Pudukkottai State, 1908
Contents |
Pudukkottai State, 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.
The third most important of the five Native States in political relations with the Government of Madras. It lies. on the eastern side of the Presidency, between 10 degree 7' and 10 degree 44' N, and 78 degree 25' and 79degree 12' E., and is bounded on the north and west by Trichinopoly District, the Collector of which is ex-officio , Political Agent for the State, on the south by Madura, and on the east by Tanjore. It comprises an area of 1,100 square miles, and measures 50 miles from east to west and 40 miles from north to south. It is called after its chief town, the name meaning 'new fort.' The State was formerly known as the Tondiman's country, from the family name of the ruling chief.
Physical aspects
Pudukkottai resembles in its physical aspects the upland parts of the east coast of the Presidency, and consists for the most part of an undulating plain of barren or sparsely-cultivated land interspersed with small but picturesque rocky hills, some of which are crowned by ancient forts and temples. These hills are most numerous in the south-west portion, where the 1 country is extremely wild and rugged, and here also are the thickest forests. In these are found antelope, spotted deer, wild hog, and some wild cattle, which appear to have originally been village cattle of the ordinary type but are now larger and stronger than the usual plough bullocks. Four small rivers drair the country from west to east.
The climate resembles that of the surrounding Districts and is fairly healthy. Temperatures have not been officially recorded ; but Puduk- kottai is probably cooler than Trichinopoly in the hot season, as it is more open and nearer the sea. Malaria is rare. Guinea-worm used to be very common, but is now less prevalent. The annual rainfall averages 35 inches.
During the last quarter of a century there have been three cyclones, which occurred in 1884, 1890, and 1893, all during the north-east monsoon. In the first two the rainfall amounted to about 7 1/2 inches, and in the last it was from 12 to 27 inches in different parts of the State, but no serious damage occurred.
History
In early times the northern part of the present Pudukkottai State belonged to the CHOLA kings, whose capital was at Uraiyur near Trichinopoly, and the southern part to the PANDYA kings of MADURA. About the middle of the sixteenth century Madura passed to the Naik dynasty, and its kings acquired the whole of the territory which makes up the present State, ruling it through a poligar or feudatory chief. In the seventeenth century the country came into the possession of the Setupati of RAMNAD, who had been a vassal of the Naiks but had thrown off his allegiance. It was temporarily recovered about 1664 by Chokkanatha, the Naik ruler of Trichinopoly, but soon afterwards came again into the possession of Ramnad; and about 1680 the Setupati, Raghunatha Kilavan, appointed Raghunatha Tondiman as chief of the district of Pudukkottai. This latter is said to have been the brother of a girl of the Kalian caste whom the Ramnad chief had married. From him the present Rajas trace their descent.
The relations of the English with the State began during the Carnatic
wars of the eighteenth century. During the siege of Trichinopoly by
the French in 1752 and 1753 the Tondiman of the time did good ser-
vice to the Company's cause by sending them provisions, although his
own country was on at least one occasion ravaged as a consequence of
his fidelity to the English. In 1756 he sent some of his troops to assist
Muhammad Yusuf, the Company's sepoy commandant, in settling the
Madura and Tinnevelly countries. Subsequently, he was of much ser-
vice in the wars with Haidar Ali, and in the operations against the
rebellious poligars of Sivaganga and Panjalamkurichi in Madura and
Tinnevelly Districts respectively, capturing the latter and handing him
over to the English. In 1803 he solicited, as a reward for his services,
the favourable consideration of his claim to the fort and district of
Kilanelli, near Arantangi in the south of Tanjore. He based his claim
on a grant made by Pratap Singh, Raja of Tanjore, and on engagements
subsequently entered into by Colonel Braithwaite, Sir Eyre Coote, and
Lord Macartney, on the faith of which he had retaken the fort from
Haidar All. The Madras Government, after a very complimentary re-
view of his services, complied with his request ; and the grant was con-
pirmed in 1806 by the Court of Directors, subject to the condition that
the district should not be alienated, and that it should revert to the
British Government upon satisfactory proof that the inhabitants were
subjected to any oppressive system of management. The grant was
further made subject to the yearly tribute of an elephant ; but this was
never insisted upon, and in 1836 was formally remitted. Beyond this
grant, there is no treaty or arrangement with the Raja. A sanad per-
mitting adoption in accordance with Hindu law was conferred on him
in 1862. At first the political charge of the State was entrusted to the
Resident at Tanjore. When this office was abolished in 1841, the duty
was transferred to the Collector of Madura. From 1865 to 1874 the
Political Agent was the Collector of Tanjore, and from 1874 up to the
present time the Collector of Trichinopoly has carried on the duties of
the post.
