Jessore District, 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.
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Jessore District
Yasohara__ District of the Presidency Division, Bengal, lying between 22°47'and 23°47’ N. and 88° 40' and 89 degree 50' E., with an area of 2,925 square miles. It is bounded on the north and west by Nadia District ; on the south by Khulna ; and on the east by the Madhumati and Barasia rivers, which separate it from Farldpur.
Physical aspects
Jessore forms the central portion of the delta between the Hooghly and the Meghna estuary, and is an alluvial plain intersected by rivers and watercourses, which in parts of the south of the a y «cts district spread out into large marshes. The river system was formerly supplied by the Padma, and the rivers for the most part flowed across the District from the north- west to the south-east. The north-west of the District was gradually raised by their periodical inundations till their connexions with the Padma silted up ; and the rivers, with the sole exception of the Garai, which with its continuation the Madhumati is still an important offshoot of that river, ceased to be running streams, their beds degenerating into stagnant marshes during the greater part of the year. The Dis- trict, entirely a fluvial formation, is thus naturally divided into two parts : the thickly populated country to the north, now raised by continual deposits beyond the reach of the inundations by which it was previously affected, declining towards the south into swampy tracts, where the rivers are tidal and the only parts suitable for habi- tation are the high lands along their banks. The principal rivers, which are connected with one another by numerous cross-channels, are the Garai and the Madhumati to the east, and proceeding from north to south, the Kumar, Nabaganga, Chitra, Kabadak, Bhairab, and Ichamati. The last-mentioned rivers, which were originally distributaries of the Padma, have now largely silted up in their upper reaches, and are in many cases entirely cut off from their parent stream. The Kumar, a branch of the Matabhanga, discharges into the Nabaganga at Magura ; it is also connected with the Madhumati by the Little Barasia. The Nabaganga, also formerly an offshoot of the Matabhanga, no longer gets any flood discharge from that river, and boat traffic is impracticable beyond Jhenida, while between Jhenida and Magura it is navigable only for about three months in the year.
The silting-up process has extended as far south as Binodpur, below
which it is navigable throughout the year. The Nabaganga formerly
joined the MadhumatI near Lohagara, but the connexion has silted up
and its waters now flow down the Bankana ; this river divides into two
branches at Patna, the eastern branch which flows into the MadhumatI
being known as the Kalia or Gangnl river, while the western branch
continues to be called the Bankana. The Kabadak, formerly an
offshoot of the Matabhanga, has silted up in its upper portion, but is
navigable below Kotchandpur by large boats throughout the year.
The Bhairab, which leaves the Kabadak on its left bank above
Tahirpur, has similarly silted up in its upper reaches, the channel
above Jessore being practically only a line of marshes. The Majud-
khali Khal brings down some of the waters of the Chitra to the
Bhairab at Simultala, and the Bhairab is also connected with the
Chitra by the Gobrft-Afra Khal. The IchamatI, which flows across
the south-west corner of the District, is navigable in this part of its
course throughout the year.
The District is covered by recent alluvial deposits, consisting of sandy clay and sand along the course of the rivers, and fine silt con- solidating into clay in the flatter parts of the river plain, where beds of impure peat also occur. Sand is found in large quantities only along the banks and chars of the Madhumati.
The stretches of low-lying land under rice cultivation afford a foot- hold for various marsh species, while the numerous ponds and ditches are filled with submerged and floating water-plants. Remarkable among these for its rarity, and interesting on account of its distribution to Europe on the one hand and Australia on the other, is the floating Aldrovanda vesiculosa. The edges of sluggish creeks are lined with large sedges and bulrushes, and the banks of rivers have a hedge-like scrub jungle. The sides of embankments and village sites, where not occupied by habitations, are densely covered with shrubberies of semi- spontaneous species, interspersed with clumps of planted bamboos and groves of Areca, Moringa, Mangifera y and Anona. The babul (Acacia arabica) also grows in great abundance, and the banyan (Ficus indica), plpal (Ficus religiosa), tamarind (Tamarindus indica) and mulberry reach a large size. The north and east of the District are dotted with numerous groves of date-palms (Phoenix acaulis) ; and many of the principal roads are lined with fine avenues of banyans, casuarinas (Casuarina muricata)and mulberry-trees. Waysides and waste places are filled with grasses and weeds, usually of little intrinsic interest but often striking because of their distribution ; many of them have been inadvertently introduced by human agency, and include European or African and American species. There are no forests in the District, leopards were formerly common, and wild hog are still very numerous in some parts of the District. The latter do great damage to growing crops, especially to sugar-cane.
