Baroda
Baroda
Baroda
BARODA
RCAY'e.- sechm,
\'1'15 \
PREFACE
DRAFTS for the articles contained in this volume were
prepared by Mr. T. S. Tait, late Pincipal of the Baroda
College. General information was derived largely from the
volumes on Baroda and Kathiawar in the Gazetteer of the
Bombay Pre,rz'dency, edited by the late Sir J. M. Campbell,
from Mr. R. Bruce Foote's Geology of the Baroda State (1898),
and from Mr.. J. A. Dalal's Census Report, J901. In collecting later information, Mr. Tait was greatly helped by the
heads of departments in the State, special acknowledgements
being due to Professors Tapidas D. Mehta and A. M. Masani,
and to Messrs. Patel R. Bhailal, G. H. Desai, M. M. Manubhai,
G. R. Mediwala, G. R. Lynn, and G. R. Nimbalkar. and also
to the officials of the Bombay. Baroda, and Central India
Railway. Later statistics were added in the Editor's office,
and the proofs have been examined by the Darbar.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
BARODA STATE
PHYSICAL ASPECTS .
Situation.
Name
Divisions and boundaries.
Area
Hills
Rivers
Scenery
Lakes
Geology
Botany
Fauna
Climate and temperature .
Rainfall
HISTORY
1-60
I-I!
1
3
4
5
5
6
7
7
8
8-19
9
9
10
I I
I I
12
12
I2
13
13
14
14
14
14
IS
IS
IS
IS
IS
16
TABLE OF CONTENTS
vi
PAGE
Density .
Movement of population
Religion and sects
Age.
Vital statistics .
Sex.
Civil conditions
Child marriage, polygamy, and divorce
Language
Caste, tribe, and race
Occupations
Social characteristics of the people
Food.
Dress .
Houses
Games and amusements
Festivals
AGRICULTURE.
Poppy.
16
17
17
17
17
18
18
19
19
19- 2 4
19
19
20
20
20
21
21
22
22
22
23
23
23
23
:014
24
24
24-3 0
24
24
2S
25
2S
25
26
26
26
26
26
26
26
26
27
27
TABLE OF CONTENTS
vii
PAGK
Rent
Wages of skilled labour
Wages of unskilled labour
Payment in kind
Prices of staple food-grains
Material condition of the people
FORESTS
Position .
Characteristics.
System of management
Disposal of produce.
Relations with the people.
Use of forests in scarcity.
Statistics .
MINERALS
Metals
Building materials
ARTS AND MANUFACTURES
Weaving.
Embroidery and carpets
Jewellery .
Iron-work
Brass- and copper-work
Pottery
Sculpture
27
28
28
28
28
28
29
29
29
29
29
29
30
30
30
30
30
30
30 -3 2
31
31
31
31
31
31
.3 2 -33
32
32
32
33
33
33
33
33-34
33
34
34-3 6
34
34
35
35
35
35
35
TABLE OF CONTENTS
viii
PAGR
Wood-carving, &c.
Mill industries.
COMMERCE AND TRADE
Trading"classes
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
Railways.
General results
Roads
Type of carts, &c.
Ferries
Posts and telegraphs
:FAMINE
Liability to famine .
Previous famines
Famine of 1889-1900
Rise of prices .
Relief and protective measures employed .
Later scarcity .
Effect on population
ADMINISTRATION
Administrative divisions
LEGISLATION AND JUStICE
Courts of justice
The High Court
Sardars' Court.
Minor offences.
Nature of crimes
Registration
FINANCE.
Alienated land.
Settlement
MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE
Opium.
"
3S
36
36
36
36-3 8
36
37
37
38
38
38
8
3 -40
38
39
39
39
39
40
40
40-4 1
41
4 1 -43
42
42
42
42
43
43
43-44
43
44
44-46
44
4S
46-48
46
47
47
47
47
48
48
48
TABLE OF CONTENTS
IX
PAGE
LOCAL AND MUNICIPAL
Expenditure
Works of construction
ARMY
POLICE AND JAILS
Organization
Strength .
Recruitment and training,
Special questions
Railway,
S~atistics .
Jails
J ail industries
Expenditure,
EDUCATION
Indigenous schools
Growth of the department
University education
Secondary education
Primary education
Female education
Training schools
Technical instruction
Music schools .
Muhammadan education
Depressed classes
Finance,
Literacy.
The Press,
MEDICAL
Vaccination
Village sanitation
SURVEYS.
BIBLIOGRAPHY.
TABLES.
Distribution of population
General statistics of agriculture and irrigation
Statistics of education
'RIVERS
SARASWATi
SABARMATi
48-5 0
49
50-51
50
50
5I
51-53
51
52
52
52
52
52
52
53
53
53-57
53
53
54
54
54
55
55
56
56
56
56
56
56
57
57-58
57
58
58
58
59-60
59
59
60
61-6 7
61
61
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
NARBADA
Extent.
Name.
Hi~tory
KADl PRANT
63-66
63
64
65.
66.
66
67-73
67
68
68
69
70
74-86
74
74
74
74
75
75
76
76
76
76
KALOL TALUKA
77
VIJAPUR TALUKA
MEHSANA TALUKA
77 .
77
VISNAGAR TALUKA
77
77
77
78
78
78
78
78
VADAVLI TALUKA
PATAN TALUKA '
SIDHPUR TALUKA
KHERALU TALUKA
BALISNA
BECHRAJI
CHANASMA
DEHGAM.
KADIToWN
KALOLToWN
KHERALU TOWN
LADoL
MEHSANA TOWN
MODHERA
PATAN TOWN.
SIDHPUR TOWN
UMTA
79
79
79
80
80
80
80
81
82
83
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Xl
PAGE
UNJHA
VADNAGAR
VALAM
VIJAPUR TOWN
VIS NAGAR TOWN
BARODA PRANT
General description
Palaces'
Temples
Cantonment.
BHADRAN
CHANDOD
DABHOI
KARNALI.
KkRVAN.
MIYAGAM
NAR
PADRA TOWN
PETLAD TOWN.
PIRI]
SANKHEDA
SAVLI
.
SINOR
SOJITRA
VASO
NAVSARI PRANT
83
84
85
85
8S
86-97
86
86
86
87
87
88
88
.88
88
88
88
89
89-9 2
90
91
91
92
92
92
93
94
94
94
95 95
95
95
95
96
96
96
96
97- 10 3
97
97
97
98
98
xii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
98
99
99
99
99.
BILIMORA
100
GANDEVI.
100
KATHOR
100
NAVSARI TOWN
101
SONGARH
102
VYARA
AMRELI PRANT
10 3
]03- 109
10 3
10 3
10 4
104
10 5
roS
]05
10 5
106
106
106
OKHAMANDAL
106
AMRELI TOWN
BEYT SHANKHODHAR
10 7
10 7
DHARI
108
108
DWARKA.
KODINAR.
10 9
INDEX
II I-I 24
MAP
. at end
PROVINCIAL GAZETTEERS
OF INDIA
BARODA STATE
Baroda State (or Territories of the Gaikwar).-An imp or- Physical
tant Native State in direct relations with the Government
SasPt eCtt~.
I ua IOU.
of India, but geographically in intimate connexion with the
Presidency of Bombay. The territorieS' of the State are
situated in Gujarat and in Kathiawar, but are so interlaced
with British Districts that it is impossible, without reference
to a detailed map, to realize accurately its position, extent, and
boundaries.
.
Roughly speaking, it may be said that the State lies between
20 45' and 24 9' N. and 70 42' and 73 59' E., with the
exception. of the Okhamandal tract, which lies between 22 S'
and 22 35 N. and 69 5' and 69 20' E.
The name by which the natives recognize the territories Name.
of Bar~da and the capital town is Wadodara, which according to tradition is a corrupt form of the Sanskrit word l/atodar
(' in the heart of the banyan-trees '). At any rate, this name
well describes the capital of Baroda, inasmuch as in the
vicinity of the city banyan-trees exist in great numbers. But
the capital had also another name, namely, Virakshetra or"
Virawati (' a land of wariiors '); and this name deserves special
notice,. as it is mentioned (aldng with Wadodar1i.) by the
Gujarat poet Premanand, who was a native of Baroda and
flourished in the seventeenth century. Moreover, it is stated
that the ancient name of the city was Chandanavati, and that
it was so called after Raja Chandan of the Dor tribe of Rajputs,
who wrested it from the Jains. It is now almost impossible
to ascertain when the various changes in the name were made;
but early English travellers and merchants mention the town
as Brodera, and it is from this that the name Baroda is
derived.
The Gujar1i.t portion of the State is divided into three great Divisions
divisions or pran!s: namely, the Kadi pran! to the north, dand. boun' pranl to th~ aries.
t hB
e aro da prant m
the centre, and the N
avsan
DAR.
.BARODA STATE
Area.
Hills.
PHYSICAL ASPECTS
Scenery.
BARODA STATE
between the Narbada And the Tapti; and the Mindhola, the
Piirna, and the Ambika to the south of the Tapti. The
SABARMATi first touches Baroda territory at Virpur in the
Kheralu liiluRa, and then flows through it for about 18 miles,
thereafter entering Ahmadabad District. It receives no
affluent of any size in Baroda; but farther down it is joined'
by the Khari, the Meshwa, and the Vatrak, which drain outlying patches of the State. The MAHi only skirts the northern
extremity of the Savli liiluRa, and receives the waters of'
the Mesri, and a little lower down the united Goma and
Karad, which flow for a few miles through part of Savli. The
central part of the Savli tiiluRfJ discharges its superfluous rainwater through the Meni, which falls into the Mahi, 8 miles
west of Baroda. The NARBADA itself only skirts portions of
the State; but its northern tributary, the Orsang o,r Or, after
being joined by the Unchh and Hiran, which drain the eastern
part of the Sankheda liiluna, brings it an important acc,ession
of water. The TAPTI flows for a distance of 43 miles through
and past Baroda territory in the Songarh and Vyiira la/unas.
Farther down it. flows for 23 miles through the Kiimrej
liiluna, and to the north of Surat skirts the outlying Baroda
township of Vadiiv for III miles. The only river of importance in the Amreli priinl is the Shatranji, which rises in the
highest part of the Gir forest and drains the central portion
of the division.
The' Baroda priinl presents a great diversity of aspect,
the reason for this being that south of the city of Baroda
black soil extends for a distance of 40 miles to the Narbada,
while all the counfry to the north of it is red soil. The black
soil, although very fertile, is remarkable for the desert-like
appearance it gives to the country where it predominates, while
where the surface soil becomes red, there is a complete change.
The latter is cultivated from one end to the other, there
,are high hedges between the fields, and the view is shut in
on every side by lofty trees such as abound in the neighbourhood of the capital. It is for this reason that the country
between Baroda and Ahmadabad has often been said to present
the appearance of an English park. The Kadi priinl, consisting of an uninterrupted plain sloping gently from north-east
to south-west, presents a much more uniform and consequently
less picturesque aspect. The western portion of the division
is especially monotonous. The Navsari pninl is the most
variegated of the four divisions of the State, 'affording within
a small compass the scenery of cultivated land, hills, rivers,
PHYSICAL ASPECTS
forests, and seaboard. All the country to the north and northeast of Navsari is thickly wooded, and these woods run for
some distance down into the more level plains of Gujarat
along the Puma and Ambika rivers. The most hilly portion
of the country is in the Songarh tiiluka. The inland liilukas
to the south-east of Nav!!iri, and the country adjoining the
Bansda State, are more levell but not so rich or well cultivated
as the coast subdivisions. Still here and there clumps of
forest appear, which become larger and bolder as an approach
is made to the Dangs, where the wood is very thick. The
Amreli jriinl, being, with the exception of the Gir, devoid of
hills and containing no rivers of any importance, is decidedly
unpicturesque.. The Okhamandal division is, however, attractive, as it is on the sea-coast, and c<1,\1tains the important
harbour of Dwarka.
There are no large natural lakes worthy of the name; but Lakes.
in the Kadi jriint artificial tanks of more than ordinary
dimensions exist; and of these the Sarmishta at Vadnagar and
the tanks in Visnagar and near Patan may be specially mentioned. The Baroda jriinl contains several large tanks, the
most extensive_being that of Maval in the Savli liiluka.
The most important is, however, the great reservoir, almost
deserving the name ~f lake, which has been constructed at
Ajwa during the rule of the present Gaikwar, for the purpose.
of supplying the inhabitants of Baroda with potable water.
Our knowledge of the geology of the State is mainly due Geology.
to Mr. R. Bruce Foote of the Geological Survey of India, who,
in the years x892-4, visited and carefully examined all the
regions containing important minerals. The results arrived
at by him were published in a memoir, entitled The Geology of
Baroda State.
In the Gujarat portion, recent subaerial formations, con~
sisting mainly of the great loess or blown-loam deposit, cover
by far the greater part of the country. They are underlaid by
the old alluvia of the great rivers, which are nearly co-extensive
with them in the area they occupy, but are, as a rule, exposed
only in the deep-cut river valleys. To the south of Baroda
city the loess itself is largely obscured by extensive sheets
of black soil. The Deccan trap rocks stand second in respect
of the area they occupy, and are followed, but at a long
distance, by the Eocene (nummulitic) rocks. Archaean
granites and gneisses, and the lower Cretaceous rocks,
occupy about equal areas of small extent, while the Cham~
paner quartzites, &c., are exposed over an area of only
BARODA STATE
Botany.
{Dwarka beds.
Gaj beds.
III. Cretaceous-Deccan trap series.
Of these the Deccan trap series is much the most important
formation in every way, being in many parts of great thickness.
The Tertiary Gaj and Dwarka beds are met with only in the
Okhamandal liilllAa.
The vegetation of the greater part of Baroda territory is
characteristic of a highly cultivated country, so that beyond
the regular crops the plants consist mainly of field-weeds,
water or marsh plants growing in or fringing rivers, and species
generally met with in hedges. The hilly portions of the State
have a flora that is more or less characteristic ()f the Western
Ghats generally. Among the weeds of cultivation the species
are chiefly referable to the natural families Gram;neae, about
thirty species; Leguminosae, about twenty species; Composilae,
Labiatae, and Cyperaceae, about ten each j Malvaeeae, Seraphularineae, CORvolvulaeeae, Aeanthaceae, Amarantaceae, and
Euphorbiaceae, from six to eight ea.ch. Aquatic or marsh
plants include Jussiaea repens, Trapa bispinosa, Caesulia axillaris, Ipomoea aquatica, Hygrophila spinosa, Herpeslis Monnieria, Polygonum glabrum, Hydri/la vertici/lala, Vallisneria
spiralis, Ot/dia alismoides, Aeluropus villosus, Nymphaea Lotus,
Nelumbium speciosum (both confined to ponds), and various
Cyperaceae. In waste places and by roadsides are .found
Tnaax procumbens, Achyranlhes asperfl, Co/denia procumbens,
Evolvulus aisblfJides, Tephrosia purpurl!il, Heylandia lalebrosa,
Waltheria indica, various ~pecies of Staa and Hibiscus, Hypoxis
aurea, Chrozophora plicala, Jatropha gossypifolia, Argemone
mexieana, Tnoulus terreslns, Calotropts giganlea, Echinops
echinalffs, Solanum xant/JoearjJum, Datura jas/uosa, Adhaloda
Vasica, Clerodendron phlomoides, Leonotis nepelaejolia, and various grasses ~uch as species of Andropogon, Poly/oca, and APlllda.
Shrubs met with in waste places include WoorJjordia fioribunda, Cassia auricula/a, and species of Cappans and Zisyphus.
The more characteristic hedge-plants include species of lI{aerua,
Cadaba, Capparis, Zizyphus, Alangium. Cordia, Vi/ex Negundo,
PHYSICAL ASPECTS
Rainf~ll.
.BARODA STATE
Navsiiri
Baroda
Kadi
Amreli
History.
,88:1-9
'
Inches.
1892-190'.
539
379
31
5 .9
'
38.(
174
323
Inch...
31.6
HISTORY
10
BARODA STATE
HISTORY
II
12
BARODA STATE
Mughals
from Gu-
HISTORY
13
14
BARODA STATE
HISTORY
rendered to the Baroda State by the Bombay Government, and
the latter was not slow to claim aQ ample reward. A treaty
was signed in July, 1802, by which considerable territories were
ceded to the Company, and the right of British interference in
the case of anything improper or unjust being done by Anand
ltao or his successors was acknowledged. From this time the
authority of the British Resident at Baroda was paramount. It Danger
was at. the same period that Holkar and S~ndh.ia, wh~ were. at ~~rma!ol
war wIth each other, covered Central IndIa wIth theIr armIes Sindhia.
and threw covetous eyes on Gujarat. Holkar's attempt was at
once frustrated; but Sindhia's designs were more alarming, as
he sent an army of 12,000 or 14,000 men in the direction of
the northern districts. He was, however, pacified when, with
the assistance of the British, he received 10 lakhs which he
claimed to be due to him. In 1804 the Pesriwa again renewed
the lease of t~ Ahmadabad territory to the Gaikwar, for a term
of ten years, at the rental of 4-1 lakhs per annum.
In April, 1805, a definitive treaty was concluded between Treaty of
the British Government and the State of Baroda, by which the 1805'
establishment of a S\.!bsidiary force and the cession of certain
districts for its maintenance were settled. This treaty also
contained articles to the effect that the foreIgn policy of the
State should be conducted by the British, and that all differences with the Peshwa should be similarly arranged. Fateh Anand Rao
Singh, a yo'unger brother of Anand Rao, became a member of s~: ~ateh
the State Council in 1807, and. gradually exercised increased GaITtwar.
powers. In 18u the celebrated Gangadhar Sastri became
Minister. The restless intriguer, Kanhoji, again endeavoured
to subvert his brother's administration; but the plot was discovered in good time, and KanhojI was arrested and promptly'
deported.to Madras. The long-pending claims of the Peshwa Claims of
on the Gaikwar now came up for settlement; and, as the ~he h _
political relations between the States were anything but es wa.
friendly, it was feared that the lease of Ahmadabad would not
be renewed. Gangadhar Sastri was accordingly deputed to set
out for the Poona court. As a result of intrigues, set on foot
by 'Sitaram, a dismissed Minister of Baroda, the Peshwa refused
to listen to the terms offered by the Sastri, assigned the
Ahmadabad farm to Trimbakji Danglia, and left all other
points unsettled. While negotiations were still being carried
on, Gangadhar was murdered. An attempt at a revolution in
Sitaram's favour followed, but it proved abortive, and finally in
1816 the ex-Minister was deported to Navsari.
A confederacy of the great Maratha chiefs had now been Treaties of
16
.BARo.DA STATE
HISTORY
sequestration was disapproved by the Court of Directors in
1832, and the territory was resttned. In 1831 Sir John Continued
Malcolm was succeeded by Lord Clare, who attempted by troubles.
conciliatory measures to undo the consequences of his predecessor's severity. Steps were taken to satisfy the creditors
6f the State, and the Gaikwar pledged himself to keep the
Contingent in an efficient condition. Unfortunately, however,
a period of misgovernment again began, and all remonstrances
were unheeded. The deposition of Sayaji Rao was contemplated in 1838, but in 1839 he made a complete submission
and expressed his desire to conform to the wishes of the
Government. A better system of administration was introduced into that portion of Kathiawar which belonged to the
Gaikwar, and compensation was paid for robperies committed
by Baroda subjects. But corrupt practices -still prevailed at
Baroda, not only in and about the court, but also in the
Resident's office, and intrigues were rampant.
In 1847 Sayaji was succeeded by his eldest son, Ganpat Ganpat Rao
Rao, who introduced many reforms into the State. Influenced ?8i~~a6:
by the Resident, he built roads. bridges, and sarais, planted 4 5
wayside trees, prohibited infanticide and the sale of children,
settled claims for robberies committed in the State, and generally
pursued a path of progress. In 1854 the political supervision
of Baroda was transferred from the Government of Bombay to
the Supreme Government. The last year of Ganpat Rao's
life (1856) was marked by his cession ofland. required for the
construction of the Bombay, Baroda, and Central India
Railway.
As Ganpat Rao left no legitimate male issue, he was Kbande
succeeded by the eldest of his surviving brothers, Khande R~o Gsaik6
. the young Gal'k war stood stanchly war,
R ao. D unng
the M utmy
70. 1 5 by the British, and assisted in maintaining peace and security
in Gujarat. In 1862 he received the right of adoption. He
was also created a G.C.S.I. Khande Rao, especially at the
beginning of his reign, desired to improve the administration
of the State, and introduced some beneficial changes; but his
fondness for the chase, jewels, displays, and buildings left him
no money to spend on useful public works. However, he
constructed the branch railway from Miyagam to Dabhoi,
attempted to improve the land revenue system, and com:
menced a revenue survey.
