Ranchi Town
Ranchi Town
1908
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.
Head-quarters of the District of the same name and also of the Chota Nagpur Division, Bengal, situated in 23 23' N. and 85 20' E., on the Chota Nagpni plateau, about 2,100 feet above sea-level. Population (1901), 25,970 (including 2,844 within cantonment boundaries), of whom 12,968 were Hindus, 7,547 Musalmans, 3,640 Christians, and 1,807 Ammists.Ranchiis a station of the Lucknow division of the Eastern Command, and the wing of a native infantry regiment is stationed in the cantonments (formerly known as Dorunda cantonments), which lie 2 miles to the south of the town. It is also the head-quarters of the Chota Nagpur Volunteer Mounted Rifles, of the Superintending Engineer of the Western Circle, and of the Executive Engineer of the Chota Nagpur Division It is connected by good metalled loads with Purulia, Hazanbagh, and Chaibasa, and is a large trade centre.
It is the chief seat of Christian missionary enterprise in Bengal, and is the head-quarters of three important missions (seeRanchiDISTRICT).Ranchiwas constituted a municipality in 1869 The income during the decade ending 1901-2 averaged Rs 23,000, and the expenditure Rs. 22,000. In 1903-4 the income was "Rs. 35,000, mainly derived from a tax on houses and lands and a conseivancy rate ; and the expenditure was Rs. 32,000. The natural drainage of the town is excellent, and plenty of good water can be obtained from wells. The town contains the usual public buildings; the District jail has accommodation for 217 prisoners, who are employed on the manufacture of oil and of rope from aloe fibre. The most important schools are the Distiict school, with 338 pupils on its rolls in 1902, the German Evangelistic Lutheran Mission high school, intended chiefly for the education of Christian converts, with 230 pupils , the first-grade school for vernacular teacheis, with 22 pupils, the Government industrial school, and the blind school. In the industrial school the pupils, who in 1902 numbered 50, receive stipends varying from R. i to Rs. 3 per month, and are taught carpen- tering and blacksmiths' work, &c., together with a certain amount of reading, writing, free-hand drawing, elementary arithmetic, and practical geometry. The course of instruction at the blind school, which had 20 pupils, includes reading by means of laised type representing letters, cane-work, newar weaving, and mat-making. It is proposed to build a large asylum foi European and Eurasian lunatics from Northern India atRanchi.
