Saraikela
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.
Saraikela
Feudatory State in Chota Nagpur, Bengal, lying between 22 29' and 22 54' N. and 85 50' and 86 n' E., with an area of 449 l square miles. It is bounded on the north by Manbhum District; on the east and west by Singhbhum; and on the south by the State of Mayurbhanj. It consists chiefly of an undulating plain dotted with small rocky hills ; towards the east it is more hilly, and the higher ranges in the extreme north-east still contain valuable timber. The scenery throughout is wild and romantic in places. The forests altogether cover about 50 square miles, the chief tree being the sal (Shorea robustd) ; sabai grass (Ischoemum angustifoliwti) grows in the forests. The State is drained by five streams : the Kharkai, the Sanjai, the Sonai, the Asuya, and the Bhangbanga. The largest of these, the Kharkai, rises from a hill in Mayurbhanj and flows northwards past Saraikela village, which it skirts on its southern side, eventually joining the Sanjai, a tributary of the Subarnarekha.
The first ruler of Saraikela was Bikram Singh, a younger son of the Porahat Raj family. Obtaining part of what is now the Saraikela State as a fief, he quickly made himself independent. He and his descendants enlarged their dominions from time to time, and gradu- ally eclipsed the parent family of Porahat in power and importance. Saraikela first came under the notice of the British in 1793, when, in consequence of disturbances on the frontier of the old Jungle Mahals, its chief was compelled to enter into engagements relating to fugitive rebels. Ten years later, Lord Wellesley, the Governor-General, invited Kunwar Abhiram Singh, an ancestor of the present Raja, to render assistance in the war against RaghujI Bhonsla of Nagpur. In 1856 the Kunwar of Saraikela teceived the personal title of Raja Bahadur ; and his services during the Mutiny were rewarded by a khilat and a rent- free grant in perpetuity of the sub-estate of Karaikela, a portion of the
1 This figure, which differs from the area shown in the Census Report of 1901, was supplied by the Surveyor-General.- escheated territory of the rebel Raja of Porahat, The present chief of Saraikela, Raja Udit Narayan Singh Deo Bahadur, rendered assis- tance to the British Government in the Bonai and Keonjhar risings of 1888 and 1891; the title of Raja Bahadur was conferred on him in 1884 as a personal distinction. Within the Saraikela State are included the estates of Dugnl, Banksai, and Icha, which were originally maintenance grants to members of the ruling family. They pay no rent, but are subordinate to the chief. The administration is con- ducted by the chief, who exercises judicial and executive powers sub- ject to the control of the Deputy-Commissioner of Singhbhum and the Commissioner of the Chora Nagpur Division. He is empowered to pass sentences of imprisonment up to five years and of fine to the extent of Rs. 200, but sentences for more than two years 3 imprisonment require the confirmation of the Commissioner. Heinous offences requiring heavier punishment are dealt with by the Deputy-Com- missioner. The present sanad of the chief was granted to him in 1899.
The population increased from 93,839 in 1891 to 104,539 in 1901, the density being 233 persons per square mile. The number of vil- lages in the State is 816, the most important of which are Saraikela (population, 3,711), the head-quarters, which is administered as a municipality, and Sini, a junction on the Bengal-Nagpur Railway. Hindus number 63,650 and Animists 39,956, the most numerous castes or tribes being the Hos (21,000), Santals (20,000), and Kurmls (15,000), Most of the inhabitants are supported by agricul- ture , rice is the staple food-grain, other crops raised being maize, pulses, and oilseeds.
Copper and iron are found, and nodular limestone is abundant. Slabs of rock, locally called makrasa^ which occur in some parts of the State, serve for building purposes. Copper-smelting by native methods was carried on twenty-five years ago on a comparatively large scale, but has now been abandoned. Soapstone, slate, and mica are found in places, Cotton and tasar cloth, gold, silver and brass ornaments, copper trumpets, bell-metal cups and bowls, iron ploughshares, axes, vices, spades, shovels, knives, and locks are manufactured. The chief imports are cotton cloths, salt, kerosene oil, and spices ; and the chief exports are rice, ropes, cotton, tamarind, sabai grass (Isckoemum angusti- folium) and timber. The Bengal-Nagpur Railway line runs from east to west across the north of the State. It is joined by the branch line to Asansol at Sini, where large iron and steel works are projected, to utilize ore from the Mayurbhanj State. The State is traversed by the roads from Chaibasa to Midnapore and Purulia, which are kept up by the Singhbhum road-cess committee ; and a metalled road from Sini to Saraikela is maintained by the chief. The total revenue of the State is Rs. 92,000, of which Rs. 72,000 is derived from the land. There is a police force of n officers and 25 men, and a jail with accommodation for 32 prisoners. The State also maintains a dispensary, 2 middle English, 3 upper primary, and 8 lower primary schools.