At the time of Khande Rao's death in 1870, his brother Malhar .
Malhar Rao,
who had been engaged in a plot for his deposition, R~o
GlUk.
war,
was a pnsoner at padra. But as he was the. undisputed heir ISi0-5.
~&
18
The Comm'ssion of
18
73.
Deposition
~MaIhar
aD.
BARODA STATE
POPULATION
19
20
Religion
and sects.
Age.
Vital
statistics.
13ARODA STATE
POPULATION
21
Married
Unmarried
Widowed
Male.
1901
Females. Persons.
Males.
Females
1
1
1, 28 7,575
49 1 ,07 6
889,99 2 54 1 ,59 2 348,400 687,2II 4 22 ,415 26 4,79 6
82
2
8
6
286,855
9 ,669 188,186
237, 9 65,7 17 ,753
22
BARODA STATE
there are already in this State 5,87 I widows and 76,386 girlwives. At each age-period the number of widows increases
until the maximum is reachea at the age 40-45. The number
of widowers is also greatest at this period. Nearly Sl per cent.
of Hindus are married, 48 per cent. of Jams and Musalmans,
47 per cent. of Animists, and 44 per cent. of Pars Is.
.
ChlldEvery Hindu considers that his eternal welfare depends
marriage, upon his having a son, while the custom of marrying girls at
~~lgamy, a tender age is very common. Hence arise early and undivorce.
equal marriages, polygamy, early maternity, a high birth-rate,
a terrible mortality among children and child-mothers, early
decay in both sexes, and a surplus of widows. Steps have,
however, been taken to minimize these evils by the passing of
Acts to legalize the remarriage of widows (1902), ,and to discourage the ~arriage of infants (1904~ the latter'measure
forbids the marriage of girls under 12, except with the permission of a court, and in the first year of working 718 offenders
were fined under its provisions. In such castes as the AudIchya
Brahmans polyg~my prevails, because the number of marriageable girls is greater than that of the males. Polygamy is also
found among the Rijputs and some other castes. Divorce is
allowed among many castes of Hindus, especially the lower
ones which permit widow remarriage. Sometimes it is obtained
under caste rules, while at other times people resort to the
courts.
Language.
Practically the whole population speak languages of the
Indo-European family, only 453 speakers of Dravidian languages,4 of Mongolian languages, and l53 of Semitic languages
b\!ing recorded. In the first group the number of persons
speaking GujaratI is 11773,594, Marathi 38,605, and Hindustani or Urdu 68,815. There are also many Bhil and Gipsy
dialects, the former being spoken by 68,503 people. .
At the latest Census castes were classified, according to the
Caste,
tribe, and traditional arrangement, in four groups. Brahmans number
race.
145,000, or 9 per cent. of the total Hindu population. The
principal class is that of Gujarati Brahmans, who number
128,000. Maratha Brahmans are comparatively numerous
(14,000). The representatives of the Kshattriyas (106,200)
were arranged according to their traditional occupations as
warriors (9,500), traders (lI,50o), and writers (4,200), the
first class containing 59,000 Rajputs. Similarly the Vaisyas
(459,000) may be divided into Banias or traders (48,000), and
Kunbis (411,000), who are agriculturists. The Sudras are
divided into 'c\e~n' castes and 'unclean.' Among the former
POPULATION
are found a large number of occupational groups, none of
which is singly of great importanctl except the Kolis (325,000).
More than half the unclean classes are included in the Dheds
(94,000). Most of the Jains are Banias (39,500). The Animists differ in physical type from the Hindus and Jains, being
short in stature, with broad flat noses and faces, and much
darker in colour. The most numerous of these tribes are
the Gamits (38,200), BhIls (37,700), Dublas (28,500), and
Chodhras (23,300). Among Musalmans the most numerous
groups are Arabs (29,700) and Shaikhs (56,700), the latter
being largely descended from Hindu ancestors.
The Girasias, Kathis, Marathas, and Waghers, whose tra- Occnpaditional occupation is military service, have maintained this tions.
to some extent, but nowadays many have taken to agricultural or other pursuits. The cultivatorS, who are generally
Kunbls, Kolls, or Malis, scarcely ever follow any other occupation. Th~ Rabaris, again, who are grazier.s and cultivators,
remain almost constant to their hereditary employment, only
10 per cent. resorting to other occupations.
With the Brahmans the case is different, as many of the caste have taken
largely to agriculture. Most of the Prabhus or writers "are
employed in service, while about one-third of the Banias still
follow their traditional occupation of trade and commerce, the
remainder devoting themselves to service and agriculture.
-Of the total population, the number of actual workers of
both sexes is about 47 per cent., and of these nearly 68 per
cent. are males. Agriculture and pasture support 54 per cent.
of the people, the preparation and supply of materiar substances 14 per cent., unskilled labour 13 per cent., personal
services 5 per cent., and commerce 4 per cent.
The staple food of the higher-class Hindus consists gene- Social
rally ohiee, wheat, pulse, and biijra. Vegetables of all kinds is~i::~}~~e
are freely used, cooked with ghi, salt, spices, turmeric, &c. people.
Cakes made from biijra and wheat-flour are partaken of with Food.
milk, for both dinner and supper. Among agri<;ulturists, however, the usual food is khichri (a spiced mixture of rice and
tuver) and curry. The poorer classes usejowiir as their chief
food-grain, and also kodra, bavto, and banti.
Dhotars or waistcloths form the common dress of Hindus.
The upper garments worn by males of the better clas~ are
badans and bandt's reaching from the neck to the waist, and
angarklliis extending as far as the knees. Many educated
Hindus, however, now wear shirts, coats, and pantaloons.
Females wear chaniai or petticoat sallas, an~ cholis or bodices
Dress.
BARODA STATE
with sleeves as far as the elbows. The poorer classes do not
use clzolis.
Houses.
In large towns the dwelling-houses are often situated in
court-yards with one entrance only, called Rlzadkis. This was
necessitated by the want of safety in former days. The houses
of the rich are built of brick, and have usually two storeys and
an average of seven rooms. The poor live in mud huts with
one floor only, and usually two rooms.
Games and
The chief outdoor games played by the young people are
~~~:::
gilli-tiando, attiso-mattiso, am!a-pipli, &c. These all involve
running and catching, and are very popular. In towns indoor
amusements, such as cards, chess, &c., are more resorted to.
The Dewali holidays, which occur during October or Novem:Festivals.
ber, are the most noteworthy of the Hindu festivals. The
temples are filled with devotees, the people put on their best
attire, and the streets and houses are illuminated with lamps.
At this time merchants and shopkeepers worship their accountbooks and open new ones. The HolY takes place in February
or March, the Makar Sankranti in January. Other festivals
are the Maha Sivaratri, the Rama Navami, and the Janma
Ashtami. In the city of Baroda the Muhammadan festival
of the Muharram is patronized by the Gaikwiir, and many
Hindus join in the procession. But the greatest (If all attractions to the people is probably the Dasara procession, which
generally takes place in October.
AgriculThe soils are mainly alluvial, except in the hilly parts of the
ture.
Navsiiri
and Amreli pnints, and in the south-east corner of the
Soil and
conform a-. Baroda priint, where they are mostly formed by the disintetion.
gration of the underlying rocks. These alluvial soils may
roughly be divided intq gorat or light red (sand and sandy
loams), besar or mixed (Ioams), and kiili or black. The land
is generally flat, here and there relieved by small hills, and in
consequence the ground is easy to work. This, however,
is not the case in the rani maM!s of the Navsiiripriinl. which
are mountainous, or in the eastern parts of the Baroda priinl,
which are hilly and wooded. The rainfall in different parts
has already been referred to.
Systems of Crop's are mainly divided into the 'rains I or Rlzari/ crops
cultivaand the 'dry' or rabi crops. The former are sown in June
Uon.
or July, and reaped in October or November; the latter are
sown in October or November, and reaped in March or April.
In the Navsliri pranl the goriit lands produce all kinds of
jarayat or ' dry' and biigiiyat or garden crops, while the crops
raised on black soil are rice, cotton, jowiir, wheat, INver, biijTa,
AGRICULTURE
and adad. Of these rice and cotton flourish best, the remaining crops being deficient in out-tum and of inferiot quality.
In the Baroda priint Kahnam is famous for its superior black
soil, which produces cotton and rice in abundance. This soil
requires no manure, and is not irrigated, so that garden cultivation does not xist. The goriit soil is generally irrigated,
and whenever this is possible it yields large returns. It is
specially utilized for the growth of biijra. The best kind of
goriit is found near Petlad, in Charotar, and is especially suited
to tobacco. In the Kadi priint the soil is well adapted for
the cultivation of poppy for opium, and in Amreli for the
cultivation of cotton. The agricultural implements used in impledifferent parts of the State are of simple construction. They ments.
include the mattock (kodiili), the hoe (kharJl), the small plough
(hoi), the large plough (niigar), and the sickle (diitardu). The
small plough serves only to scratch up the surface of the soil.
The niigar, which resembles the hoi in construction but is
much heavier, is employed mostly in the cultivation of sugarcane.
In the whole State 1,014,027 persons, or 52 per cent. of the Agricultural popu. Iture, 0 f wh om 4S per cent. are lation.
tota,I are supported b y agncu
actual workers and SS per cent. are dependents. The proportion is lowest in the Amreli priint (40'7 per cent.), as the
soil here is difficult to work. It rises to 66'2 per cent. in
Navsari, because the only pursuit followed by the forest tribes,
who are numerous in the priint, is agriculture.
The principal crops are rice (Oryza sativa), bajra (Pennisetum Principal
typhoideum ),jowiir (Sorghum vulgare), wheat (Triticum sativum), crops.
math (Phaseolus aconitifolius), gram (Cicer arietinum), adad
(Phaseolus radiatus), tuver (Cajanus indicus), 'viil (Dolichos
Lablab), chola (Vigna Catiang), kodra (Paspalum scrobiculatum), niigl; (Eleusine coracana), biivlo (Panicumfrumenlaceum),
banti (Panicum spicatum), valana (Pisum salivum), mag (Phaseolus Mungo), castor-oil seed (Ricinus communis), til (Sesamum
;ndicum), rapeseed (Brassica campestris), poppy (Papaver
somniferum), cotton (Gossypium herbaceum), san-hemp (Crololaria juncea), tobacco (Nicoliana Tabacum), sugar-cane
(Saccharum ojficinarum), maize (Zea Mays), and kasumbo (Carthamus tine/orius).
Rice is generally manured with from five to ten cartloads of Rice.
cattle-dung per bigha 1. When available, tank mud is used as
manure at the rate of ten to fifteen cartloads per bigha. With
this treatment, it is calculated that from the best rice soils
l
~even
ac~e9.
BARODA STATE
Biijra.
Iowar.
Wheat.
Gram,
Tuver.
Rapeseed.
Cotton.
Sugarcane.
AGRICULTURE
Baroda jJrant in the. monsoon, san-hemp or jowar is sown as
a green manure, and in winter.. the fields are ploughed and
prepared for sugar-cane. In Navsari and Amreli the method
followed is much the same, though the green crops previously
sown are different. The juice of the cane is turned into
"molasses, a product widely exported to all parts of Gujarat. In
Navsari the canes are cut in November or December after a
year's growth.
Tobacco is a staple produce of Petliid and the vicinity. It Tobacco.
is grown in goriit soil and requires frequent irrigation, as well
as from twelve to fifteen cartloads of farm-yard manure per
bigha. In Petliid the crop can be continuously grown on the
same field for some years, and then an interval of two years,
during which rice or bajr4 is planted, must elapse before
tobacco can again be sown. The yield' is from 7 to 10 cwt.
per acre. It is sown in nurseries in June, transplanted in about
a couple of months, and,cut in February or March.
Poppy is grown in Kadi. Land intended for this crop is Poppy.
generally left fallow for about four months and ploughed
several times before the seed is sown. In some places, however, it is usual to take a crop of biijra before utilizing the land
for poppy. Manure is applied at the rate of twelve to fifteen
cartloads per bigha every third year, and irrigation is necessary. The average yield is estimated at I2 lb. of crude opium
per acre, but the out-turn is always a matter of uncertainty, as
this crop is easily influenced by changes of weather. Poppy is
sown in October or November, and the collection of the juice
takes place in February and March.
During the rainy season various species of Cucurbitaceae, Vegeta~les
suran or elephant foot, sweet potatoes, &c., are grown, but most and fruits.
garden crops mature in the cold season or early summer.
Potatoes are planted in small patches near the large towns.
They require manure in the form of cattle-dung, oil-cake, and
night-soil. and also irrigation. Brinjals and chillies are cultivated wherever irrigation is available, the brinjals of Kiithor
being especially famous. Onions are abundant, a white variety
being largely cultivated in the Amreli jJriin! at Kodinar.
Garlit and radishes are plentiful everywhere. Ginger is
largely grown in Baroda and Navsan. For this crop it is
found that bundles of rotten hemp form an excellent manure.
Carrots are cultivated everywhere, and in some parts, chiefly in
Amreli, are used exclusively for fodder. Various native vegetables are grown in abundance, and of late years tomatoes have
been introduced. Among the chief frui!s are the mango.
BARODA STATE
Statistics
of cultivahon.
Agricultural department.
Model
farms.
Agricultnral
advances.
Agricnltural
banks.
AGRICULTURE
are limited to 3 per cent., the surplus being credited to a
reserve or distributed as a bom~. The banks also buy and
sell produce and agricultural requisites. About Rs. 18,000
was advanced in I904-5. An Act to regulate the formation
of co-operative credit societies has recently been passed.
The indebtedness of the cultivators is considerable, and Indebtedfew men with average holdings do not owe something to the ~;s;!ts.
money-lender. Money is borrowed by the poorer ryots not
merely for marriage and other festivals, but also for the purchase
of grain and manure. The ordinary rate of interest varies from
9 to 15 per cent. As in British India, the cultivators still
deal largely with money-lenders, instead of applying for loans
from the State. Advances are regularly given to cultivators
of poppy.
The horses and ponies of the country are very indifferent. Horses.
The best breeds are to be found in Kathiawar. Two breeds Cattle.
of cattle may be mentioned, the desi and the kankreji. The
former are found in all parts of the Baroda and Navsari priints.
They are of small size, the cows give little milk, and the
bUllocks, though fast, are unfit for heavy draught. The
kiinkreje' breed is well known throughout Gujarat, and is much
esteemed for the size of the bullocks. These large and
powerful animals are suited for ploughing and other heavy
work. Good bullocks of this breed sometimes sell for Rs. 200
to Rs. 250 a pair. In the Amreli prant the Gir cattle are the
most celebrated. They are smaller than the kiinkreji kind,
but the milch cows give a rich and abundant supply of milk.
Buffaloes, goats, and sheep are kept everywhere, but there
is nothing special to be noted about them. An attempt has
been made to improve the breed of buffaloes.
In many villages pasture land is set apart for cattle. Bullocks Pasture
employed in heavy work are fed on hay, millet stalks, and grounds.
sometimes gram. Cotton-seed is given to buffaloes to increase
the supply of milk. Grass is generally abundant in aU parts
of the State; but in the recent famines it failed, and many
cattle were lost. Fairs are held in a few places for the sale of Fairs.
cattle. The most important is the weekly fair at Baroda.
The two most prominent cattle epidemics are rinderpest Cattleand foot-and-mouth disease. The former proves fatal in nearly diseases
all cases, while the latter is not so dangerous. There are two :~~rinary
veterinary dispensaries, at Baroda city and Mehsana. The sur- dispengeons in charge are required to tour when cattle-disease breaks sanes.
out, and give their advice and assistance. In 1904-5 the total
number of animals treated in the dispensaries was 2,049.
30
BARODA STATE
With the exception of the black cottoo soil, all the cultivable
lands can be irrigated. The chief crops which require irrigation are tobacco, s~gar-cane, poppy, and vegetables. Even
the black cotton soil repays irrigation if water can be had
at moderate depths.
Irrigation
The irrigation works constructed by the State include'
works.
a number of tanks, with small distributing channels. Some
of the larger works have not been successful, owing to deficient
rainfall or the need for further storage reservoirs and other
subsidiary works. The most important is a reservoir at
Kadarpur in the Kadi priinl, which cost 3.8 lakhs, and will
irrigate about 1,500 acres. The largest project is the Orsang
weir in the Sankheda liiluna, which supplies a canal 6 miles
long, and is designed to irrigate 20,000 acres. It has cost
5'2 lakhs up to the present, and the completed works will cost
Indigenous about 20 lakhs. Indigenous irrigation is chiefly carried on by
!Dethot?S of means of wells, as very few tanks hold a considerable supply
Irrlga Ion.
.
of water after the close of the cold season. The country IS
not wanting in streams, hut most of them either run dry in the
summer months, or fall so low that water cannot be conveyed
by canals to the land. The usual water-lift is a large leathern
Water
lifts.
bag containing about 16 gallons of water, which is drawn up
by a pair of bullocks moving down an incline. Two men are
required, one to drive the bullocks, and the other to empty the
bag when it has arrived at the top of the well. The Persian
wheel is also occasionally used. Where water is near the
surface it is raised in a supde or charaidu. The former is
a rectangular vessel with a rope on each side, worked by two
men, who simply scoop the water up. The charaidu is a vessel
with its length greater than its breadth, and having one end
broader than the other. It is fixed on a pivot, and the broad
end is 'lowered into the water and then raised, so that the
Cost of
water flows down. The average cost of a masonry well varies
wells.
from Rs. 200 to Rs. 2,000, while that of an un bricked well
varies from Rs. 10 to Rs. 35, according to the depth of waterlevel. The total irrigated area is estimated at 184,283 acres.
Irrigation In addition to the land revenue a cess is levied on irrigation.
cess.
This takes different forms. In some tracts the cess is levied
at varying rates according to the depth of subsoil water. In
others all land round a well is charged, while sometimes the
rate is paid on the well itself as long as it is used for irrigation.
The nominal demand is_about 2'7 lakhs, but scarcely half this
sum is recovered.
l:ents,
The greater part of the State is held on ryofwiiri tenure, and
Irrigation.
31
the payments made by the cultivators are thus revenue rather wages,
than rent. Holders of large area$, however,
being unable or ~dtPrices.
.
en.
unwilling to cultivate the whole of theIr land themselves, sublet to others at the highest rates they can obtain. In prosperous
years the rents thus paid are sometimes double or treble the
State assessment on the land. Persons holding on the narva,
bhiigda1', or bha1'khali tenures, described below under land
revenue, also collect rent from the actual cultivators. In all
these cases rent is sometimes paid in kind, at the rate of onethird or one-half of the crop grown.
Among skilled labourers the carpenter earns the highest Wages of
wages. At Baroda his daily pay varies
from 10 annas to a rupee slkbilled
a our.
or more, while elsewhere he recelves from 8 to 12 annas. A
blacksmith gets from 10 to 13 annas a day at Baroda, and
6 to 9 annas in other parts of the State. 'A mason can earn
daily at Baroda from 10 to 14 annas, or from 8 to I2 annas
outside the city. The rates for other classes of skilled labour
vary from 4 to 6 annas. The wages of agricultural labour are Unskilled
fairly uniform throughout the State, varying from 3 to 4 annas labonr.
a day. Labourers who work as porters earn similar amounts,
but at Baroda and other important places, which have railway
stations, their earnings often exceed 8 annas. The wages of
other labourers vary from 2 to 3 annas a day.
Payment of wages in kind still prevails, especially in villages. Payment
Agricultural labourers who are permanent servants are provided in kind.
by their masters with food, clothing, &c., and a small annual
cash payment. Casual' labour, at the time of weeding and
harvest, is in some places remunerated by cooked food once
a day in addition to a small cash payment. Again, at marriages
or on other occasions villagers often secure the services of
artisans and labourers in return for their food and a small
money allowance.
Statistics of prices for a series of years are not available. Prices of
There is little variation in different parts of the State. The staJ?lefoodl' II
b
.
.
h
h i grams
0 owmg ta Ie gIves average pnces for t e woe State, m
seers per rupee :-
190 :1-3
19+-5
WheaL
RICe.
Baj".,..
II
13
9
9
16
18
If
16
JflWa"..
