Piploda
Piploda, 1908
One of the mediatized chiefships of the Central India Agency, in the Malwa Political Charge. It has an area of about 60 square miles.
The ancestors of the present chief were Doria Rajputs, who migrated from Kathiawar, one Kaluji seizing the fort of Sabalgarh, 7 miles from the present town of Piploda, in 1285. In 1547 Shardul Singh, sixth in descent from Kaluji, greatly extended his possessions and founded the town of Piploda. The estate was reduced to its present dimensions by the inroads of the Marathas, the Thakur becoming subject to Amir Khan. When independence was guaranteed to JAORA in 1818 by the twelfth article of the Treaty of Mandasor, the question of the status of Piploda arose. Through the mediation of Sir John Malcolm, the Nawab of Jaora agreed in 1821 to allow the Thakur to hold his lands on paying Rs. 28,000 a year as tribute, and surrendering half the sayar dues of the holding. In 1844 a fresh agreement was made, without the cognizance of the Government of India, in which the Thakur's position was more carefully defined. During the Mutiny Thakur Shiv Singh furnished cavalry and men to the British authorities at Mandasor. , The present chief, Thalcur Kesri Singh, succeeded in 1887, having been educated at the Daly College at Indore.
The estate has a population (1901) of 11,441, of whom Hindus form 84 per cent. There are 28 villages in the thakurat, the revenue of five of which is assigned to Panth-Piploda (see MALWA AGENCY). About 72 per cent, of the population speak the Malwi dialect, and 90 per cent, are agriculturists, the principal caste supported by it being the Kunbl.
The land is for the most part highly fertile, being chiefly black cotton, producing excellent crops of all the ordinary grains and of poppy. Of the total area, 33 square miles, or 55 per cent, are under cultivation, 3 square miles of this being irrigable. About 30 square miles produce cereals, 3 poppy, and one cotton. There are two metalled roads in the estate, one leading to Rankoda, the other to Puniakherl.
The Thakur administers the estate with the assistance of a kamdar, and has limited judicial powers, all heinous cases being referred to the Political Agent. The total revenue is Rs. 95,000, of which Rs. 90,000 is derived from the land. The Thakur receives small yearly tankas (cash payments) from the States of Dewas (Rs. 253) and Jaora (Rs. 1,000). Revenue from irrigated land is collected in cash, from unirrigated in kind. The incidence of the revenue demand is Rs. 3-3 per acre of cultivated area.
Piploda, the capital of the estate, is situated in 23degree 36' N. and 74degree 57' E., ii miles from Jaora, with which it is connected by a metalled road. Its population in 1901 was 3,282. A dak-bungalow, a British post office, a hospital, a jail, and a school are situated in the town. Seven miles away stands the old fort of Sabalgarh, the first capital of the holding.
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.
