Palanpur Agency

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1922 map

The Pālanpur Agency was an administrative group of eleven Indian princely states existing from 1820 to 1924 at the time of colonial rule in the far north of the Bombay Presidency . In addition to Rewa Kantha , Mahi Kantha (east) and Kathiawar (south), it was the fourth agency in Gujarat . It is named after the most important state. In the north it bordered the states of Udaipur and Sirohi , in the west on the Rann von Kutch . Its geographical location extended approximately between 23 ° 25 'and 24 ° 41' N. and 71 ° 16 'and 72 ° 46' E. It was 16,494 km² in size. The population censuses showed 508,526 in 1872, 576,478 in 1881, 645,526 in 1891 and 467,271 in 1901. The entire region was considered backward in colonial times. The states of the agency were integrated into the Western India States Agency from 1924 to 1944 .

history

Like practically all areas of central Gujarat, the region was under various Rajput dynasties from the 8th to 13th centuries . This was followed by the rule of the Khiljl and Tughlak Shahi from Delhi, who were replaced in 1403 by the Sultans of Ahmadabad . From 1573 the Mughals ruled , who were ousted by the Mahrats in 1757. The British connection began in 1809 with Pālanpur. In 1813 Rādhanpur was brought under control, the remaining smaller states followed until 1819 in order to receive protection from the raids from Sindh . In 1820 a number of states concluded agreements on the cultivation of opium.

The earthquake of December 15, 1882 devastated large parts of the region, the plague, which has broken out again and again since 1896, and the catastrophic famines at the turn of the century decimated the population. Individual districts lost up to 60% of their residents in 1899–1902. Especially in 1899–1900 there was a mass death of domestic animals. Because of the lack of draft animals, agriculture took longer than anywhere else to recover after the monsoons had normalized. The populations of 1890 were often not reached again until the 1930s. During the last great famine in July 1900, 92,400 people received assistance. To get the rations, which were less than half of what a convict was entitled to, had to be very hard physical labor. The costs were imposed on the states, which thereby became massively indebted. The total tax revenue in 1903 was around 1.54 million. The influenza epidemic of 1918/19 also hit them hard.

organization

The responsible colonial officer, as superintendent resp. Political Agent, had its seat in the capital of the eponymous princely state of Pālanpur . The British stopped paying tribute after 1825. In order to keep the areas of the "wild" tribals , mostly members of the Koli tribe , more calm, agents ( kārkuns, later called thānadārs ) were deployed in smaller states . Exact land surveys were not completed until after 1910.

As in the Mahi Kantha Agency, the states were divided into classes, whereby these mainly differed by the extent to which the local ruler was allowed to exercise jurisdiction.

1st Class

The two Nawab Sahibs in this class both had the right to an 11 round salute . They automatically belonged to the Chamber of Princes created in 1921 . One had the right of blood justice. Only proceedings in which a capital crime was to be tried against (white) British subjects required the agent's approval.

