Talcher

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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.

Talcher

One of the Tributary States of Orissa, Bengal, lying between 20° 52' and 21° 18' N. and 84° 54' and 85° 16' E., with an area of 399 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the States of Bamra and Pal Lahara ; on the east by Dhenkanal ; and on the south and west by Angul District. The Brahmani river traverses the State, and Talcher village, which contains the Raja's residence, is pictur- esquely situated on a bend on its right bank. The State contains a coal-field, of which a thorough examination was made in 1875. It was then reported that there is no seam of workable thickness and fairly good quality ; that a final and thorough exploration could only be effected at a considerable expense ; that the local consumption would never suffice to support a proper mining establishment ; and that with the long and costly land carriage no class of coal equal to Raniganj coal could compete successfully at the Orissa ports with coal sent from Calcutta by sea. The project for utilizing the Talcher coal-beds has, therefore, been abandoned for the present. Iron and lime are also found near the banks of the Brahmani river, which separates Talcher on the east from Pal Lahara and Dhenkanal. Small quantities of gold are found by washing the sand of the river, but little profit accrues to the workers.

The Raja claims a Rajput origin and descent from the Jaipur ruling family. The State has an estimated revenue of Rs. 65,000, and pays a tribute of Rs. 1,040 to the British Government. The population increased from 52,674 in 1891 to 60,432 in 1901, distributed in 293 villages, and the density is 151 persons per square mile. All but 179 of the inhabitants are Hindus. The most numerous castes are Chasas (17,000) and Pans (10,000). Talcher village is connected by fair-weather roads with Pal Lahara and Angul, and is an important mart. The State maintains a middle vernacular school, 2 upper primary and 61 lower primary schools, and a charitable dispensary.