A Statistical Account of Bengal
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This is a reproduction of a library book that was digitized by Google as part of an ongoing effort to preserve the information in books and make it universally accessible. https://books.google.com Iel4|d5tanfordJ« university THE CIFT OF Hoover f a-a. r\ A . A STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF BENGAL. XI. TURNBULL AND SPEARS, PRINTERS, EDINBURGH. • A Statistical Account of Bengal. By W. W. HUNTER, B.A., LL.D., DIRECTOR-GENERAL OF STATISTICS TO THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA ; ONE OF THE COUNCIL OF THE ROYAL ASIATIC SOCIETY; HONORARY OR FOREIGN MEMBER OF THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF NETHERLANDS INDIA AT THE H AGUE, OF THE INSTITUTO VASCO DA GAMA OF PORTUGUESE INDIA, OF THE DUTCH SOCIETY IN JAVA, AND OF THE ETHNOLOGICAL SOCIETY, LONDON ; HONORARY FELLOW OF THE CALCUTTA UNIVERSITY ; ORDINARY FELLOW OF THE ROYAL GEOGRAPHICAL SOCIETY, ETC. VOLUME XI. DISTRICTS OF PATNA AND SARAN. The Account of Patnd has been compiled by D. B. Allen, Estf., C.ST, and that of Sdran by A. W. Mack1e, Esq., C.S., *:;;; Assistants to the Director-General of Statistics. -m d TRUBNER & CO., LONDON 1877. 11 0492 PREFACE TO VOLUME XI. STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF BENGAL. This Volume treats of the Districts of Patnd and Saran, the two commercial centres of the Patnd. Division. Patna District stretches along the southern bank of the Ganges, and is penetrated from east to west by the East Indian Railway. Saran occupies a triangular strip formed by the confluence of the Gogra and Gandak with the great River. Both these Dis tricts have a naturally fertile soil ; while the facilities of com munication enable the cultivators to dispose of their surplus crops, and suffice to ward off the extremity of famine in an unfavourable year. Patna city, including the Civil Station of Bdnkipur and the Military Cantonments at Dinapur, is, after Calcutta, the largest river-mart in Bengal. It forms a busy changing-station ; where the piece-goods, salt, and miscel laneous manufactures of Europe, which come up from Calcutta by rail, are transferred into country boats to be distributed throughout the neighbouring tracts ; and where the agricultural produce of a wide area is collected for despatch to the seaboard. Revelganj, the chief mart in 6 PREFACE. Saran, conducts a similar business. It has monopolised the trade in oil-seeds, not only of Saran itself, but also of the Districts of the North- Western Provinces and of Oudh, which lie higher up the Gogra Valley. The south-eastern portion of Patna District, where the land rises towards the hills of Chutia Nagpur, possesses a special interest as containing some of the earliest memorials of Indian Buddhism. In the same neighbourhood lies the town of Behar, an early Muhammadan capital, which has given its name to the Province. The two Districts of Patna and Saran contain a total area of 4755 square miles ; and a population, according to the Census of 1872, of 3,623,498 souls. W. W. H. 1877. TABLE OF CONTENTS DISTRICTS OF PATNA AND SARAN. DISTRICT OF PATNA. Topography and General Aspects of the District, 17-32 Area and Boundaries, 17-18 Jurisdiction, 18 General Aspect, 18 Hills, . 18-19 River System, . 19-24 Canals, 24-25 River Traffic, 25-28 Irrigation, 28-29 Fisheries, 29-31 Lines of Drainage, Ferae Naturae, . 31-32 The People, .... 32-107 Population, including the Census of 1872, 32-36 Ethnical Division of the People, 36-38 Immigration and Emigration, . 39-40 List of Castes, .... 40-54 Religious Divisions of the People, 54-64 List of Towns and Villages, 65-90 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS. District of Patna — continued. PAGE Village Institutions, 91-98 Material Condition of the People ; Dress, Dwellings, Food, etc., 98-107 Agriculture, ..... 107-130 Staple Harvests, .... 107-109 Rice and other Cereal Crops, . 109-112 Green and other Crops, . .112-115 Cultivated Area, Out-turn of Crops, etc., . 115-117 Condition of the Cultivators, . 117 Domestic Animals, . 118 Agricultural Implements, . 118-119 Wages and Prices, . .119-122 Weights and Measures, . 122-123 Landless Day-Labourers, . 123-124 Spare Land, ..... 124-125 Land Tenures, . .125-127 Rates of Rent, . .127-128 Manure, . .128-129 Irrigation, . 129 Rotation of Crops, .... 129-130 Natural Calamities, etc., 130-135 Floods, 130 Droughts, 130-131 Famine of 1866, 131-132 Famine of 1869, 132-133 Famine of 1873-74, 133-134 Famine Warnings, 134-135 Foreign and Absentee Landholders, 135 TABLE OF CONTENTS. District of Patna — continued. Means of Communication, Manufactures, Commerce, Institutions, etc., . I35-I8I Roads, ..... - 135-137 East-Indian Railway, . 137 Manufactures, .... 137-146 Opium Cultivation and Manufacture, . 146-154 Commerce and Trade, . 154-180 Capital and Interest, 180 Newspapers, .... 180-181 Income of the District, 181 Administrative, 181-209 Administrative History, 181-183 Revenue and Expenditure at different Periods , 183-185 Land Revenue, . 