Rangpur District, 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.
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Rangpur District
District in the Raj shah i Division of Eastern Bengal and Assam, lying between 25 3' and 26 19' N. and 88 44' and 89 53' E,, with an aiea of 3,493 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Jalpaiguri District and the State of Cooch Behar, on the east by the Brahmaputra river, which separates it from Goalpara, the Garo Hills, and Mymensingh , on the south by Bogra , and on the west by Dmajpur and Jalpaiguri.
Physical aspects
Rangpur is one vast alluvial plain, without natural elevations of any kind. Towards the east, the wide valley of the Brahmaputra is annually laid under water during the rainy season; and the aspects' remaindei of the Distuct is traversed by a network of streams, which frequently break through their sandy banks and plough for themselves new channels over the fields. These river changes have left theii traces in the numerous stagnant pools 01 marshes which dot the whole face of the country, but do not spread into wide expanses as in the lower delta The general inclina- tion of the surface is from north-west to south-east 3 as indicated by the flow of the rivers. The BRAHMAPUTRA practically forms the eastern boundary for a distance of 80 miles, but some sand-flats on its farther bank also belong to Rangpur Though only skirting the eastern frontier, its mighty stream exercises a great influence ovei the District by the fertilizing effect of its inundations, and also by its diluviating action The principal tributaries of the Brahmaputra on its western bank, within Rangpur, are the TISTA, Dharla, Sankos, and Dudhkumai. The Tista receives numerous small tributary streams from the north- west and throws off many offshoots, the most important of which is the Ghaghat, which meandeis through the centre of the District for 114 miles. The Ghaghat was formerly an important branch of the Tista, and, previous to the change in the course of that river in the eighteenth century, was an important channel of communication, pass- ing by Rangpui town. The residents' bungalows, the Company's factories, and the old capital, Mahiganj, stretched along its banks. The opening from the Tista has now, however, nearly silted up, and the Ghaghat has deserted its old bed.
The KARATOYA, the most important nvei in the west, forms for some distance the boundary with Dmajpur. In its course through Rangpur, it receives two tributaries from the east, both of greater volume than itself, the Sarbamangala and Jabuneswari. The Dharla marks for a few miles the boundary with Cooch Behar, and then turns south and enters the District, which it traverses in a tortuous south-easterly course for 55 miles before it falls into the Brahmaputra. The bed of this river is sandy and the current rapid, and numerous shallow and shifting sands render navigation extremely difficult. The only other rivers deserving mention are the Manas and Gujana , but the District is eveiywhere seamed by small streams and watercourses, many of which are navigable by small craft in the rainy season Theie are numerous stagnant marshes, some of them in inconvenient proximity to Rangpur town, foimmg a source of unhealthmess These marshes aie gradually silting up, a process which was accelerated, in some instances, by the upheaval of then beds during the earthquake of 1897
The surface is covered with alluvium, the soil being a mixture of clay and sand deposited by the great rivers which dram the Himalayan region. For the most part this is of the recent alluvial type known as pah) but a strip of hard red clay in the south-west forms a con- tinuation of the BARIND and contains nodules of kankar. This old alluvium is known as kheyar.
Where the ground is not occupied by the usual ciops of Northern Bengal, it is covered with abundant natural vegetation. Old river-beds, ponds and marshes, and streams with a sluggish current have a copious vegetation of Valhsmna and othei plants. Land subject to inundation has usually a covering of Tamarix and reedy grasses ; and in some parts, where the ground is more or less marshy, Rosa involucrata is plentiful Few trees occur on these inundated lands ; the most plenti- ful and largest is Bamngtoma, acutangula. The District contains no forests ; and even on the higher ground the tree vegetation is sparse, the individuals rather stunted as a rule, and the greater portion of the surface is covered with grasses, the commonest of these being Imperata arundinacea and Andropogon adculatus. Among the trees the most conspicuous are varieties of Ficus and the led cotton-tree (Bombax mala- baricuni). The sissu (Dalbergia Sissoo), the mango, the areca palm (Areca Catechu), jack (Artocarpus integnfoha\ bamboo, plantain, species of Citrus ^ bakitl (Mimusops Elengi), ndgeswar (Mesua f erred), and jam (Eugenia Jambolana) occur as planted or sometimes self-sown species. The villages are generally embedded in thickets or shrubberies of semi-spontaneous and more or less useful trees. The tejpat (Laurus Cassia) is grown for its aromatic leaves which are exported as a con- diment, and pineapples are common.
