Kumbakonam Taluk, 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.
Kumbakonam Taluk
Inland taluk and subdivision of Tanjore District, Madras, lying on its northern border, between io° 47' and 11° 11' N. and 79° f and 79° 34' E., with an area of 342 square miles. The population fell from 377,523 in 1891 to 375,031 in 1901 ; but it is still the most densely peopled taluk in the District or (with three exceptions) in the Presidency, supporting 1,097 persons per square mile. The most important town is Kumbakonam City (population, 59,673)^ the head-quarters; and 6 miles east is Tiruvadamarudur (11,237), famous for its temple. The number of villages is 307. The demand for land revenue and cesses in 1903-4 amounted to Rs. 13,17,000.
Being situated in the most fertile part of the Cauvery delta, the greater part of its soil is alluvial and the rest black soil, and it is an exception- ally rich area. It shares with Nannilam the characteristic of possessing far more large landholders than any of the other taluks in Tanjore, and the rent of the average holding is unusually high. About 47 per cent, of the ' wet ' fields are assessed at Rs. 9 or over per acre, and 96 per cent, of the ' dry ' fields at Rs. 2 or more. The chief agricultural products are rice, plantains, and betel-leaf, which are all largely exported ; and the chief industries are the brass and bell-metal work and the silk- and cotton-weaving of Kumbakonam town.