The present Raja, His Highness Raja Sri Martanda Bhairava Tondi- man Bahadur, who was born on November 27, 1875, succeeded his grandfather in 1886 as a minor. He is the grandson of Raja Rama- chandra Tondiman Bahadur (fifth in descent from Raghunatha) by his eldest daughter, and was adopted by the late Raja in 1877. During his minority the late Sir A. Seshayya Sastri, K.C.S.I., was Diwan Regent. The Raja, who had been for some years under the private tuition of an English gentleman, was installed on .November 27, 1894, He has a privy purse of Rs. 1,24,000 a year, and is entitled to a salute of n guns.
No systematic examination of the archaeological remains in the State has been made. Near Nartamalai, in a cluster of low rocky hills 9 miles north-west of Pudukkottai town and to the west of the road from Trichinopoly, are ancient rock-cuttings consisting of caves with pillar supports to the roof and carvings, which are probably of Jain origin. The most interesting antiquities so far discovered consist of coins. Roman aurei have been found, and also some curious native copper coins which are believed to be about a hundred years old. The latter are lumps of copper without edgings, but the designs on some of them are well executed. The coins being very small the legends are imper- fect, but they are believed to have been struck by Raja Vijaya Raghu- natha (1807-25). Some curious old chain armour has been found near Tirumayam. The inscriptions on some of the temples are believed to be of interest, but have not been deciphered.
Population
The State contains one town, its capital PUDUKKOTTAI, the inhabi- tants of which numbered 20,347 in 1901 ; and 377 villages. The largest of the villages are Tirumayam and Karambakudi, the population of each of which is over 3,500. Ihe popu- lation of the State was 316,695 in 1871, 302,127 in 1881 (the decline being due to the great famine of 1876-8), 373,096 in 1891, and 380,440 in 1901. The density in 1901 was 346 persons per square mile, which is considerably less than in the neighbouring Districts of Tanjore and Trichinopoly, but slightly above the density in Madura. In the same year Hindus numbered 3535723, or 93 per cent, of the total; Muham- madans, 12,268, or 3.2 per cent. ; and Christians, 14,449, or 3.8 per cent. The most numerous caste among the Hindus is the Valaiyans (52,890), formerly shikaris but now largely agriculturists ; next come the Kalians (47,462), the Paraiyans (32,550), and the Pallans (27,381), who are chiefly cultivators and farm labourers ; and then the Idaiyans (26,479), who are shepherds. As elsewhere in Southern India, the great majority of the people subsist by the land.
The Christian missions working in the State are the Roman Catholic (Jesuit and Goanese) and the Protestant (Leipzig Lutheran, and Wes- leyan). Avur, a village 12 miles to the south of Trichinopoly, is the centre of the Catholic missions. Of the Christians in the State in 1901, 14,406 were natives, and of these 14,051 were Roman Catholics, 233 Lutherans, and 17 Methodists.
Vital statistics are registered by the village officers, as in British territory. The recorded birth- and death-rates in 1903-4 were 9-28 and 8.75 respectively per 1,000 of the population. These figures show that registration is by no means complete, and steps are being taken to improve matters-. Regulation I of 1903 has made regis- tration compulsory in Pudukkottai town, and Regulation II of the same year gives the Darbar power to make it compulsory in rural tracts also.