The mean temperature for the year is 74 . The mean minimum rises from 53 in January to 79 in June, at which point it remains constant until September; the mean maximum is highest (97 ) in April. The annual rainfall averages 60 inches, of which 7 fall in May, 11 .3 in June, 10.4 in July, 10-7 in August, and 77 in September.
History
The country once formed a portion of the old kingdom of Banga or Samatata, but the earliest traditions still current are associated with the name of Khanja All, who came to the District four and a half centuries ago. He obtained a jagir from the king of Gaur and made extensive clearances in the Sundarbans, where he appears to have exercised all the rights of sovereignty till his death in 1459. He left numerous mosques and tombs, but most of these are in Khulna District. The next traditions are connected with Raja Vikramaditya, one of the chief ministers of Daud Khan, the last king of Bengal, who obtained a grant in the Sundarbans and established a city to which he retired with his family and dependants. The vernacular name of the District is a corruption of Yasohara ('glory depriving,' as it is said to have robbed Gaur of its pre-eminence), the name given by Vikramaditya to his capital city, the site of which was at Iswaripur in Khulna District. Vikramaditya was succeeded by his son Pratapaditya, the popular hero of the Sundarbans, who gained predominance over the twelve chiefs or Bhuiyas who then held the south and east of Bengal ; he was eventually defeated and captured by Raja Man Singh, the Hindu leader of Akbar's armies in Bengal from 1589 to 1606. The name Jessore continued to attach itself to the estates which Pratapaditya had possessed. The military governor, who had charge of them, and who was located at Mirzangar on the Kabadak, was called the Faujdar of Jessore; and when the head- quarters of the District were brought to Kasba (where they now are), the name Jessore was applied to the town where the courts were located. Until 1786 the District was still nearly conterminous with Raja Pratapaditya's territories; but since that date large areas have from time to time been shorn away, and at the present day it covers barely one-half of its original area.
After the fall of Raja Pratapaditya those of his parganas which were situated within the present area of this District were divided into three zaminddris, that in the south being held by the Raja of Jessore, known as the Chanchra Raja, and that in the north by the Raja of Naldanga, while the third, called the zamindari of Bhushana, fell into the hands of Raja Sita Ram Rai, concerning whom there are numerous legends in the north-east of the District. He was a talukddr of a village called Hariharnagar on the bank of the MadhumatI river, and is said to have been deputed by the Nawab of Dacca to collect his revenues ; but as the revenues never went farther than Slta Ram himself, the Nawab sent an army against him and at length succeeded in capturing him about the year 1712. The ruins of Slta Ram's palace and the various large tanks which he constructed are still to be seen at Muhammadpur.
