The Saurashtra region, also known as the Kathiawar peninsula, has been inhabited since prehistoric times. Archaeological evidence suggests human settlements dating back to the Indus Valley Civilisation (circa 3300–1300 BCE), with major sites at Lothal and other locations across Gujarat.

Vasavad, nestled in the fertile lands near Gondal in what is now the Rajkot district, shares in this deep antiquity. The region saw successive waves of rulers — the Mauryas, the Western Kshatrapas, the Maitrakas of Vallabhi, the Chudasamas, and eventually the Rajput and Muslim dynasties that shaped the medieval landscape of Kathiawar.

Vasavad today is a census town covering approximately 2,428 hectares (24.28 sq km) in the Gondal taluka, about 30 km from Gondal and 68 km from Rajkot. The village holds a special significance in the history of the Nagar Brahmin community — it is the origin village of the “Vasavada” surname. The Nagars who hailed from this village came to be known as “Vasavada,” following the community's tradition of surnames derived from geographic place names.

During the British colonial period, the Kathiawar peninsula was home to over 200 princely states and estates of varying sizes — from large states like Junagadh, Bhavnagar, and Gondal to smaller thakurats and talukas. Vasavad was one such estate, governed by the Desai family who held administrative and hereditary authority over the village and its surrounding lands.

The Desai title, derived from the Sanskrit “desh” (land) and “swami” (lord), originally designated a regional revenue administrator — someone who managed land revenue for a defined area on behalf of the ruling authority. Over time, many Desai positions became hereditary, and the families accumulated both wealth and social prestige. The Desai rulers of Vasavad managed land revenue, local governance, dispute resolution, and the welfare of the community — functioning as both administrators and custodians of the village's way of life.

The princely estates of Kathiawar operated within a complex web of relationships — with the British Political Agent, with neighbouring states like Gondal, and with the communities they served. Each estate, no matter how small, carried its own distinct identity and traditions.

Gondal State, established in 1634 by Jadeja Rajput Thakore Shri Kumbhoji I Meramanji, encompassed approximately 1,000 square miles with over 175 villages. Under the remarkable 75-year reign of Maharaja Sir Bhagvatsinhji (1869–1944) — the “Doctor Maharaja” who held a medical degree from Edinburgh — Gondal became internationally recognised as one of India's most enlightened princely states. He introduced free and compulsory education (including for girls from 1892), abolished all taxes including customs and octroi, ended purdah, and elevated Gondal from a second-class to a first-class state with an 11-gun salute. The proximity of Vasavad to Gondal meant these pioneering reforms in education, public health, and administration profoundly influenced the governance and outlook of Vasavad as well.

The period leading to and following Indian independence in August 1947 was one of the most transformative in the history of Vasavad and all the princely states of Kathiawar. Under the determined leadership of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, India's first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister, and his secretary V.P. Menon, the monumental task of integrating over 560 princely states into the Indian Union was undertaken.

In Kathiawar, this process was particularly complex given the sheer number of states. On 15 February 1948, the princely states of Kathiawar merged to form the United State of Kathiawar, later renamed the United State of Saurashtra on 15 April 1948, with Maharaja Jam Saheb Digvijaysinhji of Nawanagar serving as the Rajpramukh (Governor).

For estates like Vasavad, the integration meant a fundamental shift — from centuries of hereditary local governance to becoming part of the democratic framework of independent India. The Desai family, like many ruling families across Saurashtra, navigated this transition while maintaining their connection to the community and the village.

In 1956, the States Reorganisation Act redrew India's internal boundaries along linguistic lines. Saurashtra was merged into the bilingual Bombay State, and finally, on 1 May 1960, Gujarat was carved out as a separate state. Vasavad thus became part of Rajkot District in the new state of Gujarat.