Loralai 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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Loralai District
Physical aspects
District of Baluchistan, lying between 29° 37' and 31° 27' N. and 67° 43' and 70° iS' E., with an area of 7,999 square miles. It derives its name from the Loralai stream, an affluent of the Anambar or Nari. On the north it is bounded by Zhob District ; on the east by the Dera Ghazi Khan District of the Punjab ; on the south by the Marri country ; and on the west by Sibi District. It consists of a series of long but narrow valleys hemmed in by rugged mountams, which vary in asoects
elevation from 3,000 to 10,000 feet. Those occupy- ing the west and centre have a direction from east to west, and form the upper catchment area of the Anambar river. Those on the east run north and south, and their drainage bursts through the Sulaiman range into the Indus valley. The western ranges, which are highest, contain much juniper and some fine scenery. I'he central hills consist of three parallel ranges stretching out to meet the Sulaiman range. They are known locally as the Damangarh on the north ; the Kru and Gadabar hills in the centre ; and the Dabbar range with its eastern continuation on the south. The Anambar, which debouches into Kachhi under the name of the Nari, is the principal river of the District. It is formed by the junction of the Loralai, Mara, and Sehan streams, and is joined lower down by the Lakhi and Narechi. On the east three rivers carry the drainage into the Indus valley : the Vihowa and Sanghar in the Musa Khel Tahsil, and the Kaha in Barkhan. Each of these has a small perennial flow, which frequently disappears, however, beneath the stony bed.
The strata exposed in Loralai include the upper, middle, and lower Siwaliks (upper an-d middle miocene) ; the Spintangi limestone and Ghazij group (middle eocene) ; volcanic agglomerates and ash-beds of the Deccan trap; the Dunghan group (upper Cretaceous); belemnite beds (neocomian) ; and some inliers of the massive limestone (Jurassic). A Triassic belt occurs between the District and the Zhob valley.
The District is barely clothed with vegetation. The trees include juniper and pistachio at the higher levels, and acacia and olive on the lower hills. The poplar {Popuhis euphratkd) and willow are also to be found. Tamarisk, the wild caper, and dwarf-palm occur in the valleys. Myrtle groves are found in the Smallan valley, and box on the summit of the Musa Khel hills. Shisham {Dalbergia Sissod) has been introduced at Duki and grows well. Orchards are numerous in Sanjawi, Duki, and Bori, containing apricots, mulberries, and pome- granates. Vineyards are also common in Sanjawi, Thai, and round Loralai town. Grapes in Thai sell for R. i per donkey-load in the season.
Game is not abundant. Some mountain-sheep and mdrkhor are to be found in the hills, while leopards, black bears, and numerous wolves and hyenas also occur. A few wild hog are occasionally met with. Snakes are numerous. Fishing is to be had in the Anambar and larger streams.
The climate varies with the elevation, but on the whole is dry and healthy. In the west of the District the seasons are well marked ; the summer is cool and pleasant, but the winter is intensely cold, with hard frosts and falls of snow. In the south and east the temperature is more uniform, but the heat in summer is great. The Bori valley is subject to high winds, which are very cold in early spring and have been known to cause considerable mortality. The rainfall is light, the annual average being about 7 inches. In the western parts both summer and winter rain and also some snow are received. The rest of the District depends chiefly on the summer rainfall, which every- where exceeds that in winter.
History
The District in ancient times formed the most eastern dependency of the province of Kandahar, and, like that place, its possession alter- nated from time to time between Mughal, Safavid, and Afghan. Its capital was Duki, which was generally garrisoned. The District lay across one of the main routes from India to Western Asia via the Sakhi Sarwar pass and Pishln. It provided a contingent of 500 horse and 1,000 foot for Akbar, besides other contributions. In 1653, when Dara Shikoh, son of the emperor Shah Jahan, advanced against Kandahar from India, he occupied Duki, which had been held by Persian troops. Later, the District passed to the Durranis and their successors.
