Kheda is a city and a municipality in the Indian state of Gujarat. Kheda was known as Kaira during the British Raj. It was the former administrative capital of Kheda district. The city is known for tobacco farming. The nearest railway station is and the nearest airport is Ahmedabad Airport.
History
The name Kheda originated from the Sanskrit term Kshetra (). Khetaka is used as a name of a region surrounding the place in ancient literature. It is also mentioned as a town from 12th to 17th century. Ganapatha (dated 2nd century BCE), one of the five volumes of Pāṇini' s grammar mentions Khetaka as a name of the region. It is also mentioned as Divyanagar in 133rd chapter of Padmapurana. The 7th and 8th century copper-plates of Maitraka dynasty mentions Khetaka as an administrative division as well as there are mentions of it as a place of Brahmin residence and a Rashtrakuta-controlled town in other copper-plates. There were about 750 villages under that administrative division. It is also mentioned in Nimbavati story of Dashakumaracharita, Ācārāṅga Sūtra, Merutunga's Prabandhachintamani (1305 CE), Puratana-prabandha-sangraha (before 15th century, multiple authors) and Jinaprabha's Vividh-tirtha-kalpa (c. 1332 CE).
It was under Chaulukya and Vaghela dynasties from 10th to the start of the 14th century. It was brought under Gujarat Sultanate then.
Geography
Kheda is located at . It has an average elevation of 21 metres (68 feet). Kheda is on the banks of Vatrak and Shedhi rivers. Kheda had a population of 27000. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Kheda has an average literacy rate of 70%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 77%, and female literacy is 63%. In Kheda, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Castes and Clans
The clans of Jats in Gujarat are similar to those of Jats of North India. The following clans are found in the Kheda District. The way they are written in Gujarati is given in brackets. Kheda District is one of few districts in Gujarat with a Jat population (Banas Kantha, Mehsana, Sabar Kantha, Kutchh, etc.)
- Chauhan, Chawan, Chahar (Chauhan)