VODEYSHANKAR, GOWRISHANKAR (1805-1892)

This article appears in Volume V28, Page 170 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: VIR-WAT

VODEYSHANKAR, GOWRISHANKAR (1805-1892) , native minister of the state of Bhaunagar in Kathiawar, Bombay, was born on the 2ISt of August 1805, of a family of Nagar Brahmins. He rose from being a revenue officer to be state minister in 1847. His success in this capacity was such that on the death of the reigning

chief

CHIEF (from Fr. chef, head, Lat. caput)

, in 1870, he was appointed

joint

JOINT (through Fr. from Lat. junctum, jungere, to join)

administrator

ADMINISTRATOR

in concert with a British official. The experiment was in every respect successful. Under the simple and economical forms used in native states, improvements suggested by British experience were introduced. The land revenue was based on a cash system, the fiscal and customs systems were remodelled and tree planting was encouraged. The town of Bhaunagar received the

great

GREAT

boon of the Gowrishankar Waterworks, on which six lakhs of rupees were spent. The Bhaunagar state also warmly pressed for railway communication with the continent of India, and thus began a

movement

MOVEMENT

which has spread a network of railway lines over the peninsula of Kathiawar. The British government re-warded these many services of Gowrishankar with the distinction of C.S.I. in 1877. He helped to establish the Rajkumar College at

Rajkot

RAJKOT

, for the education of native princes, and also the Rajasthanik Court, which, after settling innumerable disputes between the land-owning classes and the chiefs, has since been abolished. In 1879 Gowrishankar resigned office, and devoted himself to the study of the higher literature of that Vedanta philosophy which through his whole life had been to him a solace and a guide. In 1884 he wrote a

work

WORK

called 'Svarupanusandhan, on the union of the soul with Deity, which led to a

letter

LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the alphabet; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

of warm congratulation from Max Muller, who also published a short

biography

BIOGRAPHY (from the Gr. (3ios, life, and yp&4 , writing)

of him. In 1887 he put on the robe of the Sanyasi or ascetic, the fourth stage, according to the Hindu Shastras, in the life of the twice-born man, and in this manner passed the

remainder

REMAINDER, REVERSION

of his life, giving above ten hours each day to Vedantic studies and holy contemplation. He died, revered by all classes, in December 1892.
See Javerital U. Yajnik, Gowrishankar Udayashankar (Bombay, 1889).

End of Article: VODEYSHANKAR, GOWRISHANKAR (1805-1892)

If you wish, you can link directly to this article.

<a href="http://jcsm.org/StudyCenter/Encyclopedia/VIR_WAT/VODEYSHANKAR_GOWRISHANKAR_1805.html">
VODEYSHANKAR, GOWRISHANKAR (1805-1892)
</a>

(Previous)
VODENA (Turk. and Bulg. Voden, anc. Edessa, q.v.)

(Next)
VODKA

JCSM was founded in 1997 and exists to help the community and bring people into a life-changing and productive relationship with Jesus Christ. JCSM offers over 200,000 free web pages, including its weekly inspirational emails that were sent continuously for over a decade.

Jesus Christ Saves Ministries
P.O. Box 9297
San Diego, CA 92169
1-888-887-0417 or Email