Athgarh

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This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

Athgarh

One of the Tributary States of Orissa, Bengal, lying between 20 26" and 20 41/ N., and 84 32' and 85 52' E., with an area of 168 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the State of Dhenkanal ; on the east and south by Cuttack District ; and on the west by the States of Tigiria and Dhenkanal. The country is level, low-lying, and very subject to inundation. The soil is fertile, and the cultivation consists chiefly of rice, with an occasional crop of sugar-cane, pulses, and millets.

The founder of the State was Sri Karan Niladri Bawarta Patnaik, who belonged to the Karan caste. It is said that he was the Bawarta or minister of the Purl Raja, who conferred on him the title of Raja and gave him Athgarh as a reward for his services, or, according to another account, as a dowry on marrying the Raja's sister. The present chief, Sri Karan Biswanath Bawarta Patnaik, is the thirteenth in descent. The State has an estimated revenue of Rs. 50,000, and pays a tribute of Rs. 2,800 to the British Government. The population increased from 36,603 in 1891 to 43,784 in 1901 ; of the latter number all but 2,643 are Hindus. The most numerous castes are the Chasas (10,000), Sahars (6,000), and Khandaits and Pans (5,000 each). The average density is 260 persons per square mile. The number of villages is 192, of which the principal is Athgarh, the residence of the Raja. A small Christian colony is settled in three hamlets near Chagan village. The State is traversed by the old high road from Cuttack to Sambalpur and by the newly opened Cuttack-Angul-Sambalpur road. The Mahanadl river, which runs along the southern boundary, is navigable by boats. There is some trade in grain, and fuel and chareoal are largely exported to Cuttack. The State maintains a charitable dispensary, a middle English school, an upper primary school, 75 lower primary schools, and one Sanskrit tol.