Ambala Gazeteer 1923 24 PDF

HARYANA ISTRICT GAZETTEEERS
------------------------
REPRINT OF
AMBALA ISTRICT GAZETTEER, 1923-24
GAZETTEERS ORGANISATION
REVENUE EPARTMENT
HARYANA
CHAN IGARH (IN IA)
1998
The Gazetteer was published in 1925 during British regime.
1st Reprint: ecember, 1998
© GOVERNMENT OF HARYANA
Pric Rs.
Availabl from:
The Controller, Printing and Stationery, Haryana,
Chandigarh (India).
Printed By:
Controller of Printing and Stationery, Government of Haryana,

Chandigarh.
PREFACE TO REPRINTE E ITION
Th District Gaz tt r is a miniatur ncyclopa dia and a good guid . It

d scrib s all important asp cts and f atur s of th district; historical, physical,
social, conomic and cultural. Officials and oth r p rsons d sirous of
acquainting th ms lv s with th sali nt f atur s ofth districtwouldfindastudyof
th Gaz tt rr warding.Itisofimm ns us for r s arch scholars.
Th old gaz tt rs of th Stat publish d in th British r gim contain d

v ryvaluabl information, which was not whollyr produc d in th r vis d volum .
Th s gaz tt rs hav gon out of stock and ar not asily availabl . Th r is a
d mand for th s volum s by r s arch scholars and ducationists. As such, th
sch m of r printing of old gaz tt rs was tak n on th initiativ of th Hon'bl
Chi fMinist rofHaryana.
Th Ambala District Gaz tt r of 1923-24 was compil d and publish d

und r th authority of Punjab Govt. Th author mainly bas d its drafting on th
ass ssm nt and final r ports ofth S ttl m nt Offic rs.
Th Volum is th r print d dition of th Ambala District Gaz tt r of

1923-24. This is th ninth in th s ri s of r print d gaz tt rs of Haryana. Ev rycar
has b n tak n in maintaining th compl t originality of th old gaz tt r whil
r printing. I xt nd my appr ciation to Sh. A.K. Jain, Editor, Gaz tt rs and Sh. J.S.
Nayyar, Assistant, who hav handl d th work with ffici ncy and car in th
r printingofthis volum .
Iam v rythankful to th Controll r,Printing and Station ry, Haryana and his
staffin th pr ss for xp ditiouslycompl tingth work ofr printing.
D c mb r, 1998 J t Ram Ranga

Joint Stat Editor (Gaz tt rs)
PUNJAB ISTRICT GAZETTEERS
VOLUME VII
PART A
AMBALA ISTRICT
1923-24
WITH MAPS
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1925
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PREFACE.
THE first dition of th Ambala District Gaz tt r, publish d in 1885,

was pr par d mainly from a draft Gaz tt r compil d b tw n 1870 and
1874 by Mr.,F.Cunningham, Barrist r-at-Law, which again
was larg ly bas d upon th S ttl m nt R ports of th district by M ssrs.
Wynyard and M lvill, writt n about 1855.
A r vis d s ttl m nt of th district was b gun in 1882 and 1883 and

finish d in 1889. Th Ass ssm nt and Final R ports of th S ttl m nt
Offic rs, M ssrs. K nsington and Doui , suppli d th chi f mat rial
from which a r vis d dition of th Gaz tt r was pr par d in 1892-93,
Information on th subj cts notic d in Chapt r III, S ction B (Social and
R ligious Lif ), S ction C (Trib s and Cast s), and Chapt r IV, S ction A
(Agricultur ),was v ry incompl t . Th 1892-93 Gaz tt r was
suppl m nt d by th 1912 volum of Statistical Tabl s which con-
tain d th r sults of th 1911 c nsus.
T rritorial chang s that hav tak n plac sinc 1893 hav b n th

transf r of Pipli Tahsil to th Karnal District (incorporat d with Tahsil
Than sar in Octob r 1897), and th addition from Simla of
Kalka-cum-Kurari (1899), Kasauli (1899) and Sanawar (in July 1916).
Th railway from Ambala to Kalka was op n d in 1891 (now East

Indian main lin ) and th Kalka- Simla Lin in 1903.
The Ed tor.
TABLE OF CONTENTS.
PAGE.
CHAPTE I.—THE DISTRICT ... ... 1
SECTION A.—D scriptiv ... ... ib.

SECTION B.—History ... ... 19
SECTION C—- Th P opl ... ... 33
CHAPTE II.—ECONOMIC ... ... 78
SECTION A.—Agricultur , Arboricultur and … ib.

Liv Stock.
SECTION B.—R nts, T nants and Wag s ... 94
SECHON C.-Comm rc , Manufactur and 97
Industri s,
SECTION D.—Communications ... ... 100
CHAPTE 111.—ADMINISTRATION ... 103
SECTION A.—Administration and Divisions ... ib.

SECTION B.—Criminal and Civil Justic ... ib.
SECTION C.—R v nu Administration ... 104
SECTION D.—Misc llan ous R v nu ... 112
SECTION E.—Local and Municipal Gov rnm nt ib.
SECTION F.—Public Works ... ... 115
SECTION G.—Polic and Jails ... ... 116
SECTION H.—Army ... ... ... 118
SECTION I.—Education ... ... 119
SUCTION J.—M dical ... ... ... 125
SECTION K.—Misc llan ous ... … 127
CHAPTE IV.—PLACES OF INTEREST ... 130

CHAPTER I.
THE DISTRICT.
SECTION A. —DESCRIPTIVE.
CCHAPTER I, A.
Th Ambala district is th most north rly of th fiv
District in th plains which, with th small district of d scriptiv Simla BBoundari s and
D scriptiv . in th hills, mak up th Ambala division. Ambala was till dim nsions
1886 th h adquart rs of a s parat division containing th Ludhiana,
Ambala and Simla districts. In 1886 th Ambala Division was abolish d,
and th district was th n incorporat d With th D lhi division. By th
Royal Proclamation at th 1911 Coronation Darbar, D lhi was mad th
capital of India, And Ambala onc mor b cam th h adquart rs of a
division.
Th pr s nt Ambala district has an ar a of 1,867 squar mil s and xt nds

along th Siwalik rang from th Riv r Jamna to th Riv r Sutl j, with th
Ambala tahsil farth r away from th hills. Th r ar two divisions almost
ntir ly s parat d from ach oth r, larg block ast of th Ghaggar Riv r
which poss ss s affiniti s with Hindustan and a small r block w st of th
Ghaggar which is mor akin to th Punjab prop r. Th first tract is
compos d of th Ambala, Naraingarh and Jagadhri tahsils and th s cond
of th Rupar and Kharar tahsils forming th Rupar sub-division of Ambala
district.
Th district boundary on th ast is th Jamna, s parating th Jagadhri

tahsil from th Saharanpur district of th unit d Provinc s. On th south th
Ambala and Jagadhri tahsils adjoin th Than sar tahsil of Karnal. On th
w st th bord r is throughout Nativ Stat t rritory, principally b longing
to Patiala, xc pt in th xtr m north-w st wh r th district touch s
Ludhiana. Erom that point th Sutl j divid s th Rupar tahsil along a
frontag of 26 mil s from th Garh-shankar and Una tahsils of Hoshiarpur,
and th r maining north- ast rn bord r lin of 80 mil s from th Sutl j to
th Jamna is again all nativ stat t rritory own d by Nalagarh, Patiala,
kalsia, and Nahan. In addition th r ar small scatt r d blocks of Patiala or
Kalsia villag s within th limits of th 'Ambala and Jagadhri tahsils, whil
in many plac s Nativ t rritory cuts in b tw n s ctions of th district in a
v ry inconv ni nt way. For a Punjab district it is not w ll arrang d for
administrativ purpos s, having tak n its pr s nt form mor from th
forc of circumstanc s than from any att mpt to construct a district suitabl
in its lf. Its gr at st l ngth from north-w st to south- ast is ighty mil s,
and its
B
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
2 CHAP. I. —THE DISTRICT.
CHAPTER,1 A. br adth at th wid st part forty- ight mil s, and b ing int rs ct d or
bound d by Nativ Stat s in all dir ctions it can n v r b an asily
administ r d charg .
escriptive As originally constitut d in 1847 Ambala contain d fiv tahsils.
A sixth. (Pipli) was add d in 1862 on th br aking up of th old
Boundari s and
dim nsions Than sar district, but was r transf rr d to th pr s nt Karnal district in
Octob r 1897. Th tahsils ar subdivid d into parganas as follows: —
Ambala, into Ambala and Mulana; Jagadhri, into Jagadhri, Mustafabad,
and Khiz-rabad; Rupar, into Rupar and Morinda; Kharar, into Kharar and
Mubarikpur; Naraingarh, into Naraingarh, Sadhaura and Kotaha.
L ading statistics r garding th district and th s v ral
tahsil into which it is divid d ar giv n in th s parat statistical
volum . Th district contains thr towns of mor than 10,000
souls as follows: —Ambala City, 25,908; Ambala Cantonm nt,
54,223; Jagadhri, 12,045. Th administrativ h adquart rs ar
situat d at Ambala City on th North-W st rn and East Indian
Railways, and at about th c ntr of th district as r gards
acc ssibility.
Tahsil. Total ar a Ar a culti Numb r R marks.

In squar vat d in Of
Mil s squar mil s. Villag s.
Rupar ... ... 288 187 386

Kharar ... … 371 237 396
Ambala ... ... 369 262 306
Naraingarh ... 435 210 326
Jagadhri ... 404 253 386
*Including
Kal sar
Total 1,867 1,149 1,801 For st.
Physical f atur Th . district is usually d scrib d as submontan , and th D scription is

corr ct, nough as r gards th Rupar, Kharar, Naraingarh and Jagadhri tahsils;
th s all adjoin th Siwalik rang and parts includ a consid rabl ar a of hilly
country. Th soil in th s tahsils is g n rally sp aking good alluvial loam, similar
in charact r to, though not so rich as, th soil in th corr sponding tahsils of th
Hoshiarpur district across th Sutl j on th north, whil as in Hoshiarpur
much damag
AMBALA lSTRICT.]
CHAP. I. —THE ISTRICT. 3
is don to th s rich r tracts by th sand torr nts which pour down
CHAPTER 1,A.
from th hills at fr qu nt int rvals throughout th 80 Mil s cours of escriptive
th Siwalik rang from th Sutl j to th Jamna. A larg part of Ambala, Physical features
and som scatt r d blocks of villag s in Naraingarh, and Jagadhri ar
much poor r in quality. Th hilly tracts ar g n rally d void of
v g tation oth r than; rough scrub, and th low bl ak hills ar littl
us d xc pt as grazing grounds for th Gujar population by whom th y
ar occupi d. Th r ar , how v r, comparativ ly valuabl tracts of
mountainous and for st country at Kal sar and Morni.Th Kal sar ar a
of 19 squar mil s In th ast rn corn r of th Jagadhri tahsil is
s parat ly d marcat d as Gov rnm nt land und r th For st
D partm nt, growing sal timb r w ll, and a full r d scription of this
small for st is giv n in Chapt r 11. The Morni ilaka of the Kotaha.
Pargan in th Naraingarh tahsil cov rs93l.squar mil s, in which for st
rights w r grant d to th jagirdar, known as th Mir of Kotaha, by a
sanad issu d from th Gov rnor-G n ral in -1816 on th conclusion of th
Gurkha War. This Morni tract includ s about 25 squar mil s of low
hills in th Siwalik formation, and forming th conn c-ting link b tw n
th Himalayas and th plainsTh r maining ar a is mad up of two
ridg s of much high r hills, running throughout th tract from north-
w st to south- ast, with num rous spurs branching out in all dir ctions.
Th s high r hills ar known_as_ th . Morni (av rag l vation about
3,500 f t) and Tipra (av rag l vation about 4,500 f t) rang s, and
in" conformation and charact r th y b long to th out r, rang s of th
tru Himalayas. Th y ar s parat d—by-.th vall y -of th -riv r.
Ghaggar. Th high st point in th . tract 'is th Karoh p ak of 4,919
f t on Nahan bord r, and th whol ilaka diff rs .compl t ly—from
th . R st of th district both' in its physical f atur s, its history and
th rac s of-its Inhabitants.
Imm diat ly b low th hills th r is a strip of undulating or
brok n ground varying gr atly in xt nt in diff r nt tahsils, and th r st of th
district is an almost l v l plain sloping v ry slightly to th south-w st, brok n at
short int rvals by th b ds of th mountain torr nts, which form th most charac-
t ristic f atur in th physical asp ct of th country. Broadly sp aking th r is no
w ll-r cognis d distinction of th plains portions oth rwis than in accordanc
with th gr at r or l ss proportion of good alluvial soil and hard unworkabl
clay land. In th rich r parts cov ring th north and c ntr of th district th
asp ct of th country is pl asing. for a highly cultivat d district it is w ll-wood d
with fin mango grov s in all th larg villag s, whil in cl ar w ath r th
Himalayan background mak s a r fr shing br ak in th monotony of th sc n .
Towards th south, how v r, th r ar comparativ ly d solat looking tracts of
much poor r country, mostly hard clay. Th d pth to wat r b low th , surfac of
th soil is v ry -gr at.
B2
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
Oft n 100 f t or mor , just th hills. Els wh r it. vari s g n rally from 30 to
60 f t but th wat r supply is usually v ry capricious and inad quat . As a whol
th . District is ss ntially d p nd nt on rain for its crops, and th total ar a irrigat d
CHAPTER 1,A. from all sourc s is insignificant. In. Jagadhri 4 p rc nt, of th cultivat d ar a is class d
escriptive as irrigat d, in Ambala 1, in Kharar 8, in Rupar 16 and in Naraingarh 2.Good
Physical features w lls ar common only in th Dhaia tract of th Rupar tahsil and in a small!
Corr sponding tract in Kharar known as th Charsa circl . Els wh r th w ll irrigation,
Such as it is, is mostly from v ry, small masonry or t mporary kacha w lls and is us d for
th small plots of gard n cultivation in th hands of Malis or Sainis, usually occupancy t nants,
Th r maining irrigation includ s a littl from th "W st rn Jamna Canal in Jagadhri, som
occasional irrigation from kacha tanks, 7,400 acr s irrigat d by kuls or ducts from th
Ghaggar in th N li circl of th Kharar tahsil, with about 1,800 acr s similarly irrigat d by
kuls in th plains portion and 615 acr s in th Morni hill portion of th Naraingarh tahsil..
Opium is prohibit d, tobacco has gr atly d cr as d sinc 1887 and th profits now to b mad
from ordinary barani cultivation hav r sult d in a contraction of irrigat d husbandry on
hom st ad lands; in g n ral th country is not adapt d for irrigating w lls owing to th -
gr at unc rtainty of th sub- soil wat r-supply. Th kul irrigation of Kharar and Naraingarh
is valuabl , sp cially for ric and sugarcan crops, but th ff ct of th irrigation is almost
always to mak th villag s of th tract v ry unh althy. This is mor particularly th cas
wh r th wat r supply is tak n from th Ghaggar, wh th r in th plains as in Kharar or
in th . hills as in Naraingarh.
Th g n ral charact r of th hill str ams, which hav alr ady b n allud d to as a
promin nt f atur of th district, is that of broad sandy cours s, scarc ly b low th surfac of
th country, and varying in br adth from a hundr d yards to upwards of a mil , dry during
th gr at part of th y ar, but pouring down a formidabl body of wat r in rainy* w ath r. This
charact r th y 'maintain for a distanc of som tw nty mil s b low th hills. Th y th n
gradually tam down into sluggish docil str ams, with w ll-d fin d clay banks, and a volum ,
which is much diminish d by absorption in th sand. Ev ntually all, or almost all, th str ams
that l av th hills b tw n th Sutl j and th Jamna unit in th Ghaggar. This from th
comm nc m nt is th most important of th m all, and is th only on , which contains a flow of
wat r throughout th y ar. - Passing th confin s of th district, it flows on through Patiala and
Sirsa, and finally los s its lf in th sands of Rajputana.Th oth r str ams ar g n rally dry for
th gr at r part of th y ar, and ar difficult to cross only for a short tim aft r h avy rain in
th hills. Th t nd ncy of all th s torr nts is gradually to silt up th c ntr of th b d,
causing th flood
AMBALA DISTEICT.]
CHAP. I. —THE ISTRICT. 5
wat r to spill on on sid or th oth r till th str am wid ns CHAPTER, 1.A

its cours by cutting away th banks, or carv s for its lf an
ntir ly n w chann l through alluvial land. Th construction
o f th railwa y mb ankm nt acr oss th dr ainag lin o f th escriptive
country incr as d th risk of s rious floods in th rainy s ason,
but this has b n all viat d by th provision of wid r culv rts. Hill Str ams
In th arly nin ti s, und r th dir ction of Mr. C. E. Gladston ,
D puty Commission r, much good was don by g tting th villag rs
to plant out th sandy wast s along th pr s nt or form r b ds of
th str ams with tr s and grass, with th doubl obj ct of
r claiming wast land and prot cting cultivat d ar as from rosion.
Sarkdna grass (Saccharum sara or ciriale) and kdhi (Saccharum
spnntaneum) ar invaluabl for this purpos , and many thousands of
acr s w r r claim d in •this way. Th grass s ar valuabl in
th ms lv s for thatching, rop -making and oth r num rous villag
purpos s, but th ir principal us is that th y bind th soil and
pr v nt th xt nsion of damag by sand, whil th y r quir littl to
ncour-ag th ir growth b yond combin d fforts on th part of th
villag rs and simpl m asur s for prot ction from th inroads of
cattl . Omitting minor str ams, th most important of th hill
torr nts ar th Sirsa, Budki and Sugh in Rupar; th Siswan, Jainta
D vi, Patiala naddi, Sukhna and Ghaggar in Kharar; th Tangri,
Run, B gna and Markanda in Ambala and Naraingarh; and th
Chautang, Sarusti, Som and Boli in. Jagadhri .
Th hill torr nts in y ars gon by us d to bring down, and
d posit f rtilising silt, but owing to th progr ssiv d nudation of th
Siwalik hills, which is now almost compl t , th y ar at th pr s nt
day nothing but an unmitigat d p st. as far as Ambala is conc rn d.
Th y unload vast cargo s of sand and ston s ov r th countrysid and
spr ad d struction far and wid . I app nd bri f d scriptions of th
principal str ams and torr nts.
Th Ghaggar ris s in th t rritory of Nahan and, passing .through
Morni, l av s th hills by th Chandigarh gorg . Th nc it pass s on Th Ghaggar.
into Patiala t rritory, but again touch s th bord r of th district a
short distanc to th w st of th city of Ambala. N ar Mani Majra
it is larg ly us d to irrigat th Kharar N li circl , th wat r b ing
drawn off by m ans of artificial cuts or huh. Th b d is cov r d
with larg bould rs for a f w mil s b low th hills, but soon b com s
a wid tract of sand. Th upp r portion of th cours contains. wat r
throughout th y ar a foot d p in summ r, but r aching six f t or
mor in th rains, and wh n in flood, th curr nt is v ry dang rous to
cross. Th Ambala and Simla road cross s it by a ford about half-
way b tw n Kalka and Ambala, and th mails w r , during th
rains, carri d ov r on l phants,
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER
CHAP. I. —THE DISTRICT.
6
CHAPTER I, A. till a fin railway bridg was construct d for th D lhi-Kalka Railway.
N ar D scriptiv Ambala again larg bridg s hav b n construct d for th Grand
Trunk Road and th North-W st rn Railway, and shortly b low
th s th str am branch s Th Ghaggar off into Patiala t rritory on
th w st.
Th Markanda Th Markanda, rising in th Siwaliks n ar Nahan, is th s cond larg st

str amin th district. In th first tw nty mil s of its cours in th plains
it is join d by two oth r torr nts. Th first, which ris s in th hills to
th north of Sadhaura, b ars th significant nam of " Sadad ni " or "
th constant plagu ." Th s cond, which unit s with th Markanda
low r down, is call d th B gna. In this locality n ar Mulana th
str am has chang d its cours sinc 1887. In th rainy s ason floods
com down th Markanda with xtraordinary sudd nn ss and viol nc ,
and m n and cattl ar som tim s caught and carri d away wh n
crossing th b d. Th wat rs spr ad ov r th fac of th country
l aving, wh r th flow is slow, silt, and, wh r it is swift, sand. Th
fortun s of villag s, sp cially; of thos along th low r part of th
riv r, ar fluctuating. Much sand is oft n d posit d and th strong w st
winds of March blow it ov r th land which has scap d.
Th Tangri Th Tangri. is a larg and v ry d structiv str am rising In th
Morni hills. It runs clos to Ambala Cantonm nt, and has at diff r nt
tim s caus d much troubl from its t nd ncy to spill ov r into n w
chann ls. Th whol troubl is du to its catchm nt ar a B ing in such
a. shocking stat of d nudation. Exp nsiv prot ction works hav b n
construct d at Kh ra in Naraingarli and again a f w mil s north of Can-
tonm nts. A larg branch us d to flow b tw n th City and
Cantonm nts, but. th drainag is now confin d to th ast rn chann l.,
and th wat r-supply for Cantonm nts is d riv d from a s ri s of w lls
construct d on its banks. B low 'Ambala it is cross d by a larg railway
bridg , and th n joins a fr sh chann l, known as th Umla. A road
bridg at Shah-pur is just b ing construct d (1920).
Th Sarusti Th Sarusti, th anci nt Saraswati, is famous in th annals of
arly Brahminical history as th most sacr d. riv r in India, aft r th
Gang s. It do s not ris in th hills, but b gins in a larg d pr ssion at
Kalawar in th north of th Mustafabad pargana of Jagadhri. For th
first 20 mil s of its cours it is utt rly insignificant, its chann l b ing
fr qu ntly only mark d by a shallow d pr ssion on th surfac of th
ground, and b ing oft n lost ntir ly. It is only aft r th Chautang joins
it at Bhaini that it acquir s a continuous chann l and is worthy of b ing
call d a str am.
Must has b n writt n as to th d siccation of th Sarsuti,
which is r pr s nt d in anci nt tim s to hav b n an important
riv r. Th ph nom non, how v r, s ms amply xplain d by th
supposition that anci ntly th Ghaggar was consid r d an afflu nt of
th Sarusti, inst ad of th Sarusti o£
[A.MBALA DlSTRICT.]
CHAP. I. —THE DISTRICT. 7
th Ghaggar, and that wh n anci nt writ rs sp ak of th Sarusti, th y

includ und r that nam th unit d Ghaggar and Sarusti. If th possibility
of this b grant d, th failur in th wat r-supply is asily account d for by
th gr at r volum of wat r of now drawn off for irrigation, and by th silting CHAPTER 1,
up of th riv r b ds caus d by th dams mploy d south of Ambaia to div rt th escriptive.
wat r ov r th fi lds. It is impossibl to suppos that th supply of wat r in th The Sarusti
sourc s has p rman ntly d cr as d/ this vari s from y ar to y ar with th
rainfall, and th r is no r ason for supposing that th rainfall is l ss now than it
us d to b . Th r is no myst ry about th matt r. Th Ghaggar, it must b
r m mb r d, would, if it and its tributari s w r l ft to th ms lv s, r c iv th
whol drainag of th low r Himalayas b tw n th Jamna and th Sutl j, and
this is quit suffici nt to provid wat r during th rains for a consid rabl riv r.
At th pr s nt tim , in parts of th cours s of th various str ams, v ry villag
has dams, which, how v r small individually, carry off in th aggr gat an
normous volum of wat r, quit suffici nt to aff ct th low r parts of th
str am. Nor is this th only r sult of th syst m of damming back th wat r for
purpos s of irrigation. Not only is wat r drawn off, but th flow of th wat r, which
scap s is imp d d. This l ads to incr as d absorption in th soil, and
incr as d d posit of silt. And thus, y ar-by-y ar, th pow r of th str ams to
sw p away obstacl s b com s l ss, whil th obstacl s th ms lv s b com mor
formidabl . In th Ambaia ' district th b d of th Sarusti is for th most part
w ll d fin d, but xpands, h r and th r , into a broad b lt of sand. It n v r
contains mor than two f t of wat r, and is dry for ight months in th y ar,
wat r r maining only in occasional parts or in spots wh r it is damm d up to
provid bathing plac s for pilgrims. G n ral Cunningham, in his Archa ologi-
cal R port for 1863-64, giv s th following account of th
riv r.
Th Sarasuti, in Sanskrit Soraswati, is too w ll known to r quir

mor than a m r notic . Its nam is d riv d from Saras, a ' lak or pool,'
and, vati, lik ,' m aning th ' riv r of lak s or pools,' a charact r which it
still b ars, as it partially dri s up arly in th y ar, and b com s a m r
succ ssion of pools without any visibl str am. Th Brahmans hav cl v rly
tak n advantag of th s pools, to ach of which th y hav attach d a l g nd
with its accompanying shrin . Thus_, along th bank of th Sarasuti to th
north of Than sar, from Ratan 'Jaksh on th ast to Aujas Ghat on th w st, '
a distanc of only fiv mil s, th r ar no l ss than 34 shrin s, or s v n
shrin s in on mil , or a shrin at v ry 250 yards. Of th s th most
c l brat d is th Kula Prdchin, or Gangatirath in which th Gang s h rs lf is
saia to hav bath d to g t rid of th load of sin with which th p opl had
d fil d h r wat rs. Anoth r famous plac is th Sthanutirath wh r V na
Raja d dicat d a shrin to Siva, und r th nam of Sthanu. According to th
l g nd, th l prous Baja B n, whos nam I hav found as wid ly diffus d as
thos of th Pandus th ms lv s, whil trav ling in a doli was s t down by a
th " b ar rs on th bank of th Saraswati. A dog cross d th riv r and
stopp d n ar th doli to shak hims lf wh n som wat r was
8
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAP.1—THE ISTRICT
CHAPTER 1, A. sprinkl d on th Raja, who was astonish d on s ing that ach spot thus
w tt d imm diat ly b cam whol . H at onc plung d into th str am
escriptive.
and cam out ntir ly cl ans d from his l prosy. Th s two l g nds ar alon
suffici nt to account for th d ply-root d b li f of th p opl in th
purifying quality of th wat rs of th Saraswati. -Som plac s r f r to th
Th Sarusti d struction of th Kshatriyas by Parasu Rama, and oth r spots ar
d dicat d to th story of th Pandus, such as Kshirihi—vdsa and
Asthipur. In th first of th s plac s th wat r of th riv r was chang d to
milk (kshira) for th us of th w ari d Pdndus, and in th oth r th ir
bon s (asthi) w r coll ct d tog th r in a h ap. In A.D. 634 th s bon s
w r shown to th Chin s pilgrim, Hw n Thsang, who r cords that th y
w r of v ry larg siz . All my nquiri s for th m w r fruitl ss, but th
sit of Asthipur is still point d out in th plain to th w st of th city
towards Aujas Ghat."
Th Hindu tradition attach d to th disapp aranc of th riv r in
th sand is as follows: —Sarassuti was th daught r of Mahad o; but
h r fath r on day, in a fit of drunk nn ss, approach d h r with
int nt to violat h r mod sty. Sh fl d, and in h r flight, wh n v r
sh saw h r pursu r gaining, sh div d und r ground, r - m rging a
f w mil s furth r on. Th riv r sprang up in h r track, and wh r
sh disapp ar d in ord r to comm morat h r xploit th r th
riv r also to this day div s und r ground.
Th Sutl j Th two gr at riv rs of th district, th Sutl j on th north- w st
and th Jamna on th ast, ar utiliz d for th Sirhind and
W st rn Jamna Canal syst ms, th h ad works of th for-m r b ing
at Rupar and of th latt r at Tajawala in th Jaga-dhri tahsil. Th
Sutl j is th bord r of th district for 26 mil s, starting from n ar
Kiratpur, wh r it l av s th Una vall y of th Hoshiarpur district.
From Kiratpur to Rupar, som 14 mil s, it is a broad strong str am
from 8 to 10 f t d p in th wint r.: At Rupar th wat r is
ntir ly div rt d during th cold s ason into th Sirhind Canal
chann l. With th m lting of th snows in th hills th wat r ris s
in May and 'Jun , and during th rains th riv r is in flood. Its
action is capricious, th d p str am running som tim s on th
ast, som tim s on th w st of a hug , dr ary wast -of sand and
jungl land. At Rupar th d odar logs float d from th hills
pass into th canal and ar tak n out at th Rampur d pot n ar
Doraha Railway Station (North-W st rn Railway).
Th Sirhind Canal
Th Sirhind Canal syst m commands an ar a of ov r 8,000
squar mil s in British and Stat t rritory. Th r is no irrigation
from th Canal in th Ambala district, but th larg works involv d
in th construction of so much of th Canal as runs through th
Rupar tahsil r quir som notic . Th h ad works ar about a mil
from Rupar wh r th Sutl j pass s through' th Siwalik Hills, and
consist of a w ir 2,400 f t long with a cr st 6 f t abov th
normal b d of th riv r and an arrang m nt of movabl shutt rs
which wh n r ct command th whol mass of wat r in th riv r.
Ov r th last 330 f t of th w ir on th Rupar sid a larg
masonry bridg has b n construct d with und r-sluic s consisting
of 12 op nings, ach 20 f t in
AMBALA DISTRICT.] 9

