Kheri District, 1908
Contents |
Kheri District, 1908
Physical aspects
(Khiri). — Northern District of the Lucknow Division, United Provinces, lying between 27 degree 41' and 28 degree 42' N. and 8o° 2' and 81° 19' E., with an area of 2,963 square miles. In shape it is roughly triangular, the flattened apex pointing north. The District is bounded on the north by the river Mohan, separating it from Nepal ; on the east by the Kauriala river, separating it from Bahraich ; on the south by Sltapur and HardoT Districts ; and on the west by PlhbhTt and Shahjahanpur. An old bed of the Sarda. or Chauka, called the Ul, which again joins that river, divides Kheri into asrlects two P or tions. The area lying north-east of the Ul is a wild tract of country, which forms practically a vast river bed in which the Sarda has worn several channels. The widely scattered village sites are perched on the highest ground avail- able, and in the north stretch large areas of forest. During the rains the old channels fill with water, and the courses of the rivers vary from year to year. The greatest volume of water is carried by the Sarda or Chauka, which divides into two branches on the southern border. One of these, called the Dahawar, forms, for a short distance, the boundary between Kherl and Sitapur, and flows into the Kauriala. North of the Sarda lies an old bed called the Sarju or SuhelT, which also discharges into the Kauriala and receives many small tributaries from the north. The portion of the District lying south-west of the Ul is drier and more stable, but is also traversed by a number of streams, of which the most important are the Sarayan, Kathna, and Gumtl, while the Sukheta flows along the south-west border. The District is studded with many lakes, which in the north-east take the form of deep pools marking the beds of old channels of the rivers, while in the south-west they are large shallow swamps or sheets of water, drying up in the hot season.
The District exposes nothing but alluvium, and kankar or nodular limestone is the only stony formation. Kherl contains the luxurious vegetation found in the damp submon- tane tract. Besides the forests, which chiefly produce sal and will be described separately, groves of mangoes are common, and there are a few areas of dhak (Buteafrondosa) and other scrub jungle.
The large forest area gives shelter to many wild animals. Tigers, bears, and wolves are not rare, while leopards, wild dogs, hyenas, jungle-cats, and jackals are more common. Five species of deer are found, the swamp deer being the commonest, and a fair number of antelope, and great quantities of nilgai and hog. Game-birds are in abundance. Fish are plentiful, and mahseer are caught in all the large rivers. South-west of the Ul the country is generally healthy. The strip of jungle along the Kathna is still malarious, but is gradually being re- claimed. North-east of the Ul, and especially beyond the Chauka, the climate is exceedingly damp and feverish. The District generally is comparatively cool, and enjoys a mean annual temperature of about 79 . The rainfall is high ; the annual average amounts to 46 inches, the south-west receiving less than the north-east. Variations from year to year are considerable, and the total has fluctuated from 70 inches to 24.
History
Traditions point to the inclusion of this tract in the realm of the Lunar race of Hastinapur, and several places are associated with episodes in the Mahabharata. The early history is, however, entirely unknown. The northern part was held by Rajputs in the tenth century, and tradition relates that they dispossessed the Pasis and other aboriginal tribes. Musalman rule spread slowly to this remote and inhospitable tract ; and it was pro- bably not before the fourteenth century that a chain of forts was con- structed along the northern frontier, to prevent the incursions of marauders from Nepal. Under Akbar the District formed part of the sarkar of Khairabad in the Subah of Oudh. The later history is merely that of the rise and decline of individual families, and is of purely local importance. When Rohilkhand was ceded to the British in 1801 part of this District was included in the cession, but it was restored to Oudh after the Nepalese War of 18 14-6. On the annexation of Oudh in 1856 the west of the present area was formed into a District called Muhamdl and the east into Mallanpur, which also included part of Sitapur. A year later Muhamdl became one of the chief centres of disaffection in northern Oudh. The refugees from Shahjahanpur reached MuhamdT on June 2, and two days later that place was abandoned ; but the whole party, with few exceptions, were shot down on the way to Sitapur, and the survivors died or were murdered later at Lucknow. The British officials at Mallanpur, with a few who had fled from Sitapur, escaped to Nepal, where most of them died. No real attempt to recover the District was made till October, 1858, but peace was restored before the end of that year. The head-quarters of the single District then formed were moved to Lakhimpur shortly afterwards.
