Karad Taluka, 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.
Karad Taluka
Taluka of Satara District, Bombay, lying between 1 7 5" and 17 30' N. and 74 and 74/ 18' E., with an area of 378 square miles. There is one town, Karad (population, 11,499), the head- quarters; and 98 villages, including Kale (5,077). The popula- tion in 1901 was 134,947, compared with 154,383 in 1891. The den- sity, 357 persons per square mile, is much above the District average. The demand for land revenue in 1903-4 was 2-9 lakhs, and for cesses Rs. 24,000. The taluka is a portion of the valley of the Kistna river, which runs 30 miles from north to south between two parallel chains of hills. The western chain is broken half-way by the Koyna, which joins the Kistna at Karad. The land is generally flat and open, but becomes rougher as it rises towards the hills. Gardens and groves' and several charming river reaches lend a picturesque appearance to the country. The soil is extremely fertile. In the cold season the days are warm and the nights bitterly cold, and in the hot season Karad is one of the hottest parts of the 1 Hstrict. The annual rainfall averages 30 inches.
Karad Town (Karhdd, originally Karahdkada). — Head-quarters of the taluka of the same name in Satara District, Bombay, situated in 17 17' N. and 74 n' E., at the confluence of the Koyna and Kistna, on the Bombay-Madras high road, 31 miles south-south- east of Satara town, and about 4 miles south-west of Karad Road on the Southern Mahratta Railway. Population (1901), 11,499. The town was constituted a municipality in 1885. During the decade ending 1901 the income averaged Rs. 10,500. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 12,000. It is referred to in ancient writings as Karahakada, and has given its name to a subdivision of Brahmans. In the north- east is an old mud fort containing the mansion of the Pant Pratinidhi, the most noteworthy objects in which are an audience-hall with an orna- mental ceiling of teak and iron, built about 1800, and a curious step- well. The mosque of Karad is interesting, as it contains nine Arabic inscriptions. One of these shows that it was built during the reign of the fifth Bijapur king, All Adil Shah (1557-79), by one Ibrahim Khan. About 3 miles to the south-we-t is a group of 54 Buddhist caves of 2o KARAP TOWN a very plain and early type. The town contains a Subordinate Judge's court, a dispensary, and an English school.