BARODA STATE
Forests.
PositIOn.
Characteristics.
System of
management.
FORESTS
33
1>
BARo.DA STATE
Building
materials.
Arts aull.
manufac
tures.
Wearing.
Embroidery and
carpets.
rnent of smelting works in the Songarh taluktl has been considered. Traces of gold have been found in the river-beds.
Good sandstone is quarried at Songir on the left bank of the
Hiran river, in the Sankheda talllRa. The work is carried on
by a private company, which pays 2 annas for every large and
I anna for every small hand-mill stone removed from the
quarry, and 12 annas for each cartload of building material.
Other kinds of stone are common, but are not worked.
Granite of a very handsome variety is found at Virpur in the
Kadi pranl, and at Bhulwan and Bodeli in the Baroda pranl.
Crystalline limestone of many colours occurs at Motipura,
Harikua, and Wadeli, in the same frant. The green marble
of Motipura, when cut and polished, has been described, on
competent authority, as the most beautiful marble in India.
1n Amieli there are practically unlimited supplies of common
building stone, such as basalt and miliolite. some of the latter
being equal in quality to the best stone obtained in the famed
Porbandar quarries.
As in other parts of Gujarat, the handloom weavers aregenerally Dheds and Musalmans, though Khattris, Tais, and
Vanjhas also practise the same handicraft. Coarse cotton
cloth known as d()tt.~ khadl~ or eMphal, is woven in all parts,
the products of the Amreli prant being perhaps the best.
They are chiefly disposed of locally, as the erection of steam
weaving-mills has almost destroyed the export trade in such
material. Efforts are being made to introduce the use of
looms of improved patterns. The Khattris of the city of
Baroda turn out a rough woollen cloth which is often used for
blankets. In the Kadi priint a large number of Musalman
and Hindu women spin cotton thread, which is afterwards
woven by Dheds. A more valuable industry is carried on at
Patan, where weavers manufacture mashrU, which is exported
to Ahmadabad and other places. Silk is also brought to Patan
from Ahmadabad and Bombay, and there woven into gajir,
pUambars, and the highly appreciated patolas. The sacred
threads worn by Parsls are largely made at Navsari by women
of ths.,.priestly class, and exported to Bombay.
At Baroda embroidery with gold and silver thread is undertaken by a few artisans, and the work in both pattern and
execution is of a superior description. The Kharadis of Patan
also turllL out very good embroidery, while more simple work is
prepared at Navsan. Carpets are made at the Baroda Central
jail, and are purchased locally or exported to Ahmadabad,
Bombay, and Poona.
35,
BARODA, STATE
A spuming and weaving-mill was established by the State
at Baroda in 1883 at a cost of 6'4 lakhs. It contains nearly
%5,000 spindles, 260 looms, and 40 gins. As signs of private
enterprise had become apparent, the mill was sold for 5 lakhs
in 1905 to a firm which has floated a company to work it.
Another 'mill is approaching completion, and others are
projected. Ginning factories number 49 and cotton-presses 4,
while there is a single mill for each of the following industries:
flour, dyeing, rice, oil, rope, and timber. Chocolate and
matches are prepared in private factories. A sugar refinery
was worked for some time without success, and was closed in
1894, but has recently been reopened. The total number of
hands employed in the mills averaged about 730 during the
last decade.
Commerce
The export trade of the State consists mainly of agricultural
IUld trade. produce, such as cotton, grain, oilseeds, opium, tobacco, and
raw sugar, Bombay being the chief market. Brass and copper
vessels are exported from Visnagar and Kadi to Ahmadabad
and Kathiawar, and the silk fabrics of Patan are in wider
demand. The imports consist of rice and other grains, refined
sugar, metals, salt, piece-goods, spices, and kerosene oil. Goods
are largely carried by rail, but there is some traffic by sea from
the ports of Dwarka, Navsari, and Bilimora. The harbours at
the two last are being improved, and the formation of a harbour
at Velam is under consideration
Trading
.As traders, petty shop.keepers, money-lenders, and bankers,
classes.
the Banias occupy a prominent position. Some of them also
trade in cloth, but in this respect the Bhavsars (or Chhipas)
perhaps excel them. Brass and copper vessels are dealt in
by the Kansaras. The Gandhis, who are in general Jains,
trade in groceries, spices, articles of common use as drugs,
and medicines prepared according to native fashion. The sale
of vegetables is almost exclusively appropriated by the Kachhis,
while the Ghanchis are dealers in vegetable oil and kerosene.
They also sell milk and ghi. The Bohras have a special trade
in iron vessels, such as frying-pans, buckets, &c., and in ropes
of various kinds,.while the petty Bohras sell every kind of
small""1lrticle. Confectionery is dealt in by the Kandois, and
the Tambolis sell betel-leaves, betel-nuts, and tobacco. Corn is
sold by Banilis or Ghanchis. They purchase wholesale from the
cultivators and then sell by retail in the markets. For molasses
and sugar there are always special shops in large centres, but
elsewhere as a general rule they are sold by the Gandhis.
Most of the il!lportant towns in Baroda territory are either
Mill indus.
tries.
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION
$1
.BARODA STATE
Type of
carts, &c.
Ferries.
Post and
telegraphs.
expense involved in construction and up-keep, and it is probably cheaper, and certainly more effective, to make narrowgauge railways. The main roads are the Bombay-Ahmadabad
or old trunk road, passing through the Gandevi, Navsari, and
Velachha tii/ukas, and the Bardoli-Surat road. Feeders
connect important towns with railway stations, and a few miles
of metalled road have been made in and around the capital.
The up-keep of village roads has recently been entrusted to
local boards.
The usual conveyance, as throughout Gujarat, is a large
wagon called gadu, the general pattern of which is everywhere
the same. It is simply a long cart with a yoke in front,
lDovable sides, and two wheels, usually but not always tired.
Another type, called a damania, is about half the length of the
gadu, and is chiefly used for passengers, of whom it can
convey four or five. It is usually drawn by two bullocks, but
sometimes one only is used, and then the conveyance is called
an ekka. Closed carriages, called shigrams, are used by wealthy
people in large towns.
In connexion with the chief lines of traffic through the
country, there are ferry-boats in many places in Baroda territory, some belonging to private owners, others to the State.
The Mindhola river is crossed by four ferries, and the Ambika
by three. The Tapti has eight, the Narbadii. thirteen, the
MahI seven, the Vishwamitri two, the Sabarmati one, while in
Okhamandal there are ten.
Postal arrangements are entirely under British jurisdiction,
the State forming part of the Bombay circle. Telegraph
offices have been opened in all the large towns. The following statistics show the postal business in the State for the
year 1904-5:Number of post offices
Number ofletter-boxes
Number of miles of post~l commonication
Total number of po.tal articles delivered : Letters
2,223,928
Post-cards
5045 0 ,545
f.p.ckets (including unregistered newspapers)
135,738
Newspapers (registered as such in the POlt Office)
3lS,u5
~3,02I
Parcels.
R..
~.33,416
J6,~6,490
FAMINE
39
the riini mahals 'of Navsari, with a stony and inferior soil,
suffer as there is no possible way pC irrigating the land. In the
K~thnam and Chorasi tracts of Baroda wells can only be made
'With great difficulty, owing to the prevalence of black soil.
Most of the Kadi pnlnt is suitable for the sinking of wells,
:the exceptions being portions of the Patan and Sidhpur tiilukas,
the peta mahal of Harij, and the neighbouring parts of the
Kadi and Vadavli liilukas, a part of the Kalol liiluRa, the peta
malliil of Atarsumba, and the tract of country through which
the Siibarmati flows. In Amreli the country bordering on the
Gir, the southern portion of the Dhiiri liiluRa, and the northern
part of the Kodinar liiluka have few wells, while on the sandy
and almost rainless promontory of Okhamandal both soil and
climate seem to combine to forbid cultivation.
The records of early famines are very scanty. There was Pre~ious
certainly a great famine in 1791, and another in 1812-3, which famtnes.
prevailed most severely in Kadi and Amreli. In 1819, 1834,
1838, 1877, and 1896 scarcity was experienced in portions of
Baroda territory.
In consequence of the failure of the rains in 1899 the whole Famine of
of Gujarat fell a prey to the most terrible famine within the 1899- 1 90.
memory of living men. In June the usual showers of rain fell
in all parts of the State, and the first agricultural operations
were carried out. But three months followed without rain, and
all hopes for the year disappeared in October; numbers of
cattle died in that month, prices rose very high, and a period
of disaster set in. The total rainfall varied from 13 to 34 per
cent. of the normal in most parts of the State. Up to
}'ebruary, 1900, the Navsari priin/, which had received about
34 per cent. of the normal rain, was. considered free from
famine; but an area of 6,245 square miles, with a population
of 2,095,953, was severely affected from the beginning of the
year.
The crops failed entirely in every part, and fodder was soon Rise of
exhausted except in the forest tracts of the Navsari jriinl. prices.
The prevalence of famine in the Deccan, Rajputana, Central
India, and other parts added to the distress, for the prices of
biijra and jowar doubled. Wheat rose by only 60 per cent.,
and the price of rice was in some measure kept down owing
to large importations from Rangoon.
Extensive relief measures were undertaken by 'the State. Relief and
Gratuitous relief was granted to those unable to work, 6'4 protective
. ..
measures
mlllion umts being alded at a cost of 26 lakhs. In addition, employed.
4.6 million units were Telieved by private charity at a cost of '
BARODA STATE
2'5 lakhs. Cheap grain-shops were also opened and poorhouses established. Relief works were opened in many places,
some of which were large protective irrigational works. such as
the Kadarpur reservoir, the Orsang irrigation scheme, a new
feeder for the Ajwa reservoir, tanks at Karachia and Haripura,
and drainage works at Sandesar and Karamsad. Roads and
railway earthworks were also used to provide relief. The
number of units on works was 19-2 millions, and the expenditure was 19:4 lakhs. Advances were freely made to agricul.
turists, amounting to 15'2 lakhs. The preservation of cattle
was effected to some extent by giving free grazing wherever it
was available, by the stoppage of the sale of grass on pasture
lands, by the removal of duties on cattle-food, by the encouragement of the growth of fodder-crops, and by the direct
supply of grass. The total quantity of grass so supplied
amounted to 3,255 tons, and the cost was a lakh. Wells were
sunk, specially in the Kadi division,. at a total expenditure of
12,2 lakhs, and with the water 50 obtained foddercrops were
raised. The total expenditure during 1899-1900 on account
of this great famine was 46 lakhs.
In the next three years the rainfall was unsatisfactory, and
Later
scarcity.
the whole country was infested with rats, which destroyed the
crops wholesale. Considerable expenditure was required,
amounting to 60 lakhs, of which 26 lakhs was spent on works
and 16 lakhs on advances. In 1904-5 scarcity was again
felt, and relief measures were required at a cost of lolakhs,
including advances of 7 luhs.
Effect on
As the registtation of births and deatha has only recently
populabeen
organized, st.atistics of the effect on population are not
tion.
very reliable. During the famine year the number of deaths
recorded was 131,261, while the average mortality of the
previous five years was only 4l1,723. The deaths are attributed
to the following causes: cholera, 21,986; fever, 73,294; dysentery and diarrhoea, 8,560; other causes, ~7,42I. According to
the famine report for the year 1899-1900 the number of
deaths due to famine causes alone, to the end of July, 1900,
was 68,674.
Tim State is in direct political relation with the GovAdministration.
ernment of India, all communications passing through the
Resident.
The administration is carried on by an executive council,
subject to the control of the Maharaja, who is assisted by
a Dlwan and other officers. A number of departments have
been formed, which are pr~sided over by officials corresponding
ADMINISTRATION
41
BARODA STATE
(1901 and 1902), Hindu Widow Marriages (1902), Opium
(1902), Village Munsifs (1902), Primary education (1904),
Infant Marriage Prevention (1904), Local Boards (1904-5),
Co-operative Credit Societies (1904-5), Religious Endowments
(1904-5), Charitable Estates (1904-5), and Customs (1904-5).
Courts of
Till recently the subordinate revenue officials exercised
justice.
magisterial powers, resembling those of a magistrate of the
second or third class in British India. _ Since ;[904, however,
the vakiviitdiirs have been relieved of criminal work in almost
every tiiluka, and cases are now tried by the Munsifs or subordinate civil officers. Naio-suoaks or Suoaks have first-class
powers, and the latter can transfer cases from one subordinate
court to another.
The lowest civil courts uf first instance are those of the
makiil Munsifs, who can usually hear suits up toRs. 7,000, and
Sma1i Cause suits up to Rs. 100 when sitting alone, and up to
Rs. 300 when forming a bench with another Joint Munsif or a
panckiiyat. A few Village Munsifs have also been appointed.
The Munsifs have criminal jurJsdiction as magistrates of the
first class.
Thepriint Judges try original civil suits up to any amount,
hear appeals from the Munsifs' decisions, and try Small Cause
suits up to Rs. 750 when alone, and up to RS.2,250 when
forming a bench with another J odge or with a panckiiyaf.
In criminal cases they can sentence to imprisonment for life,
subject to the sanction of the High Court, and to death, subject
to the sanction of the Maharaja. In certain classes of criminal
cases the trial is conducted with the aid of assessors, and the
adoption of a jury system is under consideration. A separate
priint Judge was appointed for Baroda city in 1905.
The chief tribunal is called the Varisktk or High Court, and
The High
Court.
sits at Baroda. It possesses jurisdiction over the whole of the
State, and hears all final appeals in civil and criminal cases.
The Judges of this court, who are three in number, besides the
Chief Justice, have also extraordinary powers to try an original
case. Death sentences, however, are subject to confirmation
by the Maharaja, who can also modify any order passed by the
court. --A special court, for the trial of civil and criminal cases
Sardars'
Conrt.
affecting certain privileged persons, such as sardiirs and
darakdiirs, sits at Baroda, and is known as the Sardiirs' Court.
Minor offences with regard to sanitation, petty quarrels. &c"
Minor
offences.
ate disposed of by the vil1age piilels, who can fine up to Rs. S.
and inflict 48 ho~s' imprisonment in the rillage lock-up.
FINANCE
43
Nature of
crime.
~901.
1904-5.
Criminal.
Number of persons tried
31,404
30,816
22,680
22,395
Civil.
,
I
i
14,912
80 9
188
30,596
1,903
36 5
1,3.45 0
1,341
.736
11,904
1,200 !
:
501
Total
15,90 9
22, 864
15,5 2 7
13, 605
A Registration department was formed in 1885. In the decade Registraending 1900 the number of offices was 48, and the average tion.
number of documents r~gistered was J5.945. In 1904-5
there were 49 offices, and 20,641 documents were registered.
The department of Finance and Accounts is usually con- Finance..
trolled by an Accountant-General, and is modelled on the
system in force in British India. In addition to the usual
detailed examination of accounts at the head office, the officials
of the inspection branch tour and examine the working of all
disbursing offices, and check cash balances and stock.
The main items of revenue in the Baroda State are land Revenue
revenue, tribute from other Native States in Gujarat and dft~::.pen
Kathiawar, opium, excise, stamps, and railways. The main
items of expenditure are the palace, civil establishments, army,
public works, police, and education.
The table on the following page shows the revenue and
expenditure for a series of years, in thousands of rupees.
The disastrous famine year and its successor account for the
diminished land revenue in 1901, and the increase <>f expenditure, due chiefly to protective relief works, in the same year.
The large decrease in land revenue in 1904-5 is due to remissions and suspensions owing to scarcity.
The tributes from feudatory chiefs in K:tthiawir, Rewa.
Kantha, and Mahi Kantha are chiefly .collected by the British
BARODA STATE
44
In 1904-5
.
.
Revenue.
Land revenue
Stamps.
.
MIscellaneous taxes
Forests.
RegIstration.
Total revenue
1901,
R..
1,01,26
3,02
. RI.
97,09
5,81
Rs.
RI
87,69
5,93
58,03
4,n
10,32
3,43
63
39
7,60
2,66
1,08
51
6,71
1,57
76
51
4,3 8
50,JI
33,H
1,59,43
1,6..,86
19,38
5,04
3,20
8,5 1
2,73
1,59
7.23
9,97
38,68
5,13
7,74
'7,11
5,24
4.00
7,86
8,07
3,18
8,19
10,60
8,77
18,25
64
4 3 ,93
11-
21,88
34,20
16,29
75,13
14,59
73,62
61,23
Total expenditure
1,51,01
T,7,20
. . .
Land
Jeyenue.
5,36
1,61
1,12
1,36,61 1,13,81
Ex/militur,.
Currency.
'904-5
1-
3,8a
7,74
7,95
2,07
11,33
4,96
,\,10
7.3 2
6,74
1,64
15.9 3
7,33
1-
1,79,24 1>45,86
LAND RE VENUE
45
"BARODA STATE
who extorted as much as they could from the cultivators.
III
1864 Khande Rao commenced a scheme fat settlement resembling that in the adjacent parts of Bombay. He also substituted
payments in cash for division of the produce, and established
a State service for the collection of revenue. The system was
hardly successful, as the survey was incorrect, and the assess:.
ment was largely guess-work, while the tendency to pitch it too
high was increased by the temporary demand for Indian cotton
during the American Civil War. About ten years later,
Sir Madhava Rao reduced the demand by I2 lakhs; and in
1883 a new survey and settlement were commenced under all
officer of the Indian Civil Service. Operations were modelled'
on those followed in Bombay. The demand for a whole laluna
was fixed on consideration of the fiscal history of the tract,
and was then distributed after careful classification of the land'
accordmg to its capabilities. The tota~ demand was still
further reduced by 8 lakhs, and the assessment was fixed for
a period of fifteen years. A number of taxes on agriculturistS"
were at the same time abolished. In 1904 the revision of this
settlement commenced, also under the control of an officer of
the Indian Civil Service, and it has been decided to fix the
term of assessment at thirty years.
Trade in opium is a monopoly of the State. and no cultivator
Miscellaneous
is permitted to grow poppy without a licence. A special
revenue.
agency is maintained for supervising and regulating the growth
Opium.
of the plant, and the subsequent manufacture of opium. At
present cultivation is confined to the Kadi prant. Licences
are issued by the 'lJaki'lJatdars or the opium superintendent to
cultivators, who send their applications through the village
accountants. Opium is collected from the cultivators at fixed
places from April to June, and they receive payment immediately, at a rate fixed beforehand, which was Rs. 6 per seer in
1904-5. A sufficient quantity is reserved for use in the State,
and the balance is sent to Bombay for sale in China. The
latter is packed in chests containing 1401 lb. or half-chests of
70i lb., and is subject to a transit duty at present amounting
to Rs. 600 per chest, collected by the British Government at
Ahmad'llbad. Retail sale within the State is effected by
licensed vendors. In Navsiiri and Amreli the contract for sale
throughout the whole prant is disposed of by auction, while in
Baroda shops are let separately. In Kadi a selected licensee
receives the contract. The area under poppy averaged 8,166
acres duri~g the decade ending 1890, 6,223 acres during the
wllowing ten years, and was 6,973 acres in 1901 and 1%,262
MISCELLANEQUS KEVENUE
41
acrc:;s in 190'4-5. The net revenue averaged 3'3 lakhs from 18&E
to r890, and 4'1 lakhs in the. next. decade. In 1904~S sales
within the State realized a net profit of 2'5 lakhs, and 800
chests were exported at a profit Qf 3'2 lakhs. Many causes Causes
affect the popularity of the cultivation. The poppy is a diffi. affectliD!\,
. un d er cu Iture. I
'
anty
c!ult plant to b rmg
t requIres
constant care an d popu
of the culattention, and all the processes connected with it entail much tivation.
labour. Rapeseed, wheat, and other crops compete with poppy.
The price to be offered by the State is notified before issuing
licences, and the people make a choice according to the conditions of the season.
The manufacture of salt is carried on only in Amreli. The. Salt.
product is sold in this jJl"iint, and cannot be exported to ethel:
parts of Baroda or to British India. Salt made at Kodinar
is a State monopoly; but no restrictions arem force at Okh.a.,.
mandai, except the levy of an export duty on salt exported
to Zanzibar and other foreign ports. In the rest of the State
salt may not be manufactured. In 1904-5 the State tealized
Rs. 573 from export duty, and Rs. 348 from the monopoly,
while it spent Rs. 230 on. the latter and Rs., 864 on preventive:
establishment.