Width, fitt d with th most up-to-dat machin ry. Th draw CHAPTER 1, A.
caus d by th s op nings and th provision of a divid wall nsur
th d p chann l b ing in front of th canal r gulator. 'Adjoining and at right escriptive
angl s to th und r-sluic s is th r gulating bridg . Its function is by th
Th Sirhind Canal.
op ning or closing of its gat s so to r gulat th amount of wat r that th
quantity actually r quir d and no mor shall at any mom nt b pass d into th
canal. A lock chann l is plac d 550 f t upstr am of th r gulator, forming th
navigation ntranc from th riv r. Aft r l aving th riv r th n xt work of
importanc is th Budki sup r-passag , which carri s th combin d str ams of
th Sugh and Budki torr nts across th canal. Th aggr gat catchm nt ar a of
th s two torr nts is 8G squar mil s, and, th ir combin d maximum discharg ,
wh n in flood, 65,000 •cubic f t a s cond. Th sup r-passag is 395 f t wid
b tw n th parap ts, which ar 14 f t high. Th wat r in flood is about 12-1
f t d p on th floor of th aqu duct, th cost of which was. n arly Rs. 7 lakhs
xcluding cost of torr nt training works. A long div rsion cut l ads th Sugh
into th Budki abov th sup r-passag , and th r ar training works for about
thr mil s both abov and b low th sup r-passag .
In th 7th mil anoth r sup r-passag carri s th Siswan torr nt ov r
th canal. It is a similar but small r work than that abov d scrib d;
its cost (with training works) was nin lakhs. It is d sign d to pass
20,000 cubic f t p r s cond, and is 250 f t wid b tw n parap ts,
which ar 10 f t high. Unusual difficulti s w r m t with in laying th
foundations of this work, and its construction was laborious and
xp nsiv . In th 11th mil a larg syphon pass s drainag und r th
canal, and in th 12th mil n ar Chamkaur th r is a r gulating bridg
and scap h ad. Any wat r in th canal which is in xc ss of
r quir m nts can h r b r turn d to th Sutl j but owing to th
r c ssion of th riv r th Chamkaur Escap has b com in ffici nt and
is now v ry littl us d. Shortly aft r passing th 13th mil ston , th last of
th cross drainag s is m t with, and th wat rs of a comparativ ly small
nallah ar pass d und r th canal by a syphon. Th r maining drainag s
from th high land ar pond d by th canal spoil, and arrang m nts
hav b n mad by which surplus wat r from th s r s rvoirs can b
pass d into th canal. From this point onwards, th works pr s nt d no
particular difficulti s in construction as th b d of th canal is abov th
spring l v l.
Th Works on th main lin ar construct d of sandston obtain d
from a quarry n ar Nalagarh, and th mortar was manufactur d of bricks
from th ruins of Sirhind and lim from kankar quarri s at Patarh ri, a
villag a f w mil s from Rupar. A railway lin 54 mil s long was
construct d from Doraha to th Nalagarh quarri s to carry mat rial, but
th lin was tak n up shortly aft r compl tion of th canal in 1884-85.
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER]
CHAPTER 1, A. For th r pairs of th ngin s and machin ry in us on th Canal, a

workshop and foundary w r r ct d n ar th r gulator at Rupar. Th
escriptive whol of th original lock and r gulator gat s, with th ir fittings and g ar
w r built in th s shops, and work was also don for oth r canals in th
Punjab. Th workshop and foundry no long r xist.
Th Sirhind Canal.
At Rupar, too, th xp rim nt of mploying convict labour
on public works was mad on a larg scal . Thr jails w r
built capabl of holding in all 2,500 m n. Th prison rs rar ly,
r ach d this numb r, but th r w r usually from 1,400 to-
1,800 on th works. Th ir s rvic s w r of gr at valu as
th ir pr s nc nsur d th placing of a larg body of m n on
any urg nt work, and it also t nd d to st ady th rat s of fr
labour. Th jails ind d prov d a most valuabl ass t and con-
tribut mat rially to th compl tion of th canal th w h o l cost of th
canal up to its op ning in Nov mb r 1882 was about 407 lakhs of rup s. Th
canal was op n d with gr at c r - mony by th Vic roy (Lord Ripon) in th
pr s nc of th Chi fs who had larg ly contribut d to th cost of th und rtaking.
Th works ar built mainly with ston obtain d from Nalagarh about
14 mil s from Rupar. Th w ir is divid d by cross groyn s and pi rs into
six bays. Th pi rs carry standards supporting a wif rop way by which
acc ss to th pi rs and right bank of th riv r is possibl at all tim s. Dur-
ing th cold w ath r all th riv r wat r is pass d down th canal and it is
th n possibl to walk across th riv r b d b low th w ir. Th und r-sluic s
on th l ft flank of th w ir hav a total width of about 300 f t. Th
original sluic gat s w r r plac d in 1916-17 by mod rn count rbalanc d
gat s. Th s w r d sign d by M ssrs. Ransom and Rapi r of Ipswich,
England. Th y can b rais d or low r d in a v ry short tim and giv
ad quat control of th riv r during floods. Th canal h ad r gulator by
which th supply of wat r nt ring th canal is controll d has thirt n gat
op nings, ach 21 f t in width. Th l ft bank of th riv r is train d for four
mil s upstr am of th h adworks to pr v nt any d viation from its pr s nt
cours . Training works on th right bank ar unn c ssary as th low hills of
th Siwalik rang form a natural d f nc . Proj cts for xt nsion of irrigation
with Sutl j riv r wat r ar now und r consid ration. Th s proj cts will
involv th construction of a gr at storag dam across th riv r in th gorge at
Bhakra, about 40 mil s upstr am of Rupar. Th wat r so stor d during th
summ r will b availabl for us during th wint r wh n th ordinary riv r
supply is bar ly suffici nt v n for th ar a irrigat d from th pr s nt Sirhind
Canal. Part of th xtra availabl supply will b pass d down th pr s nt
canal for xt nsion of th irrigat d ar a and part will b pass d b low
Rupar w ir for canals, which will b tak n out from th riv r som distanc
b low Phillaur. Th h adworks at Rupar will probably only r quir
som slight-
[AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. I. —THE DISTRICT 11
modifications to m t th n w conditions .th first fourt n CHAPTER 1, .A

mil s only of th canal ar within th boundary of th Ambala district and no
irrigation from it is don in th district.
escriptive
What is locally known as th Budha Nala b gins n ar Slrhind

Canal, th Chamkaur Escap . Th Budha Nala is probably on of th old Th Sirhind Canal.
b ds of th Riv r Sutl j. It is now a drainag which, b ginning n ar
Chamkaur, joins th Sutl j som distanc b low Phillaur. It cross s
und r th North-W st rn Railway n ar Ludhiana Station. Th r is
g n rally a small amount of wat r flowing down it, but its cours is
much block d by rush s and w ds which pr v nt drainag wat r
passing away fr ly and cons qu ntly at tim s of h avy rainfall larg
ar as of country adjac nt to th Nala g t badly flood d. In many plac s
it has no w ll d fin d chann l but its alignm nt is indicat d by
swamps th xt nt of which vary gr atly according to rainfall. Th r is
only a comparativ ly small ar a of such swamps within th limits of th
Ambala district and th s ar opposit th 12th, 13th and 14th mil s
of th canal. It has at tim s b n cont nd d that th s swamps hav b n
caus d by th canal. but this is not corr ct, and on plans of th
country mad b for th canal was construct d, th swamps ar shown
v ry much as th y xist to day. A c rtain amount of s pag from th
canal undoubt dly tak s plac and th Canal D partm nt has con-
struct d som small s pag drains, which carry som of th wat r
from th swamp d ar as away to low r parts of th Budha Nala. Th s
drains cannot compl t ly drain th swamps but th y giv consid rabl
r li f in draining wat r away from larg ar as, which b com
flood d aft r h avy rainfall.
Th following is a list of f rri s and crossings within th limits of

th Ambala district: —
Miles. Feet.
(1) H ad R gulator at Rupar R. D... 0 0
(2) Rupar Bridg … 1 3,500
(3) Budki sup r-passag with foot
Bridg ... 4 1,450
(4) Siswan sup r-passag with foot
Bridg ... ... 7 1,500
(5) Bhoji Majra f rry ... ... 9 1,000
(6) Chamkaur R gulating bridg ... 11 ,558
Th Jamna m rg s from th hills at Kal sar, wh r th
Th Jamna
chann l is cov r d with bould rs and th curr nt is swift and
strong. But th h adworks of th East rn and W st rn Jamna Canals
at Khara and Tajawala soon div rt all th wat r. In th rains th
local drainag s ar oft n mor than nough to fill th canal, and
it som tim s b com s n c ssary to shut off th riv r ntir ly. To
th south of Tajawala th main str am.
.
Punjab GAZETTEER
12
CHAPTER 1, A. runs on th bord r of th Saharanpur and Ambala districts as far as

Nawazpur b low which and just abov th junction of th Som and th
Jamna th r ar two or thr Saharanpur villag s on this sid of th riv r.
escriptive Th Som joins th Jamna at Kanalsi. Th Khadir to th north of th
The Jamna Som is cut up by, s v ral old riv r-b ds. On of th s , th Tufanan, has
b n much nlarg d and has don a gr at d al of mischi f. Fortunat ly all
th s chann ls ar caught in th Som, and pr v nt d from injuring th
south rn Khadir. B low th point wh r th Som joins it th Jamna has a
sandy b d. Just abov th railway bridg at Lapra, th riv r is join d by th
Buddhi Jamna, and a f w mil s low r down it l av s th tahsil at Naharpur.
Its floods oft n do s rious damag , and th dry lands of th Khadir ar
much sup rior to thos which th riv r ov rflows. Th drainag chann ls
of th south rn Khadir ar p tty, and form a striking contrast to th wid
sandy bould r-str wn riv r-b ds to th north of th Som.
Th W st rn Th h ad works of th W st rn Jamna Canal ar situat d at

Jamna Canal. Tajawala, wh r a v ry strong masonry dam has b n built across th
Jamna. B tw n Tajawala and Dadupur th canal follows for th most
part an old riv r-b d, th slop is gr at, and th curr nt v ry strong. At
Dadupur th r is a l v l crossing ov r th combin d Pathrala and Som
torr nts. From Dadupur th canal flows south in an artificial chann l to
Buria, b low which a r markabl spur of th Bangar highlands forc s it to
mak a gr at curv to th ast. During th r st of its cours in Jagadhri it
hugs th Bangar bank (th old high bank of th Jamna) pr tty clos ly, and
flowing south-w st pass s b low th railway bridg at Abdullapur and
finally l av s th tahsil at Daurang. Th chann l b low Buria is an old
riv r- b d. Th Jamna flow d b low Buria as lat as 1760 A.D., wh n
Ahmad Shah forc d th passag of th str am at this point in th t th' of a
Mahratta army. Th banks ar v ry | low and som damag is don by
wat r-logging which has incr as d sinc 1892, wh n th Sirsa Branch was
op n d b caus I th canal now carri s a gr at r h ad of wat r. But th
n ighbourhood of th canal do s mor good than harm, for b low Buria a
strip of land on both banks is k pt always moist, and| yi lds valuabl crops
without artificial irrigation. Th us of canal wat r is practically confin d
to t n stat s of th Khizrabad pargana situat d to th north of Dadupur.
Th following is a list of th f rri s and crossings xcluding railway
bridg s within th limits of th Ambala district: —
(1) R gulator at Tajawala.
(2) F rry boat at Bahadurpur.
(3) Susp nsion bridg at Jaidhari.
Ambala- District.]
(4) R gulator at Dadupur. CHAPTER I, A
(5) Bridg at Buria
escriptive.
(6) Pontoon bridg at Amadalpur. The W st rn
Jamna Canal.
(7) Pontoon f rry at Nayagaon.
(8) Bridg n ar Fat hgarh on Jagadhri-Saharanpur kacha road.
(9) Bridg just b low railway at Abdullapur on Jagadhri- Saharanpur
m tall d road.
(10) Pontoon f rry n ar Munr di villag .
(11) Pontoon f rry n ar Damla villag .
Th normal rainfall may b tak n at 32 inch s for th y ar in Ambala, 30 in Kharar,
Rainfall.
32½ in Rupar, 43 in Naraingarh, and 37 ½ in Jagadhri. Th district is in this r sp ct w ll
situat d and th r ar comparativ ly f w y ars in which; th rains fail altog th r. Th
rainfall is how v r irr gular and th variations from y ar to y ar ar consid rabl , th crops
in th south of th district sp cially b ing liabl to almost as much damag from moistur
and floods as from drought but this is r ally du to xc ssiv flatn ss and lack of drainag
faciliti s. Th amount of rain r quir d for th spring crops, wh n onc th ground has
b n saturat d suffici ntly to admit of sowing, is comparativ ly small, but th outturn
d p nds larg ly on th tim ly fall of th wint r rains. Unfortunat ly, th s rains ar v ry
capricious, and th rabi crop is in cons qu nc oft n light. In th district, as a whol , th
kharff harv st quals th rabi harv st in importanc .
Th climat of Ambala is fairly good, but th chang s of t mp ratur ar s v r .

From th middl of April to th nd of Jun hot winds blow strongly from th w st but Climat
h avy dust storms ar rar . During th rains occasional f v r is common v rywh r , th
mortality from, this caus in y ars of xc ssiv flood b ing v ry high ind d. Th cold
w ath r com s on sudd nly in Nov mb r or D c mb r b for th p opl hav r cov r d
th ir str ngth aft r an pid mic of f v r, and th r sult is much furth r loss of lif from
pn umonia ; th two north rn tahsils of Kharar and Rupar ar th only parts of th district
in which th p opl ar of r ally robust physiqu . Mainly owing to th ravag s of plagu
th population of th district d clin d by n arly on -quart r b tw n 1891 and 1911.
About ight p r c nt, of th total population p rish d in th t rribl influ nza pid mic of
1918. Unfortunat ly y ars of xc ssiv rainfall g n rally follow clos aft r y ars of drought
and find th p opl alr ady w ak n d by mor or l ss wid ly spr ad failur of crops wh n
th y ar ill pr par d to withstand th ff cts of dis as .
[PUNJAB GAZETTEERS]
CHAPTER 1, A
Th Ambala district pass s up from th alluvial plains through th Siwalik
ISCRIPTIVE. syst m to th Himalayan foot-hills, and Sabathu, Dagshai, and Sirmur (Nahan) ar
Geography of the all quit clos to th district boundary.
district
Th band of conglom rat s, sandston s, and clays, which runs from nd
to nd of th Himalaya along th ir out r margin is known to g ologists as
th Sub-Himalayan zon , and rocks of this zon fall into two w ll-mark d
sub-divisions, known as th Sirmur and Siwaliks s ri s, r sp ctiv ly: th s
ar again sub-divid d as follows: —
Upp r Siwalik stag
Siwalik s ri s Middl ,, ,,
Low r Siwalik
(Nahan) stag
Sub- Himalayan syst m
Kasauli stag
Sirmurs ri s Dagshai ,,
Sabathau ,,
Th upp r and middl Siwalik stag s ar w ll xpos d in this district in th

chain of low hills which runs from th riv r Jamna to th riv r Sutl j. Th upp rmost
stag consists of loos ly aggr gat d conglom rat s and soft arthy b ds which!
ar und rlain by a bar ly coh r nt sand rock lying upon a hard r but
oth rwis v ry similar sandston . Th s Siwalik b ds yi ld th bon s and
t th of such animals as th l phant, rhinoc ros and tig r, but th s fossils ar
of v ry rar occurr nc in this district.
Th upp rmost stag of th Sirmur s ri s is xpos d at Kasauli and
consists chi fly of sandston of a gr y or gr n colour with subordinat
b ds of clay. Th und rlying Dagshai stag consists chi fly of gr y or
purpl sandston with b ds of bright r d or purpl clay. Th s b ds ar
w ll xpos d and' r adily r cognizabl in th road and railway cuttings. Th
Sabathu stag consists chi fly of shal s with bands of impur lim ston and
sandston ".
Both Siwalik and Sirmur s ri s b long to th t rtiary stag . Th
upp r Siwaliks corr sponds with th Plioc n of Europ , whil , th
vid nc afford d by fossils nabl s us to corr lat th Sabathu stag with
th Eoc n and th Kasauli stag with th low r Mioc n .
Minrals Gold is found in minut quantiti s among th sand wash d down by
many of th hill str ams, sp cially thos of th Kharar tahsil. Th r ar
kankar quarri s at Patharh ri and Patharmajra villag s n ar Rupar, and
lim ston in th Morni hills. Th block kankar quarri s ar a p culiar
formation and in on small clust r of villag s only. Th hous s and
.AMBALA DISTRICT.]
w lls in th s villag s ar built from th larg blocks dug up CHAPTER ,1. A.

