Kathiawar Agency, Colonial administrative division in Kathiawar Peninsula, India
Kathiawar Agency was an administrative territory in western India that encompassed approximately 200 princely states under British control. The region spread across the Kathiawar Peninsula and was administered by a British resident based in Rajkot.
The administrative territory was established in 1819 to manage British control over numerous local princely states. It remained in operation until 1924, when it was reorganized into the Western India States Agency.
The region was known for its princely schools, especially the Rajkumar College in Rajkot, where sons of rulers received their education. These institutions shaped how future leaders understood their role under British rule.
The territory was connected by an extensive metre-gauge railway system funded by major princely states. Maritime trade moved through several coastal ports including Veraval, Mangrol, and Porbandar.
Among the roughly 200 princely states, only a handful of larger ones like Porbandar, Nawanagar, and Junagadh held real independence in their internal affairs. Most of the smaller principalities had little say in their own governance.
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