi bears the title of Naik . The fourteen states are: With the ruler bearing the title of Mana: Garvi, Gadhvi or Godhvi, the principal of the states.  Linga.  Derbhavti or Daer-Amla.  Vasurna or Vasuna.  Pimpri. With the title of Naik: Kirli.  Shivbara.  Chinchli-Gadad.  Avachar. Pimpladevi.  Vadhyaman.  Palasvihir.  Bilbario.  Zhari Garkhadi. The Republic of India respected their...