Karachi District , 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.
Contents |
Karachi District
Physical aspects
District in Sind, Bombay, lying between 23 degree 35' and 26 degree 22' N. and 66° 42' and 68° 48' E., with an area of 11,970 square miles. It is bounded on the north by Larkana ; on the east by the Indus and Hyderabad ; on the south by the sea and the Kori river ; and on the west by the sea and the State of Las Bela (Baluchistan), the river Hab forming for a considerable distance the line of demarcation. The District, which covers a large tract of land stretching from the mouth of the Indus to the Baluchi boundary, differs considerably in appearance from the general level of Sind by its possession of a hilly western region, lying in the malial of Kohistan and the taluka of Karachi. Numerous lateral ranges of considerable height here push forward into the plain from the Kirthar mountains, and diversify the usually monotonous aspect of the arid surface by their spurs and offshoots.
From this lofty and barren tract, intersected by deep and
wide valleys, the general aspect of the country, as it runs south-east-
ward in a vast sloping plain, becomes more and more level, until in
the extreme south the Indus delta presents a broad expanse of low,
flat alluvium, stretching away to the horizon in one unbroken sheet,
varied only by the numerous creeks communicating with the ocean.
Large forests of babul and other trees fringe the river banks, and impart
a somewhat fresher appearance to the otherwise dreary landscape.
Elsewhere, however, the features of the Sind delta stand unrelieved
in their naked monotony.
Apart from the Indus and the Hab rivers, there are only a few minor torrents in the . These take their rise in the western hills, but consist of dry watercourses for the greater portion of the year, filled only on the rare occasions when heavy rains fall on the higher ranges in which they have their sources. The Hajamro and Baghar are offshoots of the Indus, the former now constituting the chief channel to the sea. At PlR Mangho there are hot springs, situated among barren and rocky hills, and famous for their healing qualities, as well as for the crocodiles in an adjacent enclosure. Other hot sulphur springs are to be found at Lakhi in the Kotri taluka, which attract a number of pilgrims every year.
In Karachi the highly interesting geological series of Sind is most completely developed. It consists of upper and lower Manch- har beds of upper and middle miocene age, corresponding with the Siwaliks of Baluchistan and of the Himalayas : and the Gaj group con- taining highly fossiliferous marine beds, whose age is lower to middle Miocene. A second series is the upper Nari or oligocene, consisting of alternating fresh-water and marine strata; and this gives way in places to the lower Nari or upper eocene, a highly fossiliferous Nummulitic limestone, and to the upper limestone and shales of the Nummulitic Klrthar group, of middle eocene age, which corresponds with the Splntangi and Ghazij of Baluchistan.
One also finds a lower limestone
and shale group, likewise Nummulitic and classed as Klrthar, but not
known outside of Sind, to which nearly all the Klrthar outcrops in
Karachi belong. The upper Ranikot, another highly fossili-
ferous marine group, containing in its upper beds the oldest Nummulitic
strata known in India, is approximately on the same horizon as the
London Clay, and alternates with the lower Ranikot — fluviatile beds
with lignites and fossil remains of plants. Other features of the series
are representatives of the Deccan trap basalts ; the Cardita beaumonti
beds, which are lowermost eocene or uppermost Cretaceous ; and lastly
the hippuritic limestone. All these rocks outcrop, each in turn, in
a succession of gentle synclinal and anticlinal folds, whose structure-
recalls that of the Jura mountains. There is scarcely another part of
the world that contains so complete a development of the Tertiary. The
southern part of the is covered by the Indus alluvium.
Among fruit trees, which are not numerous, the mango, ber, apple, date, lig, plantain, and pomegranate are noticeable. The timber is almost entirely babul ; and the timur or mangrove, found near the salt creeks, provides firewood for steamers and fodder for camels. Of maritime plants, the chawara and kaudel are common on the coast. The tama- risk grows in patches which are peculiarly dense in portions of the Shahbandar taluka ; while the casuarina has been planted with some success at Karachi.
The wild animals found in the hilly portions are the leopard, hyena, wolf, jackal, fox, ibex, antelope, and gad or wild sheep. Crocodiles are found at Magar Talao ; and they are also numerous in the pools of the Hah river, in the Indus, and in some of the large canals and mountain torrent .
