Rajkot: Mandhatasinh Jadeja was crowned as the 17th king of the over 400-year-old erstwhile princely state of Rajkot in Gujarat in a grand ceremony on Thursday.

The coronation ceremony came following the death of previous Thakor Saheb of Rajkot Manoharsinh Jadeja, father of Mandhatasinh in 2018.

“The coronation programme is not being done for celebration, but to uphold the tradition and fact that I have taken up the post as a responsibility,” Jadeja, who is in his early 50s, said.

Officiating priest Acharya Kaushik Trivedi said a ‘Rajsuya Yagna’ was performed, in which waters from 31 rivers of the country will be brought for ‘jalabhishek’.

Large number of royals from erstwhile native states, leading saints, Chief Minister, local Member of Parliament among others remained present on this occasion.