Kurandvad 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.
Kurandvad State
State under the Political Agent for Kolhapur and the Southern Maratha Country, Bombay. At present it consists of two divisions, one belonging to the Senior ruler of Kurandvad, and the other to the Junior chiefs. The Senior division comprises one town, Kurandvad (population, 10,451), the head-quarters; and 37 villages. Of these, Tikota and Wategaon, the former in Bijapur and the latter in Satara District, are quite isolated from the main jagir, of which 25 villages lie close to and south of the town of Belgaum, while the remaining 10 lie in the valley of the Kistna, intermixed with British territory and with the territory of the Sangli, Kolhapur, and Miraj States. The Senior division, with its head-quarters also at Kurandvad, comprises two towns and 34 villages — 17 in the neighbourhood of and mostly to the south of Belgaum, 15 on the borders of the Nizam's Dominions and to the east of Sholapur District, and 2 within the limits of the Kolhapur State.
The Kurandvad State was a grant made by the Peshwa to a member of the Patvardhan family on condition of military service. In 181 1 the State was divided into two parts, one of which was called Kurand- vad and Government the other Shedbal. The latter share lapsed to the British in 1857, owing to failure of heirs. In 1855 a further division of Kurandvad into Senior and Junior was effected by the British Government between Raghunath Rao and Ganpat Rao, Vinayak Rao, and Trimbak Rao. When Trimbak Rao died in 1869 without male issue, the whole of his share of \)c\q jagir was bestowed on Ganpat Rao and Vinayak Rao, with the exception of the share he possessed in the indm estate, which reverted to the Senior chief, Raghunath Rao. The descendants of Harihar Rao and Vinayak Rao, brothers of Raghunath Rao, now jointly form the Junior branch.
The Senior chief's estate contains an area of 185 square miles, and a population (1901) of 42,474. Hindus number 34,386, Muham- madans 4,452, and Jains 3,532. The staple crops are millet, rice, wheat, gram, and cotton. Coarse cotton cloth and articles of female apparel are the principal maimfactures. The total tribute received by the British Government from Kurandvad amounts to Rs. 9,619, which is paid by the Senior branch for the whole State. The Senior chief of Kurandvad ranks as a first-class Sardar in the Southern Maratha Country, and has power to try his own subjects for capital offences. He enjoys an estimated revenue of nearly 2 lakhs. His family hold a sanad of adoption, and succession follows the rule of primogeniture. In 1903-4 there were 16 schools in the State with 497 pupils, and 2 dispensaries treating about 7,000 patients. About 800 persons are vaccinated annually.
The share of the Junior chiefs contains an area of 114 square miles and a population (1901) of 34,003. Hindus number 28,037, Muham- madans 3,413, and Jains 2,498. The family holds no j-rt//(7^ authorizing adoption, and succession does not usually follow the rule of primo- geniture. The treaty of 1819 entered into by the Senior branch is considered as binding upon the Junior chiefs. The estimated revenue is about if lakhs of rupees. Two towns, Maindargi and Dudhani, are administered as municipalities, with an income in 1903-4 of Rs. 850. In 1903-4 there were 10 schools with 429 pupils, and one dispensary, which usually treated about 8,000 patients, but which was closed in that year. The police force numbers 67. In 1903-4, 850 persons were vaccinated.
