Kalat State, 1908
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
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Kalat State
Pysical aspects
Native State in Baluchistan, lying between 25 degree 1'and 30 degree 8' N. and 61 degree 37' and 69 degree 22' E., with a total area of 71,593 square miles. It occupies the whole of the centre and south-west of the Province, with the exception of the indentation caused by the little State of Las Bela. It is bounded on the west by Persia ; on the east by the Bolan Pass, the Marri and Bugti hills, and Sind ; on the north by the Chagai and Quetta-Pishln Districts ; and on the south by Las Bela and the Arabian Sea. With the exception of the plains of Kharan, Kachhi, and Dasht in Makran, the country is wholly mountainous, the ranges being intersected here and aspects, there by long narrow valleys. The principal moun- tains are the Central Brahui, Kirthar, Pab, Siahan, Central Makran, and Makran Coast Ranges, which descend in elevation from about 10,000 to 1,200 feet. The drainage of the country is almost all carried off to the southward by the Nari, Mula, Hab, Porali, Hingol, and Dasht rivers. The only large river draining northwards is the Rakhshan. The coast-line stretches for about 160 miles, from near Kalmat to Gwetter Bay, and the chief port is Pasni. Round Gwadar the country is in the possession of the Sultan of Maskat.
The geological groups in the State include Liassic ; Jurassic (lower and upper Cretaceous strata) ; volcanic rocks of the Deccan trap ; Kirthar (middle eocene) ; lower Nari (upper eocene) ; and Siwalik beds (middle and upper miocene), besides extensive sub-recent and recent deposits. The State also includes a portion of the Indus alluvial plain.
The botany of the north differs entirely from that of the south. In
the former the hill slopes occasionally bear juniper, olive, and pis-
tachio ; poplars, willows, and fruit trees grow in the valleys ; herba-
ceous and bulbous plants are frequent on the hill-sides; and in the
valleys southernwood (Artemisia) and many Astragali occur. In the
latter the vegetation consists of a thorny unpleasant scrub, such plants
as Capparis aphylla, Prosopis spicigera, Calotropis procera, Acanthodium
spicatum, and Acacia being common. The dwarf-palm (Nannorhops
Ritchieana) affords a means of livelihood to many of the inhabitants.
Sind ibex and mountain sheep occur, but are decreasing in numbers.
'Ravine deer* (gazelle) are common. Bears and leopards are seen
occasionally. The wild ass is found in the western desert. Sisi and
chikor are abundant in the higher hills.
The climatic conditions vary greatly. Along the coast conditions
are intermediate between those of India and the Persian Gulf. Farther
inland great heat is experienced during summer, and the cold season
is short. Kachhi is one of the hottest parts of India. Round Kalat,
on the other hand, the seasons are as well marked as in Europe ; the
temperature in summer is moderate, while in winter severe cold is
experienced and snow falls. All the northern parts depend on the
winter snow and rain for cultivation ; in the south most of the rain
falls in the summer ; everywhere it is irregular, scanty, and local.
History
The history of the State has been given in the historical portion of the article on Baluchistan. After being held successively by Sind, by the Arabs, Ghaznivids, Ghorids, and Mongols, and again returning to Sind in the days of the Sumras and Sammas, it fell under the Mughal emperors of Delhi. The Ahmadzai power rose in the fifteenth century and reached its zenith in the eighteenth, but it was always subject to the suzerainty of Delhi or Kandahar. After the first Afghan War Kalat came under the control of the British — a control which was defined and extended by the treaties of 1854 and 1876.
The most interesting archaeological remains in the country are the Kausi and Khusravi karez in Makran, and the ubiquitous stone dams known as gabrbands or 'embankments of the fire-worshippers.' Mounds containing pottery are frequent, and Buddhist remains have been found in Kachhi.
