Satara Agency
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.
Satara Agency
Political Charge in Satara District, Bombay, comprising the two jdglrs of Aundh, lying between 16 24' and 17 47' N. and 74 6' and 75 42' E., with an area of 447 square miles; and Phaltan, lying between 17 55' and 18 6' N. and 74 12' and 74 44' E., with an area of 397 square miles, under the political superintendence of the Collector of Satara, Phaltan lies to the north of the Mahadeo range, which drains into the Nira, between Poona and Satara District ; Aundh is scattered within the limits of Satara District, the considerable block of the Atpadi idlvka lying to the north-east of Khanapur in that District. The surface of both Phaltan and Aundh is chiefly flat ; lines of stony hills divide the former from Satara District The Nira runs in the north of Phaltan, and the Man flows north and south in the Atpadi tdhtka of Aundh. Both States lie within the area of Deccan trap. The climate is hot, and the rainfall scanty and uncertain. The annual rainfall averages 20 inches at Phaltan and 22 inches at Aundh. The temperature at Phaltan rises to 104 in May and falls to 50 in January.
Formerly the group of Native States comprising Akalkot, Aundh, Bhor, Daphlapur, Jath 5 and Phaltan was recognized as the Satara jaglrS) once feudatory to the Raja of Satara. In 1849 f* ve f them were placed under the Collector of Satara, and Akalkot under the Collector of Sholapur. Subsequently, thejagtr of Bhor was transferred to the Collector of Poona, and Jath and Daphlapur to the Southern Maratha Country. The last two are now under the Collector of Bijapur. The present chief of Aundh is a Hindu of Brahman caste, with the title of Pant Pratinidhi. The family is descended from Trimbak Krishna, accountant of Kinhai village in the Koregaon taluka of Satara District. In 1690 Rajaram, SivajI's younger son, raised Trimbak's son Parasu- ram Pant to the rank of Sardar, and in 1698 he conferred on him the title of Pratinidhi or 'viceroy.' In 1713 the office became hereditary in the family. The chief ranks as a first-class Sardar of the Deccan.
The chief of Phaltan is a Maratha of the Ponwar clan. One Podaka Jagdeo entered the service of the emperor of Delhi, and was slain in battle in 1327, whereupon the emperor gave the title of Nayak and a jaglr to his son Nimbraji. In 1825 the State was attached by the Raja of Satara, who permitted Banaji Nayak to succeed in 1827 on payment of a nazardna or succession fee of Rs. 30,000. On his death in the following year Phaltan was again attached by the Scitara govern- ment until 1841, when the widow of the deceased chief was permitted to adopt a son. The chief is styled Nimbalkar and ranks as a first- class Sardar of the Deccan.
The chiefs of Aundh and Phaltan became tributaries of the British Government on the lapse of the Satara territory. Both families hold sanads authorizing adoption, and in matters of succession follow the custom of primogeniture. Aundh pays no tribute now, "while Phaltan pays Rs. 9,600 in lieu of a small mounted contingent.
The population of the Agency in 1901 was 109,660, dwelling in one town and 142 villages, compared with 131,529 in 1891, the decrease being due to the famines of 1896-7 and 1899-1900. It is distributed between the two States as under :
Hindus numbered 104,376, Musalmans 4? II S, and Jains 1,166. The principal castes are Brahmans (5,000), Dhangars (14,000), Kunbls (29,000), Mahars (8,000), Malls (6,000), Marathas (11,000), and Ramoshis (5,000). More than half of the population are supported by agriculture.
The soil is of two kinds, black and red, an intermediate variety being found in Aundh. Of the total area, 25 square miles are under forest, and 76 square miles are not cultivable. The area of cultivable land is 708 square miles, of which 697 square miles were cultivated in 1903-4, and 34 square miles were irrigated. Indian millet, jowar, wheat, cotton, sugar-cane, and gram are the chief crops. Garden land is mostly watered from wells. Building timber, extensive sheep-grazing lands, and salt are the chief natural resources ; the weaving of cotton and silk goods and the carving of stone idols are the only manufactures of importance in Phaltan. The main exports are cotton, molasses, oil, and clarified butter; imports include piece-goods, metals, and miscellaneous European goods. In the town of Phaltan a number of Gujarati Vanis carry on a brisk trade between the coast and the interior.
The Agency suffered severely from famine in 1876-7, 1896-7, and 1899-1900, when a good deal of land fell waste. In 1896-7 the maximum number of persons on relief works exceeded 1,500, while m 1899-1900 it was nearly 4,000, and more than Rs. 40,000 was spent on famine relief in that year. The States were first visited by plague in 1896, and 4,400 persons fell victims up to the end of 1903 : namely, 4,000 in Aundh and 400 in Phaltan.
The Collector of Satara is Political Agent for both States. When the States became tributaries of the British Government in 1849, the jagirdars retained all their former rights and privileges, with the excep- tion of the power of life and death and of adjudication upon serious criminal cases. Their administration is conducted on the principles of British law, Criminal and civil justice is administered by the chiefs themselves, with the aid of subordinate courts. Heinous offences requiring capital punishment or transportation for life are tried by the Political Agent, assisted by two assessors, the preliminary proceedings being conducted by the jagirdars. The gross annual revenue of the Agency is about 4-J lakhs : Phaltan 2 lakhs, and Aundh 2j lakhs. The chief sources of revenue are : land, 3 lakhs ; forest and excise, Rs. 21,000.
The excise and salt arrangements are in the hands of Government. Survey operations were commenced in 1869, and a revision settlement was introduced in 1894-5 in both States. In Aundh the rates vary per acre from Rs. 1-2 to Rs. 4-0 on ' dry ' land, and from Rs. 3 to Rs. 10 in the case of garden lands, while on rice land the maximum rate is Rs. 8. In Phaltan the assessment rates vary from Rs. 1-4 to Rs. 2-8 per acre. The regular police in Phaltan number 95 and in Aundh 83, in addition to irregular police for guard and escort purposes, numbering 32 in Phaltan and 87 in Aundh. There were 33 schools with 1,287 pupils in Phaltan, and 27 with 1,117 in Aundh, in 1903-4. About 3,000 persons are annually vaccinated in the Agency. The number of dispensaries is three, one at Phaltan treating annually 9,000 patients, and two in Aundh treating 8,100 patients.
