) of Sadruddin Chishti at Pimri, which was visited by
Jayebha Mukane and got blessing from the
Saint to establish a State and rule it for more than 600 years.
Yashwantrao Martandrao Mukne, last ruler of the
Jawhar Priyamvande, last queen of the Jawhar Up to the
first Muslim invasion of the
Deccan (1294) the greater part of the northern
Konkan was held by Koli and Varli chiefs. Jawhar was held by a Varli chief and from him it passed to a Koli named
Paupera. According to the Kolis' story, Paupera who was apparently called Jayaba, had a small mud fort at
Mukne near the Tal pass. Once when visiting a shrine of Sadruddin Chishti at Pimpri, he was blessed by five Koli mendicants and saluted as the ruler of Jawhar. Paupera thereupon collected a body of Kolis, marched northwards, and was acknowledged by the people of
Peint and
Dharampur. He went to
Surat and as far north as
Kathiawar where he remained for seven years. On his return from Kathiawar he went to Jawhar and asked the
Varli chief to give him as much land as the hide of a bullock could cover. The Varli chief agreed, but when the hide was cut into fine shreds or strips, it enclosed the whole of the Varli chief's possessions.
Gambhirgad about twelve miles north-west of Jawhar and the country round were given to the Varli chief, and Paupera became the sole master of Jawhar. On 6 June 1306,
Jayabha Mukne, a
Poligar, took possession of the
fort at
Jawhar. His elder son, Dulbarrao, expanded his patrimony and conquered a large territory, controlling 22 forts, comprising most of the
Nasik and
Thana districts, and yielding annual revenues valued at £90,000. He received recognition as ruler by
Sultan Muhammad bin Tughlaq, receiving the new name of Nim
Shah and the hereditary title of
Raja on 5 June 1343. This event was marked by the creation of a new calendar era used within the state for over six hundred years. The grandson of Nimshah, Deobarrao, fought a battle with the
Bahmani Sultan
Ahmad Shah I Wali. During his capture at
Bidar, he fell in love with the Sultan's daughter. The marriage was solemnised after he converted to
Islam and took the name Muhammad Shah. He returned to Jawhar and continued to rule his state unmolested, for the rest of his life. At his death, the powerful
Hindu sardars and nobles refused to recognise his son as his successor, on account of his Muslim faith. In his stead, they chose the Hindu grandson of Holkarrao, the younger brother of Nimshah. Thereafter, his Hindu descendants ruled the little state in relative peace until the advent of the
Maratha power. He then merged his state into the Bombay Presidency early in the following year. The Maharaja Medal (Maharaja Padak), awarded in a single class, was instituted by Maharaja Yeshwantrao Patangshah V in 1947 to commemorate his assumption of the title of Maharaja and to reward those who had served the state during his reign. Patangshah V then embarked on a political career, was a member of the national parliament and the state assembly. He died in 1978 and was succeeded by his only son, Digvijaysinhrao. The latter died in 1992, leaving his only son, Mahendrasinhrao, to represent his line. ==Rulers==