Sirohi State
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.
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Sirohi State
Physical aspects
State situated in the south-west of Rajputana, lying between 24° 20' and 25° 17' N. and 72° 16' and 73° 10' E., with an area of 1,964 square miles. It is bounded on the north, north-east, and west by Jodhpur ; on the south by Palanpur, Danta, and Idar ; and on the east by Udaipur. The country is much broken up by hills and rocky ranges. The main feature is Mount Abu, the highest peak of which. Guru Sikhar, rises 5,650 feet above sea-level ; it is situated in the south of the State, and is sepa- rated by a narrow pass from an adjacent ranee of lower hills, which run in a north-easterly direction almost as far as the cantonment of Erinpura, and divide the territory into two nearly equal portions. The western half is comparatively open and level, and more populous and better cultivated than the other. Both portions, being situated at the foot of this central range of hills, are intersected by numerous watercourses, which become torrents of greater or less volume in the rainy season, but are dry during the remainder of the year. The Aravalli Hills form a wall on the east, but, with the exception of the Belkar peak (3,599 feet above the sea), only the lower skirts and outlying spurs of this range are included within Sirohi limits. The only river of any importance is the Western Banas, which, rising in the hills not far from the town of Sirohi, flows first in a south-easterly and next in a south-westerly direction till it enters Palanpur territory a little beyond the village of Mawal ; it is eventually lost in the sand at the head of the Rann of Cutch. Within Sirohi limits this river is not perennial, and usually ceases to flow about the middle of the cold season, leaving pools of water here and there. In addition, several streams contain water for many months, such as the Jawai and the Sukri, which flow west into the Luni, and the Sukli, a tributary of the Western Banas,
The whole of Sirohi is occupied by schists or gneisses belonging to the Aravalli system, traversed by dikes of granite. Mount Abu is formed of a highly felspathic massive gneiss with a few schistose beds. Traces of gold were found in some ferruginous bands of quartzose schist near the Rohera railway station in 1897 ; and the remains of old workings, which do not appear to have been more than prospecting trenches, are to be seen in the neighbourhood.
The fauna is very varied. The last lion was shot on the western slopes of Abu in 1872, but tigers and black bears are still found on the Abu-Sirohi range and in the Nandwana hills in the west, though they appear to be becoming scarcer every year. In the same localities sdmbar (Cervus tinicolor) are fairly numerous, while jungle and spur-fowl abound. Chltal {Cervus axis) are met with in the south-east, and antelope and the Indian gazelle throughout the plains, besides the usual small game.
The climate is on the whole dry and healthy, and there is a general freedom from epidemic diseases, in both the hills and plains. The heat in the plains is never so intense as in the north of Rajputana, but, on the other hand, the cold season is of much shorter duration and less bracing. The climate of Abu is very agreeable and healthy for the greater portion of the year. The southern and eastern districts usually receive a fair amount of rain, but over the rest of the State the fall is frequently scant. This is chiefly due to the influence of the Abu and Aravalli Hills on the clouds driven inland by the south-west monsoon ; thus at Abu the annual rainfall averages between 57 and 58 inches (of which nearly 5 are received in June, 21 in July, over 18 in August, and 10 in September), while at Sirohi, 23 miles to the north, it is about 21 inches, and at Erinpura, about the same distance still farther north, it is barely 19 inches. On Abu the rainfall has varied from more than 130 inches in 1893 to less than 23/2 inches in 1899, while in the plains over 42 inches were registered at Sirohi in 1893 and only 11/2 inches in 1901. Earthquakes are not uncommon on Abu, but as a rule the shocks are very slight. The people tell of a somewhat severe earth- quake in 1848, which damaged some of the houses and cracked one or two of the arches of the Delwara temples ; and a succession of severe shocks is reported to have occurred on October 9, 1875.