Agriculture
The general agricultural conditions of the State, the soils and seasons and the methods of cultivation, resemble those in the adjoining areas in Trichinopoly and Madura. Out of the total area of 1,100 square miles or 704,000 acres, 271,879 acres are held on the usual ryotwari or inam (favourable rate) tenures; 157,417 acres are occupied by jagirs (estates), or relate to inams the tenure of which has been inquired into but in respect of which title-deeds have not yet been issued ; 50,070 acres represent unoccupied lands fit for cultivation ; and the rest is waste, such as hills, forest, village-sites, &c., which is not fit for cultivation. Among the lands held on inam and other favourable tenures is the Manovarti
- dgir, which is held by the Raj himself. This class of land also in-
cludes many villages and minor inams granted at lenient rates of assess- ment by former Rajas to Brahmans and the old militia. An inquiry into the terms on which these are held has recently been conducted and is now practically complete. Of the area occupied on the ryotwari or ' minor ' inam tenures, all but 118 acres pays money rents. The re- mainder is held on what is called the amdni system, under which the Darbar takes as the land revenue one-half of the net produce on ' wet ' lands and one-third of that on 'dry' lands, after first deducting the swatantrams or fees due to village officers and servants. The reasons which have caused such a large area as 50,070 acres of arable land to remain unoccupied are being investigated.
The principal food-crops are rice, cambu (Pennisetum typhoideum) rdgi (Eleustne coracana) cholam (Sorghum vulgare) and varagn (Paspalum scrobiculatuni). Other important crops are horse-gram, ground-nuts (Arachis hypogaed), and black gram. The proportion of the cultivated area to the land available for cultivation has gradually increased during the past eight years from 66 to 84 per cent. The extent of ‘wet' (irrigated) land under occupation in 1903-4 was 108,000 acres, and that of ‘dry ' (unirrigated) land, 1 70,500 acres. The irrigation sources of the State are 4 rivers, 62 dams, 7,356 artificial reservoirs, 190 channels, 3,927 jungle streams, and 18,452 wells. Of these, the reservoirs are the most important. The country is dotted with them and some are of considerable size.
The forests contain only small timber. No law regarding forests has been enacted, but sixty blocks of jungle have been marked out and ‘reserved’ They cover about one-seventh of the area of the State, and some are reserved for the Raja to shoot over. Wild cattle are occasion- ally caught in them and broken in and used as draught animals, as they are remarkable for their strength and endurance. Their capture has lately, however, been prohibited. Several plantations have been made near the streams and rivers ; and these contain 245,000 casuarina trees, the wood of which makes excellent fuel. The principal sources of forest revenue are the sale of fuel and minor produce such as gums, tanning barks, &c., the lease of the right to collect leaves for manure, tanning bark, Nux vomica, and red ochre, seigniorage fees on granite and laterite removed, licence fees for stone-quarrying, stone-masons' licences, and a tax on brick-moulds. The total forest revenue in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 35,000.
Trade and communication
Minerals are few. Iron ore is found in places, but is not mined. Red ochre is procurable in abundance and is extracted in large quan tities. Granite and laterite are used for building. The laterite is a very hard variety, and the old fort of Kilvellikkottai is built entirely of it.
There are no large industries in the State. Silk fabrics are made at Pudukkottai town, the number of silk-weavers' houses being about 200. Cotton staffs are woven there and at Karambakudi, and black woollen blankets at Sellukudi. Rush mats and also bell-metal vessels are made in and about Karambakudi. These are much in demand both within and outside the State. Bangles are made at Vaittiir. Perfumes are manufactured at Pudukkottai and exported to some extent, being much appreciated among Hindus.
The other chief articles of export are ground-nuts, Nuoc vomica seeds, avdram bark used for tanning leather, and acacia bark employed in distilleries. The chief imports are salt, rice, European piece-goods, and tobacco. The Chettis conduct the greater part of the trade, and there are also a considerable number of Labbais, an enterprising body of mixed Musalman descent.
