PANJÁB DISTRICTS AND DELHI
~Districts and Divisions.~--The Panjáb now consists of 28 districts
grouped in five divisions. In descriptions of districts and states
boundaries, railways, and roads, which appear on the face of the inset
maps, are omitted. Details regarding cultivation and crops will be found
in Tables II, III and IV, and information as to places of note in
Chapter XXX. The revenue figures of Panjáb districts in this chapter
relate to the year 1911-12.
~Delhi Enclave.~--On the transfer of the capital of India to Delhi part of
the area of the old district of that name comprising 337 estates was
removed from the jurisdiction of the Panjáb Government and brought under
the immediate authority of the Government of India (Act No. XIII of
1912). The remainder of the district was divided between Rohtak and
Gurgáon, and the headquarters of the Delhi division were transferred to
Ambála.
The area of the new province is only 528 square miles, and the
population including that of the City is estimated at 396,997. The
cultivated area is 340 square miles, more than half of which is
cultivated by the owners themselves. The principal agricultural tribe is
the Hindu Játs, who are hard-working and thrifty peasant farmers. The
land revenue is Rs. 4,00,203 (£26,680). The above figures only relate to
the part of the enclave formerly included in the Panjáb[8]. The head of
the administration has the title of Chief Commissioner.
[Illustration: Fig. 84. Delhi Enclave.]
[Sidenote: Area,
14,832 sq. m.
Cultd area,
10,650 sq. m.
Pop. 3,704,608;
68 p.c. H.[9]
Land Rev.
Rs. 66,99,136
= £446,609.]
~The Ambála division~--includes four of the five districts of the
South-Eastern Plains, the submontane district of Ambála, and the hill
district of Simla. It is with the exception of Lahore the smallest
division, but it ranks first in cultivated area and third in population.
It is twice the size of Wales and has twice its population. The
Commissioner is in political charge of the hill state of Sirmúr and of
five petty states in the plains.
[Illustration: Fig. 85. Hissár with portions of Phulkian States etc.]
[Sidenote: Area, 5213 sq. m.
Cultd area,
4201 sq.m.
Pop. 804,809;
67 p.c. H.
Land Rev.
Rs. 9,76,749
= £67,117.]
~Hissár District.~--Hissár is the south-western district of the division
and has a long common boundary with Bikaner. It is divided into five
_tahsíls_, Hissár, Hánsi, Bhiwání, Fatehábád, and Sirsa. There are four
natural divisions, Nálí, Bágar, Rohí, and Hariána. The overflow of the
Ghagar, which runs through the north of the district, has transformed
the lands on either bank into hard intractable clay, which yields
nothing to the husbandman without copious floods. This is the Nálí. The
Bágar is a region of rolling sand stretching along the Bikaner border
from Sirsa to Bhiwání. In Sirsa to the east of the Bágar is a plain of
very light reddish loam known as the Rohí, partly watered by the Sirhind
Canal. South of the Ghagar the loam in the east of the district is
firmer, and well adapted to irrigation, which much of it obtains from
branches of the Western Jamna Canal. This tract is known as Hariána, and
has given its name to a famous breed of cattle. The Government cattle
farm at Hissár covers an area of 65 square miles. North of the Fatehábád
_tahsíl_ and surrounded by villages belonging to the Phulkian States is
an island of British territory called Budhláda. It belongs to the Jangal
Des, and has the characteristic drought-resisting sandy loam and sand of
that tract. Much of Budhláda is watered by the Sirhind Canal. Of the
total area of the district only about 9 p.c. is irrigated. The water
level is so far from the surface that well irrigation is usually
impossible, and the source of irrigation is canals.
Hissár suffered severely from the disorders which followed on the
collapse of the Moghal Empire and its ruin was consummated by the
terrible famine of 1783. The starving people died or fled and for years
the country lay desolate. It passed into the hands of the British 20
years later, but for another 20 years our hold on this outlying
territory was loose and ineffective. In 1857 the troops at Hánsi,
Hissár, and Sirsa rose and killed all the Europeans who fell into their
hands. The Muhammadan tribes followed their example, and for a time
British authority ceased to exist. The district was part of the Delhi
territory transferred to the Panjáb in 1858.
The rainfall is scanty, averaging 15 inches, and extremely capricious.
No other district suffers so much from famine as Hissár. The crops are
extraordinarily insecure, with a large surplus in a good season and
practically nothing when the rains fail badly. They consist mainly of
the cheap pulses and millets. With such fluctuating harvests it is
impossible to collect the revenues with any regularity, and large sums
have to be suspended in bad seasons.
Such industries as exist are mostly in Hánsi and Bhiwání, where there
are mills for ginning and pressing cotton. Cotton cloths tastefully
embroidered with silk, known as _phulkárís_, are a well-known local
product.
[Illustration: Fig. 86.]
[Sidenote: Area, 2248 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1815 sq. m.
Pop. 714,834.
Land Rev.
Rs. 16,66,364
= £111,091.]
~Rohtak~--became a British possession in 1803, but it was not till after
the Mutiny that it was brought wholly under direct British
administration. The old district consisted of the three _tahsíls_ of
Rohtak, Gohána, and Jhajar, but on the breaking up of the Delhi district
the Sonepat _tahsíl_ was added.
Rohtak is practically a purely agricultural tract with large villages,
but no towns of any importance. By far the most important agricultural
tribe is the Hindu Játs. They are strong-bodied sturdy farmers, who keep
fine oxen and splendid buffaloes, and live in large and well organized
village communities. 37 p.c. of the cultivation is protected by canal
and well irrigation, the former being by far the more important. The
district consists mainly of a plain of good loam soil. There have been
great canal extensions in this plain, which under irrigation is very
fertile, yielding excellent wheat, cotton, and cane. There is a rich
belt of well irrigation in the Jamna valley, and in the south of the
district there are parts where wells can be profitably worked. Belts of
uneven sandy land are found especially in the west and south. The dry
cultivation is most precarious, for the rainfall is extremely variable.
In the old district it averages 20 inches. But averages in a tract like
Rohtak mean very little. The chief crops are the two millets and gram.
[Sidenote: Area, 2264 sq.m.
Cultd Area,
1701 sq. m.
Pop. 729,167.
Land Rev.
Rs. 15,98,333
= £106,556.]
~Gurgáon~ contains six _tahsíls_, Rewárí, Gurgáon, Nuh, Firozpur,
Palwal, and Ballabgarh. The southern part of the district projects into
Rájputána, and in its physical and racial characteristics really belongs
to that region.
