Baud State
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, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Baud State
The most westerly of the Tributary States of Orissa, Bengal, lying between 20° 13' and 20° 53' N. and 83° 35' and 84° 48' E., with an area of 1,264 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the Mahanadi river, separating it from Sonpur and Athmallik ; on the east by Daspalla ; on the south by the Khondmals ; and on the west by Patna and Sonpur, from which it is separated by the Tel river.
The State is one of the oldest in Orissa, and is said to have been originally founded by a Brahman, but he being childless adopted a nephew of the Raja of Keonjhar, who is regarded as the founder of the present family. The list of chiefs contains forty-five names, who are said to have ruled for nearly 1,400 years. The State was formerly of considerable extent, but from time to time portions were wrested from it by more powerful neighbours, and Athmallik, which was for centuries part of Baud and acknowledged its suzerainty, is now quite separate. The large tract known as the Khondmals, with an area of about 800 square miles, which originally belonged to Baud, was made over to the British Government in 1835 by the chief, who was unable to control the Khonds or to put a stop to their human sacrifices ; and it was in 1891 formed into a subdivision of Angul District. The State as now constituted yields an estimated revenue of Rs. 64,000, and pays to the British Government a tribute of Rs. 800. The population decreased from 89,551 in 1891 to 88,250 in 1901. The falling off is due, as in the case of the Khondmals, partly to the prevalence of epidemic disease and the general unhealthiness of the climate, and partly to the emigration of many migratory Khonds during the scarcity which occurred in 1900. The number of villages is 1,070, and the density is 70 persons per square mile. Of the total population, 87,988 claim to be Hindus, but many of them are really Hinduized aborigines. The most numerous castes are the Gaurs (23,000), Khonds (15,000), Pans (9,000), Sudhas (7,000), and Chasas (4,000). The Khonds (see Khondmals) are giving up their primitive customs and beliefs, and endeavouring to amalgamate with their Hindu neighbours. The land is fertile and is well provided with wells, reservoirs, and other sources of irrigation. The Mahanadi, which forms the northern boundary of the State, and the Tel, which borders it on its west, afford excellent facilities for water- carriage ; and rice, oilseeds, and such cereals as are produced in the State are exported in large quantities by boat down the Mahanadi. The State maintains a charitable dispensary, a middle English school, and 4 upper primary and 16 lower primary schools.
