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Manavadar, India

Indian Princely State

image located by Chrystian Kretowicz, 7 February 2009

Source: http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/m/manavadar.html

Description of the flag

See also:

Description of the flag

Horizontally banded, 5-1-1-1-1-1-5 light blue-black-red-black-yellow-black-light blue, with coat of arms in white in centre.

The flag appears on Henry Soszynki's and Royal Ark sites: http://uqconnect.net/~zzhsoszy/ips/m/manavadar.html and http://www.royalark.net/India2/manavada.htm.

Area: 574 sq.km
Population: 23,285 (1921)
State: Kathiawar
Dynasty: Babi (Yousufzal Pathan)
Religion: Muslim

The ruling family belongs to the Babi family of Junagadh, once powerful Imperial officials in Gujarat who wrested control over several tracts of land during the decay of the Mughal Empire. Bantva was granted by Nawab Muhammad Bahadur Khanji I to his younger brother Diler Khanji Babi, in 1733. The family reigned uneventfully for two hundred years.

Manavadar came under British protection in 1818 and was classed as a third class state. The sleepy little state came to prominence during partition. For a brief moment, it became an important pawn in the tussle over territory between India and Pakistan in 1947. The Muslim ruler, Nawab Ghulam Mo'in ud-din Khanji acceded to Pakistan at the same time as his Babi cousin, the Nawab of Junagadh. Faced with hostile elements from the local Hindu population and organized agitation by local Congress Party thugs, he was forced to leave for Karachi, taking his large family to safety. Indian police entered the state ten days later, after allowing law and order to deteriorate further. The Indian government then appointed its own administrator, organized the referendum, then annexed the little state. In Pakistan, he continue to be officially recognized and granted all the prerogatives of a ruling prince, until his death in 2004. The official date of the accession to Pakistan was September 1947, and then rescinded the accession and re-acceded to India on February 15, 1948.
Chrystian Kretowicz, 7 February 2009