Rewárí is the only town of any importance. It has a large trade with
Rájputána. Apart from this the interests of the district are
agricultural. In Gurgáon the Jamna valley is for the most part narrow
and very poor. The plain above it in the Palwal _tahsíl_ has a fertile
loam soil and is irrigated by the Agra Canal. The Hindu Játs of this
part of the district are good cultivators. The rest of Gurgáon consists
mostly of sand and sandy loam and low bare hills. In Rewárí the skill
and industry of the Hindu Ahírs have produced wonderful results
considering that many of the wells are salt and much of the land very
sandy. The lazy and thriftless Meos of the southern part of the district
are a great contrast to the Ahírs. They are Muhammadans.
About a quarter of the area is protected by irrigation from wells, the
Agra Canal, and embankments or "_bands_," which catch and hold up the
hill drainages. Owing to the depth and saltness of many of the wells the
cultivation dependent on them is far from secure, and the "_band_"
irrigation is most precarious. The large dry area is subject to
extensive and complete crop failures. The average rainfall over a series
of years is 24 inches, but its irregularities from year to year are
extreme. The district is a poor one, and for its resources bears the
heaviest assessment in the Panjáb. It requires the most careful revenue
management. There are brine wells at Sultánpur, but the demand for the
salt extracted is now very small.
[Illustration: Fig. 87.]
[Sidenote: Area, 3153 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1744 sq. m.
Pop. 799,787;
70 p.c. H.
Land Rev.
Rs. 12,92,620
=£86,175.]
~Karnál~ is midway in size between Rohtak and Hissár. One-third of the
cultivation is now protected by irrigation, two-fifths of the irrigation
being from wells and three-fifths from the Western Jamna Canal. There
are four _tahsíls_, Thanesar, Karnál, Kaithal, and Pánipat. The
peasantry consists mostly of hardworking Hindu Játs, but there are also
many Hindu and Muhammadan Rájput villages. The chief towns are Pánipat,
Karnál, and Kaithal.
[Illustration: _Fig. 88._]
The district falls broadly into two divisions, the boundary between them
being the southern limit of the floods of the Sarustí in years of heavy
rainfall. The marked features of the northern division is the effect
which the floods of torrents of intermittent flow, the Sarustí,
Márkanda, Umla, and Ghagar have on agriculture. Some tracts are included
like the Andarwár and the outlying villages of the Powádh[10] in Kaithal
which are fortunately unaffected by inundation, and have good well
irrigation. The country between the Umla and Márkanda in Thanesar gets
rich silt deposits and is generally fertile. The Kaithal Nailí is the
tract affected by the overflow of the Sarustí, Umla, and Ghagar. It is a
wretched fever-stricken region where a short lived race of weakly people
reap precarious harvests. The southern division is on the whole a much
better country. It includes the whole of Karnál and Pánipat, the south
of Kaithal, and a small tract in the extreme east of the Thanesar
_tahsíl_. North of Karnál the Jamna valley or Khádir is unhealthy and
has in many parts a poor soil. South of Karnál it is much better in
every respect. Above the Khádir is the Bángar, a plain of good loam.
North of Karnál its cultivation is protected by wells and the people are
in fair circumstances. South of that town it is watered by the Western
Jamna Canal. Another slight rise brings one to the Nardak of the Karnál
and Kaithal _tahsíls_. Till the excavation of the Sirsa branch of the
Western Jamna Canal and of the Nardak Distributary much of the Nardak
was covered with _dhák_ jangal, and the cultivation was of the most
precarious nature, for in this part of the district the rainfall is both
scanty and capricious, and well cultivation is only possible in the
north. The introduction of canal irrigation has effected an enormous
change. Wheat and gram are the great crops.
Historically Karnál is one of the most interesting districts. The Nardak
is the scene of the great struggle celebrated in the Mahábhárata. The
district contains the holy city of Thanesar, once the capital of a great
Hindu kingdom. It has found climate a more potent instrument of ruin
than the sword of Mahmúd of Ghazní, who sacked it in 1014. It still on
the occasion of Eclipse fairs attracts enormous crowds of pilgrims.
Pihowa is another very sacred place. Naráina, a few miles to the
north-west of Karnál, was the scene of two famous fights[11], and three
times, in 1526, 1556, and 1761, the fate of India was decided at
Pánipat.
[Sidenote: Area, 1851 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1174 sq. m.
Pop. 689,970.
Land Rev.
Rs. 11,47,688
= £76,513]
~Ambála~ is a submontane district of very irregular
shape. It includes two small hill tracts,
Morní and Kasaulí. There is little irrigation,
for in most parts the rainfall is ample.
Wheat is the chief crop. The population
has been declining in the past 20 years.
[Illustration: Fig. 89.]
The only town of importance is Ambála. Jagádhrí is a busy little place
now connected through private enterprise by a light railway with the N.
W. Railway. The district consists of two parts almost severed from one
another physically and wholly different as regards people, language, and
agricultural prosperity. The Rúpar subdivision in the north-west beyond
the Ghagar has a fertile soil, and, except in the Nálí, as the tract
flooded by the Ghagar is called, a vigorous Ját peasantry, whose native
tongue is Panjábí. The three south-eastern _tahsíls_, Ambála,
Naráingarh, and Jagádhrí, are weaker in every respect. The loam is often
quite good, but interspersed with it are tracts of stubborn clay largely
put under precarious rice crops. The Játs are not nearly so good as
those of Rúpar, and Rájputs, who are mostly Musulmáns, own a large
number of estates.
[Sidenote: Area, 101 sq. m.
Cultd area,
15 sq. m.
Pop. in Feb.
1911, 39,320.
Land Rev.
Rs. 17,484
= £1166.]
Simla consists of three little tracts in the hills known as Bharaulí,
Kotkhai, and Kotgarh, and of patches of territory forming the
cantonments of Dagshai, Subáthu, Solon, and Jutogh, the site of the
Lawrence Military School at Sanáwar, and the great hill station of
Simla. Bharaulí lies south-west of Simla in the direction of Kasaulí.
Kotkhai is in the valley of the Girí, a tributary of the Jamna. Kotgarh
is on the Sutlej and borders on the Bashahr State. The Deputy
Commissioner of Simla is also Superintendent or Political Officer of 28
hill states.
[Sidenote: Area,
19,934 sq. m.
Cultd area,
7762 sq. m.
Pop. 3,967,724.
Land Rev.
Rs. 61,64,172
= £410,945.]