The steps by which different parts of the District have come under British control were gradual. In 1879 the Duki tahsil was ceded under the Treaty of Gandamak, and a force under General Biddulph was sent with Sir Robert Sandeman to explore the country, in the course of which a successful engagement was fought with the Zhob and Bori Kakars at Baghao. The country had long been the battle and raiding-ground of rival tribal factions, the Marris fighting the Lunis and Khetrans, the Tarins of Duki being at constant war with the Dumars and Utman Khels, and the Musa Khels raiding the Baloch of the Punjab. In consequence, the inhabitants of Sanjawi were brought under British protection in 188 1. In 1879 a detachment had been stationed at Vitakri in the Khetran country to check the Marris, but it was shortly afterwards withdrawn, and in 1887 the valley (now the Barkhan tahsil) was also taken under protection. In 1884 frequent raids by the Kakars from the north culminated in an attack on coolies employed at Duki, which led to a small punitive expedition being dispatched under General Tanner. The tribesmen submitted, and the expedition eventually resulted in the occupation of the Bori valley in 1886. A settlement had been made with the Musa Khels after the expedition of 1884; and on the occupation of Zhob in 1889 the Musa Khel country was included in that Agency, a Tahsil being established there in 1892. The District, as it now exists, was formed in 1903, the MQsa Khel and Bori tahsth being transferred from Zhob District and the Duki, Sanjawi, and Barkhan Tahsils from Thal-Chotiali District.
Interesting mounds and ruins mark the course of the ancient trade route from India to Central Asia, but they have never been explored. Remains of large dams, probably used as water reservoirs, exist here and there. A find of coins of the Caliph Marwan II (a.d. 745) has been made at Dabbar Kot.
Population
The District has 400 inhabited villages and a population (1901) of 67,864, or 8 persons per square mile. Of these, about 95 per cent, are Muhammadans of the Sunni sect, and most of the remainder Hindus. The following table gives statistics of area, &c., by tahsils in 1901 : —
The principal inhabitants are the Kakars (18,400), Khetrans (13,600), Musa Khels (10,500), Dumars (5,300), Tarlns (3,400), Lunis (2,600), and Pechi Saiyids (800). With the exception of the Khetrans, they are all Afghans. The Khetrans claim both Baloch and Afghan affinities, but the majority of them are probably of Jat extraction. Most of the people are cultivating proprietors, but some sections are almost entirely flock-owners. A small number of weavers live in the Barkhan tahsil. Hindus carry on the retail trade of the District. In Duki a curious instance of the assimilation by Hindus of Muham- madan traits and dress is to be found in the Ramzais, who have long shared the fortunes of the Hasni section of the Khetrans. They dress as Baloch, and are expert swordsmen and riders. The language of the Afghans is Pashtu, and that of the Khetrans is a dialect akin to Western Punjabi.
Agriculture
The soil of the Bori valley consists of a reddish loam, and is highly productive if properly cultivated. In Duki a pale grey loess occurs ; elsewhere extensive gravel deposits are to be found, . mixed occasionally with tracts of cultivable red clay. The principal harvest is the dobe, or spring crop, which is sown after the autumn rains, and matures with the aid of the winter moisture. The mane, or autumn crop, is sown on the summer rainfall. Lands which depend on rain or floods are generally cropped each year, if the rainfall is sufficient ; irrigated lands are allowed to lie fallow for one to four years, but lands close to villages which can be manured are sometimes cropped twice a year.
Of the five tahsils, Sanjawi alone has been brought under settlement. Its 'total cultivable area is 9,700 acres, of which 7,600 acres are cultivated. The irrigated area represents 74 per cent, of the whole, but in other Tahsils the ' wet-crop ' area is not so large. A record-of- rights has been made in the Bori tahs'il. The principal crops are wheat, jowar, maize, and rice, with a small amount of tobacco grown in Sanjawi. There has been a considerable extension of fruit gardens, and quantities of grapes, apricots, and pomegranates are produced. Melons of a superior kind, vegetables, and lucerne are cultivated in some parts. With the introduction of peace and security, the inhabi- tants are settling down to cultivation, which is gradually extending. Under an arrangement made in 1897, the Leghari chief is bringing lands in Barkhan under cultivation which had lain waste for ages owing to their exposure to Marri marauders. Most of the cultivators readily avail themselves of Government loans, but a few have religious scruples about paying interest. Between 1897-8 and 1903-4, Rs. 83,700 was advanced for agricultural improvements, and Rs. 56,000 for the purchase of seed and bullocks.