History
The chiefs of Sirohi are Deora Rajputs, a branch of the famous Chauhan clan which furnished the last Hindu king of Delhi, Prithwi Raj. They claim descent from Lachhman Raj, who is said to have ruled at Nadol, in the Jodhpur State, towards the end of the tenth century. Driven thence about 200 years later, a date which corresponds approximately with the conquest of Nadol by Kutb-ud-din, the Chauhans migrated to the west and established themselves at Bhinmal and Sanchor, both now in Jodh- pur territory, and subsequently took the fort of Jalor from the Para- mara Rajputs. Shortly afterwards their chief was one Deoraj, and from him the sept is called Deora Chauhan. At this time the territory now known as Sirohi was held by the Paramaras, who had their capital at Chandravati. Constant fighting went on between the Deoras and the Paramaras, and, on Chandravati being taken, the latter took refuge on Mount Abu. This place was too strong to be attacked with success, so the Deoras resorted to stratagem. They sent a proposal that the Paramaras should bring twelve of their daughters to be married into the Chauhan tribe and thus establish a friendship. The proposal being accepted, the story runs that the girls were accompanied to Vareli, a village north-west of Abu, by nearly all the Paramaras. The Deoras then fell upon them, massacred the majority, and, pursuing the survivors back to Abu, gained possession of that place. This is said to have occurred about the beginning of the fourteenth century. Rao Sobha founded the old town of Sirohi in 1405 ; but as the site was unhealthy, his son, Sains Mai, abandoned it and built the present capital, a short distance to the west, in 1425. Shortly afterwards Rana Kumbha of Mewar is said to have taken refuge on Abu from the army of the Muhammadan king of Gujarat. When that army retired, the Rana refused to leave such a place of vantage, and had to be expelled by force. During the next two centuries very little of importance is recorded. Rao Surthan, a contemporary of the emperors Akbar and Jahangir, is described as a valiant and reckless chief 'who, in his pride, shot his arrows at the sun for daring to shine upon him ' ; though repeatedly defeated by the imperial army, he refused to acknowledge the supremacy of llie Mughals. Throughuul the eighteenth century Sirohi suffered much from wars with Jodhpur, and the constant depre- dations of the wild Mma tribes. Rao Udaibhan, who succeeded to the chiefship in 1808, was returning from performing his father's funeral obsequies on the banks of the Ganges, when he was seized by Maharaja Man Singh of Jodhpur and forced to pay a ransom of 5 lakhs. To liquidate this sum, Udaibhan levied collections from his subjects, and so oppressed them that in 18 16 he was deposed and imprisoned by a convocation of the nobles and people of the State, and his brother Sheo Singh was selected to succeed him. The con- dition of Sirohi was now critical. Many of the Thakurs had thrown off their allegiance and placed themselves under the protection of Palanpur, and the State was nigh being dismembered. The Jodhpur chief sent a force to liberate Udaibhan, but the expedition failed, and in 1817 Sheo Singh sought the protection of the British Government. The Jodhpur State claimed suzerainty over Sirohi, but after a careful inquiry this was disallowed, and a treaty was concluded on Septem- ber II, 1823. In the fifth article the territory was described as having ' become a perfect desert in consequence of intestine divisions, the disorderly conduct of the evil-disposed portion of its inhabitants, and the incursions of predatory tribes.' A Political Agent was appointed, and the new regime had very beneficial results. The Minas and other predatory bands were put down, the Thakurs in a great measure reduced to submission, and a system of government was introduced. These objects having been attained, the Political Agent was withdrawn in 1832. Sheo Singh's position under the treaty was that of regent only, but on Udaibhan's death in 1847 he was acknowledged as chief. He did good service in the Mutiny of 1857 ; and the tribute, which had been fixed at Rs. 15,000 in the local coinage, was reduced by one-half. In 1868 the tribute was converted to Rs. 6,881-4-0 British currency. Sheo Singh died in 1862, and was succeeded by his son, Umed Singh. The principal events of his time were the famine of 1868-9, the outlawry of the Thakur of Bhatana, and the predatory incursions of Bhils from the Marwar border. In 1870 the political charge of the State was transferred from an Assistant to the Governor-General's Agent to the Commandant of the Erinpura Irregular Force ; and the latter, being vested with special powers, speedily brought the Bhils to order and put down plundering with a strong hand. Umed Singh died in 1875 and was succeeded by his only son, Kesri Singh, the present chief, who was invested with full powers in the same year. In 1889 he received the title of Maharao as a hereditary distinction, and has also been created a G.C.I. E. and a K.C.S.I. During his rule much has been done to improve the condition of the State. Crime is less frequent, and the relations between the Darbar and the Thakurs are more cordial ; the revenue has doubled, but progress has been much retarded by the recent famines and scarcities. The chief of Sirohi is entitled to a salute of 15 guns.
