Murshidabad 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.
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Murshidabad District
Physical aspects
District of the Presidency Division, Ben- gal, lying between 23° 43' and 24° 52' N. and 87° 49' and 88° 44' E., with an area of 2,143 square miles. In shape it resembles an isosceles triangle with its apex pointing to the north-west. The northern and eastern boundaries are formed by the Padma, or main stream of the Ganges, which separates it from Malda and Rajshahi ; on the south- east the Jalangi divides it from Nadia ; on the south it is bounded by Burdwan ; and on the west by Birbhum and the Santal Parganas.
The Bhagirathi, which flows with many windings south-east and south, divides the District into two tracts nearly equal in size but differ- ing in their physical features. The country to the asoects ^'^^^ °^ ^^ Bhagirathi, known as Rarh, forms a con-
tinuation of the Chota Nagpur plateau ; its general level is slightly undulating and higher than that of the rest of the District, but it is interspersed with marshes and seamed by hill torrents. The Bagri or eastern portion forms part of the old Ganges delta, and its river system consists of the Padma with its distributaries, the Bh.^gI- RATHi, Bhairab, Sialmari, and Jalangi. The Bhagirathi, which forms the oldest known outlet of the Ganges and marks the western limit of the delta, has undergone great changes even in the last hundred years ; its head has almost silted up, and it is with difificulty kept open for navigation by small boats during the dry season. Its chief tributaries are the Bansloi and the Pagla, which rise in the Santal Parganas, the Chora Dekra, and the Dwarka. The Dwarka or Babla is a continuation of the BrahmanI, which rises in the Birbhum hills, and after uniting with the Mor flows eastwards through the Kandi subdivision to join the Bhagirathi ; like all hill streams, it is very rapid and liable to sudden flood. The Bhairab and Sialmari are unimportant streams flow'ing into the Jalangi; this river has a general trend to the south-west and eventu- ally joins the Bhagirathi in Nadia District. There are many small lakes, the largest being the Telkar Bll west of Berhampore, which is about 3 miles long and 2f miles broad, and a large horseshoe lake known as Motijhil, which has been formed about 2 miles from Murshidabad Town by a change in the course of the Bhagirathi.
The portion of the District east of the Bhagirathi is covered with recent alluvium, consisting of sandy clay and sand along the course of the rivers, and fine silt consolidating into clay in the flatter parts of the river plain. The limit between the alluvium and the higher ground on the west is marked by a bank of stiff clay, gravel, and nodular lime- stone, w'hich disappears as it passes downwards tow-ards Birbhum, where it amalgamates wdth the general alluvium. In the north-west of the District are some isolated clay hillocks.
The stretches of low-lying land under rice cultivation afford a foot- hold for many marsh species, while the numerous ponds and ditches are filled with submerged and floating water-plants. Remarkable among these for its rarity, and interesting on account of its distri- bution in Europe on the one hand and Australia on the other, is the floating Aldrovanda vesiculosa. The edges of sluggish creeks are lined with large sedges and bulrushes, and the banks of rivers have a hedge- like scrub jungle. The sides of embankments and village sites, where not occupied by habitations, are densely covered with shrubberies of semi-spontaneous species, interspersed with clumps of planted bamboos and groves of Areca, Moringa, Mangifera, and Ationa, while banyan {Ficus i7idica\ pipal {Ficus religiosa), babul {Acacia arabica), jack {Artocarpus integrifolia), bel {Aegle viar?neIos), plantain, and date trees are also common. Waysides and waste places are filled with grasses and weeds, usually of little intrinsic interest, but often striking because of their distribution. Many of them have been inadvertently introduced by human agency, and include European or African and American species, which spread more plentifully than similar weeds of indigenous origin. The District is famous for its mangoes.
Big game has disappeared before the advance of cultivation, but leopards are occasionally met with and wild hog still abound in the jungles.
During the hot season dr}' westerly winds alternate with the southerly sea-breezes of moderate temperature which characterize other parts of Lower Bengal; and the mean temperature, which is 79° for the whole year, rises from 65° in January to 88° in April, when the mean maxi- mum is 100°, The mean minimum is lowest (53°) in January. The annual rainfall averages 53 inches, of which 9-6 fall in June, 11 in July, 10 in August, and 9 in September.
