Muzaffargarh 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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Muzaffargarh District
Physical aspects
District in the Multan Division of the Punjab, lying between 28° 56' and 3o°47'N.and 7o°3i'and 7i°47'E., with an area of 3,635 square miles. It occupies extreme southern apex of the Sind-Sagar Doab, the wedge-shaped tract between the Indus and the Panjnad or united waters of the 'five rivers,' stretching northward from their confluence in a narrow wedge of land, which gradually widens for about 130 miles, until at its northern border a distance of 55 miles intervenes between their channels. Its shape is therefore that of a tolerably regular triangle. The adjoining Districts are Dera Ghazi Khan on the west, Mianwali and J hang on the north, and Multan on the east, while on the south-east it is bounded by the State of Bahawal- pur. The northern half of the District comprises the valley of the Indus on the west and that of the Chenab on the east, the wild Thai or central steppe of the Sind-Sagar Doab extending for a considerable distance down its midst. This arid plateau, rising like a backbone in the centre of the wedge, has a width of 40 miles in the extreme north, and terminates abruptly on either side in a high bank, about 20 miles from the present bed of the Indus, and 3 miles from that of the Chenab.
As the rivers converge, the Thai gradually contracts, until about 20 miles south-west of Muzaffargarh town it disappears altogether. Though apparently an elevated table-land, it is really composed of separate sandhills, whose intermediate valleys lie at a level not much higher than that of the Indus, and some of them at the extreme west were at one time flooded by the bursting of the western barrier ridge or bank. Scattered amid this waste of sand-heaps a few plots of good land occur, which the ceaseless industry of the cultivators has converted into fields of grain. South of the Thai plateau, the space between the rivers con- tracts to a width of 20 miles, part of which is subject to inundation from either side. The middle tract lies sufficiently high, as a rule, to escape excessive flooding, and is further protected by embankments, while it remains, on the other hand, within the reach of easy irrigation.
This portion of the District, accordingly, consists of a rich and pro- ductive country, thickly studded with prosperous villages. But in the extreme south, the floods from the two rivers spread at times across the whole intervening tract. On abating, they leave luxuriant pasturage for cattle .; and if their subsidence takes place sufficiently early, magnificent crops of wheat, pulse, and gram are raised in the cultivated portion. The towns stand on higher sites or are protected by embankments ; but the villages scattered over the lowlands are exposed to annual inundation, during which the people abandon their grass-built huts, and take refuge on wooden platforms attached to every house, where they remain till the floods subside. The Indus, which forms the western boundary of the District, at one time flowed down the centre of the Thai desert. In the middle of the District are numerous villages, now far away from the Indus, whose names denote that at one time they stood on or near the river bank ; and the inland portion is full of watercourses which were once beds of the Indus. The Chenab forms the eastern boundary for a length of 127 miles.
The District contains nothing of geological interest, as it lies entirely on the alluvium. The flora is that of the Western Punjab, with an infusion of the desert and trans-Indus elements. Populus euphratica occurs by the river. The date-palm and mango are cultivated. The tall \Dalbergia Sissoo) is abundant near the Indus, and in most parts the van {Salvadora) and the farwani {Tamarix at-tiiu/aia) are plentiful ; but otherwise trees exist only where planted.
Tigers were seen in the dense jungles near the Indus as late as 1879. olves and wild hog are common. I'he hog deer and ' ravine deer ' (Indian gazelle) are found ; and feathered game, including geese, ducks of all sorts, florican, sand-grouse, and partridges, is plentiful.
The chief feature of the climate is its extreme dryness. The heat from May to September is intense, but a cool wind springs up regularly about II p.m., which makes the nights endurable. From November to February severe frosts occur, causing great injury to cotton, mangoes, and turnips. The District is healthy for Europeans, but the natives suffer from malarial fever in the autumn, and from diseases of the eyes and skin in the hot season. The rainfall is very scanty, averaging slightly less than 6 inches in the year. It is in fact impossible to raise crops on land dependent solely on the rainfall.
History
Muzaffargarh hardly possesses any distinct annals of its own, having always formed part of the Multan province, whose fortunes it has in- variably followed. In ancient times this tract was probably ruled by the Hindu dynasty of the Rais, to which succeeded the Brahman line of Chach. The Arabs made their first appearance in 664, and in 712 it was overrun by Muhammad bin Kasim. For the next three centuries the country was in the military occupation of the Muhammadans, but it is unlikely that any considerable conversion of its inhabitants or settlements of Muham- madan invaders took place until the Ghaznivid supremacy. Muzaffar- garh probably fell under the influence of the Sumra dynasty which arose in Sind about 1053 and of their successors the Sammas, and under their rule an immigration of Rajput tribes from Hindustan is said to have taken place.
