Jaisalmer State - Revision history

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‎Physical aspects

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This article has been extracted from
THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.
OXFORD, AT THE CLAR..."

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Created page with "{| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%"> This article has been extracted from <br/> THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/> OXFORD, AT THE CLAR..."

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This article has been extracted from <br/>

THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/>

OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.
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[[Category:India|J]]
[[Category:Places|J]]
''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. ''

=Jaisalmer State=

==Physical aspects==
The most western and the third in size of the
States of R&jputana, lying between 26 4' and 28 23' N. and 69 30'
and 7 2 42' E., with an area of 16,062 square miles. It is bounded
on the north by Bahawalpur ; on the west by Sind ; on the south and
east by Jodhpur; and on the north-east by Blkaner. The country
is almost entirely a sandy waste, forming part of
what is known as the Great Indian Desert. In the V 1 ct
neighbourhood of Jaisalmer town, and within a circuit
of about 40 miles, the soil is very stony, and numerous low rocky
ridges and hard undulating plains occur; but with this exception the
general aspect is that of an interminable sea of sandhills of all shapes
and sizes, some rising to a height of 150 feet. The sandhills in the
west are covered with phog (Calligonum) bushes, and those in the
east with tufts of long grass. Shifting sands, locally termed dhrians,
are common. Nothing can well bear a more desolate appearance.
The villages are few and far between, sparsely populated, and consist
as a rule of a few circular huts or wigwams collected round a well
of brackish water. A small stream called the Kakni rises near the
village of Kotri, 17 miles south of the capital, and after flowing first
in a northerly and next in a westerly direction, forms a lake called
the Bhuj jhil-y in years of heavy rainfall it deviates from its usual
course, and instead of turning to the west continues north for about
12 miles till checked by the recently constructed Daiya dam.

The surface of the country is to a large extent covered by dunes
of blown sand of the transverse type : that is, with their longer axes
at right angles to the direction of the prevailing wind. Rocks of
Jurassic age, such as sandstones, shales, and limestones, crop out from
beneath the sand, and a large area of Nummulitic rock occurs to the
north-west of the capital.

The fauna is not much varied. Wild hog and leopards are occa-
sionally seen ; antelopes are found in the east ; while the Indian gazelle,
the bustard, and several species of sand-grouse are more or less common.

The climate is dry and healthy, but the hot season is very prolonged
and the heat is intense and trying. The temperature is highest in May
and June, when hot winds prevail with much violence, while the coldest
period is in January, the thermometer frequently falling below freezing-
point. The rainfall is precarious and varies in different parts. The
annual fall at the capital since 1883 has averaged between 6 and
7 inches. Statistics for other places in the State are available only
since 1895, and they show that the fall is usually a little greater in the
east and south, and less as one proceeds west. The year of heaviest
rainfall was 1883, when more than 15 inches were registered at Jaisal-
mer, while in 1899 no ram at a fell at Khabha to the south-west
and Ramgarh to the north-west.

==History==
The chiefs of Jaisalmer are Rajputs of the Jadon clan, and claim
descent from the deified hero, Krishna. According to the annals
of the State, the tribe became dispersed at the death
of Krishna, and many of them, including two of
his sons, proceeded northwards beyond the Indus and settled there.
One of their descendants, Gaj, is said to have built a fort called Gajni
(identified by Tod as the Ghazni of Afghanistan, but believed by
Cunningham to be in the vicinity of Rawalpindi) ; but being defeated
and killed in a battle with the king of Khorasan, his followers were
driven southward into the Punjab, where Salivahan established a new
capital, which he called after himself, and which has been identified
with Sialkot. This chief subsequently defeated the Indo-Scytbians
in a decisive battle near Kahror, within 60 miles of Multan.