The Rajas of Jessore or Chanchra trace their origin to Bhabeswar Rai, a soldier in the army of an imperial general, who conferred on him several parganas taken from Pratapaditya. He died in 1588, and was succeeded by his son Mahtab Ram Rai, who assisted Man Singh against Pratapaditya, and at the close of the war was allowed to retain the par- ganas made over to his father. To him succeeded Kandarpa Rai, who added considerably to the estate ; and he in turn was followed by Manohar Rai (1649-1705), who is regarded as the principal founder of the family. The estate, when he inherited it, was of moderate size ; but he acquired one pargana after another, until, at his death, the property was by far the largest in the neighbourhood. The estate then went to Krishna Ram, who was followed by Sukh Deb Rai (1729-45). The latter divided the estate into a three-quarters share and a one- quarter share, the former being called the Isafpur and the latter the Saidpur estate. The latter was given by Sukh Deb to his brother Syam Sundat, who died without issue, leaving it vacant It was after- wards conferred by the East India Company upon a landholder in exchange for certain lands near Calcutta. The possessor of the property in 1814, Hajl Muhammad Mohsin, made over the estate in trust for the Hopghly Imambara, which has ever since enjoyed its revenues. Isafpur estate was inherited in 1 764 by Sri Kanta Rai, who sustained such heavy losses about the time of the Permanent Settlement, that his family was left destitute and forced to fall back upon the bounty of the Government. His grandson, Barada Kanta, who succeeded in 181 7, being a minor, the property was administered by the Court of Wards, and its value greatly increased. In 1823 the Government added to his estate the confiscated pargana of Sahos, and subse- quently bestowed on Barada Kanta the title of Raja Bahadur in recog- nition of services rendered by him during the Mutiny. He died in 1880, leaving three sons, the eldest of whom succeeded to the title and estates.
The revenue or financial administration (diwdni) was transferred to the East India Company with that of the rest of Bengal in 1765 ; but it was not until 1781, when a court was opened at Murali near Jessore town, that British administration was completely established in the District The first Judge and Magistrate was Mr. Henckeil, who founded a market still known as Henckellganj, and was the first to urge upon the Government the scheme of Sundarbans reclamation (see Sundarbans). Mr. Rocke, who succeeded him in 1789, trans- ferred the civil station to Jessore, where it still remains. Among the Collectors of Jessore was Mr. R. Thackeray, father of the novelist, who acted in that capacity for a few months in 1805. The boundaries of the District have undergone frequent changes : extensive areas on the east and south have been taken away to form the Districts of Faridpur and Khuln5, while additions have been made from the Twenty -four Parganas and Nadia on the west.
Population
The population of the present area was returned at 1,451,507 in 1872 and 1,939,375 in 1881, but it fell to 1,888,827 in 1891 and I ,8i3,i55 in 1901. The apparent increase in 1881 was probably caused by the inaccuracy of the first Census ; the subsequent decline is due to the extremely insanitary conditions which prevail. The banks of the rivers are higher than the country behind them, and depressions are thus formed between the main watercourses. The drainage of these was always difficult, and it has now become almost impossible owing to the silting up of the mouths of the rivers and drainage channels. Stagnant swamps are thus formed, while good drinking-water is scarce, and the homesteads are enveloped in dense jungle. It was in .this District that cholera appeared in a violently epidemic form in 1817. Here, too, twenty years later, originated that terribly fatal kind of fever subsequently known as ( Nadia,' and then as ) Burdwan fever,' which decimated the population of the country from Jessore westwards as far as the Bishnu- pur subdivision of Bankura. The first known outbreak occurred near Muhammadpur among a body of some 600 prisoners working on the road from Jessore to Dacca. In 1843 the epidemic seemed to dis- appear, but it again broke out in 1846. At the present time this malignant type of fever is not noticeable ; but a milder form is very prevalent, which is relentlessly at work, destroying many and sapping the vitality of the survivors and reducing their fecundity. Cholera is also prevalent, and small-pox, dysentery, and diarrhoea claim many victims.
The chief statistics of the Census of 190 1 are shown below : —
The three towns are Jessore, the head-quarters, Kotchandpur, and
Mahespur ; but they are all small (only 1 per cent, of the population
being urban), and have all lost ground since 1891, though Kotchandpur
has a considerable trade. The population is densest in the east, where
the soil is most fertile and still receives occasional deposits of silt, and
most scattered in the Bangaon subdivision to the west. The decadence
already referred to is most marked in the country running west and
south-west from the Muhammadpur thana on the eastern boundary, the
centre of both epidemic cholera and of the ' Burdwan fever.' This un-
healthy zone stretches eastwards and northwards beyond the Jessore
boundary, and includes the north-western part of Faridpur and a small
area in the north-west of Khulna. There is little migration except to
and from the surrounding Districts. The language of the District
is Bengali, the dialects spoken being the Eastern or Musalmanl, and
Central Bengali. Of the population, 61 per cent, are Muhammadans
and 39 percent Hindus.