Population
Kalat Town is the capital of the State. Other towns of importance are Bhag, Gandava, Mastung, Pasni, and Gwadar. Permanent villages number 1,348, or one to 53 square miles; the majority of the population live in mat huts or in blanket tents. The State is divided into five main divisions : Kachhi, Sarawan, Jhalawan, Makran, and Kharan, the latter being quasi-independent. The population, which numbers (1903) 470,336, consists chiefly of Brahuis and Baloch, but also includes Jats, who are cultivators in Kachhi; Darzadas and Nakibs, the cultivating class of Makran; Loris, who are artisans ; Meds and Koras, who are fishermen and sea- men ;" and servile dependants. The traders consist of Hindus and a few Khojas on the coast.
The majority of the people are Sunni
Muhammadans, but, in the west, many belong to the sect called Zikri.
Except in Makran and Kharan, the people are organized into tribes,
each of which acknowledges the leadership of a chief. Besides these
tribesmen, who form the Brahui confederacy with the Khan of Kalat
at its head, a distinct body is found in the Khan's own ulus or follow-
ing, consisting of the cultivators in those portions of the country from
which the Khan collects revenue direct. They are chiefly Dehwars
and Jats, Agriculture, flock-owning combined with harvesting, and
fishing constitute the means of livelihood of most of the popula-
tion. Brahui, Baluchi, Dehwarl, and Sindl are the languages chiefly
spoken.
The soil is sandy in most places ; here and there alluvial deposits occur and a bright red clay, which gives place in Makran to the white clay known as milk. Permanent irrigation is possible only in a few favoured tracts; elsewhere, the country depends almost entirely on flood cultivation from embankments. In irrigated tracts the supply of water is obtained from karee springs, and rivers. The staple food- grains consist of wheat and jowar.
In Makran the date is largely con-
sumed. Rice, barley, melons, millets, tobacco, lucerne, potatoes, and
beans are also cultivated. The commonest tree in the orchards is
the pomegranate; and apricots, almonds, mulberries, vines, and
apples are also grown. Experiments in sericulture are being made
at Mastung.
An excellent breed of cattle comes from Nan in Kachhi. The Sarawan country and Kachhi produce the best horses in Baluchistan. The State possessed 783 branded mares in 1904. Large donkeys are bred near Kalat town, and those in Makran are noted for their speed. Sheep and goats are very numerous. The sheep's wool, of which large quantities are exported, is coarse and comes into the market in a deplorable condition of dirt.
The goats are generally black. Camels
are bred in large numbers in Kachhi, the Pab hills, and Kharan, and
animals for transport are available almost everywhere. All households
keep fowls. The better classes breed good greyhounds for coursing.
The Ashing industry on the Makran coast is important and capable of
development. Air-bladders, shark-fins, and salted fish are exported in
large quantities.
Very little money circulates in the country, both rents and wages being usually paid in kind, and most of the tribesmen's dealings are carried on by barter. Owing to the inhospitable nature of the country, the people are very poor. The standard of living has risen slightly of recent years, and the people are now better clothed than formerly. A Brshui will never beg in his own country. With the Makranis mendicancy, which is known as pindag , is extremely common.
No arrangements for forest ‘ reservation ' exist in the State ; here and
there, however, tribal groups preserve special grounds for grass and
pasturage. Among minor forest products may be mentioned cumin
seed, asafoetida, medicinal drugs, the fruit of the pistachio, bdellium,
and gum-arabic. Few minerals have been discovered, and coal alone,
which occurs in the Sor range in the Sarawan country, is systematically
worked. Traces of coal have been found elsewhere in the Sarawan
country. Ferrous sulphate is obtainable in the Jhalawan country,
and lead was at one time worked at Sekran in the same area. Good
earth-salt, known as hamun or tap, is obtainable from the swamps, and
is also manufactured by lixiviation.
Trade and communication
Coarse cotton cloth. is woven in Kachhi and articles of floss silk are made in Makran. All Brahui women are expert with the needle, and the local embroidery is both fine and artistic. Rugs, nose-bags, &c,woven by nomads in the dart stitch, " are in general use. The art of making pile-carpets is known here and there. Durable overcoats (shai) are made by the women from dark sheep's wooL Leather is embroidered in Kachhi, Kalat, and Mastung. Matting, bags, ropes, and other articles are manufactured from the dwarf-palm.
