Jaipur State
Contents |
Jaipur State
This section has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
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State in the north-east and east of Rajputana, lying between 25° 41' and 28° 34' N. and 74° 41' and 77"" 13' E. Its area is 15,579 square miles, and it is consequently the fourth largest of the Rajputana States. It is bounded on the north by Bikaner, Loharu, and Patiala, while its detached district of Kot Kasim adjoins the Rewari tahsil of Gurgaon District and the State of Nabha ; on the west by Bikaner, Jodhpur, Kishangarh, and the British District of Ajmer : on the south by Udaipur, Bundi, Tonk, Kotah, and Owalior ; and on the east by Karauli, Bharatpur, and Alwar. The country is for the most p;irt fairly level and open, although its surface is crossed and . diversified by groups and ranges of hills, and by iso- .lated peaks. The centre of the State is an elevated table-land of triangular form, from 1,400 to 1,600 feet above sea-level.
The base of this triangle is a line running west from Jaipur city ; the eastern side consists of ranges of hills running north and south along the Alwar border : while the apex is formed by a broken chain of hills, a portion of the Aravalij range, which runs from near the Sambhar Lake in a north-easterly direction as far as Khetri. These hills attain a considerable height, the loftiest peak being Raghunathgarh (3,450 feet above the sea), and form a natural boundary between the sandy desert tract of Shekhawati to the north and the fertile plains of Jaipur proper to the south and south-east. Westward from the capital, the country rises gradual!)- towards the Kishangarh border, consisting in great measure of broad, open, treeless plains, dotted here and there with hills. In the extreme south the hills reappear ; and in the neighbourhood of Rajmahal, where the Banas river has forced its way through the range, the scenery is remarkable for its beauty. The south-eastern portion of the State has many ranges of low hills, and near the Karauli border is much inter- .sected by ravines, while to the east of the capital there is a rapid fall of from 300 to 400 feet within the first two or three miles, after which a gradual slope follows the valley of the Banganga river to the Bharatpur border.
The Baxas, the principal river of Jaipur, fl(jws for about no miles through, or along the borders of, the State. It has numerous tributaries, such as the Dain, the Mashi, the Dhil, the (ialwa, and the Morel. The Chamcai. merely forms the south-eastern boundary of the State, separating it from Kotah and Gwalior territory. The B.anganga is for about 90 miles a river of Jaipur, flowing first in a south-easterly direction and then almost due east. Among other rivers are the Bandi, a tribu- tary of the Mashi ; the I )hund and Khari, tributaries of the Morel ; the Aman-i-Shah, which supplies Jaipur city with drinking-water, and ofins the Dhund ; the Mendha, which flows into the Sambhar Lake: the Sabi or Sahibi, which flows north-east into Alwar, and thence through Kot Kasim, into Gurgaon ; and lastly the Kantli or Katli, which, after a northerly course of some 60 miles through Shekhawati, loses itself in the sand just within the Blkaner border. Almost all the minor rivers are dry during the hot months. The only natural lake of any importance is the salt lake at .Sambhar, the eastern portion of which is the joint property of the Jaipur and Jodhpur Darbars.
A considerable part of the .State is covered with alluvium, but in the northern and eastern districts large areas are occupied by schists belonging to the Aravalli system, resting on gneiss and overlaid by fjuartzites of the Delhi system. Intrusive granite is common in the Torawati hills in the north-east. Copper is found at Khetri and vSiNGHANA at the northern end of the Aravalli range ; at the former place the ore occurs in schists, and at the latter in the Alwar quartzites- Nickel and cobalt are found at Babai (7 miles south of Khetri) in association with copper pyrites disseminated through the slates, the ore bein" known as s^chfa. .Vt Karwar near Hindaun iron occurs in the jaspideous shales of the Gwalior series, while near Rajmahal in the south-west garnets are collected from the Aravalli schists.
The country contains the usual small game, including imperial sand- grouse in parts of Shekhawati ; there are fine herds of antelope near the capital, and a fair number of wild hog. In the two large game preserves, the one north-east of Jaipur city and the other near Sawai Madhopur in the south-east, tigers, leopards, hyenas, and sCxinbar (jOervus unicolor) are found ; and the preserve last mentioned also contains black bears.
The climate is dry and healthy, and malarious fevers, though very prevalent in 1900 and 1901, are of rare occurrence. During the hot season the winds from the west blow with great force in vShckhawati and the northern portions of Jaipur, but the sand soon parts with its heat, and the nights are generally pleasant and the mornings cool. The mean temperature at Jaipur city, taken from a record of thirty-five years, is 77°, varying from 59° in January to 91° in June. In 1904 the maximum temperature was 114° in May, and the minimum 37° in January.
The annual rainfall for the whole State averages a little less than 23 inches, of which 20 inches are received in July, August, and Sep- tember. The rainfall varies from 15 to 18 inches in the north, 21 in the west, and about 25 at the capital, to more than 31 inches in the south-east. The maximum fall in any one year was 55 inches at the capital in 1892, and the minimum 4 inches at Jhunjhunu in the north in 1901.
History
The Maharaja of Jaipur is the head of the Kachwaha clan of Rajputs, which claims descent from Kusa, the son of Rama, king of AjODHVA, and the hero of the famous epic poem the Ramayana. The early history of the family is obscure ; but they are said to have settled at Rohtas on the Son river, whence, towards the end of the third century, they migrated to Gwalior and Narwar. Here the Kachwahas ruled for about 800 years, but they were not always independent, nor was their rule un- broken. The first Kachwaha chief of Gwalior of whom there is any record was Vajradaman, who, according to an inscription at Gwalior dated a. d. 977, took the town about that time from the rulers of Kanauj, and became independent. The eighth in descent from Vajra- daman was Tej Karan, otherwise known as Dulha Rai (' the bridegroom prince'), who left Gwalior about 11 28.
