Sohawal
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.
Sohawal
A small sanad State in Central India, under the Political Agent in Baghelkhand, lying between 24° 33' and 24° 50' N. and 80° 35' and 80° 49' E., with an area of about 213 square miles. It is separated into two sections by the petty State of Kothi, the northern section itself being also much intermingled with parts of Panna. The chief is a Baghel Rajput, connected with the Rewah family. Maharaja Amar Singh of Rewah had two sons, one of whom, named Fateh Singh, revolted in the sixteenth century, and seizing Sohawal, founded an independent chiefship, which was originally of considerable extent, including Birsinghpur (now in Panna), Kothi, and other tracts in the neighbourhood. On the rise of Panna under Chhatarsal, Sohawal became tributary, but retained its independence. Later on, however, Jagat Raj and Hirde Sah, sons of Chhatarsal, actually seized much of its territory, while the KothI chief, taking advantage of these disturbances, threw off his allegiance, and attacked and killed the Sohawal chief, Prithipal Singh. On the establishment of British supremacy in the beginning of the nineteenth century, Sohawal was held to be subordinate to Panna. But a separate satmd was granted to Rais Aman Singh in 1809, on the ground that the State had existed before Chhatarsal's rise to power and had remained inde- pendent throughout the supremacy of All Bahadur of Banda. The present chief, Bhagwant Raj Bahadur, succeeded in 1899, and in 190T received the title of Raja as a personal distinction, the ordinary title being Rais.
The population of the State has been: (1881) 37,747, (1891) 43,853, and (1901) 37,216, giving a density of 175 persons per square mile. The decrease of 15 per cent, during the last decade is due to famine. The State contains 183 villages. Hindus number 31,645, or 85 per cent. ; Animists (chiefly Gonds, Kols, and Mavaiyas), 4,574, or 13 per cent. ; and Musalmans, 993. Baghelkhandi is spoken by 80 per cent, and Bundelkhandi by 17 per cent, of the inhabitants. Agriculture supports about 95 per cent, of the total population. The soil of the State is fertile and bears good crops of all the ordinary grains. About in square miles, or 52 per cent, of the total area, are cultivated, while 54 square miles, or 25 per cent., are cultivable but not cultivated ; the rest is jungle and waste. A peculiar custom, not uncommon in other parts of Baghelkhand, prevails of regularly relin- quishing a village site every twelve or sixteen years. The sites are assessed at the rate of Rs. 20 per acre per annum on the abandoned land during the first four years succeeding its abandonment, and at Rs. 12 in succeeding years.
For administrative purposes the State is divided into two tahsl/s, with head-quarters at Sohawal and Sabhapur, and the estate of Rai- gaon, which is held in jdg'ir by a junior branch of the Sohawal family, the present holder being Lai Raghubansman Prasad Singh, fifth in descent from Lai Sarabjit (Sarup) Singh, who received it as a service ja^^r from his elder brother, Rais Mahipat Singh. The Sohawal chief exercises Hmited powers. All ordinary administrative matters are in his hands, but cases of serious crime are dealt with by the Political Agent. The revenue is Rs. 46,000, and the cost of administration about Rs. 34,000.
The capital, Sohawal, is situated in 24° 35' N. and 80° 46 E., on the left bank of the Satna river, and on the Satna-Nowgong high road, 5 miles from Satna station on the East Indian Railway. Population (1901), 2,108.