The principal sources of excise revenue are the: manufacture Excise.
and sale of country liquors and toddY', bhang, giinja, and othelT
intoxicating drugs, and fees for licences for the sale of imported
foreign liquors. In Amreli the out-still system is in force;.
under which the rights to manufacture and sell liquor are sold
together. In other jJl"iints liquor is manufactured at a central:
distillery, still-head duty being levied, at rates varying from:
6 annas a gallon fat" liquor at 60 under proof, to Rs. 2-& fOil
liquor 15 under proof. Licences fOil retail vend are sold: by
auction. Toddy is sold in shops which are let singly or in
groups of licensed vendors, and in addition a; tree tax is leviell.
It is important only in Baroda and Navsari. Licences for
the sale of imported liquors are given at fixed annual rates,.
varying from Rs. 75 to Rs. uS. The excise re\lenue during
the decade ending 1890 averaged: 5'44 lakhs, alld during the
next ten years 8'5 lakhs. In 1901 the revenue was S8 lakhs,
and in 1904-5,,6.8 lakhs. The chief heads of receipts ip the
latest year were 5'8 lakhs from liquqrs and Rs. 93,000 from
toddy. The incidence of receipts per head of the population:
was R. o-r-9 in 1881, R. 0-5-5 in 1891, R. 0-4-8 in 1901,
and R. 0-5-6 in 1904'""5. The Marathiis, Kalis, and labouring Use of
Hindus, the ParsIs, and some of the Muhammadans consume liquOJS, &c.
country liquor,. but as usual the greatest demand is in the
BARODA STATE
Stamp
revenue.-
Income
tax, &c.
Customs.
Local and
lXlunicipal.
capital and chief centres. In Navsari there is a large consumption of toddy, because of the numerous palms that grow
there, and the superior nature of the manufactured drink.
Bhang; giinja, &c., are not used nearly so freely as liquor.
The higher classes are as a rule strongly averse to the use
of liquor, though some educated people take a stimulant il\
case of illness. The wealthier part of the community, as for
instance the Parsis, prefer imported spirits to ~the coarser
country brands.
The Stamp department is conducted on metheds analogous
to those obtaining in British territory. Various kinds of stamps
and stamped paper are supplied to selected vendors, who sell
by retail to the people, and obtain a commission from the
State. The revenue derived from stamps during the decade
ending 1890 averaged 3 lakhs, and during the next ten years
581akhS. In r901 it was 5'9 lakhs, and in 1904-5,4'1 lakhs.
Till recently a number of vexatious taxes were levied on
professions and castes, forming 214 classes in 1905. They
yielded only about Rs. 85,000, and have been replaced by an
income tax, first levied, in part of the State. in 1901-2. The
latter is assessed at about 1 per cent.. incomes of less than
Rs. 300 per annum being exempted. The revenue in 1904-5
was Rs. 99,000. An income of about a lakh is derived from
rents paid for homestead land by non-agriculturists. licences to
collect valuable shells, and taxes on pilgrims.
Important reforms have recently been made in the customs
administration, which were formerly complicated and harassing
to trade. In 1904 the frontier duties hitherto imposed in the
Baroda and Kadi' priints on 28 articles were abolished, leaving
8 on the schedule, and a similar reduction was made in the
duties levied in towns. while export duties were remitted,
except in the case of cotton and mahuii. At the same
time the assessment was simplified by levying it by weight,
instead of ad valorem. A year later similar reforms were
introduced in the Navsari and Amreli priin/s. and in addition
octroi was completely abolished in several small towns. The
customs revenue during the decade ending 1890 averaged 10'3
lakhs, and during the next decade 7.6 lakhs; in 1904-5 it
amounted to 5'4 lakhs. In the latest year the expenditure On
establishment was Rs. 80,000.
A scheme for local self-government came into force in 1905.
when a Jiiluka board was constituted in each liiluRa and a
District board in each pranl. Groups of villages and each
Ulunicipality return a member to the liiluka board, half the
49
50
BARODA STATE
18&)-90.
Average
lor the ten
yean
189'-'9"0Establishment
Public works
Planting of trees :
Conservancy
Watering roads
Lighting
Fire establishment
Tools and plant
Miscellaneous
Rs.
Rs.
'I-q ~bil
.
.
Total
not
not
avail- available
able
70 813
123. 194
'900-"
R
1904-5
15.68 7
10,271
19 1
57, 82 5
3,480
13.496
579
71 6
1, 6
n,504
13,224
202
4 8,630
2,377
13.58
9 18
1,378
4,73 6
1,03,53 1
97,55 1
ARMY
51
BARODA STATE
Strength.
Recrnit.
ment and
training.
Special
questions.
Railways.
Statistics.
Jails.
EDUCATION
53
"
" decided in criminal courts
" ending in acquittal or discharge
"
convictions
"
5,80 7
3,387
1,3 I l
2,076
1904-54,~63
~,276
63 1
1,53 2
54
BARo.DA STATE
EDUCATION
55
.BARODA STATE
Technical
instruction.
Music
schools.
Muhammadan
education.
Depressed
classes.
Finance.
Literacy.
MEDICAL
57
162'7 in the case of males, and being 7.6 for females. Among
Pars'is 60 per cent. were literate, and among Jains 36 per cent.,
while Musalmans (9'4 per cent.) were rather more advanced
than Hindus (8'5 per cent.). The Animists are the most
backward community, with only 3.6 per cent.
Smce 1881 several newspapers have been started, and at The Press.
present there are five in existence. These papers contain
information on local subjects and are useful to the people.
The State has given much encouragement to the publication
of useful vernacular works, including many translations from
English and Sanskrit books, and also treatises on history,
music, games, cookery, &c.
Before 1855 the practice of medicine was entirely in the Medical.
hand~ of vaids and haNims. They numb~red about 50, and
their most important duty was to attend o~ the Maharaja., his
relations, and his immediate followers, though th~y also
practised among the townspeople. Native systems of medicine
were followed, and the practitioners had no acquaintance with
European science. In 1855 a hospital was opened in Baroda
city, under the superintendence of the Residency Surgeon, but
it was not until 1876 that a Medical department was established. A European medical officer was called in to commence
the work, and rapid progress was made. Many of the vaids
and hakims were pensioned, .and their places were filled by
properly qualified practitioners. The Sayaji Rao Military
Hospital and the Jamnabai Civil Hospital were opened in the
city in 1877. Civil hospitals were founded at the headquarters of each pra"t, and dispensaries at most of the tii/uNa
head-quarters. A central medical store depot was also established, and a chemical analyst appointed. Afterwards a
veterinary hospital was added. In 1886 the magnificent
building now known as the Countess of Dufferin Hospital was
erected to take the place of the old State hospital, which had
become unsuitable.
Statistics of the progress made in providing for the medical
needs of the people are shown in the table on the following page.
A lunatic asylum was opened at Baroda city in 1898, with
accommodation for 28 patients-I6 males and IZ females.
The number of lunatics treated in 1904-5 was 27, and the
expenditure amounted to Rs. 2,785. Most of the cases of
insanity are ascribed to the excessive use of liquor and to the
smoking of giinja.
A vaccination department has been in existence for many Vaccinayears, and vaccination has been freely carried on among all tion.
BARODA STATE
classes of the people. In the city of Baroda both animal
lymph and lymph taken from vaccinated children are used, but
in other parts of the State human lymph is generally used,
which is revived by bovine lymph from time to time. In
1904-5 the staff consisted of .. inspectors and 35 vaccinators,
besides probationers and servants, and 60,872 persons were
successfully vaccinated, or 31 per thousand of the population,
the total cost being Rs. 13,800.
,88
'904-5
9" - '90'
-'8------
3,19 2
3.73 6
3.946
1.994
Number of operations
6,947
10.940
9. 2 3 2
9.466
Expenditare on establishment Rs. 78,544 1.42 .9 11 1.39.7 20 t,lo,61 I
medicines.&c.Rs. 9 6.35 8
62,833
79. 016
50 .7 86
..
. . . .
..
Village
sanitation.
Survey.
Bibliography.
TABLES
59
Prant.
'E
II
Kadi
Baroda
Amreli
Total population.
~~
" u
il:!
Urban population.
tf
'S
II
'S 'S
z" Ii?;"
Navsari
"""
ge
~ ~
Persons.
Males.
Females. Persons.
Males. Females.
~u
i
~ - -- - -I ----------86,417
87,341
3, 5 ,8 1,063
4. 6.723
173.758
834.744
01
1,881
1,952
1,245
'7
6
6
-- -
90 4
77"
'96
644,07 1
300,441
173,436
341693
150 ,789
89,429
4 08,021
302 ,37 8
14-9,65 2
205,240
110,040
45,128
22,455
84,007
'3.345
44'7'4
-- - - - --- - - --- - - --8
944,05
468,850
242,251
(average).
189'-1900
(average).
190"
'904-5
I~
Total area
Cultivable, but not cultivated
Uncultivable
Total cultivated area
Irrigated from canals
"
"wells and tanks
Total ifrlgated area
UniIrlgated area
8,57 0
1,411
2,5 2 4
4,635
8,n6
1,505
2,474
'P47
17 8
17 8
4,457
243
244
4,003
82
1,108
846
J7
946
30
103
13
960
80
95 8
727
200
92 4
39
.. ,
8,099
1,258
2,400
4,HI
3
21 9
U2
40 21 9
8,099
1-,7 63
2,585
3,75 1
101
909
1,075
208
802
55
81
6
738
190
...
...
...
...
...*
...
...
Cropped Area.
jowiir
Wheat
. . .
Other food-grains and pulses
Castor-oil seed.
Rice
BtiJra
Rapeseed.
Sugar-cane
Cotton
San-hemp
Poppy
Tobacco
Miscellaneous
Area double cropped
. ..
Not available.
13
37
475
H
93
'I
853
10
34
397
48
76 4
77 0
150
545
... t
27
92 7
12
II
14
40
#8
37
'77
.88
154
139
I 6,593 '41
95,200
22,673
21,379
31
444
117
0\
o
STATiSTICS OF EDUCATION, BARODA STATE
189',
Scholars.
Number
of
Publie.
1
2
II
374
2
4
II3
697
908
38,9 88
7+
497
Private
(witA granl-i,,idti).
Advanced
Elementary
Orphanages
4
121
373
7.30 3
51 9
48 ,953
Females.
...
...
4,467
19
...
...
...
...
Total
113
697
908
43,455
. 93
497
tutJOns.
--1
3
14
I,II9
1
9
Scholars.
Number
of mati-
Mal...
I
I
Igo4-S
Scholan.
Number
1D8t1~
tutIons.
Arts college
High schools'
.
Anglo-vemacnlarschools
Primary schools.
Traming schools.
Special schools
19o
of insti-
Mal...
216
886
1,401
62.50 9
8 17
Femalea
...
...
14,42 7
25
...
Total.
216
886
1,401
76,936
25
81 7
Iubous.
Mal...
Females.
Total.
- - - - - - - - -I - ~
1
3
14
1,163
2
8
.........
225
1,126
1,486
63. 01 3
66
974
7.30 3
373
4
61
639
5,5 24
...
...
...
639
5,5 24
4
66
5
48 3
4.9 85
94
53.439
1,212
71 .992
14,45 2
86.444
1,266
7 2,45 2
12.235
26
...
225
1.126
10486
75. 248
92
974
'i85
71
4 83
5,17 0
165
12,5 1 7
84,969
...
...
... ... ...
...
--- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ----Total
4.486
:t;.
"t;1
RIVERS, ETC.
Saraswati.-A small. but holy river of Western India,
rising at the south-west end of the Aravalli range near the
shrine of Amba Bhawani, and flowing south-westwards for
about 110 miles, through the lands of Palanpur, Radhanpur,
Mahl Kantha, and Baroda, and past the ancient cities of Patan,
Anhilvada, and Sidhpur, into the lesser Rann of Cutch, near
Anvarpur. West of Patan its course is ung.erground for some
miles, and its stream is small, except in the rains. The river
is visited by Hindus, especially those who have lost their
mothers. SIDHPUR is considered an especially appropriate
place at which to perform rites in honour of a deceased
mother.
Siibarmati (Sanskrit, Svablzravah)' - A large river of
Western India. flowing from the hills of Mewar southwestwards into the Gulf of Cambay, with a course of about
200 miles and a drainage area of about 9,500 squl\re miles.
The name is given to the combined streams of the Sabar, which
runs through the Idar State, and of the Hathmati, which
passes the town of Ahmadnagar (MahI Kaotha Agency). In
the upper part of their course both rivers have high rocky
banks, but below their confluence the bed of the SabarmatI
becomes broad and sandy. The united river thence flows past
Sadra and Ahmadabad, and receives on the left bank, at Vantha,
about 30 miles below the latter city, the waters of the Vatrak,
which, during its course of ISO miles, is fed by a number of
smaller streams that bring down the drainage of the MahI
Kantha hills. The SabarmatI receives no notable tributaries
on the right bank. There are several holy places on its
banks in and about Ahmadabad city, and the confluence
at Vantha attracts many pilgrims to an annual fair in the month
of Kartik (November). Luxuriant crops are grown on the silt
deposited by the river, and many wells are sunk in its bed in
the fail: sl'ason. The lands of ParantIj are watered from the
Hathmati by means of an embankment above Ahma.j.nagar.
MahI (the Mophis of Ptolemy and Mais of the Periplus).A river of Western India, with a course of from 300 to 350
miles and a drainage area estimated at ftom.. 15,000 to 17,000
BARo.DA STATE
square miles. It rises in the Amjhera district of the Gwalior
State, 1,850 feet above sea-level (220 52' N. and 75 0 5' E.), and
flows for about 100 miles through the south-western comer of
the Central India Agency, at first north, next west, and lastly
north-west, passing through the States of Gwalior, Dhar, Jhabua,
Ratlam, and Sailana. It then enters Rajputana and flows iIi
a northerly direction with a somewhat tortuous course, intersecting the eastern half of Banswara -State, till it reaches the
Udaipur frontier, where it is soon turned by the Mewar hills
to the south-west, and for the rest of its course in Rajputana it
forms the boundary between the States of Diingarpur and Banswara. It now passes on into Gujarat, and during the first
part of its course there flows through the lands of the Mahi
Kantha and Rewa Kantha States. It then enters British territory, and separates the Bombay District of Kaira on the right
from the Panch Mahals and Baroda on the left. Farther to
the west, and for the rest of its course, its right bank forms the
southern boundary of the State of Cambay, and its left the
northern boundary of Broach District. Near Bungta, 100
!lliles from its source, the Mahl is crossed by the old BarodaNimach road, and here the bed is 400 yards wide, with a
stream of 100 yards and a depth of one foot. The Kaira
section of the river is about 100 miles in length, the last 45
miles being tidal water. The limit of the tidal flow is Verakhandi, where the stream is 120 yards across and the average
l'Iepth 18 inches. About 30 miles nearer the sea, close to the
village of Dehvan, the river enters Broach District from the
east, and forms an estuary_ The distance across its mouth,
from Cambay to K1i.vi, is five miles. The Mahi is crossed by
the Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway at Wasad, and
by the Godhra-Ratlam Railway at Pali. During flood time, at
spring tides, a bore is formed at the estuary and a walllike line
of foam-topped water rushes up for twenty miles, to break OIl
the Dehvan sands.
The bed of the Mahi lies so much below the level of the land
on either side of its banks that its waters cannot readily be
made use of for irrigation, In fair weather the river is fordable
at ma~ places in the Bombay Presidency-at Dehvan, Gajna,
Khanpur, and Umeta, for instance-and always in its upper
course through Rajputana, except in the rainy season, when its
waters rise to a great height.
Accoramg to legend, the Mahi is the daughter of the earth
and of the sweat that ran from the body of Indradyumna, the
king of Ujjain. Another legend explains the name thus. A
RIVERS
young Gujar woman was churning curds one day. An importunate lover, of whom she had tri~d to rid herself, but who
would not be denied, found her thus engaged, and his attentions
becoming unbearable, the girl threw herself into the pot. She
was at once turned into water, and _a clear stream flowed from
the jar and, wandering down the hill-side, formed the Mahi or
, curd' river. A more probable derivation, however, is from
the name of the lake whence it springs. This is often called
the Mau or Mahu, as well as the Menda. It is regarded by the
Bhils and the Kolls as their mother, and the latter make pilgrimages to four places on its waters-Mingrad, Fazilpur, Angarh,
and Yaspur. The height of its banks and the fierceness of its
floods; the deep ravines through which the traveller has to pass
on his way to the river ; and perhaps, abov~ all, the bad name
of the tribes who dwell about it, explain the proverb: 'When
th~ Mahi is crossed, there is comfort.'
It is interesting to note that this river has given rise to the
terms me/zwiis, a 'hill stronghold,' and mehwiisi, a 'turbulent
or thieving person.' The word was Mahivasi, 'a dweller on
the MahI,' and in Mughal times was imported into Delhi by
the army, and is used by Muhammadan writers as a general
term to denote hill chiefs, and those living in mountain fastnesses. A celebrated temple dedicated to Mahadeo at Baneshar (Rajputana) stands at the spot where the Som joins the
Mahi, and an important and largely attended fair is held here
yearly.
Narbada (Narmada; the Namados of Ptolemy; Namnadios of the Periplus).-One of the most important rivers of
India. It rises on the summit of the plateau of AMARKANTAK
(22041' N. and 81 48' E.), at the north-eastern apex of the
Satpura range, in Rewah (Central India), and enters the sea
below Broach in the Bombay Presidency after a total course
of 801 miles.
The river issues from a small tank 3,000 feet above the sea, Course of
surrounded by a group of temples and guarded by an isolated the river.
colony of priests, and falls over a basaltic cliff in a descent of
80 feet. Mter a course of about 40 miles through the State of
Rewah, it enters the Central Provinces and winds circuitously
through the rugged hills of Mandla, pursuing a westerly course
until it flows undei the walls of the ruined palace of Ramnagar.
From Ramnagar to Mandla town it forms, for some 15 miles,
a deep reach of blue water, unbroken by rocks and ciothed on
either bank by forest. The river then turns north in a narrow
loop towards Jubbulpore, close to which town, after a fall of some
BARODA STATE
30 feet, called the DhuanahJra or ' fall of mist,' it flows for
2 miles in a narrow channel which it has carved out for itself
through rocks of marble and basalt, its width here being only
about 20 yards. Emerging from this channel, which is well
known as the 'Marble Rocks,' and flowing west, it enters the
fertile basin of alluvial land forming the Narbada valley, which
lies between the Vindhyan and Satpura Hills, and extends for
200 miles from Jubbulpore to Handia, with a width of about
20 miles to the south of the river. The Vindhyan Hills rise
almost sheer from the northern bank along most of the valley,
the bed of the river at this part of its course being the
boundary between the Central Provinces and Central India
(principally the Bhopal and Indore States). Here the Narbada
passes Hoshangabad and the old Muhammadan towns of
Handia and Nimawar. The banks in this part of its valley are
about 40 feet high, and tM: fall in its course between Jubbulpore and Hoshangabad is 340 feet. Below Handia the hills
again approach the river on both sides and are clothed with
dense forests, once the favourite haunts of Pindaris and less
famous robbers. At Mandhar, 2 S miles below Handia, there
is a fall of 40 feet, and another of the same height occurs at
Punasa. The bed of the river in its whole length within the
Central Provinces is one sheet of basalt, seldom exceeding
ISO yards in absolute' width, and at intervals of every few
miles upheaved into ridges, which cross it diagonally and
behind which deep pools are formed. Emerging from the hills
beyond Mandhata on the borders of the Central Provinces,
the Narbada now enters a second open alluvial basin, flowing
through Central India (principally Indore State) for nearly
100 miles. The hills are here well away from the river, the
Satpuras being 40 miles to the south and the Vindhyas about
16 miles to the north. In this part of its course the river
passes the town of Maheshwar, the old capital of the Holkar
family, where its northern bank is studded with temples,
palaces, and bathing ghats, many of them built by the famous
Ahalya Bai, whose mausoleum is here. The last 170 miles of
the river's course are in the B()mbay Presidency, where it first
separates the States of Baroda and RajpIpla and then meanders
through the fertile District of Broach. Below Broach city it
gradually widens into an estuary, whose shores are 17 miles
apart as it joins the Gulf of Cambay.
