Chhatrajeet Singh (son of the ex-Prince of Chotila) provides a first-person account of the functioning of aristocratic estates (vidis) in Saurashtra before and after Indian independence. He explains how vidis were managed, how land relations and tenancy operated, and how the royal household engaged with pastoralists and farming communities. The interview traces shifts in local governance and the economic base of the estate—from revenue and land rents to evolving market ties—and reflects on the changing sociopolitical role of the princely household in the region. Singh also comments on how inter-community ties (pastoralists vs. sedentary farmers) transformed over time and how those changes affected everyday economy and dispute management.(00:00:00) Introduction, royal lineage, princely states

(00:01:00) Grandfather - Sadul Dada's province in Chotila, relations with residents of 9 villages under him, help that he offered to his kingdom during drought and adverse conditions, fodder donations, financial help

(00:02:01) Jail under Sadul Dada's kingdom was well-stocked, in case criminals needed to be placed in jail from any of the 100 villages, they preferred Sadul Dada's jail, food offered in jail

(00:02:30) About his father, He was the Taluka Pramukh when Indira Gandhi visited Chotila in 1974

(00:02:43) He became Taluka Pramukh in 2011, his father remained Chairman of Marketing Board (00:03:06) Father studied in Royal College Rajkot along with many other representatives of princely states

(00:03:31) Chamunda Mata mandir is the Kuldevi place of the family and related practices

(00:03:53) Suryamandir is the ishtdev of the Kaathi Darbar community

(00:04:16) Brothers, their occupations

(00:04:45) Story about horse belonging to a British Political Agent and his grandfather's horse climibing the Chotila hill, their tombs were built on the hill

(00:06:27) Land management during Sadul Dada's time, he would survey his kingdom and be involved in all battles himself

(00:07:35) British introduced changes by land surveys, introduced borders, this reduced internal battles but kingdoms began loosing their culture and had to adopt British ways, British weapons were introduced, kings lost their connection with people

(00:09:47) After Independence, kings became common men but people would still give his father the same respect

(00:11:18) Sadul Dada took a loan to build a dam in Moldi, Chotila for irrigation in 3 villages

(00:13:30) Help offered to Maldharis in Sadul Dada's kingdom - graze for free in royal grasslands during droughts, provision of fodder for free, provision of livestock from royal cattle if livestock was stolen

(00:15:34) Help offered for the labor class during Sadul Dada's kingdom - wage-based work in farms, horse care, kitchens, ponds and temples

(00:16:41) Crocodiles used to exist in Moldi lake, Chotila, British Political Agents used to like watching them

(00:17:26) Dada Baapu nu rasodu - a common kitchen within the royal household for the poor; Dada Baapu was Sadul Dada's father, he believed in welfare for all

(00:18:00) Rules of land management in the kingdom - cotton, jaar, bajra, wheat - the king would take their share and distribute the rest to farmers

(00:19:29) Comparison of past times with current situation of grazing lands and grasslands; Earlier times were healthier for people, livestock and wildlife

(00:22:10) Changes in forests and grasslands of Chotila, Wakaner, Morbi, Than - rise of factories; drastic reduction in pastoralist occupations, livestock especially camels, shrinking grasslands - vidis are the only healthy grazing lands available; Changes in people's lifestyles, asset ownership, reduction in agricultural occupations (00:28:24) Mentions wildlife present in his vidis seen in the past 5 years

The Vidi register, owned by Chhatrajeet Singh who has managed the estate since the 1970s, records the administration of private grasslands and forest estates known as Vidis. It details payments to staff for monitoring illegal activities, appointments, expenditures for upkeep, and leases granted to Maldharis for grazing, along with the profits earned. As a historical document, it offers vital insights into past grassland management practices in Saurashtra and the shifts shaping the contemporary landscape.

The Vidi register, maintained by the owners of private grasslands and forest estates (Vidis), is currently held by Chhatrajeet Singh, who has managed the estate since the 1970s. It records payments to staff, including watchmen monitoring illegal lopping, grazing, and hunting, along with appointment and expenditure details for estate maintenance. The register also notes land leased to Maldharis for grazing and the profits earned, offering crucial insights into past grassland management in Saurashtra and the shifts shaping the contemporary landscape.