So great
was the fame of this victory that the conqueror assumed the title
of Sakari, or ' foe of the Sakas ' (Scythians), and further to commemorate
the event established the Saka era from the date of the battle (a. d. 78),
an epoch which is still in general use throughout India. Salivahan's
grandson, Bhati, was a renowned warrior who conquered many of the
neighbouring chiefs, and from him the tribe now takes the name of
Bhati Jadons. Subsequently, the Bhatis were gradually driven south-
wards till, crossing the Sutlej, they took refuge in the Indian desert
which has since been their home. Here they came into contact with
various Rajput clans, such as the BQtas and Chunnas (both extinct),
the Barahas (now Musalmans), the Langahas, and the Sodhas and
Lodras (both branches of the Paramaras). Their first capital was
at Tanot, still in Jaisalmer territory, which was founded about the
middle of the eighth century; but being ousted from this, Deoraj,
the first chief to assume the title of Rawal, built Deogarh or Deontwar
in 853, now called Denlwar in Bahawalpur territory, and established
himself there. Shortly afterwards, the capital was changed to Lodorva,
an immense city with twelve gates taken from the Lodra Rajputs, the
ruins of which lie 10 miles west-by-north of Jaisalmer town. Lodorva
was, however, ill adapted for defence, so Jaisal sought for a stronger
place and founded the fort and city of Jaisalmer in 1156. He was
succeeded by several warlike chiefs who were constantly engaged in
raids and battles, but their passion for freebooting proved disastrous.

Authentic history begins at the end of the thirteenth and the beginning
of the fourteenth centuries, when the Bhatis so enraged Ala-ud-dln
that his army captured and sacked the fort and city of Jaisalmer, which
for some time remained deserted. Sabal Singh, who began to rule
about 165 1, was the first of the Bhati chiefs who held his dominions
as a fief of the Delhi empire. According to the annals of the
Kishangarh State, he served in Peshawar and Kandahar, and received
the grant of Jaisalmer through the intercession of his cousin, Raja Rup
Singh of Kishangarh. Jaisalmer had now arrived at the height of its
power ; the territory extended north to the Sutlej, comprised the whole
of Bahawalpur westward to the Indus, and to the east and south
included many districts subsequently annexed by the Rathors and
incorporated in Marwar and Blkaner.

But from this time till the
accession of Maharawal Mulraj in 1762 the fortunes of the State rapidly
declined, and most of the outlying districts were lost. Owing, however,
to its isolated situation it escaped the ravages of the Marathas, and
it was partly for this reason that Jaisalmer was one of the last States
in Rajputana to be taken under the protection of the British Govern-
ment. By the treaty dated December 12, 18 18, concluded with
Mulraj, the succession was guaranteed to his posterity ; the chief was
to be protected from serious invasions and dangers to his State,
provided he was not the originator of the quarrel, and he was to act
in subordinate co-operation with the British Government.

Apart from
this treaty, the only important events of Mulraj's rule were the cruel
atrocities of his minister, Mehta Salim Singh. According to Tod, this
man, a Mahajan by caste and a Jain by religion, united ' the subtlety
of the serpent to the ferocity of the tiger.' He put to death nearly all the
relatives of the chief. With commercial men and with the industrious
agriculturists or pastoral communities 'he had so long forfeited all
claim to credit that his oath was not valued at a single grain of the
sand of their own desert dominion'; and finally he drove out the
Paliwal Brahmans, famous as enterprising cultivators and landholders,
who had constructed most of the kharins or irrigation tanks now to
be found in the State, and whose solid well-built villages still stand
deserted, marking an era of prosperity to which it will be difficult for
the State ever again to attain.

Salim Singh, however, was mortally
wounded by a Rajput in 1824, and, as there was some fear that the
wound might heal, his wife gave him poison. Mulraj, who had died
four years before, was succeeded by his grandson Gaj Singh. In 1829
a Blkaner army invaded Jaisalmer to revenge some injuries committed
by subjects of the latter ; but the British Government interfered, and
through the arbitration of the MahSrana of Udaipur the dispute was
settled. In 1844, after the British conquest of Sind, the forts of
Shahgarh, Garsia, and Ghotaru, which had formerly belonged to
Jaisalmer, were restored; and in 1846 Gaj Singh died. His widow
adopted his nephew Ranjlt Singh, who ruled till 1864, when he was
succeeded by his younger brother, Bairi Sal. On the death of the
latter in 1891, his widows adopted Syam Singh, son of Thakur Kushal
Singh of Lathi ; and the choice being confirmed by the Government
of India, Syam Singh succeeded and took the family name of Salivahan.
He was born in 1887, and has been a student at the Mayo College
at Ajmer since 1894. The Mahar&wal of Jaisalmer is entitled to
a salute of 15 guns.

