Lucknow District , 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.
Lucknow District
Contents |
Lakhnau
Physical aspects
Central District in the Lucknow Division of the United Provinces, lying between 26° 30' and 27° 9' N. and 80° 34' and 81° 13' E., with an area of 967 square miles. In shape the District is an irregular oblong. It is bounded on the north- west by Hardoi and Sitapur ; on the north-east by Bara BankI ; on the south-east by Rae Bareli; and on the south-west by Unao. The general aspect is that of a level champaign, studded with villages, finely wooded, and in parts most fertile and highly cultivated. The two principal rivers are the Gumti and Sai, and near these streams and their small tributaries the surface is broken by ravines, while the banks of the rivers are generally sandy. The Gumti enters the District from the north, and after passing Lucknow city turns to the east and forms part of the boundary between Lucknow and Bara Bankl. It is liable to sudden floods of great magnitude. Its chief tributary is the Behta, a small perennial stream rising in Hardoi. The Sai forms part of the south- west boundary, running almost parallel to the Gumti, and receiving the Nagwa or Lon and the Bakh.
The District exposes nothing but Gangetic alluvium. A boring for an artesian well was made to a depth of 1,336 feet, but passed only through sand with occasional beds of calcareous limestone.
The flora of the District is that of the Gangetic plain generally. There is very little jungle, the only considerable tract being in the north-east, where a dhdk {Butea frondosd) jungle forms a fuel and fodder reserve. Groves are, however, numerous ; and excellent mangoes, oranges, pomegranates, guavas, custard-apples, and bers {Zizyphus Jujubci) are grown.
There are few wild animals of any size. Jackal and hog are the commonest, while antelope and nilgai are occasionally seen. Wild- fowl abound in the larger swamps. Fish are found in the rivers and tanks, and are also imported for sale in the city.
The climate of Lucknow is a mean between that of the cooler sub- montane Districts and the dry hot tracts south and west of it. Frosts are rare, and the maximum shade temperature is about iio°. Hot westerly winds are prevalent from March to May, often accompanied by dust-storms.
The annual rainfall averages 36 inches, and is on fhe whole evenly distributed ; the tract along the Gumtl, however, appears to receive slightly more than other parts of the District. There are great varia- tions from year to year, ranging from 13 inches in 1877 and 1880 to 70 inches in 1894.
History
Legend relates that Lucknow city was founded by Lakshmana, brother of Rama Chandra of Ajodhya, and connects other places with episodes in the Mahabharata. At the close of the Hindu period the country was, according to tradi- tion, held by the Bhars, who were never conquered by the Kanauj Rajas. Many tombs are pointed out as those of heroes who fell in the raids of Saiyid Salar Masud. The Rajputs declare that their ancestors first entered the District in the eleventh or twelfth century, and in the thirteenth century the Musalmans began to obtain a footing. In the fifteenth century Lucknow was included in the kingdom ofjaunpur, and the town first became of importance about 1478, when it is referred to as the capital of a small division. Under Akbar a sarkar of Lucknow was formed in the Subah of Oudh. The District, apart from the city, has no further history. It was included in the tract granted to Saadat Khan, the first Nawab of Oudh ; but Lucknow did not become the regular seat of government till after Asaf-ud-daula suc- ceeded in 1775. In 1856 Oudh was annexed by the British owing to the misgovernment of the king, and a year later the Mutiny broke out. An account of the great rebellion will be found in the article on Lucknow City.
The District contains many ancient mounds which have never been examined. Local tradition assigns them to the Bhars, but some pro- bably date from Buddhist times. The chief architectural monuments are the buildings at Lucknow city, dating from the close of the eighteenth century. The earlier edifices, though built of brick and stucco, are not unpleasing ; but the later ones are disfigured by vul- garities of style copied from debased European models.
