Sonpur State
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.
Sonpur State
Feudatory State in Bengal, lying between 20° 32' and 21" 11' N. and 83° 27' and 84° 16' E., with a total area of 906 square miles. The State was transferred from the Central Pro- vinces to Bengal in 1905. It lies to the south of Sambalpur District on both sides of the Mahanadi river, between Patna on the west and Rairakhol on the east. The head-quarters are at Sonpur, 54 miles distant from Sambalpur by road. The country consists of an undu- lating plain, with small isolated hills scattered over its surface. The Mahanadi flows through its centre, and other rivers are the Ong and Suktel, a tributary of the Tel. The Jira bounds Sonpur to the north and the Tel to the south, all these rivers being affluents of the Maha- nadi on its right bank. The surface soil has been impoverished by erosion from the rivers. The forests are not extensive, and do not contain valuable timber. Copperplate inscriptions found in the neigh- bourhood of the town, and attributed to the later Gupta kings and the Ganga kings of Kalinga, prove that Sonpur was colonized by the Hindus at an early period of history ; and the extensive ruins of houses, temples, and wells show that it was formerly a much more important place than it is at present. Nothing definite is known of its history prior to about 1556, when it was conquered by Madhukar Sah, fourth Raja of Sambalpur, and settled on his son Madan Gopal, of whom the present ruling family are the direct descendants. They are Chauhan Rajputs by caste. The grandfather of the present chief, Niladhar Singh Deo, obtained the title of Raja Bahadur for services rendered to the British Government during the Sambalpur insurrection. He died in 1 89 1, and was succeeded by his son Pratap Rudra Singh Deo, who obtained the same title in recognition of the improved methods of administration introduced by him. He died in 1902, and was suc- ceeded by his son Raja Bir Mitrodaya Singh Deo, then 28 years old, a young man of considerable intelligence and promise, who had for some time taken an active part in the administration. A Political Agent has been appointed by the Bengal Government for the manage- ment of its relations with the State. The population in 1901 was 169,877, having decreased by 13 per cent, during the previous decade- The density is 188 persons per square mile. The State contains one town, SoNPUR (population, 8,887),and 899 inhabited villages. Binka, lying on the Mahanadi between Sambalpur and Sonpur, is a place of some importance. The inhabitants of the State are practically all Oriyas, and speak that language. Gahras or Ahirs, Brahmans, Dumals, Bhulias, and Kewats or boatmen are the principal castes. The large proportion of Brahmans may be attributed to the patronage of the great-grandfather of the present Raja, and of his father, who was a Sanskrit scholar.
The soil is sandy and its fertility has been reduced by erosion. About 197 square miles, or 22 per cent, of the total area, were culti- vated in 1904. Rice occupied 167 square miles, and other crops are mung, kulthi, and til. The State contains 1,698 tanks, from which nearly 34 square miles can be irrigated. The forests are situated prin- cipally along the borders. Sal (Shorea robusta) is the principal timber tree, and most of the other common species also occur. The exports of forest produce are inconsiderable, as there is a good market for them in the State itself. No minerals are worked at present. The weaving of coarse cotton and tasar silk cloth are the only industries, and the exports consist almost solely of agricultural produce. Before the con- struction of the Bengal-Nagpur Railway, when the Mahanadi was the main outlet for the trade of Sambalpur, both Sonpur and Binka were of some importance as places of call and transhipment, and numbers of boatmen were employed in the carriage of goods on the river. The through traffic has now practically vanished, but the produce of Sonpur is taken either up to Sambalpur or down to Cuttack. Sonpur is con- nected by surface roads with Sambalpur, Bolangir, Rairakhol, and Baud, and Binka with Barpali. The State manages its own public works.
The revenue of the State in 1904 was Rs. 1,20,000, of which Rs. 46,000 was derived from land, Rs. 18,000 from forests, and Rs. 23,000 from excise. The State has been surveyed, but no regular settlement has been made, and the village headmen hold on leases granted to them in 1888. The incidence of land revenue is 5 annas 4 pies per cultivated acre. The expenditure in 1904 was Rs. 1,20,000, the main heads being Government tribute (Rs. 9,000), expenses of the ruling family (Rs. 62,000), general administration (Rs. 13,000), and police (Rs. 9,000). The tribute is liable to revision. The educational institutions comprise 29 schools with 2,109 pupils, including two EngUsh middle schools with 59 pupils, a vernacular middle school, two girls' schools, and a Sanskrit school with 12 scholars. The expenditure on education in 1904 was Rs. 4,500. At the Census of 1901, 1,758 persons were returned as literate, one per cent. (2.1 males and 0.1 females) being able to read and write. Dispensaries have been established at Sonpur and Binka, and 23,600 patients were treated in them in 1904.
