View source for Kachhi, Baluchistan

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This article has been extracted from <br/>

THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/>

OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.
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[[Category:Pakistan|K]]
[[Category:Places|K]]
''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. ''


=Kachhi, Baluchistan=





==Physical aspects==

Division of the Kalt State, Baluchistan, lying between 
2 7° 53' and 29 degree  35' N. and 67 degree 11' and 68° 28' E. It consists of 
a flat triangular plain, 5,310 square miles in area, with its base on the 
Upper Sind Frontier District of Sind, and is enclosed by the Marri and 
Bugti hills on the east, and by the Klrthar and Central Brahui ranges 
of the Jhalawan country on the west. On the north-east side of its 
apex lies the British tahsil of Sibi. The only hills, other than the skirts 
of the surrounding mountains, consist of the low 
aspects  range called Bannh, separating Dadhar on the north 
from the Bolan lands on the south. The principal 
rivers are the Nari, the Bol£n, the Sukleji, and the Mula. Among 
the hill-torrents are the Dhoriri, formed by the junction of the Sain and 
Karu from the Jhalawin country, the Lahri, and the Chhatr. On 
entering Kachhi, all these rivers are dissipated into numberless natural 
channels, spreading over the great alluvial stretches of which the 
country is composed. 

The geological structure of the country is uniform, consisting of a 
level bed of clay burnt by the rays of the sun and probably of great 
depth. The outskirts of the surrounding hills are of the Siwalik forma- 
tion. Except along the foot of the hills, the general aspect of the 
country is desolate and bare. The flora is thorny and scant, consist- 
ing of a stunted scrub. Among the trees occur Prosopis spia'gera, 
Sahadora oleoidcs, Capparis aphylla, and two kinds of Tamarix. 
Common plants are Calotropis procera and many saltworts, such as 
Haloxylon salicornicum. Wild animals are scarce ; a few * ravine deer ' 
(gazelle) and other small deer occur, and flocks of sand-grouse visit the 
cultivated areas in winter. 

Situated in close proximity to Sind, Kachhi is one of the hottest 
areas in India. Scorching winds blow in the summer, and at times 
the deadly simoom (luk) prevails. Mosquitoes are so numerous that, at 
Gajan, a special portion of the crop has been assigned to a saint for his 
protection against them. From November to February the climatic 
conditions are pleasant, the air being crisp and cool. The annual 
rainfall averages about three inches, and usually occurs in July and 
August. 

==History==

The history of Kachhi is intimately connected with that of Sind. In 
the seventh century Rai Chach took its capital Kandabll, probably 
Gandava. To the Arabs the country was known as 
NGdha or Bildha, and Kandabll was despoiled by 
them on several occasions. It afterwards passed into the hands of the 
Sumras and Sammas of Sind. The fifteenth century saw the arrival of 
the Baloch and the conflicts between their two leaders, Mir Chakar, 
the Rind, and Gwahram Lashari. The Arghuns next took possession, 
and from them the country passed to the Mughals, and on the decline 
of the latter to the Kalhoras. In 1740 Nadir Shah handed it over to 
the Brfthuis in compensation for the death of Mir Abdullah, the 
Ahmadzai Khan of Kalat, at the hands of the Kalhoras in the fierce 
battle of jandrlhar near Sanni.


From 1839 to 1842, during the first 
Afghan War, Kachhi was held and administered by the British on their 
lines of communication, and was the scene of much raiding and of two 
fights with the insurgent Brahuis in 1840. After the war General John 
Jacob's cavalry was employed in checking the raiding propensities of 
the Kachhi tribesmen, especially the Jakranis, who were subsequently 
removed to Sind. In the time of Mir Khudadad Khan of Kalat it 
was long a scene of anarchy and raiding, and at Bhag in 1893 this 
ruler committed the crime in consequence of which he subsequently 
abdicated. 

Buddhist remains have been discovered at Chhalgari and Tambu, 
and many of the mounds scattered through the country would probably 
repay excavation. 

==Population==

The number of villages is 606. The population (1901) is 82,909, 
the majority being Jats. Among important Baloch tribes are the 
Rinds, Magassis, and Lasharis ; and among minor tribes, Buledis, 
Dombkis, Kaheris, and Umranis. Roughly speaking the Magassis and 
Rinds occupy the west, and the Dombkis, Kaheris, 
and Umranis the east; the Jats are found every- 
where as cultivators. A few Brahuis, such as the Raisanis and Garrani 
Bangulzais, have permanently settled in the north of the country, and 
in the cold season it is visited by many other Brahuis from the high- 
lands. The occupation of nearly all the people is agriculture. Hindu 
traders are found in all important villages ; the lower castes include 
potters, sweepers, blacksmiths, and weavers. The most common 
language is Sindl, but Western Punjabi and Baluchi are also spoken. 
Except the Hindu traders, all the people are Sunni Musalmans. A 
sect called Taib ('penitents') has made some progress since 1890. 

