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C+azetteer •d th·:: Bo111ba}T Presiclency · Yolurne Y-B :\Iahi I\: an tha ['1 ,;, r the ordrrs f;{ the Gov,'rnnlnd---- of EL~n,b.7y 1\IAHI KANTHA Area.-The estimated area of 9,300 squ!\re miles entered Tn ~al Reports until the year 1890-91 was reduced to 3,528 square i:niles in 1891-~2 to accord with the G. T. sheets, but· even .this figure is only approximately correct and the probable area of the Agency is 3,124 square miles. Survey.-There has been ~o survey settlement except in a portion · of I(lar State and in the Taluka of Khadal, in certain villages of the Kato~an and Gadhwada Thana Circles, and in the village of Ghodasar under Ghodasar Taluka. Survey has been completed in the. Vatrak Kantha Thana Circle but no classification made. In certain other Talukas survey work for reve:Que purposes is in progress. Trade and Manufacture.-The Chief Industry in the Agency is the dyeing of saris·and covers of quilts in Vasna and Pethapur. The total export of dyed cloth was valued at Rs. 95,000_ in 1921-22. There are six ginning factories in this Agency, two of which are situated at Jhotana. in Katosan Taluka, t\'vo at Vaktapur and one each at Himatnagar and Dahhoda; That at Himatnagar has been closed down for so~ years. Important' Public Works.-The important Works constructed since 1875 in the Age?cy are given below:- · · . Name of work. Year o! completion. Cost. Rs. 1. ldar-Yaghra Drainage Cutting .. 1902 15,000 2. Bayad-Yaghra do. .. , 1902 15,000 3. Danta-Ambaj-Roho-Kheradi Road 4. Jhotana-Santhal Road 1900. 5. Talod-~Iodasa Road 6. Satlasna-Anand-Bhakhari Road 1900 7. Yaktapur-Himatnagar Road 1886 8. Dabhoda-Sadra Road 9. Idar-Samlaji Road 1900 10,000 . 10. Idar-Hirnatnagar Road 1902 50,000 11. Scutt Lake in Mansa 18$~ 40,000 12. Scott College at Sadra 1886 52,000 I 3. Tank at Raigadh 1902 21,000 14. Tank at !.sri 1902 22,000 15. Pratap Palace at Himatnagar 1912 II 421-b ii BOMBAY. GAZETTEER Communicatio~s.-Since the year 1897 the. V)ramgam-~Iehsana, Ahmedabad-Prantij and Kalol-Vijapur branch railways have been laid in this Agency. The Ahmedabad-Prantij Line, which '}'ilS constructed in 1896~97, and opened for traffic in 1897, was extended to Khed-Brahma in the year 1909-10. '£he extenRion was openeJ for tra:mc in the year 1\Jll and has materially benefitted the State of !dar, the Taluka of Ilol and the Talukas under the Sabar Kantha Thana Circle: To connect Sadra, the headquart~rs of'this Agency, with the Ahmcdabad-Prantij Khed-Brahma Railway there are two roads (1) a metalled road from Sadra to DaLhoda distance 13 miles and (2) an unmetalled road from Sadra to Prantij- distance 12 miles. Since the year 1020, a motor service has been estab lished on the Sadra-Dabhoda road. The Kalol-Vijapur Railway, though not actually passing through the Agency limits, has stations at Limbodra, Randheja, Makakhad and Lodra which serve the Mahi Kanth~t towns of · Sadra, Pethapur, 1\iansa and Varsoda. Limbodra railway station i~ about 5 miles from Sadra, the headquarters uf the Agency. In the mon~oon, wl1fn the river Sabarmati is floodeJ, connection is maintained since the rear 1919 by· a £erry service established by the\ Baroda Government near SaJra. · The Mehsana-Kheralu J?ranch was extendeJ by the Baroda Government to Taranga Hill Stat.ion in 191.0. This line, though not actually in Agency limits, serves the Talukas of Sudasna and those comprised in the Gacll1 w ~llla Thana Circle and is greatly used by the Jain pilgrims visiting the tcmple3 at Taranga Hill which are situated about 2 miles from th~ station. The Ambaji-Tarn:nga Light Railway, which was ·Opened for -traffic in 1919-20, has since been closed and gone into. voluntary liquidation. The Baroda Government connected Dewasna, the terminus of their '"Kadi-Bhoyani Line with Becharaji, the terminus of their Chanasma- . Bechraji Line, and the new line· was opened for tralfiq in 1919-20. A portion of this line passes through the Katosan Ih<tna Circle and the Taluka of Katosan. TheN adiad-Kapadvanj Railway, though not actually · passing through the Agency limits, has proved beneficial from the commer· cial point of view to the Taluka of Khadal, the Va,trak Kantha Thana and Mahisa Peta Thana of this Agency. Famine.-The whole. Agency suffered ftom the great famine of 189!