a littl b low th surfac of th soil, and th quarri s w r escriptive
larg ly r sort d to whil th Sirhind Canal was und r construc- Minerals
tion, though th y hav not b n much us d in lat r y ars.
Th lim ston of Morni is found in consid rabl quantiti s in
th b ds of hill str ams. Th only oth r min ral industry of
th district is in and about Mani Majra and Kalka of th
Kharar tahsil, wh r a f w ston -masons arn a p tty liv lihood
by th manufactur of millston s for small hand or wat r mills
and of p stl s and mortars.
Most of th favourit spots for gam hav b n so much Wild animals sport.
shot ov r that a good bag can no long r b asily mad any-
wh r within th limits of th district. An occasional tig r and panth r ar
shot in th Kal sar Gov rnm nt for st r s rv , and ar occasionally to b
had in th Morni hills by thos who can afford th tim and mon y to b at
through a larg ar a of hill jungl . Th r ar a f w b ars in and about
Morni, and a numb r of hyas nas and wolv s in th hills or brok n
ground just b low th Siwaliks. Wild pigs do much damag to crops und r
th hills and in th riv rain tracts but th natur of th ground is against
hunting th m on hors -back. Of th d r trib th district contains no f w r
than s v n diff r nt kinds. Sambar, chital and kakar ar fairly pl ntiful in
th wild r hilly tracts, sp cially in Morni. Chikara or ravin d r ar
occasionally shot in Rupar, and nilgai and parha: ar som tim s found along
th riv rs: h rds of th Indian ant lop (black buck) ar pl ntiful in
parts of th district, sp cially along th Patiala Stat bord r. Th small
gam shooting is g n rally poor but gr y partridg s and har s may b
pick d up in any of th wild r parts of th district. Duck and snip can b
got in th inundat d lands along th canals and riv rs. Th r ar
scarc ly any jhils in th district. Lastly, som m ntion may b mad of
th ph asant and Jungl fowl shooting to b had in Morni by thos who
know wh r to go for it and ar not too much ti d down to tim .
Th r is xc ll nt mahasir fishing at th prop r s ason at Dadupur and
Tajawala in Jagadhri and in th Sutl j at Rup r. A gr at vari ty of fish ar
caught with n ts both in th riv rs and hill str ams, and ar brought to Fish.
mark t in Ambala Cantonm nt. Th b st for ating ar th rohu, s wal and
chilwa, th last b ing a tiny littl fish caught in gr at quantiti s
with small m sh d n ts aft r a fr sh t in th Ghaggar. Th y ar v ry good
ating wh n about th siz of whit bait or only a littl larg r, but lik
n arly all th common fish of th riv rs th y hav a strong muddy flavour
wh n full grown.
I app nd a not on th birds of th district by th w ll- Bird.
known ornithologist, Mr. Hugh "Whistl r, F.Z.S., of th Indian Polic :
—
" It is not oft n that th authors of a district Gaz tt r hav so
int r sting an ar a to d al with. Ornithologically consid r d, Ambala
district is situat d on th boundary lin , ill d fin d as it must
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAPTER, 1 .A. n c ssarily b , b tw n th typical Punjab avifauna (abounding in-d s rt Pals arctic
escriptive forms), and th l ss int r sting but mor typically Indian avifauna of th Unit d
Birds Provinc s.
Th district is so irr gularly shap d that it is difficult to d scrib in g n ral t rms; it
may b said how v r that th country round' Ambala and th portions lying w stward
of Rupar agr in th main v ry clos ly with th typical C ntral Punjab ar as; whil on
th oth r hand th Jagadhri tahsil and to a l ss xt nt th parts round Chandigarh and
Naraingarh b tray th n arn ss of th Unit d Provinc s and th last outcrops of th
Siwalik Hill confus d and blurr d by th influ nc of th Himalayan foot-hills. Add to
this th fact that th inclusion of Kasauli within th civil boundari s of Ambala m ans
th inclusion of an ar a with r pr s ntativ s of th Himalayan zoological sub-r gion,
and it will b s n that th ornithologist attach d to th district cadr has a p culiarly
int r sting ar a to d al with. This ar a has not y t b n fully inv stigat d and will
c rtainly r pay mor att ntion in spit of th fact that naturalists of r put lik
Colon l Tilt r and Captain B av n w r form rly station d in th Cantonm nt, and a
coll ction of birds from th n ighbourhood mad about th middl of last c ntury by
Dr. Scott, H.E., I.C.S., is still in xist nc in th Montros Mus um, Scotland. Som
account of th birds known to occur in th district will b found in th Journal of th
Bombay N. H. Soci ty, Volum XXV, and pag s 665—681, Volum XXVI. Pag s
172—191. This is too long for r production h r and may b consult d in original by thos
int r st d but som slight notic of th mor sali nt charact ristics of th bird-lif of th
district may b att mpt d.
As r gards gam birds Ambala is fairly w ll off. Th whit -cr st d Kalij ph asant (Gennaeus
albocristatus) and th r d jungl fowl (Gallus ferruginous) may b obtain d in th low hills
about Morni and also at Kal sar and th sam jungl s ar on of th f w Punjab localiti s for
th paint d sandgrous (Pterocles fasciatus) and th jungl busli quail
(Perdicula asiatics). P afowl (Pavo cristatus) ar found throughout th district and in th
abov -m ntion d hills ar wild nough and suffici ntly strong on th wing to b worth
shooting, whil th local villag rs app ar to hav no obj ction to th ir b ing kill d. Th black
partridg (Francolinus vulgaris) and th gr y partridg (Francolinu-Francolinus ar r sid nt
and found throughout th district on suit abl ground. Th common quail (Comusumix
communis) may b xp ct d abundantly on passag . Th imp rial sandgrous (Pteroclurus
arenarius) is a wint r visitor and th common pintail sandgrous (Pteroclurus exustus), a
r sid nt sp ci s, ar abundant in on or two localiti s. Various sp ci s of ducks and g s ,
tog th r with full snip and jack snip , occur h r as ls wh r in th Punjab as wint r
visitors, and afford good sport wh r v r suitabl wat r and marsh s ar to b found.
Th r sid nt pig ons of th district ar th blu rock dov (Columba intermedia) and
th gr n pig on (Grocopus chlorogaster), whil th ast rn stock dov (Columba
eversmanni) occurs in flocks in wint r.
Spac do s not allow of a d scription of all th int r sting forms which occur in th
district, but th following cannot b omitt d: —
Th gr y hornbill (Lophoceros virostris), a larg ungainly gr y bird of h avy flight and
kit -lik call, r adily to b id ntifi d by th hug bill with its ' casqu ' is found
throughout th district, whil its larg r and mor striking r lativ th gr at black and
whit horn-bill (Anthracocercs albirostris) is only found in hill jungl s to th ast.
Th district is particularly rich in flycatch rs (Muscicapidoz). Th paradis flycatch r
(Terpsiphone paradisi) is b yond doubt th most b autiful bird that occurs. Th adult
mal is pur whit , with two long whit str am rs in th tail s t off by th h avy black
cr st, forms a pictur of grac and b auty not asily quall d as it darts about th
branch s of som shady tr ; th int r st of th bird is
AMBALA DISTRTCT]
h ight n d by a knowl dg that this full plumag is only obtain d aft r a gradual CHAPTER, 1 .A.
volution taking at l ast two or thr y ars. Th r ar thr oth r v ry b autiful escriptive
flycatch rs in th district which all attract att ntion by th fact that th y -waltz and
pirou tt with wid ly spr ad tails and half lift d wings in th low r branch s of som Birds
mango tr , utt ring fr ly a short but pr tty song. Th s ar th two black and whit
fantail flycatch rs ( hipidura albifrontata and . albicollis) and th y llow fantail
(Chelidorkynx hypoxanthum).
Ev ry mango top on th Jagadhri sid in wint r holds a gr y_ h ad d flycatch r
{Culiacapa zeylonsis), a small bird inconspicuous in its lf whos loud harsh call and
darting flights soon draw att ntion to its pr s nc . Approaching n ar r th foot-hills in
wint r about Chandigarh w find th v rdit r flycatch r (Muscicapa melanopa), a study
in brilliant v rdit r blu , and two small r sp ci s in dark blu and whit , th whit -
brow d flycatch r (M. superciliaries) and th slaty blu flycatch r (M. leucomelanurus).
Amongst th many int r sting Himalayan birds which d sc nd in wint r to th
plains th two most striking ar to b found on th str ams that br ak out of th hills
n ar Kalka. Th s ar th fork-tail (Henicurus maculatus), a black and whit bird with a
' St. Andr w's Cross ' across th back and a long wid ly fork d tail which is sway d up
and down v rtically as th bird mov s, and th whit -capp d r dstart (Chimarrhornis
leucocephalus) whos brilliant ch stnut and black plumag with pur whit crown
cannot fail to catch th most unobs rvant y .
Flocks of mini v ts (Pericrocotus brevirostris) occur commonly -throughout th
district in th wint r, and th scarl t and black of th mal s mingl d with th y llows
and browns of th f mal s form a pictur not asily forgott n as th flock pass s through
th sunlight with th h sitating flight charact ristic of th sp ci s.
Th hot w ath r brings with it th cuckoos. Most charact ristic of all is th hawk-
cuckoo or brain f v r bird (Hierococcyx various) whos cr sc ndo shri k of ' Brain
f v r—brain-f v r ' may b h ard by day and night. This is a typical Indian sp ci s
which is unknown in th gr at r part of th Punjab wh r th fi ld is h ld by th black
ko l (Eudynamis honorata) and his barr d mat whos loud shri ks and cri s of ' Who
ar you ' l ad th Punjabi Anglo-Indian to conclud that it must b th r al brain-f v r
bird, wrongly how v r as th first bird is so call d from its cry. Both sp ci s occur
qually commonly at Ambala in th summ r, and with th m th l ss obj ctionabl pi d-
cr st d cuckoo (Coccystes jocobinus). Th abov thr cuckoos ar all parasitic in th ir
br ding habits, thus diff ring from two oth r cuckoos which ar r sid nts in th
district, nam ly, th familiar black and ch stnut crow-ph asant (Centropus sinensis) and
th v ry curious and uncommon sirk r cuckoo (Taccocua leschenaulti).
Th Sutl j at Rupar is int r sting as b ing th most northw st rly locality in India
for th spur-wing d plov r (Hoplopterus ven-tralis) which br ds on th sand banks.
Th s sand banks ar th br ding plac also amongst oth r sp ci s of a curious v ry
highly sp cializ d bird, th scissor bill ( hunchops albirostris). In th marsh s of
Chamkaur may b found a curious warbl r (Megalurus palustris) which is not known
to occur ls wh r in th Punjab.
Finally, m ntion must b mad of th fact that th visitor to Kasauli will s
sw ping ov r th hill sid s that famous and most magnific nt bird th Lamm rgai r or
b ard d vultur (Gypaetus bar-batus) which may b asily r cognis d by th w dg
shap d tail and th pal colour of th h ad which glist ns gold n in th distanc ."
R ptil s
Among d adly snak s th cobra and Karait ar by no m ans uncommon v n in
Ambala its lf, and trav ll rs during th rains would do w ll to look rath r car fully
round
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAPTER I, A. th small outlying bungalows of th district wh n taking up th ir abod th r . Th

escriptive. larg black scorpion is lik ly nough to b found und r th darri, v n if th r is
nothing wors to b s n. Th r ar pl nty of small crocodil s in th Sutl j. Th y ar
R ptil s. n arly always harml ss and ar tak n no account of by th inhabitants of villag s
along th banks. It is oft n asy to g t a shot at a crocodil lying basking in th sun
just out of th wat r, but it tak s a v ry good shot to s cur th animal from
slipping back into th riv r v n wh n hit.
Tr s.
Tr s grow w ll in all parts of th district, th common st b ing th mango
(mangif ra indica), mulb rry, kikar (acacia arabica), and shisham (dalb rgia sissu).
Good mango grov s ar common in all tahsil, sp cially in kharar, and in many
villag s th y ar a consid rabl sourc of incom to th land- own r. Th kikar is th
most g n rally us ful timb r tr throughout th district, th wood b ing in gr at
d mand for hous hold and agricultural impl m nts. Th mor provid nt among th
villag s k p up r gular pr s rv s of kikar tr s in th ir wast lands and s ll th
tr s v ry 15 or 20 y ars to charcoal contractors. Th amount r alis d is oft n
s v ral hundr d rup s, and if th villag is poor th mon y is divid d
among th propri tors according to land r v nu shar s, but th
common r practic is for th villag to combin tog th r and sp nd th mon y on
r pairs to th villag w ll, r st-hous or mosqu , as th cas may b . Wh r th soil
is poor or th propri tors ar not good cultivators kikar tr s ar allow d
to grow also all ov r th cultivat d lands notwithstanding th w ll known fact
that th shad of this tr blights th crops b n ath it almost mor than any oth r.
In th Ambala tahsil sp cially th kikar is almost th only tr , which will grow
at all in th hard clay lands, and its black st ms and n arly
l afl ss boughs add to th ch rl ss app aranc of th s barr n
looking tracts. Mango grov s ar oft n ncircl d by a fring of jamoa tr s, th
jamoa b ing a vari ty of jaman with1 poor r fruit but b tt r timb r. It is an
xc ll nt shad tr and has b n plant d in larg numb rs on th m tall d road
from Barara Station to Sadhaura Th r ar fin jamoa tr s on th
road from Rupar to Nalagarh and a spl ndid av nu of pipals
and banyans on th road from Morinda to Kharar. Oth r com-
mon road-sid tr s ar th pipal, siras, dhrek, simhal and
iasiira. Th district is* about th north rnmost limit for th nim tr . Th b r is
found principally in grov s round Ambala city, wh r it is grown for th sak of
th fruit, and in th Rupar tahsil wh r it suppli s th mat rial for th thorn
h dg s round th sugarcan fi lds. Dhak jungl s xist in th wild r tracts. Th
flow rs yi ld a y llow dy and th gum xuding from th bark is sold as a drug,
whil th l av s afford good fodd r for buffalo s, and th out r fibr s of th roots
ar us d to cov r w ll rop s to prot ct th m from friction. Th timb r of th dhak.
stands long xposur to wat r without rotting and is th r for sp cially
us d for th wood n
AMBALA ISTRICT.]
foundation (nimchak) of w lls. Th principal valu of th CHAPTER, 1.B.
tr is how v r as fu l. It mak s xc ll nt fir wood, for which th r is a History
larg d mand in Ambala Cantonm nts.
Tr s.
B sid s th s mor important tr s a gr at vari ty of oth rs ar grown
primarily for shad or from r ligious motiv s in th vicinity of shrin s and
villag sit s. Th for sts prop r of th district in Kal sar and Morni ar
d scrib d in Chapt r II. Th r is also a larg tract of d ns ly wood d
jungl in th N li circl of th Kharar tahsil with a small for st of dat -
palms (Khajur) which ar th sp cial f atur of that curious1 tract. Th
xisting tr s ar of littl valu ith r for th ir timb r or fruit, but an att mpt
was mad to introduc a b tt r vari ty of palm into th tract.
SECTION.B. HISTORY.
Early history
T h an t i q u i t i s an d an ci n t h i s t o r y o f Am b al a, an d s p cially of
th Kuruksh tra or battl -fi ld of th Pandvas and Kaurvas and of th
num rous traditions conn ct d with it that c ntr in Than sar, hav b n
discuss d v ry fully by G n ral Cunningham in his Archa ologicial
Surv y R ports L 245; II, 212-231; XIV, 72-106. Ambala and its n ighbour-
hood ar intimat ly conn ct d with th arli st dawn of Indian
history. Th strip of country includ d b tw n th Saraswati and Drishadvati
(th Sarusti and Ghaggar) is a holy land of th Hindu faith, th first
p rman nt hom of Aryans in India, and th spot in which th ir r ligion
took shap . H nc th sanctity, v n in mod rn tim s, of th wat rs of th
Sarusti ' which attracts worshipp rs from all parts of India, v n from Orissa
and r mot portions of B ngal. Th towns of Than sar and P howa just
south of th district ar th chi f c ntr s of attraction, but its whol bank is
lin d with, shrin s. At Than sar as many as 100,000 p rsons hav b n
known, v n of lat y ars, to ass mbl on th occasion of an clips ; and a
tank, fill d from th Sarusti, is y arly bath d in by doubl or tr bl that
numb r. Nor has subs qu nt history fail d to supply food to k p aliv th
associations of r mot antiquity. Than sar and its n ighbourhood, th
Kuruksh tra, t m with traditions of th gr at conflict of th Pandvas and
Kaurovas, and this fact, without doubt, has don much to stir up in th Hindu
mind a liv ly d sir to visit th sacr d spots. Th Mahabharta, r cording as
it do s th xploits of th s h ro s of antiquity, has x rcis d, and still do s
x rcis , an un- bound d influ nc ov r th mass s of th p opl . It is
always in th ir thoughts, and such r ligious id as as th y hav ar 'drawn
xclusiv ly from its pag s. Th sc n s th r for wh r on th gr at
drama was play d out cannot fail to int r st and attract th m. Mod rn
rul s of sanitation hav don much to r nd r unpopular th fairs at which
pilgrims congr gat , and th numb rs hav of lat y ars undoubt dly
fall n off.
C2
20
It is probabl , how v r, that only idl look rs-on will b d t rr d by such

CHAPTER, 1.B. m asur s, and Than sar will always continu to b a r sort of th faithful from
History all parts of India.
Early History
Of th m dis val p riod th r is but littl to r cord. Th capital of th
country at this tim was th town of Srughna, th sit of which G n ral
M dia val p riod Cunningham has id ntifi d with th villag of Sugh, situat d on th old high bank
of th Jamna clos to Jagadhri and Buria. . Srughna is m ntion d by Hw n
Thsang, th Chin s pilgrim of th 7th c ntury, as a town 31/2 mil s in circuit, th
capital of a kingdom and a s at of consid rabl l arning, both Budhistic and
Brahminical. H d scrib s th kingdom of Srughna as xt nding to th mountains
on th north, and to th Gang s on th ast, with th Yamuna or Jamna flowing
through th midst of it. Th capital h r pr s nts as having b n partly in ruins;
but G n ral Cunningham thinks that th r is vid nc in th coins found on th
spot show that it was occupi d down to th tim of th Muhammadan conqu st. H
thus d scrib s th xt nt and position of th ruins (Archa ological Surv y R port,
1863-64): —
Th villag of Sugh occupi s on of th most r markabl positions that I hav
s n during th whol cours of my r s arch s. It is situat d on a proj cting triangular
spur of high land, and is surround d on thr sid s by th b d of th old Jamna, which
is now th W st rn Jamna Canal. On th north and w st fac s it is furth r prot ct d by
two d p ravin s, so that th position is a r adymad stronghold, which is cov r d on
all sid s, xc pt th w st, by natural d f nc s. In shap it is almost triangular, with a
larg proj cting fort or citad l at ach of th angl s. Th sit of th north fort is now
occupi d by th castl and villag of Dyalgarh. Th villag of Amadal-pur stands on
th sit of th south- ast fort, and that of th sout hw st is unoccupi d. Each of th s
forts is 1,500 f t long and 1.000 f t broad, and ach fac of th triangl which
conn cts th m tog th r is upwards of half-a-mil in l ngth, that to th ast b ing 4,000
and thos to th north-w st and south-w st 3,000 f t ach. Th whol circuit of th
position is th r for 22,000 f t, or upwards of 4 mil s, which is consid rably mor
than th 3£ mil s of Hw n Thsang's m asur m nt. But as th north fort is s parat d
from th main position, by a d p sandy ravin , call d th Rohara Nala, it is possibl
that it may hav b n unoccupi d at th tim of th pilgrim's visit. This would r duc
th circuit of th position to 19,000 f t or upwards of 31/2 mil s, and bring it into
accord with th pilgrim's m asur m nt. Th small villag of Sugh occupi d th w st
sid of th position, and th small town of Buria li s imm diat ly to th north of
Dyalgarh. Th occupi d hous s, at th tim of my visit, w r as follows : Mandalpiir
100, Sugh 125, Dyalgarh 150, and Buria 3,500, or altog th r 3,875 hous s, containing
a population of about 20,000 souls.
Of Sugh its lf th p opl hav no sp cial traditions, but th r is a
ruin d mound to th north-w st of th villag , and s v ral foundations mad of larg
bricks insid th villag . B tw n Sugh and Amadalpur th r is a squar tank call d th
Surajkund, which is probadly old, but th t mpl on its bank is a mod rn on . On th
ast and south- ast fac s th arth n ramparts still form hug mounds on
th cr st of th high bank. A lin of similar mounds xt nds from
north-north- ast to south-south-w st n arly across th middl of th
position, and towards th ast th r ar s v ral isolat d mounds. But
on non of th s could I find any anci nt r mains, xc pting brok n
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAPTER,1. B.
bricks of larg siz from 9 ½ to 10 ½ inch s broad and 2 ½
inch s in thickn ss. Th s larg bricks ar unmistakabl vid nc , of
antiquity ; but th gr at numb r of anci nt coins that ar found all
HISTORY
ov r th plac affords vid nc qually c rtain M dia val p riod
and much mor int r sting. Th plac was said to hav b n visit d only six. w ks
b for by Li ut nant Pullan's coin coll ctor;
but so pl ntiful is th yi ld that I obtain d no l ss than 125 old Hindu
coins of all ag s, from th small Dilial pi c s of th Chohan and Tunar
Rajas of D lhi, to th squar punch-mark d pi c s of silv r and copp r,
which ar c rtainly as old as th ris of Budhism, and which w r pro
bably th common curr ncy of India as arly as 1,000 B.C. According
to th traditions of th p opl th city of Mandal or Mandalpur for
m rly cov r d an xt nt of 12 Kos, and includ d Jagadhri and Chan ti
on th w st with Buria and Dyalgarh to th north. As Jagadhri li s
thr mil s to th w st, it is not possibl that th city could v r hav
xt nd d so far, but w may r asonably admit that th gard ns and sum
m r hous s of th w althi r inhabitants may possibly hav xt nd d to
that distanc . At Chan ti, which li s two mil s to th north-w st, old
coins ar found in consid rabl numb rs ; but it is now ntir ly
s parat d from Buria and Dyalgarh by a long spac of op n country."
Muhammadan
Th r Is but littl tor cord of th district duringth p riod cov r d by th Mughal Empir . It P riod
form d part of th Sirhind Sarkar of th D lhi Provinc or Subah, and to hav
b n administ r d principally from Sirh.ind. Th Ain-i-Akbari m ntions th mahals of
Ambala Rupar Kbizrabad, Sadhaura and Mustafabad. Ambala its lf was probably
found d in th 14th c ntury, but th town was originally nothing mor than a clust r of
villag s and such importanc as th plac has is of quit r c nt growth. Tradition do s
not r call th nam of any promin nt local administrator und r th mpir , and th
principal r lics of Muhammadan rul ar a f w of th minars (brick pillars 24 f t high)
marking th old trunk road from Lahor to D lhi, th alignm nt
of th old W st rn Jamna Canal, and som faint trac s of anabortiv att mpt to irrigat
Sirhind from th Suti j by a small chann l through th Rupar tahsil known as th Mirza
Kandi Canal. Th main fact about th district is that by its g ographical position it was
d stin d to f l th ff cts of v ry important campaign in North rn India. H mm d in
on on sid by th hills and on th oth r by th gr at jungl tracts bord ring on th
Rajputana d s rt, Ambala was th c ntral spot through or n ar which v ry hord of
invad rs was bound to pass on th way to th battl -ground of India
at Panipat, with D lhi as th ultimat goal. Plac d in th dir ct tract of succ ssiv
invasions th p opl w r ground down till th y lost all pow r of r sistanc to difficulty,
and h nc th as with which th country f ll, almost without a blow, into th hands
of th Sikhs in 1763. Th bitt r and comparativ ly r c nt xp ri nc of th country
und r Sikh rul has blott d out n arly all r coll ction of 'Muhammadan
tim s and it is rar in Ambala to h ar th word Turk us d as in th Punjab districts as an
anath ma marking th survival of anci nt hatr d of th Mughal rul rs.
Antiquiti s
Th following ar among th obj cts of th antiquarian int r st r lating to
th Muhammad an p riod m ntion d for
22 [PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAP I. THE DISTRICT.
CHAPTER I, B. th pr s nt Ambala district in th Punjab coll ction of

History
1875: —
Antiquiti s.
(1)Bur i a , t a hs il J a ga dhr i : t h Ra ng M a ha l , a n ol d Muhammadan
hous built by Shah Jahan, a w ll built plac with massiv ston arch s. Th
plac is now a ruin, but with th int rior tol rbly pr s rv d.
(2)Sadhaura, tahsil Naraingarh: th tomb of Shah Qum s, built in
1450, with a mosqu dating from 1600. Th mosqu is a curiously
built plac with thr dom s of p culiar shap and an in-
scription in Arabic charact rs ov r th gat way.
(3)Sadhaura: th Sangni mosqu built of blocks of gr y ston ov r 400
y ars ago; a fair sp cim n, b u t pa r t l y i n r u i n s .
(4) Sadhaura: two old gat ways built of r d brick in 1618 according to
an inscription on a ston l t into on of th arch s.
To th s may b add d th Kos miliars along th old Bad Shahi Sarak, th
r mains of a fin sarai and tank at Kotkachwa (Ambala tahsil), a rock cut w ll
with a dat d P rsian inscription of th r ign of Shah Jahan at Dargah Shah Khalid
Walid n ar Rupar town. Oth r plac s of historical or antiquarian int r st ar
d scrib d in Chapt r IV.
Mounds {the) marking th sit s of anci nt villag s abound all ov r th district.
Th r is a particularly striking on at Chan ti. In th Naraingarh tahsil th r ar
trac s of what is said to hav b n a famous old Hindu city known as Karor,
. which, if tradition is to b b li v d, xt nd d ov r a hug tract of 'country
b tw n Shahzadpur and Naraingarh. In th low hills of tahsil Rupar n ar Bardar
th r ar th r mains of a Rajput stronghold, which must also hav b n at on
tim an important plac judging from th numb r of old w lls which hav com
to light at various tim s. From coins dug up among th ruins th plac would
app ar to hav b n inhabit d till comparativ ly r c nt tim s. Lastly, among
th antiquiti s of th district som notic may b mad of th v ry
curious plac Siswan in th low hills of tahsil Kharar, Though now of no
importanc , Siswan was long th c ntr of an xt nsiv trad with th Simla
Stat s and Yarkand, and in spit of its out-of-th -way position th r was a
thriving s ttl m nt of m rchants th r down to quit r c nt y ars, with a
larg bazaar built by Mr. M lvill about 70 y ars ago. Th trad d clin d owing
to th bad faith of th m rchants in th ir d alings with th trad rs in th far hills
and th rout was finally giv n up wh n th railway from Ambala to Kalka was
op n d in 1892.
Th Sikhs Th history may now pass on at on strid to th tim of th d clin and fall of
th Mughal Empir . Its practical int r st b gins with th ris of th Sikh
principaliti s south of
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
th Sutl j "during th latt r half of th last c ntury As th c ntral

pow r of th Empir r lax d und r th blows of th Mahratta on th
CHAPTER, 1 B.
on sid and th Durani on th oth r, th Sikh maraud rs of th
Punjab prop r b gan to xt nd th ir ncroachm nts b yond th
History
Sutl j and r long acquir d for th ms lv s th h art of th country
b tw n that riv r and th Jamna. Th first dir ct xp ri nc of th Th Sikhs
Sikhs had b n in th tim of Guru T gh Singh Bahadur, who
roam d th country from Hansi to th Sutl j, and subsist d by
plund r from 1664 to 1673. Und r his succ ssor Guru Gobind Singh a
chain of forts was stablish d at Anandpur in th Hoshiarpur district,
a f w mil s north of th Sutl j, at Chamkaur in th Rupar tahsil, and
at Nahan in th hills, commanding th whol ast rn portion of
Ambala. For th first of th ight nth c ntury th r was no
r cognis d l ad r of th Sikhs, who w r , how v r, ngag d in
fr qu nt struggl s with th D lhi Empir , and w r rapidly forming
into th tw lv gr at conf d raci s or misls d scrib d in pag s 114 to
118 of Cunningham, s History. Th storm burst at last in 1763-
Th Sikhs of th Manjha country of Lahor , Amritsar and
•F roz por combin d th ir forc s at Sirhind, rout d and kill d th
Afghan Gov rnor Zain Khan, and pouring across th Sutl j
occupi d th whol country to th Jamna without furth r
opposition. " Tradition still d scrib s how th Sikhs disp rs d as
soon as th battl was won, and how, riding day and night, ach
hors man would throw his b lt and scabbard, his articl s of dr ss and
accoutr m nt, until h was almost nak d, into succ ssiv villag s,
to mark th m as his. Th chi fs hastily divid d up among
th ms lv s and th ir follow rs th whol country to' th Jamna, and
ass rt d th ms lv s as rul rs of th p opl . In a v ry f w cas s, such
as thos of th Sayad Mir of Kotaha, th Raipur and Ramgarh
Rajput Sardars of Naraingarh, th Baidwan Jat Sardars of Kharar,
and th Pathan Sardars of Kotia Nihang, th indig nous l ad rs of
th country w r strong nough to hold th ir own aft r a fashion, and
to assimilat th ir position to that of th conqu rors. Els wh r th
Sikh rul was supr m , and th xp ri nc und rgon by th p opl of
th district at th hands of th s m rcil ss invad rs has l ft its mark
on th country to th pr s nt day.
Th history of th n xt forty y ars is mad up of th ndl ss p tty

warfar of th s ind p nd nt Sikh chi fs among th ms lv s, xc pt
wh n a common dang r band d th m to r sist th ncroachm nts of th
mor pow rful Stat s of Pati-ala and Mani Majra on th north, and
Ladwa, Kaithal and Than sar on th south. Each s parat family, and
ach group of f udatori s strong nough to stand alon , built its lf a
strong fort as a c ntr from which it could harry th whol n igh-
bourhood. Many of th s ar still in xist nc and a mark d
Cunningham's history of th Sikhs, pag 110.
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
f atur of th district, r calling th xtraordinary lawl ss-

