Kadi Prant
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.
Kadi Print
A prant or district in Baroda State, situated in Northern Gujarat, between 23°and 24°9’ N. and 71 degree 15'and 71°5o’E., with an area of 3,015 square miles. It is the largest and most pro- ductive of the four pr a tits into which the Gaikwar's territory is divided. It is bounded on the north by the States of Palanpur and Radhanpur ; on the west by Radhanpur State and Ahmadabad District ; on the south by Ahmadabad and Kaira ; and on the east by the Mahl Kantha States.
Most of the prdnt lies west of the SabarmatI, and consists of a dreary looking plain, with few trees except near village sites. Some scattered portions east of the river are well wooded, and contain a few small but picturesque hillocks. The chief rivers are the Sfibarmatf, the Saraswati, and the Banas.
The greater part of the area is under cultivation, the fields being often surrounded by hedges composed of species like Capparis grandis, C. sepiaria, Jatropha Curcas, Euphorbia antiquorum, with various Leguminosae, Mcnispermaceae, Asclepiadeae, and Convohulaceae among the climbers. On waste ground such species as Calotropis gigantea, Jatropha gossypifolia,Fagonia arabica, Echinops cchinatus, and Tephrosia purpurea are found. Field-weeds include Celsia coromandeliana, Sphaer- anthes indicus, Launaea nudicaulis, Coldenia procumbens, and Blumea eriantha. Damp ground and stream beds contain Aeluropus villosus, Herpestis Monnieria, Mollugo hirta, Cyperus laevigatus, Scirpus subu- latus, Hydrilla verticillata, and Potamogeton pectinatus. The planted or semi-spontaneous species near habitations include the mango, tamarind, teak, custard-apple, pomegranate, bael, and various species of Ficus, such as banyan and ptpal.
Kadi is considered to be the healthiest part of the State, the taiukas of Dehgam, Vijapur, Visnagar, and Patan being favourably known for the comparative absence of malaria.
The population was estimated at 850,325 in 1872. At the three following enumerations it was: (1881) 988,487, (1891) 1,098,742, and (1901) 834,714. The prdnt suffered severely in the famine of 1 899-1 900. It is divided into ten taiukas or mahdls, and two petas or sub-mahals, statistics of which in 1901 are given in the table on the next page.
The chief towns are Patan, Visnagar, Sidhpur, Vadnagar, Kadi, Unjha, Mehsana (the head-quarters), Vijapur, Chanasma, Kheralu, Ladol, Kalol, Valam, and Umta. About 98 per cent, of the popu- lation speak Gujarat!. In 1901 only 8 native Christians were enume- rated in the prdnt, but the American Methodist Episcopal Mission claims 250 adherents in eight villages, and provides five day schools.
About 90 per cent, of the total area is composed of light sandy soil, which is very productive if manured and irrigated. Black soil is found in patches. Irrigation is chiefly supplied by wells, including large temporary wells which are used for a single season. The principal crops are bdjra,jowdr, wheat, banti, dangar, barley, vari, Aadra, chenna, kuri, bdvto, chasatio, kdng, math, mag, udid, guvdr, tuver, chola, chana, val, kulthi, sarsav y erandi, poppy, tal , kasumbo, tobacco, sugar-canej cotton, bhendi, chillies, sakaria, and other garden products. Poppy is of great importance and covered 12,262 acres in 1904-5, yielding on an average 12 lb. of crude opium per acre.
The spinning of cotton thread and silk and cotton-weaving are the chief industries. There may also be mentioned: embroidery on a small scale ; the manufacture of ornaments in gold, silver, and ivory, and of betel-nut cutters, knives, brass and copper utensils, toys, and pottery. The number of ginning factories is six, one being connected with a weaving-mill. The chief centres of trade are Patan, Kadi, Mehsana, Visnagar, Vadnagar, and Sidhpur, the first being the most important.
All these towns are connected by railway lines, by which
the print is exceptionally well served. In addition to the main line
of the Rajputana-Malwa Railway, which passes from south to north,
State lines diverge from Mehsana to Kheralu, Patan, and Viramgam,
and from Kalol to Kadi and Vijapur. The Ahmadab&d-Parantlj line
also serves some places. Other lines are projected from Manund
Road to Chanasma, from Visnagar to Vijapur, and from Kheralu to
Dabhoda.
The land revenue rose from 322 lakhs in 1881 to 35-8 lakhs in 1891, and was 35-5 lakhs in 1901 ; but in 1904-5, while the demand was 22 lakhs, the collections amounted to only 11-2 lakhs. A settle- ment for fifteen years was made between 1891 and 1900, and parts of the prant are now being resettled. The prdnt contains 36 mekwast villages, which were formerly assessed on the cultivated area only, but a settlement has now been made on the ordinary lines at greatly reduced rates. The average assessment varies in different talukas from Rs. 1-3-0 to Rs. 2-8-0 per Hgha (f acre) for 'dry’ land, and from Rs. 1-9-0 to Rs. 2-1 1-0 for ‘ wet ' land.
The front contains twelve municipalities, three of which are admin- istered by boards reconstituted in 1905 on a partly elective basis. These latter — Patan, Sidhpur, and Visnagar — have a total income of Rs. 21,500 from customs, excise, and tolls, besides grants of Rs. 7,000 ; tuid the remaining nine receive grants of Rs. 20,500. A District board and local boards were constituted in 1905.
The administration is carried on by the Sudan, while the court of the prant Judge is at Visnagar. Education is well provided for, as the prant has one high school (at Patan), 6 Anglo-vernacular schools, and 369 vernacular schools, the total number of pupils in 1904-5 being 2 5,316. Two civil hospitals and eleven dispensaries treated 86,329 patients in 1904-5, of whom 359 were in-patients.