The State is well provided with roads, which are kept in good condi- tion. Pudukkottai town is connected with Trichinopoly by two routes, one running direct through Klraniir and the other passing through Iluppur and Viralimalai on the Madura trunk road. It is also con- nected by road with Tanjore, Budalur, Gandarvakottai, Pudukkottai, and Arantangi in Tanjore District, and with Melur in Madura. There are in addition several smaller lines within the State. The total length of all the roads is 272 miles, and the outlay on them in 1903-4 was Rs. 45,000. Light spring carts drawn by ponies (known as jatkas) ply from Tanjore and Trichinopoly to Pudukkottai, the distances being 36 and 33 miles respectively. There is no railway in the State ; but the Darbar has been asked whether it is prepared to finance that portion of a line from Trichinopoly to Pudukkottai town which would run through the territory of the Raja, and another proposal contemplates the con- struction of a line from Madura District, through this State, to Tanjore. The chief town and seven other places are connected with Trichinopoly by telegraph. There are 28 post offices. Both the post and telegraph offices are under the management of the Government of India Postal and Telegraph departments.
Famine
The State suffered severely in the famine of 1876-8, when relief works were opened and gratuitous relief was distributed. The country is en- tirely dependent upon timely local rainfall, but actual famines are of rare occurrence. In 1894-5, owing to the failure of rain in both monsoons, distress was felt in the northern part. The Raja visited the affected tracts, and ordered the suspension of the collection of the land revenue and the opening of relief works.
Administration
The administration of the State is in the hands of a council, consisting of the Raja, the Diwan (formerly called the Sirkele), and a Councillor. Orders are passed and correspondence carried on in the name of the Diwan-in-Council. Ihe State is guided in all important matters by the advice and counsel of the British Government, represented by the Political Agent, the Collector of Tri- chinopoly. Since 1902, an assembly of representatives has been con- stituted on the lines of the Mysore Assembly. It is composed of 30 persons, chosen by the State as representative of the various classes of the community, nominations being made by the heads of departments and by public institutions. The assembly meets once a year. The results of the preceding year's administration and the budget for the ensuing year are placed before it, and its members are allowed the privilege of interpellation on all matters connected with the adminis- tration.
The immediate control of the revenue and magisterial departments is in the hands of the Diwan PeshLar, who is also the chief magistrate and is invested with first-class magisterial powers. The salt, excise, and forest departments are under the control of the Superintendent of salt, abkari, and separate revenue. The Superintendent of police in Trichinopoly District is ex-officio Superintendent of the force within the State. The country is divided for administrative purposes into three taluks : Kolattur, the head-quarters of which is at Kiranur, and Alangudi and Tirumayam, the head-quarters of which are the places after which they are named. In each of these is stationed a tahsildar, who is responsible for land revenue ; an inspector of salt, abkari ', and separate revenue ; a sub-magistrate, and an inspector of police.
Legislative measures are enacted by the Diwan-in-Council, and, as in the case of the other Native States subject to the Madras Govern- ment, are forwarded to that Government for approval before being passed into law.
Civil justice is administered by the Chief Court at Pudukkottai, which consists of three judges and a registrar who has Small Cause jurisdiction. There are also ten Small Cause Courts for rural areas, sub-registrars of assurances being invested with the powers of Small Cause judges to about the same extent as Village Munsifs in British territory. All appeals are disposed of by the Chief Court.
The criminal courts are the Sessions court, presided over by the judges of the Chief Court sitting singly by turns; and the courts of the chief magistrate, who has first-class powers; the special magistrate, Pudukkottai, with first- or second-class powers; the town second-class magistrate ; three taluk magistrates and three stationary magistrates with second-class powers; and six sub-registrars invested with third- class powers. All appeals lie to the Chief Court. Serious offences, such as dacoity or robbery, are rare, the greater part of the crime consisting of house-breaking and thefts. Sentences of rigorous im- prisonment for life and forfeiture of property, the former of which, under the law of the State, takes the place of capital punishment, are subject to the confirmation of the Raja. The criminal courts have no jurisdiction over European British subjects, and any offenders of this class are handed over for trial to the Political Agent, who is Justice of the Peace for the State. The receipts under Law and Justice amounted in 1903-4 to Rs. 61,000, and the charges to Rs. 40,000.
