Puranpur Tahsil, 1908
Puranpur Tahsil, 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.
North-eastern tahsil of Pilibhit District, United Provinces, conterminous with the pargana of the same name, lying between 28° 21' and 28° 50' N. and 79° 56' and 80° 27' E., with an area of 513 square miles. Population fell from 95,205 in 1891 to 89,084 in 1901. There are 242 villages, but no town. The demand for land revenue in 1903-4 was Rs. 93,000, and for cesses Rs. 15,000. The density of population, 174 persons per square mile, is very low. This tahsil forms one of the most backward tracts in the United Provinces. Along or near the north-eastern border the SARDA forms the Nepal frontier, and is joined by the Chauka, which has a channel roughly parallel to that of the Sarda. The Mala swamp divides Puran- pur from the Pilibhit tahsil and a stunted forest forms a horseshoe- shaped border round three sides of the tahsil The central portion consists of a sandy plaln, which easily falls out of cultivation ; and the whole area is distinguished by its unhealthiness, the poverty of its inhabitants, the scareity of cultivators, and their readiness to migrate. Since 1883 many villages have been subject to a light assessment revised every year, or every five years, according to the instability of cultivation. In 1903-4 the area under cultivation was only 178 square miles, of which 18 were irrigated.
