Jadeja
Encyclopedia
Jadeja belong to the Yaduvanshi rajputs or Chandravanshi (Moon Dynasty) rajputs. They are one of the 36 royal dynasties of old tracing their origins to Lord Krishna. They ruled huge parts of Kathiawar
peninsula and Kutch until India's independence in 1947.
, Kathee
s and Waghela, they ruled the western, central and the eastern parts of Kutch respectively.
The reigning Prince of Nagar Thatta in Sindh towards the end of 8th century AD was Lakho Ghuraro. He had eight sons by two wives, the eldest son being Unad from the first wife and the other being Mod by a wife from Chawda tribe. As Unad was the eldest, he succeeded the throne by virtue of his primogeniture. Shortly afterwards brothers Mod and Manai started planning against the life of Unad in order to usurp his throne. However they did not succeed and found it necessary to go into exile with their followers to Kutch where they had maternal relations with the Chawda tribe. This was the first historically noted foray of Samma Rajputs of Sind in Kutch.After arrival in Kutch, Mod had a dispute with his maternal Uncle Chawda Whagum, The ruler of Eastern Kutch, and was killed by Mod, thereafter, Mod assumed the sovereignty of the province. There is no concrete information available for the period that followed except the names of the rulers up to five generations. They were Jam Mod, Jam Saad, Jam Phool, Jam Lakho Phoolani and Jam Pooeronjee. It is important to note here that Lakho Phoolani is the most revered and cherished warrior in the history of Kutch and Saurashtra. Jam Pooeronjee was a very cruel ruler and created despair and apathy among his dominion until he was killed by Jakhs. During this time the direct descendents of Jam Unad in Nagar Thatta Sind was Jam Jada, as he did not have any legitimate heir to the throne he adopted his brothers son Lakho, however, after adopting Lakho, Jam Jadas wife gave birth to a child named Ghao, As Jam Jada had already adopted lakho, he decided to divide his dominion equally among both his legitimate son Ghao and adopted son Lakho, however after the demise of Jam Jada, Ghao refused to give any share to Lakho and was forced to leave Sind with his twin brother Lakhiar and well wishers. Lakho and Lakhiar ventured into Kutch and slowly regained the territories in control of Chavdas, as Lakhiar was childless, Lakho named his territory after his brother and called it Lakhiarviro. Lakho was adopted by Jam Jada, the descendants of this Lakho Jadani were called Jadejas. The name Jadeja means "Belonging to Jada" in the Sindhi and Kutchi language and is pronounced as "Jaa day jaa.
ji, the supreme deity of Jadejas, invited Hamirji for a meal and killed him by deceit. During this time Alioji and Khengarji, two sons of Hamirji were in Ahmedabad and escaped the complete destruction of the royal family perpetuated by Jam Rawal,thereafter Jam Rawal usurped the throne of Kutch and reigned with supreme authority. Khengarji was 15 years old when his father was murdered, he enlisted in to the army of Mahmud Begada, during one Royal Hunting party, Khengar killed a lion and saved the life of Sultan for which he was asked to name his reward, the prime ambition of Khengar was to regain Kutch and hence he asked for support to fight Jam Rawal, whereby, he was given 1000 soldiers and complete access to Morvi
and given a title of Rao by the sultan Mohamad of Ahmedabad. Rao Khengar with the support of well wishers within Kutch and Morvi fought with Jam Rawal and slowly started gaining the territories of Rapar and nearby villages, as Khengar was the rightful heir to the throne he was welcomed and dissent towards Jam Rawal grew within the state of Kutch. Jam Rawal was ardent devotee of Maa Ashapura,it is believed that the Goddess indicated Jam Rawal to leave Kutch and establish himself at Halar (Saurashtra), and that she will support him in this venture.Jam Rawal set out for Saurashtra and established himself at Nawanagar.
Khengar became the 1st Rao of Kutch in AD 1549 and established Bhuj as Capital.