CHAPTER, 1.B n ss of a p riod wh n lit rally v ry man's hand was turn d
against his broth r. No att ntion was paid to th country
by th British Gov rnm nt, which had fix d th Jamna as th
History furth st limit for political nt rpris , and it is b li v d that
Th Sikhs. th profound st ignoranc pr vail d as to th constitution, th
rights and th political str ngth of th suppos d rul rs. From
1806 to 1808 th position rapidly chang d. On th on hand,
th Cis-Sutl j chi fs th ms lv s w r panic strick n at th
sudd n dang r thr at n d to th m by th ris of Ranjit Singh's
pow r from b yond th Sutl j. In th thr succ ssiv y ars
1806 to 1808 raids w r mad by Ran it Singh in p rson to
Ludhiana, to Naraingarh and to Ambala. It was op nly an-
nounc d by him that h int nd d swallowing up th whol
country to th Jamna, and it was r alis d that on pow r
and on only could pr v nt his imm diat succ ss. On th
oth r hand, th British Gov rnm nt f ar d a n w dang r from
th north by th combin d invasion of th Fr nch, th Turks
and th P rsians, and it was hastily d cid d to giv up th
Jamna as th boundary, and to trust to th n w principl of
allianc with a strong buff r Stat at Lahor . At th sam
tim it was r cognis d that Ranjit Singh was hims lf a sourc
of dang r not to b d spis d, and, with th Gov rnm nt in this
mood in 1808, an impuls was asily giv n to th policy of
activ int rf r nc by th arrival at D lhi of a d putation r -
pr s nt d by Jind, Patiala and Kaithal, to invok assistanc for th Cis-
Sutl j Stat s. Som h lp had b n giv n to th British by Jind, Kaithal and
Than sar in th struggl with th 'Mahrattas fiv y ars b for . It was
appar ntly assum d that th whol t rritory to th Sutl j was parc ll d out
among a f w l ading Stat s of th sam charact r through whom th
country could b strongly gov rn d, and th fforts of th British
authoriti s w r aim d at th twofold obj ct of, on th on
hand, s curing an ff ctiv allianc with Ranjit Singh, and on
th oth r, xt nding British prot ction to th s l ss r Stat s
ranging from th Jamna to th Sutl j.
Proclamations of Th ov rtur s w r v ntually succ ssful, and a d finit tr aty

1809 and 1811. was mad with Ranjit Singh on th 25th April 1809,by which h
surr nd r d his n w acquisitions south of th Sutl j, and bound hims lf to abstain
from furth r ncroachm nts on th l ft bank of that riv r. Th tr aty was follow d
up in May 1809 by th c l brat d proclamation of Colon l Ocht rlony on b half
of th British Gov rnm nt to th Cis Sutl j Chi fs. This proclamation b ginning
with th quaint wording that it was " cl ar r than th sun and b tt r prov d
than th xist nc of y st rday " that th British action was prompt d by th chi fs
th ms lv s, is giv n in full in App ndix 10 of Cunningham's History, and at pag
122 of th Punjab djas. It includ s s v n short articl s only, of which
"Nos. 1 to 5 ar important Nos. 1 to 3 limit d Ranjit Singh's pow r and d clar d
th Cis-Sutl j Chi fs sol own rs of th ir poss ssions fr of mon y tribut to
th British' ; whil Nos. 4
Ambala istrict.]
and 5 r quir d th m in r turn on th ir sid to furnish sup CHAPTER, 1.B
pli s for th army, and to assist th British by arms against
n mi s from any quart r as occasion might h r aft r aris . History
Proclamations of
It is impossibl to r ad th history of th s transactions 1809 and 1811
without s ing that th Gov rnm nt w r in r ality taking a most important
st p almost in th dark. Inst ad of finding th Ambala t rritory und r th control
of a f w c ntral Stat s, th y soon r alis d that th y had giv n it ov r for v r to
hord s of adv ntur rs with no pow rs of coh sion who aim d only at
mutual aggr ssion, and whos sol id a of gov rnm nt was to grind down th
p opl of th country to th utmost limit of oppr ssion. Th first point was
asily s ttl d by a sharp r mind r giv n in a suppl m ntary proclamation of 1811
that v ry man would hav to b cont nt with what h h ld in 1809,
and that th British Gov rnm nt would tol rat no fighting among th ms lv s. It
was, how v r, found that as a fact th so-call d Cis-Sutl j Sov r ign Stat s w r
r pr s nt d so far as Ambala was conc rn d by som thirty p tty rul rs with
stat s ranging from 20 to ov r 100 villag s, and by a host of small
frat rniti s comprising many hundr ds of th rank and fil from th follow rs of
th original conqu rors who had b n quart r d ov r th country with s parat
villag s for th ir maint nanc , and who w r all alik now v st d with authority
as ind p nd nt rul rs by th vagu t rms of th proclamation of 1809. Publish d
works hav nowh r v ry cl arly r cognis d how sor ly th Gov rnm nt
r p nt d of its mistak , but th r s ms no doubt as to th facts; and it is not to
b wond r d at that Sir David Ocht rlony should hav privat ly admitt d to th
Gov rnor G n ral in 1818 that th proclamation of 1809 had b n bas d
on an rron ous id a.
From 1809 to 1847 p rsist nt fforts w r mad to nforc to-good History 1809 to
gov rnm nt through th Political Ag ncy at Ambala among th ndl ss 1847
s mi-ind p nd nt Stat s. Th r cords of th tim b ar witn ss to th hop l ss
natur of th und rtaking. Th y t m with r f r nc s to th difficult nquiri s
n c ssitat d by th fr qu nt disput ? among th principaliti s, by th ir pr -
post rous att mpts to vad control, and by acts of xtortion and viol nt crim
in th ir d alings with th villag s. y ar by y ar Gov rnm nt was driv n in s lf-
d f nc to tight n th r ins, and v ry opportunity was tak n to str ngth n its
hold on th country by nforcing its claims to laps by sch at on
th d ath without lin al h irs of th poss ssors of 1809 or th ir d sc ndants. It
was thus that th British District of Ambala gradually gr w up, ach succ ssiv
laps b ing mad th occasion for r gular s ttl m nts of th villag
r v nu s and th introduction of dir ct British rul . At th sam tim Gov-
rnm nt scrupulously obs rv d th ngag m nts of 1809, and, with th
xc ption of th prohibition of int rnal war by th proclamation of 1811 th
pow rs and privil g s of th chi fs r main d untouch d. Each chi f, gr at
and small alik , had
26 [PUNJAB GAZETTEEB,
CHAPTER I, B. within his own t rritory absolut civil, criminal, and fiscal
History. jurisdiction, subj ct only to th g n ral authority of th Ag nt to th Gov rnor-
G n ral. No tribut was tak n from th m, and though th y w r r quir d in th
cas of war to aid th Gov rnm nt, y t no sp cial conting nt was fix d. Th right
History 1809.to
to sch ats was th sol r turn for its prot ction which th
1847 Gov rnm nt d mand d. Throughout a long p riod of p ac whil north of th
Sutl j v ry v stig of ind p nd nc vanish d b for th ncroachm nts of
Ranjit Singh, th Cis-Sutl j Chi fs njoy d a compl t immunity from invasion
and r tain d undiminish d rights of sov r ignty. Aft r thirty-six y ars,
with th xc ption of a f w Stat s which had laps d from failur of h irs, ach
chi f Still found hims lf th rul r of th t rritory which h or his fath rs had
h ld at th tim wh n th y pass d und r British prot ction.
In 1846-47 a fr sh st p had to b tak n owing to passiv obstruction or op n

hostility on th part of th chi fs wh n call d on to assist th Gov rnm nt with
suppli s and m n during its campaign against th Trans-Sutl j Sikhs in 1845.
Th introduction No occasion had occurr d for t sting th ir gratitud for th b n fits s cur d to
Of Britst rul .
th m until th d claration of th First Sikh War and th Sutl j Campaign of
1845. But wh n t st d, it mis rably fail d. Throughout th war f w of th
chi fs dis play d th ir loyalty mor conspicuously than by abstaining
from op n r b llion. Th ir pr vious conduct had not b n such as to ncourag
th British Gov rnm nt in its policy towards th m. Almost without xc ption
th y had abus d its indulg nc and mad th s curity of its prot ction a m ans
of xtortion and xc ss of v ry kind. Th r was nothing what v r to admir in
th int rnal manag m nt or administration of th ir stat s, as was amply t stifi d
by th univ rsal satisfaction with which th p asants of th laps d stat s cam
tind r dir ct British manag m nt. It has b n w ll said that ind p nd nc , for th
Sikh Chi fs, had no nobl r significanc than th rgiht to do vil without r straint,
and to oppr ss th p opl who w r so unfortunat as. to b th ir sub-
j cts”
Having thus alr ady lost th confid nc of th Gov rnm nt, th Sikh Chi fs
in th Sutl j Campaign forf it d all claim to consid ration. It was s n that th
tim had arriv d for th introduction of sw ping m asur s of r form; and th
Gov rnm nt unh sitatingly r solv d upon a r duction of th ir privi-
l g s. S v ral important m asur s w r at onc adopt d. Th polic jurisdiction
of most of th chi fs was abolish d, th xisting syst m b ing most unfavourabl
to th d t ction and punishm nt of crim . All transit and customs duti s w r
also abolish d, and thirdly, a commutation was acc pt d for th p rsonal
s rvic of th chi f and his conting nt. Th dispatch of th Gov rnor-G n ral,
mbodying this r solution, was dat d Nov mb r 7th, 1846. /Th only
Stat s • x mpt d
* Griffin's " Rajas of th Punjab ", p. 218.
Ambala istrict.]
w r : Patiala, Jind, Nabha, Faridkot, Mal r Kotla, CHAPTER,1. B

Chhachhrauli (Kalsia), Raikot, Buria and Mamdot. With.th s
xc ptions, th polic jurisdiction was mad ov r to Europ an offic rs. l History
Th Political Ag ncy of Ambala was trans- form d into a Th introduction
Commission rship, und r an offic r styl d th Commission r of th Cis- Of Britis rul
Sutl j Stat s. His subordinat s, how v r7 th titl s of D puty and Assistant
Commission rs, whil taking ov r th judicial and x cutiv functions of th
chi fs, still r tain d for a tim th ir pow rs as political offic rs. At th sam
tim th mor s rious off nd rs in the campaign of 1845 w r visit d with
signal punishm nt. Th ir poss ssions w r confiscat d to Gov rnm nt and in
som cas s th y w r th ms lv s r mov d as prison rs from th Provinc .
On hundr d and six villag s w r in this way add d to th British district in
Rupar and Kharar from th Sardar of Rupar; 72 in th sam tahsils from th
Sodhi's of Anandpur; and 89 in Naraingarh from th Raja of Kapurthala. As
r gards minor chi fs similar s v r m asur s w r consid r d unn c ssary,
though th majority " had not shown th ir loyalty in 1845 in any mor
conspicuous way than in not joining th n my," and for a short tim an
att mpt was mad to l av th m th unr strict d right of coll cting th
r v nu of th ir villag s in kind as hith rto. It soon how v r b cam appar nt
that th chi fs, d priv d of th ir. Polic jurisdiction, w r unabl to coll ct
th ir r v nu . A proposal was th r for mad for a r gular s ttl m nt of th
land r v nu . But b for final ord rs had b n pass d upon this point th
s cond Sikh Campaign comm nc d. It nd d in th ann xation of th Punjab
and in th r moval of th political r asons which had hith rto complicat d
th qu stion of th amount of pow r to b l ft to th Cis-Sutl j Chi fs. In Jun
1849 it was accordingly d clar d that with th xc ption of th Stat s alr ady
m ntion d, all th chi fs should " c as to hold sov r ign pow rs, should
los all criminal, civil, and fiscal jurisdiction, and should b consid r d as no
mor than ordinary subj cts of th British Gov rnm nt in th poss ssion of
c rtain xc ptional privil g s.” Th r v nu s w r still to b th irs, but w r
to b ass ss d by British offic rs, and und r British rul s. Th whol
administration now v st d in th British Gov rnm nt, and was plac d und r
th sup rint nd nc of th r c ntly form d Board of Administration at Lahor .
Th District Offic rs c as d to x rcis political functions, and th
Commission r was appoint d th sol r f r in disput s b tw n th chi fs.
Th final st p n c ssitat d by th march of v nts was tak n in 1852 wh n th
r v nu s ttl m nt b gun for British villag s in 1847 was xt nd d to th
villag s of th chi fs. Th r aft r th chi fs hav c as d to r tain any r lics
of th ir form r pow r
*Nabha was xc ptionally tr at d, on -quart r of its t rritory b ing
confiscat d.
*Griffin's " Rajas of th Punjab ", p. 217.
CHAP. I THE DISTRICT

CHAPTER,1.B xc pt that th y ar still p rmitt d to Coll ct th ir r v nu s, dir ct from th ir villag s, th
cash assignm nt of r v nu . Th y hav sunk to th position of jagirdars but as such r tain
HISTORY a right to th r v nu assign d to th m in p rp tuity, subj ct only to laps on failur
Th introduction of
British Rul
of h irs who ar unabl to trac d sc nt as collat rals from th original hold rs of 1809 or
such oth r y ar as may hav b n d t rmin d und r th sp cial circumstanc s of th
family as th basis from which status shall b d riv d.
Th Mutiny Th following account of th cours of v nts in 1857 is tak n from th Punjab

Mutiny R port. Th proximity of th Cis-Sutl j Stat s to th focus of th r volt r nd r d
it a v ry difficult matt r to uphold th British authority. It was of vital importanc to hold
th Grand Trunk Road. Mr. Barn s, th Commission r, and his District Offic rs nobly and
succ ssfully x rt d th ms lv s to put down all discont nt and crim , and to show that
w still had pow r and th m ans to k p it. Th f udal chi fs w r ord r d to furnish
th ir quotas of hors and foot, and th r v nu th y had hith rto paid in comnautation was
r mitt d. Th following xtract from Mr. Barn s' r port will show th in stimabl valu
of th s rvic s r nd r d to us also by th chi fs of th prot ct d Sikh Stat s; th first
strok towards s curing' th ir all gianc was tak n by Mr. Forsyth, D puty Commission r
of Ambala, in calling on th Raja of Patiala, at th v ry first emeute, to s nd in his
troops, thus l ading him at onc to tak a d cid d part, from which h has n v r sinc
sw rv d. Mr. Barn s says: —
Th station of Ambala was l ft with four w ak compani s (about 250 m n) of th 2nd

B ngal Fusili rs, th 5th R gim nt Nativ Infantry, and som six-pound r guns, to man
which w had only nativ artill rym n. A r doubt was r ct d with th church in th
c ntr , and th r maining r sid nts w r conc ntrat d in th hous s around A militia
was form d of uncov nant d offic rs; and th magazin , th tr asur , and th
commissariat stor s w r all lodg d in th r doubt, which was garrison d by a company of
th Fusili rs. Owing to th d f ction of th Nassiri Battalion, th r was no availabl scort
for th si g train or for th ammunition so urg ntly n d d by th army. I off r d,
how v r, to furnish political scorts, and accordingly th si g train cam down from
Phillaur und r a guard of hors and foot furnish d by th Nabba Raja, and accompani d by
a d tachm nt of th 9th Irr gulars und r Li ut nant Campb ll. Th ammunition was con-
v y d by a party of th District polic , and so, throughout th campaign, th most
important military stor s w r constantly s nt down und r th charg of conting nts
furnish d by th chi fs of th Cis-Sutl j Stat s. Th ir troops prot ct d our stations and
patroll d th Grand Trunk Road from F roz por and phillaiir down to th v ry walls of
D lhi. Th saf ty of this Provinc may b attribut d to th ir loyalty and good xampl .
Th Raja of Jind, with Captain McAndr w and a small but w ll-disciplin d forc , act d as
th vanguard of th army, and by my dir ctions k pt always in advanc . Wh n th first
d tachm nt of Europ ans r ach d Karnal, this littl band proc d d tw nty-two mil s
furth r to Panipat, qui ting th country, s curing th road, and coll cting
suppli s; and in this mann r th y advanc d boldly to within tw nty mil s of D lhi. A
d tachm nt of th Jind troops s iz d th bridg at Bagpat, and thus nabl d th M rut
forc to join h adquart rs. A party of Jind sowars, with Captain Hodson at th ir h ad,
rod into M rut and op n d our communication with.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
that station. Th troops of th Maharaja of Patiala CHAPTER,1.B
guard d Than sar and Ambala, and th saf ty of Ludhiana was ntrust d to th
Raja of Nabha and th Kotla Nawab. Th s min nt s rvic s afford d by th HISTORY
Cis-Satl j Chi fs ar thus casually notic d as part ofth history of th lat campaign. Th Mutiny
I f l und r th d p st oblig - ions to th m, and th Gov rnor-G n ral, in th Gazette
announcing th fall of D lhi, has d clar d that th y shall not b with out th ir
r ward.
N xt in importanc , to th s curing of th Grand Trunk Road, and of th loyalty of
th Chi fs, was th n c ssity for saving th tr asuri s from attack. Th y w r all, at th
comm nc m nt of th outbr ak, und r s poy _ guards. Mr. Barn s promptly issu d
instructions to has District Offic rs, in ob di nc to which th Ambala tr asur (Rs.
3,50,000) was plac d und r th 1st Fusili rs, and th Than sar mon y (Rs. 10,00,000)
s nt to th sam guard. Mr. Rick tts s nt his Rs. 1,50,000 to th car of th two
compani s of th 8 Qu n's R gim nt at Phillaur. Major Marsd n at F roz por plac d
his in th ntr nchm nt, wh r H. M.’s 61st R gim nt guard d by HM’s 61st r gim nt. Only
th Simla tr asury r main d und r an Indian guard, and th y, b ing Gurkhas of th
Nassiri Battalion, w r consid r d staunch. How v r, during th ir t mporary mutiny,
although th Simla tr asury r main d untouch d, th branch tr asury at Kasauli was
plund r d of Rs. 32,043, of which only Rs. 12,063 w r r cov r d. Mr. Barn s thus
d scrib s th m ans adopt d to s cur r ady and r gular conv yanc for stor s and
ammunition to th army, and sick and wound d m n from it—m ans which n v r
onc fail d of th ir nd, and on which th District Offic rs r fl ct with an hon st prid ,
that in no cas was a singl cart unr asonably d lay d or a singl rup 's worth of stor s
plund r d: —
" Th r quir m nts of th army b cam inc ssant, and th road was throng d with
carts lad n with v ry vari ty of stor s. A bullock train was sugg st d by Mr. Forsyth to
b carri d on by th district offic rs. This arrang m nt prov d d f ctiv in practic for
th want of a g n ral sup rint nd nt in charg of th whol lin , I obtain d l av from
th Chi f Commission r to organiz a ' Military Transport Train ' und r th ag ncy of
Captain Briggs, an abl and z alous offic r of gr at xp ri nc . His x rtions and
compl t succ ss d s rv th sp cial thanks of Gov rnm nt. W had b n drain d of
our carriag , and no assistanc could b drawn from ith r th Gang s Doab or th
D lhi t rritory. Th Army Commissariat could giv no h lp. Carts that r ach d D lhi
n v r cam back, and th r was immin nt dang r of a d ad-lock. All th s difficulti s
w r ov r-com vby Captain Briggs. His jurisdiction xt nd d from F roz por to
D lhi, 265 mil s. A train of 30 waggons a day from ach of th principal stations of
Ambala, Ludhiana and Karnal, and 14 waggons .p r di m from F roz por , was soon
organiz d. Th sam numb r was also daily mploy d on th r turn journ y. Stor s of
v ry d scription, sp cially th normous d mands for ordnanc ammunition, w r
saf ly and r gularly suppli d to th army. Th sick and wound d w r comfortably
conv y d from camp to Ambala. Th train was in full op ration from th 22nd July to th
middl of Octob r. Th sch m was min ntly succ ssful owing to th skill, tract, and
ind fatigabl n rgy of Captain Briggs. H has fully acknowl dg d his obligations to
th civil authoriti s of th Cis-Sutl j Stat s, who gav him th ir utmost. support. Th cost
of th train was Bs. 97,317, and it has fully r aliz d th obj cts for which it was
organiz d. –“
30
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER
This division (in Mr. Barn s' words) " act d as a kind of br akwat r: b yond was th CHAPTER,1.B
raging s a; insid was comparativ calm-parativ calm. It could not, how v r, b
xp ct d that th surfac should b unruffl d. At first th Indians s m d HISTORY
aghast at th normity of th odds against us; but aft r th first shock, cam th d sir to Th Mutiny
r b l, and it r quir d th strong st d t rmination to qu ll incipi nt insurr ction. Th
polic w r xhort d to us th ir arms fr ly against any on found in th act of
p rp trating viol nt crim . Th lawl ss and pr datory w r ch ck d by th
manif station of a will on th part of th offic rs. Som w r kill d in pursuit, and 123
x cut d by proc ss of law, partly by district offic rs sitting in commission, and partly
by Mr. Barn s. B sid s th s , 258 mutin rs w r x cut d, and 102 s nt nc d to
imprisonm nt, who d s rv d d ath, as th y b long d to th mutinous r gim nts at
F roz por . It was only by such m asur s that districts w r controll d which w r
quickly scaping from our grasp.
It was known for som w ks pr vious to th outbr ak that th minds of th Indian
soldi rs in this station w r uns ttl d. On th 19th April myst rious fir s b gan to occur,
and, though th y w r at first attribut d to th thatch rs, th y s of all th
r sid nts w r gradually op n d to s that th soldi ry and non oth rs w r th r al
authors of th m. Mr. Forsyth obtain d positiv information, on th 7th and 8th May, that
th pr diction of a r b llious cliqu among th s poys was that in th following w k
blood would b sh d at D lhi or Ambala, and that a g n ral rising of: th s poys would
tak plac . On May th 10th, th day of th M rut mutiny, th 5th and 60th
R gim nts, Indian Infantry, and th d tach d guard of th 60th at th tr asury,
simultan ously rush d to th ir b lls of arms, and b gan loading th ir musk ts. Th
tr asury guard r main d und r arms th whol day in dir ct disob di nc to ord rs. This
ov rt act of mutiny was unconditionally forgiv n by th military authoriti s and th r sult
was that larg portions of th s r gim nts aft rwards join d th r b ls at D lhi; th
r maind r, wh n ord r d into jail on S pt mb r 1st by th dir ctions of th Chi f
Commission r, att mpt d to fly, but w r kill d by th Europ an troops, or
aft rwards captur d and tri d. Mr. Forsyth's x rtions in procuring carriag at th first
outbr ak—wh n, as Mr. Barn s says, th Indians, thinking our rul at an nd, w r
d s rting th town " lik rats from a sinking ship "—w r most suc-
c ssful. Mr. Forsyth says: —
" As soon as it was d t rmin d by th Command r-in-Chi f that an onward mov
should b mad , a sudd n difficulty aros in th want of carriag . Th D puty
Commissary-G n ral having officially d clar d his inability to m t th wants of th
army, th civil authoriti s w r call d upon to supply th d mand. At Ambala th r has
always b n a difficulty to furnish carriag of any kind, th carts b ing of a very inf rior
d scription. How v r, such as th y w r , th y had to b pr ss d into s rvic ; and in th
cours of a w k, aft r th utmost x rtion, 500 carts, 500 cam ls, and 2,000 cooli s w r
mad ov r to th Commissariat D partm nt; 30,000 maunds of grain w r "lik wis
coll ct d and stor d for th army in th town of Ambala."
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
31
As soon as this first difficulty had b n ov rcom , th
n c ssity for pr s rving th p ac of th district l d Mr. Barn s to call on th
CHAPTER,1.B
commutation-t nur chi fs to furnish m n inst ad of th ir usual tribut in mon y. HISTORY
By th op ration of this ord r a- forc of 459 foot and 259 hors was soon at our Th Mutin
disposal, but th moral ff ct of th s and th oth r influ ntial chi fs siding
with us was of far gr at r valu than v n th forc th y suppli d. Mr. Barn s
obs rv s furth r: —
" In addition to th s jagirdars, who w r bound to supply l vi s, s v ral
public-spirit d individuals volunt r d th ir own s rvic s and brought s v ral
follow rs. Among th s th most promin nt w r Rao Rahim Bakhsh, of
Panjlasa, who with 50 follow rs guard d th road b tw n Ambala and Jagadhri
and th Sirkardahs of Sadhaura, who furnish d 60 m n to prot ct th public and
privat buildings in th civil station, thus r li ving our polic from v ry h avy
duty."
Th civil courts in this district w r for som tim unavoidably clos d.
Mr. Forsyth's tim was wholly ngross d by his pr ssing misc llan ous
duti s.Captain McAndr w, Assistant Commission r, was on duty with th
advanc d guard of th D lhi fi ld forc . Mr. Plowd n, Assistant Commis-
sion r, was on d tach d duty on th riv r Jamna ; and th
tim of th only r maining civil offic r, Mr. Vaughan, Extra Assistant Commis-
sion r, was ntir ly tak n up with th v ry h avy duti s of th tr asury. It was
not till Mr. C. P. Elliot was transf rr d from Lahor to Ambala that th court
could b r -op n d, and by his w ll-known industry and p rs v ranc
h rapidly cl ar d off all arr ars in this d partm nt. Mr. Plowd n
was d tach d with a squadron of th 4th Light Cavalry und r Captain Wyld,
th
and two compani s of th 5 'Nativ Infantry und r Captain Garstin, to k p
down th turbul nt population of th banks of th Jamna. H was out
in camp from 19th May to Nov mb r, and was always to b found wh r v r
dang r was thr at ning or insurr ction abroad. His forc (Mr. Barn s stat s) was
th m ans of saving Saharanpur; whith r h had gon to act in conjunction
with Mr. Spanki , th n rg tic Magistrat and Coll ctor of that plac .
Ev n wh n d s rt d and fir d at by his Hindustani troops, Mr.
Plowd n h ld on with his Sikhs, and v ntually succ d d in ch cking th
progr ss of th bold maraud rs, and d stroying th ir short-liv d pow r.
Captain Gardn r, a D lhi r fug , was s nt with two oth r compani s of th
5th Nativ Infantry to guard Rupar. Mr. Barn s gav him authority to act as a
Magistrat if n dful, and h did xc ll nt s rvic . H r main d th r until th
m n w r call d in. Th z al h dis play d l d to his d ath, which occurr d at
Kasauli a short tim aft rwards from illn ss induc d by th xposur and
x rtions which h had und rgon . Famin s.
Ambala has only suff r d onc from s rious famin sinc th formation of
th district in 1847. This was in 1860-61 wh n th rains fail d badly
throughout th ast rn Punjab. Th distr ss was v n th n som what l ss
s v r in Ambala than in n ighboring districts, but was aggravat d by th
influx, which, in such s asons always occurs, of r fug s from Bikanir and
Hariana, who flock d into th district in many instanc s only to di of
starvation. Th r was wid ly spr ad
32
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
failur of crops both in th autumn harv st of 1860 and th spring harv st of