Population
Lucknow contains 6 towns and 932 villages. At the four enumera- tions the numbers were: (1869) 778,195, (1881) 696,824, (1891) 774,163, and (1901) 793,241. The first Census pro- bably overstated the actual population, but the District suffered severely from famine in 1877-8. There are three tahsils — Lucknow, Malihabad, and Mohanlalganj— the head-quarters of each being situated at a place of the same name. The principal town is Lucknow City, the District head-quarters. The following table gives the chief statistics of population in 1901 : — Hindus form 78 per cent, of the total, and Musalmans more than 20 per cent. About one-seventh of the latter are Shiahs ; this is a large proportion for Lidia, due to the fact that the Oudh kings belonged to that sect. About 80 per cent, of the population speak Eastern Hindi and about 20 per cent. Western Hindi, chiefly Hin- dustani.
The Hindu castes most largely represented are the Pasis (toddy- drawers and labourers), 84,000 ; Ahirs (graziers and agriculturists), 77,000; Chamars (tanners and cultivators), 75,000; Lodhas (culti- vators) 57,000 ; Brahmans, 46,000 ; Rajputs, 30,000 ; and Kurmls (agriculturists), 22,000. Among Muhammadans are Shaikhs, 50,000; Pathans, 26,000; Saiyids, 17,000; and Mughals, 12,000. Agriculture supports only 52 per cent, of the total, but about one-third of the population of the District is included in Lucknow city. Personal services support 9 per cent., cotton-weaving nearly 7 per cent., and general labour 5 per cent. The cultivating castes are chiefly Rajputs, Brahmans, Ahirs, PasIs, Chamars, Lodhas, and Musalmans, with a certain proportion of the more skilful castes of Kurmis and Muraos.
Out of 7,247 Christians in 1901, natives numbered 2,150. The latter include 846 members of the Anglican communion, 562 Metho- dists, 363 Roman Catholics, and 152 Presbyterians. A Zanana mission was established in 1852, the Church Missionary Society Mission in 1858, the American Methodist Mission in 1859, and a Wesleyan mission in 1863.
Agriculture
The District is the smallest in the United Provinces, and the only variations in the agricultural conditions of different portions are due to diversity of soil. The bed of the Gumtl lies low, and in places contains belts of moist alluvial land, which are flooded in the autumn but produce excellent spring crops. The sandy land on the banks of this river produces only scanty crops of millet or pulse, except near the city where an abundant supply of manure can be applied to it. Beyond the sandhills the soil becomes a fertile loam, which gradually turns to heavy clay. The clay soil is interspersed with patches of barren iisar and tanks or jhils, but is the chief tract for rice.
The tenures found are those common to the province of Oudh. About a quarter of the District is held by taiukddrs, a quarter by zaminddrs, and the remainder by coparcenary bodies of pattiddrs. Sub-settled mahdls are not very numerous, but many small plots are held in under-proprietary right. The main agricultural statistics for 1903-4 are given below, in square miles : —
Wheat is the chief food-crop, covering 143 square miles or 25 per
cent, of the net area cultivated, the other important staples being gram
(97), rice (93), pulses (79), bdjra (68), and barley (53). Poppy covers
4 square miles, but very little sugar-cane, cotton, or oilseeds are grown.
The cultivated area increased by about 9 per cent, between 1870 and 1895, and during the last ten years the net area under cultivation has further risen by 7 per cent. There has been a striking increase in the area under rice and the coarser grains, such as gram, peas, jowdr, and maize, on which the people chiefly subsist. But no decrease has been observed in the area sown with wheat, and the cultivation of the most valuable crops — poppy, cotton, and garden produce — shows a large relative increase. These results are due to an extension of the system of double- cropping. A small but steady demand exists for advances under both the Land Improvement and the Agriculturists' Loans Acts. Out of 4 lakhs advanced during the ten years ending 1900, 2-9 lakhs was taken in the famine year 1896-7. In the four years ending 1904, loans averaged Rs. 9,200.