The first four Raos of Kutch ascended the throne in regular succession according to primogeniture, however after Rao Khengarji II died, there was a break in succession, and in order to prevent the throne being given to Khengarjis illegitimate son, the Bhayyat instated Tamachiji who was the second son of Rao Khengarjis younger brother.
After the demise of Rao Raydhunji this regularity of succession was again deviated, Raydhunji had three sons, Ravaji,Nagulji and Pragji.Ravaji the eldest son was murdered by Sodha rajputs, his second brother Nagulji had died of natural causes before, both the brothers,however had left sons, who by right were entitled to succeed the throne of kutch, but as they were young, Pragji eventually usurped the throne of Kutch and became Maharoa Pragmulji. Kayanji, the eldest son of murdered Ravaji was given Morvi, from where he unsuccessfully tried many a times to regain his rightful throne of Kutch. The descendants of Kanyoji Jadeja settled in Morvi and were called Kanyani. Thus The State of Morvi was formed.
Jam Rawal was the founder of Nawanagar, his descendants branched out and formed the state of Rajkot,and Dhrol,The descendants of Royal family of Rajkot formed Princely state of Gondal.
This Genealogy is still maintained today, by the Barots
of respective Jadeja Branches,and every single person in Jadeja clan can trace their ancestry through to Jam Rato Raydhun.
Gotra
therefore follow the teachings of Atri (Atri gotra yaduvanshi), one of the Saptarishis
seven great Sages of Hinduism. Atri was instrumental in the Kurukshetra
war as he advised Dronacharya.
Ashapura Maataji and Momai Maataji are Jadejas' presiding deities. The Temple of Maa Aashapura is located in Mata no Madh
about 100 kilometres north east of Bhuj
.
, cricketer Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji
, statesman K.S. Digvijaysinhji and cricketer and TV personality Ajay Jadeja
.
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...
peninsula and Kutch until India's independence in 1947.
Origins
The dominant races in Kutch previous to the 9th century of Christian era were the ChavdaChavda Kingdom
The Chavda Kingdom or Chapa dynasty also known as Gujar Chapas was an ancient Hindu Kshatriya dynasty which ruled northern Gujarat from 746 AD to 942 AD....
, Kathee
Kathee
Kathee may refer to:* Kathee, character portrayed by Christine Cavanaugh on the short-lived American sitcom Wild Oats* Kathee Francis, Miss Nevada USA 1963...
s and Waghela, they ruled the western, central and the eastern parts of Kutch respectively.
The reigning Prince of Nagar Thatta in Sindh towards the end of 8th century AD was Lakho Ghuraro. He had eight sons by two wives, the eldest son being Unad from the first wife and the other being Mod by a wife from Chawda tribe. As Unad was the eldest, he succeeded the throne by virtue of his primogeniture. Shortly afterwards brothers Mod and Manai started planning against the life of Unad in order to usurp his throne. However they did not succeed and found it necessary to go into exile with their followers to Kutch where they had maternal relations with the Chawda tribe. This was the first historically noted foray of Samma Rajputs of Sind in Kutch.After arrival in Kutch, Mod had a dispute with his maternal Uncle Chawda Whagum, The ruler of Eastern Kutch, and was killed by Mod, thereafter, Mod assumed the sovereignty of the province. There is no concrete information available for the period that followed except the names of the rulers up to five generations. They were Jam Mod, Jam Saad, Jam Phool, Jam Lakho Phoolani and Jam Pooeronjee. It is important to note here that Lakho Phoolani is the most revered and cherished warrior in the history of Kutch and Saurashtra. Jam Pooeronjee was a very cruel ruler and created despair and apathy among his dominion until he was killed by Jakhs. During this time the direct descendents of Jam Unad in Nagar Thatta Sind was Jam Jada, as he did not have any legitimate heir to the throne he adopted his brothers son Lakho, however, after adopting Lakho, Jam Jadas wife gave birth to a child named Ghao, As Jam Jada had already adopted lakho, he decided to divide his dominion equally among both his legitimate son Ghao and adopted son Lakho, however after the demise of Jam Jada, Ghao refused to give any share to Lakho and was forced to leave Sind with his twin brother Lakhiar and well wishers. Lakho and Lakhiar ventured into Kutch and slowly regained the territories in control of Chavdas, as Lakhiar was childless, Lakho named his territory after his brother and called it Lakhiarviro. Lakho was adopted by Jam Jada, the descendants of this Lakho Jadani were called Jadejas. The name Jadeja means "Belonging to Jada" in the Sindhi and Kutchi language and is pronounced as "Jaa day jaa.
