Sailana

Origin of name

According to tradition, the town derived its name from its location at the foot of the hills (in Sanskrit, anana means mouth and shaila means hills).

History

The Royal Family of Sailana are a branch of the great Rathore dynasty, cadets of the Royal House of Jodhpur. The state owes its origins to the jagir created for Raja Jai Singhji, the great-grandson of Ratan Singh of Ratlam, in 1716. He subsequently conquered or annexed further territories in the region and established himself as an independent ruler in 1731. Sailana was made the capital of the Sailana State in 1736, a princely state during the British Raj. In 1867, the principality ranked as an eleven-gun state.

Cuisine

In the days of raj Sailana was famous for its Hospitality, Cuisine and Wine. The culinary culture dating back from three generations of master culinary expert Raja Sir Dilip Singh Ji K.C.I.E of Sailana excelled in the culinary artand collected recipes of byegone era from the Nizam of Hyderabad, Kashmir and Begum of Bhopal from where emanated the most exotic culinary recipes.He took pains to translate ancient recipe books in Sanskrit, Urdu and Persian to ensure that these recipes were preserved for posterity.

Cactus Garden

The Sailana Cactus garden was built by Raja Digvijay Singh Ji. The garden is behind the Sailana Palace and has over 1200 species of cactus out of which 50 are Indian. There was also a Rose garden with over 200 species of roses but it no longer exists.

Kedareshwar Temples

The Kedareshwar temples of Lord Shiva is again famous in Sailana, there are two of them, both are 4 km from the fort (but in opposite directions). The temple is situated in a man made cave (carved out from a cliff of igneous rocks). The cliff along with many others surrounds a small valley. From the top of the cliff, a small stream of monsoon rain water forms a waterfall and joins a small pond of water in the valley. From here a river originates and flows down into the plains of Rajasthan.

Sailana Kharmour Bird Sanctuary

The Kharmour Bird Sanctuary, also known as Sailana Bird Sanctuary, is situated in the Sailana Village of the Ratlam District. This sanctuary is spread in a total area of 13 sq km and was established in 1983. This sanctuary is home to and is named after the ‘Kharmour’ bird, a very rare species; and it is also a major stop for a wide variety of migratory birds. It is also one of the breeding habitats of Lesser Florican in India. The famous ornithologist Salim Ali visited the santuary and spotted 89 types of birds, he has also written a book about the birds of Sailana. The best time to visit the place is between the months of July and September.

Geography

Sailana is located at 23.47°N 74.92°E / 23.47; 74.92. It has an average elevation of 479 metres (1571 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Sailana had a population of 10,903. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Sailana has an average literacy rate of 75%, higher than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 83%, and female literacy is 66%. In Sailana, 13% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Education

The Government College in Sailana was founded in 1989. It is affiliated to Vikram University, Ujjain.