Leopards and wild hog are still met with, especially in the alluvial islands of the Brahmaputia , but tigers, which were formerly numerous, have disappeared before the spread of cultivation,
In the cold-season months northerly or north-easterly winds from the Himalayan region prevail, and the temperature is comparatively low, the mean minimum falling to 49 in January. The highest mean maximum temperature is 91 in April. Rainfall commences early, with 4 inches in April and n in May, and is heavy, the average fall for the year being 82 inches, of which 19^ inches occur in June, 15 in July, 12 in August, 13 in September, and 5 in October.
The eaithquake of 1897 was very severely felt in Rangpur. Not only did it destroy buildings and cause damage estimated at 30 lakhs, but by upheaving the beds of rivers it effected serious alterations in the drainage of the country Rangpur town, for instance, was seriously affected by the laising of the beds of its drainage channels, and the public buildings and masonry houses were entirely or paitially wrecked Moreover, the earth opened in fissmes, from which torrents of mud and watei poured on to the fields, causing widespread destruction of the standing crops and lendermg the lands uncultivablc. Consider- able subsidences also occurred, especially in the neighbourhood of Gaibanda, where marshes were formed.
The District is liable to inundation } but no notable disaster has occurred since the great flood of 1787, which not only caused terrible loss of life and widespread destruction of crops, resulting in famine, but by foicmg the Tlsta to change its course, completely altered the hydrography of the District In the same disastrous yeai a cyclone swept over the stricken country , hunareds of trees were blown down 01 torn up by the roots , the houses of the Europeans were almost all unroofed, and there was scarcely a thatched house left standing.
History
According to the Mahabharata, Rangpui formed the western outpost of the ancient Hindu kingdom of Kamarupa, or Pragjyotisha, which extended westwards as fai as the Karatoya nvei. The capital was generally much farther east; but the great Raja Bhagadatta, whose defeat is recorded in the epic, is said to have built a country residence at Rangpui, which is locally interpreted to mean the ' abode of pleasure ' Local traditions have preserved the names of thiee dynasties that ruled over this tract of country prior to the fifteenth century. The earliest of these is associated with the name of Puthu Raja, the extensive rums of whose capital are still pointed out at BHITARGARH in Jalpaiguri District Next came a dynasty of four kings, whose family name of Pal recurs in other parts of Bengal and also in Assam , and lastly a dynasty of three Khen kings Niladhwaj, Chakradhwaj, and Nilambar the fust of whom founded KAMATAPUR in Cooch Behar. Raja Nilambar is said to have been a great monarch, but about 1498 he came into collision with Ala-ud-dm Husain, the Afghan king of Gaur, who took his capital by stratagem, and carried him away prisoner in an iron cage The Muhammadans, however, did not letain their hold upon the country A period of anaichy ensued; among the wild tribes which then overran Rangpui, the Koch came to the front and their chief, Biswa Singh, founded the dynasty which still exists m COOCH BEHAR, and of which an account is given m the article on that State.
As soon as the Mughal emperors had established their supremacy in Bengal, their viceroys began to push their north-eastern frontier across the Brahmaputra By 1603 the Muhammadans were firmly established at Rangamati in Goalpara; but Rangpur proper was not completely subjugated until 1661, though it had been nominally annexed to the Mughal empire in 1584. In the extreme north the Cooch Behar Rajas weie able to offer such a resolute resistance that in 1711 they obtained a favourable compromise, in accordance with which they paid tribute as zamlndars for the parganas of Boda, Patgiam, and Purbabhag, but retained their independence in Cooch Behar proper.
