Kurram Agency
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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Kurram Agency
{Kuram). — A Political Agency in the North-West Frontier Province, lying between 33° 19' and 34° 3' N. and 69° 39' and 70° 28' E., and comprising that section of the valley of the Kurram river which lies between the Peiwar Kotal in the west and the borders of Miranzai in the east. The Agency has an area of about 1,278 square miles, its maximum length from Thai to the Peiwar Kotal being 72 miles as the crow flies, and its breadth varying from 12 to 24 miles. Bounded on the north by the Safed Koh or ' White Mountain ' (called in Pashtu the Spin Ghar), which separates it from Ningrahar, it adjoins Para-Chamkanni and the country of the Massozai section of the Orakzai and that of the Zaimusht tribe on the east, its south-eastern corner abutting on the Miranzai countrv of Kohat District, On the south it borders on Northern WazTristan ; and on the south-west and west it is contiguous with the Afghan district of Khost, of which the Jaji Maidan or plain, the Chamkanni country, and Hariob Jaji lie on its western extremity.
Physical aspects
The principal range in the Agency is the Safed Koh, the crest of which forms the watershed between the Surkhal:) river or valley of Jalalabad and the Kurram. In this range the loftiest peak is Sikharam, 15,620 feet above sea-level, aspects which forms the extreme north-west corner of the Agency. From it the range runs almost due east, falling to 14,300 feet at Badni Sar, the peak above Zeran, and to 11,760 feet at the Agam pass, but rising again to 13,010 feet at the peak above Khanrai in the north-eastern corner of the Agency. From Sikharam a lower range, whose crest forms the western border of the Agency, and which is crowned by the Peiwar Kotal or pass, runs southwards, abutting on the Kurram river. On the south lies a lower and more irregular range, whose crest forms the boundary of Khost.
Its highest peak, Khost Khoram, rises to 8,536 feet above the sea, but its mean elevation is only 5,000 feet, the Darwazgai peak being 6,395 feet. From this range descends a spur through whose extremity the Kurram river appears to have cut a passage opposite Sadda, and which divides the valley into two parts, Upper and Lower Kurram. Upper Kurram is thus almost completely encircled by ranges of hills of varying height, except where the Kurram river enters and leaves it. It is a wide open valley, mostly comprised in the sloping plain formed by the debris from the southern face of the Safed Koh, which descends to the Kurram river and is intersected by numerous streams. In this plain lie Para- chinar, the head-quarters, Shalozan, Kirman, and most of the principal villages of the Agency. Above Parachinar the valley attains a width of 15 miles. Lower Kurram is a narrow valley shut in by broken ranges of comparatively low elevation, though it widens to the south- east of Balyamln.
The only river in the Agency is the Kurram itself, which runs closer to its southern than to its northern border, especially in Upper Kurram. Rising in the hills near Ahmad Khel, it flows at first south-westward, and then turns sharply to the east, entering the Agency near Kharlachi and thence flowing due east to Kurram Fort. Ea.st of that place its trend is somewhat southward ; and at Sadda it turns sharply to the south until it reaches Maro Khel, whence it curves south-east as far as Thai, in Kohat District. On the north it is fed by numerous streams, of which the principal are the Shalozan, Zeran, Kirman, and Kurmana ; and on the south by several torrents, the Sarkalla, Minawar, and Taoda Shiga being the chief.
In Lower Kurram the scenery is dreary and barren, only relieved by the narrow strips of cultivation along the river banks ; but Upper Kurram is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Province, the encircling hills being well wooded and many of the villages picturesque, though the plain is for the most part as yet uncultivated and bare of trees. The climate also varies. In the winter even Lower Kurram is very cold and a bitter wind prevails, while in the summer it is hot and dry. Upper Kurram is never unpleasantly hot even in summer, while in winter snow covers the ground for weeks.