CHAPTER,1.B 1861, principally in th Ambala, Jagadhri and Naraingarh tahsils and th pric
HISTORY of wh at ros to 8 s rs p r rup . R v nu amounting to Rs. 77,000 was
susp nd d in th thr tahsils m ntion d, and of this sum Rs. 20,778 was
Famin s
v ntually r mitt d in Ambala tahsil and Rs 14,062 in Jagadhri, whil th
coll ction of th balanc of arr ars was ff ct d gradually as th district
r cov r d with th good harv sts which s t in from th autumn of 1861.
In subs qu nt y ars th r w r bad failur s of crops in 1868-69, 1884-

85 and 1890. Th r ar no instanc s on r cord of s rious distr ss from compl t
failur of crops in tahsils Kharar and Rupar, and though th distr ss in th r -
maining tahsils was undoubt dly s v r in th y ars sp cifi d it was hardly of so
acut a natur as to d s rv th nam of famin , whil it has always b n
possibl to r cov r th arr ars of susp nd d r v nu in full in subs qu nt y ars
without xc ssiv pr ssur on th p opl . Th y ar 1869-70 was ls wh r on
of famin . In Ambala, how v r, th r was no gr at distr ss, th harv st b ing
fairly good. R li f was n c ssarily provid d for th mass of fugitiv s from
Bikanir, Hissar, and Sirsa; but for th r sid nts of th district scarc ly any r li f
was r quir d. All d mands w r m t from funds locally subscrib d. Sinc 1887
th r hav b n two or thr bad y ars. Th worst was 1899-1900> wh n no l ss
than 3 ½ lakhs w r susp nd d in th fiv tahsils of th district. Th y ar 1907-
08 was poor. During th pr s nt s ttl m nt op rations th h avy monsoons of
1916 and 1917 w r succ d d by an almost compl t failur of th rains in
1918 which was oth rwis disastrous b caus of th t rribl influ nza pid mic
in th autumn to which th bad harv st mad th p opl p culiarly susc ptibl .
On th whol it may b said that although not larg ly prot ct d by irrigation th
gr at r part of th district is r asonably s cur from prolong d scarcity owing to
continuous failur of crops. Th r ar gr at vicissitud s in particular s asons,
but it is comparativ ly rar for two crops in succ ssion to fail badly ov r a larg
ar a. Th risk of such a calamity is gr at st in tahsil Ambala and in this tahsil
(and to a som what l ss xt nt in Naraingarh and Jagadhri) r v nu may oft n
b susp nd d with advantag , though it should s ldom b n c ssary to r mit
consid rabl it ms. –
It has b n xplain d that th Ambala district was constitut d in 1847

Formation of th
from t rritori s which had laps d to Gov rnm nt or b n confiscat d for
District
misb haviour during th p riod 1809—1846. Th r maind r of th district, as
th n constitut d, cov ring fiv tahsils, includ d th larg ar as h ld in jagir by
th r pr s ntativ s of hith rto ind p nd nt chi fs, whos sov r ign pow rs had
b n finally r sum d in 1846-47. Tahsil Pipli was at that tim a portion of th
district of Than sar—a district lik Ambala form d from laps d and forf it d
t rritory—and was not add d to Ambala till th Than sar district was brok n up
in 1862.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
Th district of Thanesar includ d th stat s of Than sar which laps d 2/3 ths in
1832 and th r maind r in 1850; Kaithal Which laps d in 1843, and Ladwa confiscat d CHAPTER,1.C
in 1846. Up to 1849 th s stat s had "b n administ r d by th Political HISTORY
ag nt of Ambala and his Assistants. In that y ar, b ing incorporat d with th Punjab, Formation of th
th y w r form d into on disTrict und r a D puty Commission r subordinat to th District
Commission r of th Cis-Sutl j Division. In 1862 th district was abolish d as a
s parat charg , and its t rritory distribut d b tw n th districts of Ambala and Karnal.
Th parganahs of Shahabad, Ladwa, and a part of Than sar f ll to Ambala,
and th r maind r, including Kaithal, w nt to Karnal. Th tahsils w r at th sam
tim r mod ll d. Th y had pr viously consist d of (1) Kaithal, (2) Gula, which
includ d th P howa tract now in Karnal, (3) Than sar, and (4) Ladwa. Th last two
includ d th villag s now forming th Indri parganah of th Karnal tahsil. In 1866
th P howa parganah was transf rr d from Karnal to Ambala, but in 1876 14 vil-
lag s, and in 1889 th r maining 89 villag s w r again transf rr d from Pipli to th
Kaithal tahsil of Karnal. Th most important laps s of jagir stat s b tw n th r gular
s ttl m nt and 1887 w r du to failur of h irs in th Sialba stat in 1866 and in
Manimajra in 1875. Th laps in th form r cas cov r d 63 villag s with r v nu of
Rs. 29,000 and in th latt r 69 villag s with r v nu of Rs. 39,100. Sinc
1887 th only laps of any rat has b n th Parkhali jagir in tahsil Rupar. Oth rwis
th r hav b n m r ly p tty laps s h r and th r . But as alr ady m ntion d; in th
Pr fac , Pipli tahsil was transf rr d to Karnal district in 1897 and Kal.ka-cum -Kurari,
Kalka and Sanawar hav b n add d to Ambala from Simla district.
SECTION C—THE PEOPLE.
Pipli tahsil r main d part of th district till aft r 1891. How v r consid ring
th district by tahsils th following ar th r turns according to th num rations of Statistical
1891, 1901, 1911 and 1921: —
Of 3 on 2
Of 4 on 2
Of 5 on 2
p r c nt.
p r c nt.
p r c nt.
D cr as
D cr as
D cr as
Total Population.
Tahsil 1891 1901 1911 1921

Rupar … 146,816 139,327 108,556 116,155 94.8 73.9 79.1
Kharar … 168,642 166,267 133,283 142,894 98.5 79.0 84.7
Ambala … 230,567 218,006 195,385 187,926 94.5 84.3 81.6
Naraingarh 141,326 131,042 112,447 107,798 92.7 79.5 76.28
Jagadhari … 168,634 161,238 140,299 126,704 95.6 83.1 75.14
Total … 855,285 815,880 689,970 681,477 95.3 80.6 79.61
D
3
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
C nsus P rsons Mal s F mal s D nsity p r squar

CHAPTER,1.C Mil .
The People.
Statistical 1901 … … 815.924 451.604 364.320 440.5
1911 … … 689.970 394.165 295.905 368.6
1921 … … 681.477 383.802 297.675 365.01
Th abov figur s show consid rabl d cr as in ach cas as compar d with

pr vious num rations.
Mortality has b n gr at r among f mal s than mal s. Plagu which b gan about th
b ginning of this c ntury is th chi f caus for th d clin in population. Wom n ar not so
w ll look d aft r as m n, and th custom of parda do s not conduc to robust h alth among
f mal s. Th r has b n som migration to th canal coloni s sp cially from th Sub-
Division.
Th following figur s tak n from th C nsus R port of 1911 show th distribution of
population by towns and rural ar as: —
1911 1921
P rsons … 86.9 82.6
P rc ntag of total population who liv in villag Mal s … 87.5 81.7
F mal … 89.5 83.8
Av rag rural population p r viliag … … 333.4 328.4
Av rag total population p r villag and town … 401.1 196.2
Numb r of villag s p r 100 squar mil s … 91.9 91.9
Av rag distanc from villag to villag in mil s … 1.09 1.09
Total ar a Total population … 368.6 365.01

Rural population … 305.1 304.2
D nsity of population p r Cultivat d ar a Total population … 586.2 589.0
Squar mil s Culturabl Total population … 506.5 497.8
Numb r of p rsons p r occupi d hous Villag s … 4.2 4.1
Towns … 3.9 3.9
Th d nsity of th rural population p r squar mil of cultivat d ar a is 485 now as compar d
with 589 thirty y ars ago and th pr ssur on th soil has much d cr as d. Som of th larg
ramshackl Rajput villag s in th thr south rn tahsils ar now und rmann d, and th t nant is
in a mor favourabl position than in Rupar and Kharar. According to th last c nsus th r ar
only thr towns of ov r 10,000 population, nam ly, Ambala City, Ambala Cantonm nt and
Jagadhri. Th ir population in 1891, 1911 and 1921 is giv n b low: —
l891 ... 28,278
Ambala City 1911 ... 25,908
1921 ... 28,58
1891 ... 51,016

Ambala Cantonm nt 1911 ... 54,223
1921 ... 47,745
1891 ... 13,029

Jagadhri 1911 ... 12,045
1921 ... 11,544
.AMBALA DISTRICT.]
Omitting th cantonm nt from consid ration as its. Population is CHAPTER,1.C

compos d of th str ngth of th army station d th r at th tim of num ration
th two oth r towns show a slight d clin . Th caus s ar th sam as notic d
The People.
abov . Ambala City is not popular on account of its scarcity of wat r. Th urban Statistical
population, of th district is lik ly to r main stationary.
For g n ral statistics by ag , s ct, civil condition, infirmiti s and r ligion I
invit a r f r nc to th 1912 volum of Statistical Tabl s. Pr s nt comm nt on
th s is us l ss as th publication of this Gaz tt r will synchronis with th
c nsus of 1921 which will at onc r nd r all such mat rial out of dat .
Th villag s ar g n rally compactly built, on ground a littl rais d, with
on or two principal lan s, about ight or t n f t wid , running through th m;
from th s lan s oth r blind paths branch off to th diff r nt havelis or hous s.
In th Khadir, b tw n th Jamna and th canal, th hous s ar
g n rally on high ground, to avoid inundations. To th w st of th canal th y ar
built on th high (dhang) pr cipitous bank of th old Jamna; by this plan th
p opl ar n ar th wat r, and g n rally conv ni ntly situat d for th ir Bangar,
as w ll as th ir Khadir lands. Th hous s ar g n rally sm ar d
with mud, onc a y ar aft r th rams, which giv s th m a tidy, app aranc .
Thatch d"hous s (chapparss) are ch ap r than kothas, but th y ar cold r in th
wint r, and g n rally inhabit d by th low r cast s, Gujars, Churahs, Chamars,
&c, &c. It is consid r d a sign of an inf rior villag to hav mor
chappars than kothds. Th Rajputs, both Hindus and Mussalmans, th Jats,
Kambohs and Brahmans, all hav comfortabl hous s.
In th Khadir tracts, and g n rally n ar th hills, th Hous s and dom stic lif .
Villag s ar for th gr at r part, compos d of thatch d huts th ir walls, mad
from th sandy soil, not b ing abl to b ar
th w ight of a h avy roof. In many parts th cottag roofs ar
ov rgrown with gourds, whos larg gr n l av s and
bright flow rs of whit or y llow pr s nt a v ry pictur squ
app aranc . In th Morni hill tract th p opl ar oft n
comfortably... hous d^ in substantial cottag s with good ston
walls. In th r maind r of th district, th walls of th hous s (kothas)
ar of mud, or clods of dry arth, tak n out of th tanks wh n th y ar dri d up,
or from th dri d up and crack d ric fi lds. Th roof of th kotha is also of
mud; th b ams which support it, and which ar principally mad of sal wood,
r st partly on th mud walls and partly on upright b ams about six f t high.
Across th s li small r b ams, and ov r th s grass: lastly, upon th grass
about thr inch s of arth is laid, com of th hous s poss ss a chimn y, or
rath r a hol in th roof, to l t th smok scap . It is always mad in th
middle of th room and cov r d up with an arth n pot wh n it rains.
Ev ry hous has its kotha a larg ch st mad of
d2
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAPTER, 1.C arth, and mor or l ss ornam nt d according to th tast of th own r,

about fiv f t squar outsid and four insid , with a door in th middl
op ning on hing s. In this ar lac d grain and th cooking ut nsils.
The People.
Th r st of th furnitur consists of a tend or ish lf, in a corn r; a
Hous s of do- cupboard, also in a corn r, Or l t into th wall; a manjha or chdrpdi, a
stic lif . b d for sitting and sl ping on; this, how v r, is only us d in th warm
w ath r, and th n out in th op n air in th cold w ath r, th y mak
a b d on th ground of sugarcan l av s and straw, for th sak of
warmth—two or thr arth n v ss ls (gharras) for wat r ; a charkha
or spindl for th wom n ; a hand-mill. (Chakki) for grinding grain,
which also falls to th lot of th f mal m mb rs of th family; a batta
or round ston p stl . With which th y bruis and pound th spic s;
th sil, a flat ston , which th y us as a mortar; kdthra, a wood n bowl-
lik dish, us d as a kn ading trough; baili, a small brass drinking pot;
katora, on of a larg r siz ; lunda or kharcha, a larg iron pot, us d
for cooking; chhinka, a swing tabl , hanging from th roof; and
chhalni, a si v for flour. Th doors ar fast n d from th outsid ,
with an iron chain and lock at th bottom, and insid by a chain ov r a
stak . No light is procurabl but through th door, th wom n sitting
outsid , to spin. Spinning, grinding corn, cooking, and nursing ar th
chi f occupations of th wom n, xc pt of th Jatnis and of .th low-
cast wom n, both of whom work in th fi lds.
Food of th Th following not r garding th food of th p opl was furnish d

P opl . by th district authoriti s for th Famin R port of 1879; —
" Th stapl food of th p opl of th Ambala district at rabi is principally
wh at and gram. Though in l ss quantiti s " than wh at, dal is also larg ly
consum d. At kharif th principal food is makki, jowar, bdjra and china; ddl is
also at n with th s . Th rabi grains abov m ntion d ar sown from th 15th
S pt mb r to 15th Nov mb r, wh at b ing sown last of all. Th rabi harv sting
b gins from 1st April, and rang s g n rally up to th 10th May. Th kharif
grain crops cultivation d p nds upon rain falling; if rain has fall n th y, i.e.,
th crops, would b sown by th 15th Jun , and lat r, according as th . rain may
happ n to fall. Th kharif harv sting comm nc s from th 1st S pt mb r
(when.china is g n rally rip ), and go s on till about th nd of Octob r.
It is ss ntial for th w ll-b ing of futur rabi crops that rain should fall in
S pt mb r, or in th latt r portion of Bhadon and b ginning of Asauj; in short,
copious rain throughout August,although b n ficial nough for th standing
kharif crops, will not suffic for a good and ampl rabi, unl ss som rain also
fall in S pt mb r; rain again is most ss ntial during th month of D c mb r,
and again in F bruary; rain during th s months will g n rally s cur a
copious crop. Rain is not d sirabl for a month or so aft r sowing. For th
kharif it is most ss ntial that rain should, if possibl , fall by th 15th Jun or
about th 1st Asarh, and it will b all th b tt r if th r b ram mor or l ss
onc a w k until th nd of S pt mb r. If th month of Asarh pass ntir ly
without any rain, th r will b no cotton crop and oth r stapl s will b limit d.
Rain is v ry d sirabl and b n ficial wh n th grain is just coming into ar,
and for want of it th n th gram will b short in quantity.'
AMBALA -DISTRICT.]
THE
CH-AP. I.D-ISTRICT. 37
Th following is an stimat of th food grains consum d in a y ar by an

av rag agriculturist's family of fiv p rsons: —
D scription of Grain
Rabi – S rs. Chts. M. S. Ch
Wh at … … 2 4 5s rs p r di m for
Gram … … 2 4 6 months, or 182 ½ days. = 22 32 8
Dal … … 0 8
Kharif –
Makki … … 1 8 5 s rs p r di m for
Jowar … … 1 8 6 month, or 182 ½ days. = 22 32 9
Bajra … … 1 8
China … … 1 8
Dal … … 0 8 Total … 45 25 0
Th following is an stimat for non-agricultural class s :-
Rabi – S rs. Chts. M. S. Ch.
Wh at … … 1 12 4 s rs p r di m for
Gram … … 1 12 6 months or 182 ½ days. = 18 10 0
Dal … … 0 8
Kharif –
Makki … … 1 8 4 s rs p r di m for 6
Jowar … … 1 8 months, or 182 ½ days. = 18 10 0
Bajra … … 0 8
Dal … … 0 8 Total maunds … 36 20 0
Th following is an stimat for city r sid nts. :-

D scription of grain.
Rabi – S rs. Chts. M. S. Ch.
Wh at … … 2 4 3 12 p r di m for
Gram … … 1 0 6 months or 182 ½ days. = 17 4 6
Dal … … 0 8
Kharif –
Wh at … … 2 4
Makki … … 1 0 3 12 p r di m for 6
Dal … … 0 8 months, or 182 ½ days. = 17 4 6
Total maunds … 34 8 12
It has alr ady b n r mark d ls wh r that th standard of living has ris n among all
class s. N xt to cloth s food is th chi f it m of xp ns in which chang is most visibl . P opl
at food of b tt r quality than b for . Th r is probably as much ghi and milk in th villag s as
form rly and l ss of it is sold. A larg vari ty of v g tabl s is grown in towns and villag s for
local consumption only. Th w ll to do among th villag rs is adopting th standard of th town
p opl . Th bulk of th m, how v r, hav berra for th ir stapl food in summ r, and mdkki,
hajra, china and ric in wint r. Pur wh at is not pr f rr d as th hard working
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
zamindar do s b tt r oil mix d gram and wh at. Puls s of all vari ti s ar at n with
th s c r als. Mash, how v r, is mor lik d than oth rs. In wint r sag (gr n stalks of
CHAPTER,1.A sarson) is larg ly at n with makki, and so long as it is availabl it is
pr f rr d to puls s. Milk is g n rally r s rv d for childr n xc pt wh n th quantity
Th P opl yi ld d by th animals in th hous is larg nough for adults as w ll. Lassi (or butt r-
Food of th p opl . milk) is th zamdndar's gr at stand-by.
Th poor r zamindars who cannot g t puls s or lassi at th ir bajra and makki br ad
with salt or v n without it—an und rtaking most trying for town-br d p opl . In th
mango s ason th low r class s mostly liv on mango s, similarly for m lons (kharbuza).
A zamindar's luxury is an xt nsiv us of ghi and this is th m asur of his
hospitality. A gu st will b s rv d with ric mix d with ghi and sugar, also with
pr parations (solan of warian, mash or mung pound d and mix d with salt,
chilli s, p pp r, tc.), and potato s, sevidn (flour past pr ss d through hol s into strips),
tdri (pr paration of ric with turm ric and potato s), khir (ric cook d in milk) ar also
s rv d to gu sts. A cup full of milk crowns th r past. A gu st cannot pl ad sati ty for not
acc pting it. H is told that milk and good p opl find a plac for th ms lv s."
In and n ar big towns and particularly among Muhammadans th us of m at is
incr asing. Th Hindu zamindars and Banias as a body abstain from it.
In tracts wh r ric is grown it is at n in diff r nt ways. Ric turn d into flour is us d
for making loav s. It is cook d with mash or gram, (khichri), and also with sugarcan juic
(ras ki khir).
W ll-to-do zamindars k p diff r nt kinds of pr s rv s of mango s in th -form
of achdr and murabba, a sort of jam.
Gram and makki ar at n gr n in larg quantiti s in th ir r sp ctiv s asons.
On occasions of, f stivals puri (fin cak s of flour), kara (pr paration of four, ghi and
sugar) among Hindus, and sw t n d ric and halva (th Muhammadan nam for kara)
ar v ry popular. Th worship of obscur d iti s and saints is k pt aliv b caus it app als
to th palat and furnish s an opportunity to f mal s for a picnic. Th prov rb "KUNBAH
KHI KHAWE DEWTA AZI A E " (th family njoys khir and th god b com s
pl as d) is significant.
In towns th food of th p opl is as various as th ir dr ss. W ll-to-do ducat d
p opl ar imitating th English mod of lif v n in th matt r of food. Dish s such as
pilau, zarda, phirni, mutanjan, tc., which w r r gard d as rar luxuri s
som thirty y ars ago ar b coming common. Th Banias too ar r laxing th ir old
string nt conomy in food. On th whol p opl pr f r to liv w ll and to sp nd mor
mon y than th y did.
AMBAL.A DISTRICT.]
CHAP.. —THE DISTRICT 39
Th agriculturist g ts up "b for sunris and go s straight CHAPTER,1.C

off to his fi lds with his plough cattl and works till th morning m al-
tim . At about 8 A.M. his wif if h is a Jat or a Gujjar or his s rvant or a mal The People.
m mb r of th family if h is a Rajput tak s stal roti for him out into th fi lds. Daily lif
G n rally stal roti is accompani d by lassi (butt r-milk). In
s asons of harrowing and r aping th zamindar r mains out in his fi lds for th
whol day and is s nt his m al th r . In th s s asons h do s not r turn till lat
in th v ning. At oth r s asons h r turns from th fi lds at noon for his m al
and njoys a short r c ss during which th bullocks tak fodd r. Impl m nts ar
m nd d and oth r dom stic affairs ar att nd d to during this r c ss. In th
aft rnoon h go s out again to th fi lds for ploughing or oth r op rations of
husbandry and works till suns t. Wh n r turning from th fi lds h brings grass
for th cattl , and b for h tak s his supp r h att nds to th bullocks and cattl .
It is not always that h njoys a full night's sl p v n aft r a full day's toil
Watch has to b k pt at night against th ant lop and pig which damag th
crops. "Wh n can pr ssing is in progr ss th zamindar can with difficulty snatch
a f w hours of troubl d sl p. A zamindar's lif is so full of laborious toil
that th wand ring trib s pray that th ir d ad should not b
r born as zamindars.
Wom n xc pt among Rajputs hav th ir tim as fully
occupi d as m n. B for dawn th y finish grinding th corn and th n churn th
milk. A littl aft r sunris th y tak food for th ir m n out into th fi lds and on
r turn look to th pr paration of th noon day m al. At noon th y do som
spinning.
Th r ar v ry f w holidays for a zamindar. Ev n youths hav no tim for
njoym nt. Childr n som tim s play kabaddi.
Th standard of living has ris n consid rably and among Dr ss
all class s of population. This is nowh r mor visibl than in th dr ss of th
p opl . As. of .old a turban, a:kurta and a dhoti compl t a common zamindar's
g ar. But fin r stuff is us d now in plac of th coars hom spun worn by high
and low alik a g n ration ago. Turbans ar rar ly if v r mad of gdrha cloth
now. Ev n th poor st will buy muslin for th ir h ad g ar. Latha (sh ting) and
gab run ar pr f rr d to garha for kurtas as w ll. Th loin cloth" is fr -
qu ntly mad of gdrha v n now though th us of fin muslin dhotis is
b coming common among Hindu zamindars. Th Mussalmans hav tali-band
and lungis which diff r from th dhoti in not b ing tak n b tw n th l gs and
ti d at th back. 'Angarkha and Achken hav b com almost xtinct. Coats
long and short ar th fashion of th day, and no W ll-to-do zamindar is
without a coat of drill, gabrun or at l ast gdrha. In towns and citi s th mor
advanc d p opl hav adopt d Europ an dr ss and th rank and fil too dr ss
th ms lv s in Pyjamas, shirts and waist-coats. A vari ty of caps is to
0
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAP. L-THE DISTRICT.
b s n. Th mor r sp ctabl and w ll to do among th zamindars in villag s also

CHAPTER,1.C dr ss th ms lv s lik town p opl . Th tight pyjama (reddar) is ordinarily worn by
zamindars and jagirdars, but oth rs also w ar it fr qu ntly. Th wint r coats, waist-
The People.
coats and v n pyjamas ar wadd d with cotton. Sikhs w ar kachh or short knick rs
Dr ss
und r th ir pyjamas Dolra and dohar (coars cloth) ar worn in wint r and ar
s rvic abl not only for prot ction from cold but also for spr ading on th ground to sit
upon, for tying up bundl s, and oth r us s.
Colour d cloth s ar worn by th Hindus at w ddings. Th bardtis (or thos composing
th marriag party) colour th ir dopatta only and th brid groom his turban as w ll. A
dopatta or ov r cloth Kurti and pyjama with diff r nc s in mak and stuff is th
univ rsal f mal dr ss. It diff rs by class s mor than mal dr ss. A Gujar woman can
b known at onc from h r blu cloth s and a Chamar from h r r d.
Circular bits of looking glass of th siz of a rup or small r
adorn th cloth s g n rally of Gujar wom n and l ss fr qu ntly of Chamaris. Jat wom n
also imitat th m but l ss fr qu ntly. It is part of th p rsonal adornm nt of Gujar
and Chamar wom n to hav a p ndant of silk and kauries hanging from th ir
azdrbands (or tap s with which th loin- cloth s ar fast n d). Angia or a bodic
supporting th br asts and l aving th low r portion of th trunk nak d is worn by
Charnaris alon . A p tticoat {lahnga or ghagra) is worn xclusiv ly by Hindu wom n
wh th r alon or ov r a pyjama. Blu colour is not in favour among Hindus xc pt
Gujars. Muhammadan wom n hav no pr f r nc for any
particular colour. An ntir ly whit dr ss onc xclusiv ly worn by prostitut s is
common now sp cially among ducat d ladi s wh th r Hindus or Muhammadans.
Unmarri d girls abstain from gaudr or v n cl an dr ss; th id a is to avoid
making th ms lv s attractiv . But ducat d p opl ar giving up this quaint notion.
Bania wom n do not w ar p tti-coats till th y g t marri d.
J w ll ry and p rsonal Th us of j w ll ry by m n is b coming l ss common, Muhammadans hav ' always