Many villages contain ancient mounds in which fragments of sculpture have been found, Balmiar-Barkhar and Khairigarh being the most remarkable. A stone horse found near Khairigarh bears an inscription of Samudra Gupta, king of Magadha, dated in the fourth century a.d. Gola possesses a celebrated temple.
Population
There are 5 towns and 1,659 villages. Population is increasing steadily. At the four enumerations the numbers were : (1869) 738,089, (1881) 831,922, (1891) 903,615, (1901) 905,138. The District is divided into three tahsils — Muhamdi, Nighasan, and Lakhimpur — each named after its head-quarters. The municipality of Lakhimpur, the 'notified area' of Muhamdi, and the town of Gola are the principal places. The following table gives the chief statistics of population in 1901 : —
About 86 per cent, of the total population are Hindus and nearly 14 per cent. Musalmans. Between 1891 and 1901 the District suffered both from floods and from droughts, and the rate of increase was thus smaller than in previous decades. The density of population is the lowest in Oudh. Eastern Hindi is the language principally spoken.
Kheri is remarkable for the small proportion of high-caste Hindus found in it. Brahmans number only 65,000 and Rajputs 30,000. The most numerous castes are Chamars (tanners and cultivators), 104,000 ; Kurmis (agriculturists), 82,000 ; Pasis (toddy-drawers and cultivators), 69,000 ; Ahlrs (graziers and cultivators), 60,000 ; Lodhas (cultivators), 44,000 ; and Muraos (market-gardeners), 34,000. Among Musalmans are Julahas (weavers), 20,000; Pathans, 16,000; Rajputs, 12,000; Shaikhs, 11,000; and Behnas (cotton-carders), 11,000. The Banjaras of this District number 6,800, found only in the submontane tracts. They are largely carriers of grain. Kurmis, Brahmans, Rajputs, Muraos, Chamars, and Pasis are the principal cultivators. Agriculture supports as many as 77 per cent, of the total population.
Out of 417 native Christians in 1901, 337 were Methodists. The American Methodist Mission, opened in 1862, has a number of branches in the District.
Agriculture
Kheri is divided by its rivers into four tracts of varying conditions. The south-west corner between the Sukheta and the Gumtl consists of fertile loam, which turns to sand along the Gumtl. Between the Gumtl and the Kathna lies a high sandy tract called the Parehar, in which cultivation is extremely precarious, but which is celebrated as a breeding-ground for cattle. The richest part of the District is included between the Kathna and the Ul, where the soil is a rich loam. Beyond the Ul, cultivation shifts over wide tracts. The floods of the Kauriala usually deposit coarse, infertile sand, while the Sarda and Dahawar bring down finer silt in which rice can be grown.
The tenures in Kheri are those commonly found in Oldh. Of the total area, 71 per cent, is held by talukaars, but only a very small area is sub-settled. Most of the rest is included in zam'uidari mahals. The main agricultural statistics for 1903-4 are given below, in square miles : —
Wheat is the crop most largely grown, covering 343 square miles or 25 per cent, of the area cropped. Rice (230), maize (208), barley (1 57), gram (151), kodon (148) and pulses (138) are also important. Sugar-cane (49) and oilseeds (50) are the chief non-food crops. The District was very backward at the time of the first regular settlement, but in thirty years the cultivated area had increased by 1 8 per cent. A series of bad seasons from 1892 to 1896 reduced cultivation considerably; but in 1903-4 the area was 25 per cent, greater than it had been forty years before. There has also been a rise in the area double cropped. The area under sugar-cane, wheat, and rice has increased to some extent, but the improvement in the kind of staple grown is not so marked as elsewhere. The demand for advances under the Land Improvement and Agricul- turists' Loans Acts is small, except in unfavourable years. Only Rs. 88,000 was lent during ten years ending 1900, and half of this sum was advanced in the famine year, 1897. Practically no loans have been given since 1900.
