Gaurishankar Udayshankar
Encyclopedia
Gaurishankar Udayshankar, Gaurishankar, or Gaga Oza (21 August 1805 - December 1892) was chief minister of Bhavnagar
state in Kathiawar
, India
from 1850 to 1879. He was very well known and well respected for his keen statesmanship.
Brahmin
s from Ghogha
near Bhavnagar.
He rose from being a revenue officer to be state minister in 1847. On the death of the reigning chief, in 1870, he was appointed joint administrator in concert with a British official.
During his tenure many improvements were introduced. The land revenue was based on a cash system, the fiscal and customs systems were remodelled and tree planting was encouraged. The Gowrishankar Waterworks was completed in Bhavnagar, on which six lakhs of rupees were spent. The Bhaunagar state began construction of a network of railway lines over the peninsula of Kathiawar. The British government acknowledged Gowrishankar's many services with the distinction of Order of the Star of India
in 1877.
at Rajkot, for the education of native princes, and also the Rajasthanik Court, which, after settling innumerable disputes between the land-owning classes and the chiefs, has since been abolished. In 1879 Gowrishankar resigned office, and devoted himself to the study of the higher literature of that Vedanta
philosophy which through his whole life had been to him a solace and a guide. In 1884 he wrote a work called Svarupanu-sandhan, on the union of the soul with Deity, which led to a letter of warm congratulation from Max Müller
, who also published a short biography of him. In 1887 he put on the robe of the Sanyasi or ascetic, the fourth stage, according to the Hindu Shastra
s, in the life of the twice-born man, and in this manner passed the remainder of his life, giving above ten hours each day to Vedantic studies and holy contemplation. He died, revered by all classes, in December 1892.
Bhavnagar
-Topography:Bhavnagar is a coastal city in the eastern coast of Saurashtra, also known as Kathiawar, located at . It has an average elevation of 24 metres . It occupies area of 53.30 km². General slope dips in the northeasterly direction at the apex of Gulf of Khambhat...
state in Kathiawar
Kathiawar
Kathiawar or Kathiawad is a peninsula in western India, which is part of the Saurashtra region on the Arabian Sea coast of Gujarat state. It is bounded on the north by the great wetland of the Rann of Kutch, on the northwest by the Gulf of Kutch, on the west and south by the Arabian Sea, and on...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
from 1850 to 1879. He was very well known and well respected for his keen statesmanship.
Career
He was born into a family of Vadnagara NagarNagar Brahmins
Nagar Gujarati Brahmins are believed to be one of the oldest of the Brahmin groups.-Overview:Historians suggest that the origin of the Nagars to be Aryan, having immigrated to the Indian plains from Balkh in Central Asia...
Brahmin
Brahmin
Brahmin Brahman, Brahma and Brahmin.Brahman, Brahmin and Brahma have different meanings. Brahman refers to the Supreme Self...
s from Ghogha
Ghogha
Ghogha is a census town in Bhavnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India.informational about ghoghaGhogha is located at . It has an average elevation of around sea level....
near Bhavnagar.
He rose from being a revenue officer to be state minister in 1847. On the death of the reigning chief, in 1870, he was appointed joint administrator in concert with a British official.
During his tenure many improvements were introduced. The land revenue was based on a cash system, the fiscal and customs systems were remodelled and tree planting was encouraged. The Gowrishankar Waterworks was completed in Bhavnagar, on which six lakhs of rupees were spent. The Bhaunagar state began construction of a network of railway lines over the peninsula of Kathiawar. The British government acknowledged Gowrishankar's many services with the distinction of Order of the Star of India
Order of the Star of India
The Most Exalted Order of the Star of India is an order of chivalry founded by Queen Victoria in 1861. The Order includes members of three classes:# Knight Grand Commander # Knight Commander # Companion...
in 1877.
Charitable and religious works
He helped to establish the Rajkumar CollegeRajkumar College
Rajkumar College may refer to :-Rajkumar College, RajkotRajkumar College, Raipur...
at Rajkot, for the education of native princes, and also the Rajasthanik Court, which, after settling innumerable disputes between the land-owning classes and the chiefs, has since been abolished. In 1879 Gowrishankar resigned office, and devoted himself to the study of the higher literature of that Vedanta
Vedanta
Vedānta was originally a word used in Hindu philosophy as a synonym for that part of the Veda texts known also as the Upanishads. The name is a morphophonological form of Veda-anta = "Veda-end" = "the appendix to the Vedic hymns." It is also speculated that "Vedānta" means "the purpose or goal...
philosophy which through his whole life had been to him a solace and a guide. In 1884 he wrote a work called Svarupanu-sandhan, on the union of the soul with Deity, which led to a letter of warm congratulation from Max Müller
Max Müller
Friedrich Max Müller , more regularly known as Max Müller, was a German philologist and Orientalist, one of the founders of the western academic field of Indian studies and the discipline of comparative religion...
, who also published a short biography of him. In 1887 he put on the robe of the Sanyasi or ascetic, the fourth stage, according to the Hindu Shastra
Shastra
' is a Sanskrit term used to denote rules in a general sense. The word is generally used as a suffix in the context of technical or specialized knowledge in a defined area of practice; e.g., Bhautika Shastra , Rasayana Shastra , Jeeva Shastra , Vastu Shastra , Shilpa Shastra , Artha Shastra ' is a...
s, in the life of the twice-born man, and in this manner passed the remainder of his life, giving above ten hours each day to Vedantic studies and holy contemplation. He died, revered by all classes, in December 1892.
External links
- History of Bhavnagar at MapsOfIndia.com