History
In Vikram Samvat 683, present day Egypt was called Misr. One of the states in Misr was Sonitpur, which was ruled by Jam Devendra Sama. His forefathers were given the title of 'Jam' by the emperor of Iran. In that year Shonitpur was attacked by Omar Khalifa, and King Devendra was defeated in that battle of Sonitpur. Omar Khalifa offered the eldest son Aspat of Devendra the throne of Sonitpur with the condition that Aspat will have to convert to Islam. Aspat converted to Islam and became king of Sonitpur, however his three brothers Gajpat,Narpat and Bhupat refused to convert and they migrated to present day Afghanistan. They captured Gazni by defeating King Firozshah and Jam Narpat was made King of Gazni. He ruled a major part of Afaghanistan from Gazni for 18 years. After that in a war with Badshah of Kabul,he was defeated and he became a Martyr. His son Samaji migrated to present day Sindh in Pakistan. They were all called "Sama" Rajputs at that time. The Kings of Sama Rajputs were called Jam, since then many generations of Samma Dynasty Rajputs ruled Sindh. Their capital was "Sama Nagar" or 'Nagar-Thaththa' which is about 100 km from Karachi. Jam Lakho Jadani is attributed to the surname Jadeja being adopted for all his descendants. Lakho Jadani reigned in Kutch between AD 1147–1175 and had one heir to the gaddi (throne), Jam Rato Raydhan. Rato means Red in Kutchi and he was so called because he used to tie a red cloth across his turban to prevent it from dislodging during battles. Jam Rato Raydhan had four sons namely, Jam Othaji, Dedaji, Hothiji and Gajanji and they were given the territories of Lakhirviro, Kanthkot, Gajod and Bara respectively in Kutch. As Othaji was the eldest he ascended to the throne and the rest became a part of Bhayyat or the Brotherhood. 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. Over the years, there were constant skirmishes due to jealousy that marred within these houses, until they merged in two groups of Othaji and Gajanji. The first incident among these which changed the history of kutch is the murder of Jam Hamirji of Lakhiarviro, chief of eldest branch of Jadeja and descendant of Othaji, by Jam Rawal of Bara. It is believed that Jam Rawal attributed the murder of his father Jam Lakhaji to Hamirji, as he was killed within the territory of Lakhiarviro, and on the pretense of resolving the dispute between the two branches, took a fake oath of Ashapura MataAshapura Mata
Ashapura Mata is one of aspect devi. Her temples are mainly found in Gujarat.In Rajasthan, her temples are in Modran and Nadol.She is considered as kuldevi of Jadeja...
ji, the supreme deity of Jadejas, invited Hamirji for a meal and killed him by deceit. During this time Alioji and Khengarji, two sons of Hamirji were in Ahmedabad and escaped the complete destruction of the royal family perpetuated by Jam Rawal,thereafter Jam Rawal usurped the throne of Kutch and reigned with supreme authority. Khengarji was 15 years old when his father was murdered, he enlisted in to the army of Mahmud Begada, during one Royal Hunting party, Khengar killed a lion and saved the life of Sultan for which he was asked to name his reward, the prime ambition of Khengar was to regain Kutch and hence he asked for support to fight Jam Rawal, whereby, he was given 1000 soldiers and complete access to Morvi
Morvi
Morvi or Morbi is a city and a municipality in Rajkot district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It was a Princely State ruled by Jadeja clan of Rajputs until Indian independence in 1947. It is situated on the Kathiawar peninsula. , the city's population was determined to be 73,327. Its chief...
and given a title of Rao by the sultan Mohamad of Ahmedabad. Rao Khengar with the support of well wishers within Kutch and Morvi fought with Jam Rawal and slowly started gaining the territories of Rapar and nearby villages, as Khengar was the rightful heir to the throne he was welcomed and dissent towards Jam Rawal grew within the state of Kutch. Jam Rawal was ardent devotee of Maa Ashapura,it is believed that the Goddess indicated Jam Rawal to leave Kutch and establish himself at Halar (Saurashtra), and that she will support him in this venture.Jam Rawal set out for Saurashtra and established himself at Nawanagar.
