The Mahiya darbar' or mahiya rajput are a rulling community of sergadh state with morethan 84 village found in the state of Gujarat in India. [1]
The community claim to have been settled along the banks of the Mahi river in Kheda District, so they came to be known as Mahiya rajput. The community settled in Gujarat during the rule of Sultan Mahmud Begada, and moved into Saurashtra in the 16th Century. There they established states in Wankaner and the small states of Kuwadva and Than near Rajkot and established sergadh state. A section of the some , and are now known mahiya rajput. and other rajput cast covert known as MAHIYA now they are staying in junagadh District. They rebelled against the Nawab of Junagadh in 1882 at Kanda dungar (kandano karo ker full history of this matter is published in (saurashtra ni rasdhar by zaverchand meghani), and were suppressed. As a result of the rebellion, they lost they brave people & much of their land by cheating of Junagadh political person who have strongly associated with Junagadh state.
The Mahiya Rajputs, a warrior caste of Junagadh, were given a place in the army by Nawab Sher Khan of Babi dynasty, who sought their expertise. However, with the arrival of the British in Saurashtra in the early 19th century, the Nawab came under their influence, causing a rift between him and the Mahiya Rajputs. After the revolt of 1857, the British increased violence against the Mahiya Rajputs, who through satyagraha protested against the high pitch of land revenue imposed by the Government. One evening, a conflict broke out between the British authorities and the Mahiya Rajputs. The former resorted to merciless and inhuman massacre of the Mahiya Rajputs. The heads of over 80 Mahiyas were loaded onto carts and sent down, while their torsos were placed atop a nearby hill.
Atop Kanda Dungar in Junagadh still stand the pillars of the Mahiya Rajputs, numbering over 80 and erected as symbols of their bravery. The Rajput community honors their memory at this martyr's memorial, paying tribute on every 28th January. On this day, the Mahiya community comes to Kanda Dungar to offer vermilion to the pillars, light lamps, offer Dhaja, and bow their turban-wrapped heads in respect to the seven rows of pillars. Today, the pillars stand as a symbol of the Khimirwanti people of Kathiawad. The historian Shambhuprasad Desai recorded this massacre under the name 'Kandana Ker,' while the writer Zawerchand Meghani referred to it as 'Kandane Risamane.'(ministry of culture )