The earthquake of 1897 caused great damage, especially along the banks of the Bhagirathi river, where the old masonry buildings in the riparian towns suffered enormously. The cost of repairs to public property was estimated to exceed 2 lakhs, and the damage to private property at 50 lakhs. Discharges of water and black mud occurred from the bed of the Bhagirathi near Jangipur, and sand and water were also thrown up from fissures in the marshy land near Gaur and JalangT, one fissure extending for a length of 2 miles. The District is liable to annual inundation, and serious floods are only prevented by numerous and expensive embankments. In 1870 the embankments of the Bhagi- rathi were breached, and a disastrous flood occurred which destroyed the crops over a large area and caused great suffering. In 18S6 the town of Murshidabad was inundated and thousands of people left destitute. The Dwarka is liable to sudden floods ; and a tract of low- lying country about 16 miles in extent at the confluence of the Mor and Dwarka rivers in the Kandi subdivision, known as Hejal, is inun- dated more or less heavily almost every year.
History
In ancient times the Bhagirathi formed an important political boun- dary. To the east lay Baxga or Samatata and to the west Karna SuvARNA, whose capital was probably at or near R.\NGAMATi. Under the Sen kings the river separated the Rarh from the Bagri division of Bengal, traces of which remain in the name Bagdi. The country was conquered in 1197 by Muham- mad i-Bakhtyar Khiljl, and formed part of the dominions of the Muham- raadan kings of Gaur. In the middle of the seventeenth century factories were founded at Cossimbazar, at that time the head-quarters of the silk trade ; but the political importance of the District dates from the early part of the eighteenth century, when Murshid Kuli Khan moved the seat of government from Dacca to the little town of Maksud- abad, thenceforth called after him, where he built a palace. Historical interest centres in Murshidabad, Cossimbazar, and Berhampore.
Other places of archaeological importance are Badrihat and Ranga- mati. When a Collector was first appointed to the charge of the District in 1772, its area extended over the neighbouring zamhiddris of Birbhum and Bishnupur. These outlying tracts had ahvays been noted for lawlessness ; and for the better administration of justice they were finally severed from Murshidabad in 17S7. The District was thus reduced to about its present size, but the irregularity of the boun- dary between it and Birbhum has been a constant source of perplexity to the local officials. In 1S75 the District was transferred from the Rajshahi to the Presidency Division.
Population
The population, which in 1S72 numbered 1,214,104, increased to 1,226,790 in 1S81, to 1,250,946 in 1S91, and to 1,333,184 in 1901. The increase between 1S72 and 1891 was very small, ^ , . owmg to the ravages of the Burdwan fever, which devastated not only the low-lying waterlogged eastern tracts but also the elevated country to the west. In recent years there has been a great improvement in the health of the District, especially in the Rarh country. To the east, however, the climate is damp, and malaria is still prevalent ; cholera is rarely absent, and enlargement of the spleen and liver is almost universal. Elephantiasis and hydrocele are endemic. The table below gives statistics of the population by sub- divisions in 1 90 1 : —
The towns are Berhampore, the head-quarters, Murshidab.^d,
AziMGANj, Jangipur, and Kandi. The alluvial tract to the east of
the Bhagirathi is much more densely populated than the west of the
District. In the latter tract, however, the population is now growing
rapidly, the increase at the Census of 1901 amounting to 12-9 per cent.,
compared with 3-1 per cent, in the east of the District, and rising as
high as 26 per cent, in the Sagardighi and Kalianganj thdnas, which
are still sparsely populated and attract a large number of immigrants
from Birbhum and the Santal Parganas.
The District suffers from diluvion along the northern boundary, and there has consequently been some loss of inhabitants by migration to the corresponding alluvial formations in Malda and Rajshahi on the other side of the Padma. There is a good deal of temporary immigration from Bihar and the United Provinces, especially during the winter months. The vernacular of the District is the dialect known as Central Bengali. INIuhammadans (676,899) in 1901 outnumbered the Hindus (643,474), having increased from 48-1 per cent, of the population in 1881 to 50-8 per cent, in the latter year. Hindus, however, still predominate to the west of the Bhaglrathi.
Most of the Muhammadans are Shaikhs (628,000). Among the Hindus the most numerous castes are Kaibarttas (95,000) ; Bagdis (40,000), chiefly in the south-west ; Sadgops (39,000), chiefly in the southern ihd?ias ; Chains (38,000), along the south-east ; Brahmans, Ahirs, and Goalas. Agriculture supports 58 per cent, of the popula- tion, industries 19-3 per cent., commerce o-6 per cent., and the pro- fessions 1-8 per cent.
Christians number only 391, of whom 249 are natives. Various missions have established themselves in the District from time to time, but they have not met with much success. The only one now is a branch of the London Missionary Society, which began work in 1824.
