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The Jadeja is a Rajput clan who claim to be descended from the Hindu god Krishna and thus to belong to the Yaduvanshi Rajputs, who in turn form a part of the Chandravanshi (Lunar Dynasty).
A Jadeja dynasty ruled the princely state of Kutch between 1540 and 1948, at which time India became a republic. This state had been formed by king Khengarji I, who gathered under him twelve Jadeja noble landowning families, who were also related to him, as well as two noble families of the Waghela Rajput community. Khengarji and his successors retained the allegiance of these Bhayat (chieftains) until the mid-18th century.
Among other territories or princely states ruled by Jadeja before independence of India, were Dhrol Gondal, Morvi, Nawanagar, Rajkot, and Virpur.
Although the British rulers found the tradition distasteful, the Jadeja's high social status and the rigid caste system that forbade intermarriage with lower social groups contributed to the community's tradition of female infanticide because it was difficult and costly to arrange suitable marriages for female offspring, with substantial dowries often being required. The practice continues to some degree today, although where modern facilities are available it may take the form of female foeticide.