When the East India Company acquired the financial administration of Bengal in 1765, the province of Rangpur, as it was then called, was a frontier tract bordering on Nepal, Bhutan, Assam, and Cooch Behar, and included the District of Rangamati, east of the Brahmaputra, as well as a great part of the present District of Jalpaigurl. Its enormous area, and the weakness of the administrative staff, prevented the Col- lector from preserving order in the remote corneis of his District, which thus became the secure refuges of banditti The early records of Rangpur and the neighbouring parts of Bengal are full of complaints on this head, and of encounters between detachments of sepoys and armed bands of dacoits. In 1772 the banditti, reinforced by disbanded troops from the native armies, and by the peasants ruined in the famine of 1770, were plundering and burning villages in bodies of fifty thou- sand. A small British force sent against them received a check ; and in 1773 Captain Thomas, the leader of another paity, was cut off, and four battalions had to be employed. In the year 1789 the Collector conducted a regular campaign against these disturbers of the peace, who had fled to the great forest of Baikuntpur, now in JalpaigurT There he blockaded them with a force of 200 barkandaz and compelled them to surrender, and no less than 549 robbers were brought to trial At first the British continued the Muhammadan practice of farming out the land revenue to contractors , but in 1783 the exactions of a notori- ous farmer, Raja Devi Singh of Dmajpur, drove the Rangpur cultivators into open rebellion, and the Government was induced to invite the zamlndars to enter into direct engagements for the revenue.
In recent times Rangpur has had no history beyond the recital of administrative changes. The tract east of the Brahmaputra was formed into the District of Goalpara in 1822, and in 1826 was transferred to the province of Assam. Three northern parganas now constitute part of the District of Jalpaigurl, and a considerable area in the south has been transferred to Bogra. One large estate, known as the Patiladaha estate, is situated partly in Rangpur and paitly in Mymensingh District, it pays revenue into the Rangpur treasury, but the greater poition is under the criminal supeivision of the Magistrate of Mymensingh.
On the east bank of the Karatoya at KAMATAPUR, about 30 miles south of Rangpur, are the rums of an old fort, which according to tradition was built by Nilambar, the last and greatest of the Khen Rajas. It is about thiee-quarters of a mile in diametei, and is enclosed by a lofty earthen rampart and moat. Close by is a dargah or Muham- madan smine, which is said to have been erected ovei the staff of the Muhammadan saint Ismail Ghazi, governor of Ghoraghat, who is famed for having foicibly converted the neighbouimg zamindars to Islam. A few miles south of Dimla are the lemains of a fortified city, which letams the name of Dharma Pal. It is in the form of an irregular parallelo- gram, rather less than a mile from north to south and thiee-quaiters of a mile from east to west, and is surrounded by raised ramparts of earth and ditches Tradition connects these luins with the Pal Rcijas. A brick temple of Sarbamangala, 250 years old, stands 2^ miles east of the Gobindganj police station ; the battles described in the Ramayana, Mahabhaiata, and other Hindu works are depicted on the walls.
