Jafarabad State, 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.
Jafarabad State
State in the Kathiawar Political Agency, Bombay. It is a dependency of the Nawab of Janjira on the Konkan coast, and lies between 20° 52' and 20° 59' N. and 71° 24' and 71° 29' E., 170 miles south of Ahmadabad, 150 south-west of Baroda, and 165 north-west of Bombay, with an area of 42 square miles. The annual rainfall averages 25 incl" es.
About 1 73 1, when the Mughal power was much relaxed in Kathiawar, Jafarabad was independent under the rule of its thanadars. They and the Muhammadan garrison, joining with the local Kolls, iV'c., betook themselves to piracy and sorely harassed the trade and shipping of Surat. Sidi Hilal of the JanjTra house, who was then employed at Surat, attacked them and destroyed their ships, and imprisoning many KolTs demanded a heavy fine from Jafarabad. The thanadars, being unable to pay the fine, sold Jafarabad to Sidl Hilal. When Sldl Hilal perceived that he would not be able to retain the place, owing to the increased anarchy of the peninsula, he transferred it in 1762 to the Nawab of JanjTra, who paid his debts, amounting to Rs. 7,000, and sent him as governor on his behalf.
The population at the last four enumerations was: (1872) 8,549, (1881) 9,400, (1891) 12,389, and (1901) 12,097. In 1901 there were 9,863 Hindus and 2,225 Musalmans. The State contains one town and II villages. The chief crops are bajra, cotton, and wheat, the cultivated area in 1903-4 being 24-7 square miles. Stone is quarried for building purposes. Coarse cotton cloth is manufactured. A mafn- latdCir with judicial and revenue authority resides at Jafarabad on behalf of the Nawab of JanjTra, and the area ranks as a first-class State in Kathiawar. The gross revenue in 1903-4 was Rs. 62,000, chiefly derived from land (Rs. 22,900) and customs (Rs. 12,500). There is only one municipality, namely, Jafarabad Town. The State maintains a police force of 13 men, and has 9 schools with 374 pupils. The two dispensaries treated 6,000 patients in 1903-4. In the same year the number of persons vaccinated was 313.