Agriculture
The low-lying alluvial soil to the east is very fertile ; the chief crop is the autumn rice, but it also grows several important cold-season crops. On the hard clay of the Rarh tract dman or wmter rice is the main staple, though sugar-cane, mulberry, tobacco, and various vegetables are likewise grown. The chief agricultural statistics for 1903-4 are shown below, areas being in square miles : —
It is estimated that 30 per cent, of the cultivated area is twice cropped. Rice is grown over an area of 723 square miles, the winter rice covering 34 per cent, of the net cropped area against 28 per cent, under autumn rice. About 167 square miles are under wheat and 95 square miles under barley. Other crops extensively cultivated are gram and other pulses and oilseeds, linseed and mustard being the most important kinds. Jute, sugar-cane, indigo, and mulberry are grown, but the cultivation of both indigo and mulberry is now declining. Little use is made of the Agriculturists' Loans Act; in the two years ending 1898 Rs. 40,000 was advanced.
Pasture land is plentiful all over the District. The chief grazing ground is a tract of low country in the Kandi subdivision, about 16 miles in area, known as Hejal ; this is covered with water during the rains, but in the dry season it affords splendid pasturage. Cattle fairs are held at Panchamdl and Talibpur in the Kandi subdivision, and occasionally at Bhabta in the head-quarters subdivision.
The necessity for irrigation is limited to the west of the District, where water is conducted over the fields from tanks or natural water- courses. A large number of tanks are used for this purpose in the Manigram Government estate.
Fisheries
Pearl fisheries exist in a series of lakes which mark the line of an old river and stretch from the Gobra nullah to Rukimpur, a distance of about ^8 miles. The mussel in which the pearls are „. , found is a species of Ujuo^ and is probably a variety of the pearl-bearing Unio margaritifera. The majority of the pearls are seed pearls, and they have usually a golden tint. Valuable pearls are occasionally procured, fetching as much as Rs. 200 each ; but such a find is very rare, and the largest pearls found in recent years rarely exceed Rs. 15 or Rs. 30 in value. The fishery season is in the hot months, when the water is low and almost stagnant. The various branches of the industry furnish employment for about 300 persons during this period, and its annual value is estimated at Rs. 3,000.
Iron is found, but not in sufficient quantities to repay smelting. Calcareous earth occurs in several places and is extensively used for making lime. Ka?tkar or nodular limestone crops up generally over the western half of the District, and is used for road-making.
Trade and Communication
The silk industry in this part of Bengal is of great age, and the silk trade is one of the earliest of the industries which occupied the servants of the East India Company in the District, their efforts being stimulated by competition with the communications. French, Dutch, and Armenians. Silk factories date from the middle of the seventeenth century, when Cossimbazar was the most important centre. The winding of silk is still carried on, but it has steadily declined since the Company closed their factory at Jangi- pur in 1835. The decline is due in a great measure to diseases of the worms, which the Bengal Silk Association, constituted in 1898, is now taking steps to com.bat. There is a nursery at Chandanpur which dis- tributes large quantities of selected seed to the rearers ; similar nurseries are being built at Rajdharpur and Kumarpur, and the use of examined seed is spreading in the Government estates west of the Bhaglrathi.
Silk is still largely manufactured in the head-quarters and Jangipur subdivisions ; a great variety of fabrics are manufactured. The best silks are those produced in the Mirzapur, Hariharpara, and Daulat Bazar thd?ias ; in 1903-4 the Mirzapur weavers turned out 26,000 yards of silk cloth, valued at Rs. 33,000. In addition to the native artisans working with hand-looms, there were in that year 54 factories worked with machinery which had an out-turn of 396,000 lb., valued at nearly 27 lakhs, the principal firms being Messrs. Louis Payen & Co. and the Bengal Silk Company. Tasar and niatkd silks are also manufactured, the latter being best prepared by Indian weavers on their hand-loorns. Cotton-weaving with hand-looms is still an important occupation, and silk and cotton dyeing are carried on by a few families at Khagra Baluchar and IMirzapur. Murshidabad town has skilled embroiderers, who adorn clothes, gloves, slippers, and caps with gold and silver lace.