~Jalandhar Division.~--More than half the area of the Jalandhar division
is contributed by the huge district of Kángra, which stretches from the
Plains to the lofty snowy ranges on the borders of Tibet. The other
districts are Hoshyárpur in the submontane zone, Jalandhar and Ludhiána,
which belong to the Central Plains, and Ferozepore, which is part of the
South-Eastern Panjáb. Sikhs are more numerous than in any other
division, but are outnumbered by both Hindus and Muhammadans. The
Commissioner has political charge of the hill states of Mandí and Suket
and of Kapúrthala in the Plains.
[Sidenote: Area, 9878 sq. m.
Cultd area,
918 sq. m.
Pop. 770,386;
94 p.c. H.
Land Rev.
Rs. 9,26,661
= £61,777.]
~Kángra~ is the largest district in the Panjáb. It includes three tracts
of very different character:
(_a_) Spití and Lahul, area exceeding 4400 square miles, forming part of
Tibet;
(_b_) Kulu and Saráj;
(_c_) Kángra proper, area 2939 square miles.
[Illustration: Fig. 90.]
Lahul, Spití, Kulu, and Saráj form a subdivision in charge of an
Assistant Commissioner. The people of Kángra are Hindus. Islám never
penetrated into these hills as a religion, though the Rájput Rájas of
Kángra became loyal subjects of the Moghal Emperors. In its last days
Ranjít Singh called in as an ally against the Gurkhas remained as a
hated ruler. The country was ceded to the British Government in 1846.
The Rájas were chagrined that we did not restore to them their royal
authority, but only awarded them the status of _jagírdárs_. An outbreak,
which was easily suppressed, occurred in 1848. Since then Kángra has
enjoyed 65 years of peace. A Gurkha regiment is stationed at the
district headquarters at Dharmsála. The cultivation ranges from the rich
maize and rice fields of Kulu and Kángra to the poor buckwheat and
_kulath_ on mountain slopes. Rice is irrigated by means of _kuhls_,
ingeniously constructed channels to lead the water of the torrents on to
the fields.
~Spití and Lahul.~--Spití, or rather Pití, is a country of great rugged
mountains, whose bare red and yellow rocks rise into crests of
everlasting snow showing clear under a cloudless blue sky. There is no
rain, but in winter the snowfall is heavy. The highest of the mountains
exceeds 23,000 feet. Pití is drained by the river of the same name,
which after passing through Bashahr falls I into the Sutlej at an
elevation of 11,000 feet. Of the few villages several stand at a height
of from 13,000 to 14,000 feet. The route to Pití from Kulu passes over
the Hamtu Pass (14,200 feet) and the great Shigrí glacier. The people
are Buddhists. They are governed by their hereditary ruler or Nono
assisted by five elders, the Assistant Commissioner exercising a general
supervision. Indian laws do not apply to the sparse population of this
remote canton, which has a special regulation of its own. Lahul lies to
the west of Pití, from which it is separated by a lofty range. It is
entered from Kulu by the Rotang Pass (13,000 feet) and the road from it
to Ladákh passes over the Baralácha (16,350 feet). The whole country is
under snow from December to April, but there is very little rain. The
two streams, the Chandra and Bhága, which unite to form the Chenáb, flow
through Lahul and the few villages are situated at a height of 10,000
feet in their elevated valleys. The people are Buddhists. In summer the
population is increased by "Gaddí" shepherds from Kángra, who drive lean
flocks in the beginning of June over the Rotang and take them back from
the Alpine pastures in the middle of September fat and well liking.
[Illustration: Fig. 91. Biás at Manálí.]
~Kulu and Saráj.~--The Kulu Valley, set in a mountain frame and with the
Biás, here a highland stream, running through the heart of it, is one of
the fairest parts of the Panjáb Himálaya. Manálí, at the top of the
Valley on the road to the Rotang, is a very beautiful spot. Kulu is
connected with Kángra through Mandí by the Babbu and Dulchí passes. The
latter is generally open the whole year round. The headquarters are at
Sultánpur, but the Assistant Commissioner lives at Nagar. In Kulu the
cultivation is often valuable and the people are well off. The climate
is good and excellent apples and pears are grown by European settlers.
Inner and outer Saráj are connected by the Jalaori Pass on the watershed
of the Sutlej and Biás. Saráj is a much rougher and poorer country than
Kulu. There are good _deodár_ forests in the Kulu subdivision. In 1911
the population of Kulu, Saráj, Lahul, and Pití, numbered 124,803. The
Kulu people are a simple folk in whose primitive religion local godlings
of brass each with his little strip of territory take the place of the
Brahmanic gods. It is a quaint sight to see their ministers carrying
them on litters to the fair at Sultánpur, where they all pay their
respects to a little silver god known as Raghunáthjí, who is in a way
their suzerain.
[Illustration: Fig. 92. Religious Fair in Kulu.]
Kángra proper is bounded on the north by the lofty wall of the Dhaula
Dhár and separated from Kulu by the mountains of Bara Bangáhal. It
consists of the five _tahsíls_ of Kángra, Palampur, Nurpur, Dera, and
Hamírpur. The first two occupy the rich and beautiful Kángra Valley.
They are separated from the other three _tahsíls_ by a medley of low
hills with a general trend from N.W. to S.E. They are drained by the
Biás, and are much more broken and poorer than the Kángra Valley. The
tea industry, once important, is now dead so far as carried on by
English planters. The low hills have extensive _chír_ pine forests. They
have to be managed mainly in the interests of the local population, and
are so burdened with rights that conservation is a very difficult
problem. In 1911 the population of the five _tahsíls_ amounted to
645,583. The most important tribes are Brahmans, Rájputs, and
hardworking Gírths. The hill Brahman is usually a farmer pure and
simple.
[Illustration: Fig. 93. Kulu Women.]
[Illustration: Fig. 94.]
[Sidenote: Area, 2247 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1128 sq. m.
Pop. 918,569;
54 p.c. H.
Land Rev.
Rs. 14,22,527
= £494,835.]
~Hoshyárpur~ became a British possession in 1846 after the first Sikh
War. It is a typically submontane district. A line of low bare hills
known as the Solasinghí Range divides it from Kángra. Further west the
Katár dhár, a part of the Siwáliks, runs through the heart of the
district. Between these two ranges lies the fertile Jaswan Dun
corresponding to the Una _tahsíl_. The other three _tahsíls_,
Garhshankar, Hoshyárpur, and Dasúya, are to the west of the Katár dhár.