The majority of the Muhammadans are Shaikhs (984,000), who are probably in the main the descendants of converts from the aborigi- nal Namasudras. This is the most numerous Hindu caste (175,000) ; but Kayasths (55,000), Muchls (48,000), Kaibarttas (45,000), Brahmans (39,000), Malos (27,000), Ahlrs andGoalas (26,000), and Sahas (24,000) are also well represented. A noted colony of Kulin Brahmans resides at Lakshmipasa. Agriculture supports 71 per cent, of the population, industries 15 per cent, commerce o«6 per cent., and the professions 1-9 per cent .
Agriculture
Christians in 1901 numbered 912, of whom 867 were natives. The Baptist Missionary Society, the London Missionary Society, and a Roman Catholic mission are at work in this District ; of these the Roman Catholic and Baptist missions have secured most converts. The soil is fertile, but the northern part no longer receives the annual deposit of silt which used to enrich it. Here aus or autumn rice is the principal staple, but tobacco, sugar-cane, . . . and various cold-season crops are also grown. The low country in the south is chiefly under rice cultivation, aman or winter rice predominating. Date-palms are largely grown for the manufacture of sugar. They commence bearing when they are about seven years old, and continue to bear for about twenty-five years. The juice is col lected from November to February, the yield of gur being about 15 to 20 seers per tree. Indigo was formerly extensively cultivated ; but a large number of factories were closed in consequence of the disturb- ances of 1859-61 (of which some account will be found in the article on Nadia District), and its cultivation has now almost entirely dis- appeared. Cultivation has suffered much in the Jhenida subdivision from the drying up of the rivers ; in the Magura subdivision the area under aman rice is contrasting owing to deficient floods, but that of aus and jute is extending. There is no artificial irrigation.
The principal agricultural statistics for 1903-4 are shown below, areas being in square miles : —
Of the cultivated area it is estimated that 168 square miles are twice
cropped. Rice is grown on 1,391 square miles. Aman rice is sown in
April and May, and reaped in November or December ; the land for
this crop is usually ploughed four times before sowing, and except in
marsh lands the young shoots are transplanted in July. For aus rice
the ground is ploughed five or six times and the seed is sown broad-
cast; the land on which it is grown generally yields a cold-season
crop as well. Boro rice land is hardly ploughed at all ; the seed is
scattered broadcast in the marshes as they dry up, and the shoots
are transplanted when a month old, and sometimes again a month
later. Other crops grown are gram (26 square miles), pulses, &c,
(198 square miles), oilseeds, including mustard, linseed, and til (Sesa-
mum indicum) (162 square miles), sugar-cane (15 square miles), jute
(48 square miles), and tobacco (32 square miles). On the occasion of
the scarcity in the Magura subdivision in 1897-8, Rs. 64,000 was
advanced under the Agriculturists' Loans Act.
Trade and communication
The cattle are poor. There are no regular pasture-lands, but cattle are grazed on the banks of marshes and in the date-palm orchards. Coarse cotton cloths are woven on hand-looms throughout the District. Mats and baskets, made by the Muchls and Doms, have a large local sale. Cart-wheels are extensively made; those prepared in the Jhenida subdivision are largely sold at Baduria in the Twenty-four Parganas. Lime for white-washing and for eating jvith pan is prepared by Baitis from shells collected in the marshes by women of the Bagdi caste. Gold and silver ornaments and iron and brass-ware are manufactured. Lac bracelets are made at Lohagara by immigrants from the United Provinces. The date-palm sugar industry is of local importance, but is gradually declining in spite of the imposition of countervailing duties on imported sugar; in 1 900-1 there were 117 factories, with an out- turn of 235,000 maunds, valued at 15.15 lakhs.