The places of archaeological interest in the State are Abu ; the ruins of the ancient town of Chandravati (south-west of Abu Road on the bank of the Western Banas river) ; Vasantgarh (near Pindwara), an old fort where an inscription of the time of Raja Charmalat has been found, dated a. d. 625 ; Nandia, with a well-preserved Jain temple of the tenth century ; and Wasa near Rohera, where there is a famous temple to Surya (the sun-god) of the eleventh or twelfth century.
Population
The State contains 413 towns and villages, and the population at each Census has been: (1881) 142,903, (1891) 190,836, and (1901) 154,544. Neither of the earlier enumerations included the Girasias of the Bhakar, a wild tract in the south-east. In 1881 they were omitted altogether, while in 1891 their number was roughly estimated at 2,860 ; the Census of 1901 was consequently the first complete one ever taken in the State. The decrease in the population of 19 per cent, during the last decade was largely due to the famine of 1899-1900. The State is divided into 14 tahsils and contains 5 towns : namely, Sirohi (the capital), Abu, Abu Road, Erinpura, and Sheoganj. Of the total population, more than 72 per cent, are Hindus, 11 per cent. Animists, and about 11 per cent. Jains. The language mainly spoken is a kind of Marwari.
The most numerous caste is that of the Mahajans, who number 18,900, or over 12 per cent, of the population; they are traders and money-lenders, and are mostly of the Oswal and Porwal divisions. Next come the Rajputs (13,400); some hold land and others are in State service, but the majority are cultivators. The Dhers, a very low- caste, number 11,400 ; they remove all the dead animals of the village, tan leather, and cultivate to a certain extent. The Rebaris (11,400) are herdsmen and sometimes agriculturists. The only other caste exceeding 10,000 is that of the Bhils, who number 10,400. They are one of the aboriginal races of this part of India, and are to be found mostly in the hilly portions of the State. Naturally idle and thriftless, they cultivate only rains crops, as this entails but little labour; and they eke out their living by ruining the forests, by acting as guides, and by occasional plundering when opportunity offers. Allied to the Bhils, but ranking just above them in the social scale, are the Girasias (7,754), who are said to be descendants of Rajputs by Bhil women. As cultivators they are indifferent, but they possess a large number of cattle and goats. The main occupation of the people is agriculture, about 60 per cent, cultivating the land either on their own account or us day-labourers.
Agriculture
The soil of Sirohi is on the whole fertile, especiiilly in the eastern valley bordering the Aravallis. The principal crops are maize, bajra, mung, khulat, and til in the autumn, and barley, wheat, gram, and mustard in the spring. Cotton, tobacco, and san-hemp are grown in small quantities for local con- sumption. On the slopes of the hills the system of cultivation known as wdlar or wdira has long been practised by the Bhils and Girasias, and has proved most destructive to the forests. Trees are cut down and burnt, and the seeds of sdma, mdl, and other inferior grains are sown in the ashes ; but the system has now been prohibited throughout the State. No agricultural statistics art:? collected, but the Darbfu- estimates the area under cultivation at about 348 square miles, and the irrigated area at 80 square miles. Irrigation is mainly from wells, of which there are 5,157 in the State; water is drawn up by means of the Persian wheel called arath. During recent years four fairly large tanks, capable of irrigating about 4,700 acres, have been constructed ; but the rainfall has been so scanty that till now they have been of very little use.
Forests
Although a considerable portion of Sirohi is covered with trees and bush jungle, the forests proper may be said to be confined to the slopes of Abu and the belt round its base. The area here protected is about 9 square miles, and it contains a great variety of trees and shrubs. Among the most common may be mentioned the bamboo, mango, siris (Albizzia Lebbek), two or three varieties of the dhao (Anogeissus pendula), several of the fig tribe, such as the bar (Ficus bengalensis), pipal (F. religiosa), and gular (F. glomerata), and showy flowering trees like the kachnar (Bauhinia racemosa), phaludra (Erythrina arborescens), semal (Bombay malabari- cum), and the dhak (Butea frondosa). The Bhakar or hilly tract to the south-east bears evidence of having been at one time well wooded, but the forests have been for the most part destroyed by Bhils and Girasias. The total area ' reserved ' and protected is about 385 square miles, and the staff usually consists of a ranger, four foresters, and some guards. The annual expenditure is about Rs. 5,000 and the net revenue the same.