Una is drained by the Soan, a tributary of the Sutlej. The western
_tahsíls_ have a light loam soil of great fertility, except where it has
been overlaid by sand from the numerous _chos_ or torrents which issue
from the Siwáliks. The denudation of that range was allowed to go on for
an inordinate time with disastrous results to the plains below. At last
the Panjáb Land Preservation (_Chos_) Act II of 1890 gave the Government
power to deal with the evil, but it will take many years to remedy the
mischief wrought by past inaction. The rainfall averages about 32 inches
and the crops are secure. The population has fallen off by 93,000 in 20
years, a striking instance of the ravages of plague. The chief tribes
are Játs, Rájputs, and Gújars.
[Sidenote: Area, 1431 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1069 sq. m.
Pop. 801,920;
45 p.c. M.
33 p.c. H.
22 p.c. S.
Land Rev.
Rs. 14,77,661
= £98,511.]
~Jalandhar District.~--Modern though the town of Jalandhar looks it was
the capital of a large Hindu kingdom, which included also Hoshyárpur,
Mandí, Suket, and Chamba, and in the ninth century was a rival of
Kashmír (page 160). The present district is with the exception of Simla
the smallest, and for its size the richest, in the province. It contains
four _tahsíls_, Nawashahr, Phillaur, Jalandhar, and Nakodar. About 45
p.c. of the cultivation is protected by 28,000 wells. Behind the long
river frontage on the Sutlej is the Bet, divided by a high bank from the
more fertile uplands. The soil of the latter is generally an excellent
loam, but there is a good deal of sand in the west of the district. The
rainfall averages about 26 inches and the climate is healthy. The well
cultivation is the best in the Panjáb. Between 1901 and 1911 the
population declined by 13 p.c. Játs and Arains, both excellent
cultivators, are the predominant tribes. British rule dates from 1846.
[Illustration: Fig. 95.]
[Sidenote: Area, 1452 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1143 sq. m.
Pop. 517,192;
40 p.c. S.
35 p.c. M
25 p.c. H.
Land Rev.
Rs. 11,57,399
= £77,160.]
~Ludhiána~ on the opposite bank of the Sutlej is also a very small
district. It consists of a river Bet and Uplands with generally speaking
a good loam soil. But there are very sandy outlying estates in the
Jangal Des surrounded by Patiála and Jínd villages. There are three
_tahsíls_, Samrála, Ludhiána, and Jagráon. Of the cultivated area 26
p.c. is irrigated, from wells (19) and from the Sirhind Canal (7). Wheat
and gram are the principal crops. Between 1901 and 1911 the population
fell from 673,097 to 517,192, the chief cause of decline being plague.
Sturdy hard-working Játs are the backbone of the peasantry. They furnish
many recruits to the Army. Ludhiána is a thriving town and an important
station on the N.W. Railway. Our connection with Ludhiána began in 1809,
and the district assumed practically its present shape in 1846 after the
first Sikh War.
[Illustration: Fig. 96.]
[Sidenote: Area, 4286 sq. m.
Cultd area,
3504 sq. m.
Pop. 959,657;
44 p.c. M.
29 p.c. H.
27 p.c. S.
Land Rev.
Rs. 11,79,924
= £78,661.]
~Ferozepore~ is a very large district. The Farídkot State nearly cuts it
in two. The northern division includes the _tahsíls_ of Ferozepore,
Zíra, and Moga, the last with an outlying tract known as Mahráj, which
forms an island surrounded by the territory of several native states.
The southern division contains the _tahsíls_ of Muktsar and Fázilka. Our
connection with Ferozepore began in 1809, and, when the widow of the
last Sikh chief of Ferozepore died in 1835, we assumed direct
responsibility for the administration of a considerable part of the
district. Two of the great battles of the first Sikh War, Mudkí and
Ferozesháh or more properly Pherushahr, were fought within its borders.
Mamdot with an area of about 400 square miles ceased to be independent
in 1855, but the descendant of the last ruler still holds it in _jagír_.
Fázilka was added in 1864 when the Sirsa district was broken up. Of the
cultivated area 47-1/2 p.c. is irrigated by the Sirhind Canal, the Grey
Inundation Canals, and wells. For the most part the district is divided
into three tracts, the riverain, Hithár or Bet, with a poor clay soil
and a weak population, the Utár, representing river deposits of an older
date when the Sutlej ran far west of its present bed, and the Rohí, an
upland plain of good sandy loam, now largely irrigated by the Sirhind
Canal. The Grey Canals furnish a far less satisfactory source of
irrigation to villages in the Bet and Utár. In different parts of this
huge district the rainfall varies from 10 to 22 inches. The chief crops
are gram and wheat. The Játs are the chief tribe. In the Uplands they
are a fine sturdy race, but unfortunately they are addicted to strong
drink, and violent crime is rife. Ferozepore has a large cantonment and
arsenal and a big trade in grain. It is an important railway junction.
[Illustration: Fig. 97.]
[Sidenote: Area,
12,387 sq. m.
Cultd area,
7924 sq. m.
Pop 4,656,629;
57 p.c. M.
24 p.c. H.
16 p.c. S.
Land Rev.
Rs. 70,53,856
= £470,257.]
~Lahore Division.~--Lahore is the smallest division, but the first in
population. Its political importance is great as the home of the Sikhs
of the Mánjha, and because the capital of the province and the sacred
city of the _Khálsa_ are both within its limits. It contains the five
districts of Gurdáspur, Siálkot, Gujránwála, Lahore, and Amritsar. The
Commissioner is in political charge of the Chamba State.
[Sidenote: Area, 1809 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1281 sq. m.
Pop. 836,771;
49 p.c. M.
34 p.c. H.
14-1/2 p.c. S.
Land Rev.
Rs. 17,68,412
= £117,894.]
~Gurdáspur~ is a submontane district with a good rainfall and a large
amount of irrigation. The crops are secure except in part of the
Shakargarh _tahsíl_. 27 p.c. of the cultivated area is irrigated, 16 by
wells and 11 by the Upper Bárí Doáb Canal. Irrigation is only allowed
from the Canal for the Autumn harvest. The chief crop is wheat and the
area under cane is unusually large. Of late years plague has been very
fatal and the population fell from 940,334 in 1901 to 836,771 in 1911.
Játs, Rájputs, Arains, Gújars, and Brahmans, are the chief agricultural
tribes, the first being by far the most important element. There are
four _tahsíls_, Batála, Gurdáspur, and Pathánkot in the Bárí Doáb, and
Shakargarh to the west of the Ráví. Batála is one of the most fertile
and prosperous tracts in the Panjáb and Gurdáspur is also thriving.
Pathánkot is damp, fever stricken, and unprosperous. It lies mostly in
the plains but contains a considerable area in the low hills and higher
up two enclaves, Bakloh and Dalhousie, surrounded by Chamba villages.
