Khengarji I (1510-1585) was an Indian ruler belonging to

Jadeja The Jadeja (also spelled Jarejo) (Gujarati: ) is a Rajput clan that inhabits the Indian state of Gujarat. They claim to be descended from the legendary Jamshed of Iran. They also claim descent from Krishna. They originated from pastoral communit ...

clan of Rajputs. He was the ruler of

Morbi Morbi or Morvi is a city in the Morbi district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is situated on the Kathiawar peninsula. , the city's population was determined to be 194,947. The city is on the Machhu River, from the sea and from Rajkot. Hi ...

from 1538-1585 and later became ruler of Cutch, assuming title of Rao of Cutch, ruling unified Cutch from 1548 to 1585.

Early life

Khengarji I was son of Jam Hamirji of Lakhiarviro ( Cutch), chief of one of branch of Jadeja and descendant of Othaji. It is believed that

Jam Rawal Jam Rawal Lakh (1480–1562), was Jadeja Rajput ruler, who ruled Kutch State from 1524 to 1548 and later was founder-ruler of Nawanagar State from 1540 to 1562. Ruler of Kutch Jam Raval was son of Jam Lakhoji, the chief of Tera branch of Kut ...

attributed the murder of his father Jam Lakhaji to Hamirji, as he was killed within the territory of Lakhiarviro, where he had been invited on the pretense of resolving the dispute between the two branches. Jam Rawal, in revenge, treacherously killed his uncle Rao Hamirji in 1524 and ruled Cutch for more than two decades.

In court of Mahmud Begada

At the time of murder of Hamirji, his elder sons, Alioji and Khengarji both were in Ahmadabad and escaped the complete destruction of the royal family of senior branch. Further, the other two sons of Hamirji were saved from execution by the wife of Jam Rawal. Khengarji was 15 years old when his father was murdered. He enlisted himself in to the army of

Mahmud Begada Sultan Mahmud Begada or Mahmud Shah I (), was the most prominent Sultan of the Gujarat Sultanate. Raised to the throne at young age, he successfully captured Pavagadh and Junagadh forts in battles which gave him his name ''Begada''. He establish ...

and became his confidante. During one royal hunting party, Khengarji I killed a lion and saved the life of Sultan Begada for which he was asked to name his reward.Gujarat State Gazetteers: Junagadh by Gujarat (India) - 1971 - Page 79

Ruler of Morbi

The prime ambition of Khengarji was to regain Cutch and hence he asked for support to fight Jam Rawal, whereby, he was given 1000 soldiers and fiefdom of

Morvi Morbi or Morvi is a city in the Morbi district in the state of Gujarat, India. It is situated on the Kathiawar peninsula. , the city's population was determined to be 194,947. The city is on the Machhu River, from the sea and from Rajkot. H ...

and given a title of Rao by the Sultan Mohamad Beghda in 1538.Imperial Gazetteer 2 of India, Volumen 11,. 1908. pp. 75–80.

Conquering of Cutch

Rao Khengar now based at Morbi, with the support of army provided to him and well wishers within Cutch fought with

and slowly started gaining the territories of

Rapar Rapar is a city and a municipality in Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Particularly this area of Kutch is called 'Vagad'. The name derives from famous Vaghela rulers.it means the land of Vaghelas. Geography Rapar (earlier known a ...

and nearby villages. As Khengarji was the rightful heir to the throne he was welcomed within Cutch. On other hand, Jam Rawal, was finding himself squeezed in terms of manpower. He was ardent devotee of

Ashapura Ashapura Mata is an aspect of Devi, a Hindu goddess. She is one of the kuladevis of Kutch, and the Jadeja clan inhabiting the area. She is a goddess regarded to fulfill the wishes of her adherents. In her iconography, the goddess is said to ...

the Kuldevi of Jadejas and folklore are that the Goddess indicated in a dream to Jam Rawal to leave Kutch and establish himself at

Halar Halar (Haalaar) is a historical region of western India, located by the Gulf of Kutch coast on the northwestern area of Nawanagar, now Jamnagar, in Gujarat State, on Saurashtra peninsula, roughly corresponding to the present Jamnagar District ...

region and that she will support him in this venture. Jam Rawal, later escaped out of Cutch in 1548, when a large army was sent against him jointly by

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...

and Sultan Beghda to aid Khengarji. He set out for Saurashtra with his retinue, loyalist and soldiers faithful to him and established Nawanagar. Thus throne of Cutch was left to Khengarji in 1548, who was its rightful heir.