The climate of Karachi city and the neighbouring country, which is m every direction open to the sea-breeze, possesses a great superiority over that prevailing throughout the remainder of Sind. The hill country of Kohistan is also cooler in summer and warmer in winter than is the case in the plains. In the north, on the other hand, near the barren Lakhi range of hills, the heat often becomes insupportable. The hot season commences about the middle or end of March, reaches its maximum in the month of July, and lasts till the end of August, when the temperature once more becomes tolerably cool. The annual temperature averages 79 . The rainfall at Karachi is slight and fluctu- ating, the annual average hardly exceeding 5 inches. Sometimes one or two years pass with scarcely a shower. The average maximum rain- fall elsewhere is 9 inches in the Karachi taluka, and the minimum 5 inches at Manjhand.
History
Alexander the Great, towards the close of his Indian expedition, dispatched Nearchus, doubtless from some point (suggested to be at Tatta) in this , to explore the Persian Gulf. The date 713 marks the first Arab invasion of the , which later resulted in the formation of the local Arab princi- pality of Mansura, nearly corresponding with modern Sind. Between 1019 and 1026, the invasions of Mahmud of Ghazni took place and paved the way for the supremacy of the Siimra dynasty, whose founder was a titular vassal of the Ghaznivids; and in 1333 the Samma tribe from Cutch settled first at Sehwan in Larkana and afterwards at Tatta. Close under the Makli hills stood Samui, the capital of the Samma princes, originally a Hindu or Buddhist race. Converted to the faith of Islam about the close of the fourteenth centuiy, they con- tinued to retain their practical autonomy, in spite of a nominal allegi- ance tendered to Firoz Tughlak of Delhi ; and the town of Tatta, where they generally resided, became in after years the chief centre of population and commerce for the whole of Sind.
In 1 52 1 Shah Beg, founder of the Arghun dynasty, completely defeated the last Samma prince, and established his own claim to the sovereignty of the lower Indus valley ; but, after a continuance of only thirty-four years, the Arghun line became extinct in the person of Shah Hasan, son of the founder, who died childless in 1554. Mir/a Jam Beg, the last local ruler of Tatta, was defeated by an army of the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1592; and the , together with the rest of Sind, became incorporated with the Multan Subah in the imperial organization.
The country of Tatta, however, was made over to Jam
Beg, who entered the Mughal service after his defeat, and compromised
for his independence by accepting his former territories in jiigir.
Continued struggles for the governorship of Tatta led Jahangir to
abolish the hereditary viceroyalty, and to appoint instead special lieu-
tenants holding office during the imperial pleasure. The town of
Karachi appears to have attained little importance under either the
native dynasties or the Mughal administration. Its rise into notice
began with the period of the Talpur Mirs, in succession to the Kalhora
princes, who had usurped power on the break-up of the Mughal empire.
They were the first to recognize the value of the harbour for commerce,
and in 1792 recovered Karachi from the Khan of Kalat ; but soon
afterwards they divided into three branches, each ruling independently
in a separate part of Sind.
The British endeavoured to enter into
friendly treaties with the Mirs ; but their jealousy and mistrust of the
motives of the Government prevented any cordial understanding, and
in 1838 they offered considerable opposition to the march of British
troops on their way to the first Afghan War. After Shah Shuja was
placed on the throne, the Mirs were required to pay the arrears of
tribute due to the Afghan ruler and to permit the establishment of
a British force in Sind. Failure having been made in payment of the
stipulated tribute, the Mirs were required to cede certain territory.
The army, however, resisted this loss of independence, and attacking
the Hyderabad Residency precipitated the conflict which ended in the
annexation of Sind to the British dominions. The passed to
the British in 1843. Karachi town grew rapidly under the new admin-
istration, and became the principal port of North-western India. The
, as at first constituted, did not embrace the same area as at
present; in 1861 a portion of the Indus delta, composing the present
Shahbandar tdluka, was added to it from Hyderabad, while in 1901
three talukas were taken from it to form part of the new of
Larkana.
Among the remains of interest in the may be mentioned those situated in the town of Tatta. The town is of great antiquity, and possesses a number of tombs, inscriptions, mosques, and a fort. The Jama Masjid is decorated with coloured tile-work of the well- known Multan type. The design and shades of colour are very beauti- iul. The Dabgar Masjid has a fine central mihrab, carved with delicate surface tracery. The old fort at Tatta was commenced about 1699, but was never completed. The ruined city of Bhambore is an inter- esting archaeological relic. In the delta of the Indus are numerous sites of ruined cities, such as Lahori, Kakar, Bukera, Samui, Fathbagh, Kat Bambhan, Tun, Thari, Badin, and Tur, as well as the remains of Daro and Lohan. Among ruined forts once of importance are those of Charlo Chakar and Raniji.
