Chhoti Sadri is a town and tehsil headquarters in the Pratapgarh district of southern Rajasthan, India. Located in the Mewar region, the town has a long historical association with the erstwhile princely states of Rajputana and is sometimes referred to by the local epithet "The Golden City of the Mewar". It functions today as a small administrative and market centre serving the surrounding agricultural countryside.
| Name | Chhoti Sadri |
|---|---|
| Type | Town and tehsil |
| District | Pratapgarh |
| State | Rajasthan |
| Country | India |
| Region | Mewar, Southern Rajasthan |
| Local epithet | The Golden City of the Mewar |
Chhoti Sadri lies in the southern part of Rajasthan, in the hilly and forested belt that forms the southern fringe of the Mewar plateau. The surrounding terrain is part of the transition zone between the Aravalli ranges and the Malwa plateau, with a mix of cultivated plains and low hills. The climate is broadly semi-arid, with hot summers, a south-west monsoon between June and September, and cool winters typical of inland Rajasthan.
Administratively, Chhoti Sadri is a tehsil within Pratapgarh district. Pratapgarh district itself was carved out in 2008 from parts of the earlier Chittorgarh, Udaipur and Banswara districts, and Chhoti Sadri became part of the new district at that time. Local civic administration is carried out by a municipal body, while revenue and law-and-order functions are exercised by the tehsildar and the sub-divisional officer under the district administration.
The town has historical links with the Sisodia rulers of Mewar and was an estate (thikana) under the Mewar state during the period of Rajput rule. The name "Chhoti Sadri" (literally "Lesser Sadri") distinguishes it from Bari Sadri, another historical town in the same broader region. The area is associated with several inscriptions and temple remains that point to settlement in the early medieval period, and it retained importance as a local seat under Mewar's feudal hierarchy until the integration of the princely states into the Indian Union after 1947.
The economy of Chhoti Sadri is largely agrarian. The surrounding region produces crops typical of southern Rajasthan, including wheat, maize, soybean, gram and oilseeds, along with seasonal vegetables. The town serves as a small trading hub for nearby villages, with markets (mandis) for agricultural produce, retail shops, and small-scale service industries. Stone quarrying and related activities are also reported in parts of the wider district.
Chhoti Sadri is connected by state roads to other towns in Pratapgarh, Chittorgarh and Udaipur districts. The nearest larger urban centres are Pratapgarh, Nimbahera and Chittorgarh, which provide onward rail and highway connectivity to the rest of Rajasthan and to neighbouring Madhya Pradesh.
Like much of southern Rajasthan, the population of Chhoti Sadri and its surrounding villages includes a mix of communities, with a significant tribal presence in the wider Pratapgarh district, particularly Bhil and Meena groups, alongside Rajputs, Brahmins, Jains, and other communities. Hindi and the local Mewari and Malvi dialects are widely spoken.
Chhoti Sadri is significant primarily as a tehsil-level administrative town in a relatively newly created district, and as a place with continuing links to the historical and cultural identity of Mewar. Temples, stepwells and old residential quarters in the town reflect its earlier role as a feudal estate.