Mahavira Jain Vidyalaya Rajat Jayanti Mahotsava

Author(s): Mahavir Jain Vidyalaya Mumbai
Publisher: Mahavir Jain Vidyalay

Page 210

[M. J. V. SILVER JUBILEE )
THE CAVADĀS
The Cavadas of Anhilapaṭṭana fill a prominent place in the history of Gujarat, but the question of their origin is still in darkness. Col. Tod seems to think that the Cavaḍās were a foreign race, who landed in Sauraṣṭra and thence spread northwards until Vanaraja Cavada founded the kingdom of Pattana. Mr. Kinloch Forbes in his interesting and instructive volumes speaks of the "still mysterious race of Kanaksen", but does not allude to this point.
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It is considered on all hands that the Cavadās are a branch of the widespread race of Parmars, which has given rise to a saying: "The world is the Parmar's". It is difficult to find any famous town or fort in Gujarat, which was not originally held by the Parmars. Hardly anything is known about the caste or tribal position of these ancient Rajput families. It is said that Pattana was ruled by the Parmars even before the advent of the Cavadas. Major Watson speculates that Anhila discovered merely a ruined site of the ancient Parmar sovereigns. Abu, Candavati, Bhinmal or Srimal, Palanpur, Tharad and Vardhamanpur in Sauraṣtra were held by the Parmārs. In the administration report of the Palanpur Superintendency for the year 1873-71, Major Watson alludes to the local traditions that Caḍcat, properly called Cavaḍcat, owes its name to the Cads or Cavadas, a branch of the Parmars." It is probable that the Cavadas were a branch of the Parmars. It is hence likely that in a race of undoubted antiquity as the Parmārs, one branch of the Cavaḍās became kings of Anhilapattana ultimately resulting in the obliteration of the original clan.
Mr. Dwivedi is also of the opinion that the Cavaḍas hail from the Parmar dynasty and a connecting link has been found to support this view point. Parsurama was the 35th king of the Parmar dynasty. His mother was Udekunverba the daughter of Sisodia Rāņā Karanji of Chitor. Parasurăma was defeated by Chada Raja Rathod and Bhinmal was conquered. His wife. Jasakunverbā, the daughter of the Kacchava Raja Mansinghji of Amber fled to a forest and Vanaraja was born. The veracity of this account is disputed, as this theory has found no support from any research student and moreover this does not help us to form any definite conclusion on the strength of the existing data.
The genius of the Hindu race has somehow been alert to depict historical incidents in metrical forms and there is a poem describing the sovereignty
1. Indian Antiquary, Vol. IV, p. 145. 2. Ibid. 4. Dwivedi, Gujarātnā Aitihäsika Sädhano. p. 4.
3. Ibid.