Join me~ Sidhdhrajsinh Gohil Padva
HISTORY OF GOHIL
Gohil
The Gohils are a Suryavanshi clan, a branch of
the Guhilot Rajputs of Mewar and claim
descendancy from the illustrious Bappa Rawal.
This branch moved from Mewar, to Marwar in an
area called Khergarh, and were later driven from
there by the migration of the Rathores into
Marwar, as a result of the sack of Delhi by Ghori.
In Kathiawar, they are mainly settled in
Bhavnagar, Vallabhipur, Palitana, Lathi and
surrounding areas of Gohilwar.
Vams: SuryaVams
Kuldevi: Chamunda
Gotra:Gautam
Shakha: Madhyayani
Illustrious heroes:
Sejakji Gohil,
Ranoji Gohil,
Mokhdaji Gohil,
Hamirji Gohil,
Wakhatsinhji Gohil
(Aatabhai), …..
Religious Sites:
Rajpara Khodiyar Mandir: Established by Thakore
Wakhatsinhji
Barso Shiv Mahadev: Established by Raol Shri
Akheyrajji of Lakhanka
Jashonath Mandir: Established by Maharaja
Jaswatsinhji
Takhteshwar Mahadev: Established by Maharaja
Takhtsinhji
Bhavnath Mahadev: Established by Maharaja
Bhavsinhji
Mandva Mahadev Mandir: Established by Solanki
Ruler Siddhraj Jaisinh
Vaijnath Mahadev: Established by Thakore Vijoji-I
of Palitana
Rajbai Mataji Mandir: Gariyadhar
Chogath Khodiyar Mandir: Established by Thakore
Sarangji Gohil (Raol)
Capitals in Kathiawar:
Sejakpur,
Ranpur,
Ghogha,
Umrala,
Sihor,
Bhavnagar,
Palitana,
Gariadhar,
Lathi
The Gohils are Suryavanshi Rajputs who have
descended from the Guhilots of Mewar. After the
sack of Vallabhi, the pregnant queen of king
Shiladitya of Vallabhi, who had survived the
attack due to her having been on a pilgrimage,
gave birth to a boy in a cave. Due to the
circumstances surrounding the boy’s birth, he
was named Guha or Guhaditya. He is later
supposed to have caputred Idar with the help of
his Bhil compatriates, amongst whom he had
grown up and become popular.
The illustrious Bappa Rawal, the father of the
house of Mewar, established his seat in Chittor.
A few generations down, a branch of this Guhilot
clan migrated and settled an area in Marwar by
the river Luni. They ruled there for a significant
time. It may have been around this time that they
came to be known as Gohils.
The Gohils were pushed out in early 13th century
from Khergarh Marwar by the Rathores. They
then marched back to Saurashtra under their
chief Mohodas, who is also referred to as Kunwar
Pal, father of Sejakji. The Gohils came to the
court of the Chalukya ruler Sidhraj Jaisinh and
were appointed governors.
Sejakji conquered a
vast area and carved out his own principality
with Sejakpur as his capital. He also married his
daughter Valum Kunverba to the Yuvraj of
Junagarh, and became right-hand man of the
Solankis. Sejakji was chief from 1240 to 1254
and turned himself into a huge force in Gohilwar.
Sejakji had four sons, Pratap Pal or Somraj,
Mulraj, Shahji and Sarangji. The eldest, Pratap
Pal, had no son, so Mulraj’s son Ranoji became
chief from 1290 to 1309.
Shahji and Sarangi
were given the jagirs of Mandvi and Arthilla,
which later became the princely states of
Palitana and Lathi.
There is this stirring tale of Hamirji Gohil, the
16-year-old newly-married chieftain of Lathi,
who sacrificed his life in 1401 defending the
Somnath temple from the attack of Muzaffar
Shah. Hamirji Gohil’s cenotaph still stands at
the entrance to the fabled Somnath temple.
Ranoji was another warrior and conqueror like his
grandfather Sejakji. He further expanded his
territories and founded a new capital, calling it
Ranpur. He was a staunch opposer of the spread
of Islamic rule in Gujarat and Kathiawar and in
time he was expelled from there and slain by
Muslim invaders.
He was succeeded by his son Mokhdaji. He
conquered Umrala from the Kolis, and wrested
back the island of Piram or Pirambet from the
Muslims. There he set up the capital of his
principality of Ghogha, ruling for a long period of
38 years. He was killed in battle in 1347,
succumbing to wounds inflicted by the sword of
none other than Muhammad bin Tughlaq.
