Navanagar 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.
Native State in the Kathiawar Political
Agency, Bombay, lying between 21° 44 and 22° 58' N. and 69° 20' and
70° 33' E., on the southern shore of the Gulf of Cutch, with an area
of 3; 79 1 square miles. It is bounded on the north by the Gulf and
the Rann of Cutch ; on the east by the Native States of Morvi, Rajkot,
Dhrol, and Gondal ; on the south by the Sorath division of Kathiawar ;
and on the west by the Okha Rann and the Arabian Sea. It is
generally flat, but about two-thirds of the Barda hills are contained
within its limits. Mount Venu, the highest point of the Barda hills,
is 2,057 feet above sea-level. The principal rivers are the Bhadar, the
Vartu, the Aji, and the Und. The harbours of Jodiya Salaya and
Navanagar or Bedi are situated within the State. Mangrove swamps
line the shores of the Gulf, affording large supplies of firewood and
pasture. The Aloe littorale grows wild; its stalks when cooked are
supposed to taste like asparagus. Formerly the Navanagar State was
infested by lions, which were especially numerous in the Barda and Alech
hills. In 1860, however, when cannon were frequently fired in pursuit
of the rebel Vaghers, the lions fled from the hills, and are now only
found in the Gir forest, and (rarely) in the Girnar mountain near
Junagarh. Leopards, the hunting cheetah, and tiilgai are common.
The climate, especially on the Gulf of Cutch, along which the terri-
tory extends, is good. The annual rainfall averages between 20 and
30 inches.
The Jam of Navanagar is a Jadeja Rajput by caste, and belongs to the same family as the Rao of Cutch. The Jadejas entered Kathiawar from Cutch, and dispossessed the ancient family of Jethwas (probably a branch of Jats) then established at Ghumli. Subsequently, about 1535-7, Jam Rawal invaded Sorath and conquered the Jodiya, Amran, and Khambhaliya parganas , and in 1 540 founded the town of Navanagar. He prosecuted his success with the assistance of his brothers Hardoljl, Ravoji, and Modji. Hardoljl, the founder of the house of Dhrol, conquered that pargana from Damal Chavada and retained it. Rajkot is also an offshoot of this State. The Jam in 1807 executed the usual engagements to pay tribute, to keep order in his territory, and not to encroach on his neighbours. The Jadeja tribe was, at the beginning of the last century, notorious for the systematic murder of female children, to avoid the difificulty and expense of providing them with husbands. Engagements were entered into by the Jadeja chiefs in 18 1 2 to abandon this custom; and, under the constant watchfulness of the British officers, it is believed to be now extinct. The Jam of Navanagar is entitled to a salute of 11 guns. He holds a satiad authorizing adoption, and succession follows the rule of primogeniture. The present Jam is the well-known cricketer, Ranjitsinghji.
The population at the last four enumerations was : (1872) 290,847, (1881) 316,147, (1891) 379,611, and (1901) 336,779. The decrease in the last decade (11 per cent.) was due to the famine of 1 899-1900. Hindus number 262,880; Muhammadans, 52,684; and Jains, 21,006. There are 3 towns and 666 villages, the capital of the State being Navanagar Town.
The land produces both garden and 'dry crops.' Irrigation is provided by draw-wells, by artificial tanks, and by aqueducts from rivers. The total cultivable area is 1,960 square miles, 1,717 square miles being under crops in 1903-4, of which 117 square miles were irrigated. Survey operations are in progress in the State. The principal products are grain and cotton. Jowar, bajra, wheat, and gram are the staple food-crops. Wheat is produced without irrigation. At Rawal about 3,000 acres are irrigated for rice. Cotton, sugar-cane, and tobacco are raised in small quantities. A reservoir for the drinking supply of the capital and for purposes of irrigation has been built 8 miles south of Navanagar town. The only forests of any importance are those in the northern portion of the Barda hills.
Marble of different qualities is found in the Kandorna and Bhanwar tdliikas. Copper occurs in the Khambhaliya parga?ia, but does not pay working expenses. A small pearl fishery lies off the coast on the southern shore of the Gulf. Cloth and silk are the chief manufactures. A considerable number of people are employed as dyers. The dyes applied to the local fabrics are much admired, and their excellence is traditionally attributed to the quality of the water of the Rangmati river, which flows by Navanagar town. The railway has had no per- ceptible effect on the trade of Navanagar ports, from which the grain and cotton grown in the State are still shipped. A trade in isinglass and shagreen is growing up, and the fisheries supply sole, pomphlet, and whitebait. The State owns 299 vessels, and the coast is provided with 4 lighthouses. The total value of imports by sea in 1903-4 was 27 lakhs, and of exports 15 lakhs. There is land communication by carts, pack-bullocks, horses, and camels ; and the capital is connected with Rajkot by a metre-gauge railway 54-22 miles in length, owned by the State.
Navanagar ranks as one of the first-class States of Kathiawar, and its chief has power to try all offences, the trial of British subjects for capital offences, how^ever, requiring the previous permission of the Agent to the Governor. The estimated gross revenue is 25 lakhs, chiefly derived from land (19 lakhs) and customs (i^ lakhs). Tribute of Rs. 1,20,093 is paid jointly to the British Government, the Gaikwar of Baroda, and the Nawab of Junagarh. No transit dues are levied. The State has one municipality, with an income (1903-4) of Rs. 33,000. It maintains a squadron of Imperial Service Lancers, numbering 145, and a subordinate force of 211 men, of whom 26 are mounted. The police force numbers 876, and there are 8 jails and 4 lock-ups with a daily average in 1903-4 of 208 prisoners. The State contained in the same year 122 schools with 11,771 pupils, and 22 medical institutions, including 2 veterinary dispensaries treating 1,400 animals. In the medical institutions 85,000 patients were treated in 1903-4; and the number of persons vaccinated in the same year was 9,600.