Adornm nt abstain d from it. A silv r or gold ring is som tim s put von th fing rs, Hindus of all
trib s w ar small arrings (mundris) of gold or silv r, on in ach
ar. A h ad n cklac of gold or coral or both combin d call d Kantha by -Jats and mdla
by Banias is fr qu ntly worn On occasions of marriag brac l ts (kara or kangan) and
gold chains of s v ral strings (tora) ar also us d by th rich. Fing r rings of gold and
silv r ar v ry common. Only dandies, us silv r chains to fast n amul ts nclos d in
silv r cask ts round th wrist. Tagri (waist band of silv r) is us d by th rich
Banias or w ll-to-do zamindars.
Childr n ar adorn d with brac l ts, jingling balls (ghungru) round th ankl s, n ckl ts
(hansli or tandira) and nos -rings (natlili). Sikhs put a silv r boss (chak and jhaba)
on th h ad. A gold or silv r amul t is also hung ov r th brow (kandi).
41
Th following ar th articl s of j w ll ry us d by f mal s
CHAPTER,1.C
Wh r worn. Nam . D scription. W ight.
The People.
No.
J w llary and p rsonal

adornm nrt
1 H ad Chak … A silv r or gold 2 tolas.
boss worn on th h ad.
2 Do. … Phul … A small r boss of silv r About 2 tolas.

or gold worn on on
ach sid of th h ad
ov r th ars.
3 Do. … Kanda … A gold or silv r amul t

worn across th brow.
4 Do. … Bendi … Gold fring s on ith r 4 tolas.

sid of th brow with
a gold n star in th
middl .
5 Do. … Tika … A circular pi c of gold 1 tola.

worn on th brow.
6 Do. … Chand … Small round pi c s of 2 tolas.

silv r hung on both
sid s of th h ad.
7' Ear … Dandidn or walian Earrings mad of silv r 8 to 10 tolas.

or gold, fiv in ach
ar.
5 Do. …. Bale … Big arrings mad of 2 to 4 tolas.
gold worn on in ach
ar.
9 Do. …. Jhumke … Gold or silv r hollow 10 to 12 tolas.
s mi-circl s with
fring s of b ads hang-
ing b n ath.
10 Do. … Bujlidn … A hollow tub of 2 to 3 tolas.
silv r or gold through
which oth r arlicals ar
worn without risk of
injury to th ar.
11 Do. … Karn-phul … A boss affix d to

th Bulli
½ tolas to 1/4
tolas.
12 Nos … Nath … Gold nos -ring worn 1 to 2 tolas.
in th l ft sid of th
nos .
13 Do. ... Machhli or buldk Gold ring for th 1 to 2 tolas.
middl of th Dos .
14 Do. … Laung … A gold stud l t into a 1/2 tola to 3/4tola
hol in th loft sid of
th nos .
15 Do. … Till … A gold stud of a v ry | tola to £ tola.
small siz l t into th
right sid of th nos .
16 N ck … Tandira or Solid n ckl t of silv r 10 to 35 tolas.

hansli …
17 Do. ... Mala N cklac mad of 10 to 15 tolas.
silv r or gold b ads.
18 Do … Hamel ... A n cklac of rup s 20 tolas.

containing 7 or
8 rup s on on sid
and as many on th
oth r sid with
chauki (a squar bit of
silv r)in th middl .
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER
42 CHAP. L- THE DISTRICT

CHAPTER I, C.
Th P opl . Wh r Nam . D scription. W ight.
No.
J w ll ry and p r- worn.
sonal adornm nt.
19 N ck... Kandhi ...
A n cklac of sov r igns or 5 to 7 tolas.
thirt n pi c s of gold of
similar shap .
20 do.... Tigarda … A small n cklac mad 10 to 12 tolas.
of silv r or of gold
chain of s v ral
strings.
21 Do.... Har or Chandan A long . n cklac mad of 20 to 25 lolas.
har silv r or of gold
Chain of s v ral
strings.
22 Arms... Tadan … Hollow silv r brac l ts won) 5 to 7 tolas.
abov th lbow.
23 Do... Bazuband … Arml ts mad if hollow silv r 5 to 10 tola.
squar pi c s.
24 Hands Churian … Flatt n d silv r brac - l ts. 20 to 30 tolas.
...
25 Do... Pachhelidn ... A trac l t worn on on ach 4 to 6 tolas.
hand b hind th churldn.
26 Do... Kangan or Tears ... Brac l ts of solid silv r 10 to 15 tolas.

27 Do... Fariband … Brac l ts of solid silv r with 8 to 10 tolas.
jingling balls.
28 Do ... Pohncht … Silv r or gold brac l ts inlaid 8 to 10 tolas.
with studs.
29 Do ... Malhiau … Hollow silv r brac l ts worn 8 to 10 tolas.

b hind th kangans.
30 Do ... Arsi … Thumb mirror 3 to 5 tolas.

31 Do ... Angoothi and Fing r ring mad of silv r 1/4 to 1/2 tola.
Chhalla. … or gold,
32 F t ... Bankan 15 to 20 tolas
33 Do ... lore 15 to 20 tolas,
Do … Pazeb Silv r ankl ts ... 30 to 40 tolas.
34 Do. Jhanjrdan 15 to 20 tolas
35 ...
36 Do… Chhare ... Silv r ankl ts 3 or 4 on 15 to 20 tols
Each loot.
37 Do … Anguthare and Fing r rings mad of silv r. 1 to 2 tolas.

chhalla.
Th workmanship of th s -articl s is improving day by day. Amongst town and

ducat d p opl th growing t nd ncy is to hav a small numb r of v ry valuabl
articl s of th b st mak . Th articl s us d v ry day ar th brac l ts, arrings, th
nos -ring, hansli or n ckl t and th ankl ts. Th s ar all solid and do not w ar out
fast. Otli r and fin r articl s ar worn on stat occasions only.
R ligion us d to b anoth r nam for a s t of sup rstitions, traditions of th
doings of th d iti s or th local saints and customary visits to shrin s and fairs. If a
Hindu did th pr scrib d ablutions, f d th Brahmans on f stivals and mad his
ob isanc to th villag d ity h satisfi d all th r quir m nts of th communal s ns
of r ligion. Effusions of pi ty found v nt in th construction of t mpl s to th
d iti s or th
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. I. —THE DISTRICT, 43
sinking of w lls and construction of dharmsalas. But nobody could d fin CHAPTER,1.A
his r ligion. Ev ry god local or import d command d aw , worship and
off rings. Not only pid mics but ordinary dis as s v n w r attribut d
Th p opl
to th wrath of th gods of Th Brahmans who constitut d th saintly class found it to R ligious
th ir advantag to k p p opl in ignoranc . Thos who saw through th thick mass lif of th
of sup rstition, and c r monious routin to th xist nc of th On God w r p opl
f w and far b tw n.
Th Siwaliks ar th hom of th god Shiv. Th y ar studd d with t mpl s to
that god and to th various incarnations of his famous wif Parbati. Shiv and his
wif w r mor popular than Brahma and Vishnu though th s w r
also not forgott n. Though t mpl s ar a p culiarity of th hills th y ar abundant
v n in th plains. Ev ry t mpl has s t days in th y ar on which fairs ar h ld in
th ir pr mis s in honour of th god or godd ss nshrin d th r in. P opl from
th n ighbourhood ass mbl on th s fairs and
pr s nt th ir off rings. Th y p rform th ir worship and tak vows to mak furth r
off rings if th ir pray rs ar answ r d.
But a gr at chang has tak n plac within th last thirty y ars. S v ral
influ nc s hav op rat d to work this chang . Th for most is English ducation
and th cons qu nt dissolution of th monopoly of r ligious l arning.
"W st rn civilization is th most l v ling influ nc . Not only do s it brush asid
class distinctions, it also t ars asund r th w b of sanctity and r v r nc which
ignorant imagination w av s around th d c as d and th inanimat . It
cultivat s th faculty of criticism and th imag s and ston s which w r suppos d
to poss ss sup rhuman pot ncy c as to command homag . This influ nc it was
which gav birth to th Arya Samaj, th Radha Swami, th D v Samaj and th
Brahmo Samaj schools of thought. Th Radha Swami and th Brahmo
Samaj did not spr ad much in this district, but th Arya Samaj took root and
flourish d. Big towns w r th first to. com und r th influ nc and from
th r th n w thought p rcolat d to th villag s. As th old Sanatan
Dharam school which with local modifications form d th cr d of th whol
of th Hindu population did not poss ss stamina nough to b ar th brunt of th
Aryan attack it f ll to pi c s. Similarly th Sikhs start d th Singh Sabha.
Guru Nanak's t achings which w r d cid dly unitarian in t nd ncy had
b com absorb d in th pr vailing Sanatan Dharam school of thought, and th r
was littl or nothing to distinguish th Sikhs from th ir Hindu n ighbors xc pt
th ir nam or outward app aranc . Th Singh Sabha claim d back th Sikhs to th
fold of th Guru's original school. Th y hav join d th Sabha in thousands and
hav disclaim d v ry conn ction with th ston gods and godd ss s which th y
had l arn d to ador in imitation of th ir Hindu n ighbours.
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
44 CHAP.I. —THE DISTRICT.
Th s caus s ar t lling on th popularity of th Hindu gods and th fairs h ld in

CHAPTERI, C. th ir honour. Though th g n rality of th zamindars still tak r ligion to b
th obs rvanc of anc stral customs and c r moni s, n v rth l ss id as of th
The People.
xist nc of On God and of th r ligious lif ar spr ading among th
R ligious lif of
th p opl . populac though th y ar d cid dly luk warm in comparison with th ir
f rvor for th old disp nsation.
F w r p rsons ar inspir d by th godd ss Mansa D vi now. Th
growing av rsion of th p opl to sh lt ring thi v s coupl d with th ffici ncy
of th polic is t lling upon h r popularity among th off nd rs. Improv m nt in
food and dr ss and th acc ssibility of m dicin and sci ntific tr atm nt
hav mad divination and xorcism unknown xc pt amongst th low st class
of villag rs. Vishnu and Shiv, Ram and Narain ar now known to b diff r nt
nam s for th On God who is common to th Bania, th Rajput, th Chamar
and th Brahman. Th Jumna Ji, th Dharti Mata (or th moth r arth), th
Bhurnia (of th god of th hom st ad), Khwaja Khizar or th wat r-god ar all
worship d still but by f w r p opl and with l ss r z al. Ev ry villag has still
got a marl to th Gugga Pir. But such of th m as fall down ar s ldom r pair d
xc pt if th y hav a mafi attach d to th m.. Th district abounds with sati ston s
and th y ar particularly num rous in th vicinity of Buria. But lamps ar lit
th r l ss fr qu ntly and nobody now f ds Brahmans in honour of th satis. It is
v ry curious to notic th progr ss mad in th conc ption of th d ity. A
fairly larg numb r of p opl in th district hav mbrac d th D v Samaj
doctrin s. It has found r adi r acc ptanc in th Ambala District than ls wh r .
Ambala city and Raipur in th Naraingarh tahsil ar th c ntr s of th D v Samaj
mov m nt and b sid s Banias a larg numb r of Chamars hav b com
conv rts to this cr d. Th conv rt d Chamars ar nominally admitt d to an
quality of social status with th high r cast s . But th r ar no instanc s of
int r-marriag . Schools for th ducation of Chamars hav sprung up in s v ral
plac s und r th auspic s of th D v Samaj.
This proc ss of purification and r v rsion to original
id als is v n mor mark d among Muhammadans. Th y
us d to b Mussalmans only in nam . Th customs, c r
moni s and rituals which th y obs rv d b for conv rsion w r
adh r d to v n aft r it. Th Muslim Rajputs of Narain-
garh (who r pr s nt th blu blood of that clan claiming d sc nt as
th y do from Pirthi Raj, th last Hindu Raja of D lhi) hav only r c ntly giv n up
th paym nt of th custmary f s to Brahmans on th occasion of births and
marriag s. Saints and shahids hav lost ground xc pt among th low r class s.
Th Sakhi Sarwar though a Muhammadan saint is s ldom visit d at his solitary
abod on th hill n ar Khizri (Jagadhri tahsil) xc pt by Chamars and Banias
although in som localiti s, for xampl Chamkaur, many;
AMBALA DISTRICT. ]
Hindus still r main Sultanis. It is not with th old d vout-n ss that th story of CHAPTER, 1.A
Shah Khalid "Walid corning ov r from Multan without his h ad or th shahids The People
n ar Sadhaura continuing to fight v n aft r th ir h ads had b n cut off is R ligious lif of
told, n ith r is it with th old implicitn ss that it is b li v d Drums ar still b at n at th tombs of th P opl .
th saints Shah Kumais at Sadhaura, Lakhi Shah at Ambala, Shah Khalid n ar Rupar and a host
of oth r saints all ov r th district. But f w r h arts b at in r spons with
th old throb of r v r nc . Th spr ad of w st rn id as has l d to th r plac m nt of
sup rstition and s ntim nt by obs rvanc s which app al mor to th h ad
than th h art. It r mains to b s n wh th r th g n ral populac will gain or los
by th chang .
TAHSIL RUPAR.
Th chi f fairs ar thos h ld on th 1st of Baisakh in th Rupar prop r on th riv r
bank and at Chamkaur.Th y ar both larg ly att nd d, particularly th latt r, which Fair h ld in th
tak s a r ligious colour and draws pilgrims from far and n ar. A fully d tail d account Ambala District.
of th Sikh associations in Chamkaur is giv n ls wh r .
TAHSIL KHARAR
Mansa Devi Fair. —A d tail d account of th t mpl in Manimajra d dicat d to
this godd ss is giv n ls wh r . Th fair is h ld in th months of Cha.it and Asauj.
Hafizji's Fair at Manakpur. —This is mostly att nd d by Muhammadans. Th
ass mblag is v ry larg , but th pilgrims ar mostly local.
TAHSIL AMBALA.
Th Pankha Fair is h ld in th month of ' ajab, i.e., two months b for th Id. Th
fair is h ld in honour of Pir Lakhi Shah, whos tomb stands in th grain mark t at
Ambala. Fans tast fully d corat d ar off r d and h nc th nam of th fair. Th saint
is said to hav flourish d in th tim of Qutab-ud-Din Aibak, Sultan of D lhi. Som
think that Lakhi Shah is no oth r than Qutab-ud-Din hims lf. Th fair is att nd d
mostly by local p opl . It has r c ntly gain d in importanc among local
Muhammadans probably to k p pac with th Hindus, who ar y arly adding
to th z al with which th y c l brat th Bawandwadashi fair.
Bawandwadashi. —It is h ld in th month of Bhadon. Th imag s of th gods of
th Hindu panth ology from all th mandars in Ambala ar brought out in proc ssion to
th grain mark t and from th ir carri d in proc ssion to Naurang Rai’s tank opposit
th Civil Hospital buildings. Th c l bration is conduct d with much pomp and
c r mony .
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
TAHSIL NARAINGARH.
Th fair in honour of Shah Kumais is h ld in Sadhaura wh r th tomb of th saint Shah

CHAPTER, 1.A Kumais is situat d. It is h ld in th month of abi-us-Sani and is att nd d by pilgrims
The People from n ighbouring districts as w ll. Th saint Shah Kumais is said to hav flourish d
Fairs h ld in th in th tim of th Emp ror Humayun. Th tradition is that h was dir ct d in a dr am by
Ambala District his anc stor Sh ikh Abdul Qadar Jilani to quit Baghdad and to s ttl in Sadhaura.
The Jamkesar fair. —Th d tails r garding th Jamk sar tank ar giv n ls wh r .
TAHSIL JAGADHRI.
Gopal Mochan Fair. —Th d tails ar giv n ls wh r .

Th s ar important and w ll-att nd d fairs. B sid s th s v ry group of villag s
has its own t mpl . Ev ry villag has a mari d dicat d to th Gugga Pir. Ev ry t mpl
has a fair h ld in honour of th god or godd ss to which it is d dicat d. On th day
fix d for th fair th local adh r nts ass mbl , worship, pr s nt th ir off rings
and disp rs .
C r moni s In addition to villag fairs th r ar th s asonal fairs such as Baisakhi fair, th
Dus hra fair, th Chait Chaudas tc., which ar h ld in various plac s in th district.
Birth. —Wh n a child is born th woman is s gr gat d at onc from th r st of th

family. Th room in which confin m nt took plac is mark d among Hindus by th
hanging of a n t of rop s in which a nim or mango twig is susp nd d. This is a sign that
a woman is confin d th r . Th woman is k pt to h rs lf for nin to l v n or tw lv
days during which p riod sh is att nd d only by th midwif or th barb r's wif or
by som ld rly lady of th family. On th 11th day th barb r's wif com s and
r plast rs th room. Th Brahmans ar f d on this day. This is call d th Dasuthan
c r mony. During th s l v n days no outsid r tak s wat r or food in th hous . On th
11th day th old pitch rs ar s t asid and n w on s put in th ir st ad, and th hous
tak s its old plac with th r st of th villag . Th woman, how v r, r mains
s gr gat d for 40 days. Nobody tak s food pr par d by h r or wat r from h r hands. On
th 40th day sh is bath d in wat r in which drops of th wat r of th Gang s ar
mix d. A supply of this wat r is sur to b found in v ry hous or at l ast in a good
many hous s in th villag . N w cloth s ar put on by th woman and th old on s
ar giv n away to th kamin wom n.
W ll-to-do p opl f d th ir br thr n too on th 11th day. But this is b coming
v ry rar . No sp cial c r mony is p rform d at nam -giving. Th r is no pr scrib d
tim for doing it.
Ambala istrict.]
CHAP., I. —THE DISTRICT. 47
Among Muhammadan Rajputs also th woman is s gr gat d. A day or two
aft r child-birth th Mulla is s nt for. H utt rs Takbir or Alla-ho-Akbar in on CHAPTER,1.A
The People.
ar and Banff in th oth r ar of th child. Th Mulla is giv n a f at this tim
C r moni s
C r moni s This vari s according to th circumstanc s of th family. On
th 7th, or 14th or 21st day Aqiqa f ast is giv n to th
.r lations and fri nds. Th barb r is giv n th h ir's w ight
of silv r. On th sam day th child is nam d. On th 40th
day th woman is bath d. Till th n nobody tak s food pr -
par d by h r.
Among Muhammadan Rajputs th circumcision c r mony is p rform d
wh n th child is six or s v n y ars of ag . Th barb r is giv n a f of on or
two, rup s. Sw ts ar also distribut d.
Th Singh Sabha follow rs hav adopt d som diff r nt c r moni s. Th y
do not mploy th Brahmans. Wh n a child is born th y s gr gat th woman,
but th room in which sh is confin d is not mark d by th hanging of a rop -
n t. Th Bhaiji is s nt for or failing him som Sikh who knows th Banis. H
pr par s th amrit by dissolving th patashas in wat r with th aid of a sword or
a Khanda (a small two- dg d instrum nt). Banis ar r ad as th khanda is
stirr d in th wat r. Th Banis ar th prais of th Almighty. Wh n r ading,
th amrit is dropp d into th mouth of th child and administ r d to th
moth r. Path of th Granth is p rform d on that day. On th 10th day th child
and th moth r ar bath d and th y ar pr s nt d b for th Granth. Th
family ass mbl s and Kara Parshad (halwa or pr paration of ghi and sugar) is
distribut d. Th child is nam d on that dat . Th Granth is op n d at random
of th Bani at which th Granth op ns giv s th first l tt r of th
child's nam . Singh of cours is th s cond word of th nam . Thus nds th
Sutak. Sh is not r quir d to work hard for 40 days. This is th custom among
th strict follow rs of th Singh Sabha. Th y giv a f of Rs. 5 at th tim of th
Path.
Betrothal.—Th initiativ among all trib s is tak n by th girl's p opl .
Th y s l ct a boy of suitabl ag , family and circumstanc s. A Brahman or a
barb r or both ar s nt out to mak th s l ction. Th y inform th boy's p opl
of th obj ct of th mission. Wh n a choic is mad thus, th go-b tw n
r turns to consult th girl's p opl . If th choic is approv d of h is s nt back
to p rform th okna c r mony. Among Jat and Gujars h brings R . 1 from
th girl's p opl . Among Muhammadan Rajputs h brings R . 1, or a ring, and
som tim s v n a hors or mor valuabl pr s nts. Among Hindu Rajputs th
Brahman brings nothing with him for th okna c r mony. Pr s nts ar
brought at th sagai which tak s plac six months or a y ar lat r. Wh n th
go-b tw n com s th boy's broth rhood ass mbl s. Th boy's p opl
among Hindu Rajputs put 20 or 30 rup s in th thali. Th
8
CHAP. I THE DISTRICT.
CHAPTER,1.C go-b tw n tak s up rup s two. Thus clos s th b trothal. Among Gujars and Jats th
The People. go-b tw n giv s th rup s into th hands of th boy. Th boy's p opl giv him
C r moni s rup on and annas four as his f . H also puts tikka on th for h ad
of th boy and a bit of sugar into his mouth. Sw ats ar th n, distribut d among th
broth rhood. Among Hindu Rajputs h tak s out Rs. 2 as his f and on rup as
badaigi. Among Muhammadans too h is giv n Rs. 2. Thus th b trothal
c r mony is compl t d.
Som tim s among Rajputs both Hindu and Muhammadan th okna c r mony
s rv s only as a pr liminary to sagai which tak s plac lat r and at which rich r
pr s nts ar s nt by th girl's p opl .
Marriag Marriage. Preliminaries. —V ry arly marriag s ar b coming rar now. Among

Rajputs who do not allow widow marriag th s ntim nt has always b n in favour of
adult marriag s. If a widow is l ft childl ss h r widowhood b com s hard r than if th
union is bl ss d with an issu . Jats marry arly and Kanaits still arli r. But v n
among th m child marriag s ar l ss fr qu nt now. Th r is no fix d ag
at which marriag s tak plac . Th girl's p opl ar th first to start th chain of
marriag arrang m nts. Poh, Chet, Sawan, Bhadon, Asauj and Katak months ar
consid r d in auspicious for marriag s. This is probably bas d on th fact
that th y ar ith r busy months from th point of agricultur or on account of th rainy
s ason ar troubl som for journ ys. Th y ar forbidd n in th Shastras too.
Th girl's fath r first consults th Brahmans to asc rtain an auspicious dat or

saha for c l brating marriag . This consultation tak s plac privat ly. Th Brahman
consults th horoscop or his cal ndar or -pothi and indicat s th dat .
Th girl's fath r ass mbl s his broth rhood in th following mann r. A l tt r is
writt n from th girl's p opl associat d with four or fiv promin nt m n from th
broth rhood in th nam of four or fiv promin nt m n of th boy's broth rhood.
Th dat or saha is communicat d in th l tt r. Th l tt r is fast n d up with a
paranda or r d string. A f w grains of ric ar nclos d in this l tt r and two mansuri
grass roots by Jats and Gujars, not Rajputs. Two or thr grains of haldi.
ar sprinkl d ov r th l tt r. Th l tt r is writt n by th Brahman and is giv n ov r to
th barb r to carry. Th boy's fath r gath rs his own broth rhood and th Brahman is
pr s nt. H tak s th l tt r from th barb r, op ns it and puts th coin
into his own pock t and r ads out th l tt r to th ass mbly. Th barb r is th n
dismiss d with a f of R . 1 or R . 0-8-0. But b for his d partur h sounds th boy's
p opl as to th numb r of gu sts which th w dding party is to consist of.
Th r is no c r mony b tw n th parti s aft r this till th actual w dding com s off.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
Th int rim is sp nt by ach party in th p rformanc of th ban c r mony. CHAPTER,1.A.

