Bajana, Surendranagar district
Bajana is a village in Dasada Taluka of Surendranagar district, Gujarat, India.
Location
Bajana is situated on the southern shore of the Little Rann of Kutch near its south-east corner. It lies in north latitude 23° 6' and east longitude 71° 49'.[1]
History
The village was held by the Jats during British period. The Jats of Bajana originally came from Vanga Bazaar in Sindh from where they were driven by one of the rulers of Sindh in consequence of their refusal to give him two ladies of their house in marriage. The legend declares that the Jats fled with the ladies in question and were pursued by the Sindh monarch. Rao Raydhan, the then ruler of Cutch State, refused them shelter, and they pushed on for Gujarat further, but were overtaken by the Sindh troops near the Cutch village of Munghrabia. Hero the Jats, rather than surrender the ladies, put one of them to death together with several other women, and their shrines are still seen at Lakhudh in Kutch.[1]
Eventually they crossed the Rann of Kutch to Morbi still pursued by the Sindh troops, but managed to reach the Mandav hills near Thangadh, then in the possession of the Parmars of Muli. The Parmars agreed to aid them and they are said to have maintained themselves in the hills for some time against the attack of the Sindh army. But the Parmars were at last compelled to come to terms and their chieftain Laghdhirji allowing Sumribai, the one surviving Jat lady, to escape, surrendered his brother Haloji to the Sindhis. They pursued Sumribai as far as Vanod where she committed suicide, and her tomb is still there.[1]
Mahmud Begada of Gujarat Sultanate sent troops to repel the Sindhis. They drove them back and released Haloji, whom they took with them to Ahmedabad, where he became a convert to Islam. The Sultan, who was pleased with Haloji, bestowed on him the waste site of Ranpur. The kindness of the Sultan to Haloji so impressed a younger brother of his and Laghdhirji's, that he joined him at Ahmedabad, and also adopted the Islam, when the Sultan bestowed on him the tapa of Botad and twenty-four villages; one of this branch settled at Dholka in 1780 as commander of the garrison. His name was Malik Himat, and his descendants are known as the Kasbatis of Dholka. The Jats now all repaired to Ahmedabad, and paid their respects to the Sultan, who employed them in the siege of Champaner and there they distinguished themselves so much by their prowess that after the capture of that fortress the Sultan bestowed on their leader Malik Hedoji the twenty-four villages subject to Bajana. Shortly after this, by permission of the Sultan, they conquered Mandal from the Jhalas. This town was taken possession of by the Sultan, but the Jats were allowed to occupy some of the neighbouring villages. Malik Isaji now established himself at Valivda, Malik Lakha at Sitapur and Vanod, and Malik Haidar Khan at Bajana. Malik Isaji afterwards conquered Varahi from the Ravmas and established himself there. Varahi and its neighbourhood is called Moti Jatvar, Great Jatvar; and Bajana and its neighbourhood is called Nani Jatvar or Little Jatvar.[1]
There are two large tanks in the village.[1]
References
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Gazetteer of the Bombay Presidency: Kathiawar VIII. Printed at the Government Central Press, Bombay. 1884. p. 373-374.