Nawanagar was an Indian state and then a
princely state in the historical
Halar region, located on the southern shores of the
Gulf of Kutch. It was ruled by the
Jadeja Rajput dynasty and became a part of newly formed
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. Its capital city was Nawanagar city, now known as
Jamnagar. It had an area of and a population estimated at 336,779 in 1901. Its rulers, who use the title of "
Jam Saheb" are of the same clan as the
Rao of Kutch.
They were entitled to a 13-gun salute. The state flag was a rectangular red flag with a white elephant, near and facing the hoist. During the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies.
* British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
, the state was part of the
Kathiawar Agency, within the
Gujarat Division of
Bombay Presidency.
The state had a
pearl
A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living Exoskeleton, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pear ...
fishery and much of its wealth came from this. Nawanagar is also famous for its late ruler Jam Saheb
Ranjitsinhji (died 1933), who was a famous
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
player at Cambridge in England and represented
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
in Test cricket, before his accession to the throne.
History

Nawanagar was founded in 1540 by
Jam Sri Rawalji, a descendant of the
Jadeja ruler of
Kutch, and was thereafter in an almost constant state of war with its neighbours and with the
Mughal Empire
The Mughal Empire was an Early modern period, early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to ...
. Two such major wars were the
Battle of Mithoi and
Battle of Bhuchar Mori fought in 1591. The "Walker Treaty of 1807" brought peace to the Kathiawar states for the first time in several generations. Nawanagar came under British protection on 22 February 1812.
K. S.
Ranjitsinhji was one of the world's greatest cricket players and, later, became Jam Saheb in 1907 until 1933. The inclusive circle of eight players promoted excellence in cricket, both in the county and domestic games. After his death,
Ranji Trophy, a domestic first-class cricket championship played in India between different city and state sides, was started in 1934 by
Board of Control for Cricket in India
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the principal national governing body of the sport of cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at the Cricket Centre in Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. BCCI is the wealthiest governing body ...
(BCCI).
Jam Saheb Shri Sir Ranjitsinhji remained the chancellor of the
Chamber of Princes
The Chamber of Princes (''Narendra Mandal'') was an institution established in 1920 by a royal proclamation of King-Emperor George V to provide a forum in which the rulers of the princely states of India could voice their needs and aspiration ...
(1931–1933). After his death, in 1933, he was succeeded by his nephew
Jam Saheb Shri Sir Digvijaysinhji, who became its chancellor (1937–1944) and continued to promote the octet circle in excellence in cricket, academics and welfare. In 1942 the Maharaja set up a refugee camp for Polish children in
Balachadi.
Nawanagar was one of the first princely states to sign the
Instrument of Accession
The Instrument of Accession was a legal document first introduced by the Government of India Act 1935 and used in 1947 to enable each of the rulers of the princely states under British paramountcy to join one of the new dominions of Dominion ...
in 1948 after
Indian independence. Afterwards, the late ruler, Digvijaysinhji, served as the first
Rajpramukh
Rajpramukh was an administrative title in India which existed from India's independence in 1947 until 1956. Rajpramukhs were the appointed governors of certain Indian provinces and states.
Background
The British Indian Empire, which incl ...
of Kathiawad, then represented his country at the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
.
In 1949, the princely states of Nawanagar and
Dhrol, Jalia Dewani in Kathiawar merged into the new state of
Saurashtra. On 19 June 1959, the boundaries of the district were enlarged by the inclusion of the adjoining
Okha mandal, and the district was renamed
Jamnagar. This district became part of the new state of
Gujarat
Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...
on the division of the
State of Bombay on 1 May 1960.
Bhanji Dal Jadeja commanded Jam Sataji's force during the
Mughal attack on
Junagadh State and defeated the attack.
Rulers (Jam Saheb)
Jewellery collection
The Maharaja Jamsaheb of Nawanagar were also known for their jewellery collection; especially Ranjithsinhji, whose
Emerald
Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (Be3Al2(SiO3)6) colored green by trace amounts of chromium or sometimes vanadium.Hurlbut, Cornelius S. Jr., and Kammerling, Robert C. (1991). ''Gemology'', John Wiley & Sons, New York ...
collection according to
Jacques Cartier
Jacques Cartier (; 31 December 14911 September 1557) was a French maritime explorer from Brittany. Jacques Cartier was the first Europeans, European to describe and map the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and the shores of the Saint Lawrence River, wh ...
was "unequaled in the world, if not in quantity, then certainly in quality". The collection included an emerald and pearl necklace, an art deco emerald and diamond necklace designed by Jacques Cartier and an Emerald collar or choker also designed by Jacques Cartier.
The 61.5 carat (12.3 g) whisky-coloured diamond, "The Eye of the Tiger", was mounted by
Cartier in a turban
aigrette for the ''
JMaharaja'' or
Maharaja
Maharaja (also spelled Maharajah or Maharaj; ; feminine: Maharani) is a royal title in Indian subcontinent, Indian subcontinent of Sanskrit origin. In modern India and Medieval India, medieval northern India, the title was equivalent to a pri ...
of Nawanagar in 1934.
See also
*
Nawanagar cricket team
*
Political integration of India
*
Western India States Agency
*
Jam Sahib
*
Jamnagar & Dwarka Railway
References
External links
*
*
{{coord, 22.47, N, 70.07, E, region:IN_type:landmark_source:kolossus-svwiki, display=title
Saurashtra (region)
Hindu states
Princely states of Gujarat
1540 establishments in India
Rajput history
Jadejas
States and territories established in 1540
Rajput clans of Gujarat
States and territories disestablished in 1948
1948 disestablishments in India
Gun salute princely states
States under the Kathiawar Agency