There are different stories as to the cause of his departure. Some say that he was expelled by his uncle, and others that he left in order to marry Maroni, the daughter of the Bargujar Rajput chief of Daosa, leaving Gwalior in charge of his sister's son, who was either a Parihar or a Paramara Rajput, and who repaid the confidence thus placed in him by usurping that principality. Both accounts, however, agree that Dulha Rai received from his father-in-law (who had no sons) the district of Daosa ; and the Kachwaha dynasty in luistern Rajputana may he said to date from about 1 1 28, with the town of Daosa as its first capital. The country was at this time called Dhundhar, a name variously derived from a once celebrated sacrificial mound {dhundh) on the western frontier near Kalakh and Jobner, or from a demon-king called Dhundhu, whose cave is still pointed out on the hill at Galta, a little to the east of Jaipur city, or from the river Dhund ; and it was parcelled out among petty Rajput and Mina chiefs, all owing allegiance to the Rajput kings of Delhi. About 1150 one of Dulha Rai's successors wrested Amber from the Susawat Minas and made it his capital. It remained such for nearly six centuries, and gave its name to the State. Pajun, fourth (or, as some say, fifth) in descent from Dulha Rai, is said to have married the sister of PrithwT Raj Chauhan, the last Hindu king of Delhi, and was killed with the latter in 11 92 in a battle with Muhammad Ghorl. Towards the end of the fourteenth century Udai Karan was chief of Amber, and about this time the district now called Shekhawati came into the possession of the Kachwahas,
On the irruption of the Mughals into Hindustan, the Amber State at once succumbed to their supremacy. Bahar Mai, who was chief from about 1548 to 1574, was the first to pay homage to the Muham- madan power. He received from Humayun the command of 5,000, and gave his daughter in marriage to Akbar. Bahar Mai's son, Bhagwan Das, was the friend of Akbar, whose life he is said to have saved at the battle of Sarnal. He was also a commander of 5,000 horse, and subsequently governor of the Punjab; in 1585 or 1586 he gave his daughter in marriage to Salim, who afterwards mounted the throne of Delhi as Jahangir. Man Singh, the adopted son of Bhagwan Das, succeeded about 1590, and died about 1614. He was one of the most conspicuous of the imperial generals and, though a Hindu, was raised to a higher rank (commander of 7,000) than any other otificer in the realm. He fought in Orissa, Bengal, and Assam, and at different periods was governor of Kabul, Bengal, Bihar, and the Deccan. The next chief of note was Jai Singh I, commonly known by his imperial title of Mirza Raja. His name appears in all the wars of Aurangzeb in the Deccan. He was the commander of 6,000 horse, and he captured SivajT, the celebrated founder of the Maratha power. Eventual!}', it is said, Aurangzeb, becoming jealous of Jai Singh, caused his death by poison in 1667 or 1668. Passing over two chiefs, we come to Jai Singh H, conmionly known as Sawai Jai Singh. .Sawai was a title given by the Mughal emperor, and is borne by his descendants to this day. The word means 'one and a quarter,' and is supposed to measure the superiority of the bearer to all his contem[)oraries, whom the unit signifies.
He succeeded to the gaddi of Amber in 1699, and died in 1743. He was chiefly remarkable for his scientific knowledge and skill. He caused many mathematical works to be translated into Sanskrit ; and he erected observatories at Jaipur. Delhi, Benares, Muttra, and Ujjain, by which he was able to correct the astronomical tables, of De La Hire and to leave, as a monument of his skill, lists of stars collated by him- self known as the Z'lj Muhammcxd Shdhi, or astronomical tables of Muhammad Shah, then king of Delhi, in whose favour he stood high. Removing his capital from Amber, he laid out and built the present city of Jaipur in 1728. Jai Singh was one of the most remarkable men of his age and nation. Amid revolution, the destruction of the empire, and the meteoric rise of the Marathas, he not only steered through the dangers, but elevated his State above all the principalities around. He made, however, one great mistake. The Jaipur and Jodhpur chiefs had renewed with Udaipur the treaty for common defence against the Muhammadan power ; but to obtain the privilege of remarrying with the Udaipur family, which they had forfeited by giving daughters to the emperors, they agreed that the son of an Udaipur princess should succeed in preference to an elder son by other wives.
