Kolar District, 1908
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Kolar District, 1908
District in the east of the State of Mysore, lying between 12 degree 46' and 13 degree 58' N. and 77 degree 22' and 7 8° 35' E., with an area of 3,180 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the Anantapur and Cuddapah Districts of Madras ; on the east by the Cuddapah and North Arcot Districts of Madras; on the south by the Salem District of Madras; and on the west by Bangalore and Tumkur Districts.
Physical aspects
The District borders on the Eastern Ghats, but touches them only pn the north-east and south, between these points receding to about 15 miles from the range. The main part comprises aspects. The nea d °f The Palar river system on the south, and that of the Penner on the north, separated by an imaginary line from Chik-Ballapur to Srinivaspur. In and around Nandidroog in the north-west are the sources of the following rivers, radiating in all directions : the Arkavati, Penner, Chitravati, Papaghni, Palar, and Ponnaiyar. The principal chain of mountains is the range running north from Nandidroog (4,851 feet), the highest point, to Penukonda. Through the middle of the District, separated by intervals, the Tyakal and Vokkaleri hills, the Kolar hills (highest point 4,026 feet, Rahmangarh (4,227 feet) and Ambajidurga (4,399 feet), with the Dokkalakonda, run north to the frontier. There are other lines of low hills in the east, those in the north-east inclining to a circular arrangement, enclosing elevated valleys, occupied by villages. The central and eastern parts of the District, forming the valley of the Palar, are undulating and well cultivated. A considerable depression occurs in the valley of the Penner towards Goribidnur, in the north-west. The outlying parts along the northern frontier mark with alternate rise and fall the descent to the level of the Anantapur country. On the east the Mugli and Naikaneri passes to the plains of the Carnatic are some distance beyond the boundary.
The rocks of the District are for the most part similar to those of the adjoining District of Bangalore, being composed of gneiss, but with a smaller admixture of mica and a paler felspar. The rock of Nandidroog is almost a solid monolithic mass of granite, rising 1,800 feet above the plain. The low hills which lie across the course of the Palar and run south through the Bowringpet taluk are composed of a soft ferruginous clay slate. They have flat tops and are mostly barren, though the soil about them is composed of fine argillaceous red earth. The Kolar auriferous band of schists runs north and south for about 40 miles, with a maximum width of about 4 miles. In the southern portion are situated the Kolar Gold Fields. The band is composed essentially of hornblende rocks, usually schistose, and some well-marked layers of ferruginous quartz rocks. Recent opinion favours the view that the hornblende schists which form the main mass of the band are metamorphosed basic lava-flows. There is evidence tending to show that the surrounding granites and gneisses are largely intrusive with regard to the schists.
The indigenous flora is similar to that of Bangalore District. The numerous fine tanks are favourable to aquatic genera. Partly in and partly out of the water are found many species of reeds. Clinging to the tank embankments and upper level margins are Po?igamia glabra and other moisture-loving plants. The hill flora is well represented on the Nandidroog range. Nearly all the plants in the plain ascend the slopes of the hill to varying heights, some to the very summit. These are intermixed with species rarely or never found in the plain. The plateau on the top, enclosed by the fort walls, contains a peculiarly mixed flora of Maidan, Malnad, and domesticated plants. Quite the commonest tree is Eugenia Jambola?ia, and there are some fine specimens of Michelia Champaca. Eucalyptus and casuarina have grown well. The Gold Fields are situated between low ranges of stony hills, the valley being naturally bleak and dreary in appearance, with the poorest vegetation. But since mining operations were started, avenues of trees, such as various species of Ficus, Melia, &c, have been planted, and gardens well stocked with flowering plants usual among English residents have sprung into existence. The most suc- cessful, however, are those formed in soil laid down for the purpose.
The climate does not differ materially from that of Bangalore District, but the rainfall is somewhat less, and depends more on the north-east monsoon than on the south-west. The country is generally healthy, remarkably so in the neighbourhood of Chik-Ballapur and Kolar, but plague has been severe in the former. Cholera and other epidemics which used frequently to prevail in the District, owing to crowds of travellers and especially pilgrims to and from Tirupati constantly passing through, have been reduced to a minimum by the diversion of this traffic to the railway. The dangers arising from the recent large influx of labourers to the gold-mines are kept well under control by the Sanitary Board. The annual rainfall averages nearly 29 inches, n inches of the total falling in September and October. Chik-Ballapur and Mulbagal get more than the average, and Bagepalli less. The mean annual temperature is about 75 , with a maximum of 95 in April and May, and a minimum of 57 in February.