Drainage
The d;runage area of the Narbada, estimated at about 36,000
area, trlbu- square miles, is principally to the south and comprises the
tarles, &c. northern portion ~f the Satpura. plateau and the valley dis-
RIVERS
tricts. The principal tributaries are the Banjar in Mandla,
the Sher and Shakkar in Narsinglilmr, and the Tawa, Ganjal,
and Chhota Tawa in Hoshangabad District. The only im.
portant tnbutary from the north is the Hiran, which flows in
beneath the Vindhyan Hills, in Jubbulpore District. Most of
these rivers have a short and precipitous course from the hills,
and fill witlr extraordinary rapidity in the rains, producing
similarly sudden floods in the Narbada itself. Owing to this and
to its rocky course, the Narbada is useless for navigation except
by country boats between August and February, save in the
last part of its course, where it is navigable by vessels of 70
tons burden up to the city of Broach, 30 miles from its mouth.
It is crossed by railway bridges below Jubbulpore, at Hoshang.
iibad, and at Mortakka. The influence 0. the tides reaches
to a point 55 miles from the sea. The height of the banks
throughout the greater part of its course makes the river
useless for irrigation.
The Narbada, which is referred to as the Rewa (probably Sacred
from the Sanskrit root rev, 'to hop,' owing to the leaping of the ~~~h~cter
stream down its rocky bed) in the Mahabharata and Rama. river.
yana, is said to have sprung from the body of Siva, and is one
of the most sacred rivers of India, local devotees placing it
above the Ganges, on the ground that, whereas it is necessary
to bathe in the Ganges for forgiveness of sins, this object is
attained by mere contemplation of the Narbada. 'As wood is
cut by a saw (says a Hindu proverb), so at the sight of the
holy Narbada do a man's sins fall away.' Ganga herself, so
local legend avers, must dip in the Narbada once a year. She
comes in the form of a coalblack cow, but. returns home quite
white, free from all sin. The Ganges, moreover, was (ac.
cording to the Rewa Purana) to have lost its purifying virtues
in the year x895, though this fact has not yet impaired its
reputation for sanctity. At numerous places on the course of
the Narbada, and especially at spots where it is joined by
another river, are groups of temples, tended by Narm"deo
Brahmans, the special priests of the river, where annual
gatherings of pilgrims take place. The most celebrated of
these are Bheraghat, Barmhan, and Onkiir Mandhata in the
Central Provinl=es, and Barwani in Central India, where the
Narbada is joined by the Kapila. All of these are connected
by legend with saints and heroes of Hindu mythology; and
the description of the whole courfie of the Narbada, and of all
these places and their history, is contained in a sacred poem
of 14,000 verses (the Narmada Khanda), which, however, has
66
11 istorical
associations.
.BARo.DA STATE
HISTORIC AREAS
the Khandesh District of Bombay. In its upper valley are
several basins of exceedingly rich soil, but they have long been
covered by forest, and it is only lately that the process of
clearing them for cultivation has been undertaken.
Shortly after entering Khandesh the Tapti receives on the
left bank the Pilma from the hiHs of Berar, and then flows for
about ISO miles through a broad and fertile valley, bounded
on the north by the Satpural> dlld on the south by the Satmalas.
Farther on the hills close in, and the river descends through
wild and wooded country for about 80 miles, after which it
sweeps southwards to the sea through the alluvial plain of
Surat, and becomes a tidal river for the last 30 miles of its
course. The banks {30 to 60 feet) are too high for irrigation,
while the bed is crossed at several places by ridges of rock, so
that the river IS navigable for only about 20 miles (rom the sea.
The Tapti runs -so near the foot of the Satpuras that its
tributanes on the right bank are small; but on the left bank,
after its junction with the Pilma, it receives through the Girna,
(ISO miles long) the drainage of the hills of Baglan, and
through the Bori, the Panjhra, and the Borai, that of the
northern buttress of the Western Ghats. The waters of the
Girna and the Panjhra are dammed up in several places and
used for irrigation. On the lower course of the Tapti floods
are not uncommon, and have at times done much damage to
the city of Surat. The river is crossed at Bhusawal by the
Jubbulpore branch of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, at
Savalda by the Bombay-Agra road, and at Surat by the
Bombay, Baroda, and Central India Railway. The Tapti has
a local reputation for sanctity, the chief tir/has or holy places
being Changdeo, at the confluence with the Pilma, and Bodhan
above Surat. The fort of Thitlner and the city of Surat are
the places of most historic note on its course, the total length
of which is 436 miles. The port of Suvali (Swally), famous in
tarly European commerce with India, and the scene of a
celebrated sea-fight between the British and the Portuguese, lay
at the mouth of the river, but is now deserted, its approaches
having silted up.
Anhilvada.- Tl\e kingdom of Anhilvada in Gujarat, within
the present limits of the Bombay Presidency, was founded
about A.D. 746-65 by a Chavada Rajput, Vanaraja, son of the
king of Panchasar, a small Chavada chiefship of t~e Giljar
empire. Vanaraja, after an adventurous childhood, rose to
fame by deeds of arms, and founded a dynasty which endured
for two centuries. The site of Anhilvada is said by tradition to
F2
68
Extent.
BARODA STATE
have been indicated by a hunted hare that turned on its pursuers, a myth that is told of the founding of several other
places. It is also related that the city was named after a
Bharwii.d shepherd, Anhila, who assisted Vanarajii. in finding
a site for it. The early history of the kingdom is somewhat
obscure j but it seems certain that Vanaraja. ruled till 780, and'
Was succeeded by eight rulers of his line, the last of whom died
in 961. In that year the Cha.vada dYnasty was replaced by
the Solankis or Chii.lukyas, of whom the first, Miilarajii.
(941-96), is the most famous. He extended his dominions
into Kii.thiii.war, Cutch, and South Gujarii.t. The direct descendants of Miilaraja ruled at Anhilvada for two centuries. They
were Saivas in religion, and were specially attached to the
temple of Somnii.th at SOMNA_TH PATAN. Mahmiid of Ghazni
captured and sacked the temple in 1026, during the reign of
Bhima I. On the withdrawal of Mahmiid, Bhima rebuilt the
temple, and the kingdom continued in the hands of his direct
successors until II43. From that date a collateral branch of
Miilarii.ja's descendants ruled in Anbilviida for a hundred years,
claiming sovereignty over Kiithiii.war and Mii.lwa, and at one
time (1 160) invading the Konkan. On the extinction of the line
of Miilarajii. in 1242 the Vii.gbelas of Dholka ruled in these territories, till ousted by the invasion of Alii.-ud-din Khilji in 1298.
Gujarat.-This name, taken in its widest sense, signifies the
whole country in which Gujarati is spoken, and includes Cutch
and Kii.tbiii.war, as well as the northern Districts and States of
the Bombay Presidency from Pii.lanpur to Daman: that is, the
country lying between 20 9' and 24 43' N. and 68 25' and
74 29' E. In a narrower and more correct sense, the name
applies to the central plain north of the Narbada and east of
the Rann of Cutch and Kii.thiii.wii.r_ Gujarat, in this sense, lies
between 23 25' and 24 4' N. and 710" l ' and 74 l ' E., and
has an area of 29,071 square miles, and a popUlation of
4,798,504. Of this area less than one-fourth (7,168 square
miles), lying chiefly in tbe centre and south, is British territory,
belonging to the four Districts of AHMADABAD, KAuu, PANCH
MAH4l.S, and BROACH. About 4,902 square miles, chiefly in
two blocks-one lying west of the Sabarmati and the other
between the Mahi and the Narbada-belong to BARODA_ The
remainder belongs to the large and small States that have relations with the Bombay Government, and are distributed among
the Age~cies 'of PALANPUR. in the north, MAHi KANTHA in the
north-east, REWA KANTHA in the east, and CAMBAY at the
mouth of the SabarmatI,
HISTORIC AREAS
69
BARODA STATE
History.
21.
HISTORIC AREAS
who, realizing the imminent jeopardy of the great Indian trade
which supplied so much of the ~wealth of Egypt, resolved to
drive the Portuguese from the Arabian Sea. The Mamlllks had
long maintained a fleet in the Red Sea, and Admiral Husain
was dispatched in 1508 to Gujarat with a well-equipped war
squadron manned with sailors who had often fought with
Christian fleets in the Mediterranean. He was joined by the
fleet of Gujarat, commanded by the Governor of Diu, in spite
of the efforts of the Portuguese captain, Louren\;o de Almeida,
to prevent their union; and the combined fleet was in every
respect superior to the flotilla of Christian merchantmen which
boldly sailed out of the port of Chaul to the attack. The
Portuguese were defeated in a running fight which lasted two
days, and the young captain, son of the famous viceroy, was
killed .... He was avenged a few months later, when on
February 2,159, his father, the viceroy Francisco de Almeida,
utterly defeated the combined fleet of Egypt and Gujarat off
Diu. In the following year the king of Gujarat offered Albuquerque, the conqueror of Goa, the port of Diu, and a
Portuguese factory was there established in 1513, though the
celebrated fortress of the Christian invaders was not built
till 153-5.
'Though unable to withstand the Portuguese-or perhaps
not unwilling to see his powerful deputy at Diu humiliatedBahadur (1526-37) was one 'of the most brilliant figures among
the warrior kings of Gujarat. The Rajputs of the hills and
the kings of the Deccan owned his superiority, and in 1531 he
annexed Malwa. A Rajput rising and the advance of the
Mughals under Humayl1n the son of Babar for a time destroyed his authority (1535), but he recovered it bravely (1536),
only to fall at last, drowned in a scuffle with the Portuguese
whom he had admitted to his coast 1.'
In 1572 Akbar annexed Gujarat to the Mughal empire, of
which it became a Siibah. At its best period the independent
Muhammadan kingdom of Gujarat comprised Northern Gujarat
from Abu to the Narbada; Kiithiiiwiir, which became a Musalman province through the occupation of Diu (1402) and
Girnar (1471), and the sack of Dwarka Bet (1473); the Tapti
valley as far east as Thiilner; and the tract between the Ghats
and the sea from Surat to Bombay.
The Mughal viceroys of Gujarat were, up to the death of
Aurangzeb (1707), on the whole successful in maintaining
order and prosperity, in spite of the turbulence of the KolIs
and Rajputs in the north, of the famines of I596, 1631, 1681,
1684, and 1697-8, and of the Deccani attacks on Surat, which
was sacked once by Malik Ambar (1609) and twice"by Sivaji
(1664 Rlld 16io). Throughout the Mughal period the province
1 S. Lane-Poole, Mediaeval/ndia ('SIOIY of the Nations'), chap. vii.
BARo.DA STATE
generally yielded a revenUE! of nearly :z crores, and a large
foreign trade was carried on at the" ports of Cam bay, Broach,
and Surat. The decline of Mughal rule began with a Maratha
raid across the Narbada in 1705. From 17II these invasions
became annual, and the Marathiis established themselves successi~ely at Songarh (1719), Champaner (1723), and Baroda
(1734). The beginning of the end caII!e during the governorship of Sarbuland Khan (1723-30), who farmed out the
revenues and admitted the Maratha claims to chauth and sa,.aeshmukhi. Henceforward, although the Delhi court continued
to appoint viceroys until 1748,absolute anarchy reigned in the
province, which was ravaged impartially by the hostile leaders
of the Peshwa's and the Gaikwar's armies, by the Rajas of
Jodhpur, by the agents of the Nizam-ul-mulk, and by local
Moslem chiefs, such as the Babis, who established themselves
at ]unagarh (1738) and Balasinor (1761), the Jhaloris, who
settled at Palanpur (1715), and Momin Khiin, who began to
scheme for the independence of Cambayabout 1736. Famines
in 1719, 1732, and 1747 added to the misery of the people.
In 1737 the Gaikwar was admitted to a full half-share in the
revenues of the province and occupied Ahmadabad jointly
with the viceroy's troops (1738). Broach from 1731 to 17511
was held by a deputy of the Nizam, but had to give up a share
of its customs to the Gaikwar. Surat suffered chiefly from the
violence of rival candidates for the governorship.
Gujarat was now parcelled out among a number of local
chiefs who carried on ceaseless petty wars, which the Marathas
had no wish to s,-!ppress so long as they could secure their
share of the plunder of the province. The Peshwa's seizure of
half the Gaikwiir's share in 1751 only added another claimant
of blackmail. After the battle of Piinipat the Musalmans
tried but failed to drive out the Gaikwar (1761), and the last
chance of a strong native government growing up was ruined
by the disputed succession at Baroda in 1768. The local
troubles at Surat lasted until the castle was taken by the
British in 1759.
The..Maratha confederacy now began to break up, and the
Gaikwar was detached by his acceptance of British protection
(17811). In Gujarat there was little improvement in the government during this period, though, in spite of disputes in the
Gaikwir's family and intrigues at the Poona court, a
semblance or' order was preserved by British influence from
1782 to 1799, when the Gaikwar took Ahmadabad and imprisoned the Peshwa's agent. Further disturbances then took
HISTORIC AREAS
73
DISTRICTS, ETC.
Boundaries
Botany.
Climate.
PopulatiOD.
KADI PRANT
75
Tal"",..
Number of
~
-~
='
~
-<
---
Kadi.
Kalol
VI)iipur
Mehsiina
VIsnagar ."
Vadiivli
Piitan
Sidhpur
Kheriilu
Hiinj
Dehgiim
Atarsumba
Total
33 1
26 7
346
195
17 2
33 2
49
254
246
154
239
7
.,
~fo<
.t
:>=
li
8.~
sa
~~
1
3
2
2
...
1
1
1,
1r~~5""
l3'--IU]
as
Q.
..... ~"tJ
0",
~~I4)
~~~~
;~~~
z"
Q.~
I-
88 80,53 2 302
107 II7,286 339
83
is,254 386
54 70 ,9 89 471
II3
67,302 20 3
140 14. 136 255
78 90,,61 3F5
88
76.46 3 3JI
12,50 5 91
43
49.4 61 207
95
18,871 270
56
....0,,"
~'-"';;'.:
cd 5 g~&
a..~
it" ~b a
po 0'"
~i"
-1I8
- -71,7 84 21
1
- - -18 -063
834.7441
3,01~
2 77
-25.8
- 171
-24'9
-10:l
-237
-33-7
-23'5
-16., .
-22'5
-571
- 28.6
-37'9
' -24.0
4,34 3
5,03 8
5,3 1
4,3 14
5.3'9
2,839
7, 60 5
5,5 8 4
4.48
346
2, 86 5
1,276
--49,237
KADI PRANT
these towns are connected by railway lines, by which the pranl .
is exceptionally well served. In addition to the main line of
the Rajputana-Malwa Railway, which passes from south to
north, State lines diverge from Mehsana to Kheralu, Patan,
and Viramgam, and from Kalol to Kadi and Vijapur. The
Ahmadabad-Pariintij line also serves some places. Other lineS
are projected from Manund Road to Chanasma, from Visnagar
to Vijapur, and from Kheralu to Dabhoda.
Land
The land revenue rose from 32'2 lakhs in 1881 to 35.8
revenue.
lakhs in 1891, and was 35'5 lakhs in 191; and in 1904-5,
while the demand was 22 lakhs, the collections amounted to only
11'2 lakhs.
A settlement for fifteen years was made between
189 I and 1900, and parts of the priinl are now being resettled.
The pranl contains 36 meh1tliisi villages, which were formerly
assessed on the cultivated area only, but a settlement has now
been made on the ordinary lines at greatly reduced rates. The
average assessment varies in different tiilukas from Rs. 1-3-0
to Rs. 2-8-0 pez bigha (t acre) for 'dry' land, and from
Rs. 1-9-0 to Rs. 2-11-0 for' wet' land.
Local selfThe priin! contains twelve municipalities, three of which are
~~:~:"administered by boards reconstituted in 1905 on a partly
elective basis. These latter-Patan, Sidhpur, and Visnagarhave a total income of Rs. 21,500 from customs, excise, and
tolls, besides grants of Rs. 7,000; and the remaining nine
receive grants of Rs. 20,500. A District board and local boards
were constituted in 1905.
AdminisThe administration is carried on by the Subah, while the
tration,/lCc. court of the priint Judge is at Visnagar. Education is well
provided for, as the priint has one high school (at Patan),
6 Anglo-vernacular schools, and 369 vernacular schools, the
total number of pupils in 1904-5 being 25,316. Two civil
hospitals and eleven dispensaries treated 86,329 patients in
1904-5, of whom 359 were in-patients.
Kadi TiUuka.-South-westem tiiluka of the Kadi priin/,
Baroda State, with an area of 331 square miles. The population fell from 96,782 in 1891 to 71,784 in 1901. The liiluka
contains one town, KADI (popUlation, 13,70), the head-quarters
of th~ tiiluk, and of the priint until 194; and II8 villages.
The general aspect of the lii/uka is very unprepossessing, as it
consists for the most part of an uninterrupted plain bare of
all trees. Round the town of Kadi, however, and in its neighbourhooa there are trees in fair abundance, a gentle undulating
country, and numerous tanks. The soil for the most part is
light and sandy. In 1904-5 the land revenue was Rs. 2,58,000.
KALOL TALUKA
77
KAIJI PRANT
Baroda State, with an'area of 409 square miles. The population fell from 136,083 in 189[ to 14,136 in 1901. The
laluRa contains two towns, PATAN (population, 3[,402), the
head-quarters, and BALISNA (4,65); and 140 villages. It
presents the appearance of a fairly wooded plain, with the river
Sa,aswatl running throu!;h tht: cent,p. To the west and north
the soil is black, while to the east it is light and sandy. In
1904-5 the land revenue was Rs. 3,26~000.
Sidhpur Taluka.-Northern taluRa of the Kadi prant,
Baroda State, with an area of 254 square miles. The population fell from 107,470 in 1891 to 90,161 in 1901. The
taluRa contains two towns, SIDHPUR (population, 14,743), the
head-quarters, and UNJHA (9,800); and 78 villages. It is flat
and undulating by turns, and is somewhat bare of trees, while
the surface soil is light and sandy. The river Saraswati flows
through the centre. In 1904-5 the land revenue was
Rs. 2,89,000.
KheriUu Taluka.-N orth-eastem taluka of the Kadi pront,
Baroda State, with an area of 246 square miles. The population fell from 98,682 in 1891 to 76,463 in 1901. The laluRIl
contains three towns, KHERALU (population, 7,617), the head
quarters, VADNAGAR (13,7I6), and UMTA (5,242); and 88
villages. It is level throughout, and is fairly well wooded.
The surface soil is for the most part sandy, but there is a little
black soil. The Khari flows through it from east to west. In
1904-5 the land revenue was Rs. 42,000.
Balisna.-Town in the Patan,taluRa, Kadi frant, Baroda
State, situated in 23 49' N. and 72 IS' E. Population (1901),
4,65. It is the 'seat of the Leva Kunbis, and possesses a
vernacular school.
BecIu-aji.-Temple in the Radi pranl, Baroda State,
situated about 23 nules from the town of Kadi, and about the
same distance from Modhera. The temple has been built in
the jungle, and is surrounded by lar?e and costly works designed
for the accommodation of pilgrims and others, wells, tanks,
dharmsalas, dispensary, &c. In the months of Aswin (Septemb':J'-October) and Chaitra (March-April)"crowds of devotees
visit the shrine from all parts of Gujarat and make their offerings to the goddess. From these offerings and from the rich
endowments given by former Gaikwiirs the expenses of the
temple are met.
Chanasma.-Head-quarters of the Vadavli taluRa, Kadi
pranl, Baroda State, situated in 23 43' N. and 72 10' E.
Population (19or), 8,183. It possesses local offices, a dispen-
KA.DI TOWN
79
80
KAJJI PRANT
PATAN TOWN
81
KADI PRANT
town, known as the Khan Sarovar, which, however, is of
Muhammadan origin. The modern town of Piitan, together
with the citadel, is the result of Maratha efforts. It is situated
to the south-east of old Anhilvada, nearly a ruile from the
Saraswati river. A lofty waU, most of which is of great thickness, entirely surrounds it, and there are numerous gateways:
The public buildings, of which. the chief are the offices in the
citadel, the high school, and the civil-hospital, are of no great
interest, and the general aspect of the streets and houses, with
the exception of a few which display profuse and elaborate
wood-carving, is depressing. The Jain temples in the town
are said to number 108 or lIO, but none is of much architectural or archaeological importance. In these thousands of
palm-leaf manuscripts are carefully preserved, of which a list
has recently been made. The manufactures carried on at the
present day are not of great importance, though there is a fair
out-turn of swords, betel-nut slicers, pato/as (variegated saris),
embroidery, and pottery. The last is said to be superior to
any of its kind in Gujarat, and is remarkable for its glaze.