This attempt to set aside the rights of primogeniture brought great disasters on both Jaipur and Jodhpur. Soon after Jai Singh's death, the ]ats of Bharatpur, after several successful encounters with the Jaipur chief, annexed a portion of the State, and the defection 01 the chief of Macheri (now Alwar), about 1790, further reduced the limits of the territory. By the end of the century Jaipur had fallen into great confusion, being distracted by internal broils and impoverished by the exactions of the Marathas. In 1803, in the time of Jagat Singh, the most dissolute prince of his race or age, a treaty was concluded with Jaipur by the British Government, the object being to form a league against the Marathas; but the alliance was dissolved in 1805, on the ground that the State had violated its engagements by not co- operating against Holkar. Subsequently the disputes between Jaipur and Jodhpur for the hand of the daughter of the Udaipur chief brought both States to the verge of ruin, while Amir Khan, with his Pindari mercenaries, was exhausting the country. In 181 7 negotiations began again ; and in 18 18 a treaty was signed, by which the protection of the British Government was extended to Jaipur and an annual tribute fixed. Jagat Singh died in December, 181 8, and was succeeded by a posthumous son, Jai Singh HI, during whose minority the State was a scene of corruption and misgovernment. A rebellion in the city in the latter part of 1820 led to the deputation for the first time of a British officer to reside at the capital. In 1835, on the succession of Maharaja Ram Singh, a serious disturbance in the city took place. in which colonel Alves, the Governnr-Generars Agent in Rajputana, was wounded, and his Assistant, Mr. Martin Blake, killed. After this, the British Government took measures to maintain order. A Council of Regency, consisting of five of the principal nobles, was formed under the superintendence of the Political Agent, to whose decision all measures of importance were submitted. The army was reduced and every branch of the administration reformed. The tribute, fixed by the treaty of 18 18 at 8 lakhs, was subsequently considered excessive; and in 1842 a remission was made of over 46 lakhs of arrears, and the annual tribute was reduced to 4 lakhs. Maharaja Ram Singh received full powers in 185 1 \ during the Mutiny he placed the whole of his available military power at the disposal of the Political iVgent, and in every way assisted the British Government, and he was rewarded with the grant of the pargana of Kot Kasim. In 1862 he obtained the privilege of adoption,- and in 1863 was created a G.C.S.I. For his praiseworthy behaviour and liberality during the famine which visited Rajputana in 1868 he received an addition of two guns to his salute for life ; at the Imperial assemblage at Delhi in January, 1877, his personal salute was raised to 21 guns, and he became a Counsellor of the Empress; and in 1878 he was made a CLE. He died in 18S0 without male issue.
Maharaja Ram Singh was an intelligent ruler, and took great interest in opening up roads through his State and also in education. More- over, he much extended irrigation, and gave his capital the benefits of gas and water-works. On his death-bed he nominated as his successor Kaim Singh, the younger brother of the Thakur of Isarda and a descendant of the second son of Maharaja Jagat Singh. The government confirming the selection, Kaim Singh succeeded in 1880 under the name of Sawai Madho Singh II, and is the present ruler. He was born in 1862, and, in consideration of his y(Hith, the ad- ministration was at first conducted by a Council under the joint presidency of the Maharaja and the Political Agent. He was invested with full powers in 1882, and has worthily followed in the footsteps of his adoptive father. In 1887 his salute was raised from 17 to 19 guns as a personal distinction, followed in 1896 by two additional guns. In 1888 he was created a G.C.S.I.; in 1901 a G.(".I.E. ; and in 1903 a G.C.V.O. In 1904 he was made honorary colonel of the 13th Rajputs (the Shekhawati Regiment). Among important events of His Highness's rule may be mentioned the raising (jf the Imperial Service transport corps in 1889-90; the construction of numerous irrigation works, hos[)itals, and dispensaries ; the gift of 20 lakhs as an endowment to the Indian People's Famine Relief Trust; and his visit to England in 1902 in connexion with the coronation of King lulward VTI. Maharaja Madho Singh has no near relations on the male side. In the event of failure of direct heirs, the right of succession is vested in the Rajawat family, or the descendants of the eldest son of Prithwi Raj, who was chief of Amber in the sixteenth century.
Among places of archaeological and historical interest may be mentioned Amber, Bairat, Chatsu, Daosa, and the fort of Ran- THAMBHOR. At Ambaheri in the Baswa tahsil are some interesting old palaces, and at Toda Rai Singh in the south-west is another old palace ascribed to a Sesodia Raja, Rai Singh (in the seventeenth century).
Population
The number of towns and villages in the State is 5,773, and the population at each of the three enumerations was: (1881) 2,527,142, (1891) 2,823,966, and (1901) 2,658,666. The terri- tory is divided into ten idzamats or districts, and contains one city, the capital of the State, and 37 towns. The chief towns are Sikar, Fatehpur, Navvalgarh, Jhunjhunu, Ramgarh, and Lachmangarh, all in Shekhawati in the north, Hindaun in the east, and Sawai Madhopur in the south-east. The following table gives the principal statistics of population in 1901 : — •
The decrease in population during the last decade was due to the famine of 1899- 1900, which was most severely felt in Malpura, and lo the severe outbreak of malarial fever and cholera that followed it. Kot Kasim suffered least from this famine, and the increase in its population is ascribed to immigration from the neighbouring tracts. Jaipur has a larger population than any other State in Rajputana, while as regards density it stands fourth, with 171 persons per square mile. Of the total, 2,418,401, or more than 90 per cent., are Hindus, the prevailing sects being Vaishnava. Of Hindu sects with a peculiar doctrine and worship, the most notable is that of the Dadupanthis, who in 1901 numbered 8,6 ro, and have their head-quarters at Naraina near the Sambhar Lake. Muhammadans number 193,044, or over 7 per cent., while 44,630 are Jains. The languages mainly spoken are Jaipurl or Dhundari, one of the four main groups of Rajasthani ; Bagn, a form of MarwarT ; and DangI, a form of Western Hindi.