185-188 Civil and Criminal Courts, 188 Police and Jail Statistics, 189-195 Educational Statistics, . 195-201 The Patna College, . 201-204 Postal Statistics, 204 Administrative Divisions, 204-206 Fiscal Divisions, 206-209 Meteorological and Medical, 209-222 Climate, Temperature, and Rainfall, . 209-211 Endemics and Epidemics, 211-212 Vital Statistics, . 212-213 Indigenous Drugs, . 213-215 Native Doctors, . 215-216 Charitable Dispensaries, 216-219 The Temple School of Medicine, 220 Lunatic Asylum, . 220-221 Conservancy, . 221-222 TABLE OF CONTENTS. DISTRICT OF SARAN. PAGE Topography and General Aspect, . 225-238 Area and Boundaries, . 225-226 Jurisdiction, .... 226 General Aspect, 226-227 River System, .... 227-233 Alluvion and Diluvion, 233 Lakes and Marshes, 233-234 River Traffic, . 234-235 Irrigation, .... 235 Fisheries, .... 235-236 Minerals, .... 237 Ferae Naturae, .... 237-238 The People, .... 238-274 Population, including the Census of 1872, 238-243 Partial Census of 1874, . 243 Ethnical Division of the People, 244-246 List of Castes, .... 246-255 Religious Division of the People, 255-257 List of Towns and Villages, 257-265 Village Institutions, 265-268 Emigration, . 268-269 Material Condition of the People, Dress, Dwel lings, Food, &c., 269-274 Agriculture, .... 274-305 Rice Cultivation, 274-276 Other Cereals and Green Crops, 276-277 Fibres and Miscellaneous Crops, 277-282 Indigo and Opium Cultivation, 282-292 Cultivated Area, Out-turn of Crops, &c., 292-294 Condition of the Cultivators, 294-295 Domestic Animals, 295-296 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 11 District of Saran — continued. PAGE Agriculture — continued. Agricultural Implements, 296 Wages and Prices, . 296-298 Weights and Measures, . 298-299 Spare Land, .... 299-300 Land Tenures, .... 300-301 Rates of Rent, .... 301-304 Manure and Irrigation, . 305 Natural Calamities, &c., • 305-315 Blights, ..... • 305-306 Floods and Embankments . 306-310 Droughts, .... 310 The Famine of 1866, . 310-312 The Famine of 1874, • 312-315 Famine Warnings, . • . 315 Means of Communication, Manufaci 'URES, Institutions, Trade, &c., . • 316-337 Roads and Means of Communication, . • 316-317 Manufactures, .... • 317-323 Trade, ..... • 323-334 Capital and Interest, 335 Local Institutions, • 335-337 Incomes and Income Tax, 337 Administrative, • 337-361 Administrative History, • 337-338 Revenue and Expenditure at different pt :riods, 338-342 Land Revenue, .... • 342-343 Civil and Criminal Courts, 343 Police and Jail Statistics, • 344-349 Educational Statistics, . • 349-353 12 TABLE OF CONTENTS. District of Saran— continued. Administrative — continued. Postal Statistics, 353-354 Administrative Divisions, 354-355 Fiscal Divisions, 355-361 Medical, Meteorological, &c, 361-368 Climate, Temperature, and Rainfall, 361-362 Diseases, . 362-363 Indigenous Drugs, 363-366 Charitable Dispensaries, 366-368 Mortuary Statistics, 368 The Hatwa Family, 368-371 Index, . 373-382 ERRATA. I shall be grateful for any corrections or suggestions which occur to the reader. They may be addressed to me at the India Office, Westminster. INTRODUCTORY NOTE. WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. The local weights and measures are given in detail at pp. 122, 123, and 298, 299. In some instances in the following volume, these weights and measures have been converted into their English equivalents, and their native names have not been added. In such cases the reconversion from the English equivalents may be effected with sufficient accuracy in accordance with the following tables : — MONEY. 1 pie (tt of an annd) = J farthing. 1 pice (i of an annd) = 1 J farthings. 1 anna (fa of a rupee) = ii pence. The rupee is worth, according to the rate of exchange, from is. 8d. to 2S.; but for conventional purposes it is taken at 2s. WEIGHTS. The unit of weight is the ser (seer), which varies in different Dis tricts from about iJ lb. to 2-205 lbs. This latter is the standard ser as fixed by Government, and corresponds to the metrical kilo gramme. For local calculations in Lower Bengal, the recognised ser may be taken at 2 lbs. The conversion of Indian into English weights would then be as follows : — 1 chatak (fa of a ser) = 2 oz. 1 ser (fa of a maund) = 2 lbs. 1 man or maund (say) = 82 lbs. LAND MEASURE. The unit of land measure is the bighd, which varies from J of an acre to almost one acre. The Government standard bighd is 1,400 square feet, or say J of an acre; and this bighd has been uniformly adopted throughout the following volume. STATISTICAL ACCOUNT OF THE DISTRICT OF PATNA.' The District of Patna lies in the south centre of the Patnd Division or Commissionership, between 24° 58' and 250 42' north latitude, and 840 44' and 86° 05' east longitude. It contains an area, according to the Boundary Commissioner in 1875, of 2101 square miles ; and a population, as returned in the Census Report of 1872, of 1,559,638 souls. The chief town is Patnd, or as it is com- 1 This Account of Patna District is chiefly derived from the following sources : — (l) The answers to the six series of questions, furnished by Mr.