Kopargaon
Kopargaon, 1908
Taluka of Ahmadnagar District, Bombay, lying between 19 degree 35' and 19° 59' N. and 74 degree 15' and 74 degree 45' E., with an area of 519 square miles. It contains one town, Puntamba (popula- tion, 5,890), and 122 villages. The head-quarters are at Kopargaon. The population in 1901 was 73,539, compared with 89,339 in 1891. The decrease is attributed to famine and consequent migration. The density, 142 persons per square mile, is slightly above the District average. The demand for land revenue in 1903-4 was 2-4 lakhs, and for cesses Rs. 14,000. The Godavari river enters at the extreme north- west corner, traverses the taluka, and forms for a short distance the eastern boundary. The bed of the river is considerably below the general level of the country, and the high black-soil and clay banks are deeply fissured by numerous minor streams. Kopargaon consists of a black-soil plain, having a gentle slope from both sides towards the Godavari. In most of the villages the people are dependent on wells for their water-supply, as all but the largest tributaries of the Godavari run dry shortly after the monsoon rains have ceased. The cultivators are in an impoverished condition, attributable in a great measure to the frequent occurrence of bad seasons. Sudden and violent showers, which deluge the country, are often succeeded by a long and continued drought.
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.
