Rajshahi District
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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Rajshahi District
(the ' royal territory ') District in the south- western comer of the Rajshahi Division, Eastern Bengal and Assam, lying between 24 7' and 25 3' N and 88 18' and 89 21' E., with an area of 2,593 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Dmajpur and Bogra Districts ; on the east by Bogra and Pabna ; on the south and south-west by the Padma, or main stream of the Ganges, which separates it from Nadia and Murshidabad ; and on the west by Malda.
Physical aspects
The District is composed of three entirely distinct tracts The north-western portion, bordering on Malda and Dmajpur, is elevated and undulating, with a stiff red clay or quasi-laterite aspects so ^ > w ^ ere not cultivated, it is covered with brush- wood, interspersed with large trees, the remains of an extensive forest. Along the bank of the Padma or Ganges is a comparatively high and well-drained tract of sandy soil, while the central and eastern thdnas are a swampy depression, waterlogged and abounding in marshes ; the rivers that once drained this tract have been cut in half by the Padma and their mouths have silted up.
With the exception of the PADMA, which forms the southern boundary of the District, and of the MAHANANDA, which runs foi a short distance along its western border, the river system is a net- work of moribund streams and watercourses, some of which are connected with the Padma and others with the Brahmaputra. The Baral is an offshoot of the Padma, which eventually mingles its waters with those of the Atrai , its upper channels have silted up, and from December to June there is now scarcely any cun ent. The Narad was formerly another important branch of the Padma, but its channel is now practically dry even during the rains The chief representatives of the Brahmaputra system are the Atrai and the JAMUNA. The former is navigable throughout the year by small cargo boats, the latter only m the rains. Another river, whose lower reaches are usually passable by country boats, is the Baranai, which flows in an easterly direction through the subdivision of Nator.
The District slopes slightly from west to east, its drainage is carried off not by rivers, but through a chain of marshes and swamps. The largest of these is the" CHALAN BIL, into which the overflow from all the others sooner or later finds its way, to be passed on eventually, through an outlet at its south-eastern corner, into the Brahmaputra.
The greater part of the District is covered with recent alluvium, con- sisting of sandy clay and sand along the course of the rivers, and elsewhere of fine silt consolidating into clay. The Barind, however, belongs to an older alluvial formation j it is composed of massive argillaceous beds of a rather pale reddish-brown hue, often weathering yellowish, in which are disseminated kankar and pisohtic ferruginous concretions.
Where the ground is not occupied by the usual crops of North Bengal, it is covered with an abundant natural vegetation. Old river- beds, ponds and marshes, and streams with a sluggish current have a copious vegetation of Valhsneria and other plants. Land subject to inundation has usually a covering of Tamarix and reedy grasses, and where the ground is marshy Rosa involucrata is plentiful. Few trees are found on these inundated lands \ the most plentiful and largest is the hidjal (Barringtonia acutangula). There are no forests \ and even on the higher ground the trees are few and stunted, and the surface is covered by grasses, such as Imperata arundinacea and Andropogon aciculatus, Among trees the most conspicuous is the red cotton-tree or semal (Bombax malabancutn) } the stssu (Dalbergia Sissoa) and the mango occur as planted or sometimes self-sown species. The villages are generally buried in thickets of semi-spontaneous and more or less useful trees.
Tigers are occasionally found in the Barind and in the country south of the Chalan Bil, but they are nowhere common, Leopards have greatly diminished in numbers in recent years. Fish abound in all the rivers, and the annual value of the Padma fisheries alone has been estimated at 2 lakhs.
Mean temperature increases from 63 in January to 85 in April, May, and June. It is about 83 during the monsoon months, falling to 72 in November and 65 in December. The highest average maxi- mum is 96 in April, and the lowest average minimum 51 in January. The annual rainfall averages 57 inches, of which 6-2 fall in May, 10-1 in June, 11-7 in July, 10-4 in August, and 10-4 in September.
The earthquake of 1897 was very severely felt, especially in the east of the District. Only 15 deaths were reported, but great damage was caused to property, and the total loss to Government alone was estimated at i-| lakhs. Earth fissures occurred in many places, the roads were badly cracked, and the crops damaged by surface sub- sidences.