This is p rform d 3, 5, 7, 9 or 11 tim s both by th girl and th boy. Th
numb r is fix d by th Brahman of ach party. It consists of th rubbing-
ov r th body of th boy or th girl of a pr paration of haldi, oil and oat flour. The People
Haldi is ground in a wood n mortar. S v n wom n whos husbands ar aliv C r moni s
{Sohaganss) us th mo tar in turn, and wh n th pr paration is compl t all
s v n apply th ban on aft r th oth r. This is don on th first day only; on
th oth r days th ban is appli d to th boy by th barb r and to th girl by th
barb r's wif . Brahman girls and girls of th family ass mbl in both hous s
and sing songs.
On day b for th dat fix d for th d partur of th w dding party, th
havan and th mandha c r mony are p rform d in th boy's hous . Th
Brahman tak s a quantity of ghi, til, s samum, oats, ric and sugar and mix s
th m tog th r. A fir of dhak wood is kindl d and th boy is mad to throw
th mixtur into th fir . This is havan and pr c d s th binding of a kangna
round th wrist of th boy. Th kangna is mad of a r d tap with a pi rc d
sipari and an iron ring. This is follow d by th binding of a mandha. S v n
r ds put tog th r ar ti d with s v n knots of r d tap . A pi c of r d string is
th n tak n. S v n sohalis (or cak s fri d in oil) and s v n halv s of cocoanut
(or thuthis) ar strung th r on, a thuthi alt rnating with a sohali. This string is
ti d to th middl of th r ds which ar th n fast n d to a
door or lint l.
Among Hindu Rajputs janeo is worn at this tim . Th Brahman puts th
janeo on and also adorns th boy with saffron-color d cloth s. Thus adorn d
th boy go s among th wom n of th family with a wall t susp nd d with a
pahori to b g for alms. Th wom n put what th y hav about th m in th
wall t. Th coll ction is th n mad ov r to th Brahman. This is a n c ssary
part of th janeo c r mony. Th boy adopts Brahmchari to arn his titl to th
janeo. It is a r mnant of th custom of boys b ing s nt to th guru for
ducation.
Th boy's fath r according to his m ans f ds his own p opl . Th
Kamins and Brahma ns ar also f d. Tanbol or neonda) is coll ct d.
B for th party actually starts a sehra and r d turban is ti d to th
for h ad of th boy. Colour d cloth s ar worn. B for d partur rup s ar
distribut d among th sist rs of th family and also to gurus and mandars. Th
numb r of th marriag party is not fix d. Th m ans of conv yanc ar
mar s or bahlis.
Th havan and th mandha c r mony is r p at d in th
girl's hous on th day wh n th boy's party arriv . But th
c r mony is p rf orm d by th girl's p opl th ms lv s. Th
F
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAPTER.1.A. girl's fath r, moth r and uncl obs rv a barat on th day on which th marriag
Tb P opl . party arriv s. This barat is brok n aft r th kaniya-dan has b n giv n.
C r moni s. Th w dding party alight at som plac in th villag gora or its -vicinity which
th girl's p opl assign to th m. Th party is nt rtain d in summ r with sharbat
and in wint r with milk or t a. Th n a Brahman or th barb r of
th girl's p opl brings a rup and four yards of garha cloth among Rajputs and
Gujars and a rup and fiv s rs of sugar and a cocoanut among Jats to th boy.
Th cloth is giv n among Rajputs to th boy's prohat or Brahman. Th barb r
is giv n a f and th oth r Kamins ar also giv n f s th amount of which is
fix d by th girl's fath r or guardians.
Th n xt function is th r c ption of th w dding party. Th girl's p opl com in
a body and bring with th m som kind of pr s nt for th boy, ith r a hors or
som mon y. Som pr s nt is giv n to a man of th boy's party who is
s l ct d to do th milai or m ting. A man of th girl's party
com s out with a rup and among Rajputs with a pi c of cloth and th s l ct d
man of th boy's party go s out to m t him and to r c iv th pr s nt. Th n th
boy's party accompany th girl's party to th villag chaupal. Th boy is tak n
to th girl's hous on hors -back among Rajputs and on hors back or in a 'dola
among Jats. A f w r lations accompany th boy, throwing coins of copp r or v n
of silv r ov r th boy's h ad. Th boy is r c iv d at th door of th girl's hous by
wom n who giv him a rup and apply a tilak with haldi on his brow. H th n
com s to th chaupal.
Th n th w dding party is s nt for in th v ning from th chaupal and f d. Th
boy, how v r, r mains at th chaupal and is s nt his food th r .
In th night th marriag tak s plac . Th boy with' a numb r of r lations go s to
th girl's hous wh r th Brahman has kindl d th fir in which havan is h ing
p rform d. Round this fir th pheras ar mad . B for going round th
fir th girl's fath r giv s away th girl. H holds h r by th
thumb of th right hand and giv s h r ov r to th boy. This is call d' kaniya dan.
Th pheras ar s v n in numb r among all class s. Th girl l ads in thr circuits
and th boy in four. Whil this is in progr ss th baja is going on and also
th singing of songs by wom n. Th Brahman go s on r citing mantars and
r c iving f s from th boy. For ach r citation h d mands and r c iv s f s.
Th mantars ar in th natur of th giving of a mutual bond. Th boy und r-
tak s to consult his wif in all that h do s; th girl k ps sil nt.
Wh n th phera c r mony is ov r th boy a nd th girl ar
Carri d into th hous . th r th pair xchang kangnas.
th boy is s nt bac k to th chaupal wh r his p opl ar .
Ambala District.]
On th following day th boy is s nt for th girl's hous
wh r h tak s off all th cloth s which h wor at th tim Of th phera CHAPTER, 1.A.
c r mony and puts on n w cloth s. H tak s his food th r . Th r st of th
w dding party ar f d by oth r m mb r of th trib . The People
C r moni s
On.th third day th boy's p opl s nd th bari to th
.girl's p opl . This consists among Jats and Gujars of j w ll ry and cloth for th
n w wif , dri d fruits and sw ts (or taintis) and mehndi kamins carry th m.
Among Rajputs th boy's p opl s nd no j w ll ry as it is invariably
giv n by th girl's fath r.
Th girl's fath r th n s nds for th boy and som of his
r lations and mak s ov r th dowry to th m. This consists of cloth, ut nsils and
mon y. Th party is th n s nt off.
Among Kanaits no l tt rs ar s nt. Th girl's fath r communicat s his
int ntion to th boy's fath r. Both parti s with th ir Brahman m t at th
boundary of th girl's villag and fix a dat . Th main marriag c r moni s ar
th sam as abov .
Muhammadan Rajputs hav giv n up th c r moni s
p rform d by Brahmans, but th y also go in a janet or barat. they ar how v r
f d by th girl's p opl all th tim that th y r main in th girl's villag . Th
nikah is p rform d b for th first f ast is giv n.
Among Singh Sabha p opl th following proc dur is follow d. Th
Granth is consult d for th dat . No month or day is consid r d inauspicious.
No Kngana tied and no Sehra. 'A circl (chakkar) of iron is ti d ov r th
turban and also a sword or a karpan. Th Granth path is p rform d during
th abs nc of th w dding party. Th y p rform th lavan in plac of th
pheras. Th lavanas ar th Bonis giv n in th Granth. Th boy and th girl
ar mad to stand b for th Granth, and th y mak a formal conf ssion of
faith. Th n th girl's guardian hands ov r th girl to th boy and lavans
ar r ad. Pheras ar mad round th Granth. Th boy l ads in four pherds.
Th c r mony is conclud d with a path and distribution of Jcarah.
Muklawa is ith r p rform d with th marriag or within on y ar or in
th third, fifth, s v nth, ninth or l v nth y ar aft r iag . Th girl's fath r
s nds away th girl and giv s a dowry consisting of cloth s, j w ll ry
and ut nsils.
Tambol. —Th custom of tambol is pr val nt among all class s and is
also call d neota. It is in th natur of a communal contribution towards th
xp ns s of marriag and xt nds outsid th community too. Each hous
mak s a contribution according to its m ans and th r cognis d rat
which
e2
[PUNJ AB GAZET T EE R;
52 CHAP .1. T HE D I S TR IC T
obtains b tw n th contributing family and th r c iving, family. A r gular account is

k pt by ach family. Neota is tak n by both th girl's p opl and th boy's
CHAPTER,1.A
p opl in th ir own hom s;
Th P opl Death. —Wh n a Hindu is about to di h is tak n, off th
C r moni s b d and laid on th ground with his f t to th ast. Th .
Ground is plast r d, and str wn with th sacr d kusha grass and
sesamum. If th d ath is sudd n and tak s plac b for
r moval from th b d it is consid r d inauspicious. To ward
off its vil ff ct a visit has to b mad to P howa n ar
Kuruksh tra wh r 13 pinds (balls mad of ric flour or oat
flour, hon y, sesamum, ghi and Gang s wat r) ar mutt r d
ov r by Brahnians, for on or two days. Gang s wat r is
pour d into th dying man's mouth, and wh n h is a rich man
a gold wir is also put into his mouth, ars, nos , tc. Wh n
h xpir s his r lations ass mbl . His ld st son or h ir has
his h ad and fac compl t ly shav d. This is call d bhaddan.
H also puts on a n w loin cloth, turban and a k rchi f. Th
widow br aks h r churis. Th d ad body is bath d and
adorn d with a janeo if ntitl d by cast to w ar it. A pi c
of cloth is tak n and torn into four or fiv pi c s with which
his h ad, trunk, loins and l gs ar cloth d. Th n h is put
on an arthi or bi r ov r which a cloth is spr ad. Pi c s of
cloth ar put on th d ad body and it is carri d on th arthi and
tak n out f t for most. B for th d ad body is r mov d
th Brahman r ads incantations ov r a pind (ball of dough).
Wh n th d ad body is brought out of th door th Brahman
again r ads incantations ov r th pind. Th wiv s of th sons
and grandsons bow to th . d ad body, if a mal , aft r placing
at its f t a narial (coconut) and a rup . If th d c as d
l av s grandsons and was w ll to do, his d ad body is carri d
in gr at stat with drums b ating. Coins ar flung ov r th
body. But this is don mostly in towns only. On r aching
half way th carri rs of th bi r chang th ir positions, thos
in front going to th back and vice versa. Wh n th marghat
is r ach d, (th plac wh r th corps is to b burnt is
plast r d with dung dissolv d in wat r. A pyr is rais d th r
and th d ad body is again bath d and plac d on th bi rpanj ratna or fiv articl s, moti,
(p arls'), munga (coral), gold,
silv r, copp r, and ghi ar put into th mouth. Pi c s of
wood of beri, (Dhak or oth r wood xc pt kikar ar us d to
burn th d ad body. Th ld st son or h ir lights th Chita.
'Wh n th skull bon is xpos d th son tak s th pi c of wood
of which th arthi was mad and br aks th skull. This is call d KapAl Kirya. Th n all
d part and tak baths if th y wish to do so. At th plac wh r th bath is tak n th
Brahman puts sesamum on .th hands of thos who tak th . bath. (This is call d
TiJanjani.Th til is thrown into wat r. This is th first day's c r mony. Th broth rhood
ass mbl . and go to th hous of th d c as d and caus his son and family to partak of
food.
Ambala istrict.]
On th fourth' day th bon s of th d c as d (phul) are gathered. They are pounded
CHAPTER,1.A.
and ith r carri d to Hardwar at onc or k pt to b carri d th y’r at som
The People
conv ni nt dat .
C r moni s.
Aft r th fourth day pinds ar mad v ry day till th
thirt nth. On th t nth day th whol family tak s a bath
in th riv r and chang cloth s. On th 13th day th hous isurifi d. Th
c r moni s p rform d from th fourth to th thirt nth day ar Kirya Karam.
WIDOW REMARRIAGE
Widow remarriage. —Th r is no r striction on a man r marrying aft r th d ath of
his wif or v n in h r lif tim Ag , cast or circumstanc s pr s nt no hindranc to his
looking out for n w wif . Wom n on th contrary ar strictly, shackl d by social and
cast r strictions. Excluding. Jats it is strictly forbidd n among Hindus for widows to
r marry Among Muhammadans similar r strictions xist d, and
Rajputs Sayad 8 and Sh ikhs avoid d r marriag of widows. But as th r is no r ligious
injunction to sanction this, th strictn ss is gradually r laxing. Cas s of r marriag s ar
not f w or unknown now. Ev n th Hindus who hav shown no disposition so far to
tol rat widow r marriag ar f ling th vil ff cts of th custom, and it is not
improbabl that this s ntim nt may grow strong nough shortly to throw th
old r strictions to th winds.
Among Jats widow r marriag is a r gular institution. Th woman d volv s lik
land on th surviving broth r and failing him to cousins just as land would do. Sh is
consid r d family prop rty. Th id a is adh r d to with gr at
strictn ss by th hill Kanaits who ar distinguish d from th ir
sup rior trib sm n th Rajputs by th ir tol rating th r marriag of widows which
Rajputs do not.
Om ns ar still obs rv d. If a man s s anoth r sniffing Om ns,charmsandin front of Om ns, charms and
himwh nh starts to go to som busin ss a suspicion will cross is mind that h will not Sup rstitions
succ d in his und rtaking. H will ith r giv up his und rtaking or
wait.
Th following saying holds good in Ambala as w ll Karnal: —
Kaga, wir ga, da hin , bain bisyar ho;
Gaiyi sampat baor jo garur dahin ho.
“ L t th crow and th black buck pass to th right; th snak to th l ft. If a
mantis is to th right, you will r coup your loss s.”
It is inauspicious to confront a Brahman who has no tilak on his for h ad.
Som, Sancchor purab lasa. —On Monday and Saturday p opl do not go to th
. ast as th y think th vil spirit Dasa
[PUNJABGAZETTEER
54 CHAP.1.THEDISRICT
Sul r sid s in that dir ction on th s days. On Sundays and

Thursdays p opl do not go to th w st (pachham).
CHAPTER,1.A
A woman carrying a child or a pitch r is an happy om n to m t with. Two
Om ns, charms pitch rs ar a happi r om n still.
and sup rstitious Th production by a child of his tipp r t th first is consid r d to port nd vil to
his mat rnal uncl . To nullify th vil ff ct th uncl will com and throw a
parc l containing a small katori with haldi and four pic and a rup in it ti d in
a pi c of cloth into th hous from th back and go away without taking
food or talking to anybody.
A sh -buffalo which tri s to loos n a p g by striking it with h r h ad is
consid r d inauspicious, whil on which mak s th p g tight r and fast r by
striking down upon it is consid r d auspicious. A bullock which shak s its h ad
is also consid r d inauspicious. A cow which calv s in Bhadon consid r d
inauspicious.
Chhaggar, Satgarh, phulion wala,
Dam kharach mat laio kola.
(Do not purchas a bullock with six t th or s v n, or spott d or black.)
If a mar foals in Savian or in th day tim it is consid r d
inauspicious and pun or off ring of alms is th r m dy for it. If a sh -buffalo
calv s in Magh is consid r d inauspicious.
A mar with a star on th for h ad is consid r d in auspicious.
An owl is consid r d synonymous with vil.
If a crop has grown xc dingly w ll a black pot or tatt r d sho is
susp nd d on a pol in th fi ld. This is to av rt th vil y .
A hous broad r at th front than th back is consid r d inauspicious.
Th r v rs is consid r d happy.
Kuri bhojan, chich dhan, ghar Jcaliari nar,
Chauth mail kapr nishani char.
(Small c r als such as china to at, goat and sh p as
prop rty or w alth, a shr w for a wif , dirty cloth s, th s ar
th four signs of h ll.)
Gaddi pohan, mhais dhan, ghar kulwanti nar,
chauthe pith tarankki surag nishani char.
(A cart to load, a sh -buffalo for prop rty, a woman of good family, fourthly a
mar 's back to rid upon, th s ar th signs of h av n).
Thr m n tog th r will not start on a journ y. If th y hav to do so, two will
go abroad and th third will join th m aft rwards. Th y will start aft r
taking gur or laddu or dahi.
AMBALA DISTRICT]
Th r is no slack ning of z al in th f mal obs rvanc of c r moni s. CHAPTER,1.A.

Th r ar 36 customary fasts (bart) to b obs rv d, two on th akadshi days The People
and on on th last day of ach month. Only a limit d numb r of things ar Fast and fest
vals in g n ral
p rmitt d to b tak n on th s days—th chi f among thos to b avoid d
g n ral. is flour. F mal s k p th s fasts mor r gularly than m n. Th
cultivators do not obs rv th m.
Th Diwali and th Dus hra ar th chi f f stivals, which ar univ rsally
obs rv d. Th Diwali tak s plac in th middl of Katik. First com s th littl
Diwali on which ric and. sugars put in v ss ls with pic plac d on th top ar
giv n away to Brahmans or to girls. Th d c as d anc stors of th
family ar said to visit th hous on that day, and it is in th ir nam that th
c r mony is p rform d. A n w coat of plast r is giv n to th hous . On th
n xt day or th Gobardhan. Diwali lamp. ar light d in th v ning and sw ts
distribut d. On th following day all th sw pings ar thrown out on to th
dunghills outsid th villag s-. Th old lamps ar also thrown
th r and n w on s plac d in th hous .
Th Dus hra f stival xt nds ov r n arly a month. First com th
sarddhs, which b gin arly in Asauj and last for fift n or sixt n days. Th
Brahmans ar f d on th s days in m mory of th d c as d ld rs of th
family. Th sarddhs ar follow d by th nauratas, which as th ir nam
impli s ar nin in numb r. Oats ar sown on arth d posit d in big
ut nsils; th y ar wat r d v ry day and t nd d with gr at car . On th t nth
or th Dus hra day Karah (pr paration of sugar, flour and ghi) is pr par d and
at n with ric and dahi. Th Brahmans ar also f d. All th m mb rs of th
family—childr n, girls, m n, but not wom n—put stalks of gr n oats on
th ir h ad. Pr s nts of a rup ach or l ss ar mad to girls. Th Dus hra
c r mony is follow d fiv days lat r by th garbara. Lamps ar put in
lac rat d cov rs of arth. Th girls go about dancing with th s in th ir
hands and finish by throwing th lamps into th tanks. Land d-holding
Th total population of th district by th C nsus of 1911 cast s

and 1921 is 689,970 and 681,477 r sp ctiv ly. Th d tail for th principal
land-owning cast s is as follows; —
1911 1921
Jats … … 97,092 100,977
Rajputs … … 57,387 63,364
Gujrat … … 42,601 43,618
Sainis … … 21,324 22,497
Malis … … 20,102 17,668
Arains … … 24,742 25,894
Kambohs … … 7,618 7,438
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAP. I. —THE DISTRICT
56
CHAPTER,1.A. Th following ar th agricultural trib s notifi d in this District und r th
The people
Land-holding
Punjab Ali nation of Land Act, Act XIII Of 1900: —Abasi, Ahir, Ansari,
Cast s Arain, Biloch,Gara,Gujar, Jat, Kamboh, Kan t, Kor shi, Labana, Magh Mali,
Mughal, Pathan, Raj put, Ror, Saini, Sai ya d, Taga. Th s cast s account
for 43 p r c nt, of th total population. Brahmans, Banias and th villag labouring or
m nial cast s cov r roughly anoth r two-fifths, and th r maind r is mad up of
th r sid nts in towns or cantonm nts. A p culiar f atur of Ambala is th larg
numb r of Sainis or Mails dott d about in small s ttl m nts in all parts of th
district. Occasionally th s industrious mark t gard n cultivators own whol vil-
lag s, but mor oft n th y ar confin d to small communiti s of occupancy t nants
stablish d in villag s own d by th Rajputs and a f w Sayads, who ar but
mod rat ly ndow d with th capacity for turning land to good account. Th
Sainis ar on of th gard ning cast s. Th y ar ffici nt and ambitious and did v ry
w ll during th War. Th cast is not a common on in Punjab districts. It holds a
som what similar position in th Hoshiarpur, Jullundur and Gurdaspur
districts, but is nowh r r pr s nt d so num rously as in Ambala. Th origin of
th s Saini or Mali s ttl m nts is du to th s circumstanc s. Th whol country was
ov rrun by Sikhs from th Manjha in or about .1763, and h ld by th m
mor or l ss ind p nd ntly till 1847. Each p tty rul r of a f w villag s coll ct d his
r v nu in kind, and wh r th land was alr ady in th hands of inf rior cultivators
h did what h could to d v lop it by introducing or ncouraging th
stablishm nt of small coloni s of Saini and Mali s ttl rs, who hav continu d to
hold th ir own and ar now s cur in th poss ssion of occupancy rights.
Th Jats of th district cov r two wid ly diff r nt class s. In th two north rn
tahsils of Kharar and Rupar th y ar a fin s t of m n of th typ common in
Th Jats n ighbouring Punjab districts. All ov r th ast and south th y ar of poor r
physiqu and not n arly so strongly mark d with th p rsist nt n rgy and f rtility
in r sourc which ar th usual charact ristics of th rac . Good cultivators th y ar
v n h r , but th r is l ss than usual to distinguish Jat villag s from th
r st, and in oth r r sp cts th y hav g n rally sunk to th rath r low l v l of
prosp rity in th country. Th trib is split up into gots innum rabl . It is
comparativ ly rar in Ambala to find a clust r of villag s own d by Jats of on got,
or v n a singl villag in which on got larg ly pr dominat s, but as xc ptions th
strong Baidwan communiti s of tahsil Kharar may b m ntion d, holding among
oth rs th larg and flourishing villag s of Sohana, Kumra and Mauli; th
Chahal villag s, of Tahsil Ambala; th Bachhals of naraingarh, and th Hir, Kang and
Sindhu villag s of Rupar Th Baidwan got is th most important Jat-. got
in th district.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
57
Th y ar a som what turbul nt s t of m n, but strong and CHAPTER,1.C

prosp rous cultivators, and unlik th ordinary zamindars of The People
'Ambala th y r adily nt r Gov rnm nt s rvic in th army
and polic . Th Jats
Sub-divisions of Jats.
Nam Num Nam Numb r Nam Num

b r b r
Badwan 2,007 Gil 2,792 Man 1,889
Bains 1,198 Hir 2,176 Pawania 1,135
Chabal 1,923 Kang 1,499 Sinchu 5,340
Dhillon 529
Dhindsa 1,191
Of th Rajputs by far th most important trib in th district is th Chauhan, Th Rajputs

numb ring 29,176. Th h ad quart rs of th trib ar in tahsil Naraingarh, th Hindus
at Raipur and th Muhammadans at Panjlassa, and th h ads of th l ading famili s
ar g n rally r cognis d with th titl of Rao. In form r days th s Raos w r m n
of consid rabl position in th country, and th y ar still nominally larg
landhold rs, but in n arly v ry cas th ir stat s ar hop l ssly burd n d with d bt
from bad manag m nt and xtravaganc , and for all practical purpos s th family
land has pass d into th hands of mon y-l nd rs or sp culators. Th Hindu Rao
family at Raipur still ranks among th l ading famili s of th district and holds a
jagir of Rs. 4,000 a y ar. Th Mohamm dan Rao famili s at Panjlassa, D ra,
Hamidpur and Laha (all in tahsil Naraingarh) no long r hold th status
of jagirdar, and though it is impossibl not to f l som sympathy for th s
r pr s ntativ s of form r pow r, th y ar now mainly distinguish d for an imm ns
s ns of th ir own importanc and a capacity for mismanaging th ir affairs,
which unfortunat ly s t th fashion among th Rajputs of th
tahsil. Th Chauhan villag s ar now v ry num rous in
Naraingarh. and th ast rn half of Ambala tahsil, and th trib is strongly
r pr s ntd in Jagadhri and Pipli also. Th y claim d sc nt from Rana Har Rai, who
stablish d hims lf in this part of th country from 450 to 500 y ars ago.
Of th r maining Rajput gots th most important ar th Taons of Rupar and Kharar,
a f w Ghor waha villag s in th sam two tahsils, a small but strong
clust r of Ragbansi. villag s in Kharar and Naraingarh and th
Tunwas of
[ PUNJAB (GAZETTEER
CHAP. I. --THE DISTRICT.
Jagadhri and Pipli. Th following ar th C nsus figur s (1911) For th principal Rajput
gots of th district: —
Sub-division of Rajputs.
Nam Numb r Nam Numb r. Nam . Numb r.
Chauhan … 29,176 Ragbansi 2,219 Taon … 7,229

Ghor walia … 1,823 D hia 3,776
Th Saini and Mali s ttl m nts ar scatt r d wid ly through all tahsils of th
district. In Rupar th s . xc ll nt cultivators hold many villag s as propri tors, principally in
th Sutl j riv rain tract, and sp cially in that portion of it lying just north of Rupar town.
Els wh r th y hold comparativ ly f w villag s as propri tors, but ar strongly r -
pr s nt d as occupancy t nants, sp cially in tahsils Kharar and Naraingarh An
int r sting qu stion aff cting th prosp rity of th district is th way in which th s m n
hav in r c nt y ars m t th pr ssur of xist nc on small holdings by a str am of
migration to unoccupi d portions of tahsil Than sar. Capital is rais d by th sal of
shar s in p tty occupancy holdings of highly cultivat d and v ry valuabl
mark t gard n land in th north of th district, and th mon y so rais d is xp nd d in th
purchas of land and stablishm nt of n w villag s in th Chachra jungl s of Karnal district.
Th r sults so far hav b n hop ful, and with som ncourag m nt th s Mali cultivators ar
abl to mak farming in th Chachra pay in a way, which is almost impossibl for th old r
r sid nts of th tract. Th first larg purchas was mad in 1869 wh n th Malis bought
about 2,000 acr s in Bir Babain from a m mb r of th Kunjpura family. This stat , which
was mostly wast wh n bought, is on of th b st villag s in th North rn Chachra.Th n xt
purchas was in 1873, and sinc th n scarc ly a y ar has pass d in which Mali's hav not
mad larg inv stm nts in land b longing to brok n-down zamindars or to non-r sid nt
propri tors, mon yl nd rs and oth rs, who would n v r hav xt nd d cultivation. Th
numb r of purchas s from th latt r class is v ry satisfactory. A division on
ploughs of th land purchas is sp dily ff ct d, and th wast rapidly disapp ars. Th
first purchas s w r in th north rn, but th mov m nt has now xt nd d to th south rn,
Chachra, and v n to th Indri Nardak, wh r Mails from Kharar hav bought small stat s
from non-r sid nt landlords. Mali's of th sam tahsil and of Naraingarh purchas d
th whol of D vidaspur from a Bania of th Ambala tahsil and half of
Ratgal from non-r sid nt Sh ikhs of Kunjpura. Both th s stat s ar n ar Than sar.
Th pric s paid w r high for that
AMBALA DISTRICT]
tim . Thus in th cas of D vidaspur an ar a o£ 389 acr s was purchas d for CHAPTER I, C
Rs. 20,000.
Th Gujars principally occupy a numb r of villag s, mostly of small siz , The People.
in th wild brok n tract lying imm diat ly und rn ath th low hills in tahsils Th Gujars.
Rupar, Kharar, Naraingarh and Jagadhri. Th y ar a hardy industrious rac of
m n, and fair cultivators, king out a som what poor liv lihood with th proc ds of
th ir cattl , sh p and goats wh r th y can g t suffici nt grazing-ground in th hill
ar as. Th lif in th s wild tracts is hard, but in spit of sp cial difficulti s
arising from bad or insuffici nt wat r-supply, damag to crops from wild
b asts, loss of cattl by accid nts in th hills, and pid mics among th flocks of
goats, th Gujars manag to hold th ir own and ar not unprosp rous on th
whol . Th y ar commonly brand d as cattl thi v s, but th r putation is not
altog th r d s rv d in th r gular Gujar tract lying und r th hills, xc pt p rhaps
in a f w villag s of pargana Kotaha in Naraingarh Sh p and goat grazing in
th Rupar sub-division and Siwaliks was prohibit d und r th Chos Act in 1916
and an xt nsion of this prohibition to th British Siwaliks b tw n th Ghaggar
and th Jamna is urg ntly call d for.
Of th Arains and Kambohs th r is littl to b said xc pt that th y ar all Th Arains and
xc ll nt cultivators. Th r ar strong Arain villag s in Rupar, Ambala, kambohs
Naraingarh and Jagadhri, and num rous small r s ttl m nts of th trib in th
position of occupancy t nants in all parts of th district. Th Kambohs ar chi fly
confin d to Jagadhri—
Of oth r l ss important land-owning cast s, it is suffici nt Oth r land-hold-to Oth r land-hold-
notic bri fly th Pathans of Kotla Nihang in Rupar and Khizrabad in Jagadhri, th Brahman ing trib s
villag s of Ambala and Naraingarh, and th Sh ikh, Sayad and Kalal villag s, of which a f w
ar to b found in most tahsils. Th Brahmans and som of th Kalals cultivat th ir lands
th ms lv s and ar mod rat ly prosp rous. Th Pathans, Sh ikhs and Sayads d p nd larg ly
on th ir t nants, and hav usually a hard struggl b tw n prid and pov rty. Th Path an
family of Kotla Nihang is d scrib d lat r on in this S ction. Th Pathans of Khizrabad ar
d sc nd d from on Anwar Khan, "who nt r d India in th train of Nadir Shah, and h ld in
strong position in th n ighborhood until th y wr in th ir
turn oust d from th gr at r part of th ir poss ssions by th Sutl j Sikhs.
Th cultivators in th Morni hills ar chi fly Gujars Kan ts and Th Morni culri-
brahmans in th low r hills and kan ts kolis and brahmans in th upp r rang s vators
of th tract. Th kan ts and kalis ar ss ntials r sid nts of th hills, Th form r
claming an impur Rajput origin whil th latt r ar m nials .
6O
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAP. L--THE DISTRICT.
CHAPTER I, C and artisans rath r than m mb rs of an agricultural cast . Th Gujjars diff r littl
Th P opl from th ir br thr n in th plains, but th whol Morni population ar a simpl ,
Th Morni ord rly class mixing as littl as possibl with th r sid nts of th plains, and s ldom
Cultivators coming into contact with th authoriti s of th district.
Emigration to th About th y ar 1900 squar s in th n w canal colony at Lyallpur w r fr ly off r d