The principal imports are rice and sundri wood (Heritiera Uttoralis)
from Backergunge and the Sundarbans; cotton piece-goods, cotton
twist, salt, kerosene oil, flour, and potatoes from Calcutta; and coal
from Burdwan. The principal exports are paddy, pulses, jute, linseed,
tamarind, coco-nuts, unrefined sugar, oil-cake, hides, earthen jars,
cart-wheels, bamboos, bones, betel-nuts, timber, gti, and fish, chiefly to
Backergunge and Calcutta. Except in the Jhenida subdivision, where
there is a large amount of cart traffic, most of the trade is carried by
boats and is in the hands of Saha and Teli dealers ; but considerable
quantities of jute and bamboos are sent by rail to Calcutta. KotchSnd-
pur is the largest and Kesabpur the second largest centre of trade;
Naldanga, Chaugacha, Magura, Jhenida, Chandkhali, Khajura, and
Binodpur are important trading villages.
The central section of the Eastern Bengal State Railway connects Calcutta with Jessore, the head-quarters station, whence it runs south- east to Khulna. This line is connected with the eastern section of the same railway by a branch from Bangaon to Ranaghat. Excluding village tracks, the District contains 581 miles of roads, of which 117 miles are metalled ; the most important are the Provincial road from Jessore to Calcutta, and those connecting Jessore with Kesabpur and Jhenida, Kallganj with Hansada, and Jhenida with Borai and Magura. Road communication is best in the higher land in the head-quarters, Jhenida, and Bangaon subdivisions, where the silting up of the water communications has rendered them more necessary than elsewhere. There are 45 ferries.
The rivers are in many cases no longer navigable in their upper reaches except during the rains, but lower down they are tidal, and carry large boats and small steamers throughout the year. Steamer services ply on alternate weekdays from Khulna up the Atharabanki and MadhumatI as far as Muhammadpur ; daily from Khulna by Kalia to Lohagara, and by the Majudkhali-Chitra-Ghorakhali Khal and the Nabaganga to Binodpur throughout the year and during the rains as far as Magura; and on alternate weekdays from Kapilmuni up the Kabadak to Kotchandpur, feeding the railway at Jhingergacha. During the rains boats ranging up to 2,000 maunds carry jute to the stations on the railway, while some go direct to Calcutta. Large passenger boats ply on the Nabaganga and Chitra rivers and on the channels connecting them with the railway stations.
There has been no famine in Jessore in recent times; but there was some scarcity in the Magura subdivision in 1897, when rice sold at 7 ½ seers to the rupee. Advances were made under the Agriculturists' Loans Act, but Government relief was only necessary on a small scale.
Administration
For administrative purposes the District is divided into five subdivi- sions, with head-quarters at Jessore, Jhenida, Magura, Naral, and Bangaon. The Magistrate-Collector is assisted at Head – quarters by a staff of five Deputy-Magistrate- Collectors; the subdivisions of Magura, Naral, and Bangaon are in charge of Deputy-Magistrate-Collectors, while the subdivisional officer of Jhenida is usually a Joint-Magistrate. The subdivisional officers of Bangaon, Jhenida, and Naral are occasionally assisted by Sub-Deputy- Collectors.
The civil courts subordinate to the District and Sessions Judge, who is also Judge of Khulna, are those of a Sub-Judge and four Munsifs at Jessore, three Munsifs at Naral, and two each at Jhenida, Magura, and Bangaon. The total number of criminal courts is twenty-three, including an Additional Sessions Judge, who is also employed for part of the year at Khuina. The District had at one time an unenviable reputation for dacoity, but this is no longer the case. Petty riots arising out of land disputes are common.