The District contains very little pasture land, and the agricultural stock is of poor quality. The best cattle are imported from Northern Oudh. There is very little horse-breeding. Sheep and goats are kept in some numbers to supply meat and wool.
In 1903-4 the irrigated area was 208 square miles, of which 106 were supplied from wells, 93 from tanks or jhlls, and 9 from other sources. Lucknow is fairly protected in ordinary years, but is less secure than the neighbouring Districts of Southern Oudh. In seasons of drought the tanks andy/^JA fail almost entirely. During the last few years there has been a very large increase in the number of wells, which add materially to the security of the District. The increase has been especially rapid since the famine of 1896-7, when Government advanced more than a lakh of rupees for the construction of wells. Water is generally raised by bullock power in leathern buckets ; but in the south the spring-level is high enough for the use of levers. Tank-irrigation is most common in the south, and is carried on by the use of swing-baskets. A canal was constructed early in the nineteenth century from the Ganges to the Gumtl, but has never carried water except during the rains.
The chief mineral product is kattkar or nodular limestone, which is used for metalling roads and for making lime. Saline efflorescences called reh are used in the manufacture of paper and in other arts.
Trade and Communication
There are few industries deserving mention outside Lucknow City. Common cotton cloth is the chief article produced in the small towns and villages ; and dyers, bangle-makers, brass-workers,
and potters supply local needs. The city is, however, celebrated tor its cotton fabrics, cotton-pnnting, dye- ing, embroidery, gold and silver work, ivory and wood-carving, orna- mental pottery, and clay modelling. It also contains a number of factories and workshops, employing 5,300 hands in 1903.
The District imports grain, piece-goods, metals and hardware, sugar, and salt, and chiefly exports the manufactures of the city. Lucknow city is the principal centre of trade, but the extension of railways has caused small subsidiary markets to spring up at wayside stations. There is also an immense through traffic. MalThabad, Gosainganj, Mohanlalganj, and Chinhat are the principal trading towns outside the city ; and Banthara is the chief cattle market.
Lucknow city is the most important railway centre in the United Provinces. It is the head-quarters of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Rail- way, the main line of which passes through the District from south-east to north-west. A branch from Cawnpore and the loop-line from Benares through Jaunpur and Fyzabad meet the main line at Lucknow.
A narrow-gauge line worked by the same railway, which traverses the District from south-west to north-east, connects the Rajputana-Malwa Railway at Cawnpore with the Bengal and North-Western Railway, and thus gives through communication between Rajputana, Northern Oudh, and Bengal. Another narrow-gauge line striking north from Lucknow connects the city with Bareilly through Sitapur. Communications by road are also good. Out of 349 miles of roads, 142 are metalled. Most of the latter are in charge of the PubHc Works department, but the cost of all but 52 miles is met from Local funds. Avenues of trees are maintained on 90 miles. The most important route is the road from Cawnpore to Fyzabad, passing through Lucknow city. Other roads radiate from the city to Sitapur, Hardol, Rae Bareli, and Sultanpur.
Famine
The District has suffered repeatedly from famine, and occasionally distress has been very acute. In 1784 the Nawab instituted large relief works, and it is said that the works were kept open at night so that the respectable poor could earn food without being recognized. In 1837 the king attempted to stop exporta- tion of grain and to fix prices. Under British rule there was some distress in i860, and acute scarcity in 1865 and 1869. The famine of 1873 was of no intensity, but in 1877 the rainfall was only 13 inches and the autumn crop failed completely. Relief works were opened in 1878 and were largely attended. There was scarcity in 1880 ; but it was local, and prices did not rise. The rains failed in 1896 and famine was severely felt. By July, 1897, there were 107,000 persons in receipt of relief. The following harvest was, however, good, and the works were closed by the middle of September.
Administration
The Deputy-Commissioner is usually assisted by two members of the Indian Civil Service, one of whom is City Magistrate, and by three .Deputy-Collectors recruited in India. Two other Deputy-Collectors are engaged in the administration of various trusts, and in the management of Government property and the payment of pensions. A tahsilddr resides at the head-quarters of each tahsil, and an officer of the Opium department is stationed in the District.
