Kamrup

Select Language Afrikaans Albanian Arabic Armenian Azerbaijani Basque Belarusian Bulgarian Bengali Catalan Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Croatian Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Filipino Finnish French Galician Georgian German Greek Gujarati Haitian Creole Hebrew Hindi Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Irish Italian Japanese Javanese Kannada Khmer Korean Latvian Lithuanian Macedonian Malay Maltese Marathi Nepali Norwegian Persian Polish Portuguese Punjabi Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swahili Swedish Tamil Telugu Thai Turkish Ukrainian Urdu Vietnamese Welsh Yiddish

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.

Kamrup

Pysical aspects

District of Eastern Bengal and Assam, lying between 2 5° 43' and 26 degree 53' N. and 90 degree 39' and 92 degree 11' E., with an area of 3,858 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Bhutan ; on the east by Darrang and Nowgong ; on the south by the Khasi Hills ; and on the west by Goalpara. The Brahmaputra flows through the District, and divides it into two unequal portions, about two-thirds of the total area being on the right or northern bank. South of the Brahmaputra the country is much broken by the outlying spurs of the Khasi Hills which project into the valley, and low ranges of hills appear even on the north bank of the river. The scenery is thus pleasingly diversified, and the Gauhati reach, enclosed in a circle of forest-clad hills, is extremely beautiful. The centre of the District is a broad plain, the greater part of which is covered with rice-fields, with dotted groves of bamboos concealing the villages of the Assamese ; but farther north the land becomes too high for rice cultivation, and grassy up- lands stretch to the foot of the outlying ranges of hills. The principal tributaries of the Brahmaputra are : on the north bank, the Barnadi, which once formed the boundary between Darrang and Kamrup ; the Baralia ; the Chaulkhoa, which empties itself into the Manas ; and the Manas, a large river which formerly marked the boundary of Goalpara District. These rivers take their rise in the Himalayas, and the swift- ness of their current frequently causes them to cut away their banks and change their courses. At the foot of the northern hills there is a tract of gravel and sand, in which many of the minor streams vanish, to appear again some distance farther off. On the south bank the only rivers of any importance are the Digru, the Kulsi, and the Singra, All over the District are found numerous swamps, or dils 9 in many of which the water lies even during the dry season. The most exten- sive are the Dipir bil, about 8 miles west of Gauhati, the Bildara bil in the PalSsbari tahsll y and the Asuchi bil in the Hajo tahsil.

The plain is of alluvial formation, composed of sand and clay in varying proportions. South of the Brahmaputra low ranges of gneissic rock project from the Khasi Hills, and outliers are found on the north bank of the river.

The base of the southern hills is forest-clad ; but to the north the country is covered with short grass, and is destitute of trees. High reeds and jungle grass spring up in great luxuriance on all low-lying land, and the forest is rendered beautiful by great ferns and the graceful foliage of the creeping cane.

Elephants and bison are still found in the low hills, and rhinoceros and buffalo in the marshes; tigers, leopards, bears, hog, and several species of deer are not uncommon. In 1904, 12 men and 2,709 animals were killed by wild beasts, though rewards were paid for the destruction of 201 tigers and leopards. The principal kinds of small game are hares, partridges, wild duck and geese, florican, and snipe.

The climate of the District does not differ materially from that of the rest of the Assam Valley; between November and the middle of March it is cold and pleasant, but during the rest of the year warm and damp. The tarai at the foot of the Khasi Hills is particularly unhealthy. The prevailing direction of the wind is from the north- east, and during the cold season fogs gather daily in the early morning over the valley of the Brahmaputra.

The annual rainfall at Gauhati averages only 67 inches, but near the hills 80 or 85 inches are received. The rainfall, though invariably abundant, is sometimes unfavourably distributed, and the rice crop suffers from the premature cessation of the monsoon. The greatest natural calamity from which the District has suffered was the earth- quake of June 12, 1897. The Government offices and nearly all masonry buildings in Gauhati were wrecked, and roads and bridges were destroyed. The drainage of the District was obstructed, the levels appear to have been altered, and large tracts of fertile land were rendered unfit for cultivation. After the earthquake the floods of the Brahmaputra were of exceptional severity, and agriculture received a serious check.