Gold and silver wire is aLo made in small quantities. Bidri ware is produced by a few workmen at Murshidabad ; the process consists in inlaying with silver a sort of pewter which is blackened with sulphate of copper. Bell-metal and brass utensils of a superior kind are manu- factured in large quantities at Khagra, Berhampore, Kandi, and Bara- nagar ; these articles are sold in the local markets and are also exported. Locks, nails, and betel-nut cutters are made at Dhulian. Ivory-carving was formerly a considerable industry, but is now confined to a few workmen at Murshidabad. Blankets, shell bracelets, and pottery are manufactured in a few villages, and musical instruments and hukka pipes are also made. The indigo industry has practically disappeared, the out-turn in 1903-4 having fallen to 13 tons.
The external trade is mainly with Calcutta. The chief imports are European piece-goods, salt, coal and coke, and kerosene oil ; and the chief exports are rice, wheat, gram, oilseeds, jute, silk, indigo, and metal ware. The District is favourably situated for trade, being served by two offshoots of the Padma, the Bhaglrathi and the JalangT, which form the Hooghly and lead direct to Calcutta. The principal seats of trade are Jangipur, Azimganj, Jiaganj, Khagra, and Dhulian on tlie Bhaglrathi, and Bhagwangola on the Ganges. Trade is carried on chiefly at permanent markets, and periodical fairs are also held at Dhulian, Jangipur, Chaltia, Suktipur, and Kandi. The Jain merchants of Azimganj are among the richest traders in Bengal.
The little railway from Nalhati to Azimganj runs for about 14 miles within the District. The Murshidabad branch of the Eastern Bengal State Railway, which has recently been opened, leaves the main line at Ranaghat and enters the District near Plassey, whence it runs nearly due north through Beldanga, Berhampore, Murshidabad, and Jiaganj to Lalgola. There is also a proposal to bridge the Bhaglrathi between Jiaganj and Murshidabad, and to connect the new line with the East Indian Railway system. The District board maintains 33 miles of metalled and 526 miles of unmetalled roads, with 335 bridges and 22 ferries. The most important roads are those connecting Ber- hampore, the head-quarters station, with Krishnagar, Bhagwangola, Patkabari, Kandi, and JalangI ; Murshidabad with Panchgram ; and Jarur with Gambhira.
Steamer services ply up the Padma from Goalundo throughout the year, and the other big rivers are navigable by large country boats, except during the latter part of the dry season ; for the rest of the year the Calcutta Steam Navigation Company maintains a regular steamer service up the Bhagirathi from Calcutta, The measures which have been taken from time to time to keep this river and the Jalangi open for traffic are described in the article on the Nadia Rivers. In 1903-4 about Rs. 41,000 was realized as tolls, while the expenditure in keeping the channels open amounted to Rs. 44,000.
Famine
The famine of 1770 is believed to have carried off three-eighths of the population of this District. In 1870 some distress was caused by high prices, and severe scarcity was felt in 1874 and 1897. On the latter occasion Government expended Rs. 73,000 on famine relief, and was aided by the munificence of local zamlnddrs headed by the late MaharanI SarnamayT, C.I. The aggre- gate number of units relieved, reckoned in terms of one day, was 454,oco.
Administration
For administrative purposes the District is divided into four sub- divisions, with head-quarters at Berhampore, Jangipur, Kandi, and Lalbagh. The Magistrate-Collector is assisted at head-quarters by a staff of four Deputy-Magistrate- Collectors and occasionally by a Joint or Assistant Magistrate. The subdivisional officers at Kandi, Lalbagh, and Jangipur belong to the Provincial service recruited in India, and are assisted by Sub-Deputy- Collectors. The Executive Engineer in charge of the Nadia Rivers division is stationed at Berhampore.
Subordinate to the District and Sessions Judge for the disposal of civil judicial work are a Subordinate Judge at head-quarters and seven Munsifs, of whom two each are stationed at Berhampore, Jangipur, and Kandi, and one at Lalbagh. The criminal courts include those of the Judge, the District Magistrate, and the above-mentioned magistrates. The most common offences are those which arise out of disputes about land.
In Todar Mai's rent-roll of 1582 the present District area formed portion of Audambar or Tanda, Satgaon, and other sarkdrs. In Jafar Khan's settlement of 1722 the name Murshidabad was applied to an area apparently coextensive with the great zaminddri of Rani Bhawani, properly known as Rajshahi. It is therefore impossible to compare the present land revenue of the District with that realized under Muhammadan rule. The whole of the District is permanently settled, with the exception of 72 temporarily settled estates with a current demand of Rs. 30,000, and 64 estates with a demand of Rs. 26,000 held direct by Government. The average incidence of rental is Rs. 3-1-5 per cultivated acre; but rents differ widely in various parts, being lowest in the head-quarters and Jangipur subdivisions, and highest in the Kandi subdivision, where rice and wheat lands bring in from Rs. 7-8 to Rs. 18, and mulberry and sugar-cane lands from Rs. 12 to Rs. 24 per acre. In the head-quarters subdivision, on the other hand, the rent of rice and wheat lands ranges between Rs. 1-2 and Rs. 9, that of land growing pulse between Rs, 2-4 and Rs. 3, sugar- cane land between Rs. 3 and Rs. 7-8, and mulberry land between Rs. 1-12 and Rs. 12 per acre.