==Agriculture==

It is usual to speak of Kachhi as a desert, but this is a mistake. 
The soil is extremely fertile wherever it can be irrigated. Its quality 
. depends on the admixture of sand. The best is 
a light loam mixed with a moderate proportion of 
sand (matt). Except a fringe of ' wet-crop ' area on the west, most of 
the land entirely depends for cultivation on floods brought down by the 
rivers from the surrounding hills, the water of which is raised to the 
surface by a system of large dams constructed in the beds of the rivers 
by the co-operation of the cultivators. A description of this interesting 
system is given in the paragraphs on Agriculture in the article on 
Baluchistan. The floods generally occur in July and August, but 
occasionally also in spring. Three crops are harvested during the 
year : sdnwanri, sarav, and arhari.


The first is the principal crop, and 
is sown in July and August and reaped in the autumn. It consists of 
'owdr, with a little mung, moth, and bdjra. The second, or spring crop, 
comprises wheat, barley, mustard, and rape; the third, jotvdr for 
fodder, cotton, and water-melons. Kachhi jowdr is renowned for its 
excellence, and is usually cultivated on a soil known as khauri. Indigo 
is grown in Dadhar. The cultivation of the sarav crop is uncertain, 
depending on late floods in August. Dadhar, Sanni, Shoran, Gajan, 
Kunara, part of Gandava, and Jhal are the only places where irrigation 
from permanent sources exists. 

Bullocks from Nari in Kachhi are famous for their shape and 
strength, and many are purchased by dealers from the Punjab. Camels 
are bred in some numbers. The breed of horses is excellent. Branded 
mares number 604, and one stallion was located in the country in 
April, 1904. The best breeders are the Magassis, Dombkis, and 
Rinds. The indigenous sheep do not possess fat tails, but rnany of 
the fat-tailed variety, known as Khorasani, are brought from the high- 
lands in winter. Of goats, the barbari breed is most prized. 

No 'reserved’ forests exist, but protective measures are adopted by 
the tribal chiefs. The. western side of the country contains some well- 
wooded tracts. A sulphur mine at Sanni was worked in pre-British 
days by the Amirs of Afghanistan. Ferrous sulphate (zagh) is found 
in the mountains near Kotra and Sanni. Earth-salt is manufactured 
by the lixiviation of salt-bearing earth at Gajan and Shoran. Saltpetre 
is produced in small quantities, and the manufacture of carbonate of 
soda (khar) from the numerous saltworts is increasing. 

==Trade and communication==

The principal industry is the weaving of coarse cotton cloth. Double 
coloured cotton sheets (kkes) of good quality are 
produced here and there, while at Lahri and a few 
other places a fine kind of embroidered leather-work 
is manufactured. Country rifles, swords, and saddles are made at Bh5g 
and Dadhar. 

Most of the trading class come from Shikarpur in Sind. The centres 
of trade are Dadhar, Lahri, Haji, Bhag, Shoran, Gajan, Kotra, Gandava, 
and Jhal. Piece-goods, rice, sugar, and country carts are imported 
from Sind ; dates, ghi, wool, and medicinal drugs from the highlands 
for re-export. Exports to the highlands include cotton cloth, mustard 
oil, salt, and silk; the articles supplied to Sind consist chiefly of 
carbonate of soda, grain, and oilseeds. The North-Western Railway 
passes through the centre of Kachhi. No metalled roads have been 
made, but the country is easily traversed in all directions except after 
heavy floods. 

The principal routes run from Jacobabad to Sibi via Lahri on the 
east; through Shori and Bhag in the centre; and via Gandava and 
Shoran to Dadhar on the west. The route through the Mula Pass 
from the Jhalawan country debouches at Gandava.

==Famine== 

The insignificant rainfall, the dependence of the country on flood- 
irrigation, and the absence of proper means of distributing the flood- 
water render Kachhi extremely liable to scarcity and 
even to famine. Under existing conditions enormous 
quantities of water run to waste in the Nari in ordinary years, and the 
introduction of a good irrigation and distribution scheme would doubt- 
less afford a large measure of protection. The proximity of Sind and 
the free migratory habits of the population have hitherto prevented 
the necessity of actual famine relief. Advances amounting to about 
Rs. 29,000 were made to the Khan of Kalat's cultivators in 1900, when 
the drought, which had begun in 1897, culminated. They were 
recovered at the succeeding harvests. 