History

The District originally formed part of the ancient Hindu kingdom of Kamariipa, which, according to the Jogini Tantra, included the whole of the Brahmaputra Valley, with Rangpur and Cooch Behar. One of the earliest kings, Bhaga- datta, whose capital was situated at Pragjyotishapura, the modern Gauhati, is said to have fought on the losing side in the great war of the Mahabharata ; but the history of the country up to a recent date is involved in great obscurity. In the sixteenth century Kamrup formed part of the territory of the Koch dynasty. The king, Nar Narayan, waged successful war against the Ahoms and the Rajas of Cachar, Jaintia, Sylhet, and Tippera; but the kingdom was divided, and the territory east of the Sankosh, which includes the present Kamrup, was allotted to Nar Narayan's nephew, Raghu Rai, while his son Lakshml Narayan retained as much of the kingdom as lay west of that river. Disputes soon broke out between the two branches of the family, and the Muhammadans were called in on one side, the Ahoms on the other.

The struggle between these powers con- tinued for some years, but the Muhammadans at last succeeded in inflicting a decisive defeat upon their opponents, and occupied Gauhati in 1637. This was not, however, the first occasion on which the Muhammadans had invaded Assam. At the beginning of the thir- teenth century expeditions had been dispatched up the valley of the Brahmaputra ; but the raiders, though for a time successful, were unable to retain their hold upon the country. Two of their leaders in the sixteenth century are still well remembered : Turbak, the rem- nants of whose army were finally converted into the degraded Muham- madan caste known as Morias ; and Kala Pahar, who is said to have partially destroyed the sacred temples at Kamfikhya and Hajo. The last and greatest invasion was that of Mir Jumla in 1660-2. This general, though at first successful, was subsequently overcome by the difficulties of the climate and the country, and was compelled to retreat with the loss of all his guns.

The Muhammadan frontier was then fixed at Goalpara, and Kamrup was absorbed into the Ahom kingdom, Gauhati becoming first the head-quarters of the viceroy of Lower Assam, and at the end of the eighteenth century of the Raja himself. By this time the power of the Ahom king had been completely undermined, and Captain Welsh was sent into the valley in 1792 to put a stop to the anarchy then prevailing. He was recalled two years later ; and Assam again became a scene of internecine struggles, which culminated in the occupation of the Burmese, who ravaged the Province with fire and sword. In 1826, after the first Burmese War, Kamrup, with the rest of the valley of the Brahmaputra, was ceded to the British. The Duars at the foot of the Himalayas remained, however, in possession of the Bhotias till 1841.

In that year they were annexed and compen- sation paid to the hillmen for their loss of territory. On the outbreak of the Bhutan War in 1864, Dewangiri was occupied by British troops, but they subsequently retired from the post with undue precipitation. The village was recaptured in April, 1865, and since that date has formed a part of British territory. The head-quarters of the Assam Division were originally fixed at Gauhati ; but in 1874, when Assam was separated from Bengal, Shillong was chosen as the seat of govern- ment.

Gauhati contains numerous tanks and temples, and is surrounded by extensive earthworks, which bear witness to the importance of the kingdom of which it formed the capital. The remains of a large number of Hindu temples are scattered over the District, the most important being those at Kamakhya just below Gauhati, and at Hajo, about 15 miles by road north-west of that place.

Population

The population of the District at the last four enumerations was : (1872) 561,681, (1881) 644,960, (1891) 634,249, and 1901 (589,187). The decrease in the last two decades is due to the ravages of a peculiarly malignant form of fever known as kala azar y and to general unhealthiness ; but it is believed that since 1899 the population has been again increasing. The District is divided into two subdivisions, Gauhati and Barpeta, with head-quarters at the towns of the same name, and contains 1,716 villages. The follow- ing table gives the area, number of towns and villages, and population, according to the Census of 190 1 : —

Hindus formed 69 per cent, of the population, and Muhammadans 9 per cent., while 21 per cent were animistic tribesmen. How little the District has been affected by outside influences can be judged from the fact that 83 per cent of the population in 1901 spoke Assamese and 11 per cent Bodo or plains KachSrI; while only 3 per cent, of the population enumerated there had been born outside its boundaries. Kamrup is further peculiar in that the women exceeded the men in numbers.

The principal Hindu caste is the Kalita (115,600), a respectable caste supposed to be the descendants of Aryans who had immigrated to Assam before the functional division of caste was introduced into Bengal. The Koch, into whose ranks converted Kacharis are received, are also numerous (93,800), and so are the Kewats (41,600). The Sh5h&s (14,100) are by tradition liquor-sellers, but have taken to agriculture, and have succeeded in obtaining a respectable position in Assamese society. The District contains many shrines, and Brah- mans (23,100) are found in much larger numbers than in the rest of the Assam Valley.

