Sirohi

Sirohi is a city in southern Rajasthan state in western India. It is the administrative headquarters of Sirohi District, and was formerly the capital of the princely state of the same name.

Princely history

The state of Sirohi was founded by the Deoras, a branch of the Chauhan clan of Rajputs. Rao (the title is a variation of Raja) Deoraj, founder of the dynasty, claimed descent from Prithviraj III, the last Hindu ruler of Delhi. In 1405, Rao Sobhaji (6th in descent from Rao Deoraj) founded the town of Shivpuri on the western slope of Siranwa Hill. Shivpuri today lies in ruins. In 1425, his son and successor, Sehastramal, founded a fortress on the eastern slope of the same hill, which became his capital and grew into the present-day town of Sirohi.

During the early years of the 19th century, Sirohi suffered much from wars with Jodhpur and the Mina hill tribes of the area. The protection of the British was sought in 1817; the pretensions of Jodhpur to suzerainty over Sirohi were disallowed, and in 1823 a treaty was concluded with the British government. Sirohi became a self-governing princely state within British India, and part of Rajputana Agency. For services rendered during the Revolt of 1857, the Rao received a remission of half his tribute. The state was traversed by the Rajputana Railway in the 19th century, and a station was built at Abu Road, 28 miles south of the town of Sirohi. Rao Keshri Singh (ruled 1875-1920) and his successors were granted the title Maharao (equivalent to Majaraja) in 1889.

The area of the state was 5087 km² (1964 square miles) and its population in 1901 was 154,544. The population of the town of Sirohi that year was 5651. These figures represented a decrease of 17% from the figures that obtained in the previous census of 1891; this was presumably the result of the famine that stalked the land for much of that decade.

The state manufactured sword-blades and other weapons, but little else. The gross revenue of the state was approximately Rs.28,000/-, and the tribute to the British Raj was set at a mere Rs.450/-. The Crosthwaite Hospital was opened by Sir Robert Crosthwaite in December 1897.

External links

• Sirohi district web site
• Genealogy of the ruling chiefs of Sirohi

References

• This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)