It is, however, of a very fragile nature. Wood-carving and
ivory-turning are also practised. The town is the most important centre for trade in the Kadi prant, and its commercial
facilities have been greatly increased since the opening of the
line from Patan to Mehsana. The municipality, which was
reconstituted on a partly elective basis in 1905. has an income
of Rs. 10,000 from excise, customs, and tolls, besides an annual
grant of Rs. 5,000 from the State.
[1. Burgess and H. Cousens, Architectural Anliquities of
(lujarat (1903)']Sidhpur Town.-Head-quarters of the ta/ulla of the same
name, Kadi prant, Baroda State, situated in 23 55' N. and
72 26' E., on the Saraswati" river, with a station on the
Rajputana-Ma1wa Railway, 64 miles north of Ahmadabad.
Population (I9or), 14,743. Sidhpur, which was formerly
known as Sristha1a, is a town of much religious importance
and is frequented by great crowds of Hindu pilgrims. They
resort here because it is said to be the only place where
skr&ddha can be performed for the propitiation of the manes
of deceased mothers. What Gaya is for the fathers, Sidhpur
is for the mothers.
A. K. Forbes in his .Ras Mala has described the celebrated
Rudra Maha1aya or Mala, founded in the tenth century by
Miilaraja, and reconstituted by Jay Singh Siddha Raja, once
the glory of Sidhpur, but now only a massive ruin :-
SIDHPUR TOWN
'The Rudra Mala was a very large edifice of the usual form
and apparently three storeys high. In the centre of three
sides of the mandapa projected two-storeyed porticoes called rilp
choris; on the fourth the adytum, a most massive structure
rising to the extreme height of the central building, and then
mounting beyond it into a sihara or spire. On either side
stood a kirtti stambha or triumphal pillar, one of which exists
in a nearly perfect state. Two richly adorned columns support
an entablature and sculptured pediment. Above the brackets,
formed of the heads of marine monsters, springs a delicately
chiselled arch called the torana or 'garland.' The temple
stood in the centre of an extensive court, to which access was
given by three large gate-houses, that in front opening on to
the terrace leading to the river. The rest of the surrounding
wall was composed of numerous lesser shrines, three of wYlich
remain and have been converted into a Muhammadan mosque.'
But the work of destruction has proceeded rapidly since the
time of Forbes, and now there is little left save gigantic stones
with superb carving to show the former magnificence of the
great temple. Opposite Sidhpur and across the river is a large
square building forming a dharmsiila of Kewalpuri Gosains.
The town also contains numerous other temples, and several
tanks, one of which, the Bindu Sarovar, is held peculiarly holy.
The tortuous and narrow streets, the crowded houses, and the
popUlation too great for the area inhabited, unite in making
Sidhpur an unattractive town for all except the Audichya
Brahmans, who derive comfortable incomes from this holy
place, and the Bohras. The latter are merchants who carryon
business in Burma, .zanzibar, &c., and then retire to Sidhpur
to spend the rest of their existence in their well-built houses
and pleasant gardens. The town possesses a magistrate's
court, Anglo-vernacular and vernacular 'schools; a diSpensary,
and the usual public offices. It is administered as a municipality, which was reconstituted on a partly elective basis in
1905, and has an income of Rs.6,500 from customs, excise,
and tolls. The chief arts are dyeing and printing of cloth, but
the wood-carving on the houses is also worthy of notice.
Sidhpur is chiefly known as being the centre of the poppygrowing tract in Baroda, and the place where the State
manufactures opium.
Umta.-Town in the Kheralu tiiluRa, Kadi pranl, Baroda
State, situated in 23 47' N. and 72 33' E. Population (1901),
5,242. It possesses a vernacular schoo!'
'.
Unjhii (or Unza).-Town in the Sidhpur liiluRa, Kadi
prant, Baroda State, situated in 23 49' N. and 72 26' E., on
the Rajputana-M1ilwa Railway, 56 miles north of Ahmadabad,
G 2
KADI PRANT
and 8 miles south of Sidhpur. Population (1901), 9,800.
Unjha is probably the original seat in Gujarat of the Kadwa
Kunbis, who migrated from Marwar in the time of the lUjput
kings. The Kadwa Kunbis now constitute about a third of
the total population. Among them marriages take place only
once in every ten or twelve years, when a large number of
them enter the matrimonial state. All girls of the caste more
than forty days old must be married on- one or other of certain
fixed days j and should no husband be found, a proxy bridegroom is sometimes set up and married to a number of girls,
who immediately enter a state of nominal widowhood until an
eligible suitor appears, when the parents give them in naira or
second marriage. More frequently even the proxy is dispensed
with, and little girls ate married to bouquets of flowers, which
are treated as actual bridegrooms during the ceremonies and
then thrown into a well. The town is managed by a municipality, which receives an annual grant from the State of
Rs. 2,000. It possesses Anglo-vern_acular and vernacular
schools, two dltarmsiilas, local offices, and the large temple of
the Kadwa Kunbis. A well-attended fair is held here once
a year.
Vadnagar.-Town in the Kheralu liiluRa, Kadi }ran/,
Baroda State, situated in 23 48' N. atld 72 40' E., 8 miles
north-east of Visnagar, on a branch of the Gaikwar's State
Railway from Mehsana. Population (191),13,716. According to legendary accounts, Vadnagar -was founded by a prince
of the Solar dynasty who abandoned his native country, of
which Ajodhya was the capital, in A. b. 145 and wrested a
dominion from a- prince of the Paramara cIano The town
probably occupies the site of Anandapura, the original home
of the Nagar Brahmans, though few reside here now. Hiuen
Tsiang describes a place of this name as very populous in the
seventh century, and Abul Fazl mentions Vadnagar as a place
of great note with 3,000 idolatrous temples, attached to each
of which was a tank. The walls of the town, according to an
jnscription, were built by Kumara Pala in Il52. Formerly the
town .. had the unenviable reputation of being a chartered
refuge for an infamous class of robbers, the Dhinoj Brahmans.
These paid a tax to the State; and their robberies and other
misdeeds outside Baroda territory were winked at, until at the
request of the Bombay Government the Darbar withdrew its
protection iIi the time of Sayaji Gaikwar II. There are still
about 200 families of Dhinoj Brahmans, but they lead a quiet
life and generally resort to Bombay either for employment or
VISNAGAR TOWN
as traders. The town now presepts a poor appearance, though
it is in some ways picturesque. The view from the railway
showing the lofty walls, with the houses perched above on
rising ground, is especially fine. The temple of Hatkeshwar
Mahadeo, held in great reverence by the Nagar Brahmans,
lies to the west of the town. On the opposite side is the
large Sarmishta tank, of a circular shape, with an island in the
centre, and embanked with stone walls and steps. Close to
the tank is a chavdi, remarkable for its large and substantial
stone pillars and arches ornamented with rich carving. The
two kirtli slambhas or triumphal pillars closely resemble in
design and workmanship those of the Rudra Mala at Sidhpur,
but are in a better state of preservation. Th~ town possesses
the usual public offices, a dispensary, A:nglo-vernacular and
vernacular schools, together with numerous temples and dharmsalas. It is administered as a municipality, with an annual
grant from the State of Rs. 2,800.
Valam.-Town in the Visnagar laluka, Kadi pranl, Baroda
State, situated in 23 42' N. and 72 30' E. Population (1901),
5,337. It possesses a vernacular school.
Vijapur Town.-Head-quarters of the talulea of the same
name, Kadi pran/, Baroda State, situated in 23 34' N. and
72 47' E., on a branch of the Gaikwar's State Railway from
Kalol on the Rajputana-Malwa main line. Population (1901),
8,510. It possesses Munsif's and magistrate's courts, dispensary, vernacular school, and local offices. The municipality
receives an annual grant from the State of Rs. 1,700.
Visnagar Town (or Visalnagar).-Head-quarters of the
tiiluka of the same name, Kadi prant, Baroda State, situated in
23 41' N. and 72 33' E., on a branch of the Gaikwar's State
Railway from Mehsana to Kheralu. Population (1901),17,628.
Of the origin of the town various accounts have heen given.
One is that it was founded by VIsal Deva, the Vaghela prince,
between 1243 and I261 ; another that its foundation was due
to VIsal Deva, the Chauhan, about' 1046. Visnagar is the
original seat of one of the six classes of Nagar Brahmans, and
gives its name to a subdivision known as Vis nagar Brahmans;
many of these are now followers of Swami Narayan, the
religious reformer from CHHAPIA in the United Provinces.
The town contains the court of the Kadi prant judge, a jail,
dispensary, vernacular and Anglo-vernacular schools,.and other
public offices, together with numerous dharmsalas and temples.
A stone-built tank is also deserving of notice. The municipality, which was reconstituted in 1905 on a partly elective
86
EAROIJA PRANT
BARODA PRANT
spoken by 93 per cent. of the population, and Hindustani by
5 per cent., while nearly a foui'th of {he inhabitants of the
city use Marathi. In 1901 the frant contained 6,943 native
Christians. The American Methodist Episcopal Mission has
adherents in 125 villages and towns, numbering approximately
'5,200.
In addition to two orphanages, it provides a training
school for teachers and preachers, and fifty-five day-schools.
.e
Number or
~gj
TiiluAa.
!l]
~
-<
Baroda (city excluded)
Padra
Petlad
Savll
Sisva
Chorlinda
Vaghodia
Dabhoi.
Sinor
Sankheda
Tilakwada
Total
Baroda City with
Cantonment
160
196
181
188
8a
28 4
143
190
139
280
34
<Ii
"
~
0
foo
lia
1ii
"3
~~
i~
~ ---
...
1I0 60,428
82 73,395
I
7 68 134,55 8
I
75 3 8,340
I
30 43,4 61
... 99 4 8,75 8
20, 804
71
I
102
49,077
I
29,979
45
2 190
36,665
1 32
4,816
...
cei'
~eJ~.
""'~"C
& ~~ ~
'azg.:...: .8 !].~
~g a~
8o,,~
~hJg z"~,..9
1I.o"'CIJ
'" '"
33 2
374
743
20 4
524
208
145
25 8
216
159
141
-37-4
-20S
-14.1
-14.6
-19'4
-22.2
-23Q
-17 8
-23'3
-357
-48.,
6,375
6,7 27
17,001
3,250
4,23 2
5,128
1,087
6,3 19
4,339
3,07 2
30 4
288
-22'9
57,834
II,53 2
-122
21,678
."
-- - - - --- - - - - - -
-- 9
.. .
"
"'.!!
...
103,790
The prevailing black soil is very fertile, and requires little AgricuImanure or irrigation, while gorat or sandy loam needs. both. ture.
The Petlad tiiluka -is noted for the' cultivation of tobacco.
The chief crops are rice, biijra, jowar, wheat, math, gram,
adad, luver, val, chola, tal, dive/i, cotton, sugar-cane, kasumbo,
and tobacco. Many other minor crops and vegetable products
are raised for local consumption.
The weaving of coarse cotton cloth is the chief industry. Industries,
But in addition may be mentioned the manufacture of fine trade, &c.
turbans at Dabhoi, of cloths at Sojitra., Petlad, and Bakrol,
of embroidery with gold and silver thread at Baroda, and of
gold and silver ornaments in most towns. Iron-work is poor,
but good locks are made at Petlad, Sojitra., and Vaso.
Excellent brass and copper pots are manufactured everywhere.
The only cotton-mill is at Baroda, but there are twenty-six
ginning factories. A dyeing factory has been working at
PetIad for some years. The chief centres of trade are Baroda,
Dabhoi, Chandod, and Petlad, which are connected by rail.
The frant is well provided with communications, as the main
88
BARODA PRANT
BARo.DA CIT}
89
BARODA PRANT
90
been removed, the streets are clean and well lighted, and can"
servancy is carefully attended to.
General
The city proper is enclosed by the old walls of the fort.
descripIt is approached from the railway station by a road which,
tion.
at first broad and stra~ht, gradually becomes narrower and
more tortuous. Close to the station is the magnificent
building erected for the Baroda College, at a cost of more
than 6 lakhs. It is situated in a spacious compound, which
also contains residential quarters "for students, a fine botanical
garden, a cricket ground, a tennis court, and a gymnasium.
A little farther is the entrance of the public park, and across
the Vishwamitri stands the Countess of Dufferin Hospital,
a handsome modern building, with wards {or male inpatients, and the Victoria Jubilee ward for female patients.
Just beyond it, and on the same side, is the Sayaji Rao
Military Hospital, for the reception of the sick from all
regiments of the Baroda forces. In the suburbs of the city
stands the house of the famous minister Gangadhar Sastri,
while close by a steep ascent up a short hill leads to what is
called the Juna Kot, or old fort, probably the most ancient
portion of the Hindu town of Baroda. The principal offices
of the State are located here, and just opposite is the new
Survey office. A large building has recently been constructed
for the safe custody of records. The State library, a small
but handsome erection, is close to the record office. J!'rom
the Laharipura or western gate a broad and picturesque street
leads through the city to the clock-tower. At right angles
to this street bran<;h off pols or wards belonging to distinct
clallses and castes of people, and forming culs-de-sac the
entrances of which are barred by heavy doors. Close to the
clock-tower is the old palace in which the Gaikwars lived
formerly; and immediately behind it, rising high above surrounding buildings, stands the white stucco Nazar Bagh palace
which was erected by the Maharaja Malhar Rao. The
Gaikwar's jewels, which are stored here, have been valued
at over 3 crores. They include a diamond necklace, one
of the.-stones of which is known as 'the Star of the South,'
" a brilliant of perfect water weighing 125 carats (originally 254i),
estimated to be worth 9 lakhs, and a cloth embroidered
with precious stones and seed pearls which was designed to
cover the Prophet's tomb at Mecca. Not far from the Nazar
Bagh is
old building containing a fine library collected by
Sampat Rao Gaikwar. The Nazar Bligh adjoins a continuation of the Laha..ripura street, terminating in the eastern or
an
BARODA CITY
Water-gate. On its southern sid~ are the military office, and
the lines where the gold and silver guns are kept. Just
beyond the Water-gate is the arena where public sports are
still held. From the clock-tower a road leads to the Champaner
gate, and another to the Rhinoceros or south gate. Near the
western gate is the Surslgar, a large reservoir of water with
stone banks, and masonry steps in places. The length of this
tank is 1,057 feet, its width 665 feet, and its average depth
12 feet.
In the neighbourhood is the Chimnabai Nyaya
Mandlr, or 'temple of justice,' occupied by the High Court,
and named after the late Maharani Chimnabai. Close to
it are two other fine structures, the female training-college and
the All,,\':; ~ernacular school. Another educational building
is the Kala Bhavan, a tecilllicd.i ;i,3titu~:cn ,\;here students learn
dyeing, weaving, carpentry, smithy-work, drawing, &c. The
Central jail is a carefully constructed building arranged on
modern principles. The public park contains a museum,
beautiful gardens, and a collection of wild animals. Just
beyond the park is the lunatic asylum, a new and spacious
building.
Besides the Nazar Bagh palace, the Makarpura palace is Palaces;.
situated about 4 miles to the south of the city. It was
originally erected by Khande Rao, but has been much enlarged
and improved. It is now surrounded by fine gardens containing fountains, grottoes, and pergolas, and is used by the
Maharaja as a country residence. The chief palace is, however,
the Lakshmi Vilas, a building in the Hindu-Saracenic style,
which cost about 60 lakhs. It contains a large Darbar hall,
with mosaic decorations on the walls and a mosaic floor
specially executed by Italian workmen, and covered wooden
galleries reserved for ladies. The palace is well furnished, and
contains bronze statues and costly paintings by European
artists. The grounds have been laid out by an English landscape gardener, and add greatly to the attractiyeness of the
palace.
There are many other objects of interest in Baroda, of which Temples.
perhaps the most notable are the Hindu temples which crowd
tht:: dty. Close to the stone bridge which crosses the Vishwamitri are the temples raised to the memory f)f several
members of the Gaikwar family, as well as two temples to
Mahlideo. Other temples of importance are Bande's, which
has the largest allowance from the State; the Sidhnath temple,
Lakshman Bava's Mandir, Kalika.'s temple, and Bolai's temple,
all of which are supported by the State. There are also the.
92
Cantonment.
BARODA PRANT
.DA.BHOI
93
94
BARODA PRANT
PA.DRA TOWN
95
96
.BAROI)A PRANT
NA VSARI PRANT
97
NAVSARI PRANT
Irani is divided into eight lii/uRas or ma/Zlils, and two letal
or sub-mahiils, statistics regarding which in 1901 are shown
below:-
T41ulta.
~~
.-.-;:e
~
<
Number of
~
~
;;
I
3
60
28
69
153
15 2
91
58
34
75
52
- - - --
Navsari
Gandevi
Mahuva
Vyiira
Songnrh
Viijpllr
Veliichha
Vaknl
Kiiml'ej
Paldina
12 5
46
143
360
344
4 60
149
78
156
91
Total
-1,95 2
...
I
...
...
...
I
.,.
..H. -
..,Ii.
08
"::;:1=-
.... .!'t1
....
0..0 "
rr~~
eo~~
..0
28, 21 7
6,218
33,567
7,9 22
4 1 ,479
25,286
82
14
151
102
266
278
- 4'9
-26.8
-111
-257
- 73
+ 01
64 2
175
1,17 2
98
4,9 21
2,811
-- - - - - - - - - - --6
77 2 300.44 1 154
59
28,364
NAVSARI PRANT
99
(*
H3
100
NA VSARI P RANT
NAVSAl?I TOWN
JOI
to:!
NA VSARI PRANT
library and reading-room, jail, distillery, and fine offices for the
Siibak and priin! Judge. Among other objects of interest in
Navsari are the Towers of Silence for the reception of the Parsi
dead, the large Fire-Temple known as Alask Bahram, and the
smaller ones or agiiiris. To the larger temple all the young
mobeds from Bombay and elsewhere are sent for confirmation,
or to receive the apostolic succession of their order.
The town was once famous for its cotton cloth, which was
in great demand at the English and Dutch factories of Surat in
the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries for export to Europe i
but this is produced no longer. Hand-loom weaving is carried
on to some extent, but only coarse garments are made. The
manufacture of the kusH or sacred thread of the ParsIs, woven
only by the wives of the mobeds, is however a work of considerable skill. The threads are largely exported to all parts of
India, and the monopoly secures an industry for mobed ladies.
There is also a soap and perfumery factory on the outskirts
of the town, which has met with some measure of success.
Many workers, produce articles of copper, brass, iron, wood,
and leather, for local use. A boot and shoe manufactory has
lately been established.
Navsari is administered by a municipality, reorganized in
1905 on a partly elective basis, which has an income of
Rs. 8,500 from customs, excise, and tolls, besides a State
grant of Rs. 5,50. The town has a large import and export
trade by both rail and water. For the latter the Puma river,
on the left or south bank of which the town is situated, affords
fair conveniences, and the harbour is being improved.
Songarh.-Heid-quarters of the liiluka of the same name,
Navsari pranl, Baroda State, situated in 21 10' N. and
73 36' E., on the Tapti Valley Railway. Population (1901),
2,533. It is of historic interest as the place where the
Galkwiirs first fixed their head-quarters. Formerly it must
have been a flourishing town, and vast ruins still remain. The
fort of Songarh is situated to the west of the town on a small
hill, but the only portion of the defences still kept in
repair.,.is the entrance at the north end. In the lower part
of the enclosed space are the ruins of what must have been
a handsome palace with several storeys. This fort was originally seized from the Bhils, some families of whom still hold
jiigin in.connexion with it. The town possesses a magistrate's court, 'a dispensary, and a special boarding-school for
the boys and girls of the forest tribes. The boys are trained
in carpentry and ~gricu1ture on a model farm attached to the
AMRELI PRANT
10
3
.
school, where experiments in cultivation and sericulture are
also being carried out. Songarh is administered as a municipality, with an annual grant from the State of Rs. 800.
Vyara.-Head-quarters of the taluka of the same name,
Navsari pran!, Baroda State, situated in 21 7' N. and 73 27' E.,
on the Tapti Valley Railway. Population (1901), 6,II7. The
town possesses a dispensary, Munsifs and magistrate's courts,
a vernacular school, and public offices. It is administered as
a municipality, with an annual grant from the State of Rs. 1,100.
The only objects of interest are a Parsi Tower of Silence, and
two small dilapidated forts.
Amreli Prant.-A pran! or district of the Baroda State, Bonnsituated in Kathiawar, with an area of 1,245 square miles. dhari~s aInd
.
f
.
