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This article has been extracted from
THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.
OX..."

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

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=Shikarpur Town=
{| class="wikitable"
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|colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%">
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|s]]
[[Category:Places|s]]
''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. ''

Head-quarters of the taluka of the same
name in Sukkur District, Sind, Bombay, situated in 27 degree 57' N. and 68 degree 40'
E., and connected by good roads and the North-Western Railway with
Jacobabad, from which it is distant 26 miles south-east, with Sukkur
23 miles north-west, and Larkana 40 miles north-east. It stands
in a tract of low-lying country, annually flooded by canals from the
Indus, the nearest point of which river is 18 miles west. The elevation
of the town is only 194 feet above sea-level. Two branches of the Sind
Canal the Chhota Begari and the Rais Wah flow on either side of the
town, the former to the south and the latter to the north. The soil in
the immediate vicinity is very rich, and produces heavy crops of grain
and fruit. Population: (1881) 42,496, (1891) 42,004, and (1901)
49,491. Hindus number 31,589, Muhammadans 17,804. The Muni-
cipal Act was brought into force in 1855, since which date great
sanitary improvements have been effected. Before that time, Shikar-
pur was notorious for its unsightly appearance. The Stewartganj
market (so called after a popular District officer) is a continuation
of the old bazar, and is a commodious structure. The great covered
bazar of Shikarpur is famous throughout Asia. To the east of the
town are three large tanks, known as Sarwar Khan's, the Gillespie,
and the Hazari tank. Broad roads and avenues to the east of the town
still mark the site of the old cantonment but most of the barracks and
houses are now dilapidated. Other features of interest are the European
cemetery, opened in 1851; the Collector's residence, shortly to be
converted into a circuit-house; a swimming bath near the Executive
Engineer's house ; and the military farm buildings occupying the old
police lines. The income of the municipality during the decade ending
1901 averaged Rs. 1,14,270. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 1,28,000,
derived chiefly from octroi (Rs. 81,000) and conservancy taxes
(Rs. 12,000) ; and the expenditure was Rs. 74,000, including Rs. 32,000
for conservancy, Rs. 18,000 for education, and Rs. 9,000 for lighting.
The town contains a Subordinate Judge's court, a civil hospital, and
a dispensary. The schools, including a Government high school with
330 pupils, number 16, of which 12 are for boys and 4 for girls.
The boys' schools have 1,606 pupils ; and the girls' schools, of which
2 are for Muhammadans and 2 for Hindus, have 562 pupils. Besides
these, there are several private schools, including an English school
with 159 pupils.

The trade of Shikarpur has long been famous, under both native
and British rule. The town is situated on one of the great routes
from Sind to Khorasan via the Bolan Pass ; and its commerce in 1841,
which in quality remains much the same to-day, was thus described by
Postans :

'Shikarpur receives from Karachi, Marwar, Multan, JBahawalpur,
Khairpur, and Ludhiana, European piece-goods, raw silk, ivory, cochi-
neal, spices of sorts, coarse cotton cloth, kinkhabs, manufactured silk,
sugar-candy, coco-nuts, metals, kirami (groceries), drugs of sorts, indigo
and other dyes, opium, and saffron ; from Kachhi, Khorasan, and the
north-west, raw silk (Turkestan), various kinds of fruit, madder, tur-
quoises, antimony, medicinal herbs, sulphur, alum, saffron, asafoetida,
gums, cochineal, and horses, The exports from Shikarpur are confined
to the transmission of goods to Khorasan through the Bolan Pass, and
a tolerable trade with Kachhi (Eagh, Gandava, Kotri, and Dadar). They
consist of indigo (the most important), henna, metals of all kinds,
country coarse and fine cloths, European piece-goods (chintzes, &c.),
Multani coarse cloth, silks (manufactured), groceries and spices, raw
cotton, coarse sugar, opium, hemp-seeds, shields, embroidered horse-
cloths, and dry grains. The revenue of Shikarpur derivable from trade
amounted in 1840 to Rs. 54,736, and other taxes and revenue from
lands belonging to the town, Rs. 16,645, making a total of Rs. 71,381,
which was divided among the Khairpur and Hyderabad Talpur Mirs in
the proportion of three-sevenths and four-sevenths, respectively.'

Since Postans wrote, Shikarpur has lost much of its commercial impor-
tance, owing to the construction of the North- Western Railway and its
extension to Quetta. The enterprise of its merchants, however, renders
it still a considerable entrepot. The local traders deal largely with
Central Asia, where many of them pass long periods, while others travel
to Bombay and all parts of India, and even to Europe or Japan. The
principal manufactures are carpets and coarse cotton cloth. In the
Government jail, baskets, reed chairs covered with leather, carpets,
shoes, &c., are made by the prisoners.

Shikarpur Town, 1908 - Revision history

Pdewan: Created page with "=Shikarpur Town= {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"| This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OX..."

Pdewan: Created page with "=Shikarpur Town= {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article has been extracted from
THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.
OX..."