Kheri is the most important centre for cattle-breeding in the United Provinces. It supplies a large number of draught bullocks to the whole of Oudh and the Gorakhpur Division. The most distinctive breed is called Parehar, from the tract of country where it is found. The bullocks are small, but fiery tempered, fast movers, and very enduring. Other breeds are the Bhur, Khaingarh, Majhra, Singahl, and Dhaurahra, which are larger and coarser. During the hot season cattle are taken in large numbers to graze in the jungles of Nepal. Ponies are numerous, but of a very inferior type, and are chiefly kept as pack-animals. Sheep and goats are kept for meat, and for their wool and hair.
Only 176 square miles were irrigated in 1903-4, of which 109 were supplied by wells, 60 by tanks or jhils, and 7 by other sources. Irrigation is practically confined to the south-west of the District, excluding the Parehar tract, in which there is hardly any. The spring-level is high, and the dkenkli or lever is used to raise water from wells. Irrigation homjkils is carried on by the swing-basket.
Reserved ' forests cover an area of 443 square miles in the north of the District. The chief timber tree is sal {Shorca robusta) ; but the forests also contain asaina {Termi/ialia foi/ientosa), lialdu (Adina cordi- folia), khair (Acacia Catechu), and other valuable species. The minor products include fuel, thatching-grass, and grass used as fibre. In 1903-4 the total revenue from forest produce was 2-6 lakhs, the receipts from timber being the most important item. The forests are included in the Kheri division of the Oudh circle.
Kankar is the only mineral product, and is used for making lime and metalling roads. It is, however, scarce and of poor quality, as is usual in the submontane Districts.
The most important industry is sugar-refining, and this is only carried on south-west of the Gumti. Cotton cloth for local use is woven at a few places, and at Oel there is a small manufacture of brass utensils. The District exports grain, sugar, forest produce, cattle, and ghi, while the chief imports are piece-goods, metals, and salt. There is also some trade with Nepal, from which timber, rice, and spices are received. The principal trading centres are Lakhlmpur, Muhamdl, and Cola.
Trade and communications
The Lucknow-Bareilly State Railway (managed by the Rohilkhand and Kumaun Railway) crosses the District south-west of the Ul. From MailanI a branch strikes off through the forest to Marauncha Ghat on the Sarda, which is crossed by a temporary bridge, the line being continued from the opposite bank to Sonaripur. A short branch of this line from Dudhwa to the Nepal frontier, opened in 1903, is used chiefly for the export of grain and forest produce. The whole line from MailanI is open only from January to June. The Pawayan steam tramway, which connects MailanI with Shahjahanpur, has a short length in the District.
Communications by road are very poor. Only 40 miles are metalled out of a total length of 656. About 250 miles are maintained by the Public Works department, but the cost of all but 17 miles is charged to Local funds. The chief metalled road is that from Sltapur to Shah- jahanpur, which passes through the south-west corner of the District, and the other metalled roads are merely short lengths of feeder-roads to railway stations. The improvement of communications, and in particular the construction of bridges, is rendered difficult by the vagaries of the streams which intersect the District. Avenues of trees are maintained on only S miles.
Famine
Owing to the natural moisture of the soil and the rarity of a serious failure of the rainfall, scarcity from drought is not severely felt in this District. Distress was experienced in 1769, and _ tradition relates that in 1783 there was severe famine and many deaths occurred from starvation. Scarcity was again felt in 1865, 1869, and 1874. In 187S relief works and poorhouses were opened, but were not much resorted to. Up to that time the difficulties of transport had added to the distress caused by a local failure of the crops; but the railway, opened in 1887, now makes it possible to import grain when needed. From 1S92 to 1895 excessive rain injured the crops in the low-lying parts of the District. The drought of 1896 thus caused an increase in the cultivated area north-east of the Ul, though it was followed by a contraction in the area under spring crops in 1897. Relief works and poorhouses were opened, but famine was not severe.
