GOVER~MENT OF BIHAR DISTRICT CENSUS HANDBOOK Si\HARSA By RANCHOR PRASAD, M.A., I.A,S. Superintendent 0/ Cen,',us Operations, Bihar. PRIN'l'ED BY THE SUPERIN'l'RNDENT SECRETARIAT PRESS, BIHAR, PATNA 1956 [Price-Rs. 6] TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE Preface Population Map 1. Scheme of Tables-Census Tracts i-ii 2. A-GENERAL POPULATION TABLES- I-Area, Houses and Population 2 II-Variation in Population during fifty years 3 III-Towns and Villages classified by Population 4 3. B-EcoNoMIC TABLES- I -;Livelihood Olasses and Sub-classes '6 II-Secondary meanS of Livelihood 10 III-Employers, Employees and Independent Workers 26 4. O-HOUSEHOLD AND AGE (SAMPLE) TABLES- I-Household (Size and Oomposition) 44 II-Livelih)od Classes by Age-groups 46 III-Age and Civil Conditions 49 IV -Age and Literacy 53 V -Single Year Age Ret~rns 56 '5. D-SOClAL AND CUI.TURAL TABLES- I-Languages-(i) Mother-tongue 66 (ii) Bilingualism 61 II-Religion 62 III-Scheduled Oastes, Scheduled Tribes, other Non-Scheduled Backward and 65 Non -Backward Classes IV-Migrants 70 VII-Livelihood Classes by Educational Standards '13 '6. E-SuMMARY FIGURES BY SUBDIVISIONS, REVENUE THANAS AND POLICE STATIONS 86 7. ANALysiS' OF IMPORTANT CENSUS DATA- (1) Area and Population, Actual and Percentage by Revenue Thana Density .. 84 (2) Variation and Density of General Population 84 (3) Mean Decennial Growth Rates during three decades '85 (4) Immigration 86 (5) Distribution of Population between Villages 86 (6) Agricultural Classes per 1,000 persons of General Population, number in 87 each Class and Sub-class of 10,000 persons of all Agricultural Classes (7) Non-agricultural Classes per 1,000 persons of General Population, number 87 in each Class and Sub-class of 10,000 persons of all Non-Agricultural Classes and number of Employers, Employees and Independent Workers per 10,000 Self-supporting persons of all Non-Agrioultural Classes PAGE (8) Persons per 1,000 houses and houses per 100 square miles .•_ 88 (9) Distribution by size of 1,000 sample households of Rural and Urban 88- Population (10) Family composition of 1,000 households of General Population 89 (11) Females per 1,000 males (General and Rural) and comparison with previous ," 89 censuses (12) Females per 1,000 males in Agricultural Classes and Sub-classes 89 (13) Females per 1,000 males in Non-Agricultural Classes .90· 8. STATISTICS RELATING TO RAINFALL AND AGRICULTURE- (1)..Rainfall-Normal Rainfall .. 90' (2) Cultivation- (a) Classification of land 91 (b) Progress of Cultivation during three decades 9I (c) Land per capita (1951), and trend of cultivation per capita during 91 three decades (d) Area under principal food crops 91 (e) Distribution of 1,000 agricultural holdings by size of holdings 91 9. SUMMARY FIGURES OF LIVESTOCK CENSUS- • (a) Number of Livestock and Poultry .. 92 (b) Distribution of certain important categories of Livestock and Poultry 94 per 1,000 of population (c) Variation in the number of main classes of Livestock (including 94 Poultry) during the years 1920-1951 10. FIGURES RELATING TO INDUSTRIES"- (a) Distribution of Small-scale Industrial Establishment, 1951 96 (b) Employment in Textile Establishments 97 (c) Employment in Non-Textile Establishments 98 11. VITAL STATISTICS 99 12. RULING WHOLE-SALE PRICES 100 PAGE 13. VILLAGE STATISTICS- 104 1. Supaul 110 2. Nirmali .,). 112 3. Tribeniganj 116 4. KishanpUl' 122 5. Pratapganj 12~ 6. Bhimnagar 130 7. Chhatapur 134 8. Bangaon 138 9. Dharhara 144 10. Madhipura 146 11. Murliganj 154- 12. Singheshwar 156 13. Saurbazar 160 14. Kishanganj 164 15. Sonbarsa 168 16. Alamnagar PREFACE This Handbook contains mainly statistical data and is not intended to replace the District Gazetteer which gives a comprehensive account of the district in narrative form. Most of the statistical tables included in the volume are based on materials collected in the 1951 Census, but some non-census statistics have also been included. 2. Before this, District Handbooks conta:r.;ng important census tables and other statistics were published in 1905 and 1916 in the form of statistical supplements to District Gazetteers. These Handbooks did not contain any statistics relating to individual villages. Madras and certain other provinces and Indian States published village statistics of some districts at the 1921, 1931 and 1941 censuses. In Bihar also, there were proposals in 1921 and 1931 for publishing similar statistics, but they did not materialise. The idea of publishing Handbooks like this containing both district tables and statistics of area, population, literacy and livelihood pattern for each village besides other useful statistics relating to the district owes it:; inception to Shri R. A. Gopalaswami, I.C.S., Census Commissioner of India in 1 !).i'i l. This recommendation was readily accepted by the Government of Bihar who hav~ sanctioned the publication of the Handbooks at their own cost. 3. As already indicated, detailed statistics for villages were not compiled for any district in Bihar before this. The task was formidable, and the compilat.ion and editing had to be done within a limited time simultaneously with the preparaLion of the State Census tables and report. Every effort has been made to ensure correctness and accuracy of the data and though there are shortcomings, it can be fairly claimed that this Handbook removes a long-felt want for a book of reference containing the basic statistical information for the district and small units down to the mauza. 