Much of the wealth of the District consists in its herds of cattle, sheep, and goats, which find ample grazing in the plains of Sahara, in Musa Khel, of Ranrkan in Barkhan, of Thai and Chamalang in Duki, and round the base of Akhbarg in the Dumar country. The Musa Khels possess a comparatively larger number of camels and donkeys, while Barkhan, Sanjawi, and Bori have more sheep and goats. The Buzdar breed of donkeys is excellent. Some of the best horses in the country were to be had in Duki and Barkhan in the early days of the British occupation ; but many of the mares were bought up, and the breed has somewhat deteriorated. Govern- ment stallions are stationed at Loralai, Duki, and Barkhan. The branded mares numbered 73 in 1904. Many camels, sheep, and goats are brought into the District by nomads at certain times of the year.
The principal sources of irrigation are streams, springs, and kdrez. The Persian wheel is used in the Barkhan Tahsil. Of the 475 revenue villages, 173 have permanent irrigation, 11 1 are partially irrigated, and 191 depend entirely on rainfall and floods. Besides the Sanjawi tahs'il, the chief irrigated areas are the Duki and Luni circles in the Duki tahs'il, and the Nahar Kot circle in the Barkhan tahsil. The Bori tahsil possesses the largest number of kdrez, 62. A flood-water channel was constructed by Government in 1903, at a cost of Rs. 40,000, to take off the flood-water of the Anambar to irrigate lands in the Thai plain.
The District contains about 55 square miles of Government forests. They include two tracts of juniper forest, covering 4,000 acres, in the Sanjawi tahs'il; the Gadabar forest, chiefly Acacia niodesta, of about 35 square miles on the Gadabar hill; and Surghund and Nargasi, with an area of 14 square miles, the former containing Pruniis ebur?iea and some juniper, and the latter pistachio. Timber fellings are also regulated in the Kohar pistachio forest. A grass Reserve is maintained on the banks of the Narechi.
A coal seam in the Chamalang valley in Duki was examined by an officer of the Geological Survey in 1874, but he held out no hopes of a workable thickness being obtained. Traces of coal have also been noticed in the Sembar hills in the same tahsil, and an extensive seam occurs within i^ miles of Duki village.
Trade communication
Felts and felt coats {khosa), which are in daily use, are made by the women of the country. Mats and many other articles are woven from the dwarf-palm (pish or dhord), also for domestic purposes. Barkhan possesses an in- commvmications. dustry in the manufacture of carpets, saddle-bags, nose-bags, (Sec, in the dar'i stitch, which were once much admired ; but the use of cheap aniline dyes has injuriously affected the trade, and the products are now inferior in quality. The articles are sold locally and also exported to the Punjab. The District produces grain, gh'i, and wool, of which the last two are exported. Trade is carried on either with Sind through Harnai, or with Dera Ghazi Khan District. Transit dues, which formerly caused much hindrance to trade, have now been abolished.
The District possesses two excellent roads which intersect near Loralai : the Harnai-Fort Sandeman road, of which 76 miles lie in the District; and the Pishln-Dera Ghazi Khan road, of which 175 miles are within the District boundaries. The total length of communica- tions consists of 2 88 miles of metalled or partially metalled roads, and 737 miles of unmetalled tracks and paths.
Famine
Bori and Sanjawi are best protected from famine. The Musa Khel and Barkhan tahsils and large portions of the Duki tahsil depend on the rainfall for their cultivation, and are pamine. severely affected by its local failure. The Barkhan tahsil suff"ered from drought in 1840, in i860, and also in 1883. Scarcity again occurred in 1897-8; and Rs. 20,000 from the Indian Famine Relief Fund was spent in the Duki and the Barkhan tahsils during that year and in 1 900-1, chiefly in providing cattle and seed grain. The grazing tax was remitted and advances were made in other parts. The drought continued until 1900, and revenue to the amount of Rs. 23,700 was suspended, nearly half of which repre- sented the grazing tax of the Musa Khel Tahsil. Further advances were made in the following year to enable the people to recover. Between 1899 and 1901 about Rs. 69,000 was also spent on relief works from Imperial revenues.