During the rule of the Langah dynasty in Multan the independent kingdom of Sitpur was established in the south of the District ; and from that time till the end of the eighteenth century it was held by four separate governments or principalities, which were, during the Mughal period, included in Akbar's sarkdr of Multan. In the southern angle was Sitpur, founded under a grant made by Bahlol Lodi in 1450, and first held by the Nahar family, then by the viakhdHms of Sitpur, and finally, about 1790, annexed by Bahawal Khan II, of Bahdwalpur, l"he west central part was governed by the rulers of Dera Ghazi Khan. A line of Mirani Balochs, who had settled on the left bank of the Indus at the end of the fifteenth century, ruled till 1769, when one Mahmud Gujar, with the aid of the Kalhora governor of Sind, obtained the governorship of Dera Ghazi Khan. He appears to have been a good ruler, and built the fort of Mahmud Kot.
Shortly after his death Bahawal Khan II invaded this tract, which had been thrown open to him by the shifting of the Indus to the west, and by the end of the century the whole of the south was in the possession of Bahawalpur. The eastern part was nominally ruled by the governors of Multan, and has the same history as that District ; and when the Durrani empire superseded that of Delhi in North-Western India, Muzaffargarh fell to the new power, with the rest of the province. The town of Muzaffargarh was founded in 1794 by the Pathan governor, Muzaffar Khan, and Khangarh and Ghazanfargarh by members of his family. The north of the District, with the west, was under the Baloch governors and Mahmud Gujar, to whom succeeded a family of Jaskani Balochs and the Kalhoras of Sind. In 1792 a subordinate of Muzaffar Khan was appointed ruler of this part with the title of Nawab of Mankera, defeating the Kalhora chief in a battle.
Ranjit Singh took Multan, Muzaffargarh, and Khangarh in 1818, Dera Ghazi Khan in 1819, and Mankera in 182 1 ; and the northern part of the District passed under the rule of the Sikhs, being adminis- tered partly from Mankera, and partly from Multan by Diwan Sawan Mai. The southern half, however, still remained in the hands of the Bahawalpur Nawabs, who accepted a lease of their conquests from the Sikh Maharaja ; but when the Nawab failed to remit the annual amount in 1830, Ranjit Singh sent General Ventura to take charge of his con- quests, and the river Sutlej was accepted as the boundary between the Sikh kingdom and the territories of Bahawalpur. The whole of the present District was then united under Sawan Mai. He was succeeded in 1844 by his son Mulraj, and the Sikh supremacy remained unshaken until the Multan rebellion and the annexation of the Punjab in 1849.
At the first division of the Province for administrative purposes by the British authorities, the town of Khangarh, 1 1 miles south of Muzaffar- garh, was selected as the head-quarters of a District, but was abandoned in favour of Muzaffargarh. Subsequent transfers of territory to and from Leiah and Jhang brought the District into its present shape in 1 86 1 ; and the name was then changed from Khangarh to Muzaffargarh.
The principal remains of antiquarian interest are the tombs of Nawab Tahir Khan Nahar at Sitpur, and of Abdul Wahhab Din Panah {ob. 1603) at Daira Din Panah. The former, w'hich dates from the fifteenth century, is a fine specimen of the late Pathan style.
Population
The population at the last three enumerations was : (1881) 338,605, (1891) 381,095, and (1901) 405,656, dwelling in 4 towns and 700 villages. During the last decade the population in- creased by 6-4 per cent. The District is divided into three tahsils — Muzaffargarh, Alipur, and San aw an — the head- quarters of each being at the place from which it is named, 'i'he towns are the municipalities of Muzaffargarh, the administrative head-quarters of the District, Khangarh, AlIpur, and Khairpur. The following table shows the chief statistics of population in 1901 : —
Muhammadans number 350,177, or over 86 per cent, of the total; Hindus, 52,221 ; and Sikhs, 3,225. The density of population is very low. The language of the people is a form of Western Punjabi.
The most numerous tribe is that of the agricultural Jats, who num- ber 117,000, or 29 per cent, of the total population. Next to them come the Baloch (77,000). Other important agricultural castes are the Rajputs (17,000) and Arains (9,000). Saiyids number 8,000. The Aroras (36,000) are the only commercial and money-lending class of importance, the Khattris being very few. Of the artisan classes, the Mochis (.shoemakers and leather-workers, 13,000), Julahas (weavers, 12,000), Tarkhans (carpenters, 10,000), and Kumhars (potters, 7,000) are the most important ; and of the menial classes, the sweepers, mostly known as Kutanas (16,000), and Dhobis, known as Charhoas (washer- men, 8,000). The District being surrounded by rivers, the Mallahs (boatmen) are numerically strong, numbering ro,ooo. Other tribes worth mention are the Mahtams (4,000), mostly Hindus ; Ods (3,000), a wandering caste living by labour in the fields ; Marechas (800), a class of wandering beggars from Marwar and Bikaner, found in this District in larger numbers than elsewhere ; and Kehals (600), a vagrant fishing tribe found only here and in Dera Ghazi Khan. The District contained 17 native Christians in 1901. About 58 per cent, of the population are supported by agriculture.
