Comments from Visitor - Navin Mistry
I am resident of sirohi and I read on your site
that sirohi name is derived from siranwa which is part of arawali
in slope of this sirohi is expanded.
But the name of sirohi meant “shirohi” which
is synonym of sword in Sanskrit because sword is to cut the head.
And another thing this name kept because on the top of siranwa
hills a well is present and it is said that if one touch the water
of it to the sword it automatically have the sharpness and resulted
in better experience in battle and simultaneously it never cut
down from any other weapon.
All these information I heard when I was very
young and heard from a sword maker whose family used to make swords
from many 100 years.
NavinKumar_Mistry@infosys.com
In 1405, Rao Sobha Ji (Sixth in descent from
Rao Deoraj, the Progenitor of the Deora Clan of Chauhans ) founded
a town Shivpuri on eastern slope of Siranwa hill which is called
KHUBA. Relics of the old city is found there and a pivious place
of Virji is still a place of worship.
Sehastramal, the son of Rao Sobha ji founded
the present city SIROHI on weatern slope and liad foundation stone
of the Sirohi fort on second day of Vaisakh in the year 1482 (V.S.)
i.e. 1425 (A.D.) on the top the present town of Sirohi and made
it his Capital which lies on the Western Slope of the Siranwa
hills, later all the area under Deoras came to be known as Sirohi.
In puranic tradition this area has always been referred to as
"Arbudh Pradesh".
It was also sometimes known as Arbudanchal. i.e. Arbud + Anchal.
After Independence an agreement was signed between
Central Government and minor ruler of Sirohi State, with this
the State Administration of the Sirohi State was taken over by
Bombay Government from 5th January 1949 to 25th January 1950.
The first administrator representing a bombay state was Prema
Bhai Patel. After final merger with Rajasthan in 1950, an area
of 787 Sq. Km. consisting of Aburoad and Delwara tehsils of Sirohi
district was renamed with the Bombay State on Ist Nov. 1956, after
the recommendation of the State organisation Commission, which
forms the present position of the district.
** Ancient History **
"SIROHI" as Colonel Mellson rightly remarked
"is the one domain in Rajputana which maintained its Independence,
acknowledging the suverainty of neither Mugal, Rathores, nor Maratha"
. The princely house at Sirohi is an offshoot of the same branch,
Chauhan, to which the last Hindu Emperor of India belchged. Historic
pride Clings to masses as much as to Individuals, Condueing to
honorable pride when rightly felt, and to none can it therefore
cling more firmly than to "the Magnificiently Stubborn Deora,"
the particular seet at the Chauhans who have ruled over Sirohi
during the past six centuries.
Sirohi = Sir + Uhi
i.e. Sirohi means " Self Respect is most important
even if head may be detached " in other words "A Rajput of Sirohi
may die for Self Respect."
Sirohi, is said to have taken its name from Sirohi from Siranwa
hill, on the western slope at which it stands. Colonel Tod had
suggested the name at the terrirory might have been derived from
its position at the head (Sir) of the desert (Rohi).
It has great antiguity, a rich heritage and an
exciting history, In puranic tradition, this region has always
been referred to as Arbudaranya. It is belived that Rishi Vasistha
retired to the southern spur at Mount Abu after his sons had been
slain by Vishvamitra.
Colonel Tod called the Mount Abu as the "Olympus of the Hindus"
since it was the seat at a powerful kingdom in the older days.
Abu formed a part of the empire of Chandra Gupta at the Mauraya
dynasty, who ruled early in the 4th century B.C. The territory
of the Abu passed succcessively the possesion of the khshtrapas,
the Imperial Guptas, the Vaisa dynasity of which Emperor Harsha
was the ornament, the Chaoras, the Solankis and the parmars. From
the Parmars, the Chauhans at Jalor took the kingdom at Abu. Lumba,
a scion at the younger branch of the Chauhan rulers at Jalor,
Seized Abu from the Parmar king in the year 1311 A.D. and became
the first king of the territory now known as the kingdom of Sirohi
The famous town of Chandravati situated on the bank at the river
Banas, was the capital of the kingdom and Lumba took his residence
there and ruled till 1320 A.D.