Administration
The District is composed of two units, officially known as the Duki and Loralai Districts, the former belonging to British Baluchistan and the latter to Agency Territories. For purposes of admmistration it is treated as the single charge of a Political Agent, who is also Deputy-Commissioner. It is divided into three subdivisions : Bori, which is in charge of an Assistant Political Agent; and Musa Khel-Barkhan and Duki, each of which is in charge of an Extra- Assistant Commissioner. A tahsildar and a naib-tahstldar are posted to each iahsil except Sanjawi, which is in charge of a naib-tahsildar who has the powers of a tahsildar.
The tahsildars and naib-Tahsildars exercise both civil and criminal jurisdiction, appeals from their decisions lying to the officers in charge of subdivisions. The Political Agent and Deputy-Commissioner is the principal Civil and Sessions Judge. In 1903-4 the civil suits decided in the District numbered 273 and the criminal cases 62. Cases in which the people of the country are concerned are generally referred to councils of elders {Jirgas) for an award according to tribal custom under the Frontier Crimes Regulation, the final order being passed by the Political Agent. Such cases numbered 1,652 in 1903-4, including 14 cases of murder, 32 of adultery, and 13 of adultery with murder, as well as 71 inter-Provincial cases with the Punjab.
In the time of Akbar the territory of Duki paid Rs. 1 20 in money, 1,800 kharwars of grain, 12,000 sheep, and 15 Baluchi horses, besides contributing a military contingent ; and under Afghan rule the same system appears to have been continued. Since the submission of the tribes to British rule, the revenue has been levied at a uniform rate of one-sixth of the gross produce. The Government share is generally determined by appraisement. The small Tahsil of Sanjawi is under a fixed cash assessment for a period of ten years from 1901. Grazing tax is collected either by actual enumeration of the animals or in a lump sum fixed annually. In Musa Khel it forms the largest part of the revenue. It amounted for the whole District in 1903-4 to Rs. 28,600.
The receipts from land revenue and grazing tax, including the royalty levied on firewood, amounted in 1903-4 to 2'i lakhs, which gives an incidence of Rs. 3 per head of population. The revenue from all sources in the same year was 2-3 lakhs. In addition to the Loralai bazar fund, two other Local funds are maintained, the money raised being spent on sanitary establishments and watch and ward. The receipts in 1903-4 were Rs. 12,300, and the expenditure was Rs. 15,100.
The regiments at Loralai furnish cavalry detachments at Gumbaz and Murgha Kibzai, and infantry guards for the sub-treasuries at Hindubagh and Kila Saifulla in Zhob District. Detachments from the cavalry regiment at Fort Sandeman are located at Musa Khel and Khan Muhammad Kot, and a small infantry detachment is stationed at Drug. Owing to the recent formation of the District, police arrangements are still in a state of organization. Ihe police force is at present directly controlled by the police officer at Fort Sandeman. In 1904 it consisted of 5 deputy-inspectors and 112 men, including 14 horsemen, and held five posts. The levies numbered 392 men, of whom 7 were headmen and 224 mounted men. They were distributed in twenty-eight posts, and included 74 men employed on postal and telegraph service. The number of subsidiary jails or lock-ups was five, with accommodation for 125 male and 20 female prisoners. Convicts whose term exceeds six months are generally sent to Shikarpur in Sind.
In 1904 the number of primary schools was five, with 84 boys ; the total cost was Rs. 1,800, of which Rs. 951 was paid from Provincial revenues, the balance being met from fees and Local funds. Elementary instruction, chiefly of a religious character, is also given to about 850 boys and 180 girls in mosque schools, the largest number being in the Barkhan tahsil.
Each of the five tahs'ils possesses a dispensary. That at Sanjawi is moved, during the summer months, to Ziarat in Sibi District. There is accommodation for 20 in-patients. 'Ihe average daily attendance of such patients in 1903 was 19, and the total average daily attendance of all patients 208. The cost of the dispensaries was about Rs. 10,000, which was wholly met from Provincial revenues.
Vaccination is optional, and the majority of the people still resort to inoculation. It is only when small-pox breaks out that the services of the Government vaccinators are requisitioned. Statistics of vaccina- tion are not available.
[' Report on the Geology of Thal-Chotiali and a part of the Marri Country,' Records, Geological Survey of India, vol. xxv, part i ; Surgeon-Major O. T. Duke, An Historical and Descriptive Report of the Districts of Thal-Chotiali and Harnai (Calcutta, 1883).]
