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Kathiawar

Coordinates: 22°N 71°E / 22°N 71°E / 22; 71
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the peninsula in western India. For the region, see Saurashtra (region).
For other uses, see Saurashtra (disambiguation) and Kathiawari (disambiguation).

Kathiyawar
Saurashtra
Peninsula
Kathiawar peninsula as seen from the NASA Earth Observatory
Kathiawar peninsula as seen from the NASA Earth Observatory
Location of Saurashtra in India
Location of Saurashtra in India
Coordinates: 22°N 71°E / 22°N 71°E / 22; 71
CountryIndia
StateGujarat
Languages
 • officialGujarati
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)

Kathiawar ([kɑʈʰijɑʋɑɽ]) is a peninsula, near the far north of India's west coast, of about 61,000 km2 (23,500 sq mi) bordering the Arabian Sea. It is bounded by the Gulf of Kutch in the northwest and by the Gulf of Khambhat in the east. In the northeast, it is connected to the rest of Gujarat and borders on the low, fertile hinterland of Ahmedabad. It is crossed by two belts of hill country and is drained radially by nine rivers which have little natural flow aside from in monsoon months, thus dams have been built on some of these. Kathiawar ports have been flourishing centres of trade and commerce since at least the 16th century.[1]

Etymology and history

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The name Kathiawad seems to have been derived from the early settlements of Kathikas or Kathis who entered Gujarat from Sindh in early centuries of the Common Era.[2][3]

History

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Literary comment

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Kathiawar 1855 with its four prant districts: Halar, Jhalavad, Sorath and Gohilwad.
Arrow Pillar or Baan-Stambh at Somnath
Wikisource has original text related to this article:

The state of the region in the early nineteenth century is shown in Letitia Elizabeth Landon's poetical illustration, "Scene in Kattiawar", to an engraving of a painting by Clarkson Frederick Stanfield.[4]

Districts in Kathiawad Region

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Geography and ecosystem

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Presents districts of old Kathiawar, Gujarat. (Note: Diu is not politically a part of Gujarat, currently it belongs to the Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu.)
Scene in Kattiawar, Travellers and Escort, 1830

The natural vegetation on most of the peninsula is xeric scrub. A range of low hills known as the Gir Hills occupies the south-central portion of the peninsula. The highest of these is Girnar. The hills are home to an enclave of tropical dry broadleaf forest.[5]

Gir National Park and its surroundings host the last remaining Asiatic lion population.[6][7] Other national parks in Kathiawar are Blackbuck National Park, Velavadar on the Gulf of Cambay, and Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch, near Jamnagar.[citation needed]

Antiquity (places: history, archaeology, nature, religion)

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People of Mer Community (primarily found in Saurashtra) in one of the Sword dance forms
Bhil women of Kathiawar, 1890
Gop Temple in Kathiawad, 1897.

Notable characters and figures

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Religion, pre-history, spirituality

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Society, ideology, politics, leadership

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Governance, nobility, reforms, politics

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Art, literature, poetry, journalism, socialism

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Sports

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Cinema, entertainment, music, folklore

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Business, industry, innovation, entrepreneurship, philanthropy

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History and culture

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Trivedi, A. B. (1943). Kathiawar economics (PDF). Bombay: AB Trivedi, Khalra College.
  2. ^ Indica. Heras Institute of Indian History and Culture, St. Xavier's College. 1970. p. 9.
  3. ^ Gupta, Parmanand (1977). Geographical Names in Ancient Indian Inscriptions. Concept Publishing Company. p. 64.
  4. ^ Landon, Letitia Elizabeth (1834). "picture and poetical illustration". Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1835. Fisher, Son & Co.
  5. ^ "Khathiar-Gir dry deciduous forests". Terrestrial Ecoregions. World Wildlife Fund. Accessed 16 September 2020.
  6. ^ Singh, H. S.; Gibson, L. (2011). "A conservation success story in the otherwise dire megafauna extinction crisis: The Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica) of Gir forest" (PDF). Biological Conservation. 144 (5): 1753–1757. Bibcode:2011BCons.144.1753S. doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2011.02.009.
  7. ^ Singh, H. S. (2017). "Dispersion of the Asiatic lion Panthera leo persica and its survival in human-dominated landscape outside the Gir forest, Gujarat, India". Current Science. 112 (5): 933–940. doi:10.18520/cs/v112/i05/933-940.
  8. ^ "A Few Words about Shri Harilal Upadhyay"
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