}- 1900. Relief measures were commenced in December 1899 awl were · closed in November 1900. The highest daily average number on relief works. was "30,000 in July 1900 and those rece!ving gratuitous relief numbered 6,000. The total amount spent during the year for famine relief amounted toRs. 4,76,967. The ne1..-t year again there was scarcity, and the whole Agency suffered from the famine of 1901-02.. The d,1ily average number of relief workers was over 13,000 in June 1002 and decreased to 1,200 in October. !dar State borrowed famine loans of Rs. 3,50,000 from Government and the amounts borrowed by other States in the Agency ,11-mount€d toRs. 3,77,780 in all.· The whole Agency suffered Jrom a fodder famine in 1911-12; Tagavi was auvanced to cultivators to sink new wells, to grow f.Jdder as also to purchase the foJder · imported by the Agency in'large quantities and thus the lives of many cattle were saved. The percentage of cattle which died was 7 · 6. There being no human distress no relief works had to be opened. · The Idar :MAHI KA!ITHA iii State contracted famine loans of Rs. 1,68,000 from Government and the amount borrowed by .ot4er States in the Agency was Rs. 3,11,256 in. alL There was scarcity of fodder in the Agency again during the year 1Gl5-16, but the effects were not greatly felt, owing to there being aYailable good grass land in the State of Polo and the Talukas of Hapa, Dedhrota, etc., where cattle were sent for grazing. : The m0nsoon of 1918 was not quite satisfactory .. The total rainfall was greatly in defect and there was no rain after August. The outturn of monsoon crop varied from~ to 6 annas in the rupee. Owing to scarcity (Jf foJJer, arrangements for the supply of Government grass were made. In the early stage of scarcity export of grass from the Agency was prohi bited. Agriculturists in the Thana Circles not being in a position to pay the high market rate for grass it was supplied to them. at the reduced rate Tis. 15 per 1,000 lbs., and was issued either on cash payment or· as tno;av:i, the difference between the rate charged and the actual cost price being borne by Government. The Jurisdictional States and Talukas made their own arrangements for grass. The opening of relief works and poor houses was not found necessary as the labouring classes were able to earn good wages. Gratuitous relief was, however, given t!ljhe old and infirm from funJ.s raised locally or from the contributions received from the Bombay Presidency Charitable Fund. Eleven cheap grain shops wtre opened which sold grain below cost price. Epidemics: (a) Plague.-The Agency remained free from plague up to 1DO 1-02. Ba vi.~hi Thana in the Agency was the first to be infected by plague in 1902-03, when 37 persons died. In all there occurred oven. G,CUO deaths up to the end of 1\Iarch 1922. (b) lrtjluen:a,_:_The Agency dill not es~ape the universal outbreak of. iufluenza in the year 1918-19 when the people in the small villages, where meJical aid was ~ot easily obtainable, su.ffered most. The . total mortality from this disease amounted to a little over silt thousand. TABLF. I 8 42~-1 2 BOMBAY GAZETIEER TABLE !.._GENERAL STATISTICS FO&t EACH STATE Statistics of Ce~aus of 1U21. Are~~ in =---:;-umber of-- I I 'I Serial square ;~fl!entage No. State and Taluka. Population 'arJatiOn miles. 1 Populatlon. per square j ~ E:;P~l~t 1 1 -------!---- -Towns. Villages. I1 nule. weenand 1921. H 11 - . I ·~~-~------i---- Firri Ola81 Stau. !dar 1,669 1,019 226.351 1 135• 56 +14 Second Clal• SUites. 2 Polo 135 5,858 +i Danta 347 U6 23,0~3 66•35 +10 I Third Olal1 Statu. I Mal pur 97 71 11,767 121•32 +10 Mana a 25 11 15,606 624· 24 +24 Moba.npur 89 54 12,565 141•2 7 Katosan •• 10 5,311 +49 Fourth Ola.ta Stalal. 8 Varaoda •. 11 a,812 346• 54 +35 11 Peth:pur 11 5.233 475• i2 +117 10 Ranasan .. so - 19 3,834 12i•8 +11 11 Punadra .. 11 10 2,217 201·54 -84 12 Khadal 14 282 -5 13 Ghodaear 16 15 349• i5 U llol 19 207 +31 I I 32 7.54~ 125• i3 -25 l:i I' .Amblia •• 16 Sudadra .• 25 6,l198 190· 56 I· Fifth Cla;,1 Stat~s. 17 Valasna . • .. 21 11 3,2271 +18 I 0 Thi~ amount is now )nnually paid by Government to .Palanpur· Dar bar as Jl<>r tFi~e4 fqr the decennial period 11H6-26 ae per Qovernment. of India's letter in Finanoe an<!· · . )'olit!cal Departm~nt lett!'f No. s.;:,4, IKCLUDED IN TH~ l\IAHI KANTHA AGENCY. St.ati<tie~ for the year ending 10-0.