The Regulation of the State dealing with the registration of assur- ances differs but little from the Indian Registration Act, the chief point of divergence being that under the former registration is compulsory in the case of several kinds of documents regarding which it is optional under the latter. There are twelve registry offices, including that of the head of the department, who is called the Registrar of Assurances. The cost of the department is Rs. 18,000.
The total revenue of the State in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 11,28,000, and the total expenditure to Rs. 10,21,000. The chief items are shown in the following table :
The ordinary currency of the State is the British Indian coinage, but a small round copper coin, worth one-twentieth of an anna and called amman-kasu, is also current. This is minted for the State, and bears on one side the word vijaya (‘victory') in Telugu, and on the other a representation of the Raja's tutelary goddess Bruhadamba. This deity is the consort of the god Gokarnaswami, and a temple to them stands in Tirugokarnam, a suburb of Pudukkottai town. To this the Rajas are wont to go on occasions of public worship.
The land revenue consists of the assessment on land held on the ryotwdri tenure, quit-rents on certain classes of inams, a small tax on jagirs, and the value of the State's share of the produce of land held under the amani system above referred to. The rates of assessment on 'wet' land on ryotwdri tenure vary from Rs. 4 to Rs. 10 per acre, and those on 'dry ' land from 6 1/2 annas to Rs. 1-8. There are also special rates for ' dry ' land on which rice is grown.
The history of the land revenue possesses some interest. In 1878, when Mr. (afterwards Sir) A. Seshayya Sastri became Diwan, about 16,000 acres were held on a tenure under which the cultivator and the State shared the produce. The Diwan substituted for the State's share a money assessment based upon the average out-turn for the five years from 1871 to 1875 and the average selling price of grain during those years. No remissions of the assessment so arrived at were to be allowed on account of bad seasons. The village accountants' fees (formerly payable in kind) were commuted into a cess of 6 pies per rupee of assessment.
It had long been customary to give a paper to each ryot every year, which specified the fields which happened to be in his possession and were to be cultivated by him in that year. The ryots were not, however, considered to possess any occupancy rights in their land or any power of transfer. Their status has now been changed from that of tenants-at- will into that of proprietors ; and owners of land are now able to mortgage, transfer, or sell it, proceedings which would have been void at law under the previous system. These reforms, however, quickly showed very clearly the necessity for a regular survey and settlement. The cadastral survey of the State is now in progress. On its completion, the settlement will be taken in hand.
Revenue used to be derived from the earth-salt manufactured from saline soils as a State monopoly; but in 1887 the Madras Government arranged with the Darbar for the suppression of this manufacture, and entered into a convention (still in force) by which it agreed to pay the Darbar Rs. 38,000 annually as compensation, imposing at the same time the obligation of maintaining a preventive staff costing about Rs. 10,000.
The system of collection of the excise revenue is almost the same as that in the Madras Presidency. A State distillery is maintained for the manufacture of country spirit, and rents are collected on licences for retail shops and on palm-trees permitted to be tapped for their juice. Still-head duty is collected on the liquor issued from the dis- tillery at rates nearly equal to those obtaining in the Madras Presidency. There are 108 arrack (spirit) and 233 toddy (fermented palm-juice) shops, one foreign liquor shop, and also one shop in the chief town for the sale of opium and ganja. The cost of the excise department is Rs. 8,000.
Under the head of assessed taxes among the sources of revenue given above is included the mohtarfa, which consists of a tax on houses and trades. Terraced houses are assessed at R.1 per annum, tiled houses at 8 annas, thatched houses at 4 annas, and huts at 6 pies. Shops and bazars are charged at the rate of Rs. 3, Rs. 2, R. 1, and 8 annas, according to their importance. Silk looms pay R. 1 each, other looms 12 annas, and oil-mills Rs. 2 per annum.
Tolls are levied in Pudukkottai town and at eight other gates. The proceeds amount to Rs. 30,000. A revenue of about Rs. 20,000 is derived from market fees, cart-stand fees, and rent of public buildings. There is no stamp law in the State. Court fees are levied in cash.
The Public Works depcirtment is under the control of an Engineer, aided by two Assistant Engineers and a subordinate staff. The care of the State buildings and the maintenance and construction of irrigation works form the principal part of its business.