Among places of archaeological interest may be mentioned the
village and fort of Birsilpur (in the north-east), said to have been
founded in the second century; Tanot, the first desert capital of the
Bhatis, with its fort and temple dating from the eighth century;
Lodorva, which has a Jain temple said to be over 1,000 years old ; and
Sirwa, a village about 24 miles south-by-south-east of Jaisalmer town,
which possesses a building with thirty-two pillars said to have been
erected in 820.

==Population==
The number of towns and villages in the State is 472, and the
population at each Census was: (1881) 108,143, (1891) 115,701, and
. ( I 9° I ) 73>37°- The decrease of over 36 per cent, in the last decade was due to the famine of 1899- 1900,
and excessive mortality and emigration resulting therefrom. The only
town in the State is the capital, Jaisalmer (population, 7,137). The
State is divided into sixteen districts or hukumats, the areas of which
vary from about 2,220 to 262 square miles; one district has 100
villages, while two others have but one each ; and again one district
has one person per square mile, while the most densely populated has
but fifteen. Indeed, the density per square mile for the whole State
is but 4-56. In 1 90 1 Hindus numbered 51,990, or 70 per cent, of
the total; Musalmans, 18,648, or more than 25 per cent.; Animists,
1,551 ; and Jains, 1,178. The languages mainly spoken are Marwarf
and Sindi.

The most numerous tribe is that of the Rajputs, who number
31,000, or over 42 per cent, of the total, but more than one-third of
them are Musalmans. Next come the Chamftrs, who number 8,900,
Shaikhs 5,600, and Mahajans 5,200. More than 36 per cent, of the
people are engaged in or dependent on agriculture ; but they lead a
wandering life, migrating regularly to Sind in the cold season, and
many are graziers and keep herds of camels, cattle, sheep, and
goats.

The soil is for the most part light and sandy, and, as the rain
sinks in and does not flow off the surface, a small rainfall suffices
for the crops. Save in the few places where water
can be stored, only rains crops such as bajra y A * nc e#
jowar, mung) moth, and /// are grown, and the system of cultivation
is rude. Camels are largely used for ploughing; the ploughs are
light and just scratch the ground; the seed is sown broadcast, and
after it has sprouted a few showers at long intervals bring it to
maturity. No agricultural statistics are available; but a good deal
of cultivation goes on during the rains, and in favourable seasons
(which are few and far between) the produce is said to be just suffi-
cient for the immediate wants of the people. Where the soil is
harder and the surroundings hilly and rocky, irrigation is carried on
to a small extent from kharins or shallow depressions into which
the rain-water flows. Wheat and gram are sown in the beds of
these tanks, and only very occasionally can the water be conveyed
by ducts to land outside. Since 1892 about Rs. 65,000 has been
spent in constructing and repairing kharins, and there are now 377
of them. Wells, being on the average 250 feet in depth, cannot be
used for irrigation.

The wealth of the rural population consists almost entirely in their
herds of camels, cattle, sheep, and goats, which thrive in spite of the
arid nature of the country. The camels are famous for their easy
paces, speed, and hardiness ; they plough and harrow the ground,
bring home the harvests, carry food and water, and are both
ridden and driven. Cattle are bred in considerable numbers, and
are of a good class ; while the sheep and goats, though small, fatten
well.

Salt of fair quality is found in several localities, but is manufactured
only at Kilnod, about 20 miles north-east of the capital. Brine occurs
10 feet below the surface, and is drawn from pits by the weighted
pole and bucket It is then exposed to evaporation in pans, and a
small-grained white salt is obtained. The out-turn is limited by the
agreement of 1879 with the British Government to 15,000 maunds
a year, entirely for local consumption and use. There are several
quarries of limestone near the capital ; the stone produced is very
fine, even-grained, and compact, of a buff or light-brown colour, and
admirably adapted for carving. It takes a fair polish, and was at
one time used for lithographic blocks. Another variety of yellow
limestone is found at the village of Habur, 28 miles north-west of
the capital; large quantities of an iron ore resembling red ochre
are blended with it. Sandstone quarries are worked at BhadSsar,
17 miles north-west of Jaisalmer town, and fuller's earth and other
clays exist in several places.