Rao Shiv Bhan popularly known as Shobha, the Sixth descent from
Lumba, finally abandoned Chandravati and founded a town below
the 'Siranwa" hill and built a fort on the top in the year 1405
A.D. The newely founded town was called Shivpuri. But the town
founded by Rao Shiv Bhan was unhealthy, so, his son Rao Sahasmal
abondoned it in 1425 A.D. and built the present town of Sirohi
and made it the Capital of the kingdom. During the reign of Rao
Sahashmall, the famous Rana Kumbha of Mewar attacked and conquered
Abu, Vasanthgarh and area adjoining Pindwara. Rana Kumbha renovated
a castle in Vasanthgarh and also a tank and a temple at Kumbhaswami
near the shrine of Achaleshwar in the year 1452 A.D. Rao Lakha
succeeded Sahashmall and tried to liberate the region at Abu with
the help at Qutbuddin, the king at Gujarat who was also unfriendly
with Kumbha. But Lakha failed to get his territory back.
The political awakening in Sirohi started in
1905 with the Samp sabha of Govind Guru who worked for the upliftment
of the tribals of Siorhi, Palanpur, udaipur and former Idar state.
In 1922 Motilal Tejawat organized Eki Movement to unit tribals
at Rohida, who were opressed by a feudal lords. This movement
ruthlessly by the State authorities. In 1924-1925 NAV PARAGNA
MAHAJAN ASSOCIATION presented an application against unlawful
LAGBAG and Tax System of Sirohi State. This was in first time
that the merchants formed an association and opposed state. In
1934 SIROHI RAJYA PRAJA MANDAL was founded at Ville Parle, in
Bombay under leadership of jounarlist Bhimashankar Sharma Padiv,
Virdhi Shankar Trivedi Kojra and Samrathmal Singhi Sirohi. Later
on Shri Gokulbhai Bhatt joined Prajamandal in 1938. He along with
7 others founded Praja Mandal at Sirohi on 22nd Jan '1939. After
that all activities of freedom movement got guidance from the
Indian National Congress and Praja Mandal demanded for responsible
Government and Civil liberties, it resulted in the formation of
popular ministry under chief ministership of Gokulbahi Bhatt.
With the independance of India in 1947 the process of integration
of princely states of India started. The Sirohi state was merged
on 16th Nov. 1949 with Rajasthan State. Chronological Order of
Kings of Sirohi of Deora Dynasity & their Achievemen`ts There
are total 37 kings from Deora Dynasity had ruled Sirohi and the
present Ex-King is the 38 descendent of the Deora Dynasity.
Geographical Position
Sirohi district is situated at the south-west
part of Rajasthan between parallel of 24o 20' and 25o 17' North
Latitude and 72o 16' and 73o 10' East Longitude.It has an area
of 5139 kms (2009 sq. miles) and is the third smallest district
of Rajastan. It is the third smallest district of Rajasthan, after
Dungarpur and Banswara.
Sirohi is bounded by district pali in the north-east, district
Udaipur in east, Jalore in west and Banaskantha district of Gujarat
in the south. The total geographical area of the district is 5139
sq. kms.It covers about 1.52 percent of the total area of Rajasthan.
In 1948 Sirohi was removed from Rajputana Agency and placed under
Western India States Agency. In Nov.8, 1948 an agreement was signed
between the minor ruler of Sirohi & Government of India entrusting
full powers relating to the state to central government on whose
behalf administration was taken over by Bombay Government with
effect from Jan 5, 1949.
An area of of 304 sq. miles (i.e 787 sq.kms)
consisting of Aburoad tehsil and a part of Delwara tehsil was
merged with then Bombay state. The remaining part of the state
came to Rajasthan. However, the entire sequesteed area was returned
to Sirohi district of Rajasthan State as it came to be formed
when recommendations of the states reorganisation commission were
given effect to on Nov. 1st 1956.
The former state was divided into 6 tehsils Aburoad,
Delwara, Pindwara, Reodar, Sheoganj, and Sirohi. In 1950 when
the area merged in Rajasthan was divided into 5 tehsils. In 1951,
consequent on merger of Bhawari with Pindwara.
Topography
The average rainfall of the district is 735 mm. The District is
facing seviour drought conditions since last three years. The
average rainfall figure decreased since then. The average rainfall
of sirohi in the year 2000-2001 is 376 mm. The Tehsil wise average
rainfall figure of the previous year is as follows-
