Harpanahalli Taluk, 1908
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.
Harpanahalli Taluk
South-western taluk of Bellary District, Madras, lying between 14° 30' and 15° o' N. and 75° 42' and 76° 13' E., adjoining the Mysore plateau, with an area of 611 scpiare miles. The population in 1901 was 95,646, compared with 82,241 in 1891. 'J'he taluk contains only one town, Harpanahai.i.i (popula- tion, 9,320), the head-quarters ; and 81 villages. The demand for land revenue and ces.ses in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 1,63,000. At Chigateri gold is found in some of the streams. The cattle-fair at Kuruvatti is important. The taluk lies at a greater elevation than an\- other in the District. It is traversed by two small lines of hills, and is everywhere diversified by picturesque imdulations with pleasant valleys among them. Its ea.stern half drains eastwards into the ("hikka Hagari, and the remaindtT slopes southwards towards the Tungabhadra. In the Chikka Hagari basin patches (^f black cotton soil, aggregating about one-eighth of the area of the taluk, are to be found, but practically the whole of the rest is covered with mixed soils. C/iolaiii and korz-a are, as usual throughout liellary, the staple food-grains. Castor is cxi)orled in considerable ([uantities ; and a characteristic crop is the yellow-
This exploit is coniiiicinorntecl liy a tower standing on Shooter's Hill in K'cnt. which was erected by j.Tnies's widow, and is called .Severndroog Castle. flowered niger-seed {Guizoiia a/>yssimca), grown for The oil it produces, which flourishes amazingly on the most barren-looking soils. It is generally sown along with rdgi. The only irrigation is that from tanks and wells, there being no river channel in the whole of the tdiiek.
