M U Kshidabad
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c y S i V X * * • BENGAL D I 8T B1;o x ^GAZETTEERS. U o l MU KSHIDABAD. BV L - s. s. O’Ma l l e y , 1MlAS CIV« SERVICE. BFATC LIBRARY/ Ac«cs»f n No. (j-j^ 2 - ^ - CIm s Source. Cost; c ALC UT T i rHB BENG“ ,OOK o w . I9J4. 6 * PRfiFAOiE. I d esir is to acknowledge, with gratitude, the assistance rendered^ by Babu Harendra Krishna Mitra, Head Clerk of the Bengal Census office, in reading and checking the proofs,, The District Magistrate of Murshidaba’d has also been so kind as to have each chapter examined in his office. L. S.'S. O’M. PLAN OF CONTENTS; / p a g e s . L P h y s ic a l a s p e c t s ... ... 1 — 1 8 % II. H is t o r y ... 1 9 — 6 8 III. T h e p e o p l e . 6 9 — 8 0 IT. P u b l ic h e a l t h ... .. 8 1 — 9 6 V. A g r i c u l t u r e • • • . 9 7 — 1 0 7 ■ v i. N a t u r a l c a l a m i t i e s • • ... ,108— 119 VII. R e n t s , w a g e s a n d p r ic e s • • ... 120— 123 VIII. I n d u s t r ie s , manufactures a n d TKADR ... 124-149 IX. M e a n s o f communication ... ... 150— 154 X. L a n d r e v e n u b administration .< • ... 155— 163 XI. G e n e r a l administration .. 1 6 4 — 1 6 6 XII. L o c a l s e l f g o v e r n m e n t ... ... 167— 168 XIII. E d u c a t io n . ... 169— 172 XIV. G a z e t t e e r . • • • ... 173—225 I n d e x ,,, t(l , , , »• • ... 227-231 TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PHYSICAL ASPECTS. G en eral description —Boundaries — Natural divisions— Rarh— Hijal— Bagri —H il l s —L ikks of d b a in a g e — R iv e b s y st e m —G anges or Padma— Bhagirathi—Bhuirab—Jalangi—Sialmari—Gobra* Nullah—Baisloi— Dwarka or' BabU— Other rivers— C h a n g e s -in b iv e b cou bses— MAIN TENANCE OB NAVIGABLE OHANNBLS— LAKES'AND MABSHES— BOTANY— W il d a n im a l s —G am b b ib d s —R e p t il e s—Fi s h —Cl im a t e CHAPTER II. HISTORY. E a r ly h i s t o r y — European settlem ents—Rebellion op Subha Singh— The Diwani and Nizamat—Tbansfbr of the capital—Mughal Vioeboys— Murshid Kuli Khan, 1704—25—Shuja-ud-daula, 1725—39— Sarfaraz Khan, 1739—40—Ali Vardi Khan, 1740—56—Marathi wars— Relations with the English—Siraj-ud-dau!a, 1756— 57—Capture of Cossimbazar— Downfall of Siraj-ud-daula—Mir Jafar Khan, 1757—61— Mir Kasim, 1761—63—The end of Mughal rule—Eably Bbitish Administbation— Revenue Councils— The Committee - of Circuit—The Resident— Appointment of Collectors—Mutiny op 1857—Formation op the district—The latbb Nawabs—The Seths oj? Mubshida- b a d CHAPTER HI. THE PEOPLE. G b o w th of p o p u l a t io n —D e n s it y —M ig r a t io n —T o w n s—V il l a g e s — R e l ig io n s —H indus and Musalmans— Animista— Chris£i;ma—Jains ^ C astes and T bib es—Caste g o v e r n m e n t —Bagdis— F a ir s a n d b e l ig io u s g a t h b e in 1 X ll TABLE OF CONTENTS. CHAPTER IV. PUBLIC HEALTH pa g e s Gen eras co n d itio ns—S p e c ia l in q u ir ie s —T y p e s of e e v e b —I n f ir m it ie s —M ed ica l institutions —L un atic a s y l u m -—V a c c in a t io n ... 81— 96 CH APTER Y. AGRICULTURE. G en eral c o n d itio n s—I r r ig a t io n —So il s —A rea u n d e r cultivation — P r in c ip a l ^ crops —Kice — Othor cereals and pulses— Oilseeds— Jute— M iscellaneous—M ulberry cultivation— Indigo cultivation—P a s t u r ag e—A gricultural e x h ib it io n ... 97— 107 CHAPTER VI. NATURAL CALAMITIES. Famines— Famine of 1769— 70—Famine, or 1866—Famine of 1874— Famine of 1897—Floods—Embankments ... .. ...108— ... 