Of castes and tribes, the Brahmans come first, numbering 349,000, or over 13 per cent. (;f the total; they are mostly cultivators. Next are the Jats (265,000, or nearly 10 per cent.), well-known as patient and laborious agriculturists. The Mlnas number 241,000; they held a good deal of this part of the country in the twelfth century, and for some time after they were dispossessed by the Kachwaha Rajputs it was customary for one of their number to mark the tlka on the torehead of a new chief of Amber. They are now divided into two main classes : namely, the zamhidari or agriculturists, and the chaukiddri or watch- men ; the former are industrious and well behaved, while the latter were, and to some extent still are, famous as marauders. As noticed later on, it is not always easy to distinguish one class from the other. The Chamars (workers in leather and agriculturists) immber 218,000; Mahajans (bankers and traders), 212,000; Gujars (cattle-breeders and agriculturists), 184,000; Rajputs, 124,000 (of whom 63,300 belong to the Kachwaha clan, 15,000 to the Rathor, 13,300 to the Chauhan, and 12,800 to the Tonwar, while 3,532 were returned in 1901 as Muham- madans) ; Malis (gardeners and agriculturists), 116,000. More than 53 percent, of the people live by the land, and over 19 per cent, arc masons, builders, cotton-weavers, tailors, workers in gold, silver, and precious metals, shoemakers, and the like.
Out of 364 native Christians returned in 1901, 208 were Methodists, 50 Anglicans, 46 Roman Catholics, and 38 Presbyterians. The com- Paratively large number of Methodists, found almost entirely in the Sambhar nizamat is due to the Presence of the American Methodist Mission at Ajmer. The United Free Church of Scotland Mission has had a branch at Jaipur since 1866.
Agriculture
Agricultural conditions vary in different parts of the State. Shekha- wati consists almost entirely of shifting sands, and generally produces only one harvest in the year, raised during the rainy . . . season and ripenmg m October and November. This consists chiefly of bajra, inung^ and moth. Camels are usually yoked to the plough instead of bullocks. The soil in the immediate neighbourhood of the capital and to the west and north is generally sandy ; the rains crop is the same as in Shekhawati, and a little wheat and barley are grown m the cold season. To tiie east of the capital, along the Banganga valley and in the southern districts, the soil is for the most part either black cotton (jr a ri( h alkivial loam. Here , cotton, and lil are grown in the rains, while the cold-season crops arc wheat, barley, gram, sugar-cane, and poppy. In the Gangapur district in the east, rice of a coarse quahty is cultivated to a small extent.
Agricultural statistics are available only for the khaha portion of the State, excluding Shekhawati. The area for which particulars are on record is 3,548 square miles, or rather more than one-fifth of the total; deducting 961 square miles, which either comprise forests or are otherwise not available for cultivation, there remain 2,587 square miles, of which, in 1903-4, about 1,304 square miles, or over 50 per cent., were actually cultivated. The area cropped more than once was 57 square miles, and consequently the net area cropped was 1,247 J'quare miles. These statistics, which are available only from 1895-6, show that in that year 1,310 square miles were cultivated; the area under cultivation in the disastrous famine year of 1899-1900 fell to 765 square miles, and since then there has been a steady increase to the present figure.
The staple food-grains of the people are bdjra, barle\', and /V;7<:w-, the areas under which, in 1903-4, were respectively about 271, 207, and 160 square miles, or, collectively, about one-half of the total area culti- vated. Next in importance come wheat, the area under which was 114 square miles; cotton, 93 square miles (mostly in Malpura in the south-west) ; gram, 66 square miles ; ///, 53 square miles ; and maize, 52 square miles.
There have been no improvements of recent years either in agri- cultural methods or in the introduction of new seed, the people being very conservative. Increased facilities for irrigation led to extended cultivation up to 1899-1900, when a disastrous famine occurred, but the State is rapidly recovering. Loans are regularly advanced to agriculturists for the purchase of seed and cattle, or for the improve- ment of wells, a sum of Rs. 50,000 being provided annually for this purpose.
jaipur has no particularPrecd of cattle or liorses. No attempts have been made to improve the indigenous strains, and the best animals are imported. Sheep and goats are reared in considerable numbers, and the camels of Shekhawati are of a good stamp, being strong and hardy.
Of the total area cultivated (in khCiIsa territory, excluding Shekhawati) 436 square miles, or y^ P^^" cent., were irrigated in 1903-4: namely, 45 square miles from canals, 20 from tanks, 342 from wells, and 29 from other sources. The number of wells has not been recorded, but 200 irrigation works in the State are in charge of the Public Works department. The expenditure on them between 1868 and 1904 has exceeded 66 lakhs, while the revenue realized from them during the same period approaches 59 lakhs. I't-rJiaps the mcjst important of these works is thai known as the Raiiigarh Inuid, which is described in the article on the Banoanga river. Another fine tank is the Tordi Sagar in the south-west, close to the town of Malpura. The Buchara band in the Torawati hills, 60 miles north of the capital, can hold u{) water sufficient to irrigate about 17 square miles, and cost, when com- pleted in 1889, 2-8 lakhs. The total expenditure to 1903 was about 3-4 lakhs, and the revenue realized 2-8 lakhs.
One of the most remunerative of the larger irrigation works is the Kalakh Sagar, about 30 miles north-west of the capital. It was completed in 1883 at a cost of 2 lakhs, and can, when full, irrigate nearly 8 square miles. It has 55 miles of main canals and 118 miles of distributaries. The total expenditure to 1903 was about 3 lakhs, and the revenue during the same period no less than 6-4 lakhs. Among more recent and smaller works is the Fateh Sagar in the Hindaun district in the east ; it has cost (including repairs) less than Rs. 15,000, while the actual revenue it brought in up to 1903 was 1-4 lakhs. During the official year 1902-3 the revenue from this tank was Rs. 13,900, or more than 95 per cent, on the capital outlay.