The principal aboriginal tribes are the Kachiris (92,100), and the Rabhas, who are closely akin to them (16,300), the Mlklrs (10,600), the Garos, and the Lalungs. All of these tribes are members of the great Bodo race, which is supposed to have entered the valley from North- Western China many centuries ago. Agriculture supports 81 per cent, of the population, a lower proportion than in the other plains Districts of the Province. The number of priests, fisher- men, and beggars is, however, unusually high, the strength of the last-named class giving some indication of the misfortunes which Kamrup has recently experienced. There is a branch of the American Baptist Mission at Gauhati, and the great majority of the native Christians (1,379) in 1901 are members of the sect.

Agriculture

Broadly speaking, the District on either side of the Brahmaputra is divided into three belts of land with different characteristics. The first is the chapari , or tract bordering on the river, which is subject to deep inundation during the rains, but dries rapidly at the approach of the cold season. The soil is usually a light loam, on which rank jungle springs up with great rapidity, but which yields, when cultivated, excellent crops of mustard and summer rice, though the latter is liable to be destroyed by an early rise of the river. Permanent villages are never found here, and the land is generally abandoned after it has been cultivated for two or three years.

This riverain tract merges gradually into a broad plain, in which transplanted winter rice (salt) is the staple crop; in the intermediate stage, where the water lies too deep to admit of trans- plantation, boo, a long-stemmed variety of winter rice, is sown broad- cast. Lastly, the high land under the hills is well drained and free from risk either of flood or drought, as it can be irrigated from the hill streams. Here the staple crop is salt) or transplanted aku (kharma), which is reaped in November and yields a much larger out-turn than the same rice when sown broadcast. The soil of the District varies from pure sand to a stiff clay which is useless for any kind of crop.

The most fertile variety is a deep soft loam, which is found in the lowest part of the rice basins. The crops depend, however, more on the water-supply than upon the intrinsic fertility of the soil, and in the central and submontane tract the supply of water is generally adequate. The chief danger to which agriculture is exposed is from floods, which have been especially severe since the drainage channels silted up at the time of the earthquake of 1897. Steps have, however, been taken by both Government and the villagers to re-excavate these channels.

The main agricultural statistics of the District are shown in the table on the next page, in square miles. The staple food-crop is rice, which in 1903-4 covered 718 square miles, or 76 per cent, of the total cropped area. Rather more than half of the rice crop was Sali, 31 per cent, was dhu, and 20 per cent. bao. Other important crops are mustard (95 square miles), pulse (35), and sugar-cane. Mustard and pulse are usually grown along the banks of the Brahmaputra, on land afterwards occupied by summer rice.

When Gauhati was the head-quarters of the Commissioner of Assam, a considerable number of tea gardens were opened in the neighbour- hood of the town. In many cases, however, the sites were badly chosen, and the tea was planted on steep and rocky hill-sides, where the rain washed all the fertility from the soil. The seed employed was inferior, the rainfall insufficient, and a large proportion of the gardens proved to be unable to compete with the more prosperous estates of Upper Assam. The result was that the area under tea fell from 6,302 acres in 1882 to 3,659 in 1904. In the latter year 19 gardens yielded 735,000 lb. of manufactured tea, and gave employment to 7 Europeans and 2,416 natives, most of whom had been brought from other parts of India.

The cultivation of jute on a commercial scale has recently been introduced, but the industry is still in its infancy ; and, apart from this, nothing has been done to develop the staples of the District, or to break up the large area of unsettled waste land. On the contrary, the area settled at full rates decreased by 12 per cent, between 1891 and 1 90 1, owing to the decline in population and the injury done by the earthquake. Since 1901 there has, however, been a satisfactory extension of cultivation. Agricultural loans were first made in 1902, and during the next three years about Rs. 49,000 was advanced.

The Assamese are utterly indifferent to all the laws of breeding and to the comfort of their animals, and the native cattle are in consequence poor undeveloped creatures. The indigenous buffaloes are, however, larger and stronger than those of Bengal. The ponies brought down from the hills by the Bhotias are sturdy little animals, and the Bhutan cattle also are a fine breed, but cannot be obtained in large numbers.

The only irrigation works in the District are the small channels dug by the Kachari villagers in the submontane tracts, to bring the water of the hill streams to their fields. Some channels, though only a few feet wide, are several miles long, and are capable of irrigating 3,000 or 4,000 acres. They are constructed by the combined labour of the villagers without any intervention on the part of Government. Embank- ments for flood protection and drainage channels are, however, more necessary than irrigation works.