Rajshahi must originally have formed part of the old kingdom of PUNDRA, 01 Paundravardhaua, the country of the Pods, whose capital was at MAHASTHAN. Under the Sen kings this was kno\\n as the
Barendra Bhumi, a name which still suivives in the History. Barmd tract already referred to. Rajshahi piesents an example of the process by which a native zaminddri has been moulded into a British District. Early m the eighteenth century it was granted by the Muhammadans to Ramjiban, the founder of the Nator family. In 1728 the zaminddri of Rajshahi extended from Bhagalpur on the west to Dacca on the east, and included a large subdivision called Nij Chakla Rajshahi, on the south bank of the Padma, which stretched across Murshidabad and Nadia as far as the frontiers of Birbhum and Burdwan. Rajshahi thus comprised an area of 13,000 square miles, and paid a revenue of 27 lakhs. Unfortunately, however, for the Nator family, the estate fell under the management of a woman, the celebrated Ram Bhawani, whose charitable grants of rent-free land permanently impoverished her ancestral possessions, After some years of direct management by Government officers, the Ranfs adopted son was permitted in 1790 to engage for the whole District at a permanent assessment of 23 lakhs ; but the strict regula- tions which were then introduced for the recovery of revenue arrears by sale of the defaulter's estate were constantly called into requisition against the Raja, and paicel after parcel of his hereditary property was sold
Meanwhile another chain of circumstances was tending to dissolve the integrity of the original District At first an attempt was made to administer justice through a single Collector-Judge and Magistiate with two assistants, one stationed at Muradbagh, near Muishidabad, and the other at the local capital of Natoi. In 1793, however, a general redistribution of Bengal into Districts was made, and the extensive tract lying south of the Padma was taken from the parent District and divided among the adjoining juiisdictions of Muishidabad, Nadia, and Jesbore. The prevalence of crime in the remoter parts of the District rendered further reductions necessary , and in 1813 the present Dis- trict of Malda was constituted out of a neglected tract in the west, towards which Rajshahi, Dinajpur, and Purnea all contributed their share; Bogra was formed in a similar manner in 1821, and Pabna in 1832 ; and thus Rajshahi District assumed its present proportions.
Population
The population of the present area increased from 1,423,592 in 1872 to 1,450,776 in 1881, but fell to 1,439,634 m 1891. It rose again to Population M^M ? in 1901, but the growth since 1872 is little more than 2 per cent Rajshahi is one of the most feverish Districts in Bengal, the unhealthiest portion being the central and eastern tract of waterlogged country which has already been described. This aiea is notonously malanous, and the mortality from fever has consistently been among the highest lecoided in Bengal The pievailing disease is malarial fever ; but cholera and dysenteiy also claim their victims.
The chief statistics of the Census of 1901 are shown below ;
The two towns aie RAMPUR BOALIA, the head-quarters, and NAIOR. The density would be far greater but for the fact that the District contains a large portion of the Bannd and numerous marshes and lakes, including the Chalan Bll. In a belt of country running from north to south through the centre of the District the population is as dense as in almost any pait of North Bengal. For the net increase the north of the District is entirely responsible. In the Bannd the population has mcieased since 1872 by 25-6 per cent, and in the gdnja-g\ owing thanas (Naogaon and Panchupur) by 59-3 per cent., while in the decadent southern and central thanas there has been a decrease of 12-8 per cent. There has been an extension of immi- gration to the Bannd on the part of aboriginal Santals, Mundas, and Oraons, who are encouraged to break down and clear the jungle by the zamlndars* They are allowed to occupy waste land rent free for three or four years , and they then move on, leaving the fields they have brought under cultivation to be occupied by the less hardy Hindu ryots, who would shrink from undertaking on their own account the irksome task of reclamation There has been a considerable drift of population within the District from the unhealthy waterlogged tract to the healthier and more prospeious thanas in the Naogaon sub- division. During the cold season numerous /^/-bearers, earth- workers, and field-labourers visit the District, and their presence at the time of the Census caused a large excess of males over females, The dialect known as Northern Bengali is the vernacular of the District. Muhammadans number 1,135,202, or 77-6 per cent, of the population, a proportion exceeded only in the neighbouring District of Bogra. Hindus (325,111) constitute the greater part of the re- mainder.
The majority of the Muhammadans aie Shaikhs, and there can be little doubt that the majority of these, together with the functional groups of Jolahas (18,000) and Kulus (15,000), are descendants of converts from the Chandal and Koch communities, which are, after the Kaibarttas (66,000), still the most numerous Hindu castes in the District. Of the total population, 73 per cent, are supported by agri- culture, 12-7 per cent, by industry, 5-5 by unskilled labour, and only 0-5 and 1-5 per cent, by commerce and the professions respectively.
A Presbyterian mission began work in 1862 and maintains a hospital and dispensary, an orphanage, and schools. The number of native Christians is 309
Agriculture
In the Barind the only crop grown is winter rice ; but the grey sandy soil of the Gangetic thanas supports a variety of crops, and the black loan which is found elsewhere is also extremely fertil India two Mnas of Naogaon and Panchu- pur the land is somewhat higher and the drainage less obstructed than in the rest of the tract.