The forests cover an area of about 283 square miles, and are divided into 'reserved' (71 square miles), demarcated (93 square miles), and undemarcated (119 square miles). The 'reserved' portion is mostly in the Sawai Jaipur and Madhopur nizdmats. There are but few valuable timber trees. The following are common : babiil {Acacia arabica), ber {Zizyphiis Jujiibd), dhdk {Buieafrondosa), dhokra {Afiogeissus pendula), giilar {Ficus giomerata), jdmim {Eugenia Jambolana), khair {Acacia Catechu), nlm {Melia Azadirachta), p'lpal {Ficus religiosa), and, in the south, shisham {Dalbergia Sissoo) and bamboo. Right-holders graze their cattle free of charge, and others on payment. The forest produce, such as firewood, bamboos, grass, fruits, honey, and lac, is sold. The yearly revenue is about Rs. 24,000, and the expenditure Rs. 8,600.
Apart from salt, which is largely manufactured at the Samuhar Lake, the minerals of the Stale are now hardly worked at all. Iron occurs near Khetri, and at Karwar close to Hindaun, but the mines have long been abandoned. The well-known copper-mines of Khetri and Singhana have not been worked for many years ; but in this neighbourhood, particularly at Babai, cobalt is found in thin layers between the veins of copper ore, and is much used for enamelling.
Good building stone, chiefly sandstone and marble, is plentiful. At Bhankri, 36 miles east of the capital, and at Toda Rai Singh in the south-west, huge slabs of a foliated mica schist are (juarried, and are used for roofing and flagging [)ur[)oses. (.'oarse grey marble comes from Raiala near the Alwar border; and a black marble, used for inlaying work, is obtained at Bhainslana near Kot I'utli in the north- east. Abundance of excellent limestone is procured from Rahori, about 14 miles north-east of the capital, and kaitkar is found almost everywhere, generally in flat beds instead of in scattered nodules. Garnets of the best kind are fairly common in the Rajniahal hills near the river Banas in the south-west, and turquoises are said to have been found at Toda in the same neighbourhood. From the Hindaun district in the east come talc and the steatite of which the well-known Agra toys are made.
Trade and Communication
The chief manufactures arc woollen cloths and fabrics, cotton cloths and chintzes, marble sculpture, enamel-work, pottery, and brass and lacquer-work. The woollen goods are turned out Trade and Malpura. The Sanganer and Bagru chintzes, communications. or dyed and stamped cotton cloths, are perhaps the most characteristic of Jaipur textiles, but their sale has decreased owing to the presence in the bazars of cheap imported imitations. In enamelling on gold Jaipur is acknowledged to be pre-eminent, and some work is also done on silver and copper.
There are three cotton-presses in the .State : two at the capital, started in 1885 ; and one at Mandawar or Hindaun Road, started in 1893. They are owned and worked by the State, and give employment to about 240 hands. In 1904 about 3,730 tons of cotton and 4 tons of wool were pressed ; the expenditure was Rs. 42,000 and The revenue Rs. 62,000.
The most noticeable feature in the commerce of the State is the large banking and exchange business carried on at the capital, and in the large towns of Shekhawati. The chief exports are salt, cotton, ght, oilseeds, printed cloths,, woollen fabrics, marble images, brass-ware, and lacquered bracelets; while the main imports are English piece- goods, sugar, rice, tobacco, and hardware. The principal trade route is the Rajputana-Malwa Railway, which carries nearly the whole of the exports and imports. There is but little traffic northward from the capital, as the trade of Shekhawati travels principally either north-east to the great mart of Bhiwani in Hissar, or south-west to Ajmer. The principal ex[)ort from Shekhawati is wool, and the imports are grain, sugar, piece-goods, spices, and tobacco : for the carriage of these, camels are used almost exclusively.
The Rajputana-Malwa Railway traverses the State from east to west, with a total length, including the branches from Phalera towards Kuchawan Road and Rewari, and from Bandikui in the Agra direcyon, of about 243 miles. The Darbar is constructing a line from the capital to Sawai Madhopur in the south-east, a distance of 73 miles; it is estimated to cost 29 lakhs, exclusive of rolling-stock, and the first 32 miles, as far as Nawai, have recently been opened for traffic.
The total length of metalled roads is about 283 miles, and of unmetalled roads about 236 miles. These are all in charge of the Public Works department, and are maintained by the State; and all but one were construcled entirely at the cost of the State. The exception is the trunk road from Agra to Ajmer, constructed between 1865 and 1869; its length in Jaipur is about 127 miles, and its cost was 6-5 lakhs, of which the British Government subscribed one-fifth. One small piece of road was built and is maintained by the British Government : namely, about 9 miles of the metalled road between Nasirabad and Deoli. Other important roads are those connecting the capital with Tonk city, and Hindaun Road railway station with the town of Karauli.
The number of British post offices is 34, and of telegraph offices (excluding those at railway stations) 14. Up to about 1896 a helio- graph from Jaipur to Fatehpur in Shekhawati was maintained by the opium merchants of the latter town for use in their business. The State has had its own local postal system since about i86r. Letters and parcels on Darbar service are carried free. In 190T there were 86 local post offices ; and 227,072 letters, packets, and newspapers, and 326 parcels were delivered. The length of postal lines was 483 miles, the mails being carried by camels and runners ; the income was Rs. 10,500 and the expenditure Rs. 17,100, including salaries of 304 employes.