Commerce is hampered by the levy of transit dues and octroi, both
by the State and by tribal chiefs, and by the expense of camel-
transport. The chief centres of trade are Kalat, Mastung, Gandava,
Bhag, Turbat, Gwadar, Pasni, and NaL The exports consist of wool,
ghi,raw cotton, dates, salted fish, matting, medicinal drugs, and cattle,
in return for which grain, piece-goods, metals, and silk are im-
ported. From the north the traffic goes to Quetta ; from the centre
to Kachhi and Sind ; and from the south and west by sea and land
to Karachi.
The North-Western Railway traverses the east and north-east of the
State. The only cart-road is that from Quetta to Kalat town. All other
communications consist of tracks for pack-animals, the most important
of which are those connecting Kalat with Panjgur, Kalat with Bela
via Wad, and Kachhi with Makran via the Mula Pass. A track is
now in course of construction from Pasni on the coast to Panjgur.
A postal service to Kalat is maintained by the British Government, and
letters are carried thence once a week to Khuzdar. The British India
Company's mail steamers touch at Pasni and Gwadar on alternate
weeks, and mails are carried from Pasni to Turbat, the head-quarters of
Makran. The Indo-European Telegraph wire traverses the coast, with
offices at Pasni and Gwadar ; a telegraph line runs from Quetta to
Kalat, and a line has been sanctioned from Karachi to Panjgur.
Famine
The State experiences constant scarcity and occasional famine. A drought lasting for ten years between 1830 and 1840 is mentioned by Masson. The population is, however, sparse and . exceedingly hardy, and they have ready access to Sind, where good wages are obtainable. In the Census of 1901 as many as 47,345 Brahuis were enumerated there. Advances amounting to about Rs. 29,000 were made by the State in 1900, when the scarcity which had begun in 1897 reached its culminating point. Such advances are recovered from the cultivator's grain heap at the ensuing harvests.
Administration
The control exercised by the British Government over the Brahui confederacy, and the administrative arrangements in areas subject to the direct authority of the Khan of Kalat, are descnbed in the article on Baluchistan. Except Kharan and Makran, each main division of the State comprises both tribal areas and areas subject solely to the Khan. Collateral authority is, therefore, exercised by the Khan in his nidbats and by tribal chiefs in their country. The intervention of the Political Agent is confined, as far as possible, to deciding intertribal cases or cases between the tribesmen and the Khan's subjects in which a right of arbitration rests with the British Government.
In Makran the Khan's ndzim exercises
authority everywhere ; in Kharan the chief is now subject to no inter-
ference from the Khan, but looks to the Political Agent in Kalat. The
Quetta, Nushki, and Naslrabad tahslls have been leased in perpetuity
by the State to the British Government, and the right to levy transit
dues in the Bolan Pass has been commuted for an annual subsidy of
Rs. 30,000. The head-quarters of the Political Agent were fixed at
Mastung in 1904.
The revenue of the State is derived from three principal sources : subsidies and rents paid by the British Government, interest on invest- ments, and land revenue. The subsidies include Rs. 1,00,000 paid under the treaty of 1876 and Rs. 30,000 for the Bolan Pass, while the quit-rents for the leased areas mentioned above amount to Rs. 1,51,500. Since 1893 a surplus of 41.5 lakhs has been invested in Government securities, yielding in interest 1-5 lakhs per annum. From this source are defrayed the cost of maintenance of the former Khan, Mir Khud- adad, the subsidies paid to the Jhalawan chiefs, the pay of Brahui thdnas, and the expenses of the administration of Makran.
The total income of the State may be estimated at between 7 ½ and 8 ½ lakhs of rupees, the variations being due to fluctuations in the land revenue. The expenditure amounts to about 3 ½ or 4 lakhs. A sum of Rs. 53,000 is expended annually in the State by the British Government, in the shape of telegraph subsidies, payments to chiefs for controlling their tribesmen, and the maintenance of levies. To this will now be added the charges, amounting to about 3 ½ lakhs per annum, for the Makran Levy Corps.