The minerals of the State are unimportant. It is said that a copper- mine was formerly worked in the hills above the town of Sirohi, and that the marble of which the Jain temples at Abu are built came from near the village of Jhariwao on the south-eastern frontier. Granite is found on Abu and is used to a considerable extent for building pur- poses ; but as it breaks very irregularly in quarrying, and is extremely hard, it is expensive to work and not well adajjted for masonry. Limestone is quarried at Selwara near Anadra (west of Abu), and near Abu Road.
Trade and communications
The only important manufactures are sword-blades, daggers, spears, knives, and bows made at the capital. Tod wrote that the , sword-blades of Sirohi are as famed among the Rajputs as those of Damascus among the Persian and Turks.'
The chief exports are til, mustard-seed, raw and tanned hides, and ghl, while the chief imports include grain, piece-goods, salt, sugar, metal, tobacco, and opium. These are for the most part carried by the railway. The principal trade centres are Abu Road, Pindwara, Rohera, and Sheoganj, whence a good many of the imported articles are sent by road into the outlying parts of the adjoining States : namely, Danta, Idar, Mewar, and Marwar.
The Rajputana-Malwa Railway runs through the eastern half of the State for about 40 miles, and has six stations. The total length of metalled roads is 20 miles, and of unmetalled roads 224 miles. Of these, 3/2 miles metalled and 132 miles unmetalled are maintained by the Darbar, and the rest by the British Government or the Abu municipality. The most important road is that connecting Abu with Abu Road; it is 17 miles in length, metalled throughout, and was constructed and is entirely maintained by Government. The grand trunk road from Agra to Ahmadabad runs for about 68 miles through Sirohi territory ; it was formerly metalled between Erinpura and Sirohi town, but since the opening of the railway in 1881 has been maintained only as a fair-weather communication. There are ten British post offices and four telegraph offices in the State.
Famine
Sirohi often suffers from droughts more or less severe, but lies in a more rainy zone than its neighbour Jodhpur, and its wooded hills generally attract a fair share of the monsoon clouds.
The years 1746, 1785, 1812, 1833, and 1848 are said to have been marked by famine, but no details are available. In 1868-9 there appears to have been scarcity rather than famine in this State, but owing to want of fodder from 50 to 75 per cent, of the cattle died. The late chief (Umed Singh) did all that his means permitted to assist his people and the numerous aliens who passed through on their way to and from the neighbouring territories ; and, excluding the liberal charity dispensed from His Highness's private purse, the expen- diture on relief appears to have been about Rs. 25,000. Famine prevailed throughout the State in 1899 -1900 and the Darbar at once threw open the forest Reserves, established depots for the purchase of wood and grass, and sold grain to the poor at a cheaper rate than that prevailing in the market. Systematic relief, in the form of works and poorhouses, was started in January, 1900, and continued till October. The total number of units relieved was estimated at about 1,800,000, and the direct expenditure at nearly 1.5 lakhs. A sum of about Rs. 48,000 was advanced lo agriculturists, and remissions and suspen- sions of land revenue aniouiiled to Rs. 25,000 and 2 lakhs respectively. A large amount was also given in private charity near the railway centres. Scarcity was again felt in 1901-2, but only in iialf the State, and the expenditure was about Rs. 34,000.
Administration
The State is ruled by the Maharao with the assistance of a Diwan and other officials, such as the Revenue officer, the Judicial officer, and the Superintendent of Customs and Forests. In charge of each of the fourteen tahsils is a tahsildar with two assistants. In the administration of justice the codes of British India are largely followed. The lowest courts are those of tahsildars, who can punish with two months' imprisonment and Rs. 100 fine, and decide civil suits not exceeding Rs. 300 in value. The Judicial officer has the powers of a District Magistrate and Dis- trict Judge, while the Diwan has the powers of a Court of Session and disposes of civil suits exceeding Rs. 3,000 in value. The final appellate authority is the Maharao, who alone can pass sentence of death.
The normal revenue of the State has fallen from about 4 lakhs in 1896-7 to about 7/2 lakhs at the present time ; the main sources are customs (1 lakh), land (Rs. 68,000), court-fees and fines (Rs. 25,000), and excise (Rs. 20,000). The ordinary expenditure may be put at 2.8 lakhs, the chief items being: army and police, Rs. 55,000 : palace (including privy purse), Rs. 33,000 ; cost of administrative staff (civil and judicial), Rs. 23,000 ; stables (including elephants and camels), Rs. 20,000 ) and public works, Rs. 7,000. Owing largely to a series of indifferent years the State is in debt to the extent of about 4.5 lakhs, of which sum 1.8 lakhs is due to the British Government, being the balance of the amount lent to the Darbar during the recent famine and scarcity.