Agriculture
The soil consists chiefly of alluvial loam, more or less mixed with sand, and interspersed with patches of clay, sand, and salt-impregnated soil. On the whole it is uniformly good, but agri- cultural conditions depend, not on distinctions of soil, but on facilities for irrigation. The District has practically no unirrigated cultivation, and from an agricultural point of view may be regarded as falling into three divisions : the alluvial tract, the canal tract, and that irrigated by wells.
The land is held almost entirely on the bhaiydi-hard and zamindari tenures. The area for which details are available from the revenue records of 1903-4 is 3,157 square miles, as shown below : —
Wheat is the chief crop of the spring harvest, covering in 1903-4 365
square miles ; barley covered 21 square miles, and gram t^t,. Rice and
spiked millet {hdjrd) are the principal food-crops of the autumn harvest,
covering 51 and 29 square miles respectively; while pulses covered
39 square miles, indigo 28, cotton 36, and great millet {Joivdr) 24.
In the twenty-two years following the settlement of 1873-S0 the cultivated area increased by 28 per cent., chiefly owing to the extension of canal-irrigation. Nothing has been done to improve the quality of the crops grown. The tendency is for the cultivation of indigo and cotton to decline, and for rice to take their place. Loans for the con- struction of wells are popular, and over Rs. 16,000 was advanced during the five years ending 1903-4 under the Land Improvement Loans Act.
Muzaffargarh is not a cattle-breeding District, the local breed being distinctly inferior, and catde are bought from Uera Ghazi Khan, Sind, and Bahawalpur. An annual cattle fair is held at Muzaffargarh. The mares of the District are above the average and show traces of the Baloch strain ; four pony and five donkey stallions are maintained by the District board. A considerable number of sheep and goats are kept. About 9,000 camels were registered at the cattle enumeration of 1904.
Of the total area cultivated in 1903-4, 615 square miles, or 75 per cent., were classed as irrigated. Of this area, 84 square miles were irrigated from wells, 218 from wells and canals, 276 from canals, and 37 from channels and tanks. The remaining 25 per cent, of the cultivated area is subject to inundation from the Indus and Chenab. The canal-irrigation is from the system known as the Muzaffargarh Inundation Canals, taking off from the Indus and C^henab. As these flow only while the rivers are in flood, they are largely supple- mented by wells, of which 15,719 were in use, all worked with Persian wheels by cattle. Irrigation from creeks and tanks is carried on by means of water-lifts, there being 3,066 water-lifts and temporary wells.
The District contains 73 square miles of ' unclassed " forest under the Deputy-Conservator of the Multan Forest division, and 403 square miles of ' unclassed ' forest and Government waste under the Deputv- Commissioner. These forests consist chiefly of a light growth of Populus euphratica and ja7id, with dense jungles of long grass. The date-palm is common and supplies a staple food to the people during part of the year, besides furnishing a considerable revenue to Govern- ment from the tax paid on each tree. There are also large mango groves.
Trade and Communication
The District produces no minerals of importance ; earth-salt used to be manufactured, but this is now prohibited, and the production of saltpetre is also extinct.
Muzafifargarh is not remarkable for its industries. Ordinary cotton cloth is woven, and mats and baskets are largely made from the leaves of the dwarf-palm. Sitpur used to be noted for communications, decorated bows, which are now produced at Kot Addu in the .Sanawan tahs'il. Snuft" is manufactured at AlTpur. The District contains two cotton-ginning and rice-husking factories, to one of which a cotton-press is attached ; in 1904, 12S hands were employed.
The chief exports of the District are wheat, sugar, cotton, indigo, ghl, dates, and mangoes ; and the chief imports are piece-goods, metals, salt, and lime. Trade is chiefly in the hands of Multan dealers, who export the surplus produce either dow-n the river to Sukkur or by rail to Multan. A fair amount of trade used to be carried on by Powinda merchants with Afghanistan and Central Asia, but this is now almost extinct owing to the prohibitive duties imposed in Afghanistan.
