The ancestor of the founding dynasty had migrated to India near Delhi in the reign of
Timur. Two centuries later, during the reign of Shah Jahan, Ragati Bahlol Khan migrated from Northern India to the Deccan, where he was granted a Jagir. His grandson, Abul Karim Khan, was prominent in the court politics of Bijapur. The descendant of this family founded the Savanur state. The name
Savanur is said to have come from the fact that it was established in the Hindu month of Shravan, and hence the name Savanur. The state faced attacks from
Hyder Ali in 1763 and
Tipu Sultan in 1786. After the collapse of the
Maratha Empire in 1818, following the
Third Anglo-Maratha War, Savanur accepted protection from
British East India Company and became a
British protectorate. The Nawabs of Savanur were tolerant of all religions and donated regularly to several
Hindu temples and mutts.
Betel leaves,
jowar and cotton were the principal exports of the Savanur state. The Nawabs also had cordial relationship with the
Dvaita mutt associated with Sri
Satyabodhatirtha. The key person of
Gokak agitation,
Vinayaka Krishna Gokak hailed from Savanur. ==See also==