Th~.two mam
. areas are: Paspects.
YSlca
I t consIsts
0 seventeen portlOns.
(I) Okhamandal, lying between 22 5' and 22 35' N. and
69 5' and 69 20' E., and bounded on the north by the
Gulf of Cutch, on the west by the Arabian Sea, and on the
east and south by the Rann or salt marsh that separates
the district from Navanagar; (2) the talukas of Amre1i, Dharr,
Khambha, Kodinar, Damnagar, and Shianagar, lying between
20 45' and 22 4' N. and 70 42' and 71 55' E. Of these,
the Amre1i, Dhari, and Khambha talukas, which adjpin one
another and form the greater part of the territory, are bounded
on the north and west by Jetpur and Junagarh, and on the east
and south by Gohelwar, while Kodinar lies between the Gir
and the sea and has Junagarh territory on the other two sides.
Okhamandal is Ii. flat sandy tract, and most of the prant is
level. In the Dhari laluka a range of hills is found, divided
into four groups known as Sarkala, Rajmal, Nandive1a, and
Lapala, their heights varying from 1,500 to 2,100 feet above
the sea.
.
The vegetation other than the crops in fields includes, among Botany.
planted or sub-spontaneous trees near dwellings, Mangifera
indica, Spondias mang{fera, Tamarindus indicus, Aeg/e MarmeloJ, Anona squamosa, Ficus religiosa, Ficus bengalensis,
Bombax ma/abaricum, and other similar species. Hedges enclosing fields include shrubs like .fatropha Curcas, Euphorbia
antiquorum, Streblus asper, Cappart's speciosa, Cadaba indica, 1l.nd
Celastrus senegalensis. Climbing on these are various Leguminosae s'uch as Canavalia, Menispermaceae such as Tmospora,
and Asc/epiadaceae such as Daemia. Field weeqs include
Leguminosae, such as Crotalaria, Alysicarpus, Indigoftra;
Composilae, such as Blumea, Launaea, Sphaeranlhus, Grangea ;
&rophlllan'neae, such as Ce!sia, Stemodia, Vandellia j and many
104
History.
AMRELI PRANT
AMRELI PRANT
lOS
For the most part the soil is black and very fertile, but Agriculin Shiiinagar a tract of half-matsh half-desert is found, where ture.
wheat is grown. The soil in Dhari is lighter, and becomes
red neat the Gir. The crops grown are jowiir, biijra, wheat,
udid, mag; math, gram, tal, banti, china, cotton, sugar-cane,
rice, tobacco, and red pepper. The cultivation of cotton is
extending. The Gir cows and buffaloes and the Kiithiiiwar
horses and ponies have long been famous. The latter, in
consequence of there being no professional breeders, do not
show any improvement.
~
"1i'~
Tiil,,"a.
c""
'8
..:
Amreli
Bhimkattn
Damnagar
Shianagar
Dbari.
Khambha
Kodinar
Okhiimandal
Beyt Shankhodhar
Total
228
4
10 7
52
26 3
II~
204
268
4
Number of
.~
t. -,
- -- --I
58
55, 18 3
866
... I
I
...
I
...
I
I
I
=
;>
25
10
62
28
69
43
...
29 6
fia
",:::.,
'aILl _.0
c oh
0...:
'"
'"
+ 6'9
-20'3
4.0
-24. 1
6'4
-21.2
-16'3
1.8
- 02
173,436 147
19,464
4, 02 9
27,653
6,45 6
3 2 ,481
22, 68 9
4, 61 5
*'~"'t:S
0..0 ~.
N~.g~~ t :~~
.!!:; 5ss cu "t:l '8::st!!g ~.;::~
[" t~l!; z 0
~E
"'~
242
21 7
182
78
105
56
111
84
-- - -- --1,245
IlS
3-7
5, 26 3
45
1,380
193
2,130
310
1,696
2,41 0
729
14,156
The only forest in Amreli is the Gir, a narrow and moun- Forests.
tain()us tract lying to the south-west of the Dhari liiluRa.
Though in 1901 the area under forest was 46,600 acres, the
Gir is probably mOte useful as a grazing ground for cattle
than as a timber forest.
The industries are very limited, being practically confined Industr:es,
to the weaving of cotton cloth, embroidery on cheap silk trade, &c.
and cotton stuffs in Dhari and Damnagar, a little silver-work
at Amreli, a little iron-work at Dhll.ri, and some pottery at
Chalavi in the Dhari liiluRa. There are, however, seven
ginning factories, which employ a fair number of workers.
The chief centres of trade are Amreli, Kodinar, Dwarka,
Damnagar, and Dhari. The want of railways is made up
for to some extent by the existence of good roads leading
to stations on the Bhavnagar-Gondal-Junagad-Porbandar Railway. The jriinl also contains the ports of Kodinar, Dwarka,
and Beyt.
The land revenue rose from a'I lakhs in 1881 to 9'7 lakhs Laud
in 1891 and 10'5 lakhs in 1901. The demand had been re- revenue.
duted to 6'5 lakhs in 1904-5, but owiqg to famine only
106
AMRELI PRANT
AMRELI TOWN
10
AMRELI PRANT
old and new sacred shrines of Shankh ~arayan, and those
dedicated to Krishna's four wives and his mother. The latter
were of some antiquity, but were blown up by a British force
in the war with the Waghers in 1859. They were, howe\cr,
rebuilt in the same year by Khande Rao Gaikwar. The town
possesses a municipality, which receives an annual grant from
the State of Rs. 900; a magistrate's court, and a dispensary.
The harbour is deep and spacious, and small steamers can
anchor close to the town in all seasons.
Dhiiri.-Head-quarters of the laluka of the same name,
Amreli prant, Baroda State, situated in 21 20' N. and
71 5' E. Population (191), 4,262. The town contains an
old fort which overlooks the junction of the rivers Natalia and
Shatranjf, MunsiC's and magistrate's courts, a dispensary, a
military hospital, vernacular schools, and public offices. A
detachment of the 3rd Baroda infantry regiment is statIOned
in a cantonment close to the Shatranji. The municipality
receives an annual grant from the State of Rs. 900.
Dwarka.-Town and port in the Okhamandal liiluka,
Amrelipriint, Baroda State, situated in 22 22' N. and 69 5' E.,
235 miles south-west of Ahmadabad, and 270 west of Baroda.
Population (190r), 7,535. Dwarka is considered one of the
most holy places in India, and is greatly resorted to by Hindu
pilgrims. In particular the temple of Dwarkanath (Lord of
Dwarka, a title of Krishna), which is bUilt on the north bank
of the Gomti creek, is said to be visited by at least 10,000
devotees annually, and most pious Hindus believe that it was
raised in one night by supernatural agency. It is built of
s~ndstone, plastered with chunii11l, and the main structure IS
five storeys in height, the highest being 100 feet from the
eround. The whole is surmounted by a conical spire rising
to the height vf 15.;; fc::t- Thl' interior consists of a shrine,
and a hall with 60 pillars. At Dwarka i~ (me ~f .hl" four
11Iaths founded by Sri Sankaracharya, the others being at
SRINGERI in Mysore in the south, JAGANNATH in Onssa in the
east, and BADRINATH on the Himalayas in the north.
The port of Dwarkii., known as Riipan, is about a mile to the
north' of the town; but the anchorage is insecure, and most
steamers have to lie two miles or more off shore. The lighthouse
has recently been entirely renovated. The chief exports are
biijra, tal, ghi, and small quantities of salt, while the chief
imports ;re rice, wheat,jowar, sugar, piece-goods, &c. External
trade is principally with Bombay, Surat, Karach~ and Zanzibar.
Dwarka possesse~ a hospital, a magistrate's court, Anglo-vema-
KODINAR
10 9
INDEX
A.
Abhai Singh, of Jodhpnr, viceroy of
Gujarat, instigated assassination of
Pilaji Gaikwar, 10.
Aborigines. See Tribes.
Accountant-General, control of finance
by, 43.
Administration of State, 40-43: political,
through the Resident, 40; general, by
an executive council, controlled by
the Maharaja with the assl~tance of a
Diwan, &c., 40; in general on the lines
of British India, 41; administrative
division into prants (Districts) in charge
of SMaks (Collectors), 41, subordinate to a Sar-Siibak (= Commissioner),
41 ; minor divisions and officers, 4 [ ;
a legislative department (1904) promulgatmg bills, 41, their passage into
laws, 41; a list of chief measures
passed smce 18R.t, 41-43; cQurts of
justice, civil and crimmal, primary and
of appeal, 43; statistics of justice, 43 ;
registration, 43. See also under Admmistration ofprants.
Age, statistics of, 30, 21, unreliable and
much affected by famlDe, 30; of wives
and widows, 21, 22.
Agricultural advances, especially for
wells, 28.
Agricultural banks, to advance money
at moderate interest, and buy and sell
produce, 28-39; frequent preference
gwen by cultivators to mOlley-lenders,
29
Agricultural department,. schools and
farms to teach theory and practice,
28, and to experiment, 38; travelling
lecturerS, 28; its success, 28.
Agriculture, 34-31; number of persons
supported by, 33, 25; simple implements of, 25; soils, 24, crops,' 24-28,
statistics of crops and their areas, 59 ;
Stnte encouragement of agriculture and
agriculturists, by schools and model
farms and loans, 28, 29; horses and
cattle, 29; irrigation, 31 ; rents, wages,
and pnces of staple food-grains, 3031. See als(1 under Agriculture of
pra,tts.
,Ahmadabad city, its (oundation by
Ahmad I (1411-43), 70, ever since the
capital of GujaTat, 70, its noble buildings testifying to the taste and wealth
of Its founders, 70; its territory leased
(1799-1804) by Peshwa to Galkwar, 14,
15, m 1817 by Treaty of Poona in
perpetuity, 16; ceded (1817) to British,
16.
INDEX
112
B.
Biijra, staple food of people, area, 59,
21> per cent. of total cultivated area,
~8, growth and yield, Jl6; price of, 3 I.
See also under Agriculture of Irantl.
Balisna, town in Kadi frant, seat of the
Leva Kunbis, 78.
Bamas, !lading class, mostly Jains, 12,
36.
Baroda, the name; Brodera of early
English travellers, &c., I, a misrepresenta.tion of nattve W lldodarii., itself
a possible corruption oLSanskrit fJaf()o
dar (. in the heart of the banyantrees '), I; other ancient names of
the capital, I.
Baroda State (or Territories of the Gaikwar), general view of, I-6o; physical
aspects, 1-8; history, 8-19; population and people, 19-24; agriculture,
24-30; rents, wages, and prices, 3132; forests, 32-33; minerals. 33-34;
arts and manufactures, 34-36; Irade,
36; means of communication, 36-38;
famine, 38-40; administration, 4<>-43;
finance, feneral, 43-44; land revenue,
44-46; miscellaneous revenue, 46-48 ;
local and mumcipal, 48-5; pnblic
works, 50-51; army, 51; police and
jatls, 51-53; education, 53-57: the
press, Sl'; me~lcal, 57-58; survey, 58;
bibliography, 58, statistics of popnlatlon, agnculture, and education, 5960.
INDEX
characteristic, in hilly parts, of Western
i'laroda city, capital of Sfhte, a munIcIGhats, in alluvial plains of a highly
pality and railway station, 89-92;
captured (1727) by PiHiJi, la, lost " cultivated riverain country, 6, a list
of the common plants, wild, semi-wild,
and pennanentfy recaptured (1734)
by DamaJi, 10; recent street imand planted, 6-7, of trees, 7, 32. See
provements, drainage, water-works,
also under Botany of pran/s.
Bohras, a class of Muhammadan traders,
89-90; the fort and old fort, 90;
the pols or wards, culs-tie-sac with
36, 83, their pleasant retirement at
Sidbpur, 83, and Kathor, 100.
heavy doors, inhabited by distinct
classes or castes, 90; the palaces of Boundaries, of State intricate, I, of
the Gaikwar, inside, 90, outside the
prants, 2; of plain of Gujarat. 69.
Brahmans, number and divisions of, 22,
city, 91, the Gaikwar's 'Star of the
occupations of, 23; Audichya, at SldhSouth' and other jewels, 90; the
pur, 83, polygamy among, 22; Nagar,
Baroda college, hospitals, libraries,
84, 85; hereditary head masters of
and other public bUildings, 90, 91 ;
indigenous schools, 53; the robber tribe
public park. and gardens, 91, numerous
Hindu temples, 91-92; moderate arts
of Dhinoj Brahmans at Vadnagar, 84;
Modha,81.
and industnes, 92; the cantonment or
, camp' with garrison of the Indiau Brass and copper work, 35, at Visnagar,86.
Bridge, across the Vishwiimitri, at Baroda
army, 93, Residency, Heber's church,
schools for Europeans, &c., 93.
citY,9 r
Buffaloes, 29.
Baroda cantonment or 'camp.' 51, 92.
Baroda OGntingent, commutation for
Building materials, 19, 34.
maintenance of former, 51.
C.
Bechraji, temple in KadipYlint, 78, twice
a year a place of pilgrimage from all Calico-printing, at Baroda city, 92; at
parts of Gujarat, 78, large accommodaSankheda, 95.
tion around for the use of pilgrims and Camp. See Baroda Cantonment.
others, 78.
Canals for irrigation, 30, 59.
Betel-nut cutters, manufacture of, 35, 82.
Cane baskets, &c., made in the Central
Beyt Shankhodhar (shankh = conch),
jail, 53.
islet in the Gulf of Cutch, Amreli Carpets, made at the Central jail, 34, 53.
prant, 107; most sacred to Hindus,
Carts and carriages, 38.
107; legend of the loss and recovery Castes, numbers and divisions of tbe four
principal and, original groups, Brahof the Vedas, 107; principal temples,
mans, Kshattriyas (including Rajputs),
old and new, 107-108; its town,
Beyt, a municipality, with a deep and
Vaisyas, and Sudras, 22-23, 'clean'
spacious harbour, 107-108.
and' unclean' castes of Sudras, 22-23,
Bhadran, town in Barodaprant, 92.
schools for unclean, 55.
Bhang and grinja, excise and use of, 47,
Cattle, 29, Kiinkreji bullocks and Gir
48; as a cause of insanity, 57.
c'ows good, 29, 105; pasture, food, and
Bhllapur, battle of (1731), rout of
diseases of, 29, veterinary institutions
Dabhade and Gaikwiir by Peshwa, 10.
for, 29,57.
BhBs, number of, 32, 23.
Cesses, local, 49; irrigation, 39.
Bibliography, of State, 58, of Gujarat,
Chanasma, head - quarters of Vadavli
73, of Patan, 82, of Dabhoi, 94.
ta/uka, Kadi prant, and a municipality,
Bihmora, town in Navsiiri frant, a
78-79; its large", costly, and profusely
muniCipality and railway station, 100;
carved Jain temple, 79.
on the Ambika river with an improving Chiindod, village and place of pilgrimage,
port, 100; moderate trade by sea and
on the Narbada, in the Rewa Kantha.
rail, J00; chocolate factories and rice
Agency, Bombay, 92, owned jointly by
mills, 100.
the Galkwiir and the Miindwa. chief,
Birth-rate, recorded in famine year
93; James Forbes on its sanctity and
(1899-J900), 13 per thousand (deaththat of the neighbouring village of
Kamiili (q. v.), 93.
'rate, 54'5), 20, in 1904-5, 22'3 per
thousand (death-rate, 24'7), 20.
China, export of opium to, 46.
Black (kalt) soil, its monotony and ferCholera, epidemics and mortality of, 21,
tihty, 4, 24, 25, grows rice and cotton
during the famine year (1899-190),40.
richly, 25, 87; needs neither manure Christians, number ~f, 20; misSions of,
nor IIrigation, 25, 26, 30; great diffi75,87, 104
~
culty of iTTIgation in case of drought,
Civil condition, facts and statistics of
married, unmarried, and widowed per39,83
Botany, general view of, 6-7; flora
_
sons, male and female, 21-23.
BAR.
INDEX
tI4
of/rants.
Currency, earliest, 44, of Darbiir, baba$kaM mpees and Baroda pice, 44; introduction(1901)ofBritisb currency, 44.
Customs, land, sea, and town duties,
revenue from, 44, 48, recent sunplification of, 48, remission of e,>port duties
(cotton and manua excepted) and of
octroi in small towns, 48; recent large
fall of revenne from, 44, 48.
D.
babhoi, walled town in the Baroda frant,
a municipality and an important narrow'gauge railway junction, 93"94;
the Sanskrit Darbhavati of the eleventh
century, 93; its capture by PililJi, 10;
Forbes's brave defence of, 13-14; the
beauty of its walls and gates, 93;
James Forbes on the Gate of DIamonds,
93; the ravages of bigotry, time, and
Ileglect, 93; the Bhadra Kiilikii Mati
and Mahideo temples, 94; the variety
of castes and creeds ofits present population, 94;~graphy, 94.J>iimiji Gaikwiir (d. 17u), Mariithi
officer, distinguished at the battle of
lliiliip\lr. 9, gained the family tIlle of
INDEX
108; a very holy place-of pilgrimage,
108; the temple of Dwarkanath, with
its sixty pillars and high conical spire,
108; head-qnarters of Baroda troops to
keep Waghers 10 order, 109; station of
officer of Bombay Political department,
109.
Dwarka beds, Tertiary geological formation, 6.
E.
Education, 53-57; statistics of, 60; its
absolute neglect by the State before
1871,53, its history since to the present organization lmder a Minister of
EducatIOn, 53-54; University, secondary, and primary, 54-55; experiment
in compnlsorY,.55; female, 55; training schools, 55-56; technical and
industrial schools, 56; music schools
and classes, 56; encouragement and
progress of Muhammadan education,
56; free schools for jungle tribes and
unclean castes, 56 ; finance, 56; literacy
accordmg to sex and sect, 56-57. See
also Schools.
Embroidery, industry of, 34, 93.
Engineering classes, 56.
Engineers. See Public Works.
Erskine, HistolY of IndIa, quoted on
Gujarat and Ahmadabad, 70.
Europeans, schools for, in Baroda cantonment, 92.
Excise revenue, from the manufacture
and sale of country liquors and toddy
and intoxicant drugs, 47, levied as
still-head duties and licences for retail,
47 ; its amount under several heads, 47,
incidence per head of population, 47.
Expenditure, State, 44; muniCipal, 50;
of District boards, 49.
Exports, chiefly of agricultural produce
to Bombay, 36, from ports, 99, 100,
102, 108, 109; remission of duties on,
save of cotton and manua, 48.
F.
Factories and mills, 36, 87, 92. See also
under Industries of priints.
Famine, parIs liable to, in case of drollght,
where irrigation from wells or tanks
is difficult or Impossible, 38-39; early
famines, 39, in Gujnrat, 72; the
ternble famine of 1899-1900, 39, 40,
73, the area and population affected,
39, rise of prices, 39; extensive rehef
and protecl1ve measures by the State,
39-40, expenditure durmg 1899-1900,
46 lakhs, 40, during subsequent years
of scarcity, 70 lakhs, 40; the mortality
from famine alone, and from its concomita.nts, cholera, fever, and diarrhoea,
40
tIS
II6
INDEX
2'1-
G.
Gaikwar, family name of Maharaja. See
Baroda, hIstory of.
Game. See Fauna allli Fish.
Game-birds, a list of, 7, of Gujarat, 69.
Games and amusements, mdoor and outdoor, 24.
Gandevi, head-quarters of taluka, Navsiiri
pralll, and -a municipality, 100; con
slderable trade and a sugar factory, 100.
Gangadhar Sastn, celebrated minister
under regency of Fateh Singh, murdered.
15; his house at Baroda, 90.
Ga'lJa, excise duty on, 47; insanityattri.
buted to smokmg of, 57.
Ganpat Rao Gaikwar (1847-56), eldest
son of Sayaj;, his reforms and progressive government, 17; transfer of
political supervision from Bombay to
Government of India, 17.
Garden crops, 27-28.
Gardening, landscape, 50.
Geology, general view of, 5-6, in Gujarat,
the greatloess underlaid by old alluvium,
5, overlaid south of Baroda by the
black soil, 5, Deccan trap and Eocene
rocks, 5; in Kathiawar, a schedule of
geological formations, 5-6, the importance and thickness of the Deccau
trap, 6.
Gir forest, 3, hills of, 3, 5, cattle of, 29,
105 ; the last haunt of the Guiarat lion,
H.
Harhours. See Ports.
High Court, at Baroda, 43.
