Bengal District Gazetteers

BENGAL DISTRICT GAZETTEERS. [ Price *—India, Rt- 3 ; in JSngland, 4*. 6d.~] BENGAL DISTRICT GAZETTEERS. BHAG-ALPXJB- BPATC LIBRARY Accession No. BY Source. Cortf J. b t b n b , IS PUN CIV1J. SERVICE CALCUTTA:. B E N G A L SBCEETAEIAT BOOK DEPOT. p r e f a c e ; ------- ♦------- T h is volume follows the plan of the various volumes of District Gazetteers compiled by Mr. O’Malley. I desire to express my sincere acknowledgments for assistance rendered to me by Messrs. Hammond (r.c.s., Collector of Bhagalpur): and Hubback (i.c.s., Assistant Settlement Officer, Bihar): also to Captain Barnardo, I.M .S ., Civil Surgeon of Bhagalpur, and to Mr. Gr. E. Fawcus of the Indian Educational Service, for the revision of Chapters IV and X III, respectively. Babu Nilmoni Dey, Asisstant Settlement Officer, has also helped me very much.' Eurseong, 1910. J. BYRNE. PLAN OF CONTENTS. C h a t t e r P a g e s . f . P h y sical A s p e c t s ....................................................... 1 — 25 II . H i s t o r y .............................................................................26— 42 IIT . T h e P e o p l e ................................................... 43— &7 IV , P u b l ic H e a l t h ....................................................58— 68 V . A g r i c u l t u r e ....................................................69— 92 V I . N at u r al Ca l a m i t i e s ..........................................93— 108 V IT . R ents, W ages and P rices .... 109— 121 VIII. Occupations, Manufactures and Trade . 122— 180 l X „ M e a n s o f Communication ..... 131— 134 X . Land Revenue Administration . *7 . 135—142 X I . G en er al A dministration ............................143— 148 XII. Local Self-Government ..... 149_153 XIII. Education ..............................................................154— 156 XIV. G a z e t t e e r . " ........................................................ 157____176 I n d e x .................................................................................................. 177— 181 OFFICIAL AGENTS FOE THE! SALE OF GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS. In India. Messes Thacker, Spine & Co., Calcutta and Simla. Messes. Nbwman & Co., Calcutta. M essrs. H igqinbotham & Co., Madras. Messes. Thacker & Co., Ld., Bombay. M esses. A . J . C om bbidqe & Co., Bombay. T h e S upeeintendent, A m e bic a n B aptist M ission P bess, Bangoon. M bs. B a d h a b a i A tm aeam S agoon, Bombay. M esses. B . Gam be a y & Co., Calcutta. Bai Sahib M. Gulab Singh & Sons, Proprietors of the Mufid-i-am Press, Lahore, Punjab. Messbs. Thompson & Co., M adras. Messes. S. M uethy & Co., Madras. - Messbs. Gopal Nabayen & Co., Bombay. Messbs. B. Banebjee & Co., 25, Cornwallis Street, Calcutta. Messes. S. K. Lahibi & Co., Printers and Booksellers, College Street, Calcutta. Messes. V. Kalyanabama Itee & Co., Booksellers, &c., Madras. Messes. D. B. Taeapobevala, Sons & Co., Booksellers, Bombay. Messbs. G' A. Nates an & Co., Madras. M b . N . B. M ath u b, Superintendent, Nazair Kanum Hind Press, Allahabad. T h e C alcutta S chool Book S ociety. M e . S cndeb P andu ban g, Bombay. M esses. A. M . an d J. F eeguson, Ceylon. Messbs. Temple & Co., Madras. Messes. Combbidge & Co., Madras. M esses, A. C h a n d & Co., Lahore. B a bu S. C. Talukdae, Proprietor, Students A Co., Coooh Behar. In England. , M b . E . A . Abnold, 41 & 43, Maddox Street, Bond Street, London, W. Messes. A. Constable & Co., 10, Orange Street, Leicester SQuare, London, W . C. Messes. Gbindlay & Co., 64, Parliament Street, London, S. W . Mbssbs. Kbgan P a c l ,' Tbench, Tbubnee & Co., 43, Gerrard Street, Soho, London, W . Mb. B. Quabitoh, 11, Grafton Street, New Bond Street, London, W . Messbs. W . Thaokee & Co., 2 Creed Lane', Ludgate Hill, London, E . 0 . Mbssbs. P. S. King & Son, 2 & 4, Great Smith Street, Westminster, London, S. W . Messbs. H. 8. King & Co., 66, Cornhill, London, E. C. Mb. B. H. B lackw ell, 60-5], Broad Street, Oxford. Messbs. Deighton B ell & Co., Trinity Street, Cambridge. Mb. T. Fishes Unwin, 1, Adelphi Terrace, London, W . C. Messes. Lvzao & Co., 46, Great Bussell Street, London, W . C. On the Continent. Messbs. B. Feiedlandee & Sohn, 11, Carlstrasse, Berlin, N. W. 6. Mb. O tto H aebassowitz, Leipzig. M b . B udolf H au pt, Leipzig (Germany). Mb. K arl H ieb se m an n , 20, Eonigsstrassee, Leipzig. M b . E enest L ebo u x, Bue Bonaparte, Paris. Me. Maetind* N ijhoff, The Hague. TABLE OF CONTENTS. CH APTER I . PHYSICAL ASPECTS. P4M8 Ge n ib a l Dbsoeie.'cion—Boundaries— Formation of the district— Genbbal . A spect o» the D istbio t—R iver system— Ganges—Tiljuga—Bati— Dhimra—Talabn— Parwan—Dhusan— Chalauni—Loran— Katna—Daus — Ghaghri—Ctiandan—Kusi—River Channels— Forests—Botany—Fruit trees— Geological Fobmation—Minerals-----Zoology— Clim