Sirohi has never had a coinage of its own ; the coins most common were known as Bhildri from having been minted in the eighteenth century at Bhilwara, a town in the Udaipur State. They have, however, been recently converted into British rupees, and since June, 1904, the latter have been the sole legal lender in the State.
The land revenue tenures are those usual in Rajputiina : namely, khalsa, Jdgir, and sdsan. Of the 413 villages in the State, 157 are khdlsa, 202 jagir and 54 sasan. In the khalsa area the cultivators have a permanent occupancy right so long as they pay the State demand regularly. The land revenue is mostly collected in kind, and the Darbar's share varies from one-fourth to one-third of the produce according to the caste of the cultivator. In parts the revenue is paid in cash at a rate varying from Rs. 2 to Rs. 5 per plough. Rajputs, Bhils, Minas, and Kolis belong to the dewali band and or ' protectors of the village,' and pay reduced rates. There arc three principal classes of jagirdars : the relatives of the chief, the Thakurs or descendants of those who assisted in conquering the country, and those who have received grants for good service. All pay tribute varying from three- eighths to one-half of the income of their estates, sometimes in cash and sometimes in kind, besides nazardfia or fee on succession, according to their means, and have also to serve when called upon. In the case of the chief's relatives, the right of adoption is not recog- nized ; but the Thakurs, if they have no heirs, may adopt with the approval of the Darbar. Those who hold land in reward for services do so subject to the pleasure of the chief. Sdsan lands are those granted to temples and members of religious castes, such as Brahmans, Charans, and Bhats ; they are for all practical purposes grants in perpetuity and are held rent-free. The Girasias, the original inhabi- tants of the Bhakar, still retain their bhum rights : that is, they hold free of rent or at reduced rates on condition of some particular service, such as watch and ward of their villages, &c. Lastly, on Abu the Loks have certain hereditary rights and hold their lands on very easy terms.
The military force consists of a company of 120 infantry, employed in guarding the jail and other miscellaneous duties at the capital, and 8 guns, of which 5 are serviceable. The annual cost is about Rs. 12,000. The cantonment of Erinpura is the head-quarters of the 43rd (Erinpura) Regiment ; and there is a detachment at Abu, which is also the sanitarium for British troops of the Mhow or 5th division of the Western Command. There are no members of the Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway Volunteer Rifles residing in the State at Abu or Abu Road.
The police force consists of 662 men, of whom 77 are mounted, distributed over 96 thanas or police stations. The annual cost is about Rs. 43,000. The Central jail is at the capital, and a small lock-up is maintained in each tahsll for prisoners sentenced to not more than two months.
In regard to the literacy of its population Sirohi stands first among the States and chiefships of Rajputana with 6.85 per cent. (12.4 males and 0.6 females) able to read and write, a position due to the com- paratively large community of Europeans and Eurasians at Abu and Abu Road. The Darbar itself does very little to encourage education, the annual expenditure being about Rs. 800 : namely, the cost of main- taining a single school at the capital, in which Urdu, Hindi, and a little English are taught to about 73 boys. There are elementary indigenous schools in every town and large village ; a couple of railway schools at Abu Road ; and three schools — the high school, the Lawrence school, and the municipal school — at Abu.
Excluding the Covernment military hospitals at Abu and Erinpura, five hospitals and one dispensary have been opened in the State, which contain accommodation for 60 in-patients. Three arc maintained by the State, two partly by the British Government and partly from private subscriptions, and one is a railway hospital. In 1904 the number of cases treated was 28,826, of whom 275 were in-jjatients, and 1,671 operations were performed.
Three vaccinators are employed, who in 1904-5 successfully vacci- nated 7,161 persons, or more than 46 per 1,000 of the population, at a cost of about 16 pies per case.
[J. Tod, Travels in Western India (1839); Rdjputana Gazetteer, vol. iii (1880, under revision) ; A. Adams, The Western Rajputana States (1899); Administration Reports of the Sirohi State (annually from 1889-90).]