Population
In 1872 the population was 442,177; in 1881, 495,860; in 1891, 571,951 ; and in 1901, 607,828. Since the date of the last Census, A new District has been created by the transfer of certain talukas from Shikarpur and Karachi s. The population of the present area of Karachi (446,513) shows .m increase of 8 per cent, over the population of the same area in 1891.
The population is distributed, as follows, in nine talukai and the Kohistan tract : —
There are 5 towns, Karachi, the capital of the province and head- quarters of the , Keti, Kotri, Manjhand, and Tatta; and 628 villages. The density of population varies according as the tract concerned happens to be desert, barren hill, or cultivable. Of the population, 77 per cent, are Musalmans, 21 per cent. Hindus, and 1 per cent. Christians. SindT is spoken by 340,837 persons, or 76 per cent, of the total.
The Muhammadans consist mainly of Sindl tribes, of whom half (112,000) returned themselves as Sammas and 9,000 as Sumras, sug- gesting some connexion with the once-powerful dynasties known by those names. The Muhanas or fishermen number 31,000. Of foreign tribes, the Baluchis are represented by 28,000, and the Brahuis by 10,000. There are 17,000 Jats. Among Hindus, the trading caste known as Lohana or Luvana is alone of numerical importance, with 35,000. Brahmans, Rajputs, and Bhatias scarcely number 3,000 each. The low castes are represented by 8,000 Dheds. Agriculture supports 45 per cent, of the population ; industries, commerce, and the profes- sions 24, 2, and 2 per cent, respectively.
Of the 2,707 native Christians in 1901, more than 2,500 were Roman Catholics and 129 belonged to the Anglican communion. Karachi is the head-quarters of the Church of England Mission, the Church of England Zanana Mission, and the Methodist Episcopal Mission. The first-named society maintains three boys' schools ; the second, nine girls' schools and a small orphanage ; the third, four boys' schools and four girls' schools, including two poor schools: the fourth, two boys' schools. The Roman Catholic and Zanana Missions have branches at Kotri and Jherruck respectively.
Agriculture
In the Karachi taluka cultivation exists only on a few isolated spots, and depends upon wells, springs, or natural rainfall. Here the chief crops are jowar, baj'ra, barley, and sugar-cane, grown chiefly on the Malir plain, distant about 12 miles from Karachi city, and easily accessible by rail. In the delta talukas of Tatta and Shahbandar, where numerous creeks and channels inter- sect the alluvial flats, rice forms the staple crop ; but wheat, sugar-cane, millets, cotton, and tobacco are also grown. In the barren hills of Kohistan, agriculture is but little practised, except within embankments erected to impound the scanty rainfall or along watercourses fed by small hill streams ; and the nomad population devotes itself almost entirely to grazing cattle in the southern plains, where abundance of forage springs up spontaneously after the slightest fall of rain.
The chief statistics of cultivation in 1903-4 are shown below,in Square miles-
Of the area cropped, 22 square miles were under wheat, 13 under barley, 245 under rice, and 100 under millets (jozvar and bajrd). Rice is the principal crop, except in the Kohistan tract and the talukas of Karachi and Kotri. Millets take the place of rice in Kotri. Among the pulses mung is an important crop. During the decade ending 1903-4 nearly 9 lakhs was advanced to cultivators under the Land Improvement Loans Act and the Agriculturists' Loans Act, out of which i-8 lakhs was lent in 1 899-1 900, and 1-3 lakhs in each of the years 1900 1 and 1901-2. The money is usually employed on erecting embankments (bands) and clearing canals.
The chief domestic animals are camels, buffaloes, and cattle. The buffaloes are commonest in the deltaic swamps, and produce gift famous all over Western India. The Karachi cows arc noted as good milkers, and many of them are shipped to Bombay for sale. The best of these cattle are bred within a radius of 30 or 40 miles from Karachi city, chiefly in the hill tracts.
Of the total cultivated area of 1,103 square miles, 380 square miles,
or 34 per cent., were irrigated in 1903-4. The chief sources of irriga-
tion are: Government canals, 118 square miles; private canals, 206;
and other sources, 56. Throughout Sind nearly every canal is fed by
the Indus; and in 1903-4 nearly 34 per cent, of the total irrigated area
of the was supplied by the Pinjari canal, fed by the Shahbandar
embankment of the Indus. The Baghar, a small canal on the right
bank, irrigated nearly 43 square miles, the Kotri 24, and the Kokwari
23 square miles. Of the irrigated land, 87 per cent, is sown for the
kharlf or autumn harvest. There are only twenty-seven wells in the
used for irrigation.