History
Legend says that the aborigines of Kurram were deos or demons who were ruled by their king, the Safed Deo, until the kingdom was over- come by two brothers, Shudani and Budani, from the north. Their descendants held sway for many centuries in Kurrani, until they were in turn overwhelmed by invaders from the north.
The authentic history of Kurram begins in 1148, when Bahram Shah of Ghazni, after his defeat by Saif-ud-din of Ghor, fled to Kurram, whence he returned and recovered Ghazni. In 1163 Muhammad of Ghor was placed in charge of Istia and Kasri-Kajuran by Ghiyas-ud-din, Sultan of Ghor, his brother; and in 11 76-7 he conferred Sankuran (identified by Raverty with the modern Shalozan) and Kirman on Taj-ud-dln Yalduz. It was at Kirman that Muhammad of Ghor used to halt every year on his way into India. There too on his last expedition he conferred on Taj-ud-din the black banner, thereby designating him his successor, and after his assassination his body was taken back to Ghazni through Kurram. Kirman remained Taj-ud-din's capital for a time, and to it he retreated after his defeat by Kutb-ud-din Aibak in 1206. But in 1215 he was driven out of Kirman by the Sultan Muhammad Khwarizm Shah, who made over Ghor and Ghazni to his son Jalal-ud-dTn Mankbarni. A few years later the tract was occupied by the Mongols.
In 1235 Saif-ud-din Hasan, Karlugh, gained possession of Ghazni, Kirman, and Banian (? Bannu), but was driven out of his territories by the Mongols in 1239. After this Kurram disappears from history, until in 1552 Humayun, who then held Kabul, occupied it before his reconquest of India. Under Akbar it formed part of the t07nati of Bangash or the Bangashat, being known as Upper Bangash to dis- tinguish it from Lower Bangash, now Kohat District. The Afghans of this tract, called Karlarni Afghans, were, as a body, disciples of the Pir-i-Roshan, and hence became known as Roshanias. These sectaries led the Afghan opposition to Mughal rule, and Kurram formed one of their chief strongholds. Although they were suppressed under Jahangir, the Mughals appear to have had little real control over Kurram, which was nominally governed, independently of Kabul, by faujddrs of Bangash from Kohat. On the break-up of the Mughal empire Kurram became part of the kingdom of Afghanistan ; but in the meantime the Afghan tribes of Bangash had been overcome by the Turis, a tribe of Turkish origin belonging to the Shiah sect of Muhammadans, who speak Pashtii and now rank as Pathans. The Bangash tribes who remain in the valley are now //amsdyas or clients of the Turis.
After the annexation of Kohat the Turis, in league wdth other tribes, repeatedly harassed the -Mlranzai border, attacking the Bangash and Khattak villages in Kohat. In 1854 an agreement was made with them ; but their raids continued, though punitive measures were not resorted to, as the tribe was held to be under the control of the AmTr of Afghanistan. Their raids increased in audacity, and in 1856 a force under Brigadier-General Neville Chamberlain entered the valley. Compensation, the payment of which was guaranteed by the Afghan governor Ghulam Jan, was exacted, the Turis agreeing to pay Rs. 8,630. In 1859 the Turis joined the British expedition against the Kabul Khel WazTrs ; but their feud with that tribe subsequently gave much trouble, reprisals being undertaken by Wazirs in British territory for Turi out- rages, and in 1876 serious disturbances arose between the Bangash of Lower Kurram and the British village of Thai out of a boundary dispute. In 1877 the Turis were discontented with the oppressive administration of Shahbaz Khan, governor of Kurram ; and when the Amir demanded from them a contribution of Rs. 50,000 (a poll-tax of Rs. 5 on every adult male) and 6,000 recruits for his war against the British, they revolted and fled to the hills. Attempts to pacify the tribe were unsuccessful for a time, but the Turis at last agreed to send 'Ajirga to Kabul and pay a benefaction of Rs. 25,000, while Shahbaz Khan was recalled by the Amir.