The iiibandi system of tenure is very common, especially in the Plassey pargana ; for a description of this tenure see the article on Nadia District. Aimmds or quit-rent tenures are numerous in the Patch Singh estate. The average area of a tenant's holding is only one acre.
The following table shows the collections of land revenue and of total revenue (principal heads only), in thousands of rupees : —
Outside the municipalities of Berhampore, Azimganj, Jangipur, Kandi, and Murshidabad, local affairs are managed by the District board, with subordinate local boards in each subdivision. The income of the District board in 1903-4 was Rs. 1,27,000, of which Rs. 64,000 was derived from rates. The expenditure was also Rs. 1,27,000, including Rs. 69,000 spent on public works and Rs. 25,000 on educa- tion. A scheme for supplying the rural areas with drinking-water is in progress ; this was initiated by a gift of a lakh from Raja Jogendra Narayan Rao of Lalgola.
There are 74 miles of embankments along the Bhaglrathi, under the Public Works department, to prevent the country on the east bank from being flooded by the spill of the river. The propriety of maintaining these embankments has been called in question, on the ground that the land which would otherwise be flooded is thereby deprived of its supply of fertilizing silt, while the river, being confined to its bed, deposits its silt there, and thus gradually raises itself above the level of the surrounding country.
Murshidabad contains 24 police stations and 26 outposts ; and in 1903 the force subordinate to the District Superintendent consisted of 4 inspectors, 53 sub-inspectors, 51 head constables, and 675 con- stables. In addition, there is a rural police of 264 daffaddrs and 2,947 chaukiddrs. The District jail at Berhampore has accommodation for 340 prisoners, and subsidiary jails at the three subdivisional out- stations have accommodation for 62.
In spite of the proximity of the District to Calcutta, only 5-5 per cent, of the population (io-6 males and o-6 females) could read and write in 1901. The total number of pupils under instruction increased from 12,000 in 1883 to 22,994 in 1892-3, and 24,837 in 1 900-1. In 1903-4, 24,015 boys and 1,531 girls were at school, being respectively 24-5 and 1-5 per cent, of the children of school-going age. The number of educational institutions, public and private, in that year was 661, including one Arts college, 58 secondary, 582 primary, and 20 special schools. The expenditure on education was 2-17 lakhs, of which Rs. 44,000 was met from Provincial funds, Rs. 25,000 from District funds, Rs. 2,000 from municipal funds, and Rs. 84,000 from fees. The principal institutions are the college and Sanskrit tol at Berham- pore, and the Nawab's madi-asa and high school at Murshidabad. The London Missionary Society maintains a high school at Khagra near Berhampore.
In 1903 the District contained 7 dispensaries, of which 5 had accom- modation for 115 in-patients. The cases of 65,000 out-patients and 1,335 in-patients were treated during the year, and 3,320 operations were performed. The expenditure was Rs. 27,000, of which Rs. 2,000 was met by Government contributions, Rs. 3,000 from Local and Rs. 11,000 from municipal funds, and Rs. 3,000 from subscriptions. The hospital at Kandi, which is maintained from an endowment fund, now amounting to 1-59 lakhs, left by Kumar Giris Chandra Sinha of Paikpara, is the best equipped in the District. There is a lunatic asylum at Berhampore.
Vaccination is compulsory only in the municipal towns. In 1903-4 the number of successful vaccinations was 37,000, representing 36 per 1,000 of the population.
[Sir W. W. Hunter, Statistical Account of Bengal, vol. iii (1876); Beveridge, ' Note on the Parganas of Murshidabad,' Proceedings of the Asiatic Society (1892) ; Major Walsh, I. M.S., History of Murshidabad (1902); G. C. Dutt, Monograph on Ivory Carving in Bengal (Calcutta, 1 901); N. G. Mukerji, Mo?iograph on the Silk Fabrics of Bengal (Calcutta, 1903) ; P. C. Majumdar, The Musnud of Murshidabad (Murshidabad, 1905).]
