NÁGPUR, a district in the division of the same name, in the Central Provinces of India, lying between 20° 36' and 21° 43' N. lat., and between 78° 17' and 79° 42' E. long., bounded on the N. by Chhindwâra and Seoni, E. by Bhandâra, S. by Chânda and Wardhâ, and W. by Wardhâ. and Ellichpur, with an area of 3786 square miles. Nâgpur district lies immediately below the great table-land of the Sâtpura range. A second line of hills shuts in the district on the south-west, and a third runs from north to south, parting the country into two plains of unequal size. These hills are all offshoots of the Sâtpuras, and nowhere attain any great elevation. Their heights are rocky and sterile, but the valleys and lowlands at their feet are fertile, yielding rich crops of corn and garden produce. The western plain slopes down to the river Wardhâ, is-watered by the Jâm and Madâr rivers, tributaries of the Wardhâ, and contains the most highly-tilled land in the district, abounding in fruit trees, and the richest garden cultivation. The eastern plain (six times the larger), stretching away to the confines of Bhandâra and Chânda, consists of a rich undulating country, luxuriant with mango-groves, and dotted towards the east with countless small, tanks. It is watered by the Kanhân, with its tributaries, which flows into the Waingangâ beyond the district....
The population in 1881 was 697,356 (British-born, 1063; other Europeans and Americans, 383; Eurasians, 630; aborigines, 42,750 ∙ t Hindus, 606,228; Mohammedans, 39,765; Buddhists and Jains, 3569). The most numerous of the aboriginal tribes are the Gonds (43,885). The population of the nine principal towns was as follows :—Nagpur, 79,842; Kamthi, 36,364; Umrer, 12,784; Ramtek, 6978; Khapa, 6664; Narkher, 6498; Mohpa, 5256; Kalmeshwar, 4842; Saoner, 4739.
Of the area of 3786 square miles, 1863 were cultivated in 1882. Wheat in 1882 occupied 314,037 acres, rice 38,127, other food grains 489,111, oil-seeds 224,495, cotton 101,166, and sugar-cane 1545. During the last few years there has been a great increase in the manufacture of cotton in the Empress mills at Nagpur. There were 30,000 spindles in operation in 1882, the output of yarn and cloth being 1,804,530 and 149,995 lb respectively. The Nagpur branch of the Great Indian Peninsula Railway runs through the district for a distance of 26 miles. The gross revenue in 1876-77 was 1,460,168 rupees.
Nagpub, the chief town of Nâgpur district, and the administrative headquarters of the Central Provinces, India, is situated in the centre of the district, on the banks of a small stream, the Nâg, in 21° 9' 30" N. lat., 79° 7' E. long. The population was 79,842 in 1881. The municipal limits include, besides the city proper, the suburb of Sftâbaldf, and the European station of Sftâbaldf, with Tâklf. In the centre stands Sftâbaldf Hill, crowned with the fort, which commands a fine view of the country round. On the north and west lies the prettily wooded station of Sftâbaldf; beyond, to the north, are the military lines and bàzàrs, and, again, beyond these the suburb of Tâklf. Close under the southern side of the hill is the native suburb of Sftâbaldf. Below the eastern glacis of the fort is the railway terminus. Beyond this lies the broad sheet of water knoλvn as the Jamâ Talâo, and farther east is the city, completely hidden in a mass of foliage. Three great roads connect the city with the European station. Handsome tanks and gardens, constructed by the Mahratta princes, lie outside the city. Many Hindu temples, elaborately carved in the best style of Mahratta architecture, ornament the town; but the palace, built of black basalt, profusely ornamented with wood carving, was burnt down in 1864, and only the great gateway now remains. The tombs of the Bhonslà kings lie to the south of the city.
Nagpur does a large and increasing trade, the chief imports being wheat and other grain, salt, country cloth, European piece goods, silk, and spices. Cloth forms the chief article of manufacture and export. The finer fabrics of Nagpur have long been famous, and are still, in spite of the competition of English stuffs, in great request. Most of the public offices are in the station of Sitabaldi.
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