Khengar became the 1st Rao of Kutch in AD 1549 and established Bhuj as Capital.
The first four Raos of Kutch ascended the throne in regular succession according to primogeniture, however after Rao Khengarji II died, there was a break in succession, and in order to prevent the throne being given to Khengarjis illegitimate son, the Bhayyat instated Tamachiji who was the second son of Rao Khengarjis younger brother.
| Rulers | Accession |
|---|---|
| Rao Khengarji | AD 1549 |
| Rao Bharmalji | AD 1585 |
| Rao Bhojrajji | AD 1631 |
| Rao Khengarji II | AD 1645 |
| Rao Tamachiji | AD 1654 |
| Rao Raydhunji | AD 1665 |
After the demise of Rao Raydhunji this regularity of succession was again deviated, Raydhunji had three sons, Ravaji,Nagulji and Pragji.Ravaji the eldest son was murdered by Sodha rajputs, his second brother Nagulji had died of natural causes before, both the brothers,however had left sons, who by right were entitled to succeed the throne of kutch, but as they were young, Pragji eventually usurped the throne of Kutch and became Maharoa Pragmulji. Kayanji, the eldest son of murdered Ravaji was given Morvi, from where he unsuccessfully tried many a times to regain his rightful throne of Kutch. The descendants of Kanyoji Jadeja settled in Morvi and were called Kanyani. Thus The State of Morvi was formed.
Jam Rawal was the founder of Nawanagar, his descendants branched out and formed the state of Rajkot,and Dhrol,The descendants of Royal family of Rajkot formed Princely state of Gondal.
This Genealogy is still maintained today, by the Barots
Barot (Caste)
Barot are a caste of Rajasthan, who were involved in profession as bards and especially as Vahivanchas: meaning traditional genealogists. They also additionally worked as Mythographers. They were also known by name of Bhat or Brahmbhatt.- Origin :...
of respective Jadeja Branches,and every single person in Jadeja clan can trace their ancestry through to Jam Rato Raydhun.
Ruled states
These were states founded and ruled by Jadejas until merger into Republic of India.Kutch
- Kutch (cCircaCirca , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
. 1270, Title of Rulers: MaharaoMaharaoMaharao is a variation on the Indian royal title Maharaja, also meaning 'Great king' in Hindi. It is composed of Maha- 'great' and the royal title Rao, a variation on Raja.-Salute states :...
; hereditary from 1 Jan 1918)Regime Rulers Born Died 1698–1715 Pragmalji I 1715–1719 Godaji I 1719 1719–1752 Daishalji I 1752 1741–1752 Lakhpatji (regent) 1717 1761 1752–1761 Lakhpatji (s.a.) (s.a.) 1761–1778 Godaji II 1734 1778 1778–1786 Rayadhan III (1st time) 1763 1813 1786–1801 Prithvirajsinhji 1801 1786 - 5 October 1813 Fateh Mohammad (regent) (s.a.) (s.a.) 1801 - 30 Oct 1813 Rayadhan III (2nd time) (s.a.) (s.a.) October, 1813–1814 Hosayn Miyan (regent) (s.a.) (s.a.) November 6, 1813 - March 25, 1819 Bharmalji II 1798 1846 March 25, 1819 - July 26, 1860 Daishalji II 1814 1860 July 26, 1860 - December 19, 1875 Pragmalji II 1839 1875 December 19, 1875 - January 15, 1942 Khengarji III 1866 1942 January 15, 1942 - February 26, 1948 Vijayaraji VijayarajiH.H. Maharajadhiraj Mirza Maharao Sri Vijayaraji Khengarji Sawai Bahadur was the ruling Maharao of the princely state of Kutch from 1942 to his death in 1948....1885 1948 February 26, 1948 - June -01, 1948 Meghrajji 1909 1991 October 17, 1991 Pragmulji III 1989 - november 12, 1989 Amardeepsinh Jadeja 1989
Dhrol
- DhrolDhrolDhrol is a city and a municipality in Jamnagar district in the state of Gujarat, India.-History:Jadeja dynasty ruled over the Saurastra since 450 years above,the Hardhrolji and Jamravalji came from the Kutch. They spread huge Jadeja state in Saurastra. Dhrol was the second class state in...