Land revenue is collected in kind, the rates varying from one-third
to one-eighth of the produce. Cesses are also taken, the amount of
which differs in almost every village, but which raise the share taken
by the State to nearly one-half. Here and there are to be found cash
assessments (zar-i-kalang or zar-i-shah). The cultivators also perform
certain services for the Khan, such as the escort of his horses and the
repairs to the walls of his forts. Transit dues (muhart) are levied on
caravans passing through the nidbats, and octroi (sung) on their enter-
ing and leaving trading centres. Contracts are given for the sale of
liquor, meat, &c.
The total land revenue varies with the agricultural
conditions of the year. In 1903-4, on the introduction of a new
system of administration, it rose to 4.5 lakhs. Iarge areas are held
by tribesmen and tribal chiefs, in which the Khan is entitled to no
revenue. In others, half the revenue has been alienated by the Khan
(adh-ambdri). Many of these jagirs were originally held on the con-
dition of feudal service. In Makran the Gichkis, Nausberwanis, Blzan-
jaus, and Mlrwaris are the principal holders, while in Kachhi the jdgirs
are held by Brahuis and Baloch. In such areas the tribal chiefs claim
complete independence in all revenue, civil, and criminal matters. In
adh-ambari areas the Khan retains jurisdiction.
The army is an irregular force, without organization or discipline,
consisting of 300 infantry, 300 cavalry, and 90 artillery with 29
old-fashioned guns, of which none are serviceable. The infantry is
divided into two regiments, and the cavalry into three. The total cost
amounts to about Rs. 82,000 per annum. Most of the troops are at
Kalat ; detachments are stationed at Mastung and Khuzdar, and in
Kachhi. Sepoys are paid Rs. 6 a month ; non-commissioned officers,
Rs. 7 to Rs. 12 ; while risaldars and commandants receive from Rs. 20
to Rs. 50. The cavalry soldiers are mounted on horses found by the
State. A force of 160 men is also maintained in Makran, at an annual
cost of about Rs. 32,000. Between 1894 and 1898 a body of 205
infantry and 65 camelmen under a British officer, known as the Kalat
State Troops, was maintained, but has been disbanded.
At the most important places in the Khan's nidbats levies, known as
amla, are stationed. These men are used for all kinds of duties, both
revenue and criminal. They number 222, of whom 118 are mounted
on their own horses and 64 are supplied with horses, when required, by
the Khan. The remainder are unmounted. They are paid in kind,
and get Rs. 18 per annum in cash. The total cash payments made to
them amount to about Rs. 4,000. For dealing with cases in which
Brahuis are concerned, thanas, manned by Brahui tribesmen, are located
in different parts of the country.
They number eleven, with 100 men.
In tribal areas and jagirs the peace is maintained by the chiefs,
subsidies amounting to about Rs. 50,000 being paid by the Khan for
this purpose in addition to the amounts paid by the British Govern-
ment. A force of ten police is attached to the Political Adviser to the
Khan for escort duty. One jail is maintained, with accommodation
for 100 prisoners, and there are lock-ups at the Brahui thanas.
Offenders are often kept in the stocks, and are fed by their relations.
Education has hitherto been entirely neglected, but a large school is about to be opened at Mastung. A few boys are taught in mosque schools, and Hindu children receive education from their parents. Two dispensaries are maintained, one by the British Government and the other by the State. They relieved 8,919 patients in 1903 and cost Rs- 5,300. Inoculation is practised everywhere, principally by the Saiyids and Shaikhs, but the people have no objection to vaccination. The whole country has been surveyed on the ½ -inch scale up to 66° E. ; the results of a reconnaissance survey westward have been published on the f-inch scale.
[Baluchistan Blue Books, Nos. 1, 2, and 3 (1887); H. Pottinger, Travels in Beloochistan and Sinde (18 16); C. Masson, Narrative of a Journey to Kalat (1843) ; Journeys in Baluchistan, Afghanistan, and the Punjab (1842); G. P. Tate, Kalat (Calcutta, 1896).]
