Guj: ખેડા khēḍā
‘Village’ [Khetaka] -City/District, Gujarat
From Skt: kheṭaka, ‘small village’, ‘settlement of agricultural workers’
Sanskrit literature records the town and its surrounding administrative district as Kheṭaka; under British rule it was called Kaira.
Kheda has a history of rebellion. In 1803–08, Koli chiefs rose against the East India Company, raiding Company-controlled territory and for a time posing a serious challenge to its authority in the region.
And in 1918 Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who was born in Kheda District and became the first Deputy PM of independent India, organised a successful satyagraha here (with Gandhi) in protest against taxes in a period of drought, Spanish flu, famine and hardship for local peasants. He was also a key player in ensuring the Princely States joined the new Republic of India.
The statue commemorating him is the world’s tallest at 182 metres (597 ft) and, at a cost of $370m, created its own controversy.
For related place names see Indian Place names and Gujarat place names.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel: Statue of Unity, Kevadiya Colony Vijay B. Barot