Famine
There is no record of famines prior to 1868-9. In 1868 the rainfall between June and September was only 5-| inches, and the failure of forage was severe. All restrictions on the grain trade were at once abolished by the late Maharaja, and large works were started, but they were, generally speaking, too near the capital. In August, 1869, the dis- tribution of c<;oked food commenced at the capital, and more than 131,000 persons were fed up to March, 1870. Land revenue to the extent of a lakh was remitted, and the direct expenditure on relief works was reported to have exceeded i-8 lakhs. There was much charity by private persons, and not a little by the Darbar. Grain Avas never higher in price than 8 .seers i)er rupee. In 1877 there was a grass famine, and 30 per cent, of the cattle perished, while in 1878 the rains were late and prices rose almost to famine rates, but the distress was partial and brief. Relief works were started, and 6,000 persons were employed daily for two months till the rains set in.
In 1 89 1-2 there was scarcity in the west and south-west. Takdvi advances were given, a portion of. the land revenue was remitted, and the forest Reserves were thrown open for grazing. In 1 899-1 900 acute famine prevailed everywhere, except in the Hindaun and Gangapur districts in the east, and in Kot Kasim in the north-east, where there was only scarcity. The Darbar grasped the situation from the outset, and showed both skill and common sense in combining the \ari(jus branches of relief. On the 98 relief works, mostly irrigation projects, nearly 21 million units were relieved at a cost of 19 lakhs. In the villages and in the poorhouse at the capital \\ million units were relieved gratuitously at a cost of a lakh. The forests were thrown open to free grazing, and the poor were i)ermitted to remove and sell grass and firewood. Remissions of knd revenue amounted to 12 lakhs, and takdvi was freely distributed. The estimated number of emigrants was 30,000, or about one per cent, of the population, and 40 per cent, of the cattle died. The scarcity of 190 1-2 was confined to about one- third of the State, and was not severe. There was no gratuitous relief, but 693,000 units were employed on works at a cost of about 2 lakhs. Takdvi advances amounted to Rs. 41,500, and suspensions and re- missions of land revenue to 3-9 lakhs and Rs. 24,100 respectively.
Administration
The administration of the State is carried on by the Maharaja, assisted by a Council of ten members. The Council consists of three departments : namely, financial ; judicial ; and foreign, Administration military, and miscellaneous. There are three or four members in each department, which deals with its separate subjects in the first instance ; but all matters of importance are brought before the whole Council, whose decisions are submitted to the Maharaja for confirmation and sanction. The State comprises two main divisions or dlwdnis, called the Eastern and ^Vestern, each under a Revenue Commissioner or Diwdn. These dlivdnis are divided into ten nizdmats, each under a ndzim and a naib-ndzim, while the nizamats are subdivided into thirty-one Tahsils.
As in other States of Rajputana, the civil and criminal courts of Jaipur are guided generally by the Codes of British India. The lowest courts are those of Tahsilddrs, which number twenty-two, nine of these otificials not being invested with judicial powers. They try civil suits not exceeding Rs. 50 in value, and on the criminal side can punish with imprisonment up to one iiKjnth and fine up to Rs. 1 1 ; but the Tahsilddr of Shekhawati has enhanced powers. He and the ten iiaib-ndzbiis try civil suits not exceeding Rs. 100 in value, and in criminal cases can punish with imprisonment up to three months and fine up to Rs. 50. The ten iidzims can try any civil suit arising in their districts, while, on the criminal side, nine of them, the ndzim of Shekhawati having special powers, can punish with imprisonment up to two years and Rs. 200 fine, and can pass a sentence of whipping not exceeding twenty-five stripes ; they also hear appeals against the decisions in civil and criminal cases of their respective Tahsilddrs, except in the case of the Tahsilddr of Shekhawati.
The nazim of Shekhawati has the same original criminal powers as the Faujdari Add/at mentioned below. For the disposal of civil suits not exceeding Rs. 300 in value, instituted at the capital, there are three Munsifs ; similarly the less important criminal cases at the capital are decided by two naib-faujdars, who can punish with imprisonment up to six months and fine up to Rs. 100. The Adalat Dnvdni^ or civil court, consists of two judges who, sitting separately, decide suits beyond the powers of the Munsifs, while jointly they hear appeals against the decisions of the Tahsildar of Shekhawati, the naib-7idzims, and the Munsifs. The Faujdari Adalat, or court of the chief magistrate, can punish with imprisonment up to four years and fine up to Rs. 400.
It disposes of criminal cases beyond the powers of the ndzims (excluding Shekhawati) and of the naib-faujddrs ; it also hears appeals against the decisions of the Tahsilddr of Shekhawati and the naib-ndzims. The next court is called the Appellate Court, and consists of four judges, two on the civil and two on the criminal side. The former dispose of all appeals in civil cases against the decisions of the iidzUns or of the civil court, while the latter, besides hearing appeals (in criminal cases) against the orders of the Jiaib-fmijdd7-s, ndzims, and the Faujdari Addlat, try original cases beyond the powers of the latter, or of the ndzim of Shekhawati, and can punish with imprisonment up to five years and fine up to Rs. 500. The Council is the highest court in the State and the final appellate authority in all matters, civil, criminal, and revenue. It deals with all the serious criminal cases beyond the powers of the Appellate Court, and, when presided over by the Maharaja, can pass sentence of death on Jaipur subjects.