(cCircaCirca , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
. 1535, Title of Rulers: Thakor Sahib)Regime Rulers born die 1844–1886 Jaysinhji Bhupatsinhji 1886–1914 Harisinhji Jaysinhji 1914–1937 Dolatsinhji harisinhji 1937–1939 Joravarsinhji Deepsinhji 1939–1947 Kumardeepsinhji Dolatsinhji
Nawanagar
- NawanagarNawanagarNavanagar was an Indian princely state, in Kathiawar region, situated on the south of the Gulf of Kutch. It was ruled by the Jadeja dynasty from its formation in c 1540 until 1948 when it succeed to newly formed, India. The district is now known as Jamnagar. It had an area of and a population...
(cCircaCirca , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
. 1535, Title of Rulers: Jam and Maharaja Jam Sahib after April 28, 1895)Regime Rulers Born Died October 2, 1690 - October 13, 1708 Lakhaji Tamachi 1708 October 13, 1708 - August 13, 1711 Raisinhji Lakhaji 1711 August 13, 1711–1743 Tamachi Raisinhji 1743 September, 1743 - November 2, 1767 Lakhaji Tamachi 1743 1767 November 2, 1767 - August 6, 1814 Jasaji Lakhaji 1814 August 6, 1814 - February 24, 1820 Sataji Lakhaji 1820 February 24, 1820 - February 22, 1852 Ranmalji Sataji 1852 February 22, 1852 - April 28, 1895 Vibhoji Ranmalji 1827 1895 April 28, 1895 - August 14, 1906 Jashwantsinhji Vibhoji 1882 1906 March 12, 1907 - April 2, 1933 Ranjitsinhji Vibhoji 1872 1933 April 2, 1933 - August 15, 1947 Digvijaysinhji Ranjitsinhji 1895 1966
Rajkot
- Rajkot (cCircaCirca , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
. 1620, Title of Rulers: Thakore Sahib)Regime Rulers Born Died / Killed 1620–1635 Vibhoji Ajoji 1635 1635–1656 Mehramanji I Vibhoji 1656 1656–1675 Sahibji Mehramanji 1675 1675–1694 Bamanioji Sahibji 1694 1694–1720 Mehramanji II Bamanio 1720 1720–1732 Interregnum 1732–1746 Ranmalji Mehramanji 1746 1746 - 17xx and 1794–1795 Lakhoji I Bhabhoji Ranmalji 1796 1795–1825 Ranmalji II Mehramanji 1825 1825–1844 Saroji Ranmalji 1844 1844–1862 Mehrmansinhji IV Saroji November 8, 1862 November 8, 1862 - April 16, 1890 Bawajiraj Mehrmansinhji August 30, 1856 April 16, 1890 April 16, 1890 - February 2, 1930 Lakhajiraj III Bawajiraj December 17, 1885 February 2, 1930 February 2, 1930 - June 11, 1940 Dharmendrasinhji Lakhajiraj March 4, 1910 June 11, 1940 June 11, 1940 - August 15, 1947 Pradumansinhji Lakhajiraj February 24, 1913 November 9, 1973
Morbi
- Morbi (cCircaCirca , usually abbreviated c. or ca. , means "approximately" in the English language, usually referring to a date...
