CENSUS OF INDIA 1961 REPORT ON THE POPULATION ESTIMATES OF INDIA VOL. III, 1811-1820 PART-A EASTERN REGION Edited by DURGAPRASAD BHATTAcE,ARY OF THE INDIAN ~TATISTICAL INi;T1TUTE Office of the Registrar General Ind Ministry of Home Affairs Government of India New Delhi CONTENTS Page No. Foreword· v Preface vii-xxix Contents of Tables xxxi-xxxv Contents of Maps • • • xxxvi Acknowledgement xxxvii POPULATION ESTIMATES I PROVINCES 1. ASsam, 1826-30. 1-7 2. Bengal, Bahar, Orissa and Benares, 1812 8 3. Bengal, 1815 9-13 4. Lower Provinces of Bengal, 1822 14-22 5. Kachar or Heerumba, 1819. 23-28 6. Orissa Province, 1814 29-37 II DISTRICTS 1. District of Sylhet, 1813 and 1822 41-43 2. Burdwan, 1813-14 44-58 3. District of Bhagalpur, 1810-11 59-138 4. Districts of Behar and Patna, 1811-12 . 139-214 5. District of Shahabad, 1812-13 215-273 6. District of Cuttack, 1818 274-281 III CITIES AND TOWNS 1. Sylhet Town, 1813 285-286 2. Burdwan, 1813·14 287-288 3. Calcutta, 1810-22 289-296 4. Chandercona, 1814 297 5. Chandemagore, 1814 298-299 6. Chinsura, 1814 • 300 - 301 7. Cossimbazar, 1829 302-303 8. Dacca, 1815 304-306 9. Keerpoy, 1814 • 307 10. City or Moorshedabad, 1814 308-309 11. Serampore, 1814 310-311 12. Arah Town, 1812-13 . 312-313 13. Bhagalpur Town, 1810-11 314 14. Chuprah, 1817 . 315 15. Mungger Town, 1810·11 316-317 16. City ofPatna, 1811·12 318-323 17. Patna City, 1815 324 18. Rajmahal Town, 1810·11 325-326 19. Cuttack Town, 1818 • 327-328 SEI.ECT BIBLIOGRAPHY 329-331 FOREWORD It has been the tradition of the Census Commission to prepare and present reports on various aspects of the population of the country, quite apart from the presentation of demographic data as such. As part of this tradition and in vrder to ensure that historical demography receives due emphasis, a project was planned soon after the 1961 census to present, 'in 8 volumes, a report on the population estimates of India commencing from the 18th century upto 1872. Of this series, the volume relating to the period 1820-1830 has already been pub­ lished and the present publication relates to the period 1811-1820. It is hoped to bring out these volumes as quickly as possible so that the entire series is available soon. The preparation of these volumes and the entire work relating to these reports on the population estimates of India over this vast span of time has been a labour of love on the part of Shri Durgaprasad Bhattacharya of the Indian Statistical Institute and the entire credit for the collection of the material, its editing and presentation should go to him and to his band of devoted workers. We would welcome suggestions so that future volumes of this series could to that extent be improved. New Delhi P. PADMA~ABHA Dated 28-9-1978 Registrar General, India PREFACE Sedion I-The Plan of Pre-Census Population 3. Source- A full catalogue of the volume where­ Studies from materials have been extracted with particular pages and also the 1.1 The pre-census population project was call No. of the book. An abbreviated sponsored by the Registrar General. India in reference to the library is given in 1961. The main purpose of the project is to third bracket after the catalogue. search. collect. compile. scrutinise. collate and If a Volume contains several docu­ ments, and materials are extracted edit quantitative and descriptive materials on from some of them, the author and population and allied socio-economic variables the title of a particular document for the pre-census period from old records and are given first followed by authorl publications in order to publish them after mak­ tide of the Volume in a bracket. ing an appraisal according to standard proce­ AS is used for Asiatic Society's Library, dures laid down. It was decided to publish the BSL for West Bengal Secretariat Lib~ary, ~SP for Bangiya Sahitya materials in eight volumes as follows. PallShad LIbrary, NL for the National Vol. I-Eighteenth Century Library. NAI for the National Archi­ ves of India, WBSA for West Bengal Vol. II-1801-1810 State ArchiVes; lSI for the Indian . Vol. UI-181l-1820 Statistical Institute Library. Vol. IV-1820-1830 4. Materials -(a) Geographical location-A general Vol. V-1831-1840 description of boundary, latitude Vol. VI-1841-1850 and longitude, etc., is given from sources mentioned under 3 or from Vol. VII-1851-1861) other documents. This section is Vol. VlII-1861-1872 followed by another with a sub­ heading "geographical identification." 