In November, 1878, a column under General Roberts entered Kurram from Thai, and occupied Kurram Fort on the 25th of that month. On December 2 the Afghans were defeated at the Peiwar Kotal, and on the 26th a British force marched from Kurram into Khost, which was occupied till the end of January. The conclusion of peace in May, 1879, prevented further operations, until in September of that year, on the reopening of the war. General Roberts's force, which had remained in occupation of Kurram, again crossed the Shutar- gardan. The Turis now co-operated with the British expedition against the Zaimukhts, whose hostility had been marked by the murder of Lieutenant Kinloch ; and Kurram was held without further disturb- ance till its evacuation in October, 1880. The Turis throughout furnished supplies, their levies were employed in escorting convoys, and they, with the Bangash, petitioned that the British should take over the valley and free them from Afghan rule ; but it was determined to evacuate the country and the tribe was declared independent. Internal feuds broke out in a few months, and throughout 1882-4 the Turis were constantly fighting among themselves, as well as with the Jajis and Zaimukhts. The administration of the valley was finally undertaken by the British Government, at the request of the Turis themselves, in 1892.
Population
The Agency contains 166 villages besides Parachinar, its head quarters, and in 1901 it had a population of 54,257. Administratively, it is divided into Upper and Lower Kurram. The great majority of the population is rathan, 44,000, or Si per cent,, being of that race. The Turis (nearly 12,000) form the strongest element among the Pathan tribes; and next to them are the Bangash (6,000), the Chamkannis, Ghilzai, Mangals, and Orakzai. The few Hindus are nearly all Aroras, that caste numbering nearly 2,000. The language of the people is Pashtu, but Hindki is spoken by the resident Hindu population. Hindki or Hindko is the Pashtu name for Western Punjabi as spoken by Hindus and some other people, e.g. the Peshawar city folk, along the frontier. Agriculture is virtually the sole occupation of the people, as nothing but the most primitive industries are carried on ; and all but the barest necessaries of life are imported into the valley. Silk, for which Kurram was in ancient times famous, is still produced and manufactured.
Agriculture
Wherever water is available for irrigation, the soil is highly pro- ductive ; but, owing to the absence of a settled government and the internal feuds of the people, the cultivable area is not all under cultivation, and irrigation is carried on only by small channels constructed and maintained by a single hamlet or family. Hitherto the autumn harvest of rice, maize, and oilseeds has been the more important, and it pays two-thirds of the land revenue ; but the spring harvest of wheat, barley, and clover is of increasing value. Apples, pears, grapes, cherries, pomegranates, peaches, and a fruit peculiar to the Kurram and Tirah, known as the shall/, also grow ; and with improved communications fruit-growing will probably become an important industry. Famine is unknown in Kurram.
Kurram is now accessible from Kohat by the Khushalgarh-Kohat- Thal branch of the North- Western Railway. This does not enter the Agency, but a good tonga road runs from the terminus at Thai to Parachinar (54 miles), crossing the Kirman stream by a fine bridge. From Parachinar the road is unmetalled and passes via Kharlachi to Hariob. Unmetalled roads or bridle-paths also lead from Parachinar to Peiwar, from Kharlachi to Peiwar, from Mir Jamal to Uchadarra, and from Parachinar to Walai China via Lakka Tigga. All were constructed in 1893.
Administration
For administrative purposes the Agency is divided into Upper and Lower Kurram, each being under a naib-hakim, stationed at Parachinar in Upper, and Sadda in Lower Kurram. The 7iaib- .... hdkitns are under the control of the Political Agent, who is also aided by a Revenue Assistant.
The Indian Penal Code, the Criminal Procedure Code, the Frontier Crimes Regulation, the Frontier Law and Justice Regulation, and the Murderous Outrages Regulation have been extended to Kurram, while TTirizuna or the customary law of the Turis is enforced, all cases being settled by the Political Agent and his Assistants. The TF/nzfina, though unwritten, is well-known to the ?naliks or heads of tribes, and they decide what the custom is in any given case. The cases of a civil character are chiefly for the recovery of loans, possession of land, declaration of rights to water, questions of inheritance, possession of women, and disputes relating to revenue. Murder and violent crime are not very common, the chief offences being robbery and theft, especially of cattle, arson, mischief to fruit trees, and abduction.
