The Sarila State of Bundelkhand

The Sarila state was a small princely estate, or thikana, of the Bundelkhand region of north-central India, in the country generally associated with the Hamirpur area of what is now Uttar Pradesh. It was traditionally held by a Bundela Rajput house, one of the many small estate-states that lay across the hilly, scrub-and-ravine country of Bundelkhand. Its seat was the town of Sarila, set amid the broken uplands and cultivated tracts of the region. Rooted in the Rajput world whose clans and warrior traditions are traced in our guide to the Rajputs, Sarila preserved a modest heritage, and this account keeps to broadly established history where particular dates and details are uncertain.

Key Takeaways

• Sarila was a small princely estate, or thikana, of the Bundelkhand region.
• It lay in the Hamirpur country of present-day Uttar Pradesh.
• It was traditionally held by a Bundela Rajput house.
• Sarila was one of the many small estate-states of the Bundelkhand country.
• The state was integrated into India around 1948, after independence.

Read on for the history, culture, and legacy in detail.

Quick Facts

Who Ruled the Sarila State?

The Sarila state was traditionally held by a Bundela Rajput house, one of the ruling families that governed the small estates, or thikanas, of the Bundelkhand country of north-central India. The Bundelas are among the well-known Rajput lineages associated with this region, and the house of Sarila is generally reckoned a minor branch that held its modest estate from the town of Sarila in the Hamirpur country. As a Bundela Rajput house, the rulers upheld the martial traditions and codes of honour associated with the Rajput clans, which formed part of their identity. Because Sarila was small and is an obscure subject, the detailed succession of its chiefs is not broadly established, and this account keeps to general terms. As the ruling family of a historic thikana of Bundelkhand, the Bundelas of Sarila held their own modest place among the many princely states and estates of the region, governing their country across the generations.

Where Was the Sarila State Located?

Sarila lay in the Bundelkhand region, in the country generally associated with Hamirpur in what is now Uttar Pradesh, where the broken uplands of Bundelkhand reach toward the valleys of the northern rivers. The town of Sarila, which gave the estate its name, served as its seat amid the scrub, ravine and cultivated country of the region. Its position placed it among the cluster of small estates and thikanas that filled the land, neighboured by other Bundela houses and by the larger states of the Bundelkhand country. The terrain, a mingling of rocky uplands, ravine-cut land and cultivated tracts, shaped the modest life and economy of the estate. Sarila’s location in the Hamirpur country of Bundelkhand is central to understanding its place among the small estate-states of the region. Its setting in this historic, storied tract of north-central India also gave rise to the heritage for which the former estate is remembered.

What Kind of Estate Was Sarila?

Sarila was a small princely estate, commonly termed a thikana, one of the many modest holdings that made up so much of the Bundelkhand country. These estates were held by Rajput houses under the overarching authority of larger powers, forming a dense and intricate political geography across the hilly region. Sarila shared this standing with its neighbours, as a Bundela estate rooted in the scrub-and-ravine country of the Hamirpur region. The estates of Bundelkhand ranged widely in size, and Sarila is generally reckoned among the smaller holdings, with its own ruling family, territory and customs. As a thikana it stood within the framework of paramountcy while keeping its internal affairs in the hands of its Bundela house. Grasping Sarila as one of the small estate-states of Bundelkhand is central to placing it within the political geography of the region and the wider history of the princely states and estates of India.

How Did the Sarila State Originate?

Sarila arose, by tradition, when a Bundela Rajput family established its hold over a small estate in the Bundelkhand country of the Hamirpur region, making the town of Sarila its seat. By the broad pattern of the region, the small estates and thikanas of Bundelkhand took shape as holdings granted to or carved out by Rajput houses, held under the overarching authority of larger powers across the hilly, ravine-cut country of north-central India. The house of Sarila built up its authority over its limited territory, giving rise to a small and enduring estate. Because Sarila is an obscure subject, the precise circumstances and dating of its origin are not broadly established, and this account keeps to general terms rather than asserting particular foundation dates or founders. What is broadly clear is that Sarila emerged as one of the many small Bundela estates of the Bundelkhand country, sharing in the Rajput heritage of the region.

What Was Bundelkhand and the Hamirpur Country?

Bundelkhand is the historic region of north-central India, spread across parts of what are now Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, traditionally known for its broken, hilly country, its rocky forts and its many Rajput houses. The Hamirpur country, in the northern part of the region toward the river valleys, formed the setting for a number of estates and states of varying size, among which Sarila was one of the smaller. The region took its character from the Bundela Rajputs and other clans who held states and estates across its uplands and ravine-cut tracts, from substantial principalities down to small thikanas such as Sarila. This rugged, storied country, with its forts and strongholds, long shaped the history of Bundelkhand and the fortunes of its houses. Understanding Bundelkhand and the Hamirpur country is central to placing Sarila within the history of the princely states and estates of north-central India.

Who Were the Bundela Rajputs of the Region?

