Bhavnagar is a city in the Bhavnagar district of the Saurashtra region of the Gujarat state of India. It was founded in 1724 by Bhavsinhji Gohil (1703–1764). It was the capital of Bhavnagar State, which was a Princely state before it was merged into the Indian Union in 1948. It is now administrative headquarter of the Bhavnagar district.