At the settlement of Todar Mai the greater part of the District was included in sarkdr Khalifatabad, but a small portion in the north- east formed part of sarkdr MuhammadabSd or Bhushana. The District was subsequently divided chiefly among the great zamlnddris of Isaf- pur, Saidpur, and Muhammadshahi. The revenue administration was assumed by the British in 1772, but a Collectorate was not estab- lished till 1786, prior to which date the land revenue head-quarters were at Calcutta. Owing to the continuous changes of fiscal juris- diction, comparison of the land revenue with that formerly paid is impossible. The present incidence amounts to only R. 0-11-2 per cultivated acre. Subdivision of property has gone on rapidly under British rule, and there are now 2,444 permanently settled estates, in addition to 70 small estates which are temporarily settled, and 85 held direct by Government. Sub-infeudation of holdings has also been carried on to an enormous extent. The average rate of rent is Rs. 2-15-4 per cultivated acre, but the amount varies according to the crops for which the land is suitable. The rates for rice land range from Rs. 1-8 to Rs. 12 per acre, for jute from Rs. 2-10 to Rs. 2-13, pulses and oilseeds from Rs. 3 to Rs. 4-8, sugar-cane from Rs. 3 to Rs. 7-8, vegetables from Rs. 3 to Rs. 9, date-palms from Rs. 3-3 to Rs. 9, betel and coco-nut palms from Rs. 10 to Rs. 16, and pan gardens from Rs. 8 to Rs. 20, while homestead land fetches Rs. 10 to Rs. 15, and garden land Rs. 10 to Rs. 20 per acre. Rents are lowest in the less fertile Bangaon subdivision, where the maximum rate for rice lands is Rs. 3 per acre. The average quantity of land held by each ryot is 8 acres. The utbandi system (see Nadia District) prevails in some parts of the District; korfd ryots, who hold land under a middleman, are numerous.
The following table shows the collections of land revenue and of
total revenue (principal heads only), in thousands of rupees : —
- In 1880-1 the District did not include the subdivision of Bangaon, which was
subsequently transferred to it from NadiS.
Outside the municipalities of Jessore, Kotchandpur, and Mahes- pur, local affairs are managed by the District board, with subordinate local boards in each subdivision. In 1903-4 the income of the District board was Rs. 1,70,000, of which Rs. 99,000 was derived from rates; and the expenditure was Rs. 1,68,000. Schemes for the reclamation of the river Bhairab, a standing source of unhealthiness, and for opening the Muchikhali Kh£l are under contemplation. The Hallifax Canal, one mile in length, excavated in 1901, connects the Madhumatf and Nabaganga rivers in the Naral subdivision.
The District contains 20 police stations and 10 outposts ; and in 1903 the force subordinate to the District Superintendent consisted of 5 inspectors, 43 sub-inspectors, 36 head constables, and 421 constables (including 38 town chauktdars and water police). In addition, there is a rural force of 245 daffadars and 3,839 chaukldars. The District jail at Jessore has accommodation for 370 prisoners, and subsidiary jails at each of the subdivisional out-stations for 106.
The District is less advanced in respect of education than would be expected from its proximity to Calcutta, and in 1901 only 5.8 per cent. of the population (11 males and 0.5 females) could read and write. The number of pupils under instruction was 34,000 in 1892-3 and 35,000 in 1900-1. In 1903-4, 43,000 boys and 4,000 girls were at school, being respectively 31-1 and 2-6 per cent, of the children of school-going age. The number of educational institutions, public and private, in that year was 1,367, including an Arts college, 85 secondary, 1,255 primary, and 26 special schools. The expenditure on education was 2.1 lakhs, of which Rs. 23,000 was met from Provincial funds, Rs. 41,000 from District funds, Rs. 600 from municipal funds, and 1 lakh from fees. The principal educational institutions are the Victoria College at Naral and high schools at Kalia, Magura, and Jessore town.
In 1903 the District contained 12 dispensaries, of which 5 had accommodation for 30 in-patients. At these the cases of 62,000 out- patients and 500 in-patients were treated during the year, and 2,000 operations were performed. The expenditure was Rs. 19,000, of which Rs. 1,700 was met by a Government subvention, Rs. 7,000 from Local and Rs. 3,000 from municipal funds, and Rs. 8,000 from subscriptions. Vaccination is compulsory only in municipal areas. During 1903-4 the number of persons successfully vaccinated was 54,000, representing 299 per 1,000 of the population.
[Sir W. W. Hunter, Statistical Account of Bengal, vols, i and ii (1875); Sir J. Westland, Report on/essore (Calcutta, 1874).]
