SG Heritage Dictionary

Chutia Encyclopedia Britannica

CHUTIA or CHOTÁ NÁGPUR, a division or commissionership of British India, under the lieutenant-governor of Bengal, comprising the districts of Hazáríbágh, Lohárdágá, Mánbhúm, and Sinhbhúm, and the seven tributary states which constitute the South-West Frontier Agency, lies between 21° and 25° N. lat. and 82° and 87° E. long. It is bounded on the N. by the province of Behar, E. by the Bengal districts of Bánkurá and Midnapur, S. by the Orissa Tributary States and the Central Provinces, and W. by the independent state of Rewá. Of its area of 43,901 square miles a large portion is occupied by hills and jungle, and the population is very sparse. The most important peak, Paresnáth, with its Jaina temples, has a height of 4400 feet. The Chutiá Nágpur plateau is an offshoot of the great Vindhyan range, and its mean elevation is upwards of 2000 feet above the sea level. In the W. it rises to 3600 feet, and to the E. and S. its lower steppe, from 800 to 1000 feet in elevation, comprises a great portion of the Mánbhúm and Sinhbhúm districts. The whole is about 14,000 square miles in extent, and forms the source of the Barákhar, Dámodar, Kásái, Subanrekhá, Baitaraní, Bráhmaní, Eb, and other rivers. Sal forests abound. The principal jungle products are timber, various kinds of medicinal fruits and herbs, lac, tasar silk, and mahua flowers, which are used as food by the wild tribes and also distilled into a strong country liquor. Coal exists in large quantities, but is at present only worked on a small scale on the Hazáribágh district. Formerly gold was washed from the sands in the bed of the Subanrekhá River, but the operations are now almost wholly abandoned. Iron-ores abound, together with good building stone. The population in 1872 was ...

9th ed. Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 5, p. 767
[697 words — estimated reading time: 4 minutes]

ChutiÁ Encyclopedia Britannica

CHUTIÁ (CHOTÁ) NÁGPUR TRIBUTA RY STATES. These are seven in number,—Sirguja, Udaipur, Jashpur, Gangpur, Bonái, Koriá, and Chang Bhakár. At the decline of the Marhattá power in the early part of this century these estates came under British protection. They are now under the political superintendence of the commissioner of Chutiá Nágpur, and the charge of them constitutes what is known as the South-West Frontier Agency Before the rise of the British power in India their chiefs exercised almost absolute sovereignty in their respective territories. The Ráj.ís now pay a light tribute to the British Government, and are invested with magisterial authority to punish offenders by fine not exceeding £5 or by imprisonment not exceeding two years. The states are mountainous, thinly cultivated, and inhabited for the most part by wild aboriginal tribes. They cover an area of 15,419 square miles, the largest states being Sirgujá and Gangpur. Their aggregate population amounts to 405,980 souls, giving an average of 26 persons to the square mile. No towns exist in the Tributary States, and only three villages contain more than 1000 inhabitants. The following is a brief description of each of the States :—...

(1.) Sirgujá, the largest, lies between 22° 30' and 24° N. lat., and 82° 35 and 84° 10 E. long. It is bounded on the N. by the independent state of Rewá and the districts of Mirzápur and Lohárdágá, on the E. by the district of Lohárdágá, on the S. by the Biláspur district of the Central Provinces and the states of Udaipur and Jashpur, and on the W. by the state of Koriá. It is very hilly, with elevated table-lands affording good pasturages, and cut up by numerous ravines. The rivers are the Kanhar, Rer, Mahán, Son, and Santch, the last being formerly known as the Diamond River. Hot springs exist in the state. Extensive sál forests cover a large area, affording shelter to herds of wild elephants, antelopes, bisons, buffaloes, and many sorts of deer, and also to tigers, bears, and other beasts of prey. The area is 6103 square mues; the population in 1872, 182,831 souls, residing in 1295 villages and 36,463 houses :—classified, according to religion— Hindus 68,789, or 37'6 per cent.; Muhammadans 1370, or '8 per cent.; aborigines of the Dravidian stock 73,256, of the Kolarian stock 39,416, total 112,672, or 61'6 per cent. The principal agricultural products are rice, Indian corn, and other inferior cereíls, pulses, oilseeds, and cotton; the articles of export—clarified butter, grain, oilseeds, lac, gums, jungle silk cocoons (tasar), &c.; imports— brass and pewter vessels, piece goods, and ornaments. The places of trade are Bisrámpur, the capital of the state, 1’ratáppur, and Jhilmilí. The total revenue of the estates in Sirgujá in possession of the different members of the chief’s family is £7000; the rental of the personal estate of the Rájá, £3000; the expenditure on administration, £212. A small body of police is maintained by the Rájá, and he can at a short notice put himself at the head of 1000 fighting men. Sirgujá pays a tribute of £189 to the British Government.

(2.) Udaipur lies between 22° 3' and 22° 50' N. lat., and 83° 5' and 83° 50' E. long., and is bounded on the N. by the Mainpát plateau in Sirgujá, on the E. by Jashpur, on the S. by Ráigarh, and on the W. by Biláspur in the Central Provinces. Country hilly, diversified with plains, and possessing one of the most extensive coal fields in India. Principal river, Maud. Area, 1051 square miles, of which 121 are cultivated. Population— 27,708 -Hindus, 7351; Muhammadans, 118; aborigines, 20,239.’ Principal villages—Rábkob, the capital, and Dorki. Exports— cotton, resinous gums, oilseeds, rice, wild arrowroot, iron, and a small quantity of gold, obtained by washing. Udaipur came under the British protection in 1817, and now pays an annual tribute of £53.