Shakargarh is much more healthy, and is better off than Pathánkot. There
is good duck and snipe shooting to be got in some parts of the district,
as the drainage from the hills collects in swamps and _jhíls_.
[Illustration: Fig. 98.]
[Illustration: Fig. 99.]
Area, 1991 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1427 sq. m.
Pop. 979,553;
62 p.c. M.
25 p.c. H.
8 p.c. S.
Land Rev.
Rs. 14,79,390
= £98,626.
~Siálkot~ is another secure and fully cultivated submontane district. It
lies wholly in the Rechna Doáb and includes a small well-watered hilly
tract, Bajwát, on the borders of Jammu. The Ráví divides Siálkot from
Amritsar an the Chenáb separates it from Gujrát. The Degh and some
smaller torrents run through the district. In the south there is much
hard sour clay, part hitherto unculturable. But irrigation from the
Upper Chenáb Canal will give a new value to it. There are five
_tahsíls_, Zafarwál, Siálkot, Daska, Pasrúr, and Raya. The chief crop is
wheat which is largely grown on the wells, numbering 22,000. The
pressure of the population on the soil was considerable, but since 1891
the total has fallen from 1,119,847 to 979,553 as the result of plague
and emigration to the new canal colonies. Christianity has obtained a
considerable number of converts in Siálkot. The Játs form the backbone
of the peasantry. Rájputs and Arains are also important tribes, but
together they are not half as numerous as the Játs.
[Illustration: Fig. 100.]
[Sidenote: Area, 4802 sq. m.
Cultd area,
2166 sq. m.
Pop. 923,419.
Land Rev.
Rs. 15,43,440
= £102,896.]
~Gujránwála~ is a very large district in the Rechna Doáb, with five
_tahsíls_, Wazírábád, Gujránwála, Sharakpur, Háfizábád, and Khángáh
Dográn. The rainfall varies from 20 inches on the Siálkot border to ten
or eleven in the extreme south-west corner of the district. Gujránwála
is naturally divided into three tracts: the Riverain of the Ráví and
Chenáb, the Bángar or well tract, and the Bár once very partially
cultivated, but now commanded by the Lower and Upper Chenáb Canals.
Enormous development has taken place in the Háfizábád and Khángáh Dográn
_tahsíls_ in the 20 years since the Lower Chenáb Canal was opened. Of
late years the rest of the district has suffered from plague and
emigration, and has not prospered. But a great change will be effected
by irrigation from the Upper Chenáb Canal, which is just beginning. In
the east of the district much sour clay will become culturable land, and
the Bár will be transformed as in the two _tahsíls_ watered by the older
canal. Of the cultivated area 73-1/2 p.c. is irrigated, 36-1/2 from
wells and 37 from canals. The chief crops are wheat and gram. There is,
as is usual in the Western Panjáb, a great preponderance of Spring
crops. The Játs are far and away the strongest element in the
population.
[Sidenote: Area, 1601 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1184 sq. m.
Pop. 880,728;
46 p.c. M.
29 p.c. S.
24 p.c. H.
Land Rev.
Rs. 12,70,799
= £84,720.]
~Amritsar~ is a small district lying in the Bárí Doáb between Gurdáspur
and Lahore. 62 p.c. of the cultivated area is irrigated, half from
12,000 wells and half from the Upper Bárí Doáb Canal. Unfortunately much
waterlogging exists, due to excessive use of canal water and defective
drainage. Measures are now being taken to deal with this great evil,
which has made the town of Amritsar and other parts of the district
liable to serious outbreaks of fever. There are two small riverain
tracts on the Biás and Ráví and a poor piece of country in Ajnála
flooded by the Sakkí. The main part of the district is a monotonous
plain of fertile loam. The two western _tahsíls_, Amritsar and Tarn
Táran, are prosperous, Ajnála is depressed. The rainfall is moderate
averaging 21 or 22 inches, and the large amount of irrigation makes the
harvests secure. The chief crops are wheat and gram.
[Illustration: Fig. 101.]
The Sikh Játs of the Mánjha to the south of the Grand Trunk Road form by
far the most important element in the population. Between 1901 and 1911
there was a falling off from 1,023,828 to 880,728. Besides its religious
importance the town of Amritsar is a great trade centre.
[Illustration: Fig. 102.]
[Sidenote: Area, 2824 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1866 sq. m.
Pop. 1,036,158.
Land Rev.
Rs. 991,815
= £66,121.]
~Lahore~ lies in the Bárí Doáb to the south-west of Amritsar. It is a
much larger district, though, like Amritsar, it has only three
_tahsíls_, Lahore, Kasúr, and Chúnian. 76 p.c. of the cultivated area is
irrigated, 23 from wells and 53 from canals. There has been an enormous
extension of irrigation from the Upper Bárí Doáb Canal in the past 30
years. Accordingly, though the rainfall is somewhat scanty, the crops
are generally secure. The principal are wheat and gram. The district
consists of the Riverain on the Biás and Ráví, the latter extending to
both sides of the river, and the plain of the Mánjha, largely held by
strong and energetic Sikh Játs. In the Ráví valley industrious Arains
predominate. Railway communications are excellent. Trade activity is not
confined to the city of Lahore. Kasúr, Chúnian, and Raiwind are
important local centres.
[Sidenote: Area,
21,361 sq. m.
Cultd area,
8099 sq.m.
Pop. 3,353,052;
87 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 50,43,587
= £336,239.]
The ~Ráwalpindí Division~ occupies the N.W. of the Panjáb. It is in area
the second largest division, but in population the smallest. Five-sixths
of the people profess the faith of Islam. It includes six districts,
Gujrát, Jhelam, Ráwalpindi, Attock, Mianwálí, and Sháhpur. This is the
division from which the Panjáb Musalmáns, who form so valuable an
element in our army, are drawn.
[Illustration: Fig. 103.]
[Sidenote: Area, 2357 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1369 sq. m.
Pop. 784,011.
Land Rev.
Ra. 887,220
= £59,148.]
~Gujrát~ lies in the Jech Doáb. The two northern _tahsíls_, Gujrát and
Kharián, have many of the features of a submontane tract. In the former
the Pabbí, a small range of low bare hills, runs parallel to the Jhelam,
and the outliers of the Himálaya in Kashmír are not far from the
northern border of the district. The uplands of these two _tahsíls_
slope pretty rapidly from N.E. to S.W., and contain much light soil.
