History
The royal family of Sailana are a junior branch of the great Rathore clan, cadets of the royal house of Jodhpur. The state was founded by Raja Jai Singhji, younger son of Raja Keshri Singhji of Ratlam in 1716. He subsequently conquered or annexed further territories in the region and established himself as an independent ruler. The name Sailana derives from the new capital he founded by that name in 1736.
During the British rule, the family of Sailana were famous for their cuisine and liquor. This tradition was started by h.h Raja Sir Dilip Singhji, who after being stranded in a jungle with his friends and being separated by his entourage of servants, realised the importance of cooking. He started collecting many recipes while also inventing thousands of recipes with his son Digvijay Singh. Many recipes which would have otherwise been extinct were carefully translated from Persian, Urdu and Sanskrit and documented by the Raja's of Sailana in order to preserve them for eternity.
Raja Digvijay Singhji was the first to publish the recipes in the famous cookbook 'Cooking Delights of the Maharajas'. Before this even the daughters of the family weren't allowed to know the recipes as their in-laws would get to know of them. Cooking then became something very unique amongst the royalty of Sailana and is a skill and hobby which has been passed down each generation. Apart from being a celebrated gourmet, Raja Digvijay Singhji was also a well known plant collector who started the famous cactus and rose gardens in Sailana.
Family Tree
Present Day
The present custodian, h.h Raja Vikram Singhji is the elder son of late Raja Digvijay Singhji by his second wife late h.h Mohini Kumari sahiba of Chota Udepur. He is Married to h.h Srimathi Chandra Kumari, eldest daughter of h.h Maharawal Raghunath Singhji Dev Bahadur of Jaisalmer and h.h Mukut Rajyalakshmi Devi. They have three daughters and one son: Rani saheba Shailja Katoch of Kangra, Kunwarani Smriti Kumari Shah of Tehri-Garhwal, Kunwarani Shivani Kumari Sawant of Sawantwadi and Yuvraj saheb Divyraj Singh.
Raja Vikram Singhji is also a celebrated gourmet and gastronome, who has conducted many food festivals across India, with the aim of keeping the legacy alive. Alongside this he and his family continue to preserve the famous cactus garden of Sailana, which is one of the oldest and biggest cactus gardens in India. The family have have also opened their recently renovated palace to guests along with a museum, which is the first in the district.
Like his father and grandfather, Yuvraj Divyraj Singh also has a keen interest in cooking. He has studied the culinary arts with the aim of continuing to conduct food festivals and also hosting guests at the palace.He is a history enthusiast and has recently rewritten and published the 'Souvenir history of Sailana State,' a book documenting the history of the erstwhile princely state. He is married to Yuvrani Jayathmika Lakshmi daughter of Shriman Swarup Anand Gopalaraj Urs of the Bettadakote Urs family, and his wife, Rajkumari Tripurasundari Devi of Mysore and sister of h.h Maharaja Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar of Mysore.
Contact
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Email: sailanapalace@gmail.com
Sailana Palace,
Ratlam District,
Madhya Pradesh - 457550