Sandala Saroti

Origin and Lineage

The historical roots of Sandala Saroti are deeply intertwined with the royal Rathore clan of Marwar. The lineage traces back to Rao Maldeo, the powerful 16^th-century ruler of Jodhpur. His eldest son, Raja Ram Singh, departed Marwar and established himself in Sanchore. Generations later, his descendant, Rao Jagannath Ji, migrated to the fertile Malwa region in Central India and laid the foundations of the sovereign Amjhera State.

As the Amjhera State expanded, several feudal estates (Thikanas) were granted to the younger princes of the dynasty to consolidate administrative control. Out of these, the Thikana of Chadawad emerged as a prominent seat of power. Kirat Singh Rathore, the second son of Raja Saheb Fateh Singh Ji of Chadawad, founded the estate of Sandala Saroti, establishing it as a junior branch of Chadawad.

Maratha and British Periods

During the late 18^th and 19^th centuries, the Malwa region became a geopolitical battleground between the Maratha Empire (specifically the Scindias of Gwalior and the Holkars of Indore) and the British East India Company. As a junior branch, the rulers of Sandala Saroti navigated these turbulent shifts by maintaining strategic alliances alongside their parent states of Chadawad and Amjhera. They contributed local military support and maintained internal law and order within their territories.

Post-Independence and Modern Era

Following India’s independence in 1947, the princely states and their vassal estates underwent democratic integration. The Thikana of Sandala Saroti signed the Instrument of Accession, merging first into the newly formed state of Madhya Bharat, which was later incorporated into the state of Madhya Pradesh in 1956. Today, the descendants of the Sandala Saroti line continue to reside in the region, preserving their ancestral traditions, historical architecture, and cultural legacy.