mohammad sher khan babi, who owed allegiance to the mughal governor of gujarat subah, founded the state of junagadh and declaring independence in 1730 after marathas gaikwad invasion. muhammad sher khan babi, was the founder of the "babi dynasty" of junagadh state dynasty. his descendants, the babi nawabs of junagadh, conquered large territories in southern saurashtra and ruled over the state for the next two centuries, first as tributaries of marathas, and later under the suzerainty of the british raj. the junagadh family shares joint descent with the princely houses of radhanpur and balasinor, and the small states of bantva, manavadar and sardargarh. descendents of the ghilzai pathans from afghanistan, they entered india under usman khan babi, a follower of emperor humayun. his son, sher khan babi, arrived in gujarat in the train of prince murad baksh, the imperial viceroy. for many years, the family remained the faithful, though powerful, local fief holders of and exceptional loyalty to the mughal power. the impending collapse of the islamic indian empire during the early years of the eighteenth century, prompted the family household to carve out independent kingdoms of their own to govern, from various landholdings and governorships they held sway. sher khan babi, the chief of the family, founded the state by expelling the then mogul governor in 1735. originally a rajput domain, it fell to the muslims commanded by mohammed bagra of ahmedabad in 1472.