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THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.
OXFORD, AT THE CLA..."

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Created page with " {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%"> This article has been extracted from <br/> THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.<br/> OXFORD, AT THE CLA..."

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|colspan="0"|<div style="font-size:100%">
This article has been extracted from <br/>

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

OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.
</div>
|}
[[Category:India|S]]
[[Category:Places|S]]
''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. ''
=Satara Agency=
Political Charge in Satara District, Bombay,
comprising the two jdglrs of Aundh, lying between 16 24' and
17 47' N. and 74 6' and 75 42' E., with an area of 447 square miles;
and Phaltan, lying between 17 55' and 18 6' N. and 74 12' and
74 44' E., with an area of 397 square miles, under the political
superintendence of the Collector of Satara, Phaltan lies to the north
of the Mahadeo range, which drains into the Nira, between Poona and
Satara District ; Aundh is scattered within the limits of Satara District,
the considerable block of the Atpadi idlvka lying to the north-east of
Khanapur in that District. The surface of both Phaltan and Aundh
is chiefly flat ; lines of stony hills divide the former from Satara
District The Nira runs in the north of Phaltan, and the Man flows
north and south in the Atpadi tdhtka of Aundh. Both States lie
within the area of Deccan trap. The climate is hot, and the rainfall
scanty and uncertain. The annual rainfall averages 20 inches at Phaltan
and 22 inches at Aundh. The temperature at Phaltan rises to 104
in May and falls to 50 in January.

Formerly the group of Native States comprising Akalkot, Aundh,
Bhor, Daphlapur, Jath 5 and Phaltan was recognized as the Satara
jaglrS) once feudatory to the Raja of Satara. In 1849 f* ve f them
were placed under the Collector of Satara, and Akalkot under the
Collector of Sholapur. Subsequently, thejagtr of Bhor was transferred
to the Collector of Poona, and Jath and Daphlapur to the Southern
Maratha Country. The last two are now under the Collector of Bijapur.
The present chief of Aundh is a Hindu of Brahman caste, with the
title of Pant Pratinidhi. The family is descended from Trimbak Krishna,
accountant of Kinhai village in the Koregaon taluka of Satara District.
In 1690 Rajaram, SivajI's younger son, raised Trimbak's son Parasu-
ram Pant to the rank of Sardar, and in 1698 he conferred on him the
title of Pratinidhi or 'viceroy.' In 1713 the office became hereditary
in the family. The chief ranks as a first-class Sardar of the Deccan.

The chief of Phaltan is a Maratha of the Ponwar clan. One Podaka
Jagdeo entered the service of the emperor of Delhi, and was slain in
battle in 1327, whereupon the emperor gave the title of Nayak and
a jaglr to his son Nimbraji. In 1825 the State was attached by the
Raja of Satara, who permitted Banaji Nayak to succeed in 1827 on
payment of a nazardna or succession fee of Rs. 30,000. On his death
in the following year Phaltan was again attached by the Scitara govern-
ment until 1841, when the widow of the deceased chief was permitted
to adopt a son. The chief is styled Nimbalkar and ranks as a first-
class Sardar of the Deccan.

The chiefs of Aundh and Phaltan became tributaries of the British
Government on the lapse of the Satara territory. Both families hold
sanads authorizing adoption, and in matters of succession follow the
custom of primogeniture. Aundh pays no tribute now, "while Phaltan
pays Rs. 9,600 in lieu of a small mounted contingent.

The population of the Agency in 1901 was 109,660, dwelling in one
town and 142 villages, compared with 131,529 in 1891, the decrease
being due to the famines of 1896-7 and 1899-1900. It is distributed
between the two States as under :

[[File: gazetteer155.png||frame|500px]]

Hindus numbered 104,376, Musalmans 4? II S, and Jains 1,166. The
principal castes are Brahmans (5,000), Dhangars (14,000), Kunbls
(29,000), Mahars (8,000), Malls (6,000), Marathas (11,000), and
Ramoshis (5,000). More than half of the population are supported
by agriculture.

The soil is of two kinds, black and red, an intermediate variety
being found in Aundh. Of the total area, 25 square miles are under
forest, and 76 square miles are not cultivable. The area of cultivable
land is 708 square miles, of which 697 square miles were cultivated
in 1903-4, and 34 square miles were irrigated. Indian millet, jowar,
wheat, cotton, sugar-cane, and gram are the chief crops. Garden land
is mostly watered from wells. Building timber, extensive sheep-grazing
lands, and salt are the chief natural resources ; the weaving of cotton
and silk goods and the carving of stone idols are the only manufactures
of importance in Phaltan. The main exports are cotton, molasses,
oil, and clarified butter; imports include piece-goods, metals, and
miscellaneous European goods. In the town of Phaltan a number of
Gujarati Vanis carry on a brisk trade between the coast and the
interior.

The Agency suffered severely from famine in 1876-7, 1896-7, and
1899-1900, when a good deal of land fell waste. In 1896-7 the
maximum number of persons on relief works exceeded 1,500, while
m 1899-1900 it was nearly 4,000, and more than Rs. 40,000 was spent
on famine relief in that year. The States were first visited by plague
in 1896, and 4,400 persons fell victims up to the end of 1903 : namely,
4,000 in Aundh and 400 in Phaltan.

The Collector of Satara is Political Agent for both States. When
the States became tributaries of the British Government in 1849, the
jagirdars retained all their former rights and privileges, with the excep-
tion of the power of life and death and of adjudication upon serious
criminal cases. Their administration is conducted on the principles
of British law, Criminal and civil justice is administered by the
chiefs themselves, with the aid of subordinate courts. Heinous
offences requiring capital punishment or transportation for life are
tried by the Political Agent, assisted by two assessors, the preliminary
proceedings being conducted by the jagirdars. The gross annual
revenue of the Agency is about 4-J lakhs : Phaltan 2 lakhs, and Aundh
2j lakhs. The chief sources of revenue are : land, 3 lakhs ; forest and
excise, Rs. 21,000.

The excise and salt arrangements are in the hands
of Government. Survey operations were commenced in 1869, and
a revision settlement was introduced in 1894-5 in both States. In
Aundh the rates vary per acre from Rs. 1-2 to Rs. 4-0 on ' dry ' land,
and from Rs. 3 to Rs. 10 in the case of garden lands, while on rice
land the maximum rate is Rs. 8. In Phaltan the assessment rates vary
from Rs. 1-4 to Rs. 2-8 per acre. The regular police in Phaltan
number 95 and in Aundh 83, in addition to irregular police for guard
and escort purposes, numbering 32 in Phaltan and 87 in Aundh.
There were 33 schools with 1,287 pupils in Phaltan, and 27 with 1,117
in Aundh, in 1903-4. About 3,000 persons are annually vaccinated
in the Agency. The number of dispensaries is three, one at Phaltan
treating annually 9,000 patients, and two in Aundh treating 8,100
patients.

Satara Agency - Revision history

Pdewan: Created page with " {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"| This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLA..."

Pdewan: Created page with " {| class="wikitable" |- |colspan="0"|
This article has been extracted from
THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908.
OXFORD, AT THE CLA..."