The Bundelas were the Rajput clan most closely associated with the Bundelkhand country, to which the ruling house of Sarila is traditionally assigned, one of the well-known lineages of the Rajput tradition established across north-central India. The Bundela houses gave their name to the region and held states and estates of varying size across its hilly country, from larger principalities down to small thikanas such as Sarila. As a Bundela Rajput house, the rulers of Sarila upheld the martial traditions, codes of honour and cultural heritage associated with the Rajput clans, which formed a central part of their identity. The Bundela heritage gave the ruling family its proud lineage and its connection to the wider Rajput world of the subcontinent. Because the estate was small and its history obscure, the detailed genealogy of the Sarila house is not broadly established. The Bundela Rajput identity forms the ancestral foundation traditionally ascribed to the ruling house of Sarila.

What Was the Seat of Sarila Like?

The seat of Sarila was the town of Sarila itself, which gave the small estate its name and served as the centre of the Bundela ruling house in the Hamirpur country of Bundelkhand. As the seat of a modest thikana, the town was the focus of the administration, the residence of the ruling family and the devotional life of the holding, in the manner of the small estates of the region. Because Sarila was small and set in the rugged Bundelkhand country, its seat would have been a modest town rather than a great princely capital, serving the limited needs of the estate and its surrounding villages. The town stood as the gathering place for the ceremonies, festivals and daily affairs of the estate. Its heritage reflected the standing of the Bundela ruling house within its modest means. The town of Sarila remains associated with the memory of the former estate in the Hamirpur country of Bundelkhand.

What Was the Landscape and Economy of Sarila?

The landscape of Sarila was that of the Bundelkhand country toward Hamirpur, a broken land of rocky uplands, scrub and ravine-cut tracts interspersed with cultivated fields, for which the region is traditionally known. The small estate lay in this rugged country, where the pockets of cultivable land among the hills and ravines supported the farming on which life depended. The economy of Sarila rested chiefly on agriculture, with revenue drawn from the land and its produce in the villages and fields of the estate, in keeping with the character of the country and the modest scale of the holding. As a small estate, Sarila depended on the land and the labour of its people rather than on extensive trade or large towns. The hard, ravine-scarred country of Bundelkhand set limits on its farming. The landscape and economy of Sarila reflect its character as a small agrarian estate of the Bundelkhand region of north-central India.

What Was the Religion and Culture of Sarila?

The religion and culture of Sarila were grounded in the Hindu faith of its Bundela Rajput ruling house and people, in common with the Rajput states and estates of Bundelkhand. As a small Rajput estate, Sarila is traditionally associated with the worship, festivals and temple traditions cherished and upheld by the ruling family, within the modest means of the holding. Its culture reflected the Bundela Rajput heritage of the ruling house together with the wider traditions of the Bundelkhand country, with its forts, its martial memory and its shared regional customs. The devotional and festive life of the small estate centred on its temples and shrines and on the seasons of the agrarian year in the ravine country. This blend of Rajput heritage and regional tradition gave the estate its particular, if modest, character. The religious and cultural life of Sarila reflected the devotion and standing of its Bundela ruling house within the Bundelkhand region of north-central India.

How Was the Sarila State Governed?

Sarila was governed by its Bundela Rajput ruling house through a modest administration suited to the small scale of the estate. At its head stood the ruler, who held the thikana under the overarching authority of the paramount power, aided by the officials and local notables who managed the revenue, justice and general affairs of the limited territory around the town of Sarila. Revenue came chiefly from the land and its produce, in keeping with the agrarian character of the Bundelkhand country. Because the estate was small, its administration was simpler than that of the larger principalities of the region, resting on the ruling family and the headmen of its villages. Within the framework of paramountcy the governance of the estate developed over time. This modest system allowed the Bundela house to maintain its stewardship of the small thikana in the Hamirpur country for generations, as one of the many lesser holdings of north-central India.

What Were Sarila's Relations with the Great Powers?

Sarila, as a small estate of Bundelkhand, stood within the wider world of the great powers that long contended for mastery of north-central India, including the Bundela and other Rajput houses, the Mughal and Maratha authorities that held sway over the region at different times, and, in the later period, the British. As paramountcy extended across the region, the small estates and thikanas, Sarila among them, held their territories under the overarching authority of the paramount power while retaining their own internal affairs. The lesser holdings of the Bundelkhand country were managed under the political arrangements of the period, which recognised states and estates great and small. The modest scale of Sarila meant that its dealings with the great powers were those of a minor estate rather than a major state. Through accommodation with the paramount authority, the Bundela house maintained its place, and these relations form part of the history of Sarila and of the estates of Bundelkhand.

How Did Sarila Become a Princely Estate under the British?

Sarila took its place as a princely estate, in the form of a small thikana, within the framework of British paramountcy that gradually extended over north-central India. As British power spread across the region, the Bundela ruling house of Sarila, like the other estates and states of the Bundelkhand country, held its small territory under the overarching authority of the paramount power while retaining its own internal governance. Under this system Sarila was counted among the many princely holdings of the region, keeping its own ruling family and administration over its modest estate in the Hamirpur country. This standing allowed the house to go on governing its small thikana beneath the paramountcy of the British crown. The framework shaped the modern history of Sarila down to the independence of India. Within this arrangement the small estate preserved its Bundela Rajput heritage and its distinct identity among the lesser holdings of the Bundelkhand region.

