Vagad

Vagad (also known as Vagar) is a region in southeastern Rajasthan state of western India. The major cities of the region are Dungarpur and Banswara, both princely states in 19th century.

It includes the districts of Banswara and Dungarpur, and is bounded on the north by Mewar region of Rajasthan, on the west and southwest by Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh, and on the southeast and east by Gujarat state.

Geography

The region mostly lies in the upper watershed of the Mahi River and its tributaries, which is said to be the lifeline of Vagad. The Mahi flows north through the district from its origin in the Vindhya Range of Madhya Pradesh, entering the district from the southeast and flowing north towards the northern end of the district, where it turns southwest to form the boundary between Banswara and Dungarpur districts before entering Gujarat and emptying into the Gulf of Cambay.

Vagad has rich flora and fauna. The forests include mainly teak. The wildlife includes a large variety of wild animals like leopard, chinkara, etc. Common birds in the region are fowl, partridge, black drongo, grey shrike, green bee-eater, bulbul, parrot etc.

History

Vagad as a different region separated from Mewar, and a branch of Sisodias ruled here. The ruleres were known as "Maharawal".

The states of Banswara and Kishangarh separated, and the state of Sisodias continued existence as Dungarpur.

All princely states were merged into Rajasthan prior to 1947.

Culture

The region has mainly tribal population, predominantly Bhils. The mother tongue of Vagad's residents is Vagri, which is similar to Gujarati. People here also use Hindi for communication.

Beneshwar, situated on the confluence of rivers Mahi, Som and Jakham, is a major pilgrimage centre in Vagad which hosts one of asia's largest annual congregation of tribals known as the Beneshwar Fair.

External links

[http://www.ruralphotography.blogspot.com/ Rural Images of Vagad]