Mokhdaji’s first wife, Sarvaiya princess of
Hathasani in Kathiawar, bore him a son
Dungarsinhji who succeeded as chief of Ghogha.
In 1723, his descendant Bhavsinhji founded the
city of Bhavnagar, establishing his capital there.
The second wife of Mokhdaji was the Parmar
princess of Rajpipla. Their son Samarsinhji, who
assumed the name Arjunsinhji, succeeded to the
gadi of Rajpipla as his maternal grandfather
Chokrana had no male issue. Thus the Gohils
extended their sway over Rajpipla too for the next
six centuries, ruling from Junaraj (Old Rajpipla)
in the hills, and deep in the vortex of the forests
there. They shifted their capital in 1730, after the
weakening of the Mughal empire, to Nandod
(New Rajpipla) in the plains on the banks of the
Karjan, a tributary of the holy Narmada.
Mokheraji, conquered Umrala from the Kolis and
Gogha from the Muslims, succumbed fell to the
sword of Muhammad bin Ghias ud-din Toghluk’s
in 1347. His great-great-grandson, Sarangji,
assumed the title of Raol to honor the help and
services, provided to him by the Raol Patai of
Champaner, helped him recover his throne from
his uncle.
Raol Dhunaji moved his capital to Sihor ca.
1600, where it remained for over a century.
However, Sihor was found to be vulnerable to
attacks, and when pressurized by the Marathas,
Thakore Bhavsinhji decided to scout a more
secure area to set up his capital, as a mode of
defense against the Maratha predators.
Bhavnagar became the capital in 1723, under
Thakore Bhavsinhji. Bhavnagar has been the
capital and name of the state, ever since. A wise
and politically astute ruler, Bhavsinhji followed a
policy of conciliation with the Muslim rulers of
Surat and with the British. Bhavnagar prospered
and expanded through trade and commerce. He
died in 1764, having divided his territories
between his twin sons.
Akherajji, the inheritor of Bhavnagar, sided with
the Marathas against the Mogul Viceroy of
Gujerat. He assisted the British in reducing the
pirate stronghold of Talaja, and sheltered
Raghunath Rao Peshwa, when a refugee.
His son,
Raol Shri Vakhatsinhji spent his entire reign
fighting various foes. Kathis, Jats, Kolis,
Gaekwads, Babis, even his Palitana clansman all
savoured the cut of his sword. His campaign in
Chital against the united Kathi uprising became
one of the key battles during his reign.
The
Kathis were routed with heavly losses. Vajesinhji,
the son and successor of Vakhatsinhji,
succeeded in making peace with the Kathis in
1829.
He reigned for thirty-six prosperous years,
leaving his throne to his grandson Akherajji III in
1852. He died without sons two years later, being
succeeded by his brother Jaswantsinhji. The
latter improved the administration and placed the
revenues of his state on a sound footing, but
died leaving a minor son as successor in 1870.
Takhatsinhji assumed full ruling powers in 1878,
continuing in the footsteps of his illustrious
father. He died in 1896, celebrated as one of the
most generous, loyal and benevolent princes of
his age.
His son and successor
, Raol Shri
Bhavsinhji II continued his good works. He saved
countless lives during the severe famine of
1899-1900, through a number of relief works. He
also contributed generously during to the war
effort during the Great War. These and other
numerous services were rewarded with the
hereditary title of Maharaja and increased gun
salutes.
A great supporter of female
emancipation he promoted monogamy, advanced
education and abolished “purdah”. At his death
in 1919, he left a flourishing state to his minor
son,
Maharaja Krishna Kumarsinhji.
The last independent ruler of his line, Maharaja
Krishna Kumarsinhji, like his brothers, received
an advanced education, within India and in
England. He received full ruling powers on
attaining his majority in 1931. He governed as a
model ruler, closely involved in advancing the
cause of independence for India. One of the first
rulers to accede to the new Republic of India, he
served as the first Indian Governor of Madras
between 1948 and 1952. He died at Bombay in
1965, being succeeded by his son, Maharaja Raol
Shri Dr Veerbhadrasinhji.
Maharaja
Vijayarajsinhji Gohil succeeded his father as
titular Maharaja and Head of the Royal House of
Bhavnagar in 1994.