This correspondence between Khachar Nana Sadul, son of Sadul Dada (Prince of Chotila State), and the Political Agent under the Bombay Presidency concerns a dispute with his elder brother, Khachar Surag Sadul. The letter seeks access to land records, encroachment details, revenue accounts, and Japti (confiscated) lands through the Thander (police) of Chotila to ensure fair rights for both brothers. Its archival value lies in revealing the administrative negotiations and record-keeping practices of the period, showing how land, authority, and governance were contested and legitimized under colonial rule.

This 1926 correspondence, spanning 12 pages, records the purchase of topographical maps for the Chotila region by the Sadul Dada Khachar Estate. Beginning with a request to the Political Agent of Eastern Kathiawar, the exchange includes responses from the Survey of India's Map Record & Issue Office in Calcutta regarding cost, scale, and availability, noting that Chotila was covered in sheets 76, 77, and 93 of the Bombay Survey. It also contains receipts, price statements, and documentation of dispatch via V.P.P. (Value Payable Post). The correspondence highlights how princely estates engaged with colonial institutions to access cartographic knowledge, reflecting the role of mapping technologies in shaping governance, infrastructure development, and knowledge-making in early 20th-century western India.

This document is a template of Gaam No Namuno 7 and 12, a crucial rural land record form detailing ownership, land type, and agricultural use, effectively serving as proof of ownership. Such records were essential for land transactions, securing loans, and resolving legal disputes, and before 1947 the princely state administration maintained similar structures to modern revenue systems. Its archival significance lies in revealing the continuity of bureaucratic and scientific record-keeping in rural governance, bridging princely administration with post-Independence revenue practices, and showing how agrarian and pastoral knowledge was codified and standardised.

This document is a template of Gaam No Namuno 6, a key rural land record form containing a comprehensive register of land ownership, cultivation details, and revenue obligations. It records the landholder's name, holding number, survey numbers, area, and assessment, serving as a crucial reference for establishing land rights, facilitating agricultural credit, and accessing government schemes. Before 1947, princely state administrations maintained similar structures to modern revenue records. Its archival value lies in demonstrating the systematic standardisation of agrarian, pastoral, and fiscal data, offering insights into the evolution of scientific land management practices that continue to shape rural governance in contemporary India.

The Nanabhai Khachar Land Management Records (Lekhbuk), 1998 is a detailed administrative ledger documenting all aspects of estate management for the year 1998. It contains comprehensive records of land ownership, including survey numbers, plot boundaries, land classifications, and title references. The register outlines agricultural activities such as crop planning, seasonal cultivation, irrigation usage, seed and fertilizer procurement, and annual yield reports. Financial entries include income from crop sales, tenant payments, lease agreements, labor wages, and operational expenses. The lekhbook also records tenancy arrangements, sharecropping terms, and payment schedules. Additionally, it documents estate infrastructure such as wells, storage facilities, equipment, livestock, maintenance work, and improvements. Legal and administrative matters, including tax payments, land revenue submissions, and dispute records, are carefully noted. This lekhbook serves as an essential record ensuring transparency, accountability, and systematic management of Nanabhai Khachar's estate.

File containing two pieces of correspondence from the princely period. The first letter, written by the Darbar of Chotila to the Political Agent of the British Kathiawar Agency, concerns a request for grass (ganji) hay from estate lands to host guests during a royal wedding and the subsequent distribution of hay among royal siblings. Beyond ceremonial arrangements, the letter provides insight into estate-level grassland management, allocation systems, and rights over fodder resources, reflecting how commons and pasture lands were administered, apportioned, and politically negotiated within princely governance structures.

Pinned within the same file is a separate letter from the Private Secretary to the Raja Saheb of Indargarh, Rajputana, addressed to the Darbar Saheb of Chotila, requesting financial assistance for the purchase of an artificial limb from New York. This correspondence reflects elite networks and transregional administrative communication.

A manuscript of land lease agreement template used by Darbars for leasing estate land for various purposes. The document outlines the standard format for lease arrangements, including identification of plots, boundary descriptions, survey details, classification of land use, and stipulated lease duration. It specifies agreed rates, payment schedules, and conditions governing tenancy and permitted use. The format also references affidavit procedures, legal undertakings, and administrative approvals required to formalize the lease. The document provides insight into princely-era land administration practices, revenue mechanisms, and regulatory frameworks governing estate property and contractual relationships.