==Trade and communication==

The manufactures are confined to blankets of sheep's wool, small
bags and druggets of goats' and camels' hair, and
co Jm^cSons. stone CU P S and P latters - The chief ex P° rts are
# wool, ghl, camels, cattle, sheep, and fuller's earth ;
and the chief imports are grain, cotton, piece-goods, and tobacco.
The trade is mostly with Sind.

No railways traverse the State, the nearest station being Barmer
on the Jodhpur-Bikaner Railway, some 90 miles south of Jaisalmer
town ; and, with the exception of about 6 miles of metalled road in
and near the capital, the communications are mere sandy tracks,
sometimes marked by milestones. There is but one post office in
the State, the mails being carried by runners to and from Barmer,
which also possesses the nearest telegraph office.

==Famine==
The State is visited by constant scarcities, caused by short rainfall
or damage done by locusts ; indeed hardly a year passes in which a
failure of crops does not occur in some part of
amine. jaisalmer. Yet the people suffer less than one
would expect, as emigration is an annual event. Practically the
only harvest is that sown during the rains; and as soon as it is
gathered in September or October, large numbers leave every year
to find employment in Sind and Bahawalpur.

The people are, by
nature and of necessity, self-reliant ; they are indifferent, if not averse,
to assistance from the State coffers, and many of them consider it
so derogatory to be seen earning wages on relief works in their
own country that they prefer migration. The Darbar, though its
revenue is small, has during recent years done what it could to
relieve distress and provide tanks for the storage of water; but a
scanty rainfall means not only no crops or indifferent ones, but also
difficulty in finding water for man and beast, as well as grass and
fodder. The result is that, on the first approach of scarcity, the
people leave in larger numbers than usual with their flocks and
herds for Sind. Emigration, consequently, has always been, and
must continue to be, the main form of relief. No detailed accounts
are available of the famines or scarcities prior to 189 1-2. In that
year, and again in 1895-7 and 190 1-2, scarcities affected from one-
half to the whole of the State. Relief works were started, but gene-
rally failed to attract labour, and a certain amount of gratuitous
relief was given. The direct expenditure varied from Rs. 4,000 in
1891-2 to Rs. 40,000 in 1895-7; and as, under the land revenue
system, the Darbar takes a share of the produce, its losses under
this head were considerable. The famine of 1 889-1 900 was a
severe one. The rainfall was less than an inch and the whole State
was affected. About 50,000 people emigrated to Sind and Bahawal-
pur, taking with them 12 per cent, of the horned cattle and
20 per cent, of the camels. Assuming that half of these animals
were brought back, the State lost about 148,000 cattle and over
7,400 camels. Relief works and poorhouses were open for twelve
months, and more than 410,000 units were relieved. The total
expenditure was about Rs. 52,000.

==Administration==

During the minority of Maharawai Salivahan the administration
is being conducted by a Dlwan and Council of four members, under
the general superintendence of the Resident,
Western Rajputana States. In each of the sixteen Administration.
hukumats there is a hakim. The lowest courts are those of the
hakims \ fourteen of them can punish with imprisonment up to
fifteen days and fine not exceeding Rs. 50, while the remaining two,
and also the city kohval, can pass a. sentence of one month's im-
prisonment. All these officers have certain civil powers. But most
petty civil suits are decided by a panchayat of three or more mem-
bers appointed by the parties concerned, the award being final; or
if the parties cannot agree, by a body known as a sultani panchayat
appointed by the h&kim or kotival as the case may be. The Sadr
Criminal Court, besides hearing appeals against the orders of the
lower courts, tries cases beyond their powers, and. can sentence to
imprisonment up to one year and fine up to Rs. 300.

The Sadr
Civil Court also hears appeals against the orders of the lower courts
(including the awards of sultani panc?uiyats\ and tries suits beyond
their powers. Decrees for sums exceeding Rs. 5,000 are subject
to the confirmation of the Resident Here again many of the suits
are decided by arbitrators chosen by the parties. The Dlwan hears
appeals against the orders of the Sadr Criminal and Civil Courts,
and tries such original cases as are beyond the powers of the
former. He can sentence up to two years' imprisonment and
Rs. 500 fine; sentences exceeding these limits, and all sentences in
cases of homicide and dacoity, are subject to the confirmation
of the Resident. The court of the Resident is the highest in the
State; besides dealing with such cases as require its confirmation,
it can call for the proceedings in any case and revise the orders
passed.