They are traversed by sandy torrents, dry in winter, but sometimes very
destructive in the rains. Phália on the other hand is a typical plain's
_tahsíl_. It has on the Chenáb a wide riverain, which also separates the
uplands of the Gujrát _tahsíl_ from that river. The Jhelam valley is
much narrower. Above the present Chenáb alluvial tract there is in
Phália a well tract known as the Hithár whose soil consists of older
river deposits, and at a higher level a Bár, which will now receive
irrigation from the Upper Jhelam Canal and become a rich agricultural
tract. 26 p.c. of the cultivated area is irrigated from wells. Játs and
Gújars are the great agricultural tribes, the former predominating. The
climate is mild and the rainfall sufficient. The chief crops are wheat
and _bájra_.
[Sidenote: Area, 2813 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1162 sq. m.
Pop. 511,575;
88 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Ra. 752,758
= £50,183.]
The ~Jhelam district~ lies to the north of the river of the same name.
The district is divided into three _tahsíls_, Jhelam, Chakwál, Pind
Dádan Khán. The river frontage is long, extending for about 80 miles,
and the river valley is about eight miles wide. The district contains
part of the Salt Range, from the eastern end of which the Nílí and Tilla
spurs strike northwards, enclosing very broken ravine country called the
Khuddar. The Pabbí tract, embracing the Chakwál _tahsíl_ and the north
of the Jhelam _tahsíl_, is much less broken, though it too is scored by
deep ravines and traversed by torrents, mostly flowing north-west into
the Sohán river. Two large torrents, the Kahá and the Bunhár, drain into
the Jhelam. There are some fertile valleys enclosed in the bare hills of
the Salt Range. The average rainfall is about 20 inches and the climate
is good. It is hot in summer, but the cold weather is long, and
sometimes for short periods severe. There is little irrigation and the
harvests are by no means secure. The chief crops are wheat and _bájra_.
The country breeds fine horses, fine cattle, and fine men. Numerically
Játs, Rájputs, and Awáns are the principal tribes, but the Janjuas and
Gakkhars, though fewer in number, are an interesting element in the
population, having great traditions behind them. Awáns, Janjuas, and
Gakkhars supply valuable recruits to the army. Most of the villages are
far from any railway.
[Illustration: Fig. 104.]
[Sidenote: Area, 2010 sq. m.
Cultd area,
937 sq. m.
Pop. 547,827;
83 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 674,650
= £44,977.]
[Illustration: Fig. 105.]
~Ráwalpindí~ is the smallest district in the division. Along the whole
eastern border the Jhelam, which runs in a deep gorge, divides it from
Kashmír. There are four _tahsíls_, Murree, Kahúta, Ráwalpindí, and Gújar
Khán. The first is a small wedge of mountainous country between Kashmír
and Hazára. The hills are continued southwards at a lower level in the
Kahúta _tahsíl_ parallel with the Jhelam. The greater part of the
district consists of a high plateau of good light loam, in parts much
eaten into by ravines. Where, as often happens, it is not flat the
fields have to be carefully banked up. The plateau is drained by the
Sohán and the Kánshí. The latter starting in the south of Kahúta runs
through the south-east of the Gújar Khán _tahsíl_, and for some miles
forms the boundary of the Ráwalpindí and Jhelam districts. The district
is very fully cultivated except in the hills. In the plains the rainfall
is sufficient and the soil very cool and clean, except in the extreme
west, where it is sometimes gritty, and, while requiring more, gets
less, rain. The chief crops are wheat, the _Kharíf_ pulses and _bájra_.
The climate is good. The cold weather is long, and, except in January
and February, when the winds from the snows are very trying, it is
pleasant. In the plains the chief tribes are Rájputs and Awáns. Gakkhars
are of some importance in Kahúta. In the Murree the leading tribes are
the Dhúnds and the Sattís, the latter a fine race, keen on military
service.
[Illustration: Fig. 106. Shop in Murree Bazár.]
~Ráwalpindí~ is the largest cantonment in Northern India. From it the
favourite hill station of Murree is easily reached, and soon after
leaving Murree the traveller crosses the Jhelam by the Kohála bridge and
enters the territory of the Mahárája of Kashmír.
[Sidenote: Area, 4025 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1678 sq. m.
Pop. 519,273;
91 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 672,851
=£44,857.]
[Illustration: Fig. 107.]
~Attock district.~--Though Attock is twice the size of Ráwalpindí it has
a smaller population. Nature has decreed that it should be sparsely
peopled. The district stretches from the Salt Range on the south to the
Hazára border on the north. It contains itself the fine Kálachitta range
in the north, the small and barren Khairí Múrat range in the centre, and
a line of bare hills running parallel with the Indus in the west. That
river forms the western boundary for 120 miles, dividing Attock from
Pesháwar and Kohát. It receives in the Attock district two tributaries,
the Haro and the Soán. There are four _tahsíls_, Attock, Fatehjang,
Pindigheb, and Talagang. The northern _tahsíl_ of Attock is most
favoured by nature. It contains the Chach plain, part of which has a
rich soil and valuable well irrigation, also on the Hazára border a
small group of estates watered by cuts from the Haro. The south of the
_tahsíl_ is partly sandy and partly has a dry gritty or stony soil. Here
the crops are very insecure. The rest of the district is a plateau. The
northern part consists of the _tahsíls_ of Fatehjang and Pindigheb
drained by the Soán and its tributary the Sil. The southern is occupied
by _tahsíl_ Talagang, a rough plateau with deep ravines and torrents
draining northwards into the Soán. In the valleys of the Sil and Soán
some good crops are raised. The soil of the plateau is very shallow, and
the rainfall being scanty the harvest is often dried up. The chief crops
are wheat and _bájra_. Awáns form the bulk of the agricultural
population.
[Sidenote: Area, 5395 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1020 sq. m.
Pop. 341,377;
88 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 359,836
= £23,989.]
~Mianwálí~ is one of the largest districts, but has the smallest
population of any except Simla. The Indus has a course of about 180
miles in Mianwálí. In the north it forms the boundary between the
Mianwálí _tahsíl_ and the small Isakhel _tahsíl_ on the right bank. In
the south it divides the huge Bhakkar _tahsíl_, which is bigger than an
average district, from the Dera Ismail Khán district of the N.W.F.
