Purandhar Taluka, 1908
Purandhar Taluka, 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.
Taluka of Poona District, Bombay, lying between 18° 6' and 18° 27' N. and 73° 51' and 74° 19' E., with an area of 470 square miles. It contains one town, SASVAD (population, 6,294), the head-quarters; and 90 villages. The population in 1901 was 72,716, compared with 89,100 in 1891. The density, 155 persons per square mile, is below the District average. The demand for land revenue in 1903-4 was 1.2 lakhs and for cesses Rs. 9,500. The taluka is for the most part a hill tract. The ranges run north-east and south- west, dividing it into two valleys, along which flow almost parallel streamy A spur of the Wesstern Ghats, which forms the watershed between the Bhlma and the Nira, runs along the northern boundary, Its chief peaks are those on which stand Malhargarh fort and the temples of Bhuleshwar and Dhavaleshwar. A branch of the same spur fills the southern half of the taluka, the only important peak being crowned by the twin forts of Purandhar and Vazirgarh. The general level is about 2,800 feet above the sea ; but the hill of Puran- dhar is nearly 1,700 feet higher. The Nlra, with its small feeder the Karha, and the Ganjauni are the principal streams. The Karha, from the lowness of its banks, is of great use to landholders, who hold back its water by means of dams, and raise it with lifts. The Nira water-works command a large area of the taluka. Besides 1,038 wells for drinking purposes, about 1,677 wells are used for irrigation.
The raw sugar of Purandhar is much prized for its quality, which is said to be due to the peculiar practice of keeping the cane in the ground for eighteen months. The cane is planted in May or June, and cut in November or December of the following year. The height above the sea, the unfailing water-supply, and the woody valleys com- bine to make Purandhar one of the pleasantest and healthiest parts of the District. The annual rainfall averages 23 inches. The wesstern branch of the Southern Mahratta Railway traverses the taluka.
