Shirpur Taluka, 1908
Shirpur Taluka
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 west Khandesh District, Bombay, lying between 21 TI' and 21 38' N. and 74 42' and 75 if E., with an area of 651 square miles. It contains one town, SHIRPUR (popu- lation, 9,023), the head-quarters ; and 99 villages. The population in 1901 was 50,177, compared with 56,012 in 1891. The density, 77 persons per square mile, is only about half the average for the District. The demand for land revenue in 1903-4 was 1-9 lakhs, and for cesses Rs. 12,000. A broken range of the Satpuras, running from east to west, divides Shirpur into two parts, each with distinct natural features.
The northern part comprises a wild and hilly country, sparsely peopled by Bhils. The southern is an unbroken plain, with no trees except near village sites. The population is dense near the banks of the Tapti, but becomes scanty as the hills are approached. Although the tafaka has three rivers that flow throughout the yearthe Tapti, and its tributaries the Anar and the Arunavati and numerous other streams from the Satpuras, the supply of surface water is on the whole scanty. The prevailing black soil is a rich loam resting on a yellowish subsoil. The annual rainfall averages nearly 24 inches.