The military force now maintained consists of 22 officers, 90 privates (of whom 6 are gunners), and 16 troopers, who are known as the Raja's body-guard and are under the immediate control of an officer called the commandant.
The strength of the police force is one chief inspector, 5 inspectors, 28 head constables, and 229 constables. There are 23 police stations. As has already been mentioned, the force is in charge of the District Superintendent of Trichinopoly. The annual cost of the department is Rs. 35,000.
The seven prisons include the Central jail at Pudukkottai town and six subsidiary jails. The convicts in the former are employed in making wicker baskets, ropes, cloths, bell-metal vessels, and net bags, in garden- ing, and in pressing gingelly oil. They are also employed in the con- servancy of the town. The value of the labour done both within and without the jail by them in 1903-4 was Rs. 2,200. There were 50 con- victs in jail at the end of 1903-4 (8 of whom were life-convicts) and 15 under- trial prisoners, besides 5 civil prisoners, all of whom were lunatics. The cellular system is not in force, but arrangements have been made to introduce it. The cost of the department is about Rs. 7,000.
Education
According to the Census of 1901 Pudukkottai, if it had been a British District, would have taken the fifth place among the twenty-two Districts of the Madras Presidency as regards the education of its male population, but would have ranked last as regards the education of its girls, the actual percen- tages of the literate of each sex to the total population of that sex being 15.6 and 0-4 respectively. At the end of 1903-4, there were 35 State, 146 aided, and 96 unaided educational institutions. Of these, 255 were primary, 13 secondary, and 6 special schools. Altogether, 8,397 boys and 846 girls were under instruction. Pudukkottai town possesses a second-grade college, teaching up to the F.A. examination, which at the close of 1903-4 contained 36 students in the college department. Provision has been made in the institution for the religious instruction of Hindu boys, and physical development also receives special attention, A school called the Vani Vilasa Veda SSstra Pathsala teaches Sanskrit on Oriental lines. The staff consists of eight pandits : three for the Vedas, one each for Tarka (logic) and Vedanta (metaphysics), one for Mlmamsa (a school of philosophy), and two for Kavya (poetry). The library contains over a thousand volume.s on paper and cadjan (palm-leaves). About half the students get daily allowances in kind from the assignments made to religious and charitable institutions. The town State girls' school teaches up to the lower secondary standard. There is an industrial school at Puduk- kottai under the control of the Engineer. The State also endeavours to spread general elementary education. Girls of all castes and Muham- madans and Panchama boys are taught free. In the lower classes non-Brahman Hindus form the majority of the pupils. Of the girls, the most numerous are those of the Muhammadan "community. In 1903-4 the receipts from fees, c,, amounted to Rs. 14,000 and the gross expenditure was Rs. 40,000, the net cost to the State being Rs. 26,000. Of the total outlay, Rs. 15,000 was devoted to primary education. The control of the Educational department is vested in the principal of the College, Mr. Radhakrishna Ayyar, a gentleman known even in Europe for his works on arithmetic.
Medical
Pudukkottai town possesses a well-equipped hospital, with 28 beds for males and 4 for females, and also a dispensary for women and children, while 7 other dispensaries have been opened in the rural parts. The dispensary for women and children is in charge of a lady apothecary, and the other institutions are under the control of the chief medical and sanitary officer. In 1903-4, 440 in-patients and 85,700 out-patients were treated, and the number of operations performed was 1,800.
The vaccination staff, consisting of one inspector and ten vaccinators, works under the supervision of the chief medical and sanitary officer. About 26 per 1,000 of the population were successfully vaccinated in 1903-4. Vaccination is compulsory only in Pudukkottai town.
The conservancy of this town is controlled by a sanitary board, with a full-time secretary as its chief executive officer. Conservancy in other parts is attended to by the revenue staff, acting upon the advice and suggestions of the chief medical and sanitary officer. The total annual cost of the Medical department, including vaccination, is about Rs. 26,000. [For further particulars of the State see its Annual Administration Reports and the Trichinopoly District Manual (1878).]
