Khandwa Town
Khandwa Town, 1908
Head-quarters of Nimar District, Central Pro- vinces, situated in 21 degree 50' N. and 76 degree 22' E., on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, 353 miles from Bombay, and forming the junction for the metre-gauge Rajputana-Malwa branch line to Mhow. The town stands at an elevation of 1,007 f eet ,on a sheet of basalt rock covered with shallow surface soil ; and, because of the proximity of the rock to the surface, there is a noticeable absence of trees. The popu- lation at the last four enumerations was: (1872) 14,119, (1881) 15,142, (1891) 15,589, and (1901) 19,401.
Khandwa is a place of considerable antiquity. Owing to its situation at the junction of the two great roads leading from Northern and Western India to the Deccan, it must have been occupied at an early period, and Cunningham identifies it with the Kognabanda of Ptolemy. It is mentioned by the geographer Albiruni, who wrote early in the eleventh century. In the twelfth century it was a great seat of Jain worship ; and many finely carved pillars, cornices, and other stone- work belonging to old Jain temples may be seen in the more modern buildings. The town has four old tanks with stone embankments. A new Jain temple, constructed at a cost of Rs. 75,000, is now approach- ing completion. Khandwa is mentioned by the historian Firishta as the seat of a local governor of the kingdom of Malwa in 15 16. It was burnt by Jaswant Rao Holkar in 1802, and again partially by Tantia Topi in 1858.
Khandwa was created a municipality in 1867. The municipal receipts and expenditure during the decade ending 1901 averaged one lakh. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 1,07,000, the main heads of receipt being octroi (Rs. 65,000), markets and slaughter-houses (Rs. 5,000), and conservancy (Rs. 3,000) ; while the expenditure, which amounted to Rs. 1,04,000, included refunds of duty on goods in transit (Rs. 34,000), conservancy (Rs. 8,000), education (Rs. 10,000), and general administration and collection of taxes (Rs. 8,000). The town is supplied with water from the adjoining Mohghat reservoir. The catchment area of the tank has been increased by the construction of a canal 3| miles in length to Ajanti, and is now about 9 square miles, the daily supply being calculated at 450,000 gallons. The works were opened in 1897 at a cost of 4 lakhs. The maintenance charges amount to about Rs. 5,000, to meet which a water rate has recently been imposed. Cotton is an important crop in Nimar District, and Khandwa is a centre for the export of the raw product. It now contains 9 ginning and 5 pressing factories, which have a total capital of about 6^ lakhs and employ 1,000 operatives. Seven out of the fourteen factories have been opened within the last eight years. An oil-pressing and timber-sawing factory has also been erected. The depot for the supply of ganja (Cannabis sativa) to the Central Pro- vinces is situated at Khandwa, the crop being grown under licence in Nimar District. A rest camp for troops is maintained during the trooping season. There is a printing press, which issues a weekly paper in Marathl. The educational institutions comprise a high school, with 46 pupils, two English middle schools, and four branch schools. The Roman Catholic and Methodist Episcopal Churches carry on mis- sion and educational work in Khandwa, and maintain schools and an orphanage. The town has three dispensaries, one of which is a police hospital and another is maintained by the railway. A veterinary dispensary has recently been opened.
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.
