Bonai
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.
Bonai
Tributary State of Orissa, Bengal, lying between 21° 39' and 22° 8' N. and 84° 30' and 85° 23' E., with an area of 1,296^ square miles. It is bounded on the north by the State of Gangpur and Singh- bhum District ; on the east by Keonjhar ; and on the south and west by Bamra. Bonai is shut in on all sides by rugged forest-clad hills, intersected by a few passes or gorges which connect it with the surrounding States. The space within is not one extensive valley but is interspersed here and there with hills. Most of the hills are densely wooded to the summit, and except at the regular passes are inaccessible to beasts of burden. The principal peaks are Mankarnacha (3,639 feet),
' This figure, which differs from the area shown in the Census Report of 1901, was supplied by the Surveyor-General.Badamgarh (3,525 feet), and Kumritar (3,49° feet). Hog, bear, tiger, leopard, elephant, deer, and peafowl are met with in the forests. The Brahman!, the only large river, flows from north to south through the centre of the State. It receives the drainage of the surrounding hill streams, and waters a beautiful and spacious valley containing large groves of mango and other fruit trees.
Bonai was ceded to the British Government in 1803 under the Treaty of Deogaon by Raghuji Bhonsla of Nagpur, to whom it was restored by a special engagement in 1806. It reverted to the British Government under the provisional agreement concluded with Madhuji Bhonsla (Appa Sahib) in 1818, and was finally ceded by the treaty of 1826. The State is ordinarily administered, subject to certain restrictions, by the Raja, who is required to pay a tribute and to render military service in time of war. Indra Deo, the grandfather of the present chief, received the title of Bahadur for his services in suppressing the Keonjhar rising. During the minority of the present chief the State is under the direct management of Government. The total revenue is Rs. 1,30,000, and the tribute is Rs. 500 per annum. The ruling family claims to have come from Ceylon, but appears to be of aboriginal Bhuiya origin.
In 1905 the State was transferred from Chota Nagpur to Orissa. The relations of the chief with the British Government are regulated by a ^a^m^ granted in 1899, and reissued in 1905 with a few verbal changes due to the transfer of the State to Orissa. Under this sanad the chief was formally recognized and permitted to administer his territory subject to prescribed conditions, and the tribute was fixed for a further period of twenty years, at the end of which it is liable to revi- sion. The chief is under the general control of the Commissioner of Orissa, who is Superintendent of the Tributary Mahals, as regards all important matters of administration, including the settlement and collec- tion of land revenue, the imposition of taxes, the administration of justice, arrangements connected with excise, salt, and opium, and dis- putes in which other States are concerned ; and he cannot levy import and export duties or transit dues, unless they are specially authorized by the Lieutenant-Governor. He is permitted to levy rents and certain other customary dues from his subjects, and is empowered to pass sentences of imprisonment up to five years and of fine to the extent of Rs. 200 ; but sentences of imprisonment for more than two years and of fine exceeding Rs. 50 require the confirmation of the Commissioner.
The recorded population increased from 32,120 in 1891 to 38,277 in 1 90 1, the growth being due partly to a more accurate enumeration and partly to the country having been rendered more accessible by the Bengal-Nagpur Railway. The inhabitants reside in 217 villages, the most populous of which are situated in the central valley along the banks of the Brahmani ; for the whole State the density is 30 persons per square mile. Hindus number 26,371 and Animists 11,745. The population consists chiefly of aborigines, the most numerous tribes being Bhuiyas, Gonds, Hos, Kharias, Mundas, and Pans. The Bhuiyas and Gonds are the most influential classes ; they have always shown a very independent attitude towards the Raja, and within the last thirty years one rebellion of the Bhuiyas and two of the Gonds have taken place. The headman of the Bhuiyas, who is called saonf, claims the prerogative of bestowing on the Raja the tlka or sign of investiture, a claim which is, however, not recognized by the chief. The two head- men or leaders of the Gonds are respectively called viahdpatra and dandpdt. The saoni, the inaJuipdtra, and the datidpat are the only three fief-holders or sub-proprietors under the Raja, each possessing several villages and having to render military service to the Raja if required, besides paying a fixed yearly rental.
There is some immigration of Kols, Mundas, and Oraons from Singhbhum, and of Kaltuyas (Kol- thas) and Agarias from Sambalpur. These tribes take leases of jungle- clad tracts and reclaim them, and the area under cultivation is thus being rapidly extended. The Kaltuya settlers, who are mostly paid labourers under the Bhuiyas, are very industrious and intelligent culti- vators ; in some places they bank up the hill streams and utilize for irrigation the water thereby stored up. Rice is the staple product ; three successive crops are grown in the year — the goradhdn or the earliest highland autumn rice, the ordinary autumn crop, and the winter rice. Among the minor crops are pulses, maize, and oilseeds ; castor- oil plants and sugar-cane are largely grown on homestead lands ; and cotton is also extensively cultivated. Pasturage is plentiful. Bonai possesses large forests, full of valuable trees, such as sal {Shorea robusta), dsan ( Terminalia to/iientosa), pidsdl {Fterocarpiis Marsupium\ sissTi {Dalbergia Sissoo), and kiisum {Schleichera irijuga). Since these have been made accessible by the opening of the Bengal-Nagpur Rail- way, they have formed a valuable source of income to the State. Minor forest products of value are lac, tasar cocoons, and sabai grass {Ischoe- ffium angustifoluwi). Gold is found in small quantities in the bed and banks of the BrahmanI ; the sand is washed by Jhora Gonds, but their daily earnings range only from 2 to 4 annas.
In 1896 the Bengal Gold and Silver Company took a prospecting lease from the Raja for three years, paying a premium of Rs. 25,000, but the enterprise was abandoned as unprofitable. Iron is found, but is extracted only for local use. Brass pots and ornaments, pots of a soft black stone, and coarse cotton cloths are manufactured, but in quantities hardly sufficient to meet the local demand. The chief imports are European cotton fabrics, salt, kerosene oil, machine-made thread, and tobacco ; and the chief exports are oilseeds, hides, horns, lac, tasar cocoons, timber, ght^ sabai grass, and wax. These articles are carried to the railway on pack-bullocks or by coolies : for want of good roads, carts are seldom used. An unmetalled and iinbridged road connects Bonaigarh with Raurkela station on the Bengal-Nagpur Railway, a distance of about 45 miles.
The police force consists of 6 officers and 27 men, besides a body of village chaukiddrs and goraits. A dispensary is maintained by the State at Bonaigarh, and at the same place there is a jail with accommodation for 50 prisoners. The State also maintains eleven lower primary schools.