Rao of Cutch

Khengarji I, thus expelling Jam Rawal, assumed the title of 1st Rao of Cutch in 1548 and was crowned at

but in 1549 he shifted the capital to

Bhuj Bhuj () is a Municipality and District Headquarters of Kutch District in the state of Gujarat, India. Etymology According to legend, Kutch was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to Kin ...

.The Paramount Power and the Princely States of India, 1858-1881 - Page 287 Khengarji I, is also noted as he founded the united

Cutch State Cutch, also spelled Kutch or Kachchh and also historically known as the Kingdom of Kutch, was a kingdom in the Kutch region from 1147 to 1819 and a princely state under British rule from 1819 to 1947. Its territories covered the present day K ...

. He united Eastern Central & Western Cutch into one dominion, which before him was ruled partially by other Rajput tribes like

Chawda The Chavda ( IAST:Chávaḍá), also spelled Chawda or Chavada was a dynasty which ruled the region of modern-day Gujarat in India, from c. 690 to 942. Variants of the name for the dynasty include Chapotkatas, Chahuda and Chávoṭakas. During ...

s, Vaghelas, Chauhans, Kathis apart from the

s. Upon integration of Cutch, in 1549, he shifted his capital to

, a city established by his father Rao Hamirji in 1510. Further, he expanded his territories beyond Cutch and conquered the territories of

Santalpur Santalpur is a village in Santalpur Taluka of Patan district of Gujarat state, India. History The proprietors of Santalpur and Chadchat were Jadeja Rajputs. According to the local history, before the Jadejas came Santalpur was held by Turks, p ...

and

Chadchat Chadchat is a region surrounding Santalpur in Patan district of Gujarat, India. History Chadchat is said to take its name from the Chavad or Chad Chadchat branch of the Parmar tribe who conquered the district, till then occupied by Turks, prob ...

near

Palanpur Palanpur is a city and a municipality of Banaskantha district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Palanpur is the administrative headquarters of Banaskantha district. Palanpur is the ancestral home to an industry of Indian diamond merchants. Ety ...

and estate of Pandu Mehvas, which took away from Sarkhaji, the son of Lunaji Vaghela.

Administration

He established Bhayyat system, thus integrating his clan and to accept him as their ruler. He gathered under him twelve Jadeja noble landowning families, who were related to him, as well as two noble families of the

Waghela The Vaghela dynasty were an offshoot vassal clan connected to the Chaulukya (Solanki) dynasty, ruling Gujarat in the 13th century CE. Their capital was Dholka. They were the last Hindu dynasty to rule Gujarat before the Muslim conquest of ...

Rajput community. Bhayyat is the term used for all the descendants of the royal family who own and control their own domains allocated to them within the state and adhere to the feudal system. He established the port of

Mandvi Mandvi is a Beach town with municipality in the Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was once a major port of the region and summer retreat for Maharao (king) of the Cutch State. The old city was enclosed in the fort wall and remai ...

in 1580.

Death

He died at Bhuj in 1585, having had issue, including two sons - Bharmalji I and Bhojrajji Khengarji of whom Bharmalji, the elder succeeded him to throne of Cutch. Bhojaraji became a Bhayyat and was given fiefdom of

Kera, Kutch Kera is a village in Bhuj Taluka of Kutch district of Gujarat, India. This historical town has several places of interest; the ruins of an old fort and Shiva temple, and the shrine of a Muslim saint Ghulam Ali. Places of interest Kapilkot ru ...

after his death.

References

{{Reflist Maharajas of Kutch 1496 births 1585 deaths