History
The earliest rulers of whom there is an authentic account were the Mahavalis or Banas, who held the east of the District. They claim descent from Maha Bali, or ' Bali the Great,' a Daitya king who by his penance had acquired such power that he defeated Indra and dominated the world. In order to put him down Vishnu assumed the Vamana or Dwarf incarnation. Bana, or Banasura, was Bali's son, and had a thousand arms. His daughter was seduced by Krishna's grandson, and a war ensued. Siva guarded the gates and fought for Banasura, who worshipped him with his thousand hands. But Krishna found means to overthrow Siva, and having taken the city, cut off Banasura's hands, except two, with which he obliged him to do homage. The Mahavalis may have been con- nected with Mahabalipur, known as the Seven Pagodas, on the coast south of Madras. They continued in power, being also called Banas, till the tenth century, but for a long time had the Pallavas as over- lords. Their later capital was Paduvipuri (perhaps Padavedu in North Arcot). During their time Avani was an important sacred place, the seat of a Brahman community. The Vaidumbas also appear in a few inscriptions in the north. The Pallavas were rulers over the whole of the Telugu country and over the Tamil country as far as Trichinopoly. Their capital was originally at Vengi, but from an early period was established at Kanchi (Conjeeveram). From the second to the eleventh century all the west of the District was included in the kingdom of the Gangas, who had the titles ' Lord of Kuvalala-pura ' (Kolar) and ' Lord of Nandagiri ' (Nandidroog). They were suc- ceeded about 998 by the Cholas, who gave the District the name of Nikarilichola-mandala. About 11 16 the Cholas were driven out of the Mysore country by the Hoysalas, the eastern boundary of whose kingdom was at Nangali. When in 1254 a partition of the Hoysala territories took place between the two sons of Somesvara, Kolar District went with the Tamil country to Ramanatha. But the kingdom was again united in the next reign under the Hoysala king, Ballala III. During the Vijayanagar dominion Mulbagal was the seat of government for the District. At the close of the fifteenth century Saluva Narasimha, a powerful chief of Karnata and Telingana, and general of the Vijaya- nagar forces, stopped in Kolar District the invasion of the Bahmani Sultan, who was overrunning the whole of the Vijayanagar territories. Narasimha himself then usurped the throne of Vijayanagar. Under the later Vijayanagar kings, Tamme Gauda, one of the chiefs of the Avati family, established himself at Sugatur, and for his military services gained the title of Chikka Rayal and the possession of the east of the District. Another of these chiefs in 1476 founded the Chik-Ballapur State in the west, which was supported in the eighteenth century by Morari Rao, the Maratha chief of Gooty. In the seven- teenth century the District was subdued by Bijapur, and made part of the jaglr of ShahjT. The Mughals afterwards held it for seventy years, attaching it to the province of Slra. During this period Fateh Muham- mad, the father of Haidar All, became Faujdar of Kolar. It next passed into the hands of the Marathas, of the Nawab of Cuddapah, and then of Basalat Jang, chief of Adoni and brother of the Nizam. He in 1761 ceded Kolar and Hoskote to Haidar All. Mulbagal and Kolar were held for a time by the British in 1768. In 1770 the Marathas again seized the District, but it was recovered by Haidar. In 1 791 it was a second time taken by the British, but restored to Mysore at the peace of 1792.
Avani, Betmangala, and Tekal contain memorials of antiquity. At Nonamangala, south of Malur, were discovered in 1897 the foundations of a Jain temple, with inscribed plates of the fourth and fifth centuries, and a number of images, musical instruments, and other articles. The ancient temples of NandTsvara at Nandi and Kolaramma at Kolar are of interest. There is some fine carving in the former. In their present form they are of the Chola period, dating from early in the eleventh century. At Kolar is also the Imambara or mausoleum of Haidar All's family. The numerous inscriptions of the District have been translated and published.