Fisheries,&c.
Sea-fishing is carried on by the Muhana tribe of Musalmans, who reside for the most part in hamlets near Karachi. The principal fish caught on the coast are sharks, rays, and skates. The pearl oyster is found at several places, and the '
Mirs conducted pearl operations on their own account. Under British rule, the right has been let for a small sum, but the pearls are very inferior in size and quality, so that the industry has greatly declined during the last twenty-five years. At present practically no pearl fish- ing is carried on. Considerable fisheries also exist in the river Indus, chiefly for the fish known as palla, which are annually leased out by Government for about Rs. 20,000.
The forest lands include tracts in the Jherruck forest division, south of Kotri, producing timber and fuel, with an area of 212 square miles in charge of a divisional forest officer. A portion of the Hyderabad forest division, measuring 48 square miles and situated north of Kotri, also lies within Karachi . The forest lands are situated on the banks of the Indus, for the most part in the Shahbandar taluka. The principal trees are the babul and tamarisk, the latter being found chiefly in the Shahbandar jungles. Forest receipts in 1 903-4 amounted to Rs. 52. Good building stone occurs among the arenaceous lime- stones of the Gaj group near Karachi.
Trade and communication
Local manufactures are confined to cotton cloth, silk scarves, carpets, rugs, and the ordinary metal and earthenware. Besides a few factories in Karachi city, there are few industries of importance.
Tatta is noted for lungis, used by women as robes or shawls. Extensive salt deposits of the purest descrip- tion occur in the Shahbandar taluka, on the Sirganda creek, a branch of the Indus, accessible for small craft of from 50 to 60 tons burden. Salt is manufactured from salt water by artificial means at the Maurypur works on the sea-coast, a few miles from Karachi. Out of 15 factories, 5 are cotton-gins and presses, employing 356 persons, and the rest include 2 metal foundries, 2 hone-mills, an arsenal, a printing press, and a railway workshop.
The traffic centres mainly in the city and port of Karachi. The
staple exports consist of grain, principally wheat, cotton, wool, hides
and skins ; and the chief imports are sugar, kerosene, piece-goods,
liquor, and metals. Karachi contains three seaports : namely,
Karachi, Keti, and Sirganda. The average value of the foreign trade,
which is practically confined to Karachi port, for the five years ending
1902-3 was: imports, 505 lakhs; exports, 712 lakhs; total, 1217
lakhs. In 1903-4 the value of the imports was 591 lakhs, and of the
exports 1345 lakhs; total, 1936 lakhs, or 719 lakhs above the average
of the previous five years. The average value of the coastwise trade for
all ports for the five years ending 1902-3 was: imports, 34c lakhs;
exports, 251 lakhs; total, 591 lakhs.
In 1903-4 the coastwise trade
was returned as follows: imports, 375 lakhs ; exports, 188 lakhs; total,
563 lakhs, or 28 lakhs below the average of the previous five years,
which resulted from a decrease in the exports to Bombay of raw cotton,
wheat, and rapeseed. The coast-borne trade includes reimports and
re-exports from and to Karachi, which are included in the values of
the foreign trade given above.
Besides being the port of call of various steamer lines, chief among which is the British India Steam Navigation Company, Karachi is con- nected with two important railway systems and a number of trade routes from Afghanistan, Kalat, and Central Asia. The North-Western Rail- way links the with the Punjab and the United Provinces, while the Jodhpur-Bikaner Railway supplies railway communication with the Thar and Parkar and, by a circuitous route, with Bombay. A line running for 54 miles from Hyderabad town to Badin, the head- quarters of the Badin taluka of Hyderabad, was opened in 1904. This line is to form part of the proposed direct railway between Sind and Bombay, which will run through Karachi and pass either through Cutch or through the Thar and Parkar .
Three im-
portant trade route converge at Karachi, placing it in direct communi-
cation with the interior of Sind, with Las Bela, and with Kalat. The
total length of metalled roads in the outside the municipal
towns is 7 miles, and of unmetalled roads 1,321 miles. The total cost
of their maintenance in 1903-4 was Rs. 19,631, of which Rs. 16,700
was paid from Local funds. Avenues of trees are maintained along
185 miles.
The District has three subdivisions, comprising nine tdlukas and three mahals, in charge of two Assistant Collectors and a Deputy-Collector. The nine talukas are each under a mukhtidrkdr. corresponding to the mamlatdar ot the Bombay Presidency proper. The three mahals are Keti Bandar, Manjhand, and Kohistan. The city of Karachi forms a separate charge under the City Deputy-Collector.
