Khairagarh State, 1908
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.
Khairagarh State
Feudatory State in the Central Provinces. lying between 21 degree 4' and 21 degree 34' N. and 8o° 27' and 81° 12' E., with an area of 931 square miles. The State consists of three separate sections, and is situated on the western border of Drug District, with which, and with the States of Chhuikhadan, Kawardha, and Nandgaon, its boundariVs interlace. Of these three sections, the small pargana of Khulwa to the north-west was the original domain of the chiefs of Khairagarh; Khamaria on the north-east was seized from the Kawardha State at the end of the eighteenth century in lieu of a small loan ; while of the main area of the estate in the south, the Khairagarh tract was received at an early date from the Mandla Rajas, and that of Don- gargarh represents half the estate of a zamlndar who rebelled against the Marathas, and whose territory, when the rebellion was crushed by the chiefs of Khairagarh and Nandgaon, was divided between them. The head-quarters are at Khairagarh, a village of 4,656 inhabitants, situated 23 miles from both the Dongargarh and Raj-Nandgaon stations on the Bengal-Nagpur Railway. The western tracts of the State are hilly, but those to the east lie in a level black-soil plain of great fertility. The ruling family are considered to be Nagvansi Rajputs, and to be connected with the house of Chota Nagpur.
Their pedigree
dates back to a.d. 740. The present chief, Kamal Narayan Singh,
was installed in 1890 at the age of twenty-three years, and the here-
ditary title of Raja was conferred on him in 1898. He conducts the
administration of the State with the advice of a Dlwan appointed by
Government, under the supervision of the Political Agent for the
Chhattlsgarh Feudatory States. The population in 1901 was 137,554,
showing a decrease of 24 per cent, in the previous decade, during which
the State was severely affected by famine. There are 497 inhabited
villages, and one town, Dongargarh (population, 5,856). The density
of population is 147 persons per square mile. Gonds, Lodhls, Chamars,
and Ahirs are the most important castes numerically ; the people
belong almost entirely to Chhattlsgarh, and the local dialect of Eastern
Hindi named after that tract is universally spoken.
I he eastern part of the State is a fertile expanse of black soil, while in the west the land is light and sandy. In 1904 nearly 543 square miles, or 58 per cent, of the total area, were occupied for cultivation, and nearly 486 square miles were under crop. Kodon covers 41 per cent, of the cropped area, rice 21 per cent., and wheat 22 per cent. The cultivated area has decreased by about 70 square miles since 1894. There are 224 irrigation tanks, by which about 3,000 acres are pro- tected. About 165 square miles are covered with forest, the principal species being teak, bijasal {Ptcrocarpus Marsiipitim), and bamboos. Brass vessels and wooden furniture are made at Khairagarh town, and carpets of a good quality are produced in the jail. The rolling of native cigarettes gives employment to a considerable number of per- sons. The Bengal Xagpur Railway passes through the south of the State, with the stations of Bortalao, Dongargarh, and Musra within its limits. About 63 miles of embanked and 57 miles of unembanked roads have been constructed, the most important being those from Dongargarh through Khairagarh to Kawardha, and from Khairagarh to Raj-Nandgaon. Exports of produce are taken to Raj-Nandgaon and Dongargarh railway stations.
The total revenue of the State in 1904 was Rs. 3,03,000, Rs. 1,84,000 being realized from land revenue, Rs. 29,000 from forests, and Rs. 21,000 from excise. The incidence of land revenue is R. 0-10-5 P er occupied acre. A regular cadastral survey has been carried out, and the method of assessment is that prescribed for British Districts. The revenue is settled with the headmen of villages, who are allowed a commission of 20 or 30 per cent, of the 'assets,' but have no pro- prietary rights. The rents of the cultivators are also fixed at settle- ment. The expenditure in 1904 was Rs. 3,18,000, the principal items being Government tribute, (Rs. 70,000), private expenses of the ruling family (Rs. 90,000), general administration (Rs. 21,000), public works (Rs. 20,000), education (Rs. 9,000), and medical relief (Rs. 4,000). Some arrears of tribute and Government loans were also repaid in that year. In respect of tribute Khairagarh was treated by the Marathas as an ordinary estate, and the revenue was periodically raised on a scrutiny of the 'assets.' It is now fixed by Government for a term of years. During the twelve years ending 1905 nearly 3-84 lakhs has been expended on the improvement of communications and the erection of public buildings. The State maintains 26 schools, including a high school at Khairagarh, middle schools at Khairagarh, Dongargarh, and Khamaria, and a girls' school at Dongargarh, with a total of 1,931 pupils. At the Census of 1901 the number of persons returned as able to read and write was 2,064, The proportion of male literates being 2-9 per cent, of the population. Dispensaries are maintained at Khairagarh town and Dongargarh, in which 12,000 persons were treated in 1904.