The normal revenue of the State is nearly one lakh, the chief sources
being customs, about Rs. 48,000; and land, about Rs. 16,000. The
ordinary expenditure may be put at about Rs. 88,000, the main items
being: cost of administrative staff (civil and judicial), Rs. 26,000;
army and police, Rs. 18,000; palace expenditure (including the
Mahai&waPs education), Rs. 12,000; and stables (including elephants,
camels, &c), about Rs. 10,000. The famines and scarcities which
have been so frequent during the past decade have not only reduced
the revenue, but have necessitated much extraordinary expenditure,
with the result that at the present time the State owes about 2 lakhs
to the British Government.

Jaisalmer has its own coinage, called Akhai shahi after Maharawal
Akhai Singh, who established a mint at the capital in 1756. The
local rupee in 1895 was worth more than 15 British annas, but now
exchanges for about 11; its value fluctuates almost daily, and has
been as low as 9 annas. The mint has not been worked since 1899,
and the Akhai shahi coins will be converted as soon as possible.

The land revenue system has undergone no changes for a long
period, and neither a survey nor any regular settlement has been under-
taken. The revenue is mostly paid in kind. Where wheat or gram
is grown, the State takes from one-fifth to one-sixth of the produce ;
and of the rains crops from one-fifth to one-eleventh. There are four
different modes of estimating the State share of the out-turn. In the
first, the crop is valued when standing ; in the second, when cut, but
before threshing ; in the third, after it has been threshed out ; and in
the fourth, from the condition of the bare standing stalks. In addition
to the portion payable to the State, the cultivator has to settle the
demands of the men told off to watch the crops in the DarbaVs interests
and of certain other officials ; these demands collectively amount to
about half of what is taken by the State. In places, the land revenue
is paid in cash at Rs. 2 (local currency) for as much land as can be
cultivated with a pair of bullocks. Of the 471 villages in Jaisalmer,
239 are hhd/sa, or pay revenue direct to the State, 88 are held by
jdglrdars y 24 as charitable grants, 11 under title-deeds, 99 in bhum %
and 10 for services to the State. Only one of the jdgirddrs pays
tribute ; but all serve the Darbar when called on, pay meota or fee on
succession, and present the chief with a horse on certain occasions.
Lands given in charity (sasari) enjoy complete immunity from all State
dues and are practically grants in perpetuity. Those who hold under
title-deeds (patta) or for service rendered to the State pay nothing, but
retain their estates at the pleasure of the Darbar; while the bhumids
have to serve when called on, and pay a fixed sum yearly, as well as
certain sums on such occasions as the chiefs accession, marriage, &c.

The State troops number 220 of all arms: namely, 39 cavalry, 168
infantry, and 13 artillerymen. Out of 25 guns, 17 are serviceable. The
annual expenditure on the army is about Rs. 10,000. The police force
numbers 152 men, of whom 72 are mounted, chiefly on camels, and
the annual cost is about Rs. 9,000. There is one jail (at the capital),
and small lock-ups in the districts.

In regard to the literacy of its population Jaisalmer stands tenth
among the twenty States and chiefships of Rajputana, with 2-9 per cent.
(5*4 males and o«i females) able to read and write. Excluding indi-
genous schools managed by Jatis (Jain priests), the State now contains
three schools. In 1901 the vernacular alone was taught, the atten-
dance was 69, and the expenditure about Rs. 600. In 1903 English
classes were started at the capital, and the attendance at the three
institutions has now risen to 183 and the expenditure to about
Rs. 1,100. No fees are charged.

The State possesses a small hospital and a lunatic asylum, both at
the capital, which cost about Rs. 3,000 a year. A staff of vaccinators is
employed, who in 1904-5 successfully vaccinated 1,104 persons, or 15
per 1,000 of the total population. ,

[C. K. M. Walter, Gazetteer of Jaisahner{\%ii)\ Rajputana Gazetteer,
vol. ii (1879, under revision) ; Report on Famine-Relief Operations
during 1896-7 ; A. Adams, The Western Rajputana States (1899).]

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 vol. ii (1879, under revision) ; Report on Famine-Relief Operations
 during 1896-7 ; A. Adams, The Western Rajputana States (1899).]