The functions of the former and Sessions Judge are now- performed by two Additional Judicial Commissioners, who, together with the Judicial Commissioner, compose the Chief Court in Sind. Sub- ordinate to them are a Judge of the Small Cause Court and a Sub- ordinate Judge, sitting at Kotri. The city is under the separate charge of a City Magistrate, and there is a Cantonment Magistrate for the Karachi and Manora cantonment. Magisterial work in the is, as usual, carried on by the administrative staff. Cattle-lifting is a very prevalent form of crime, and, as in other s, blood-feuds arising from intrigues with women are common among the hill tribes.
Before the introduction of the present settlement rates into all talukas between 1876-7 and 1889-90, there were only two rates of land revenue levied in the : that is to say, garden and 'dry-crop' rates, the former at R. 1 and the latter at 8 annas per acre. The present revenue system of Karachi is adapted to the system of cultivation, depending almost entirely upon irrigation. The irrigation settlement (.seeSind) is in force in all talukas of the , and is fixed for a term of ten years. Kohistan is settled under a special lease system, which expires in 1909, but the lease has been extended for another five years.
Under this
system the landholder is allowed to cultivate on payment of a fixed
annual rent, amounting to about 8 annas per acre. Owing to the pre-
carious water-supply of this tract, which is entirely dependent upon the
rainfall, the irrigation settlement has not been introduced into Kohistan.
The average land revenue rates per acre in the are : garden
land, Rs. 3-9 (maximum Rs. 4, minimum Rs. 2-10); rice land, Rs. 2-14
(maximum Rs. 3-8, minimum Rs. 2-4) ; and ' dry ' land, Rs. 2-0
(maximum Rs. 2-8, minimum Rs. 1-4).
Collections on account of land revenue and revenue from all sources have been in thousands of rupees : —
There are five municipalities in the : namely, Karachi,
Kotri, Manjhand, Tatta, and Keti Bandar. Elsewhere, local
affairs are managed by the and taluka boards, the total re-
ceipts of which in 1903-4 were nearly 1 ½ lakhs, the principal source
of income being the land cess. The expenditure in the same year
amounted to one lakh, of which Rs. 30,000 was spent upon roads and
buildings.
The Superintendent of police has two Assistants and seven
inspectors. There are nineteen police stations in the . The
total number of police in 1904 was 1,142, of whom 23 were chief con-
stables, 184 head constables, and 935 constables. The contains
a jail (at Karachi), n sub-jails, and 6 lock-ups. The daily
average number of prisoners in 1904 was 254, of whom 2 were females.
A new jail with accommodation for 374 prisoners is under construction.
Of the total population, 3-3 per cent. (5-6 males and 0-5 females) are
literate. As in other Sind s, education is backward as compared
with the Presidency proper, and such advance as has been made is
more observable in Karachi city than in the towns and villages in the
interior. The least backward tdlukas are Kotri and Tatta. In 1 880-1
there were 65 schools, attended by 4,581 pupils. The number of
pupils rose to 13,856 in 1891 and to 16,602 in 1901. In 1903-4 there
were 297 educational institutions, public and private, including an Arts
college at Karachi city, 6 high schools, 8 middle schools, 2 training
schools, 2 special schools, and 186 primary and elementary.
These
institutions were attended by 13,605 pupils, including 3,028 girls. Of
the 205 institutions classed as public, 2 were managed by Government,
69 by the local boards and municipalities, while 134 were aided. The
great majority of the pupils are in primary schools. Attempts have re-
cently been made by the Muhammadan community to encourage educa-
tion, and a society has been formed to promote this object. The total
expenditure on education in 1903-4 was 2 ½ lakhs, of which about
Rs. 50,000 was derived from fees. Of the total, 55 per cent, was
devoted to primary education.
The has 2 hospitals and 13 dispensaries and other institu-
tions, containing accommodation for 186 in-patients. The existing civil
hospital at Karachi is being replaced by a more modern building. In
these institutions, 104,000 cases were treated in 1904, of whom 1,928
were in-patients, and 3,473 operations were performed. The expendi-
ture was Rs. 64,000, of which Rs. 30,000 was met from Local and
municipal funds.
The number of persons successfully vaccinated in 1903-4 was 12,359, representing a proportion of 27 per 1,000, which exceeds the average for the Presidency. Vaccination is compulsory only in Karachi city.
[A. YV. Hughes. Gazetteer of the Province of Sind (1876, new edition in the press).]