There were 30 forest Reserves in Kamrup in 1903-4, with a total area of 149 square miles. The principal Reserves are those at Pantan and Barduar (59 square miles), which are situated on the banks of the Kulsi river about 30 miles west of Gauhati ; and many of the other forests are small patches, only one or two square miles in area. By far the most important timber tree in Kamriip is sal (Shorea robustd) ; but tita sapa (Michelia Champaca),ajhar (Lagersfroemia Flos Regtnae), sam (Artocarpus Chaplashd), and gunserai (Cinnamomum glanduliferum) are also found. The area of ' uhclassed ' forests was 2,294 square miles, and, though only a small portion is actually covered with timber, the out-turn from these forests is larger than from the Reserves. There is a small plantation of teak and rubber-trees on the Kulsi near the Barduar forest.

Trade and communication

No minerals are worked in Kamrtip, but deposits of lime are said to exist at the foot of the Bhutan hills. Manufactures, apart from tea, are unimportant. In each house there is a rough loom, on which the women of the family weave silk and cotton cloths. The silk cloths, which are usually made from the thread of the eri worm (Attacus rieini) , are often sold ; the cotton cloth is reserved for home use. Gold filigree-work is made at Barpeta ; but, . though there are a number of jewellers in the District, articles are made only to order. Brass and bell-metal utensils, iron hoes and choppers, and rough pottery are also manufactured, though not in large quantities. Canoes are hollowed out of the trunks of large trees, the people of Barpeta being specially proficient in the art.

Mustard oil is prepared in the ordinary country mill; and at Gauhati there are two steam-mills, where flour is ground, cotton ginned, and oil expressed. The general trade of the District is almost entirely in the hands of Marwaris from Rajputana ; but there are a certain number of Muham- madan shopkeepers, and at Barpeta the Assamese, whose wits have been unusually sharpened by their contest with nature in that inhos- pitable spot, are as keen traders as the Marwaris themselves. The principal exports are mustard seed, tea, cotton, lac, timber, and silk cloths. The articles received in exchange are rice, cotton yarn and piece-goods, grain and pulse, kerosene and other oils, hardware, and salt. The chief centres of trade are Gauhati, Barpeta, Soalkuchi, Palasbari, Rangia, Nalbari, Barama, and Tamulpur, while there are permanent shops at all the tahsll head-quarters.

Most of the internal trade is, however, transacted at the markets, of which a large number are held in different parts of the District. In the interior, as well as at Gauhati, the principal shopkeepers are Marwaris, who sell piece-goods, salt, grain, and oil, and not infrequently opium, and buy silk cloths, rice, and mustard seed, for which they often make advances before the crop is cut. The bulk of the trade is with Bengal, and is carried by steamer, though when the rivers rise in the rains country boats penetrate into the interior. The only foreign trade is with Bhutan, whose subjects come down through the Dewangiri, Suban- khata, and Kakilabari Duars to fairs held at Darranga and Subankhata, and starting from these centres travel about the country. The principal imports from Bhutan are rubber, ponies, and blankets; the exports are cotton and silk cloths.

The Assam- Bengal Railway runs for 33 miles through the District to the Nowgong boundary, connecting Gauhati with Dibrugarh, and with Chittagong via the North CachSr hills. Through railway com- munication to Calcutta will be provided by a line now under construc- tion, which will run from a point just opposite Gauhati to Golakganj on the Dhubri extension of the Eastern Bengal State Railway. A daily service of passenger steamers and large cargo boats, owned by the India General Steam Navigation Company and the Rivers Steam Navigation Company, ply on the Brahmaputra, calling at Gauhati, Soilkuchi, Palasbari, and Kholabanda. During the rains country boats come from Bengal, and proceed up the various rivers into the interior.

Two trunk roads pass through the District, along the north and south banks of the river. In 1903-4 there were 16 miles of metalled and 160 miles of unmetalled roads maintained from Provincial funds, and 371 miles of unmetalled roads under the local boards. Generally speaking, Kamrflp is well supplied with means of com- munication. A steam ferry crosses the Brahmaputra at Gauhati.

As in other parts of Assam, famine is unknown in Kamrup ; but in 1 90 1 the rice crop was the poorest that had been reaped for many years, and there was local scarcity which necessitated some assistance from Government.

Administration

For general administrative purposes, the District is divided into two subdivisions : Gauhati, under the immediate charge of the Deputy- Commissioner : and Barpeta, usually entrusted to a native magistrate. The sanctioned District staff includes fas. Assistant Magistrates, a Forest officer, and an Engineer who is also in charge of the Khasi and Jaintia Hills, and whose head- quarters are at Shillong.