Population
Theie has been no real increase in the population since 1872, and no othei pait of Bengal shows so little progress in this respect. Owing to the prevalence of malarial fever, the inhabitants decreased from 2,153,686 in 1872 to 2,097,964 in 1881, and to 2,065,464 in 1891 Since 1891 the lost ground has been recovered, and though this is mainly due to immigration, there has undoubtedly been a great improvement in public health. The principal diseases are malarial feveis, small -pox, and cholera. Goitre and elephantiasis aie also common. Insanity is prevalent, owing to the large proportion of persons of Koch ongin who are especially subject to this infirmity The chief statistics of the Census of 1901 are shown below
The principal towns are RANGPUR and SAIDPUR Thanks to its very fertile soil, Rangpur, in spite of its long-continued unhealthmess, has still a far denser population than most of the surrounding Districts The only parts wheie there are less than 500 persons per square mile are the two unhealthy and ill-drained thdnas of Plrganj and Mitapukur m the south-central part of the District, and Allpur on the eastern boundary, which includes in its area the bed and sandy islands of the Brahmaputra. The densest population is found in the north-west, in the Nilphaman subdivision, where jute cultivation and trade are carried on very extensively. The immigrants consist of temporary labourers from Bihar and the United Provinces, and more permanent settlers from Dacca, Pabna, and Nadia. The result of the large temporary immigration is a remarkable preponderance of the male population, which exceeds the number of females by 8-5 per cent. The language spoken is the dialect of Bengali known as Rangpuri or Rajbansi Muhammadans number 1,371,430, or nearly 64 per cent, of the total; and Hindus 776,646, 01 36 pei cent. The former are much the more prolific, and have steadily inci eased from 6r per cent, in 1 88 1 to their present proportion,
The Aryan castes are very poorly represented Nearly two-thirds of the Hindu population are Rajbansis, a caste of mixed origin, partly descended from Mongoloid Kochs, and partly of Dravidian stock , many Baishnabs have been recruited from this caste. Members of the great aboriginal castes of Eastern Bengal, Chandal and Kaibartta, are also numerous. Of the Musalmans, 92 per cent call themselves Shaikhs and nearly all the rest Nasyas (converted Rajbansis); all are probably descendants of converts from the aboriginal Hindu castes Of the total population, 85 per cent are supported by agriculture, 6 per cent, by industry, and i per cent, by one or other of the piofessions, while earthwork and geneial labour employ nearly 4 per cent. The proportion of agriculturists far exceeds the general average foi Bengal, while the industrial population is only half
The Christians numbei 453, of whom 92 are native Christians, and are chiefly railway employes in Saidpur town, most of whom belong to the Anglican communion or the Roman Catholic Church A Baptist mission at Rangpur has made some 60 converts.
Agriculture
The soil is remarkably fertile, being generally a sandy loam deposited by the rivers when in flood. In the noith theie are extensive sandy plains, the remains of old watercourses, especially of . the numerous old beds of the Tista, admirably suited to the cultivation of tobacco, foi which the District is noted. A strip of hard red clay m the west, which is part of the BARIND, is favourable for the cultivation of fine qualities of winter rice and sugai-cane
The chief agricultural statistics for 1903-4 are shown below, areas being in square miles
No less than 1,222 square miles, 01 64 per cent of the net cultivated area, are twice cropped The principal staples are rice, jute, rape and mustard, and tobacco. By far the most extensive crop is rice, which occupies 88 per cent, of the net cropped area. More than three-quarters of the crop is harvested in the wintei, and the lest in the autumn. The early rice is grown principally on high lands, but one variety thrives on low marshy soil. The light alluvial soils are admirably suited to jute cultivation, and Rangpur yields an eighth of the whole output of Bengal, being second only to Mymensmgh. Tobacco, another speciality of the District, thrives best on the sandy lands along the banks of the Tista river. Rape and mustaid are also grown largely m Rangpur, and are especially common on the islands in the Brahmaputra. Potatoes are coming into favoui.
During the past twenty years there has been a considerable spiead of cultivation by the reclamation of waste and silted-up marshy lands, and there is now little room for further extension. The progiess of jute cultivation has been extraordinary, and to some extent this has been at the expense of rice. There is little or no irrigation, which is rendered unnecessary by the copious and regular rainfall. Owing to the fertility of the soil and the prosperity of the people, little use has been made of the Land Improvement and Agriculturists' Loans Acts; but m 1897-8, a year of poor crops, Rs. 3,400 was advanced under the latter Act.
The country-bred cattle are poor, and animals from Upper India are purchased in large numbers at the Darwani fair. Buffaloes, though small, are largely reared and are exported in considerable numbeis to Assam. Very little pasturage is left except in the river islands, and it is difficult to feed the cattle, especially during the rams.