HIlls, generally inconSIderable disturbances of the alluvial level, 2-3; the
exceptional ranges of the Navsiiri pninl
(Salher, 5,263 feet) and of the Gir
(orest,3.
Hindus, number and main sects of, 20.
Ste also under Population of frallts.
History. See Baroda, history of.
Hiuen Tsiang, on Vadnagar, 84, on
Gujarat, 69.
Holkar, as ally of the Pesbwll, attacked
(1780) Dabhoi, 13-14, disappointed
(IS02) of GUJariit by the Bntlsb, 15,
took part In the last Marathii War, 16.
Horses and ponies, generally poor, 29; of
KiithIiiwar, famous but carelessly bred,
29, 105.
Hospitals and dispensaries, 57, statistics
of, 58; at Baroda city, 57, 90;
vetennary, 29, 57. Set also under
Medical of priin/s.
Houses, mud of poor, brick of rich, 24;
of clerks, '7'ols, and labourers, 32.
INDEX
I.
lIAB.
INDEX
lI8
78.
L.
Udol, town in Kadifriint, 80.
Lakes, no natural, 5, many large tanks, 5,
the Ajwa reservoir, 5, 89.
Lakshmi Vlli;s palace, 91.
Land revenue, average amouo! since 1890,
44, recent remisSlons and suspensions,
43; much of the land alienated and
exempt from assessment, 44-45; ryotwari, principal tenure of khalsa land,
45, narvatiiiri, a quasI samindar, tenure,
45; settlements stnce 1864, 46, recent
on basis of new survey by officers of
the Indian Civil Service, 46, last in
1904 for a term of thIrty years, 46 Su
also undlr Land Revenue of frants.
Lane-Poole, S., llled,aeval india, quoted
on bistory of Gu)arat, 70-71.
Languages, Indo-European spoken practically by all, 22, Gujarati by nearly all,
22, 68; otber languages and dialects,
22; of pnmary instruction, 54.
Legislative department and legislation,
4 1 -4 2
Lepers, hospital for, 8S.
Llurary, State, at Baroda city, 90; of
Sampat Rao Gaikwiir, 90.
Lighthouse, at Port Dwiirka, 108.
Lion, Gujariit, its last refuge in Girlorest, 3.
Liquor, excIse duties on, 47.
L,teracy, of men and women and of the
several sects, 56, 57; of each taluka,
under Population ofyan/s.
Local self-government. See Self-government.
Locks, manufacj,ure of, 35.
Lunatic asylum (1898) at Baroda city, 57;
abuse of intoxicants tbe mam cause of
Illnacy, 57.
M.
Madhava Rao, Sir T., Diwiin dnrinJ!'
minonty of opres"Jl' Maharaja, 19, blS
successful and' progressive administration, 19, 46.
Makiils. See Tiilukas.
See
----1 -
Inn erial
Gazett~e.r
of milia
~--/J--cr~~~~~~~---'__---r----1TO---------------------------fr-------~------------r-----~~------~------T_--~lhrAlu /t..uiJlln.d
'"
I,
I
?
~
'7
-.:$l
-<'"
'q
<'P-
A '0
~-.-
Scllle
(I.D.lnch
,do
DIVISIONS OF BARODA
10
INDEX
"Medical institutions. S!e Hospitals and
Vaccmation.
Medicine, native practice of, before 1855,
57:
Mehsana, tiiluka of Kadi prant, 77.
Mehsana town, head-quarters of the taluka
and (since 1904) of Kaeh prant, 80, Its
importance as a junction of raIlways
and centre of the friint, 80; a mUD1cipality, 80; Its magnificent building to
serve for offices and for a palace, 80.
Mills and factories, 36, 87, 92. See also
under Industries oflriints.
Minerals, 33-34, iron-sand in Tapti alluvlUm, once worked, 33; common
building stone plentlful, and granite,
sandstone, and marble, 34.
Missions, American Methodist Episcopal,
75,87, 9 2
Mlyagam, village and railway terminus
In Baroda prant, 94-95.
Mobeds, sacerdotal class of Parsis, 101,
102; sacred threads spun by their wives,
34, 102.
Modhera, village in Kadi prant, once a
populous and wealthy town, 80-81, the
flch carving and elegant architecture of
the fluns of Sita's Chavdi or marriage
hall, 80-81; the Modhas and Modha
Brahmans, 8 r.
Money-lenders, their rates of inter~st, 9
to 15 per cent., 29, often preferred to
banks, 29; most cultivators in their
debt, 29.
Moral traming or education in schools,
53,54
Mortality. See Death-rate and Diseases.
Mughnl empire, the, Gujarat annexed
(1572) by Akbar, 71; granted (1720)
chauth to Marathiis, 9, its early rule
and late strnggles in Gujarat, 9-II, 7172; loss of Ahmadabad (1753) and
Gujariit, 12.
'Muhammadans, their comparatively late
conquest of Gujarat, 70; numbers and
sects, 20, groups of, 23, the festival of
Muharram, 24. use of liquors, &c., 47,
education encouraged among, 56, literacy of, 57; ravages of their bigotry, 19,
81, 93. See also under Population of
frants.
Municipalities, thirty-five In number, 49,
origmally supported by State grants
only, 49, some recently entrnsted with
disposal of tolls, cesses, and part of
local excise, 49; the growth of the
principle of election in their composition, 49-50; items and sums of expenditure, 50. Set also under Local
Self-government of frants.
M unslfs, 42.
Museum, ID Baroda city, 91.
Music schools and classes, popular, 56.
II9
N.
Nagar Bagb palace, in Baroda city, 90.
Nar, town in Barodaprant, 95.
N arbada (Rewa of the sacred epICS,
Namados of Ptolemy), one of the most
important fivers in India, 4,63-66; its
course of 801 .miles froIl!. the Satpura
range to the Gulf of Cambay, 63-64;
its source, falls, passage through the
Marble Rocks, 63-64, between the
Vindhyas and Satpuras, 64, through
forests and two alluVIal basins, 64, its
area of drainage and tributaries, 65; its
deep bed making it useless for irrigation, 65, liability to floods and llmlted
navigation, 65, it~ extraordinary sanctity, rivalling and locally surpassing
that of the Ganges, 65, the innumerable
temples and places of pilgrimage on Its
bauks, 65; the high religious efficacy of
walking between Broach and its source
up one bank, down the otber, 66; the
boundary between the Deccan and
Hindustan, 66.
Narlladiir;, tenure of land resembling
zamindari, 45.
Navsari, the most southerly prant of
Baroda State, 97-103; its boundaries
and area, 2, 97, scenery diversified by
hills, 3,97, diminishing rainfall, 8, the
unwholesomeness of the rani or forest
talukas, 8, 39,97, the healthiness and
sea-breezes of the rasti maha!s, 8, 97 ;
botany, 97; population and religtons,
97, numerical and literate statistics of
the ten talukas, 98; agriculture, 98 ; extensive and lucrative' reserved' forests,
98; cotton-weaving and other industries, 98; extensive import and export
trade by sea anel rail. 99; roads and
railways, 99; lanel revenue, 99; central
and local government, 99; medical and
educational institutions, 99.
Navsari taluka, an extensive plain with
two rivers, 99~Joo.
Navsiiri town (Nasaripa of PtoleIfly),
head-quarters of prant, a municipality
with an improving harbour and railway station, 101-102; refuge (U42)
of Pams in India from Persia, 101,
since the stronghold and religious
centre of their mobeds or sacerdotal
class, 101; more than one-fourth of the
popMation Parsis, 101 ; the Towers of
Silence for their ciead, 102, the large
Fire. Temple and smallt!r ones, 102;
the industry of thelT kusti or sacred
thread, 102; the town sanitary and
prosperol,!s, 101; the famous toddy of
INDEX
120
O.
Occupations, oC different castes, classes,
and tribes, 22-23 i the fonowing and
desertion of traditional occupations, 23 i
agriculture the occupation of 54 per
cent., 23, 25; trading ~lasses and their
specIal trades, 36.
Octroi, in Baroda city, 49; abolition of,
ill smaller towns, 48
Okhamandal, tiilu"a of Amreli priin! on
the Gulf of Cutch, 106-107, flat and
dull, bllt relieved by sea-coast, 3, 5, 106 ;
chronic famine due to scanty rainfall,
39, 107; chief product salt with restricted export, 107 ; frequent reheillons
of abonglnal Waghers, 106.
Opium, trade in, a State monopoly and
care, 46; with head-quarters at Sldhpur,
83 i growth of poppy and manufacture
under licence, 46, 75; purcbase of, by
State from cultivators at fixed rate, 46 i
J"<:tail by licence, 46; exportatIon of
surplus, paymg transit duty 10 Bombay, to Cbina, 46; revenue from, 4647. SII<I "Is~ Poppy.
P.
Padra, Iii/uk" (If Baroda prant, 88-89.
Padra tOWD, head-quarters of tii/uka, a municipahty and railway statio'!, 95 i fair
trade and good market, 95; family
prison of the Galkwars, 95; Malhar
Rao's sufferings and revenge, 17-18.
Palm-leaf manuscripts at Patau, 83.
Palms (date), 48, 101.
Pancllliyats. bodies for the autonomous
admlDlstrntion of VIllages or groups of
hamlets, 41, \heir compositIOn and
sphere, 41.
PUipat, battl!) (1 (1761), Damaji Gaikwar present at, u.
Parsis, the, of fndia, their number and
two sects, 201' their fllgbt from Persia
(II4') and settlement in Navsan,
101; their Jllrgo number, prosperity,
Towers of Silence, Fire-Temples,
and reiigious c~ntre there, 101, 102;
Tower of Silenco at V yiira, loll; the
spinning of their .sacred threads by the
wives of t~ir mq6eds, largely exported,
34, 102; the belt educated section of
the community, 67. Se8 a/so Navsari.
Patau, Iii/uk" ot Kt.ql p,'ant, ;7-78.
IN.DEX
State, ~-3 ; limited hi1l1ystem, 3; river
system, 3-4; scenery of the several
pnints, 4-5 ; lakes or tanks,s; geology.
5-6; botany, 6-7; climate, temperature,
and rainfall of the several prants, 7, 18,
of GujarU, 69, 70.
Physical tmining in schools and colleges,
54,90
-Pihij, town in Barodaprant, 95.
Pi1aJi Galkwar (1721-32), founder of the
ruling famIly, 9, his ravages in Gnjarat
and exactions, 9 ; his varying fortunes
and relations with the Senapati, the
Peshwa, and the Muhammadan viceroys,
9-10; the Peshwa's decisive victory
(1731) at Bhilapur. and politic moderation. 10; assassinated (1832) at Dlikor,
10; temple and funeral ntes at Savli, 96.
Pilgrimage, chief places of, on the sacred
rivers of Saraswati, 61, Sabarmati, 61,
Mahl, 63, Narbada, 63, 65-66, Tapti,
67; at Bechraji, 78, Sidhpur, 8a, Chan. dod, 93, Knrnali, 94, Karvan, 94, Beyt,
107, Dwarka, 108.
Pilgrims, tax on, 48.
Plague, Its ravages since 1897, 2I; gene
ral diminutIon of population dne to it
andfamine,20; its mortality, 21; forcible
measures against its spread, final discontinuance of, as in British India, 21;
present measures, 2I.
Police, former, and details of present organization under a Commissioner, 5152; strength of, 52 ; condItions of recruitment and training, 52 ; literary and
social starns, 52; railway and village
police, 52; statistics of criminal cases,
53
Pols or wards of different castel in Baroda
city, 90.
Polygamy, classes and castes practising, 22.
Poona, Treaty of (1817) with Peshwa,
secured independence of Gaikwar, 16.
Poppy, grown under licence in Kadi. 27,
46, 75. area of, 46, 59, its growth, on
fallow, red soil, 27, risky and laborious,
47, manured and irrigated, 27; average
yield 12 lb. crude opinm per acre, 27,
but very uncertain, 27, 47. See also
Opium.
Population, 19-24; chief statistics of, 59;
recent decrease, not uniform, due to
plague and famine, 20; statistics of religion, 20, of age, 20, of births and
deaths, 20, of epidemics of cholera,
smallpox, and plague, aI, of sex, 21, of
civil condition, 21-32, oflanguage, 22,
of castes and tribes, 22-23, of occupations, 23; customs of marriage and
divorce, 22, food, 23, dress and lIonses,
23-24, games and festivals, 24. See
also untilr Population of Iranls.
POlts and harbours: Dwarka, 108, NavJ
121
R.
Raghuba or Raghunath Rao, rose against
hIS nephew, the Peshwa Madhava Rao,
12, made alliance with Damaji Gaikwar,
12~ defeated (f768) at Dhodap, 12 ; became Peshwa and made (1775) the
Treaty of Surat, afterwards tiisallowed,
13; expelled from Poona by the Regency
of his grand-nephew, 13.
Railways, in all the Iriints but AmreIi,
and that within easy reach of one, 37;
main line from Bombay to the North,
broad and metre-gauge, 37; efficient
system of branch lines (generally narrow
gauge) constructed by Darbar, 37, their
length. cost, and returns, severally and
generally, 37; better and cheaper than
roads, 38; railway police, 52. See also
under Iranls.
Rainfall, seasons and average, 7, 8 ; diminishing in Kadi and Navsari, 8.
Rajputs, classified for census as Kshattriyas, 22; Dar Rajputs, I.
Rape-seed, area of, 59 ; growth and retuJU
of,26.
Rats, damage to crops by, 40.
Registration. of documents, statistics of,
43 j lax of births and deaths, 20.
Rebgionsand theirsects, statistics of: three
maIn sects of Hindus, a large maJority,
20, three sects ofeJains, 20, two sects
of Musalmiins, 20, two of Parsi~, 20;
Christians, Sikhs, and Jews (8), 20;
Animists of forest trIbes, 20. See also
under P~ulation ofpriints.
INDEX
123
S.
Sabarmati (Sanskrit, S'lJabkra'lJati), large
river of Western India. 4, 16X; Its course
of 200 miles from the hills of Mewar to
the Gulf of Cambay, 61; formed by the
confluence of the Sabar and the Withmati, 61 ; its holy places. 61.
Salbal, Trealy of (1782), left Gaikwar in
statu quo, J 3, 14.
Sallier, fortified peak of, 3.
Salt, tevenue from, 46; restrictions on its
manufacture and sale, 47, 107.
Sand, encroachments checked by trees,
3 2 -33.
Sandstone, 34.
Sarutation, of villages, 49, 58, of Baroda
city, 89. of Navsarl, 107.
Sankheda, town (and talllka) in Baroda
prant, a municipality. 95-96; mInor
indnstries and an old fort, 95-96.
Salaswati, holy river of Westem India, 61,
78, 82, its course from the Aravalli
range to the Lesser Rann of Cutch, 61.
Sardars' CourtJor cases affecting privileged persons, 42.
Savli, head-quarters of latuka, andamunicipality, 96; considerable trade ID grain
and cattle, 96; temple and place of
funeral rites of the murdered PlIaJi, the
founder of the GaAkwar's house, 10, 96.
SayaJi Rao U Gaikwar (1819-47), son
of Govind Rao, his misgovernment,
extravagance, and intngues, 16-17;
stringent measures (1828 a1jd r830) of
INDEX
their mothers, 61 8~ ; "A. R. Forbes's
description (1856) of its former glory,
the celebrated Rudra Mala, 82-83, now
only heaps of gigantic carved stones,
83, 85; many other temples and holy
tanks, 83; overcrowded and unattractive, save to Audichya Brahmans, its
priests, 83, lind to Bohras retired from
business, 83; the centre of poppy-growing tract, and place of State manufacture of opium, 83.
Silk-weaving, 34, 75.
Smdhia, as ally of the Peshwa, attacked
(1780) Dabhoi, 13-14; marched (1802)
upon Gujarat and was bought off, 15.
Sinor, head quarters of tiiluka, a muni.
cipality, and soon a railway station.
96; noble flight of 100 stone steps
down to the Narbada, 96.
Smallpox, epidemics and mortality of,
2I. See also under Vaccination.
Soils, mainly alluY131, 2, 24, black (kal;),
red (goraf), mixed, 40 24; the soils of
the several franls and their appropriate
crops, 24-25; the fertility and dreary
look of black soil, 4, the park-like
scenery of red, 4. See also under Agriculture of Iranls.
Sojitra, town in Baroda Irani, a muni.
cipality, 96; of old the seat of a
Rlijput principality, 96; flourishing
trade in grain and tobacco, 96.
Songarb, head-quarters of laluka, N avsari
Irani, a municipality on the Tapti
Valley Railway, 102; the original
head-quarters of the Gaikwars t 9, 102 ;
its Bhil fort and vast ruins ot a large
town. 102; special boarding school for
forest boys and girls, with model farm
attached, 102-103.
Stamps, revenue from and distribution
of, 44,48.
Stone-carving, 35.
Sitba!ts or Collectors of Iriinls, 4 1, 42.
Sudras, clean' and unclean,' 22-23.
Sugar-cane, area under, 59; a most im.
poverishing crop. 26, only grown once
in four or five years on the same field,
26; its growth, 27.
Survey, by combination of chain and
cross-staff, 58; village maps and surveys, 58; training in. of subordinate
revenue officials, 58; superior officers
and inspectors, 58.
Swami NiiriiylUl, followers of, 85,92.
Sword-making, 35, 79.
T.
Tal kas or maNalr, subdivisions ofIranls,
41; local boards of, elected and nominated, 48, 49, their revenues and functions, 49.
I23
U.
Umta, town in Kadiprant, 8a.
University education, in Arts, Science, and
Law, at Baroda College affiliated to
the University of Bombay, 54, 90;
statistics of, 54, 60.
Unjha (or Unza), town, municipality, and
railway stahon in Kadi priin/, 83-84;
original seat in Gujarat of Kadwa
Kunbis. 84, still a third of the population and with a large temple, 84;
their custom of celebrating maniages
only once in ten qr twelve years, 84,
of marrying all girls ove, forty days
old to proxies or bouquets of .flowers,
84
.
Urdu, number of speakels of, 22.
INDEX
V.
Vaccination, a department for, of old
standing, 57; its lItaff, 58; extensively
practised with human and bovine
lymph,5 8.
Vadavli,liiluka of Kadi prant, 77.
Vadnagar, walled town, municipality, and
railway station in Kadi pra,tI, 84-85;
its legendary and ancient hist~ry, 84 ;
original home of Nagar Brahmans, 84,
85; till Sayaji Gaikwar II the chlll'tered refuge of licensed robbers, the
Dhinoj Brahmans, 84; temple of
Hiitkeshwar Mabiideo, large Sarmishta
tank, cndvdi, and ktrlll stambltas or
trIUmphal pillars, 85.
Valam, town in Kadiprant, 85.
Vallabhlichal'ya, temple founded by, at
Kheriilu, 80.
VanariiJa (A.D. 746-65), Rajput founder
of dynasty of Anhilvada, 67,81 j marble
statue of, lit Patan, 81.
Vaso, town and municipality in Baroda
priinl,9 6-97
Vernacular schools, 54-55.
Veterinary dlspensanes, 19; hospital,57.
Vijapur, well-wooded lii/uka of Kadi
pranl,77
W.
Wages, of skilled and unskilled "'bour,
31, highest of carpenters, from 10
annas to a rupee daily, 31, o( ab'1'lcultural labourers, 3 to 4 annas, 3 I ;
prevalence of payment ID kmd, 3 r ; of
primary teachers, ~5.
Wiighers, a restless, once exclUSively
military, tribe, 23, 106; their TlSlng in
1859, loR, 109.
Walker, Colo""l. Resident at Harada,
his settlement (1807) between the Gaikwar and tributary chIefs. 104.
Water, supply of, to Baroda City, 89,
to Navsiiri, ror.
Weaving, by hand of cotton and silk, 34,
by mills, 36.
Wells, rnther than tanks, used (or irrigation, 30, 39; their cost, 30; the coughcnring well at Palan, 8 r.
Wheal, area under, 59, in Navsari grown
WIthout irrigabon, 26, its varYlOg Yield,
26; price of, 3 I. See alsD under Agriculture of priints.
Widows, number and age of. n-21; remarriage legalized (1903),and allowed,
like divorce, by lower castes, 32.
Williams, Mr. (former Resident at Baroda), memori.1 of, 92.
Wood and ivory carvmg, 35.
z.
Zamindiiri, land tenure, resembling, -45.
Zaniilta classes for adults, 55.
Zoology. S" Fauna and Lion.
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