Princely State of Vadhyavan

The Princely State of Vadhyavan, also known as Wadiavan, was amongst the former native states of India that was appointed as one of the Indian princely states during the early 19th century. The princely state was under the indirect control of the British Empire in India. The territory covered a total area of 4.90 sq miles and comprised of a total population of 188 in the year 1941. In the year 1888, after the final settlement of the final status of the Dangs, the native state of Vadhyavan consisted of only a single block of territory that was located towards the south of the Dangs. The princely state was one of the major areas amongst the Dangs states.

The former state was bordered by the territory of Jari Garkhadi in the north; by the taluka of Chinchli Gaded in the south; and by the British territories in the Province of Bombay in the east and the west. The Princely State of Vadhyavan or Wadiavan was under the administrative control of the Baroda Agency, which was a sub division of Western India States Agency. Later the state became a part of the modern state of Gujarat, India.

History of Princely State of Vadhyavan
The native ruler of the princely state of Vadhyavan held the title of Naik. The native ruler of the former native state was a Bhil. The Bhil tribe was aborigines who settled in the northern Ghats and eastern branches of the range, on the region that detached Malwa from Gujarat, and also in the east of Gujarat. The ruling family was badly treated by the Maratha Empire and was also defeated by the Mughal forces. The Bhils were the politically prevailing tribe in the Dangs region during rule of the British Empire in India. They were formally classified as a Hindu primitive caste. The succession of the royal throne of the princely state of Vadhyavan was governed by the rule of male primogeniture by which the first born or eldest child of the same parents the first born or eldest child of the same parents, to the exclusion of all others. The ruling chiefs of the state did not take the charge of administration of the territory due their incapacity to manage and rule.

Administration of Princely State of Vadhyavan
The rulers were mainly indigenous natives and due to their backwardness in education, jurisdictional powers were exercised by the Resident of British India, also known as Political Agent, on their behalf. The Naiks of Vadhyavan state retained specific revenue rights over their own regions and certain customary rights of settling disputes. The native rulers and the headmen of the villages, who held the title of Patels, were around 300 and 400. They met the British resident 3 or 4 times annually; but in his absence, the ruling chiefs met with the Civil Administrator in Darbar. The claims of Baroda to economic rights in the Dangs were transformed into a fixed annual payment. All the rulers received a pension from the British Government of India as well.

Accession of Princely State of Vadhyavan
After the political withdrawal of the British government and the Partition of India on 15th August 1947, the erstwhile native state was acceded to the newly independent Union of India, also known as the Dominion of India.