Nandurbar Town
Nandurbar Town, 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.
Head-quarters of the taluka of the same name in West Khandesh District, Bombay, situated in 21° 22' N. and 74° 14 E., on the Tapti Valley Railway. Population (1901), 10,922. The town has been a municipality since 1867, with an average income during the decade ending 1901 of Rs. 12,500. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 16,200, chiefly derived from urban rates and taxes. Nandur- bar carries on a considerable trade with Surat and Bombay in cotton, wheat, and seeds. There is also a local trade in wood, transferred from Taloda since the opening of the Tapti Valley Railway. The town contains three ginning factories and a cotton-press. There are also a Subordinate Judge's court, two dispensaries, and six schools with 450 pupils, of which two, with 39 pupils, are for girls. The exports are cotton, linseed, wheat, gram, and grass oil ; the imports are .salt, coco-nuts, and spices of all kinds. The staple industry is the extraction of oil from a grass known as roshd, about 100 stills being at work. This oil has long been held in repute as a remedy for rheumatism. A branch of the Scandinavian-American Mission has been established in the town. Nandurbar is one of the oldest places in Khandesh. Under the name of Nandigara it is sup- posed to be mentioned in a Kanheri cave inscription of the third century a. d. According to local tradition, it was founded by Nai-id Gauli, in whose family it remained until conquered by the Muham ma- dans under Muln-ud-din Ghishti, assisted by the Tir Saiyid Ala-uddin. It was obtained by Mubarak, chief of Khandesh, from the ruler of Gujarat, in 1536 ; in 1665 it was a place of considerable prosperity, renowned for its grapes and melons. In 1666 an English factory was established at Nandurbar, and by 1670 it had become so important a trading centre that the English factors removed hither from Ahmad- abad. It subsequently suffered in common with the rest of Khandesh during the troubles of Baji Rao's rule ; and when it came into the possession of the British in 1818, the town was more than half deserted. It contains a number of old mosques and remains of ancient buildings. Many of the houses have beautifully carved fronts.