. 1698, Title of Rulers: Thakore Sahib and Thakore Sahib Maharaja after June 3, 1926)Regime Rulers Born Died 1698–1733 Kanyojisinghji Rawaji 1733 1733–1739 Aliyaji Kanyoji 1739 1739–1764 Rawaji I 1764 1764–1772 Pachanji Rawaji 1772 1772–1783 Waghji I Pachanji 1783 1783–1790 Hamirji Waghji 1790 1790–1828 Jyaji Waghji 1828 1828–1846 Prithirajji Jyaji 1846 1846 - February 17, 1870 Rawaji II Prithirajji 1870 February 17, 1870 - 11 June 1922 Waghji II Rawaji 1858 1922 June 11, 1922 - June 3, 1926 Lakhdirji Waghji 1876 1957 June 3, 1926 - August 15, 1947 Lakhdirji Waghji (s.a.) (s.a.)
Culture and ethos
Jadejas belong to the AtriAtri
This article is about the sage named Attri. See also the gotra named Atri. For the Italian city, see Atri, AbruzzoIn Hinduism, Attri or Atri is a legendary bard and scholar and was one of 9 Prajapatis, and a son of Brahma, said to be ancestor of some Brahmin, Prajapatis, kshatriya and Vaishya...
Gotra
Gotra
In the Hindu society, the term Gotra broadly refers to people who are descendants in an unbroken male line from a common male ancestor. Panini defines gotra for grammatical purposes as apatyam pautraprabhrti gotram , which means "the word gotra denotes the progeny beginning with the son's son"...
therefore follow the teachings of Atri (Atri gotra yaduvanshi), one of the Saptarishis
Saptarshi
The Saptarishi are the seven rishis who are extolled at many places in the Vedas and Hindu literature. The Vedic Samhitas never actually enumerate these rishis by name, though later Vedic texts such as the Brahmanas and Upanisads do so. They are regarded in the Vedas as the patriarchs of the...
seven great Sages of Hinduism. Atri was instrumental in the Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra
Kurukshetra is a land of historical and religious importance. Historically the land belonged to Punjab now a district in Haryana state of India. It is a holy place and is also known as Dharmakshetra . According to the Puranas, Kurukshetra is named after King Kuru, the ancestor of Kauravas and...
war as he advised Dronacharya.
Ashapura Maataji and Momai Maataji are Jadejas' presiding deities. The Temple of Maa Aashapura is located in Mata no Madh
Mata no Madh
Mata no Madh is name of the place, where the famous temple of Ashapura Mata, the head deity of Kutch and kuldevi of Jadeja rulers stands. It is located about 80 km from Bhuj, the capital of erstwhile Princely State of Cutch and now headquarter of Kutch District.in Gujarat State of India.The...
about 100 kilometres north east of Bhuj
Bhuj
Bhuj is a city and a municipality in Kachchh district in the state of Gujarat, India.-History:It was established by Rao Hamirji in 1510 and was made the state capital by Rao Khengarji I in 1549. Its foundation stone as state capital laid formally on Vikram Samvat 1604 Maagha 5th...
.
Notable Jadeja
Notable Jadeja include cricketer and statesman K.S. Ranjitsinhji, India's first Chief of Army Staff General Rajendrasinhji JadejaRajendrasinhji Jadeja
General Maharaj Shri Rajendrasinhji Jadeja, DSO , also known as Kumar Sri Rajendrasinhji and K.S. Rajendrasinhji, was the first Chief of Army Staff of the Indian army, and the second Indian, after Field Marshal K. M...
, cricketer Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji
Kumar Shri Duleepsinhji Jadeja was a cricketer who played for England. He was educated at the Rajkumar College, Rajkot, India.-Career:...
, statesman K.S. Digvijaysinhji and cricketer and TV personality Ajay Jadeja
Ajay Jadeja
Ajaysinhji Daulatsinhji Jadeja was born on 1 February 1971 in royal rajput family of Jamnagar, Gujarat. He was a regular in the Indian cricket team between 1992 and 2000, playing in 15 Test matches and 196 One Day Internationals. His cricketing achievements were overshadowed by a 5 year ban for...
.