For purposes of administration, Kachhi is divided into two parts : 
areas subject to the jurisdiction of the Khan of Kalat, and areas under 
tribal chiefs. Within the areas subject to the Khan, ... 

however, tribal units are to be found which occupy 
a position of practical independence. The political control of the 
country east of the railway, i.e. the whole of the Lahri nidbat, is vested 
in the Political Agent of Sibi District, and of the remainder in the 
Political Agent, Kalat. The area under the Kalat State is divided into 
five niabats : Dadhar ; Bhag ; Lahri, which includes the area occupied 
by the Dombki, Kaheri, and Umrani tribes ; Gandava ; and NasMbad. 
The head-quarters station of each nidbat is located at a village of the 
same name, except Naslrabad, of which the head-quarters are situated 
at Mirpur Blblwari. Dadhar, Bhag combined with Lahri, and Gandava 
with Naslrabad each forms the charge of a mustaufi, who is generally 
assisted by local officials known as naib and jd-nashin. Dadhar, how- 
ever, possesses neither a naib nor a jd-nasfiin, and Gandava has no 
jd-nashin. The principal areas subject to tribal control are Jhal, 
inhabited by the Magassis ; and Shoran, held by the Rinds.


In Lahri, 
the Dombkis, Kaheris, and Umranis have acquired a large measure 
of independence. In the niabats, criminal, civil, and revenue cases are 
decided by the local officials ; in tribal areas, petty cases are dealt with 
by the chief, and important or intertribal cases are referred to jirgas 
or local kdzis, who exercise much influence, under the orders of the 
Political Agents. In the numerous jdgtrs within the Khan's niabats, 
jurisdiction in all petty matters is exercised by the jdgirddrs. The 
most common offences are cattle-lifting and theft. Cattle are frequently 
stolen from Sind and sent to the Jhalawan country. Much use is made 
of trackers in the detection of such crimes, and some of these men are 
very skilful. They are paid by results. 

The land revenue system presents an interesting survival of ancient 
native methods. The Khan collects revenue in his niabats, and else- 
where it is taken by tribal chiefs and jdgirddrs. It consists everywhere 
of a fixed share of the gross produce, varying from one-third to one- 
tenth, but generally one-third or one-fifth. The additional cesses 
(rasum), however, raise the amount paid to one-half.


Irrigated lands 
sometimes pay a fixed cash assessment (kalang). Large jdgtrs, origi- 
nally granted fpr feudal service, are held by the Sarawan tribesmen in 
Bala Nari and the Bolan lands, and by the Jhalawan tribes round 
Gandava and at Chhajr-Phuleji. The Dombki headman holds one in 
Lahri. Generally the proprietary right in all areas is held by the local 
cultivating class, but in the Baloch areas of Jhal and Shoran it has 
been transferred in many cases to the chiefs. 

Besides the land revenue, contracts are given in the niabats for 
octroi, excise, and the collection of other minor taxes, the proceeds 
being included in the total revenue. The amount of land revenue 
proper varies with the extent and time of the floods in the rivers. 
Thus, in 1902 the Khan's aggregate revenue from all his niabats 
amounted to about 1 lakh, and in 1903 to more than z\ lakhs ; but in 
the latter year a new system of administration had been introduced. 
The details of the latter sum. are as follows: Dadhar, Rs. 49,200; 
Bhag, Rs. 32,500 ; Lahri, Rs. 58,100 ; Gand£va, Rs. 55,400 ; Nasirabad, 
Rs. 56,600. 

Tribal levies, paid by the British Government and numbering 50, 
are stationed at Dandor in Bala Nari, Lahri, Phuleji, and along the 
railway. Detachments, consisting of 85 of the Khan's infantry and 
12 artillerymen, are located at Dadhar, Nasfrabad, and Bhag; but 
their numbers vary from time to time. The number of the Khan's 
irregular levies is generally 91. A tribal thana of five men is 
posted at Gandava. Security is provided by the enlistment of kotwals, 
who are paid either by the inhabitants or from the Khan's revenues. 
Tribal chiefs maintain retainers and dependants, who are employed on 
revenue duties and in securing the general peace. 


The same system 
is followed in the Khan's mdbats by the local naibs % who distribute 
their friends and followers throughout the country at the expense of 
the cultivators. The Rind and Magassi chiefs receive allowances from 
the Khan of Kalat of Rs. 300 a month each. A jail is now in course 
of erection at Dadhar ; criminals have hitherto generally been kept in 
the stocks. The country has no schools or dispensaries. Inoculation 
takes the place of vaccination, being performed by Saiyids, Pirs, Shehs 
(the local name for Shaikhs), and Ababakis from the highlands.