What Was the Place of Sarila in Bundelkhand?

Sarila held a modest place among the many states and estates of the Bundelkhand country, the part of north-central India traditionally known for its broken hill country, its forts and its numerous Rajput houses. As a small Bundela thikana in the Hamirpur region, Sarila was one of the lesser holdings of the country, neighboured by other Bundela estates and by the larger states of Bundelkhand. Its standing reflected its small scale and its character as a minor estate rooted in the ravine-cut land. The place of Sarila in Bundelkhand is best grasped through its character as one of the small estates and its setting in the Hamirpur country. Though individually obscure, such small holdings together filled the intricate political map of the region alongside the greater states. The place of Sarila in Bundelkhand forms a small but genuine part of the history of the princely states and estates of north-central India in the era before independence.

Who Were the People of the Sarila Country?

The people of the Sarila country were, broadly, the agrarian communities of the Bundelkhand region toward Hamirpur, who lived by cultivation in the villages and fields of the small estate amid the scrub and ravine country. As in the other estates of Bundelkhand, the population would have included farming communities alongside groups associated with the crafts, services and pastoral life of the hilly, broken land. The life of the people turned on the land, the seasons of cultivation and the devotional and festive traditions of the region, which bound the villages of the estate together. The Bundela ruling house and its officials stood at the head of this rural society, while village headmen and notables carried their own responsibilities. The communities of Sarila shared in the wider culture of Bundelkhand, with its temple traditions, its festivals and its martial memory. The people of the Sarila country gave the small estate its enduring social and cultural life across the generations.

How Did Sarila Join Independent India?

Sarila, like the other princely states and estates, was integrated into independent India in the years following independence in 1947, by about 1948, when the states and estates of the region were merged into the new nation. With the end of British paramountcy, the rulers of the princely states and the holders of the estates, great and small, acceded to India, and their territories were brought into the republic through the great process of integration that reshaped the political map of the subcontinent. Sarila, together with the other estates of the Bundelkhand and Hamirpur country, was merged into the wider structure that became part of present-day Uttar Pradesh. This transition closed the era of Sarila as a separately held estate, though the ruling family retained its historical standing and heritage. The integration of the states and estates, including the many small Bundela thikanas such as Sarila, stands among the defining achievements of the early years of independent India.

The Sarila State Today

Sarila is remembered today chiefly as one of the many small estates, or thikanas, of the Bundelkhand country, a modest Bundela Rajput holding in the Hamirpur region, now part of present-day Uttar Pradesh. The town of Sarila preserves the memory of the former estate and its ruling house, while the traditions and customs of the country carry forward its modest heritage within the wider culture of the Bundelkhand region, with its forts, temples and martial memory. The former ruling family retains its historical association with the estate. For readers of Indian history, Sarila offers an example of the numerous small thikanas that, though individually obscure, together made up the intricate political geography of Bundelkhand and of north-central India. Its story illustrates how holdings of very modest scale took their place among the princely states and estates of the region. The legacy of Sarila endures in the town of Sarila and in the heritage of the Hamirpur country of Bundelkhand.

Sources & Further Reading

• Archaeological Survey of India (asi.nic.in).
• Ministry of Culture, Government of India (indiaculture.gov.in).
• Department of Tourism, Government of Uttar Pradesh (uptourism.gov.in).

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the Sarila state?

The Sarila state was a small princely estate, or thikana, of the Bundelkhand region, in the Hamirpur country of present-day Uttar Pradesh, traditionally held by a Bundela Rajput house, with its seat at the town of Sarila. It was one of the many small estate-states of the Bundelkhand country.

Who ruled the Sarila state?

Sarila was traditionally held by a Bundela Rajput house, one of the ruling families of the Bundelkhand country. Because the estate was small and obscure, the detailed succession of its chiefs is not broadly established, and it is best described in general terms.

What is a thikana?

A thikana was a small estate held by a Rajput house under the overarching authority of a larger power, a common form of holding across Bundelkhand and the wider Rajput country. Sarila was one such small estate, with its own ruling family, territory and customs.

Where was Sarila located?

Sarila was located in the Bundelkhand region, in the country generally associated with Hamirpur in present-day Uttar Pradesh, amid the broken, ravine-cut hill country of the region. Its seat was the town of Sarila.

What was the economy of Sarila based on?

The economy of Sarila rested chiefly on agriculture, with revenue drawn from the land and its produce in the villages and fields of the estate. The hard, ravine-scarred country of Bundelkhand set limits on farming, so the estate depended on the land and the labour of its people.

What happened to Sarila after independence?

Sarila was integrated into independent India around 1948, when the states and estates of the region were merged into the new nation. Its territory became part of present-day Uttar Pradesh, ending its era as a separately held estate, though the ruling family retained its heritage.