Province. It is joined from the west by the Kurram, which has a short
course in the south of the Isakhel _tahsíl_. The Salt Range extends into
the district, throwing off from its western extremity a spur which runs
north to the Indus opposite Kálabágh. Four tracts may be distinguished,
two large and two small. North and east of the Salt Range is the Khuddar
or ravine country, a little bit of the Awánkárí or Awán's land, which
occupies a large space in Attock. West of the Indus in the north the
wild and desolate Bhangí-Khel glen with its very scanty and scattered
cultivation runs north to the Kohát Hills. The rest of the district
consists of the wide and flat valley of the Indus and the Thal or
Uplands. In the north the latter includes an area of strong thirsty
loam, but south of the railway it is a huge expanse of sand rising
frequently into hillocks and ridges with some fertile bottoms of better
soil. Except in the north the Thal people used to make their living
almost entirely as shepherds and camel owners. There were scattered
little plots of better soil where wells were sunk, and the laborious and
careful cultivation was and is Dutch in its neatness. Some millets were
grown in the autumn and the sandhills yielded melons. The people have
now learned that it is worth while to gamble with a spring crop of gram,
and this has led to an enormous extension of the cultivated area. But
even now in Mianwálí this is a comparatively small fraction of the total
area. There is a small amount of irrigation from wells and in the
neighbourhood of Isakhel from canal cuts from the Kurram. Owing to the
extreme scantiness of the rainfall the riverain depends almost entirely
on the Indus floods, to assist the spread of which a number of
embankments are maintained. Everywhere in Mianwálí the areas both of
crops sown and of crops that ripen fluctuate enormously, and much of the
revenue has accordingly been put on a fluctuating basis. The chief crops
are wheat, _bájra_, and gram. Jats[12] are in a great majority
Cis-Indus, but Patháns are important in Isakhel.
[Illustration: Fig. 108.]
[Sidenote: Area, 4791 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1933 sq. m.
Pop. 648,989.
Land Rev.
Rs. 16,96,272
= £113,085.]
~Sháhpur~ is also a very large district with the three _tahsíls_ of
Bhera, Sháhpur, and Sargodha in the Jech Doáb, and on the west of the
Jhelam the huge Khusháb _tahsíl_, which in size exceeds the other three
put together. The principal tribes are Jats Cis-Jhelam, Awáns in the
Salt Range, and Jats and Tiwánas in Khusháb. The Tiwána Maliks have
large estates on both sides of the river and much local influence. East
of the Jhelam the colonization of the Bár after the opening of the Lower
Jhelam Canal has led to a great increase of population and a vast
extension of the cultivated area, 71 p.c. of which is irrigated. The
part of the district in the Jech Doáb consists of the river valleys of
the Chenáb and Jhelam, the Utár, and the Bár. The Chenáb riverain is
poor, the Jhelam very fertile with good well irrigation. In the north of
the district the Utár, a tract of older alluvium, lies between the
present valley of the Jhelam and the Bár. It has hitherto been largely
irrigated by public and private inundation canals, but this form of
irrigation may be superseded by the excavation of a new distributary
from the Lower Jhelam Canal. Till the opening of that canal the Bár was
a vast grazing area with a little cultivation on scattered wells and in
natural hollows. North of the Kirána Hill the soil is excellent and the
country is now a sheet of cultivation. In the south of the Bár much of
the land is too poor to be worth tillage. The Khusháb _tahsíl_ consists
of the Jhelam riverain, the Salt Range with some fertile valleys hidden
amid barren hills, the Mohár below the hills with a thirsty soil
dependent on extremely precarious torrent floods, and the Thal, similar
to that described on page 260. The rainfall of the district is scanty
averaging eleven or twelve inches. The chief crops are wheat, _bájra_
and _jowár_, _charí_ and cotton.
[Illustration: Fig. 109.]
[Sidenote: Area,
28,652 sq. m.
Cultd area,
9160 sq. m.
Pop. 3,772,728;
78 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 81,48,103
= £542,872.]
The ~Multán~ division consists of the six districts of the S.W. Panjáb,
Montgomery, Lyallpur, Jhang, Multán, Muzaffargarh, and Dera Ghází Khán.
Muhammadans are in an overwhelming majority. Wheat and cotton are the
chief crops.
[Sidenote: Area, 4649 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1080 sq. m.
Pop. 535,299;
75 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 434,563
= £28,971.]
The ~Montgomery~ district takes its name from Sir Robert Montgomery
(page 192). It lies in the Bárí Doáb between the Sutlej and the Ráví. It
consists of the two Ráví _tahsíls_ of Gugera and Montgomery, and the two
Sutlej _tahsíls_ of Dipálpur and Pákpattan. The trans-Ráví area of the
Montgomery district was transferred to Lyallpur in April, 1913. It is
included in the figures for area and population given in the margin.
The backbone of the district is a high and dry tract known as the Ganjí
or Bald Bár. The advent of the Lower Bárí Doáb Canal will entirely
change the character of this desert. Its south-eastern boundary is a
high bank marking the course of the old bed of the Biás. Below this is
the wide Sutlej valley. The part beyond the influence of river floods
depends largely on the Khánwáh and Sohág Pára inundation Canals. The
Ráví valley to the north-west of the Bár is naturally fertile and has
good well irrigation. But it has suffered much by the failure of the
Ráví floods.
[Illustration: Fig. 110.]
The peasantry belongs largely to various tribes described vaguely as
Játs. The most important are Káthias, Wattús, and Kharrals. The last
gave trouble in 1857 and were severely punished. The Dipálpur Kambohs
are much more hard-working than these semi-pastoral Játs. There is
already a small canal colony on the Sohág Pára Canals and arrangements
for the colonization of the Ganjí Bár are now in progress.
[Sidenote: Area, 3156 sq. m.
Cultd area,
2224 sq. m.
Pop. 857,711;
61 p.c. M.
18 p.c. H.
17 p.c. S.
4 p.c. Ch.[13]
Land Rev.
Rs. 37,55,139
= £237,009.]
The ~Lyallpur district~ occupies most of the Sándal Bár, which a quarter
of a century ago was a desert producing scrub jungle and, if rains were
favourable, excellent grass. It was the home of a few nomad graziers.
The area of the district, which was formed in 1904 and added to from
time to time, has been taken out of the Crown Waste of the Jhang and
Montgomery districts on its colonization after the opening of the Lower
Chenáb Canal. Some old villages near the present borders of these two
districts have been included. The colonization of the Sándal Bár has
been noticed on pages 139-140. The figures for area and population given
in the margin are for the district as it was before the addition of the
trans-Ráví area of Montgomery.
[Illustration: Fig. 111.]
Lyallpur is divided into the four _tahsíls_ of Lyallpur, Járanwala,
Samundrí, and Toba Tek Singh. It consists almost entirely of a flat
plain of fertile loam with fringes of poor land on the eastern, western,
and southern edges. The cultivated area is practically all canal
irrigated. The rainfall of 10 inches does not encourage dry cultivation.
