Background
Makanji was born in 1849 at Ahmadabad in a Vankar caste.
Makanji was born in 1849 at Ahmadabad in a Vankar caste.
Sir Jamsetjee Jeejebhoy School of Artist
He shifted to Bombay at an early age of fifteen and later joined Josip Juraj School of Art and became a painter by profession. He opened his own painting shop and amassed a good fortune. Makanji was deeply disturbed at the treatment meted out to Dalit castes like he belonged and tried to establish that Dalits like Vankars were actually Kshatriya caste, which had fallen from grace by writing several researched books starting with Mayavat Rajput Prakash in 1908 followed by several others
These books written by him helped the cause of their caste to get Kshatriya status officially as Mahyavanshi by Government of India in 1939, in which other social and political leaders after his death in 1924, like Doctor Kanhaiyalal Munshi and Doctor Purshottam Solanki played the leading role.
Makanji spent most of his wealth for the benefit of community and philanthropic works. He founded “Kabir Ashram” (Hostel) and “Kabir Temple” named after Sant Kabir in Bomaby and declared opened for the community on 11 May 1913, which provided free boarding and lodging for community person till he found an employment in Bombay.