Savanur 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 value.
Savanur State
Native State within the limits of Dharwar District, Bombay, lying between 14 57' and 15 2' N. and 75 22' and 75 25' E,, with an estimated area of 70 square miles. The State is for the most part flat and treeless. In climate and fauna it does not differ from the adjacent portions of Dharwar District. The annual rainfall averages 27 inches, Plague broke out in 1898, and has since caused the death of over 4,000 persons, of whom one-quarter fell victims in the year 1902-3. The town of Savanur alone lost 1,600.
The reigning family are Musalmans of Pathan origin. The founder of the family, Abdul Rauf Khan, obtained in 1680 from the emperor Aurangzeb the grant of a jaglr comprising Bankapur, Torgal, and Azamnagar or Belgaum, with a command of 7,000 horse. In 1730 the family, as deputies of the Nizam, received additional territory, which the Peshwa seized in 1747, In 1786 Tipu Sultan, with whom the Nawab was connected by marriage, stripped him of much territory : but allying himself with the Marathas, the Nawab regained some part of it, and obtained from the Peshwa a pension of Rs. 10,000 a month. At the close of the last Maratha War the Nawab, whose conduct had been exceptionally loyal, was confirmed in his original possessions by
VOL. XXII. L the British Government, and received during his lifetime an additional yearly grant of Rs. 6,000. The State pays no tribute. The family holds a sanad authorizing adoption, and the succession follows the rule of primogeniture.
The population in 1901 was 18,446, compared with 16,976 in 1891, residing in one town, SAVANUR, and 22 villages. Hindus number 13,000, Musalmans 5,000. Of the Hindus, nearly one-half (6,000) are Lingayats. The Musalmans describe themselves as Shaikhs (3,000) and Pathans (1,000), with a few Arabs and Saiyids. About two-thirds of the population are supported by agriculture.
The soil of the northern, eastern, and southern villages is both red and black, and that of the western villages is red. The principal crops are cotton, jowar, kulith, tur, pan, wheat, gram, plantains, and sugar-cane. Of the total area of 70 square miles, about 2 square miles are under forest, and 6 square miles are uncultivable. The area of cultivable land is 62 square miles, of which 51 square miles were cropped in 1903-4, about 3 square miles being irrigated. The betel-leaf grown in the Savanur gardens is celebrated for its superior quality, and has been exported in greater quantity since the opening of the Southern Mahratta Railway. Cotton cloths, such as saris, dhotis, &c., are manufactured to a small extent, and there is some trade in grain and raw cotton. The State escaped the severity of the famine of 1899- 1900, only two villages being affected.
The Collector of Dharwar is Political Agent for the State, his Senior Assistant being Assistant Political Agent. There are two criminal courts and one civil court, and the Political Agent has the powers ot a District Judge. The State laws are modelled on those of British territory.
The revenue is about one lakh, chiefly derived from land. The State levies no customs or transit duties. A Local fund cess of one anna is levied from all landholders. The survey settlement introduced in 1870-1 was revised in 1895, and the revised rates were levied in 1896-7, The original revenue demand of Rs. 75,320 was increased to Rs. 90,463. The actual demand in 1903-4 was Rs. 61,991, in- cluding a quit-rent of Rs. 6,803, but excluding the assessment on inam, waste, and forest lands. The rates per acre vary from 4 annas to Rs. 5-5 for 'dry' land, R. i to Rs. 12 for rice land, and Rs. 3 to Rs. 24 for garden land. The police force consists of 48 men. The State contains u schools with 548 pupils. The dispensary at Savanur treated 12,000 persons in 1903-4, and 502 persons were vaccinated in the same year.
Savanur Town
Capital of the State of Savanur, Bombay, 40 miles south-east of Dharwar, situated in 14 58' N. and 75 23' E. Population (1901), 9,796. The town covers an area of three-quarters of a mile and is enclosed by a ditch, with eight gates, now falling into ruins. Between 1868 and 1876 the town was greatly improved, the roads widened and metalled, and many old wells and ponds repaired.
The municipal income is about Rs. 3,700. There are 5 schools with 403 pupils, including 116 girls, and a class for drawing and carpentry. The town contains a dispensary. The chief objects of interest are the Nawab's palace, numerous mosques, a Vaishnava religious establish- ment, and the math of Sri Satya Bodhaswami.