The chief agricultural statistics for 1903-4 are reproduced below, areas being in square miles .
miles or more than four-fifths of the net cropped area. The eaily rice is sown broadcast on comparatively high lands at the time of the spring showers, and is reaped from July to September. The better kinds of winter rice are first sown in nurseries, whence the seedlings are after- 'wards transplanted to low lands; this crop is harvested in November and December. The coarser varieties of long-stemmed rice are sown in the beds of marshes and in very low-lying land ; the stem grows with the rising of the water, and the gram reaches maturity about the end of December. The winter crop forms about 77 per cent, of the whole and the autumn crop about 18^ per cent., while the spring crop grown on inarsh lands contributes only a very small proportion of the total out-turn. Various pulses (215-6 square miles) and oilseeds (149 square miles) are raised, chiefly from the autumn rice-fields during the cold season. In addition, wheat (97 square miles), barley, oats, tobacco, sugarcane, and maize are grown to some extent. Of the non-food crops, jute (131 square miles) is the most important. Betel-leaf is exported to North Bengal and Calcutta. Indigo and mulberry used to be grown largely ; but the former has entirely disappeared, while the latter has for many years been declining, owing to the prevalence of silkworm epidemics. In older to revive the silk industry, a sericultural school has been opened at Rampur Boalia, which supplies the Bengal Silk Committee with trained sericultural overseers and also trains rearers' sons in the microscopical examination of seed.
The cultiva-
tion of gdnja is carried on in a small tract of 76 square miles in the
Naogaon and Panchupur thanas^ which supplies not merely the needs
of the whole of Bengal, but also those of Assam and of a part of the
United Provinces ; some is also exported to Native States, and a small
quantity is shipped to London, whence it is passed on to the West
Indies, The area cultivated vanes from year to year, the average being
812 acres with a normal out-turn of 6,952 maunds. The maximum
area which may be cultivated in any year is at present fixed by the
Government of India at 976 acres, but this limit is subject to periodical
revision.
Little waste land now remains except in the Barind, where it is rapidly being reclaimed. Scarcely any use is made of the Land Im- provement and Agriculturists' Loans Acts, but in 1897 advances were made to the extent of R&. 19,000.
The local cattle are poor, probably on account of the deficiency of pasture and the absence of any attempts to improve the breed. Two veiy old fairs are held at KHETUR and MANDA. These are attended by from 25,000 to 28,000 persons, and take place in October and April respectively.
Owing to the copious and regular rainfall and the annual rise of the rivers in the rainy season, artificial irrigation is rarely necessary, but it is occasionally practised on a small scale from the nearest tank or watercourse.
Trade and communication
Cotton- weaving is a decadent industry, but it still gives employment to over 2,000 persons , cotton cloths are printed and dyed at Rampur Boalia Copper, brass, and bell-metal utensils are pioduced at Kalam and Budhpara m the Nator subdivision, and pottery for domestic use and brick rings for earthen wells are also manufactured in the former village. Reed mats are made at Naogaon for local consumption. Silk is the most important industry of Rajshahi, as well as of the neighbouring Districts of Murshidabad and Malda, and silk-spinning and weaving have been carried on in the District for centuries. The East India Company established a factory at Rajshahi in the eighteenth century, and in 1832 the Company had two factories, each the seat of a Com- mercial Resident ; the Residency at Rampur Boalia was subsequently purchased by the firm of Messrs Watson & Co. The out-turn of the several filatures was formerly as much as 400,000 Ib, of raw silk, valued at 37 lakhs; but the average production for the thiee yeais ending 1899-1900 was only 96,684 lb., valued at 8-2 lakhs, and in 1903-4 the quantity manufactured fell to 67,790 lb, The bulk of the silk is exported to Europe, where it commands a ready sale at prices some- what lower than silk from continental worms , it is used largely in the manufacture of silk hats Some of the native spun silk is woven into a coarse cloth, called matkd, for local use. In 1901 there were three European silk factories at Sarda, Kajla, and Sarail each possessing subordinate filatures , and the industry supported over 41,000 persons.
The bulk of the trade is with Calcutta, the chief exports being jute, nce, pulses, silk, and ganja^ and the chief imports European piece-goods, salt, sugar, and kerosene oil. The principal marts are Sultanganj, GODAGARI, RAMPUR BOALIA, and Charghat on the Padma, Chang- dhupail and Gurudaspur on the Baral ; Kallganj on one of the feeders of the Chalan Bil, Prasadpur on the Atrai; and NAOGAON on the Jamuna. At Lakshmanhati an extensive business is done in the sale and hire of sugar-cane mills and evaporating pans
The northern section of the Eastern Bengal State Railway intersects the District from north to south Including 747 miles of village roads, the District contains (1904) 1,299 miles f roads, of which 42 miles are metalled. The most important are those leading from Rampur Boaha northward to Naohata, via Baya, eastward via Nator to Bogra, and south-east to Pabna, north-westwards to Malda through Godagan, and northward from Godagan to Dmajpur.