ate— Temperature and Humidity—Rainfall 1— 25 CHAPTER II. HISTORY. / Ancient Histoby—Gupta K ings—Pala and Sen K ings—Muhammadan I nvasion—A kbab’ s R eign—English R ulebs—Cleveland— Mutiny days— Formation of the district—A bchjeoiiOGical R emains—'Mandar- giri— Colgong Rock Temple— Jahangira and Baiskaran— Patharghatfca— Barari— Remains north of the river—Old forts 26— 43 CHAPTER III. THE PEOPLE. A ooubatb enumbbations—Migbatoby movements—I ntebmediate chang es os abea—Density of population— Density by thanas— Urban and rural population— Religions— Christians — Chief castes— Goalas 366,980. The Ballad of Lurik—The legend of Jaydeb Dube, Bhay Haran— Dhanuks 102,680— Musahars 93,750—Chamars, 90,399—Koiris 88,850 — Tantis, 80,200—Dosadhs 79,860— Brahmans, 76,530—Telis 72,130— Kewats 57,620—The village community and officials—GoMAsTA-• TAHSILDAB— P atw aei—Barahil— Gorait—Sonthal villages— Economic Conditions— Houses— Dress— Food—Political and social institutions — .. 48— 57 CHAPTEE IV. PUBLIC HEALTH. Climate and v it a l it y —P rincipal diseases—Prevalent fevers— Malarial fever—Malignant tertian— Enteric or typhoid fever—-Cerebro-spinal fever— Plague— Other Diseases—Surgical operations— Infirmities - Sani- t*tion—Medical institutions— Leper Asylum— Ifcdical LIBRARY nation al institute!® ? PURlIC ApMfNlSTRATlbll DACCA.* TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. AGRICULTURE. P aoes. Natural divisions— Total area— Areas cultivated for each harvest— Main cr0pg— Soils — Clays — Loams — Sandy soils— Diaras—Inferior soils— Climatic influence—AaBlOUXTUBAL Proverbs—B aevbsts— Aghani— Ehadoi— B a li— Crops—Indigo—Tobacco— Sugarcane— Oilseeds— Exten sion of cultivation. Buchanan Hamilton’s estimate—The Revenue Surveyor’ s report— Increase of cultivation.—Scientific agriculture—Dis trict Agricultural Association—Veterinary Assistance— Veterinary Hospital— I bbkjation—How artificial irrigation is generally effected— Danrhs and Singhas—Wells occasionally, used for special, crops’—Irriga tion for rdbi crops—Irrigation records prepared for irrigation canals with all connected bandhs and tanks— Irrigation records prepared with scheme as unit are separate from the ordinary village record— Definition of scheme taken as unit for record—When mausawar system is preferable— Three hundred and one schemes dealt with— Classification of schemes according to source of water-supply— Description of the rivers in the area__Mouths of canals protected either by pipes or masonry work— Necessity of such protection— Devices for lifting water into Danrhs— (a) Janglia, (5) Bhaw— Description o f 't h e Jangha— Responsibilities of raiyats and maliks as regards construction o f Janghas—Disputes regard ing Janghas and Danrhs. Schemes, class B, reQuire strong lanihs across the streams— Disputes about schemes, class B —Some important schemes of class B— Schemes class C, correspond to Ahars with pynes in other districts— Disputes about schemes, class C— Branches called singhas " carry water to distant fields and villages— Two systems oE irrigating fields— Banokhar system— Paris—The mulari system—Questions arising with reference to right oE irrigation in a village— Contrivances where two water courses cross each other— Khetbaran— Relative position of the raiyats and malika with regard to irrigation — Neglect by zamindars to repair irrigation work—Castomary rights to use of water— Responsibi lities of raiyats and maliks—Importance of the Bhagalpur-Bansiroad with reference to irrigation— Procedure adopted in drawing up the record . ■69—92 CHAPTER VI. NATURAL CALAMITIES. Famihbs—The famine of 1886—The famine of 1874—Scarcity in 1889- Scarcity in 1892 Famine in 1896-97—Scarcity in 1902—Floods in 1906— Scarcity in 1908-09—Chandan floods— Cyclonic? cloud-burst 93— 108 CHAPTER 711. RENTS, WAGES AND PRICES. Cash rents— Produce rents— Slavery— Peculiar tenancies—Wages— Material condition of the poople— Relations of landlords and tenants— 1907-08— ■ 19Q8-0H —Co-operative Credit Societies *' 109— 121 TABLE OS' CONTENTS. xiii CHAPTER VIII. Pasbs. OCCUPATIONS, MANUFACTURES AND TRADES. GbmebaJ> -A gbico ituee— ccupations and caste— Industrial classes— Com mercial classes— Professional classes— Manufactures— Tassar silk indus try— Mixed cotton and silk— Ironwork— Glassware— Dyeing— Indigo— Opium— T r a d e ................................................................................................... 122— 130 OHAPTEE IX. MEANS OP COMMUNICATION. Roads -B irbhum roa$— Other main routes— Conveyances— Post and Telegraph offices • • . ••••,•«. 131— 134 OHAPTEE X. LAND REVENUE ADMINISTRATION. Scope—Early revenue history—Number of estates.—Temporarily-settled estates and estates held direct by Government— Revenue-free estates— Result o f partitions— Amount o f revenue from areas not

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