Mandawad

A Kathi Rajput state also known as Mandav Gadh, the giras (ownership) of this estate at one time extended to more then 150 villages. During the minority of Wala Harsur Bapu, a neighboring Girasia, Bawa Wala, laid a forcible hand on his Giras and dispossessed him. Ten years later, Harsur Bapu murdered Bawa Wala and regained his old Giras. But Bawa’s descendants would not quietly submit to the deed and were out to seek revenge. The Junagadh state interfered and sequestered the Giras of Harsur Bapu for this act of violence. Thereupon left with nothing, Harsur Bapu became an outlaw. Later his grievance was carried to the British government and because of the harassment to Junagadh state through his outlawry, an agreement was reached between Junagadh and Harsur Bapu. By this Parwana (agrrement), the Girasia, in lieu of his old giras, received 6 specified villages and certain privileges in Gir forest (certain rights of cutting wood, grazing, collecting grass etc.). Later these rights, because of certain disagreements relating to duties, were converted into a cash amount of 3,500Rs and 2 lakh bundles of grass in a famine year. The amount was given under Sudhara Varad, this payment (Vadtar or reimbursement) was stopped some years ago, but it was successfully challenged in the supreme court by the late Darbar Shri, and is still being payed yearly of the amount of 3,500Rs. Around 175 years ago, when the new state was formed comprising the 6 villages mentioned above, the capital was shifted to Nava Visavadar, which was renamed some years later to Mandawad, though "Nava Visavadar urfe (meaning alias) Mandavad" remained in all official records till 1947. This was because of the presence of a deity (or an angelic demon or a Gin) in a Banyan tree which is called Vadlo in Gujarati. This Vadlo is still present and hordes of people still come to pray (or for Mannat) to the deity. Also, inside the Darbar Gadh at Mandawad, there is a dargah of a Muslim Pir called Davalsha Pir. Many people come to worship at this dargah every Thursday.