Trade and communication
Indigenous manufactures are insignificant and decaying. Cotton carpets and cloth, gunny cloth, and rough silk (endi) are woven on a small scale, and a few brass-ware and bell-metal utensils are manufactured There are jute presses at DOMAR and SAIDPUR, and lailway workshops at the latter place.
The trade is now almost entirely carried by tail. The chief imports are cotton piece-goods, salt, kerosene oil, coal, and rice ; and the chief exports are jute, tobacco, mustard, unrefined sugar, and rice. The centres of the jute export business are Domar, Darwani, Saidpur, and Rangpur town. Tobacco is bought by the Arakanese and exported to Burma, where it is manufactured into cigars. Rice is imported chiefly from the neighbouring Districts of Dinajpur and Bogra, and exported to Calcutta , coal is imported from Burdwan and Manbhum, and some tobacco goes to the neighbouring Districts ; but the rest of the trade is with Calcutta. The merchants are for the most part Euiopeans, Marwans, and Sahas. The brokers are local Muhammadans, with a sprinkling of Rajbansis.
Few Districts are bettei provided with railway communication, which has been rapidly extended within recent years The northern branch of the Eastern Bengal State Railway intersects the west of the District from south to north. From the Parvatipui station, on this line, the Assam line strikes eastward, passing through Rangpur town and ciossing the Tista and Dharla rivers by large bridges. In 1901 this line had its terminus at Gitaldaha m Cooch Behar, but it has since been extended to Dhubn in Assam , a branch line starts from the left bank of the Tista and runs to Kurigram. The Bengal-Duars Railway starts from the Lalmanir Hat station on the Assam line, and, after traversing the north of the District, meets the Eastern Bengal State Railway at Jalpaiguri Finally, a branch line, called the Brahmaputra- Sultanpur Branch Railway, from the Eastern Bengal State Railway at Santahar traverses the Gaibanda subdivision to Phulcharl, on the right bank of the Brahmaputra. A new line fiom Kaunia to Bonarpara, on the Brahmaputra-Sultanpur Branch Railway, has been recently sanc- tioned In 1903-4 the total length of roads was 2,477 miles, but of these only 14 miles weie metalled. They aie maintained by the District board, with occasional help from Provincial revenues for the upkeep of feeder loads for the railways, The principal roads are those to Bogra, Dmajpur, Jalpaigurl, Cooch Behar, Dhubn, Chilman, and Phulcharl.
The steamers of the India General and the Rivets Steam Navigation Companies, which ply up and down the Brahmaputia, stop at four stations within the District The Tista and Dharla are navigable throughout the year, and most of the other rivers during the lainy season, by ordinary native trading boats and dug-outs. There are 146 public ferries, yielding an income of Rs 48,000 per annum to the District board, as well as numerous private ferries.
Famine
The famine which followed the storm and cyclone of the disastrous year 1787 is said to have carried off one-sixth of the population. Since that date no severe famine has visited the Dis- trict, though in 1874 some relief was necessary.
Administration
For administrative purposes the District is divided into four sub- divisions, with head-quarters at RANGPUR, NILPHAMARI, KURIGRAM, and GAIBANDA. The staff at head-quarters comprises, . . in addition to the Magistrate-Collector, four Deputy- Magistrate-Collectors, while each of the other subdivisions is in chaige of a Deputy-Magistrate-Collector.
There are in all 14 criminal courts (including those of honorary magistrates) and 9 civil courts : namely, those of the District and Sessions Judge, Subordinate Judge, and two Munsifs at Rangpur town, two at Kurigram, two at Gaibanda, and two at Nilphaman. Offences against marriage and the abduction of girls are very common, and cases of at son and petty burglary are also numerous
The changes which have taken place in its boundaries render it difficult to trace the early revenue history of the present District. In 1740 the land revenue was 3-4 lakhs ; and by 1764, the year preceding the British occupation, it had risen to 5 i lakhs, the actual collections being 4*9 lakhs. In 1765, the first year of British administration, no less than 9-1 lakhs was realized. The revenues were then farmed, and it was not until 1778 that the zamlndars weie admitted to settlement The District was permanently settled in 1793 for 8-2 lakhs.
