Sailana State, 1908
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Sailana State
One of the mediatized States of the Central India Agency, under the Political Agent in Malwa. The State has an area of about 450 square miles, of which, however, about half has been alien- ated in land grants Owing to the inextricable mingling of its territory with that of Ratlam, no very accurate figure can be arrived at. The State is called after the capital town which stands at the foot (dnana, lit. 6 mouth ? ) of the hills (shaila\ whence it derives its name of Sailana. Scattered portions of Sailana touch the Gwalior, Indore, Dhar, Jhabua, Jaora, Banswara, and Kushalgarh States, of which the two last are in Rajputana. The only stream of importance is the MahT, which flows through the western portion of the State.
The chiefs of Sailana are Rathor Rajputs of the Ratanavat branch, an offshoot of the Ratlam house, and till 1730 Sailana formed a part of Ratlam. In that year Jai Singh, a great-grandson of Ratan Singh, the founder of Ratlam, started an independent State, of which Raoti was the capital. In 1736 he built the present capital of Sailana. During the settlement of Malwa in 1819, Raja Lachhman Singh received, through the mediation of Sir John Malcolm, an agreement on behalf of Daulat Rao Sindhia, by which all interference in the administration of the State by the Gwalior Darbar was prohibited, and he was secured m his possessions on payment of a tribute of Rs. 23,000. The payment of this tribute was transferred to the British Government in 1860. From 1850, the chief, Dule Singh, being a minor, the State was administered by the British authorities, but during the disturbances of 1857 it was entrusted to the late chiefs widow, who rendered good service. In 1881 the State abandoned all transit duties on salt, receiving annually from the British Government 100 maunds of salt free of cost. In 1883, however, this compensation was commuted to an annual cash payment of Rs. 412-8. In 1887 an agreement was made between the Ratlam and Sailana States by which the latter levies its own customs duties, compensating Ratlam for relinquishing its right to levy customs dues in Sailana by an annual payment of Rs. 6,000. In the same year all transit dues, except those on opium, were abolished. The present chief, Raja Jaswant Singh, succeeded, by adoption, in 1895. He has done much to improve the financial con- dition of the State, though the famine of 1899-1900 caused fresh embarrassments. He received the gold Kaisar-i-Hmd medal in 1901, and was made a K.C.I.E. in 1904, The territory, as is usual in Rajput holdings, has been alienated to a considerable extent, ten of the jagtrdars being Rather Rajputs connected with the ruling family, The chief enjoys the titles of His Highness and Raja, and is entitled to a salute of n guns.
The population of the State has varied . (iSSi) 29,723, (1891) 31,512, and (1901) 25,731. In the latest year Hindus formed 67 per cent, of the total, while Animists (chiefly Brills) numbered 6,300, Musalmans 1,321, and Jams 912 The population decreased by 22 per cent during the last decade, and now represents a density of 57 persons pei square mile The State contains 96 villages and one town, SAILANA (population, 4,255), the capital. About 78 per cent of the population speak the Malw! dialect of Rajastham, and 15 per cent. Bhlll The prevailing castes and tubes aie Kunbis (2,700), Rajputs (2,100), and Bhils (6,300). Agriculture and general labour support the majority of the inhabitants.
The soil over most of the area is of the high fertility common in Malwa, bearing excellent crops of all the ordinary grams and also of poppy, which forms one of the most valuable products.
Of the total area of 450 square miles, 123, or 26 per cent., are under cultivation, 5 square miles being imgable, and the rest 'dry' land. About 38 square miles, or 30 per cent, of the cropped area, are under cereals, 3 under poppy, and 3 under cotton. Of the uncultivated aiea, 65 square miles, or 14 per cent., are capable of cultivation, 39 are forest, and the lest is irreclaimable waste Pasturage is ample in good years. In former days there was a considerable industry in brass-work and the manufacture of dye from the dl tree (Monnda tinctorta), but the importation of foieign materials has almost entnely killed the latter.
The Baroda-Nagda section of the Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway passes through the State, with stations at Raoti and Bangrod A metalled road connects Sailana town with the Namli station of the Rajputana-Malwa Railway, and a section of the Mhow- Nlmach high load passes through the south-westein districts of Bhil- pank and Bangrod. British post offices are maintained at Sailana, Bangrod, and Raoti, and telegraph offices at the railway stations of Raoti and Bangrod.
For administrative purposes the State is divided into four sections : the chief town and its environs, and the districts of Bhilpank, Bangrod, and Raoti. The chief administers the State assisted by a dlwan^ and in civil matters has complete control. In criminal cases he exercises the powers of a Sessions Court, but submits for confirmation by the Agent to the Governor-General all sentences of transportation, imprisonment for life, or capital punishment.
The normal revenue amounts to 1-5 lakhs, of which i-i lakhs are derived from the land, Rs. 18,000 from customs, Rs. 21,000 from tdnka (tribute from feudatory land-holderb) ; and Rs. 412-8 from the Britrsh Government in lieu of salt dues relinquished m 1881. The chief heads of expenditure are general administration, including the chiefs establishment, Rs. 9,000, military, Rs. 15,000; tribute to British Government, Rs. 23,000 (paid to Sindhia until 1860) ; Rs. 6,000 to Ratlam, being the share of sayar or customs dues levied in Sailana.
The incidence of land revenue demand is Rs 3 pei acre of cultivated land and 15 annas per acre of total area. The land revenue system includes the grant of leases to each cultivator for a certain number of years.
The British rupee is the current com in the State, the Salim shahi (of Partabgarh) having been disused since 1897. Copper has been minted at Baramawal and Sailana, but the former mint was closed in 1881, and it is proposed to close the latter.
The State forces consist of 162 regular cavalry, who form the chiefs body-guard, 278 irregular infantry, 5 guns and 15 gunners The police were regularly organized in 1899. A jail is maintained m Sailana town. Seven schools are maintained m the State, with an average attendance of 100 pupils. Two dispensaries are kept up,