The chief crops are wheat, the oil seed called _toria_, cotton, and
gram. The area of the first much exceeds that of the other three put
together. There is an enormous export of wheat and oil seeds to Karáchí.
[Illustration: Fig. 112.]
[Sidenote: Area, 3363 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1214 sq. m.
Pop. 515,526;
82 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 11,67,965
= £77,864.]
~Jhang~ now consists of a wedge of country lying between Lyallpur on the
east and Sháhpur, Mianwálí, and Muzaffargarh on the west. It contains
the valleys of the Chenáb and Jhelam rivers, which unite to the
south-west of the district headquarters and flow as a single stream to
the southern boundary. The valley of the Jhelam is pretty and fertile,
that of the Chenáb exactly the reverse. In the west of the district part
of the Thal is included in the boundary. The high land between the river
valleys is much of it poor. Irrigation from the Lower Jhelam Canal is
now available. There is a fringe of high land on the east of the Chenáb
valley, partly commanded by the Lower Chenáb Canal. Jhang is divided
into the three large _tahsíls_ of Jhang, Chiniot, and Shorkot. The
rainfall is about ten inches and the summer long and very hot. The chief
crops are wheat, _jowár_, and _charí_. The Siáls are few in number, but
are the tribe that stands highest in rank as representing the former
rulers.
[Illustration: Fig. 113.]
[Sidenote: Area, 6107 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1756 sq. m.
Pop. 814,871;
82 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 13,74,472
= £91,631.]
~Multán~ occupies the south of the Bárí Doáb. The Ráví flows from east
to west across the north of the district and falls into the Chenáb
within its boundary. The Sutlej meets the combined stream of the Jhelam,
Chenáb, and Ráví at the south-west corner of the district.
A part of the Kabírwála _tahsíl_ lies beyond the Ráví. The other four
_tahsíls_ are Multán, Shujábád, Lodhran, and Mailsí. In a very hot
district with an average rainfall of six inches cultivation must depend
on irrigation or river floods. The present sources of irrigation are
inundation canals from the Chenáb and Sutlej supplemented by well
irrigation, and the Sidhnai Canal from the Ráví. The district consists
of the river valleys, older alluvial tracts slightly higher than these
valleys, but which can be reached by inundation canals[14], and the high
central Bár, which is a continuation of the Ganjí Bár in Montgomery.
Part of this will be served by the new Lower Bárí Doáb Canal. The
population consists mainly of miscellaneous tribes grouped together
under the name of Jats, the ethnological significance of which in the
Western Panjáb is very slight. They are Muhammadans. The district is
well served by railways.
[Sidenote: Area, 6052 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1163 sq. m.
Pop. 569,461;
87 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 873,491
= £58,233.]
~Muzaffargarh~ is with the exception of Kángra the biggest Panjáb
district. It forms a large triangle with its apex in the south at the
junction of the Indus and Panjnad. On the west the Indus forms the
boundary for 180 miles. On the east Muzaffargarh has a river boundary
with Baháwalpur and Multán, but, where it marches with Jhang, is
separated from it by the area which that district possesses in the Sind
Ságar Doáb. There are four _tahsíls_, Leia, Sinánwan, Muzaffargarh, and
Alipur, the first being equal in area to a moderately sized district.
The greater part of Leia and Sinánwan is occupied by the Thal. The
southern tongue of the Thal extends into the Muzaffargarh _tahsíl_. The
rest of that district is a heavily inundated or irrigated tract, the
part above flood level being easily reached by inundation canals. Dry
cultivation is impossible with a yearly rainfall of about six inches.
The chief crop is wheat. In the south of the district the people live in
frail grass huts, and when the floods are out transfer themselves and
their scanty belongings to wooden platforms.
[Illustration: Fig. 114.]
[Sidenote: Area, 5325 sq. m.
Cultd area,
1723 sq. m.
Pop. 499,860;
88 p.c. M.
Land Rev.
Rs. 542,473
= £36,165.]
~Dera Ghází Khán district.~--When the N. W. Frontier Province was
separated from the Panjáb, the older province retained all the
trans-Indus country in which Biluches were the predominant tribe. The
Panjáb therefore kept Dera Ghází Khán. It has a river frontage on the
Indus about 230 miles in length and on the west is bounded by the
Sulimán Range, part of which is included within the district. The Deputy
Commissioner of Dera Ghází Khán and the Commissioner of Multán spend
part of the hot weather at Fort Munro. The wide Indus valley is known as
the Sindh. The tract between it and the Hills is the Pachádh. It is
seamed by hill torrents, three of which, the Vehoa, the Sangarh, and the
Kahá, have a thread of water even in the cold season. The heat in summer
is extreme, and the _luh_, a moving current of hot air, claims its human
victims from time to time. The cultivation in the Sindh depends on the
river floods and inundation canals, helped by wells. In the Pachádh dams
are built to divert the water of the torrents into embanked fields. The
cultivated area is recorded as 1723 square miles, but this is enormously
in excess of the cropped areas, for a very large part of the embanked
area is often unsown. The encroachments of the Indus have enforced the
transfer of the district headquarters from Dera Ghází Khán to a new town
at Choratta. Biluches are the dominant tribe both in numbers and
political importance. They with few exceptions belong to one or other of
the eight organized clans or tumans, Kasránis, Sorí Lunds, Khosas,
Laghárís, Tibbí Lunds, Gurchánís, Drishaks, and Mazárís. The most
important clans are Mazárís, Laghárís, and Gurchánís. Care has been
taken to uphold the authority of the chiefs. The Deputy Commissioner is
political officer for such of the independent Biluch tribes across the
administrative frontier as are not included in the Biluchistán Agency.
Regular troops have all been removed from the district. The peace of the
borderland is maintained by a tribal militia under the command of a
British officer.
[Illustration: Fig. 115.]
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 8: Some estates lying to the east of the Jamna and belonging
to the United Provinces have recently been added to the enclave.]
[Footnote 9: H. = Hindu, M. = Muhammadan, S. = Sikh.]
[Footnote 10: Not shown in map.]
[Footnote 11: See page 169.]
[Footnote 12: This leading tribe in the Panjáb is known as Ját in the
Hindi-speaking Eastern districts and as Jat elsewhere.]
[Footnote 13: Ch.=Christian.]
[Footnote 14: There is a project for improving the water-supply of
inundation canals in the west of the district by building a weir across
the Chenáb below its junction with the Jhelam.]