Road traffic is gradually increasing as the natural watercourses silt up; but the rivers still provide the chief means of communication, especially during the rams, when there aie few villages in the north and east of the District which cannot be approached by water. The daily steamer sei vices which ply from Goalundo up the Padma stop at Charghat, Rampur Boaha, and Godagan for passengers and cargo, and a branch service up the Mahananda river connects Godagan with Malda.
Administration
The famine of 1874 caused some distress, which was, howevei, relieved by the import of gram. Relief works were again necessary in 1897, but only on a small scale.
For general administrative purposes, the District is divided into three subdivisions, with head-quarters at RAMPUR BOALIA, NAOGAON, and
Administration. NAT R * R * mpur Boabfl was formerl y the head ' quarters of the Division as well as of the District,
but in 1888 the Commissioner's winter head-quarters were transferred to the more accessible station of Jalpaigun. The staff subordinate to the District Magistrate-Collector consists of an Assistant Magistrate- Collector, five Deputy-Magistiate-Collectors, two of whom are in charge of the subdivisions of Naogaon and Nator; the others being stationed at head-quarters, and four Sub-Deputy-Magistiate-Collectors, two of whom are stationed at Nator and two at Naogaon.
For civil work theie arc the courts of the District and Sessions Judge, who is also Judge of Malda, a Sub-Judge and four Munsifs, two being stationed at Nator and one at each of the other subdivisional head-quarters. The criminal courts include those of the Sessions Judge, District Magistrate, and the Assistant, Deputy, and Sub-Deputy Magistrates. The majority of the cases before the courts arise out of disputes about land.
An account of the land revenue history has been included in the paragiaph on the general history of the District. The current demand m 1903-4 was 10-26 lakhs, payable by 1,639 estates, of which 1,592, with a demand of 10-18 lakhs, were permanently settled, 20 small estates were temporarily settled, and 27 were managed direct by Government. The average revenue per cultivated acre is R. 0-13-1 r, or rather above the average of R. 0-13-2 per acre for the whole of Bengal. The revenue represents about 28 per cent, of the rental of the District. Rent rates vary from Rs, 3 to Rs. 9 per acie, the higher figure being paid for mulberry, sugar-cane, ganja, and garden lands.
The following table shows the collections of land revenue and total revenue (principal heads only), in thousands of rupees :
Outside the municipalities of RAMPUR BOALIA and NATOR, local affairs are managed by the District board, with a subordinate local board in each subdivision. In 1903-4 the income of the District board was Rs. 1,71,000, of which Rs. 90,000 was derived from rates; and the expenditure was Rs. 1,64,000, including Rs. 79,000 spent on public works and Rs. 44,000 on education.
The District contains 20 thanas or police stations and 2 .outposts. The force under the District Superintendent consisted in 1903 of 3 inspectors, 38 sub-inspectors, 30 head constables, and 402 constables. In addition to these, there was a rural police force of 3,444 ch&ukidar$ and 319 daffadars. A Central jail at Rampur Boalia has accommo-j dation for 872 prisoners, and sub-jails at the other subdivisions for 30.
'Rajshahi is backward in educational matters, only 4-3 per 'cent. 'of the population (8 males and 0-4 females) being able to read and write in 1901. The total number of pupils under instruction increased from 14,227 in 1892-3 to 21,423 in 1900-1, while 22,581 boys and 1,481 girls were at school in 1903-4, being respectively 20-2 and 1-3 per cent, of those of school-going age. The number of educational institutions, public and private, in that year was 719, including an Arts college, 35 secondary schools, and 664 primary schools. The expenditure on education was 1-73 lakhs, of which Rs. 19,000 was met from Provincial funds, Rs. 41,000 from District funds, Rs. 1,300 from municipal funds, and Rs. 70,000 from fees. The chief educational institutions are in Rampur Boalia, including the Rajshahi College and the sericultural school.
In 1903 the District contained 17 dispensaries, of which 4 had accommodation for 64 in-patients. At these the cases of 103,000 out- patients and 748 in-patients were treated during the year, and 3,038 operations were performed. The expenditure was Rs. 40,000, of which Rs. 1,500 was met from Government contributions, Rs. 14,000 from Local and Rs. 7,000 from municipal funds, and Rs. 12,000 from sub- scriptions.
Vaccination is compulsory only within the municipalities of Rampur Boalia and Nator. The number of persons successfully vaccinated in 1903-4 was 52,000, representing 36 per 1,000 of the population.
[Sir W. W. Hunter, Statistical Account of 'Bengal, vol. viii (1877).]