1.2 The fourth volume entitled Report on the Sometimes, attempts have been made Population Estimates of India 1820-1830 was to identify any tract of 1811-1830 on a map of 1961 by the editor and results published first in the series in the year 196:5.1 It presentd in editor's own words. was stated in the Foreword by Shri Asok Mitra. (b) Particulars of population-This Registrar General. India (January 8, 1963), "this section starts with a summary table is the first of eight projected volumes on Popula­ prepared by the editor as follows: tion Estimates for various parts of India made from the eighteenth century upto 1870. when the (Summary Table) first census of India was planned for execution in ------ ------------------ 1872.... As this volume is one of the first ven­ sri. item particulars tures of its kind, I advised that there should be a no. minimum of editing, appraisal being limited to 10 points - mentioned in para 1.5 of the editor's 2 3 prdfate.· The first'volume is primarily designed 1 area in square miles to elicit suggestions and criticisms for improve­ 2 number of villages ment. The Census Commission. therefore, 3 population; persons males invites comments and criticism so that future females volumes .may be enriched." 4 number of families 5 number of houses 1.3 In para 1.2 of the editor's preface of the 6 population per square mile volume relating to the period 1820-1830 (refer­ 7 average size of a village 8 average size of a f4mily red to subsequently as the published volume), it 9 average size of a house was stated. "the purpose of the report is 10 females per thousand males primarily to compile all estimates of population of India or any part of it and to present them The summary table is followed by population systematically in a uniform manner. Relevant figures, statistical tables on population and allied materials about the composition and characteris­ variables. tics of population such as number of villages. 5. Method - Methods followed by the author of houses, breakdown of population into age. sex, an original document in arriving religion. caste, occupation. etc.. have also been at a population estimate or in compiled as far as possible. Factors favouring conducting a census or surveor as far as pgssible in author's own or retarding the growth of population have also words have been repro<;l.uced. been taken into account." 6. Explanation-Any detailed explanation of the 1.4 The ten-point appraisal as modified now material presented under Hem 4 or materials anailable on subjects is thus : referred to there. e. g., description 1. Year - The year to which a population of castes and their function. state referred to. of cultivation, manufactures and 2. Place- The name of the geographical tract other productive economic acti­ covered by any population estimate. vities, migration, materihl ~condition (vii) (vlil) of the people, their langunge habits, manners, etc. fact{)rs heJp· therein noted .... Under Particulars of populatlon, ing a growth such as good seasons derivative tables should b~ presented and unifor. or retarding a growth such as mity of presentation itttempted. Editors shOUld drought, scar..;:ities, famines, epide. us;.! statistical devices more carefully and syste­ mics,etc. matically so that a reader may obtain 0) a 7. Gaps AllY z"ps mentioned by the author summary of the data presented, (ii) aU common in respect of any population esli­ ratios such as age, sex, rural-urban, etc. The flnte fvrm!d, !'l.g.,under·caverage Registrar General wrote, "At the outset, I agree in respect of area, non-reporting that it is very important to look for primary by cnumeratort" prejudice of the infl)fm3.nt, lack of reliabiUiy of Sources wherever available. but I am afraid you any figure, etc. will not have many primary sources on which you can lay your hands on. Besides:, it will be 8. Editorial In the published volume, the point quite as weU to compile printed sources which Comm~n( S contained "ESSlmtw.l Informa­ are of course secondary sources. But even the tioil". It has been covered by the summary LolQle and jilerefore, omit­ printed sources are not always available and ted. Editorial Comment was it is important that whatever is published should placed as point 9. The point 10 have the stamp of some authority or authenti­ referred to earlier estima tes or city ... I fully agree with your comments on year. later estimates. This point was place, source, materials and methods, but in expla­ nat seemingly u~fut and has been abolished. nation ... we should limit ourselves to facts as recorded ...• The explanation should be mainly All insertions tinder trurd bracket are neces. restricte<l to what was already indicated for the sari\)' ill editor's own language. first volume. I think that there is much virtue in presenting data as collected. Any interpreta­ Section ll-Frame of Compilil.tion and Presenta.