The current land levenue demand foi 1903-4 was 10-1 lakhs, of which all but Rs 4,000 was due from permanently settled estates. The increase since 1793 is due to the lesumption and assessment of lands held free of levenue under invalid titles. At the time of the Permanent Settlement the District compnsed only 75 estates ; these have inci eased to 659 by paititions, lesumptions, and transfers from othei Districts The revenue is collected with extreme punctuality. Its incidence is light, as it is only equivalent to R. 0-12-2 per cultivated acre, or to one-fifth of the zamindars* rent-rolls. The/0/ (holding) is here occa- sionally a very big tenure, especially in the east of the District, where the biggest jotddr has a lent-roll of Rs. 80,000. Chukani is the name of an undei-tenure subleased from a jotddr^ the actual cultivator below the chaukanidar being generally an ddhiar, who pays half the crop as rent. Lfanchakl is the name of a tenuie gi anted for chantable or religious purposes at a quit-rent in perpetuity ; the majkun is a similar tenure, but liable to enhancement of rent. The average rates of rent paid by actual cultivators to their immediate landlords vary from Rs 3-6 to Rs. 6 an acre , higher rents are paid for good loam lands and lower for hard clays. The great majority of the ryots possess occupancy rights, and the number who hold either at fixed rents or without a right of occupancy is very small.
The following table shows the collections of land revenue and total revenue (principal heads only), in thousands of rupees :
Outside the RANGPUR municipality local affairs are managed by the District board, with a local board at each of the subdivisions. In 1903-4 the income of the District board was Rs. 3,41,000, of which Rs. 1,23,000 was derived from rates; and the expenditure was Rs 2,82,000, including Rs. 1,83,000 spent on public works, and Rs 60,000 on education.
The District contains 17 thdnas or police stations and 9 outposts. In 1903 the force under the control of the District Supeimtendent numbered 4 inspectors, 44 sub-inspectors, 34 head constables, and 387 constables. In addition, the village police numbered 441 daffadars and 4,655 chaukldars. The District jail has accommodation for 263 prisoners, and the subsidiary jails at the subdivisional head-quarters for 53-
Education is very backward, and in 1901 only 3-4 per cent of the population (6 males and 0-2 females) could read and write. A con- siderable advance has, however, been made in recent years, the total number of pupils under instruction having increased from about 17,000 in 1883 to 22,875 in 1892-3 and to 31,001 in 1900-1, while 37,576 boys and 1,742 girls were at school in 1903-4, being respectively 22-2 and i -i per cent, of those of school-going age. The number of educa- tional institutions, public and private, in that year was 1,227, including 64 secondary and 1,131 primary schools The expenditure on educa- tion was 2 lakhs, of which Rs 22,000 was met from Provincial funds, Rs 54,000 from District funds, Rs, 1,000 from municipal funds, and Rs. 95,000 from fees The most important educational institution is the technical school in Rangpur town,
Rangpur is well provided with medical relief, as it contains 25 chari- table dispensaries, of which 7 have accommodation for 102 m-patientb. The number of cases treated in 1903 comprised 1,257 in-patients and 163,000 out-patients, and 3,411 operations weie performed The ex- penditure was Rs. 50,000, of which Rs 8,000 was met from Government, contributions, Rs 6,000 from Local funds, Rs. 3,000 from municipal funds, and Rs. 12,000 from subscriptions
Vaccination is compulsory only in Rangpur town In the rest of the District 77,000 successful opeiations were performed m 1903-4, representing 36 per 1,000 of the population.
[Martin, Eastern India^ vol. in (1838) ; Farther Notes on the Rangpur Records (Calcutta, 1876); and Sir W. W. Hunter, Statistical Account of Bengal^ vol. vii (1876).]