The civil courts include those of two Munsifs, a Subordinate Judge, and a Judge of the Small Causes Court. The Sessions Judge has juris- diction also over the District of Bara Bank!. The City Magistrate is entirely employed in the criminal work of the city and miscellaneous duties connected with the municipality and various charitable funds. The District is fairly free from crime, which chiefly consists of ordinary cases of theft and burglary, and Lucknow city is responsible for most of these.
At annexation in 1856 a District of Lucknow, consisting of ten parganas, was formed ; but two of these were subsequently transferred to Bara Bankl and one to Unao. A summary settlement was made in 1856, the records of which perished in the Mutiny of the following year. When order had been restored a second summary settlement was made in 1858, the revenue assessed amounting to 6-9 lakhs. The District was surveyed in 1862-3, and the first regular settlement was completed in 1869. The valuation of the land was made by applying assumed rates of rent, which were sometimes selected from those actually paid, and sometimes averages of the actual rents. As in the rest of Oudh, the settlement courts had to decide on disputed claims to rights in land, and the judicial work was particularly heavy in Lucknow. The revenue demand amounted to 8 lakhs, subsequently reduced to 7-2 lakhs. This settlement was revised between 1893 and 1896 by successive District officers in addition to their regular work. There was no survey, and the assessment was based on ihe. pahvdris' maps and papers. The revenue fixed amounted to 8-8 lakhs, representing 47 per cent, of the net rental 'assets.' The incidence stands at Rs. i-6 per acre, varying from about R. I to Rs. 1-8 in different parganas.
Collections on account of land revenue and revenue from all sources have been, in thousands of rupees : —
There is only one municipality, Lucknow City ; but five towns are administered under Act XX of 1856. Local affairs beyond the limits of these are in charge of the District board, which had in 1903-4 an income and expenditure of 1-2 lakhs. More than half of the income was derived from a grant from Provincial revenues, while Rs. 62,000 of the total expenditure was devoted to roads and buildings.
The District Superintendent of police usually has 2 Assistants, and commands a force of 6 inspectors, 116 subordinate officers, and 762 constables, besides 656 municipal and town police, and 1,192 rural and road police, distributed in 14 police circles. The Central jail contained a daily average of 1,336 prisoners in 1903, and the District jail 352. There is also a military prison in the cantonment.
Lucknow takes a high place as regards the literacy of its population, of whom 4-8 per cent. (8.2 males and 0-9 females) could read and write in 1901. Muhammadans (6 per cent.) are much in advance of Hindus (3-4 per cent.) in this respect. The number of public institutions fell from 135 in 1880-1 to 125 in 1900-1, but the number of pupils rose from 5,834 to 6,330. In 1903-4 there were 147 such institutions with 8,436 pupils, of whom 1,183 were girls, besides 69 private schools with 436 pupils. Nearly a third of the total number of pupils had advanced beyond the primary stage. Six colleges and schools were managed by Government, and 109 by the District and municipal boards. The total expenditure on education was 2-4 lakhs, towards which Government contributed Rs. 49,000 and Local and municipal funds Rs. 64,000, while the receipts from fees were Rs. 49,000. Lucknow City contains five colleges.
There are 21 hospitals and dispensaries, with accommodation for 391 in-patients. In 1903 the number of cases treated was 217,000, of whom 4,000 were in-patients, and 7,600 operations were performed. The expenditure amounted to Rs. 61,000. The Balrampur Hospital at Lucknow city is one of the finest in the United Provinces.
About 26,000 persons were successfully vaccinated in 1903-4, repre- senting a proportion of 32 per 1,000 of population. Vaccination is compulsory only in the municipality and cantonment of Lucknow.
[P. Gray, Settlement Report (1898); H. R. Nevill, District Gazetteer (1904).]
