Athmallik
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, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Athmallik
One of the Tributary States of Orissa, Bengal, lying between 20 37' and 21 5' N. and 84 16' and 84 48' E., with an area of 730 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the State of Raira- khol ; on the east by Angul District ; on the south by the Mahanadl river, which separates it from Baud ; and on the west by Sonpur and Rairakhol. The country is for the most part covered with dense jungle, and a long range of forest-clad hills runs along its southern side parallel with the course of the Mahanadl. The origin of the State is obscure. According to tradition, the founder of the family, Pratap Deo, came to Purl and quarrelled with the Raja, who put to death two of his seven brothers. The survivors fled to Bonai, and established themselves there.
Pratap Deo next proceeded to Baud and thence to Athmallik, of which he took possession after killing the Dom chief. Official records, how- ever, show that till lately the State had no separate existence, and in the treaty engagement of 1804 it is mentioned as a tributary of Baud. It was treated as a separate State in the sanad granted to the chief in 1894, the terms of which were identical with those contained in the sanads of the other Orissa chiefs. The State has an estimated revenue of Rs. 7r,ooo, and pays a tribute of Rs. 480 to the British Government. The population increased from 31,605 in 1891 to 40,753 in 1901, part of the gain being due to immigration from Baud and the Central Pro- vinces. A great extension of cultivation has taken place in recent years, and the population is now nearly double what it was in 1881 ; but Athmallik is still, with the exception of Pal Lahara, the most sparsely populated of all the Orissa States, the density being only 56 persons per square mile. Of the total population, all but 100 are Hindus. The most numerous castes are Chasas (8,000), Gaurs (6,000), and Gonds, Pans, and Sudhas (4,000 each). There are 460 villages, the principal being Kaintira, the residence of the chief. The trade in timber, rice, and oilseeds is carried on pack-bullocks and by boats. The forests contain good timber, but they have not been systematically worked. The State maintains a charitable dispensary, one middle English school, one upper school, and 32 lower primary schools.