The rates of land revenue paid under Afghan rule varied from R. i to Rs. 2 per jarlh (about half an acre), but various other taxes were also levied. Thus the governor in 1886 fixed a poll-tax at Rs. 2-8 on menials (barbers and Dums or minstrels), and at Rs. 3-8 on artisans and adult male Hindus. Each mill paid Rs. 3-8 a year, and dues were levied on all sales of ponies and cattle. These taxes were equal in amount to the land tax, and the valley was farmed for a total sum of a lakh.
The aim of the British Government was at first to carry on the revenue administration as far as possible on the Afghan system. A summary settlement was made in 1893-4, when the amount levied by the Afghan governors was ascertained and distributed in due proportion over individual holdings. The settlement was sanctioned for ten years ; and, including malikana on crown lands, revenue from mills, and taxes on artisans' shops (the latter being a substitute for the poll tax), the demand amounted to Rs. 67,300 (Kabuli). The all- round rates adopted were (in Kabuli currency) Rs. 3-5 per acre of cultivated land, Rs. 3-8 per mill, and Rs. 2-8 to Rs. 3 per artisan's shop. Cash payments or remissions of revenue amounting to about Rs, 19,000 were granted to leading men for political services or assis- tance in general administration, while smaller grants were sanctioned for the upkeep of shrines, mosques, temples, and especially matim kotdhs or Shiahs' mourning houses.
No regular measurements were made, but the cultivated area was estimated roughly at 30,222 acres. A brief and incomplete record-of- rights was prepared, but some of the complicated tenures were left undecided, and no arrangements were made for keeping the record up to date. A few returns and statements were prescribed for main- taining a check on the collection of the land revenue and for lapsed assignments. Thus the revenue administration consisted of the col- lection of revenue, reassessment of estates subject to alluvial action, the maintenance of irrigation embankments, and harvest inspections in the crown lands. The revenue work is supervised by the Revenue Assis- tant, who is also treasury officer. He is assisted by a mlrdb (who looks after irrigation), 4 patwdris, and a Tahsil accountant. The re- settlement of the valley began in 1904. It involves the conversion of the assessment from Kabuli into British rupees, and the preparation of a regular record-of-rights, including definitions of the different kinds of tenure, pedigree tables, irrigation customs, and maps of the cultivated land based on accurate measurements, and the reorganization of the revenue staff. The new demand is Rs. 71,500 (British) per annum, which in five years will rise to Rs. 88,000.
Police duties are performed by the Kurram militia, a force 1,466 strong under a commandant. The lock-up at Parachinar has accom- modation for 100 prisoners, and two lock-ups at Sadda and Allzai can each accommodate 10 prisoners.
Kurram stands below all the Districts of the North-West Frontier Province in the literacy of its population, only i-88 per cent. (987 males and 25 females) being able to read and write in 1901. It possesses seven indigenous schools, now aided by grants from Imperial funds, at Parachinar and six of the principal villages, besides those in the mosques where the Koran and other religious books in Persian and Arabic are taught ; in the dharmsdlas the Hindus and Sikhs also learn the Granth and other religious books in Gurmukhl. Muhammadan girls are occasionally taught to read the Koran. The Bangash Pathans of Shalozan are, however, mostly literate, and to their enlightenment is attributed the freedom from superstition which characterizes the rest of the valley.
There are two civil dispensaries — at Parachinar and Alizai — with accommodation for 12 male in-patients, and a female w^ard for 4 in- patients at the former, besides two military hospitals. In 1903 the number of cases treated was 16,472, of whom 323 were in-patients. The expenditure was Rs. 4,763, met from Imperial funds.
A vaccinator is posted at Parachinar, and 1,708 persons were suc- cessfully vaccinated in the Agency in 1903-4.
