HIMMATNAGAR

About Himmatnagar

Himatnagar or Himmatnagar () is a municipality in Sabarkantha district in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the district. The town is on the bank of the river Hathmati.Himatnagar was founded in 1426 by Ahmed Shah I of Gujarat Sultanate and named it Ahmednagar after himself. He founded the town to keep Raos of Idar State in check. It is said that he was so fond of the place that he thought of making it, instead of Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat Sultanate. When the Rao dynasty took Idar in 1728, Ahmednagar soon fell into their hands. After the death of Maharaja Shivsing, in 1792, his brother Sangramsing took Ahmednagar and the country round; and, in spite of the efforts of his nephew Gambhirsing, became an independent chief. Sangramsing was succeeded by his son Karansing. The later died in 1835, and Erskine, the British Agent, who was in the neighbourhood with a force, moved to Ahmednagar to prevent the queens from becoming satis. The sons of the deceased Maharaja begged Erskine not to interfere with their customs. Finding him resolved to prevent the sati practice, while pretending to negotiate, they secretly summoned the Bhils and other turbulent tribes, and in the night, opening a way through the fort wall to the river bed, the queens burnt themselves with their deceased husband. The sons of the deceased Maharaja fled, but subsequently gave themselves up, and, after entering into an engagement with the British Government, Takhtsing was allowed to succeed his father as Maharaja of Ahmednagar. Some years later he was chosen to fill the vacant throne of Jodhpur State. He tried to keep Ahmednagar and its dependencies, but, after a long discussion, it was, in 1848, ruled that Ahmednagar should revert to Idar State. In 1912, the town was renamed Ahmednagar to Himatnagar after prince Himmat Singh by Sir Pratap Singh, the Maharaja of Idar. The state was under Mahi Kantha Agency during British rule which subsequently became part of Western India States Agency.[2] After independence of India in 1947, Idar State was merged with Union of India. From 1947 to 1956, it was a part of Bombay State as Idar district. Himatnagar was the largest city and the administrative headquarters of the Dungarpur district, Rajasthan from 1956 to 1960. Since 1961, Himatnagar is the administrative headquarter and part of Sabarkantha district of Gujarat.