The Deputy-Commissioner has the powers of a Sub-Judge, and certain of the Assistant Magistrates exercise jurisdiction as Munsifs. Appeals, both civil and criminal, lie to the District and Sessions Judge of the Assam Valley, whose head-quarters are at Gauhati, while the High Court at Calcutta is the chief appellate authority. The Assamese are a quiet and peaceful people, and there is not much serious crime.

The land revenue system does not differ materially from that in force in Assam proper, described in the article on Assam. The settlement is ryotwari, being made direct with the actual cultivators of the soil, and is liable to periodical revision. The District contains a large area of waste land, much of which is fit for permanent cultivation ; and the settled area in 1903-4 was only 27 per cent of the total area, including rivers, swamps, and hills. Mustard and summer rice are seldom grown on the same land for more than three years in succession, and the villagers are allowed to resign their holdings and take up new plots of land on giving notice to the revenue authorities. In 1903-4, 31,000 acres were resigned and 47,000 acres of new land taken up. Fresh leases are issued every year for this shifting cultivation, and a large staff of mandate is maintained to measure new land, test applications for relinquishment, and keep the record up to date.

Kamrup, like the rest of Assam proper, was last settled in 1893, and the average assess- ment per settled acre assessed at full rates in 1903-4 was Rs. 2-7-2 (maximum Rs. 4-2-0, minimum Rs. 1-11-0). The District is now being resettled after a detailed examination, in which the different classes of land have been more carefully discriminated. In recent years the people have suffered severely from exceptional unhealthiness and from the earthquake of 1897, which altered the levels of the country, causing obstructions to drainage and deposits of sand. An abatement of Rs. 60,000 has been made in the land revenue of the tracts most seriously affected. A special feature of the District is the large number of estates held revenue free (Idkhiraj) or at half-rates (nisfkhiraj). These cover respectively an area of 53 and 229 square miles, and represent grants made by the Ahom Rajas, usually to priests or temples.

The following table shows collections of land revenue and total revenue in recent years, in thousands of rupees : —

Outside the municipalities of Gauhati and Barpeta, the local affairs of each subdivision are managed by a board, presided over by the Deputy-Commissioner and the Subdivisional Officer respectively. The expenditure of these boards in 1903-4 amounted to about Rs. 1,43,000, nearly two-fifths of which was devoted to public works.

For the purposes of the prevention and detection of crime, the District is divided into 17 investigating centres, and the civil police force con- sisted in 1904 of 46 officers and 282 men. There are no rural police, their duties being discharged by the village headmen. During the winter 2 officers and 31 men of the Garo Hills military police battalion are stationed in Kamrup, to hold the two outposts of Subankhata and Darranga. A District jail is maintained at Gauhati, and a magis- trate's lock-up at Barpeta.

As regards education, Kamrup is fairly representative of Assam. The number of pupils under instruction in 1880-1, 1890-1, 1900-1, and 1903-4 was 6,261, 10,437, 12,346, and 12,951 respectively. Education has made considerable progress during the past thirty years, and nearly three scholars were under instruction in 1903-4 for every one in 1874-5. At the Census of 1901, 3-5 per cent, of the population (6*8 males and 0-2 females) were returned as literate. There were 285 primary, 15 secondary, and 5 special schools in 1903-4. The number of female scholars was 431. The enormous majority of the pupils under instruction are only in primary classes, and the number of girls who have advanced beyond that stage is extremely small. Of the male population of school-going age, 25 per cent, were in the primary stage of instruction, and of the female popu- lation of the same age less than one per cent.

Among Muhammadans the percentage of the scholars of each sex to the male and female population of school-going age was 27 and 1 respectively. An Arts college is maintained by Government at Gauhati. The total expendi- ture on education in 1903-4 was Rs. 1,17,000, of which Rs. 21,000 was derived from fees. About 29 per cent, of the direct expenditure was devoted to primary schools.

The District possesses 2 hospitals and 8 dispensaries, with accommo- dation for 33 in-patients. In 1904 the number of cases treated was 64,000, of whom 600 were in-patients, and 1,100 operations were per- formed. The expenditure was Rs. 16,000, the greater part of which was met from Local and municipal funds.

In 1903-4, 39 per 1,000 of the population were successfully vacci- nated, which was considerably below the proportion for the Province as a whole. Vaccination is compulsory only in Gauhati town.

[Sir W. W. Hunter, A Statistical Account of Assam, vol. i (1879)3 E. A. Gait, ' The Koch Kings of Kamarupa,' Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, vol. lxii, p. 4 ; H. C. Barnes, Assessment Reports, Bajali, Bijni, Barbhag, Baska, Patidarang, Ramdia, and South Bank groups (1905) ; B. C. Allen, District Gazetteer of Kamrup (1905).]