The normal revenue of the State is believed to be about 65 lakhs, the chief sources being land revenue (about 42 lakhs), customs (9 lakhs), receipts under the Salt treaty of 1869 and the agreement of 1879 (about 7-5 lakhs), and tribute from jdglrddrs (4 lakhs). The normal expenditure is said to be about 59 lakhs, the main items being cost of civil and judicial staff' ; army, including the Imperial Service trans])ort corps (about 10 lakhs): public works, including irrigation (7 lakhs); tribute to Government (4 lakhs); police (about 2-4 lakhs); privy purse, palace, and charities'; education (Rs. 84,000); and medical institutions and vaccination (Rs. 70,000). The State is free from debt.
Jaipur has a coinage of its own, called Jlidr slid hi from the special mint-mark, the Jlidr or s])ray of six sprigs or branches. The coins struck are gold moliiirs (the metal being quite pure), rujjces, smaller silver coins, and copper pieces. The rate of exchange between local and British currency varies almost monthly; in April, 1899, the local rupee was worth about 12 annas, while at the end of 1904 102 Jlidr shdhi rupees exchanged for 100 British. The question of introducing British currency as the sole legal tender is under the consideration of the Darbar.
A peculiar feature of the Stale lies in the fact that about threc-fit'llis Not availnblc.of its area has been alienated in grants to nobles, ministers, priests, or courtiers, thus leaving only two-fifths as khdlsa or State lands proper. The alienated lands may be divided into those granted by the chief to members of his own family, on tenures of the nature of apanages, the holders performing no service, but paying quit-rent ; those acquired by the ancestors of the present holders, such as STkar and Khetki, who pay tribute varying from one-fourth to one-twentieth of their revenue to the Darbar ; those granted on the (ordinary jagir tenure, for which no rent is paid but service is rendered ; and those granted to temples, civil and military officers, court favourites, &c. The last are known as i/idms, and are held rent-free and without any obligations as to service.
In the khdlsa area several systems prevail. In some rases the land is leased either to the actual cultivator, or to a contractor for a specified term, and the land revenue is paid in cash in four instalments during the year. In places where no such lease is given, the cultivator pays land revenue in kind, and the amount varies according to his caste or tribe and the nature and capabilities of the soil. Muhammadans and the lower castes of Hindus pay the highest rate ; Brahmans the lowest. The cultivators are mere tenants-at-will ; they have no heredi- tary rights in the land, but the right of cultivation descends from father to son, and is recognized by the State ; it cannot, however, be trans- ferred without the sanction of the Darbar. U'hen land revenue is payable in kind, the share taken by the State varies from one-fifth to one-half of the produce ; in the case of cash payments, the average rate per acre on 'dry' land is about Rs. 2 (maximum Rs. 4 and minimum \2 annas), and on 'wet' land about Rs. 5 (maximum Rs. II and minimum Rs. i -12 o).
The opium produced in the State is insufficient for local require- ments, the average area under poppy cultivation being about 4 square miles, and the drug is imported, generally from Kotah, Mahva, and the Nimbahera district of Tonk. The import and export duties are respec- tively Rs. 150 and Rs. 35 per maund, the revenue from these sources averaging about Rs. 2,000. Under rules issued in 1902 no opium can be imported or exported without a permit from the Darbar, while opium in transit is liable to be seized if not covered by a pass.
No salt is manufactured in the State save by the British Government at Sambhar, nor is there any tax of any kind on this commodity. Under the treaty of 1869 and the agreement of 1879 the Darbar receives approximately a sum of 7-5 lakhs a year, including royalty on excess sales, as well as 7,000 maunds of salt free of all charges.
The Public Works department has, since i860, been under a British ofificer lent by the CJ(nernnient of India, and it Lakes rank with any similar institution in l>ritish India. In addition to roads and Ijuildings, the department looks after the gas and water-works, the conservancy tramway, the cotton-presses, and the pubHc gardens at the capital, and the numerous irrigation works in the districts. The sum available for expenditure averages about 7 lakhs a year, and the fact that between 1868 and 1 90 1 more than 234 lakhs was spent through the department testifies to the wise and generous policy of the late and the present Maharajas.
The military force consists of about 5,000 infantry divided into eight regiments, 5,000 Nagas (irregular infantry), 700 cavalry, 860 artillery- men, and 100 camel sowars. There are 60 old-fashioned guns of small calibre, and 50 zatnburas or small camel-guns. Besides these forces, \\\Q Jdglrddrs keep up 5,782 horsemen who serve the Darbar. The State further maintains an Imperial Service transport corps. The raising of this corps commenced in 1889-go, and it was at full strength (1,000 ponies with two trained men to every three animals, and 400 carts) in 1893-4. The cost of raising and maintaining up to that year was nearly 7 lakhs ; and the annual cost of maintenance in future was estimated at 2-1 lakhs. The corps accompanied the Chitral ReHef force in 1895, leaving Jaipur within forty-eight hours of receipt of orders, and did well. In 1896 the Maharaja added 200 ponies. In 1897-8 the corps served throughout the Tirah campaign, and its services were warmly appreciated. The present strength is 1,200 ponies, 558 folding iron carts, 16 ambulance tongas, and 722 officers, non-commissioned officers, and men ; and the annual cost is 25 lakhs. The entire military expenditure of the State is about 10 lakhs. A small detachment from the 42nd (Deoli) Regiment is quartered at the Jaipur Residency for escort and guard duty, while at Sambhar are 3 non- commissioned officers and 18 men of the 44th Merwara Infantry guarding the Salt department treasury. There are 117 members of the 2nd Battalion Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway \'olunteer Rifles in the State : namely, 82 at Bandikui, 28 at I'halera, and 7 at the capital.