119 CHAPTER VII, RENTS, WAGES AND PRICES. R e n t s — Wages—Prices—W eights and Measures 120— 123 CHAPTEB VIII INDUSTRIES, MANUFACTURES AND TRADE. Occupations—Industrial census—Industries and manufactures— Silk manufacture—Cocoons and bands—Matka spinning— Khamru spinning—Filature silk—Silk fabrics— Ivory, carving-Other manufac tures—Textile industries—Metal industrici—Wood and bamboo work— Clay models— Fishing— Pearl fishing— T ra d e 124— 149 CHAPTER- IX. MEANS OF COMMUNICATION. R a ilw a y s __Azlmganj Branch- Ranaghat-Mursliidabad branch—Barlmrwa- • Azimganj-Kiitwa Sine— Light railways—R o a d s —W a t e r c o m m u n io a-> 150—154 tio n s TABLE OP CONTENTS. CHAPTER X. u^ND REVENUE ADMINISTRATION. PAGES Land Revenue—Couet op Wabds—Land Tenubes—Revenue-paying estates— Aim as— Revenue-free estates— M azlcuH and shilcmi ialulcs— Istimrari—Patni taluks— G anthis— Jots— Maura si--Mulcarari— I ja - ras, zarpeshgii and Icatkinas— Service tenures— Tenancies— Oanihi j o t s — Utlandi ... ... ... ... ...155— 163 CHAPTER XI. GENERAL ADMINISTRATION. A dministrative C h a b g e s a k d St a f f—P u b l ic W oeks D epa b tm e n t— C r im in a l J u stice—C iv i l J u stice—P olice—J a il s —IIe g i8te a t io n — Revenue ... ... ... ... ... ... 164— 16G CHAPTER XII. LOCAL SELF-GOVERNMENT. Distbiot Boabd—L ocal Boards—Onion Committees—Municipalities 1G7—169 CHAPTER' XIII. EDUCATION. L itbbaoy—Educational I nstitctions—The Krishnath College--Otber institutions— High Schools ... ... ... ... 169--172 CHAPTER XIV. GAZETTEER. Asimganj— Badrihat—Baranagar— Berhampore*— Berhampore subdivision— Bhagwangola—Chunakhali— Cossimbazar—Dhulian —Ghiasabiid—Giria— Jangipur—Jangipur subdivision—Jiaganj—Kalkapur—Kandi— Kandi subdivision— Kiriteswari or Kiritkona—Lalbagb—Lalbagh subdivision— Maidapur-----Murshidabad-----Nashipur----- Raghunathganj Rangamati— Sigardigbi— Saidabad ... _ ... ... ... 173—*25 I n d e x ... 2fc7— 231 GAZETTEER, OF THE MURSHIDABAD DISTRICT. C H A P T E R I. PHYSICAL ASPECTS. M urshidabad is the north-western district of the Presidency G e n eea i Division or Commissionership, and lies between 23° 43'- and “rE0s°BIP‘ 24° 52' north latitude and 87° 49' and 88° 44' east longitude. It has an area of 2,143 square miles and contains, according to the census of 1911, a population of 1,372,S74 persons. It is so oalled after Murshidabad, a town on the left bank of the Bhagirathi, which was the last of the Muhammadan capitals of Bengal. The headquarters, however, are not at Murshidabad, but at Berhampore, six miles further down.the river. Iu shape the distriot resembles an isosceles triangle with its Bound- apex pointing to the north-west. It is bounded along its whole aiie8, eastern frontier, from the extreme north to the south-eastern extremity, by the Padma or main channel of the Ganges, which separates it from the districts of Maid a and Rajshahi. On the south it is bounded by the distriots of Burdwan and Nadia, the river Jalangi on the south-east forming the boundary between it and Nadia for a considerable distance. To the west lie the districts of Blrbhum and the Sonthal Parganas. The river Bhagirathi, flowing from north to south through Natural the district, divides it into two almost equal portions, which,dlvl810ns> in their geology, their physical characteristics, their agrioulture, and even the religion of their inhabitants, form a striking contrast to each other. The tract to the west of the river is looally known as Rarh, and the tract to the east as Bagri—names which recall the traditional division of Bengal by king Ballal Sen into four tracts, viz,, Barh to the s o u tlm m ^ L ijtgnges and west of the Bhagirathi, Barendra lying,Inorth of Ranges, between the Mahananda and Karatoya i ?£ s m^tJTE * I purlk: aomi.^isvkatiom I. Dacca. 2 MTJESHIDABAD. Bengal and Banga or Eastern Bengal. East of the Bhagirathi the country is low-lying an'd alluvial, with a humid climate and a fertile soil, which is liable to be flooded by the spill of the Bhagirathi and other rivers. On the western side the surface is high and undulating; the soil is a hard clay, on which winter rice alone grows well, and the olimate is drier than in the eastern tract.- Th'e Bhagirathi is more than a m e r e ''physical boundary, for west.of it Hindus predominate, while on the east Musalm&ns are more numerous. The western tract, or Rarh, is substantially a continuation of -the sub-Vindhyan, region of laterite clay and nodular limestone.