The record is of Nana Khachar Sadul Khachar of Chotila, where the stone quarrying site in Kumbhara was laid out for auction. The auction was given for an area that showed waterlogging post-monsoon. The auction is for 2 2-acre area of land and states that the permission for quarrying was given after cash payment of Rs 2500-3100 INR. Its archival significance lies in revealing how natural resource use was formally recorded and monetized, reflecting early practices of environmental assessment, valuation, and regulation within princely state administrations.

Chotila Vidi Estate Register, 1998-1999: Grass Management, maintained under the supervision of Chhatrajeet Singh. The register documents the management and allocation of grass resources within the Chotila Vidi estate for the year 1998-99. It records details relating to grass production, harvesting cycles, storage, distribution, and allocation systems. Entries may include quantities harvested, rates, beneficiaries, usage categories, and administrative approvals. The register provides insight into estate-level governance of pasturelands, fodder management practices, and resource allocation mechanisms in a semi-arid landscape. It serves as an important record of institutionalized grassland management and estate administration during the late 1990s.

This accession contains a historical receipt issued during the rule of Dadabhai Nanabhai, documenting the leasing of land from his estate. The receipt records details of land granted for cultivation, grazing, or construction of dwellings, offering insight into land tenure, estate administration, and socio-economic transactions under princely rule. Its archival significance lies in showing how land and resource use were formally recorded and monetized, reflecting early administrative and systematic approaches to governance, as well as local power dynamics and land-use patterns of the period.

This volume of The Kathiawar Law Reports compiles original and appellate decisions from the Chief Court of Civil and Criminal Justice in Kathiawar, alongside appellate rulings from the Bombay Government and judgments on political cases. It provides a vital legal archive of judicial practices, administrative authority, and legal interpretations in princely Kathiawar during the colonial period. Its archival significance lies in illustrating the codification of legal and administrative knowledge, reflecting early systematic approaches to jurisprudence, while showing how pastoral and local customary practices were mediated, regulated, or sidelined within colonial and princely legal frameworks. Physically, the volume is a horizontal, cloth-bound register with hand-tied cord at the spine, a Gujarati handwritten cover title, and visible wear: frayed edges, soiling/staining, minor tears and deformation at corners, and some inner paper leaves protruding; overall it is intact but should be handled carefully due to brittleness and edge damage.

This 1998 Vidi register documents day-to-day financial administration and land-use decisions within a privately held Saurashtra grassland/forest estate ("vidi"), a locally used term for savanna/grassland tracts historically managed as estates and widely used by pastoralists for grazing, fodder access, and seasonal movement. Maintained by estate holders and currently held by Chhatrajeet Singh (manager since the 1970s), it records staff payments and appointments (including watchmen tasked with deterring illegal lopping, grazing, and hunting), routine maintenance expenditures, and grazing-related leases to Maldharis, alongside resulting receipts/profits-providing rare, grounded evidence of how private vidis were governed, monitored, and monetised, and how pastoral access was negotiated over time amid wider grassland change in Saurashtra.

This correspondence file, dating from 1922 to 1924, documents the political representation and administrative status of smaller princely states in Kathiawar. It includes a petition from the Talukdar of Anandpur and similarly situated talukdars to the Political Agent of Eastern Kathiawar, requesting inclusion in the Chamber of Princes, along with responses from British political officers explaining that talukas below Class IV could not be granted such representation. The file also contains lists of affected talukas, memos for local officials, and notes on the submission of updated Japti (land grant) records with requests for annual updates. Its archival value lies in revealing how colonial bureaucracy classified and codified political authority, illustrating the structured limits placed on local sovereignty and governance in early 20th-century Gujarat.

This comprises the twin barrels of a 12-bore, hammer-action shotgun by I. Horliss, forged in steel and joined with a central rib, with a bead foresight intact. The barrels bear proof marks characteristic of late 19th-early 20th century Birmingham manufacture. Functionally, they channeled the explosive force of powder into the discharge of shot; materially, they represent the highest engineering demands of sporting firearms in colonial India. As an archival object, the barrels preserve traces of wear and maintenance, evidencing the repeated use of the gun in aristocratic hunting expeditions and reflecting the embodied knowledge of marksmanship, craftsmanship, and resource extraction.Action (Lock & Receiver with Hammers): Lock and breech mechanism, with external hammers, twin triggers, and an engraved receiver marked "I. Horliss." It embodies the technological heart of the weapon, where powder ignition, shot release, and breech locking all converged.Stock: This comprises the walnut stock and fore-end of the shotgun, finely shaped and checkered for grip, with a steel buttplate and fore-end latch.