Population
The population was 646,837 in 1871, 481,191 in 1881, 591,113 in 1 89 1, and 723,600 in 1901. The fall in 1881 was due to the famine of 1876-8. By religion, in 1901, there were 663,940 Hindus, 43,149 Musal- mans, 9,605 Christians, 6,019 Animists, 880 Jains, and 7 'others.' The density of population was 228 per square mile, that Population. for the whole gtate being ig5 _ The KqlXr q old Fields (population, 38,204) is the only place with more than 20,000 inhabitants. The head-quarters of the District are at Kolar Town. The following are the principal statistics of population in 1901 : —
The Wokkaligas or cultivators, 181,000, are the most numerous caste; the outcaste Holeyas and Madigas number 91,000 and 48,000 ; Bedas, variously employed, 56,000 ; Banajigas or traders, 46,000 ; Kurubas or shepherds, 39,000 ; and Woddas or stonemasons, 30,000. Brahmans number 26,000, and Lingayats 11,000. Of Musalmans, 26,000 are Shaikhs, 7,300 Saiyids, and 6,000 Pathans. Nomad Koracha and Korama number 3,700, and Lambanis 1,000. Accord- ing to occupations, 13 per cent, of the population are engaged in unskilled labour not agricultural, nearly a third of them at the Gold Fields ; 1 1 per cent, are engaged in the preparation and supply of material substances ; and 62 per cent, in agriculture and pasture.
The number of Christians is 9,600, of whom 7,000 are at the Gold Fields. French Jesuits opened a Telugu mission in Chik-Ballapur and other places in 1702, and the Italian miners at the Gold Fields are mostly Roman Catholics. There are also Anglican and Wesleyan churches for the mining population. Of Protestant missions, the London Mission has stations at Chik-Ballapur, Malur, and other places; and the American Methodist Episcopal Mission has a station at Kolar town, where they have a large industrial school.
Agriculture
The soil on the high grounds is red and gravelly, with rocks of gneiss or granite, of little cohesion, very often appearing on the surface. The lower parts of these high grounds are intersected by nullahs or deep ravines, torn by the torrents of water precipitated from the heights in the rainy season. The tops of the ridges are usually very barren, producing nothing but small jungle. The soil in the valleys is a good loamy mixture, formed of the finer particles of the decomposed rocks, washed down and deposited during the rains. On the first ascent from the valley the soil is of a middling quality, suited for ' dry crops,' being a mixture of loam, sand, and oxide of iron, with a proportion of vegetable and animal matter. Higher up, towards the top of the ridge, a siliceous sand prevails in the soil, which is on that account adapted only for horse- gram. Below the superficial soil there is commonly a bed of gravel, which immediately covers a gneissic or granitic rock, very often in a state of disintegration considerably advanced.
The following table gives statistics of cultivation in 1903-4, in square miles :—
The cultivated products are similar to those of Bangalore District, but owing to the large number of tanks there is a greater proportion of wet ' and garden cultivation. The following are the areas, in square miles, occupied by the principal crops in 1903-4: ragi, 4303 rice, 96; gram, 83; other food-grains, 170; oilseeds, 38; sugar-cane, 18. Potatoes are extensively cultivated in the rich valleys of the Chik- Ballapur and Sidlaghatta taluks. Poppy cultivation, now prohibited, was formerly a source of great profit to the ryots. A little coffee is grown at Nandidroog, and mulberry in the Chik-Ballapur, Sidlaghatta, and Kolar taluks.
During the twelve years ending 1904 loans for land improvement amounted to Rs. 9,500. For irrigation wells 1-85 lakhs was advanced, and Rs. 8,500 for field embankments. There are 3 square miles supplied by channels, 171 by tanks and wells, and 60 irrigated from other sources. The number of tanks is 3,861, of which 483 are 'major.' The area occupied by State forests in 1903-4 was 135 square miles, by ' reserved ' lands 80, and by plantations 1 8. The forest receipts amounted to Rs. 47,000, the principal items being firewood and charcoal.
The gold-mines in the Bowringpet taluk of Kolar District yield nearly all the gold produced in India. There were 1 1 mines in opera- tion in 1904, the produce for the year being 607,500 ounces, valued at more than 2 ½ millions sterling. The prevailing gneissose stone is quarried for building, and for road metal. Near Sidlaghatta is a special kind of laterite. At Rahman Garh there is an exudation of earth-oil at a certain season.
Trade and communications
Apart from industries connected with the gold-mines, there is a sugar factory at Goribidnur, and a good industrial school with workshops at Kolar, belonging to the American Methodist Epis- Copal Mission - The silk industry is general among Muhammadans in the Kolar, Sidlaghatta, and Chik- Ballapur taluks. There are reported to be 248 small works for reeling silk, 2,192 looms for cotton cloth, 1,421 for blankets, and 61 for other fibres. Wood-works number 242, iron-works 174, brass and copper 48. There are also 293 oil-mills, and 209 sugar and jaggery mills. Mulbagal is noted for the excellence of its sugar.