(3.) Jashpur, the most populous of the states, lies between 22’ 20'and 23° 15' N. lat., and 83° 30'and 84° 30' of E. long., and is bounded on the N. and E. by the district of Lohárdágá, on the S. by the states of Gangpur and Udaipur, and on the W. by the state of Sirgujá. The country is divided almost equally into high and low lands. The only river of importance is the Eb, in the bed of which diamonds are found, and from time immemorial its sands have been washed for gold. Jashpur iron, smelted by the Kols, is highly prized. Jungles of sál forests abound, harbouring elephants, bisons, and other wild beasts. Jungle products—lac, silk-cocoons, and beeswax, which are exported. Area, 1947 square miles; population, 66,926:—Hindus, 11,498; Muhammadans, 423; aborigines, 55,005. Principal villages—Jashpur Nagar, the capital, and Sanoá. Agricultural products—rice, barley, Indian corn, and other inferior crops, pulses, oilseeds, hemp, flax, &c. The Rájá possesses an income of about £2000, and pays through the Sirgujá state a tribute of £77, ÏOs. to the British Government. Jashpur came under the protection of the British Government in 1818.

(4.) Gangpur extends from 21° 50' to 22° 30' N. lat., and 85° 10' to 85° 40' of E. long., and is bounded on the N. by Lohárdágá district, E. by the Sinhbhúm district, S. by Sambalpur and Bámrá, and W. by Ráigarh in the Central Provinces. The country is for the most part an undulating plain, broken by detached ranges of hills, one of which, the Mahávíra range, possesses a very remarkable and imposing appearance, springing abruptly from the plain in an irregular wall of tilted and disrupted rock, with two flanking peaks. The rivers are the Eb and the Bráhmaní, formed here by the union of the Sankh and the Koel, both navigable by canoes. The Eb was formerly famous on account of diamonds found in its bed, and its sands are still explored for gold. One of the largest coal fields in India extends into the state. Jungle products—lac, silk cocoons, catechu, and resin, which are exported. Wild animals—bisons, buffaloes, tigers, panthers, leopards, hyenas, wolves, jackals, wild dogs, and many sorts of deer. Area, 2484 square miles; population, 73,637, viz., Hindus, 28,192; Muhammadans, 231; aborigines, 45,214. Principal village, Suádí, the residence of the Rájá. The soil is exceedingly fertile, yielding sugar cane, tobacco, rice, and other cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and cotton. The chief enjoys a revenue of about £200, out of which he pays £50 as tribute to the British Government, the connection of which with the state dates from 1803.

(5.) Bonái extends from 20° 10' to 21° 10' N. Iat., and from 84° 80' to 85° 25' E. long., and is bounded on the N. by the Gangpur state and the Sinhbhúm district, on the E. by the state of Keunjhar in Orissa, and on the S. and W. by the state of Bámra in the Central Provinces. It is for the most part covered with a mass of uninhabited hills, except the central part, through which the Bráhmaní river passes, forming a fine fertile valley along its course. Principal heights—Mánkarnáchá, 3639 feet· Báddin-garh, 3525; Kámrøtar, 3490; Cheliátaká, 3308; and Kondádhar, 3000. Products—almost the same as Gangpur. Area, 1297 square miles; population, 24,832, viz., Hindus, 10,416; Muhammadans, 32; and aborigines, 14,384. The chief enjoys an income of about £600, and he pays an annual tribute of £20 to the British Government. In 1803 the British Government entered into treaty relations with Bonái.

(6.) Koriá lies between 22° 58' and 23° 49' N. lat., and 82° and 82° 59' E. long., and is bounded on the N. by the Rewá state, E. by Sirgujá, S. by Biláspur district of the Central Provinces, and on the W. by Chang Bhakár. Country extremely hilly; highest point, 3370 feet. Rivers—Heshto or Hasdo, Gopatb, and other minor streams which feed either the Son on the N. or the Mahanuddy on the S. Jungle and agricultural products— same as the other states. Mineral product—iron. Tigers commit great havoc in the villages, and wild animals abound. Area, 1631 square miles; population, 21,127, viz., Hindus, 10,807; Muhammadans, 140; aborigines, 10,180. Principal village—Sonhát, the residence of the Rájá, which contains a mud fort. The Rájá enjoys an income of about £700, and pays a tribute of £40 to the British Government. The relations of the British Government with this state commenced in 1818.

(7.) Chang Bhakár state protrudes like a spur into the Rewá territory, which bounds it to the N., W., and S., the eastern side being bounded by the state of Koriá, of which it was formerly a fief. The natural scenery of the country consists of hills, ravines, and plateaus, covered with forests of sál, with small villages at distant intervals in the jungle. Herds of wild elephants commit sad havoc on the crops, which has caused the desertion of several villages. Area, 906 square miles; population, 8919, viz., 2728 Hindus, 34 Muhammadans, and 6157 aborigines. The chief has an income of about £300, and pays a tribute of £38, 12s. ^

9th ed. Encyclopædia Britannica, vol. 5, p. 768 — signed W. W. H.
[1,593 words — estimated reading time: 10 minutes]