The police may be divided into two bodies : namely, the city police under the Faujddr, with a strength of 855 constables and chauktddrs, and the district police under a Superintendent. The latter force con- sists of II deputy-superintendents, 160 thdnaddrs, 582 constables, and 11,058 chauktddrs. The combined forces cost about 2-4 lakhs a year.
The principal criminal tribes are the Mlnas (who number 241,000) and the Baoris (1,177). 1 he latter give little trouble, but the former have for a long time been a thorn in the side of the State. As already mentioned, there are two kinds of Mlnas, namely sa;//J;/</^;'.r (cultivators) and chauklddrs (watchmen), but they are difficult to distinguish. Some are honest zamlfiddrs, while others hold land as a screen behind which they can pursue avocations of another kind. Again, there are Minas who serve as useful watchmen ; and there are those who use their opportunities as such to steal the cattle of their own village, passing the animals on to confederates, and who then proceed to make money out of the real owners by arranging for the restoration of the stolen pro- perty. The Darbar has since 1897 taken up the question of settling down the Minas, and is trying to reclaim them.
Up to 1889 the only jail was at the capital; it had accommodation for about 370 prisoners, and was always overcrowded. The construc- tion of an additional jail was started in 1887, and the building was completed and occupied by 1889. These two institutions, known respectively as the Central and the District jails, now have accommoda- tion for 1,144 prisoners (1,034 males and no females). In 1904 the daily average number of prisoners was 961, and there was overcrowding in the Central jail, where all females are confined. Jail products include woollen carpets, which are famous and command a ready sale, cotton rugs, and dusters. Besides these prisons, small lock-ups are maintained in the districts, regarding which no particulars are available.
In respect of the Hteracy of its population Jaipur stands fourteenth among the twenty States and chiefships of Rajputana, with only 2-52 per cent. (4-7 males and o-i females) able to read and write, according to the Census of 1901, yet in the number of educational institutions, the excellence of some of them, and the successes obtained at public examinations the State undoubtedly takes the lead. The number of pupils under instruction rose from 10,772 at the end of 1 880-1 to 20,277 i" 1 890-1, but fell, in consequence of the famine of 1899-1900 and the sickness which followed it, to 16,010 in 1900-1, and has risen again to 23,952 by the end of 1904. In the year last mentioned, 10-9 per cent, of the male, 0-4 of the female, and 6 per cent, of the entire population of school-going age were under instruc- tion. In 1904 there were 753 educational institutions in the State: namely, 151 public and 602 private. Of the former 77 are maintained by the Darbar, and 74 are under private management, though more or less under the supervision of the department: namely, 18 maintained hy J dglrddrs, 12 by the Jain community, 10 by the United Free Church of Scotland Mission, and 34 by bankers or private individuals. The pul)lic institutions consist of 3 colleges (noticed in the- article on Jaipur City), and 25 secondary (of which 9 are Anglo-vernacular), I r8 primary, and 5 special schools. The private institutions are of the indigenous variety (chatsdh and maktabs) conducted on primitive lines ; 74 of them are classed as advanced and 528 as elementary. Of the 23,952 pupils under instruction in 1904. 1,742 were studying English (71 in the collegiate stage, 95 in the high school, 166 in the middle school, and 1,410 in the primary stage); 21,761 v/ere studying the vernaculars, including Sanskrit, Arabic, and Persian (139 in the col- legiate stage, 86 in the middle school, and 21,536 in the primary stage) ; and 449 were attending the special schools, namely the School of Arts, the painting school, and the carpet-weaving schools, all at the capital. Of the total number under instruction at the end of 1904, 78 per cent, were Hindus, about 9 per cent. Muhammadans, and 12 per cent. Jains. There are eleven girls' schools in the State: namely, nine at the capital, one at Amber, and one at Sambhar ; they were attended in 1904 by 797 girls. Education is provided free throughout the State, no fees being charged anywhere ; and the total expenditure from all sources in 1904 was 1-3 lakhs, of which the Darbar contributed nearly 6g per cent, and the various jdf(irdars about 10 per cent.
Including the small hospitals attached to the jails and the lunatic asylum, the State possesses 29 hospitals and dispensaries, which have accommodation for about 350 in-patients. Of these institutions, seven are maintained by Jdglrdars and the rest by the Darbar. In 1904 the number of cases treated was 209,041, of whom 3,937 were in- patients, and 10,808 operations were performed. The total ex- penditure was Rs. 66,700, excluding cost of supervision, buildings, repairs, and the like. All these institutions are supervised by the Residency Surgeon, who is also in charge of the small Residency hos- pital maintained by the British Government. In addition, hospitals at Bandikui and Phalera are kept up by the Rajputana-Malwa Railway, and the Salt department has a hospital at Sambhar.
The lunatic asylum is in good repair, and the inmates are well cared for and properly controlled; no insane persons were treated in 1904, the daily average being 74.
Vaccination is nominally C(Miipulsory everywhere, but is especially backward in some of \he Jdglr estates. In 1904-5 a staff of 47 vac- cinators under 2 native superintendents and the Residency Surgeon successfully vaccinated 79,000 persons, or about 30 per 1,000 of the population.
(J. C. Brooke, Political History of the State of Jeypore (1868); Rdjputdna Gazetteer, vol. ii (1879, under revision); T. H. Hendley, Handbook of the Jeypore Courts at the London Indo-Colonial Exhibition (1886), and Medico-topographical Account of Jeypore (1895); Jaipur Census Report for 1901 (Lucknow, 1903).]