The greatest commercial centres are the Gold Fields, and Bowringpet connected with them. Their large population, both European and native, gives rise to considerable trade. Next to gold, the most valuable articles of export are sugar, sugar-candy, jaggery, and molasses ; then cotton cloths and native blankets. Apart from machinery and articles for the gold-mines, the principal imports are salt, ropes, baskets, and paper.
The Bangalore branch of the Madras Railway runs through the Dis- trict from west to east to Bowringpet, and then south-east, with a length of 56 miles. From Bowringpet the Gold Fields Railway runs for 10 miles east and south through the mining properties. A light railway has been projected from Bangalore to Chik-Ballapur. The length of Provincial roads is 193 miles, and of District fund roads 385 miles.
Famine
Since the great famine of 1876-8 scarcity has prevailed on various occasions, as in 1884-5 and 1891-2. In 1896-7 prices of food-grains rose abnormally high, owing to large exports to the neighbouring British Districts where there was wide- spread distress. Half the assessment on waste 'wet' lands was re- mitted as a measure of relief. In 1900 test works were started in the Bagepalli taluk, but the necessity for them soon disappeared. The south-east taluks and Bagepalli were affected by drought in 1905, the cattle suffering most.
Administration
The District is divided into ten taluks : Bagepalli, Bowringpet, Chik-Ballapur, Chintamani, Goribidnur, Kolar, Malur, Mulba- gal, Sidlaghatta, and Srinivaspur. The Deputy- Commissioner is the head of the District, and under him the following three groups of taluks, in charge of Assistant Com- missioners, were formed in 1903 : Kolar, Chintamani, and Srinivaspur, with head-quarters at Kolar ; Chik-Ballapur, Goribidnur, Bagepalli, and Sidlaghatta, with head-quarters at Chik-Ballapur ; Bowringpet, Malur, and Mulbagal, with head-quarters at Kolar.
The District and Subordinate Judge's courts at Bangalore have juris- diction over Kolar District, and there are Munsifs' courts at Kolar, at the Gold Fields, and at Chik-Ballapur. The District is comparatively free from serious crime.
The land revenue and total revenue are shown below, in thousands of rupees : —
The revenue survey and settlement were introduced in the west and north between 1880 and 1885, and in the east and south between 1887 and 1890. The incidence of land revenue per acre of cultivated area in 1903-4 was Rs. 2-1-11. The average assessment per acre on 'dry' land is Rs. 1-5-5 (maximum scale Rs. 2-12-0, minimum scale Rs. 1-1-0) ; on 'wet' land, Rs. 5-10-10 (maximum scale Rs. 9, mini- mum scale Rs. 8); and on garden land, Rs. 5-12-9 (maximum scale Rs. 16, minimum scale Rs. 2).
In 1903-4 there were eleven municipalities — namely, Kolar, Sidla- ghatta, Mulbagal, Chik-Ballapur, Malur, Srinivaspur, Bowringpet, Goribidnur, Chintamani, Gudibanda, and Bagepalli— with a total income of Rs. 54,000 and an expenditure of Rs. 51,000, besides the Special Sani- tary Board for the Gold Fields. Outside the areas administered by these, local affairs are managed by the District and taluk boards, which had an income of Rs. 82,000 in 1903-4, chiefly derived from a share of the Local fund cess, and which spent Rs. 75,000, including Rs. 47,000 on roads and buildings.
The special police force for the Gold Fields is described under Kolar Gold Fields. Its authority extends over the Mulbagal, Malur, and Bowringpet taluks. The District police includes 2 superior officers, 18 subordinate officers, and 359 constables. There are 12 lock-ups, containing a daily average of 41 prisoners.
In 1 90 1 the percentage of literate persons was 12-2 in the Gold Fields and 4-7 in the District (9-3 males and 0-7 females). The number of schools rose from 358 with 11,101 pupils in 1890-1 to 453 with 13,689 pupils in 1 900-1. In 1903-4 there were 413 schools (320 public and 93 private) with 12,046 pupils, of whom 1,853 were girls.
Besides the hospitals at Kolar town and the Gold Fields, there were 7 dispensaries in 1904, in which 126,000 patients were treated, in- cluding 875 in-patients, there being 30 beds available for men and 28 for women. The total expenditure was Rs. 38,000.
The number of persons vaccinated in 1904 was 10,110, or 14 per 1,000 of the population.
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.
