The Mewasi, or Mevasi, Mehwasi [1] refers to a system of land tenure held by Rajputs and Kolis in Kathiawar region of Gujarat. It has been described as being similar to the talukdari system. [2] Under Mughal administration, villages were classified based on their political stability, peaceful villages were categorised as rāsti while turbulent ones were categorised as mewasi. Mewasi villages were predominantly inhabited by Rajputs and Kolis. Mewasi villages were also termed as zamindari or talukdari by the Mughal administration. [3]
In those days, Mewasi word was used to describe the unruly, turbulent and violent Kolis but during British Raj, Mewasi was used for Koli chieftains in rebellions against British rule as a hero. [4]
Koli Mewasis liked the independent rule of self so they always fought against their Rajas, Maharajas and other rulers. Koli Mewasis often plundered the villages to collect the revenue. [5]
In the fifteenth century, the early Sultans of Ahmedabad attempted to subjugate the Koli Mehwasis; but they were met with such a sturdy resistance from those chiefs, who were naturally helped by the wild nature of their Koli chiefs. [6]
The Rewakantha settlements were made during the regime of Sayajirao. these areas were constantly disturbed by the depredations of the Koli Mehwasis, and the maintenance of law and order in these areas became a challenge for Baroda government. [7]
The Barmuvada, Chhapra, Khumarwad were most notable Mewasi villages and their Koli chieftains were receiving Giras dues from Radhvanaj rulers. [8]
The British government always faced the trouble in Mehwasi areas and used the troops to collect the annual revenue. [9]
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Parmar, also known as Panwar or Pawar, is a Kshatriya (Rajput) clan belonging to the Agnivansha lineage of Kshatriyas. They are primarily found in Northern and Central India, especially in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and North Maharashtra.
Patidar, formerly known as Kanbi, is an Indian land-owning and peasant caste and community native to Gujarat. The community comprises at multiple subcastes, most prominently the Levas and Kadvas. They form one of the dominant castes in Gujarat. The title of Patidar originally conferred to the land owning aristocratic class of Gujarati Kanbis; however, it was later applied en masse to the entirety of the Kanbi population who lay claim to a land owning identity, partly as a result of land reforms during the British Raj.
Garasia alternatively spelled Girasia, Girasiya or Garasiya, is a title used by tribal chieftains and members of other arms bearing lineages in India who held the villages as Giras granted by rulers.
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The Gujarat Sultanate or Sultanate of Guzerat was a late medieval Islamic Indian kingdom in Western India, primarily in the present-day state of Gujarat. The kingdom was established in 1394 when Muzaffar Shah I, the Governor of Gujarat, declared independence from the Tughlaq dynasty of Delhi.
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The Koli is an Indian caste found in Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Odisha and Jammu and Kashmir states in India. Koli is an agriculturist caste of Gujarat but in coastal areas they also work as fishermen along with agriculture. In the beginning of 20th century, the Koli caste was recognised as a denotified tribe under Criminal Tribes Act by the Indian Government because of their anti-social activities during World War I.
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