Narsinghgarh State, 1908
Narsinghgarh 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
A mediatized chiefship in Central India, under the Bhopal Agency, lying between 23° 35' and 24° o' N. and 76° 20' and 77° 10' E., but its territories are much intermingled with those of Rajgarh ; total area, 741 square miles. It is situated in the section of Malwa known as Umatwara, so called after the Umat clan of Rajputs to which the chief of Narsinghgarh belongs. It is bounded on the north by the Indore, Khilchipur, and Rajgarh States ; on the east by Maksudangarh and Bhopal ; on the west by Dewas and Gwalior ; and on the south by Bhopal and Gwalior.
Narsinghgarh is closely allied to Rajgarh. Both chiefs are descended from Dudaji, younger brother of Udaji of Rajgarh, who acted as minister to his brother. In 1661 Rawat Mohan Singh succeeded to Rajgarh as a minor, the State being administered by his cousin Diwan Ajab Singh of the Dudawat branch, who was succeeded by his son Paras Ram. This arrangement, however, gave rise to constant differ- ences between the parties of the Diwan and the Rawat, till in 1668 a crisis occurred which resulted in a division of the State between the two branches of the family. The partition was not at first completed by definite delimitation of territory, a system of intermixed rule over each village prevailing. Subsequently, in 1681, the territorial limits were defined ; and Paras Ram, on receiving his share, left Patan, his former residence, and founded the town and State of Narsinghgarh. In the eighteenth century the chief succumbed to the Marathas, and was obliged to make terms with Holkar and pay an annual sum of Rs. 85,000 (Salim shahi), in order to preserve his independence. In 1 8 18, on the settlement of Malwa by Sir John Malcolm, an agreement was mediated between the Narsinghgarh chief and the rulers of Indore, Dewas, and Gwalior, guaranteeing the regular payment of the sum due to Holkar and the receipt of Rs. 1,200 as idnka (cash-grant) from Sindhia, and of Rs. 5,102 from Dewas, in settlement of certain claims on the Shujalpur and Sarangpur pargunas. In 18 19 Diwan Subhag Singh became imbecile, and the management of the State was entrusted to his son Chain Singh, who, however, had a difference with the Political Agent, attacked the British forces at Sehore, and was killed in the engagement (1824). Subhag Singh, who had recovered his health, was then again entrusted with the rule. He was succeeded by Hanwant Singh, who in 1872 received the hereditary title of Raja and a salute of II guns. On his death in 1873, Holkar demanded payment of nazardna (succession dues) from his successor, Pratap Singh, but the claim was not admitted by the British Government. In 1880 Pratap Singh abolished transit dues on salt passing through the State, in lieu of which a yearly cash payment of Rs. 618-12 is made. In 1884 he abolished all transit duties, except those on opium, and made a con- tribution of Rs. 56,000 towards the construction of the Biaora-Sehore road. He was succeeded in 1890 by his uncle Mahtab Singh, who died childless and was followed, in 1896, by Arjun Singh, the present chief, selected by the British Government from the Bhathkhera Thakur's family. He is being educated at the Mayo College at Ajmer, The chief bears the titles of His Highness and Raja, and receives a salute of II guns.
The population of the State was: (1881) 112,427, (1891) 116,280, and (1901) 92,093, giving a density of 124 persons per square mile. During the last decade there was a decrease of 20 per cent., due to the severity of the famine of 1S99-1900. Hindus number 82,822, or 90 per cent. ; Animists, 4,816, or 5 per cent., of whom nearly half are Bhils ; and Musalmans, 4,088, or 4 per cent. The State contains one town, Narsinghgarh (population, 8,778), the capital ; and 461 villages- The Malwi dialect of RajasthanI is in common use. The prevailing castes are Rajputs (8,500), Chamars (7,000), Brahmans (5,000), and Balais (4,800). Agriculture supports 45 per cent, of the population, and general labour 8 per cent. The soil consists mostly of the fertile black variety common to Malwa. The total area of 741 square miles, of which 207 square miles, or 28 per cent., have been alienated in Jdgirs, is thus distributed : cultivated, 272 square miles, or 37 per cent., of which 17 square miles are irrigated; cultivable but uncultivated, 380 square miles, or 51 per cent. ; forests, 2 square miles ; and the rest waste. The principal crops are Jowar, occupying 141 square miles, or 57 per cent, of the cropped area; cotton 27 square miles, wheat 20, maize 17, gram 14, and poppy 8.
The chief means of communication are the Agra-Bombay, the Biaora- Sehore, the Pachor-Khujner, and the Shujalpur-Pachor roads, with a total length of 55 miles metalled, of which 40 are kept up by the British Government and the rest by the State. British combined post and telegraph offices have been opened at Narsinghgarh and Pachor, and branch post offices at Khujner and Chhapera.
For administrative purposes the State is divided into four tahsils, with head-quarters at Narsinghgarh, Pachor, Khujner, and Chhapera, each under a tahsilddr, who is magistrate and collector of revenue. The chief has full powers in all revenue, general, and civil judicial matters ; in criminal jurisdiction his powers are those of a Sessions Court, heinous cases being dealt with by the Political Agent.
The normal income is 5 lakhs, of which 3-3 lakhs is derived from land, Rs. 36,000 from customs, Rs. 5,000 from excise, and Rs. 12,000 from opium. The expenditure amounts to about 4-5 lakhs, the principal heads being general administration (2-4 lakhs), chiefs establishment (Rs. 12,700), and tribute (Rs. 58,600). Up to 1897, when the British rupee was made legal tender, the Bhopal coinage was current. The incidence of land revenue demand is Rs. 3-2 per acre of cultivated land, and Rs. 1-2 per acre of total area. The State is the sole proprietor of the land, villages being leased out to farmers who are responsible for the assessed revenue of their holdings. The rates are fixed according to the quality of the soil, a higher rate being levied on irrigated land.
The army includes a regular force known as the Umat-Risala, a body of 40 cavalry, who act as a body-guard to the chief, and also infantry. The irregulars act as police messengers and the like. There are 23 artillerymen with one serviceable gun.
The State contains 8 schools with 529 pupils, and the annual expen- diture on education is Rs. 3,000. In 1901, 3-5 per cent, of the population, almost all males, were able to read and write. Four dis- pensaries are maintained, at an annual cost of Rs. 4,400. Vaccination is regularly carried out. Three surveys for revenue purposes have been made — in 1865, 1885, and 1898. The last survey was a complete plane-table survey, whereas the earlier surveys dealt only with cultivated land.