Administration
The Deputy-Commissioner is assisted by a staff of three Deputy- Collectors recruited in India, and a tahsilddr resides . . at the head-quarters of each tahsil. A Deputy-Con- servator of Forests is stationed at Lakhlmpur. The civil courts are those of the Munsif and Subordinate Judge, and the District is included in the Civil and Sessions Judgeship of Sitapur. Crime is generally light, though thefts and burglaries are common, owing to the fact that the houses in many parts are simply wattle sheds. The jungle along the Kathna formerly had a bad reputation for sheltering criminals. An attempt has been made, with only partial success, to reclaim the criminal tribe known as Bhatus or Sansias by settling them on the land. Female infanticide was formerly rife, but is no longer suspected.
The records of the first summary settlement made after annexation perished in the Mutiny. It is, however, certain that under it the taluk- dars lost few villages. After the Mutiny a second summary settlement was made on the basis of the accounts under native rule, the demand amounting to 4-9 lakhs. A survey was commenced in 1864 and a regular settlement followed, which was completed by 1872. The assessments were based on estimates of produce and on selected rent rates, while they also anticipated a great extension of cultivation and proved too high. The necessity for revision was increased by a succession of bad years, and the whole settlement was again examined between 1872 and 1877, with the result that the demand was reduced from 12-2 to 8 lakhs. The settlement officers sat as civil courts to determine claims to rights in land, but their work was lighter here than in most Districts of Oudh. A new settlement, preceded by a resurvey, was made between 1897 and 1900, and was characterized by speed and economy. Rents are payable in kind over a large area, and the valuation of this portion of the District was made by ascertaining the actual receipts over a series of years. In some cases rents are paid by cash rates on the area actually cultivated in each harvest, and for the finer staples cash rents are invariably paid. The demand fixed amounted to 10-3 lakhs, which represented 46 per cent, of the estimated net 'assets.' In different parts of the District the incidence varies from Rs. 2 to R. 0-4, the average being R. 0-7.
Collections on account of land revenue and revenue from all sources have been, in thousands of rupees : —
The District contains one municipality, Lakhimpur, one 'notified area,' MuhamdI, and two towns administered under Act XX of 1856. Local affairs beyond the limits of these are managed by the District board, which in 1903-4 had an income and expenditure of i-i lakhs About half the income is derived from rates, and the expenditure included Rs. 58,000 spent on roads and buildings. The District Superintendent of police has under him a force of 3 inspectors, 85 subordinate officers, and 256 constables, distributed in 12 police stations; and there are also 44 municipal and town police, and 1,762 rural and road police. The District jail contained a daily average of 286 prisoners in 1903.
Kherl is one of the most backward Districts in the United Provinces in regard to education, and only i-8 per cent, of the population (3-3 males and 0-2 females) could read and write in 1901. The number of public schools increased from 95 with 3,430 pupils in 1880-1 to 116 with 4,046 pupils in 1900-1. In 1903-4 there were 162 such schools with 5,676 pupils, of whom 189 were girls, besides 4 private schools with 61 pupils. Three schools are maintained by Government and 89 are managed by the District and municipal boards. The total expenditure on education in the same year was Rs. 40,000, of which Rs. 34,800 was provided from Local funds and Rs. 4,400 by fees.
There are 8 hospitals and dispensaries, with accommodation for 39 in-patients. In 1903 the number of cases treated was 46,000, including 415 in-patients, and 1,988 operations were performed. The expenditure amounted to Rs. 10,000, chiefly met from Local funds. About 13,000 persons were successfully vaccinated in 1903-4, repre- senting a proportion of 34 per 1,000 of population. Vaccination is compulsory only in the municipality of Lakhimpur.
[S. H. Butler, Settlement Report (1901) ; H. R. Nevill, District Gazetteer (1905).]
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.
