Bajana

The Princely State of Bajana is bounded on the North by the Rann of Catch, on the South by Viramgam and Boundary and limits. Patdi Talukas, on the East by Viramgam, Yithalgadh and Lakhtar, and on the West by the territories of Dhrangadhra and Lakhtar.

Ancient History (Origin):-

The Chief of Bajana who is a Mahomedan of the Jat race is designated “Malek”. The ancestors of the House came to Sind from Baluchistan and M’akran joining Kasam in his expedition against Sind in 711 and settled themselves at Vangabazar. borne generations later, a quarrel, that arose over certain of their ladies whom the Badshah of Sindh hoped to receive in marriage, led to tho migration of this tribe first into Cutch and then into Kathiawar. Throughout their flight they were pursued by the Sind troops. Kao Raydhan, the then Ruler of Cutch, refused them shelter and so they pushed on into Gujarat but were overtaken by the Sind troops near the Cutch village of Munghrabia. Here a tragic event occurred. The Jats, rather than surrender the ladies, put one of them to death with several other women. Their monuments are still to be seen at Lakhudh in Cutch to this day. The Sindh party at their heels they eventually managed to reach the Mandav hills near Than, then in the possession of the Parmars of Muli, who accorded them shelter. After some resistance when Lagdhirji, the Chief of the Parmars, perceived that they could not withstand the attack of the Sind army he allowed Sumribai, the one surviving Jat lady to escape, and surrendered his brother Haloji to the Sindhis. The invaders however pursued Sumribai as far as Vanod where she committed suicide.

Her tomb is still to be found there. The Sindhis did not leave the coun try until they were driven away by the army of Sultan Mahomed Begda. Haloji, whose release was effected by the Gujarat army, was taken by them to Ahmedabad where he became a convert to Islam and was given Ranpur. The Jats then repaired to Ahmedabad and paid their respects to the Sultan who employed them in besieging the fort of Champaner where they distinguished themselves so much by their prowess that the Sultan bestowed on their leader, MalekHedoji, the twenty-four villages subject to Bajana. They subsequently conquered Mandal from the Jhalas with the permission of the Sultan. Once the JatSardar of Bajana incurred the displeasure of the Moghul Viceroy of Ahmedabad who resumed the grant of the estate and ordered it to be partitioned among the Maleks. Bajana was assigned to the Chief Malek Hedoji, Sifapur and Vanod to Malek Lakha alias Pirkhan and Valivada to MalekIsaji, who dispossessing the Ravanias of Warahi of their holdings removed his seat of Government there. At present Warahi is known as the senior Jatwad and Bajana as the junior. During Colonel Walker’s settlement the Ruler of Bajana was Surajmal III, ninth in line from Hedoji. He died without issue and his younger brother Dariya Khan II succeeded him. He also died in 1841 without any male issue and consequently the succession devolved on his cousin Nasib Khan who ascended the Gadi on the 23rd April 1841. Nasib Khan died on the 20th December, 1902, and was succeeded by Malek Shri Jiwan khanji on the 1st June, 1903.

He was born on the 13th November, 1847, and died on the 2nd February, 1920. He was succeeded by his adopted son Malek Shri Kamal khanji, the present Chief.