4. The tabulation of tho Census statistics included in this volume was done in the Bhagalpur Regional 'fabulation office under the able guidance of Shri V. N. Ojha, Deputy Magistrate and Deputy Collec­ tor. T desire to acknowledge myobliga­ 1. Shri Ram Bahadur Singh, Technical Assistant tion to him and the staff named in the margin for the care and interest taken 2. Sri Rama Garajn, Cornparer by them in the final checking and the 3. Sri Raja Kant Jha, Comparer proof reading of this volume. My 4. Sri Raml1nugrah Singh, Comparer thanks are also due to Shri Rameshwar N ath, Deput.y Magistrate and Deputy 5. Sri Kauslml Kishoro Singh, Comparer Collector who has helped in the editing of the non-census statistics and super- vised tlw proof reading. Lastly, but very far. from the le~st, my thanks are due to Shri S. K. Chatterji, Superintendent, Secretariat Press, BIhar and his staff for the care and interest shown in the preparation and publication of this Handbook. RANCHOR PRASAD POPULATION M.AP 01' DISTRICT SAHARSA BIP~AB===:=~ ==A~=-____ ~8G~" ~I ~~' __________B L . REFER ENCES E eOPIQ o.u.,~ BOUfldIPY·, '- OlstrlttorS.. te Main rOld:- MetaJied . do Subd ivision. lfilet64321.0 15 do unmelalted, • 8I1 nl;"'o. "'l . _ DI~ J Ifltptdi6n Head QUI tUn '• -8vOdivitioll . ThatlS. POit O'll~ ce . roll $ .Tel • .,..pI! Off.oc.. • • SCHEME OF TABLES The following tables in this Hand-book are based on the 1951 Census 1- (1) A-General Population Tables- I. Area, Houses and Population n. Variation in Population during fifty years III. Towns and Villages classified by Population (2) B-Economic Tables- 1. Livelihood Classes and Sub-classes II. Secondary means of Livelihood III. Employers, Employees, and Independent Workers in Industries and Services by Divisions and Subdivisions. (3) O-Housing and Age (Sample) Tables- 1. Household (size and composition) II. Livelihood Classes by Age-Groups III. Age and Civil Condition IV. Age and Literacy V. Single Year Age Return (4) D -Social and Oultural Tables-­ I. Language II. Religion III. Scheduled Castes and Tribes IV. Migrants VII. Livelihood Classes by Educational Standards (5) E-Summary figures for Subd'ivisions, Revpnue Thanas and Police-stations 2. The A, R, D and E series of tables are all based on total count; the C series tables ha,ve been prepared from t,he 10% random sample of Census Slips. 3. Oensus Tracts-Reference to Census Ttacts will bo found in a large number of tables Census Tracts were formed mainly for the convenience of distribution of work among sorting and compilation teams. In most cases, they correspond to Revenue Thanas. A list of Census Tracts is given below with names of Revenue Thanas and Police-stations included in each:- Number and name of Tract Names of the corresponding Names of the Police· stations Revenue Thanas including the Tract 1 2 3 laG. Supaul, Nirmali and Tribeniganj Police-stations Supaul 1. Supaul 2. Nirmali 8. Tribcmiganj ii Number and name of Traot Name of the oorresponding Names of the Polioe·stations Revenue Thanas inoluding the Tract 1 2 3 13T. Partapganj Revenu" Thana and Kishanpur Partapgan.l and 1. Partapganj Police· station Supaul part 2. Bhimnagar 3. Chhatapur 4. Kishanpur 13S. Bangaon Revenue Thana Bangaon 1. Bangaon 2. Dharahara 139. Madhepura, Singheshwar and Sourbazar Police· Madhepur 1. Madhepura stations. 2. Singheshwar 3. Sourbazar 140. Murliganj Police·station Madhepura 1. Murliganj 141. Kishanganj Revenue Thana Kishanganj 1. Kishanganj 2. Sonbarsa 3. Alamnagar 4. Rural Statistics.-These are also based on Census data. 5. Other Statistics.-Other Statistical tables are based on materials obta,ined from different departments. Every possible effort has been made to ensure correctness of the data. The sources from which the. figures have been obtained have been indicated briefly in notes appended to tables, where necessary. PART 1 2 A-I-AREA, HOUSES AND POPULATION 1. This table shows for the district and for each subdivision, the area, the number of towns and villages, the number of occupied houses, and the total urban and rural population, male and female. 2. The total area of the district has been shown in this table as 2,143 square miles only. This has been arrived at by totalling the area figures of constituent units, e.