The North-Western Railway enters the District from Multan by a bridge over the Chenab, and turns northwards, running along the Indus bank. A branch runs to Ghazi Ghat, between which and Dera Ghazi Khan communication is maintained by means of a bridge of boats in winter and a steam ferry in summer. The total length of metalled roads is 25 miles, and of unmetalled roads 559 miles. Of these, 17 miles of metalled and 24 miles of unmetalled roads are under the Public Works department, and the rest are maintained by the District board. There is a good deal of river traffic on the Indus, which is crossed by 16 ferries, the Chenab being crossed by 19.
Owing to the fact that all the cultivation is irrigated, Muzaffargarh may be regarded as practically immune from famine. The area of crops matured in the District in the famine year 1 899-1 900 was 84 per cent, of the normal.
Administration
The District is in charge of a Deputy-Commissioner, aided by four Assistant or Extra-Assistant Commissioners, of whom one is in charge of the District treasury. It is divided into three tahsils — Muzaffargarh, Alipur, and Sanawan — each under a fahlldiir, assisted by two naib-tahsildars in each of the first two, and by one in the last-named inhsil. Muzaffargaih town is the head-quarters of an Executive Engineer of the Canal department.
The Deputy-Commissioner as District Magistrate is responsible for criminal justice ; civil judicial work is under a District Judge ; and both officers are supervised by the Divisional Judge of the iNIultan Civil Division, who is also Sessions Judge. There are three Munsifs, two at head-quarters and one at AlTpur. The predominant forms of crime are catde-theft and burglary.
Little is known of the revenue system of the various rulers before the time of Diwan Sawan Mai. By 1820 the Sikhs held the whole of the District, and in 1829 it came under Sawan Mai, who exacted a large revenue, but kept the people contented. In 1859 the Sanawan tahsil was added to the District, which assumed its present shape in 1861.
The first summary assessment was pitched too high. It had been framed by valuing the weight of wheat taken by the Sikhs at Rs. 1-8 per maund ; but the price soon fell to to and 12 annas per maund, and large remissions had to be allowed. In 1854 the second summary settlement began. A reduction of \o\ per cent, was made in Sanawan, while in Muzaffargarh and Allpur increases were taken of 6 and 21 per cent, respectively. Good seasons were believed to justify the increase of an assessment which had already proved to be excessive. In less than two years it broke down, and a third summary settlement was made, reducing the revenue in Sanawan still further, and that of the other tahslh to their first assessment. This settlement was badly worked, the canals were never cleared from 1849 to 1876, and the revenue was never redistributed.
The regular settlement began in 1873 completed in 1880. Including grazing dues and the assessment on date-palms, the new demand was 5I lakhs. Most of the revenue was fixed, but fluctuating assessments were sanctioned for the riverain circles. A revised settle- ment, undertaken in 1897 and finished in 1903, resulted in an increase of about Rs. 1,25,000. Nearly half the assessment is now fluctuating, crop rates varying between Rs, 2-4 and 6 annas being imposed on matured crops, in addition to a lump sum on each well. The demand (including cesses) for 1903-4 amounted to 8-5 lakhs. The average size of a proprietary holding is about 7 acres (cultivated).
The collections of land revenue alone and of total revenue are shown below, in thousands of rupees : —
The District contains four municipalities: Muzaffakgarh, Khan-
GARH, Alipur, and Khairpur. Outside these, local affairs are
managed by the District board. A local rate supplies the greater
part of the board's income, which in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 67,000,
The expenditure in the same year was Rs. 71,000, public works
forming the principal item.
The regular police force consists of 397 of all ranks, in charge of a Superintendent, who usually has four inspectors under him. Village watchmen number 489. There are fourteen police stations, one out- post, and four road-posts. The District has no jail, convicted prisoners being sent to Multan.
Muzaffargarh stands eighteenth among the twenty-eight Districts of the Province in respect of the literacy of its population. In 1901 the proportion of literate persons was 3-6 per cent. (6-5 males and 0-2 females). The number of pupils under instruction was 1,612 in 1880-1, 3,587 in 1890 I, 4,194 in 1900-1, and 4,106 in 1903-4. In the last year there were one special, 3 secondary, and 58 primary (public) schools, with 14 advanced and 86 elementary (private) schools, the public schools returning 108 girls and the private schools 309. In 1903-4 the expenditure on education was Rs. 24,000, the greater part of which was met by Local funds.
Besides the civil hospital, the District possesses six outlying dis- pensaries. In 1904 a total of 91,878 out-patients and 1,213 in-patients were treated, and 3,598 operations were performed. The expenditure was Rs. 14,000, mainly derived from Local funds.
The number of successful vaccinations in 1903-4 was 12,082, repre- senting 29-8 per 1,000 of the population.
[D. C. J. Ibbetson, District Gazetteer (1883-4); Hari Kishan Kaul, Settlemcjit Report (1904) ; and Customary Laiv of the Muzaffargarh District (1903).]