  • Pālanpur : The Diwan, from 1910: Nawab Sahib, ruled over 222,000 subjects on 8127 km² in 1901. Of the Rs. 729,199 taxes raised in 1901, 38,438 had to be paid as tribute to the Maharaja of Baroda . The country was created in 1594 by members of the originally Afghan Lohani dynasty. In 1947 she ruled in the 30th generation. Treaties with the British were concluded in 1809 and 1813, a protectorate existed from 1817. In 1891 the Raja kept an honor guard called an army of 294 cavalrymen, 697 infantrymen with 80 guns, mostly outdated muzzle-loaders.
  • Radhanpur . In 1901 the Nawab Sahib had 61,548 surviving subjects who lived in 160 villages on an area of ​​2967 km². In 1891 an army of 248 mounted men, 362 infantry and 10 guns was afforded. The population rose to 70,530 in 173 villages by 1941 and paid around Rs. 800,000 in taxes. No tribute was paid, but received Rs 1712 in 1901 from 18 surrounding villages. The Babi dynasty ruled from the time of Humayun .
4th and 5th grade
  • Tharād and Morwara, in 4th grade, was 2,425 square kilometers. The population was 65,494 in 1891 and 49,462 in 1901. The share of property tax was comparatively low at 19800 out of a total of Rs 51,000 (1903). The ruling family came from the Waghela Rajputs and had Morwara since 1508 and Tharād since 1759. The rulers since the conquest of the latter were 1) Khanhji († 1786), 2) Harabhumji († 1823), 3) Karan Singhji († 1859), followed by his grandson, 4) Khengarsinghji (* 1836, ruled from 1860, † 1892), 5) Abhaisinghji († 1910), 6) Daulatsinhji Abhaisinhji († 1921), 7) Bhimsinhji Daulatsinhji (* 1900, reigned Feb. 19, 1921-1947)
  • Vāv (= Wai, Way, Wao), in the 5th grade, had 980.4 km² and in 1891 27,745 inhabitants, of which in 1901 8226 souls lived in 26 villages. A tribute was paid to Mārwār, which accounted for 1/20 of the taxes levied (1870: 8600, 1901: 11647). The ruler, he bore the title of Rānā , who traced the roots of his family to Prithviraj, the last Hindu emperor of Delhi, descended in historical times from Dedh Rao , who, after being expelled from Nāndol, first established himself in Tharād . Seven generations later, the Rānā Punjā lost this area in a battle in which he was killed. His son Waza and 23 other generations ruled until 1947. The last five masters, during colonial times, were: 1) Jalamsinhji, 2) Sadarsinhji (r. 1854), 3) Umedsinhji (* 1848, r. 1868, † June 1884) , 4) Chandrasinhji Umedsinhji (* 1854, ruled Jun 1884, † 25 May 1924), 5) Harisinhji Chandrasinhji (* 1889, ruled 1924–1947)

Several Thānā Circles summarized dwarf states : In these areas, jurisdiction was exercised by the agents deployed.

  • Kankrej, under a protectorate since 1819, was part of the Mahi Kantha Agency until 1844. The circle had 2090 km² and in 1901 almost 39,000 inhabitants, of which Rs. 31,181 taxes 5590 were to be paid to Baroda.
  • The Circle Diodār (933 km²) had 114 villages, 12 of which belonged to the country of the same name. He also included Tervāda (= Terwara). Whose Thākur and received its 322½ km² in 1822 from the British, who split off the area of ​​Palanpur. Bhābbar was also one of them.
  • Vārāhi , consisted of 774 km² with a good 13,000 inhabitants in 51 villages, which in 1901 paid 40,000 Rs in taxes.
  • Suigam, Santhālpur with Chadchāt together with the state of Vāv formed the circle of the same name.
  • The 7 km² of the Deesa Cantonment were administered separately.

literature

  • Imperial Gazetteer Of India; Oxford 1908 ( full text XIX ; tabular overview in Vol.XIX, p. 344f)
  • Historical Sketch of the Native States of India; 1875 ( full text )
  • Jagdish Chander Dua; Illustrated Encyclopædia & Who's Who of Princely States in Indian Sub-Continent; New Delhi 2000; ISBN 81-7479-036-5 (obviously reprint, without reference to the source, of a work published around 1943)
Individual evidence
  1. ↑ Improved methodology from 1901. Tribals were not counted everywhere before. see. FC Danvers; A Review of Indian Statistics; Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Vol. 64, No. 1 (Mar., 1901), pp. 31-72
  2. ↑ cf. Hardy, GF; Memorandum on the age tables and rates of mortality of the Indian census of 1901; Calcutta 1905 ( full text )
  3. ↑ cf. Davis, Mike; Late Victorian holocausts: El Niño famines and the making of the third world; 2001, ISBN 1859847390
  4. ↑ An estimated 13 million deaths across India. Census of India 1921 Tables

See also