Canal Coloni s to th cultivating land-own rs of Ambala. Thos of th Rupar sub-division alon
aros to th opportunity and th numb r of squar s at pr s nt h ld in ach t hsil is:
—Rupar, 1,086; Kharar, 548; Ambala, 127; Naraingarh, 20; Jagadhri, Th s figur s
r fl ct th comparativ nt rpris and prosp rity.
Origin of Jagirs Th Ambala district is diff r ntly situat d from oth rs of th Punjab in r sp ct of th
v ry larg amount of r v nu assign d to jagirdars in p rp tuity. Th origin of th
jagirs has b n trac d in Chapt r I, S ction B. A larg majority of th l ading
Sardars of th district and n arly th whol of th minor frat rniti s of assign s
known as pattidari jagirdars ar d sc nd d from th Sikh conqu rors of 1763. Th
principal xc ptions ar th Mir of Kotaha, th Baidwan Sardars of Sohana and
Manakmajra in th Kharar tahsil, th Rajput Sardars of Ramgarh and Raipur in
Naraingarh, and two famili s of Pathans with th r . H adquart rs at Kotla Nihang
in Rupar and Khizrabad in Jagadhri. Th anc stors of th s famili s w r alr ady
firmly stablish d in th district at th tim of th Sikh invasion, and w r strong
nough to hold th ir on with mor or l ss succ ss in th stormy p riod from 1763 to
1808. Th proclamations of 1809 and 1811 guarant d to v ry man alik , wh th r a
Sikh conqu ror or an. indig nous rul r, th p rman nt right to th villag s which h
h ld at th tim , and th r aft r no distinction has v r b n drawn b tw n th two
class s. Th Cis-Sutl j Sikh jagirdars hav how v r n v r succ d d in id ntifying
th ms lv s with th p opl of th district. Th y still look back on th Manjha as th ir
r al hom , and if th y notic th Ambala p opl at all it is usually to r call th days
wh n th y had full lic ns to oppr ss th m, and to show too plainly what lin th y
would tak if thos days should v r r turn. It is hardly too much to say that th y
ar an aristocracy with no tradition but that of plund r, with littl claim to r sp ct as
th scions of an anci nt lin , ali ns and for ign rs still, and with no sympathy for
th p opl from whom th y d riv th ir r v nu . Th s words ar as tru now as
th y w r in 1887.
Though all political pow r was tak n out of th hands of th jagirdars in 1849,
Gov rnm nt scrupulously uph ld th ir right to th r v nu in p rp tuity in accordanc
with th proclamation of 1809. Th right was constru d strictly both for and
against th jagirdars, und r a s ri s of ord rs pass d
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. T. —THE DISTRICT. 61
b tw n 1851 and 1856. Th g n ral ff ct of th ord rs was to constitut thr
s parat class s of jagirdars, known as— CHAPTER,1.C.
(1) Maior jagirdars, The people
(2) Pattidari jagirdars, and Origon of jagirdars.
(3) Zaildars or subordinat f udatori s of No. (1)

Th major jagirdars includ n arly all th l ading Sardars of th district, ntitl d to Th Major jagirdars
th r v nu of a larg r or small r oft n a v ry larg ) group of villag s. Gov rnm nt is
ntitl d to th r v rsion of this r v nu in all cas s on absolut failur
of h irs, and in most on failur of h irs tracing d sc nt to a common anc stor aliv in
1809. Th xact position of th s major jagirdars is not how v r cl arly d fin d, and
ach cas is liabl to b r -op n d at th d ath of th hold r, though
ordinarily th r is littl doubt as to th t rms of succ ssion by h irs. In practic th
status of 1808-09, though not absolut ly pr scrib d for guidanc by Gov rnm nt, has
almost invariably b n r f rr d to as gov rning claims of collat rals
to succ d to larg stat s, th custom, of th family b ing r f rr d to only to d t rmin
wh th r th stat s should d sc nd int grally or b divid d among th n ar st h irs,
ith r in qual or un qual shar s, what provision should b mad for widows, and oth r
points of th lik natur . Th r ally influ ntial m n among th s larg r Sardars ar
v ry f w, and family aft r family is chi fly notic abl for th
fr qu ncy with which drink and d bauch ry hav brought th ir victims to an arly
grav . In not a f w cas s it is an op n s cr t that vicious liv s hav l d to a failur of
lawfully b gott n h irs, and that xtinction of th hous , with th cons qu nt laps of
th jagir to Gov rnm nt, hav only b n avoid d through th xtr m difficulty
att nding any inv stigation into th privat affairs of th family—a difficulty
which mak s it almost impossibl to asc rtain th truth v n wh r th facts obtain an
op n notori ty. Many of th famili s hav how v r only on or two r pr s ntativ s, and
it is a n c ssary though disagr abl part of th D puty Commission r's duti s to watch
th circumstanc s of th famili s clos ly.
Th origin of th minor frat rniti s known as pattidari Jagdirdars is similar to that of Th pattidari jagir-
th larg r Sardars. Th y ar sardars and zaiidars, th lin al d sc nd nts of m n who ov rran th dars and zaildars.
country und r th l ad rship of p tty chi fs or who w r summon d lat r
from th Manjha to assist th s chi fs in holding th ir own. Villag s had b n s iz d by th m or
award d to th m for maint nanc according to th g n ral custom, of 1760—1800,
and wh n th xisting position of all parti s b cam crystalliz d by th transactions of 1809 to
1811, th y w r r cogniz d as ind p nd nt hold rs of th villag s originally grant d to
th m. It follows that th pattidars also hav b n in most cas s giv n th status of 1809,
that is, wh th r th pr s nt
62 [ PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAT. I. —THE DISTRICT.
hold rs ar r pr s nt d by on or two shar rs or by hundr ds,

CHAPTER I, C.
all r pr s ntativ s within th patti hav rights of inh ritanc
The People. as collat rals from shar rs dying without issu , provid d that th y and th
Th pattidari jagir-
clars and zaildars. d c as d shar rs can trac common d sc nt from an anc stor living in 1809.
Ev n so many of th shar s hav di d out, and th corr sponding r v nu has
laps d to Gov rnm nt, and it is in this way that shar d villag s hav b com
so num rous all ov r Ambala. It may b said broadly that
th s m n hav no aims b yond living on th ir jagir wh r
it is larg nough, and starving on it wh r incr asing numb rs
in th family hav r duc d ach shar to a mis rabl pittanc .
As a rul , th y own no land and look down on a lif of agri-
cultur . Th b st of th m ar thos who hav r turn d to
th ir nativ land and tak n to r gular mploym nt. Thos who r main for th
most part ith r cannot or will not nt r th s rvic of Gov rnm nt, and th ir
gr at st pl asur li s in stirring up us l ss diss nsions among th zamindars.
It is th cas that all th original pattis hav obtain d th
status of 1809, but as a matt r of fact many of th groups now
class d as pattidari jagirdars ar r cord d with th status of
lat r y ars. Th xplanation li s in th position of th third class known as
zaildari jagirdars. Th zails ar jagirs now h ld by r pr s ntativ s of m n to
whom th villag s in qu stion w r award d by larg Sardars, ith r b for
or aft r 1809, with l ss d finit surr nd r of sup rior rights than in th cas
of th ordinary pattidars. Th th ory, and to som xt nt th
practic , was that th Sardars could r sum at will from th ir
zaildars, and wh th r this was corr ct or not th zaildars th ms lv s
r cognis d th ir inf rior position at th tim of th arli r inv stigations and
w r accordingly nt r d as such Th practical diff r nc b tw n th
zaildars and pattidars may th r for b stat d by saying that wh n th whol
or part of a zaildari jagir laps s on failur of h irs, th laps d
r v nu go s not to Gov rnm nt but th major jagirdar con-
c rn d.
For r asons which n d not now b follow d up th status of zaildars
was fix d in 1854 on th basis of th y ar 1847, and in cas of laps of th
major jagir conc rn d th outstanding zaildars th n b com ordinary
pattidars xc pt that th ir status is still that of 1847 and not 1809. Furth r,
wh n inv stigation was b ing carri d out at th 1852 s ttl m nt it was
found that many of th sup rior jagirs had laps d without
formal d finition of th zaildars' rights. Th ord rs pass d
w r that th zaildars in such cas s should d riv th ir status
from th dat of y ar of laps . Th practic follow d s ms
how v r to hav b n to allow th status of 1809 xc pt in
c rtain cas s of r c nt laps . It is th s cas s which (omitting minor
complications) partly account for th app aranc among th pattidari jagirs
of c rtain pattis with th status of y ars oth r than 1809.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. L- THE DISTRICT.
63
Th total sum including- commutation now distribut d among th CHAPTERI, C

diff r nt class s of jagirdars is as follows: —
Th P opl .
Major jagirdars Rs. 2,97,159 Th pattidari jagirdars
Pattidari do. „ 2,80,258 and zaildars.
. ” 16,598
Zaildari do.
Th rat of commutation paid vari s in particular cas s, Total jagir r v nu Total jagir r v nu
but is usually on anna or two annas p r rup of r v nu . A full d tail of ach and numb r of
class, showing th numb r of famili s and shar rs in ach jagir, is giv n in an
App ndix, as it is oft n conv ni nt to b abl to r f r r adily to th particulars of shar s
a jagir. Th major jagirdars usually hold th ir jagirs in not mor than on or two
shar s. Th pattidari jagir shar s ar much mor num rous. Th following tabl
giv s th figur s by tahsils: —
VILLAGES IN WHICH TOTAL NUMBER

Total pattidari jagir r v nu
Numb r of distinct patti s

HELD OF
TAHSIL
Famili s
Shar rs
Whol
Total
Part
Rs.
Rupar … 33,348 16 31 47 148 405 8

Kharar … 51,959 31 103 134 460 1,871 26
Ambala … 96,922 48 103 151 213 814 21
Naraingarh … 32,901 13 72 85 143 532 27
Jagadhari … 65,137 85 162 247 202 871 29
Total … 2,80,258 193 471 664 1,166 4,493 111
'A family in this stat m nt m ans th group of d sc ndants from th

common anc stor living in 1809 or any oth r y ar on th basis of which th
jagir status is calculat d. As long as any d sc ndant r mains, th h irl ss shar s
pass to th r maining m mb rs of this family and not to Gov rnm nt. In th
majority of cas s th prosp cts of ultimat laps to Gov rnm nt ar now
r mot , and th r sult is that th numb r of shar rs incr as s and th valu of
th shar s proportionat ly diminish s with ach succ ssiv g n ration. Th
following tabl shows th famili s and shar rs classifi d according to
6
[PANJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAP. I.—THE DISTRICT.
CHAPTER,1.C. Th annual valu of th ir shar s as asc rtain d (A) in 1889, (B)

Th p opl
In 1919 (l ss Pipli tahsil) ---
4 annas to Rs.1
4 annas and
Rs.10 to Rs.25
Rs.25 to Rs.50
Rs. 5 to Rs.10
Ov r Rs. 500
Rs .1 to Rs.5
Rs. 100 to
Valu
Rs.50 to
Rs.100
Rs.500
und r.
of
Total.
shar s
.
Famili s … 32 65 127 72 217 221 232 503 111 1,671
Shar s … 148 241 746 703 965 965 695 501 96 5,374
Famili s … 14 41 07 132 124 137 196 384 131 1,166
Shar s … 35 303 283 1,105 991 595 525 506 100 4,493
I app nd a short account of ach of th principal jagirdar b ing th ord r b ing

that of th district list of darbaris. Th arly history of som of th principal famili s
is giv n at ad quat l ngth in Massy's ' Chi fs and Famili s of Not and in such
cas s I do not r p at th p digr tabl s.
(1) Th Buria family ranks first in th district, and is ntitl d to that plac in vi w
Th Buria Family
of th larg jagir incom njoy d. During th long minority of Sardar Jiwan Singh,
C.I.E., born in 1844, th stat was car fully nurs d, but th Sardar f ll into bad
hands shortly aft r obtaining th manag m nt of his affairs, and und r th ir vil
influ nc th fin prop rty to which h succ d d was almost irr tri vably ruin d.
Th Sardar again b cam a Ward of Court on th ground of natural incapacity for
managing his affairs, and th affairs of th family gradually improv d und r th Court
of Wards. Mr. C. E. Gladston , D puty Commission r (1891-94) took a gr at
int r st in th w lfar of th l ading famili s and mad v ry ffort to r li v th m
from ind bt dn ss. H was sp cially succ ssful in th cas of Buria.
Sardar Jiwan Singh di d in 1893. His grandson Sardar Lachhman Singh was only
thr y ars old th n. Th stat th r for continu d to r main und r th manag m nt
of th Court of Wards. Th young Sardar was ducat d in th Aitchison Coll g ,
Lahor , arid attain d his majority in 1912, by which tim th Court of Wards had
cl ar d off th d bts without ali nating any portion of th stat . Th Sardar has
prov d a capabl manag r of his affairs. H is an Honorary Magistrat with first class
pow rs. His s rvic s during th Gr at War w r conspicuous both in r cruiting and
in making lib ral contributions to diff r nt war funds. H was cr at d a Sardar
Bahadur in 1914 and was giv n ten squar s of land on th Jh lum Colony in 1917
and also a sword of honour for s rvic s in r cruiting. H is a m mb r of th Punjab
Ch ifs
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
‘Association and of th Ex cutiv Committ of th Chi fs' Coll g , CHAPTER,1.C.

Lahor , and Vic -Pr sid nt of th Managing Committ of th Khalsa The people
The Buria family.
Coll g , Amritsar. H is a young chi f of nlight n d vi ws and has
rais d his family status by contracting matrimonial allianc s with ruling
princ s.
(2) Sardar Jiwan Singh, C.S.I., of Shahzadpur, born
in 1860, is th sol surviving r pr s ntativ of a Sikh family Th Shazadpur
Family.
which ros to importanc in th days of Guru Gobind Singh.
and which is still r cognis d among th Sikhs by th titl of
Shahid (martyr) in honour of th l g ndary xploits of a
form r h ad of th family in th cours of his struggl s with
th Muhammadan Gov rnors of th East rn Punjab. Th
Sardar was marri d in 1884 to a sist r of th Maharaja of
Patiala. H holds larg jagirs in th naraingarh and
Ambala tahsils and small r assignm nts in th Pipli tahsil and Hissar and
F roz por districts, and has mad for hims lf a fin countrys at at Shahzadpur,
wh r h k pt up a racing stabl . Though not taking any v ry promin nt part in th
affairs of th district, th Sardar has don cr dit to th car ful training, which h
r c iv d during a long minority und r th Court of Wards, and h has so far manag d
his affairs with a succ ss, which is unfortunat ly th rar xc ption among th
l ading jagirdars of Ambala. Th h adquart rs of his jagir villag s in Ambala tahsil
ar at K sri, wh r h owns a larg , though som what dilapidat d, fort. H also
owns a larg hous in th Ambala Civil Lin s, but r sid s th gr at r
part of th y ar at Shahzadpur. Th Shahzadpur prop rty includ s a consid rabl
tract of jungl (Bir) with a littl shooting. Th Sardar has r c ntly r duc d his racing
stud. H has two sons who ar marri d to th daught r and sist r, r sp ctiv ly, of th
Raja of Bharatpur. Th ld r son, Tika Ham Singh, is a Major in th military s rvic
of th Patiala Stat . Th young r son, Kaka Kartar Singh, liv s at Shahzad-
pur. Th Sardar was mad a C. S. I. long ago and has b n award d a sword of
honour for his r cruiting s rvic s in th Gr at "War. H is a g nial m mb r of soci ty
and a succ ssful own r of rac hors s.
[PUJAB GAZETEER
66 CHAP. I THE DISTRICT
CHAPTER, 1 C.
The people
Th Singhpur’s family. The Singhpuria Family

BUDH SINGH(d.1816)
Bhopal Singh(d.1850) Dayal Singh (d.1863) Gopal Singh (d.1854)
K har singh (d.1920) Kishan Singh (d.1885) Bishan Singh(d.1829) Jai Singh(d.1877)
Randhir Singh (d.1920) Shamsh r Singh (d.1910) Bhola Singh(d.1919) C Harbans Singh(d.1902) Antar Singh
Bhagwan Singh(d.1902)
Surat Singh (d.1894) D Jogind r Singh(d.1892) B Mt. Kartar Kaur Mt. Balwant Kaur
Umrao Singh(d.1894) Raghbir Singh(d.1904)
Partap Singh(d.1903) Uttam Singh
Shiv Saran Singh (d.1908) Shiv Kirpal Singh (d.1918)
Surat Singh(d.1895) Judhbir Singh(d.1886)
(on son aliv ) (four sons aliv )
Sh o Narian (d.1887) Raghbir Singh (d.1915) Har Indar Singh(d.1918) Dav Indar Singh(3 sons aliv )
Rajind r Singh(d.1909) Jogind r Singh( d.1902)

AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. I.—THE DISTRICT. 67
(3) Th p digr tabl giv n abov includ s th CHAPTER,1.C.

survivors of th main branch, of th gr at Singhpuria family, The people
which holds larg jagirs in th Kharar and Rupar tahsils.
Th r is a s parat branch, known as th Bhar li family, Th Singhpura Family.
m ntion d as No. (6) lat r on, which has no right of-collat ral
succ ssion with th d sc ndants of Budh Singh.
Sardar Budh Singh marri d thr tim s and th jagir

d sc nds in th main'-family according to th custom of ut rin
inh ritanc (chundawand). Originally th jagir was divid d
into th six stat s of B la. Manauli, Bunga, Bharatgarh,
Kandaula and Ghanauli. Th B la lin b cam xtinct in
1857, and that stat th n m rg d in Manauli. Th Bunga
lin b cam xtinct in 1890, on -half of th jagir th n lapsing
to th Ghanauli Sardars, on -third to th Kandaula r -
pr s ntativ s and on -sixth to th Bharatgarh branch. Th
h ads of th r maining four lin s at last s ttl m nt w r as
follows: —:
(1) Sardar Autar Singh of Manauli.
(2) Sardar Sharmsh r Singh and Randir Singh of Bharatgarh.
(3) Sardar Bhola Singh of Kandaula.
(4) Sardar Utam Singh and Partap Singh of Ghanauli.
Th whol of th s Sardars hav rights of succ ssion as
d sc ndants of Budh Singh, th poss ssor of 1809, and as th r
ar a good many surviving r pr s ntativ s th prosp ct of
ultimat laps of th jagir to Gov rnm nt is r mot , though it
is probabl nough that on or mor of th diff r nt lin s may
b com xtinct. In "Chi f's and Famili s of Not " it is
obs rv d that during th last half c ntury th family has
b n unfortunat ly mor distinguish d for its vic s than its
virtu s. Non of its r pr s ntativ s hav b n m n of mark.
F w hav v n liv d liv s of ordinary r sp ctability, and
t h r i s n o b t t r t y p i c a l i n s t a n c o f t h rapid d g n ration of charact r among
th l ad rs of th Cis Sutl j Sikhs, wh r British prot ction has s cur d th m in th njoym nt
of larg r v nu s, and l ft th m without th n c ssity to work for th ir position, and without
suffici ntly strong induc m nt to uphold th honour of th family nam ."
A. Manauli. —It is unn c ssary to follow out th fortun s of th family in gr at d tail. Sardar
Autar Singh of Manauli, who was th sol r pr s ntativ of th Manauli branch
cov ring n arly half th total jagir of th family, was a minor und r th Court of Wards v r
sinc h was four y ars' old. H was a young man of w ak constitution, and was
afflict d with blindn ss, which prov d incurabl . H was marri d to a daught r of th lat w ll-
known Sardar Ajit Singh of Atari in th Amritsar District.
F2
68
PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAP. I. THE DISTRICT.
CHAPTER,1.C.
H marri d a s cond wif from tb Manshahia family of Patiala about two y ars
The people b for his d ath, which took plac in 1896. H l ft a son Raghbir Singh from tb
The Singhpuria first wif Sardarni Balwant Kaur. A son was born to th s cond wif , Mussammat
.
Kartar Kaur, about two months aft r his d ath, but th l gitimacy was not r cogniz
by tb district authoriti s. On tb d ath of Raghbir Singb in 1904 th
jagir laps d to th r v rsion rs. But Umrao Singh, th son from th s cond wif ,
succ d d in obtaining r cognition as l gitimat by a d cr of tb Chi f Court
pass d on May 17th 1909. As h was a minor th manag m nt of tb Court of
wards continu d. Umrao Singb has b n ducat d in th Aitchison Chi fs' Coll g ,
Lahor . H attain d his majority in 1916, but th stat was not r l as d on his own
application as h f lt incapabl of managing it. It still continu s in th
Court of Wards. Th Court has mad larg savings in cash for th ward b sid s
purchasing 19 squar s of land in th canal colony and lands and hous s in Ambala.
Mussammat Kartar Kaur di d in 1919. Mussammat Balwant Kaur, th s nior
widow, is in good h alth. Sh has play d a v ry important part in th fortun s of
th family for th last thirty y ars. Umrao Singh has marri d twic into good
famili s. Mussammat Balwant Kaur who has b n domin ring ov r th w ak-
mind d Sardar v r sinc his moth r’s d ath. Th incom of th stat has ris n to
us. 93,000 p r annum, and has doubl d in th last tw nty y ars.
B. Bharatgarh. —Sardar Sham sh r Singh di d issu -
l ss in 1910. Sardar Randhir Singh ros to b an Honorary
Magistrat and Civil Judg . H manag d his prop rty w ll,
r pair d th Bharatgarh fort and succ d d in cl aring off his
d bts. H di d in March 1920. His young r son, Surat
Singh, has pass d th Entranc Examination of th Punjab
Univ rsity.
C. Kandaula. —Bbola Singh di d in 1919, l aving h avy
d bts. His jagir has laps d half to Sardar Bhagwan Singh
of Kandaula and tb oth r half to th Bharatgarh family.
D. Ghanauli. —Uttam Singh's d sc ndants ar h avily
in d bt. Judbhir Singh, son of Shiv kirpal Singh, is doing
good work as Ghaggar Darogha, N li Circl , Kharar tahsil.
Th last gaz tt r omitt d to notic a branch of this family d sc nd d from Dyal
Singh. Bish n Singh was th ld st son of Dayal Singh and di d in 1879 l avin on
son, Harbans Singb, who di d in 1902. His son, Bhagwan Singh, born in 1902, is a
minor still and is studying in th Aitchison Coll g , Lahor .
The Kotaha
Family (4) Th Kotaha Sayyad family is on of th v ry f w in th district which had
attain d a position of importanc b for th Sikh invasion of 1763, and which
was strong nough to
69 -[PUNJAB GAZETTEER
CHAP. I. -THE DISTRICT.
hold its own against th invad rs. Th prop rty now consist of jagir r v nu from a CHAPTER I, C.
The People
numb r of villag s in th plains of tahsil Naraingarh pargana Kotaha , and from n arly
th whol of th villag s in th Morni hill ilaka with propri tary right in many of th Th Kotaha Family
jagir villag s in th plains and xt nsiv rights in th Morni jungl s, commonly known
as th Morni for st. Th jagirdar, usually spok n of as th Mir of Kotaha, also njoys a
p rp tual p nsion of Rs. 400 a y ar, grant d in 1850 in r turn for th surr nd r of th
right to l vy transit duti s within th limits of th Morni tract.
Th original rul rs of Morni as far back as tradition r ach s w r c rtain Rajput

Thakurs, who h ld it parc l d out in 14 small stat s. Each of th s stat s was call d a
bhoj. Th sub-division thus ff ct d xists to th pr s nt day. Th bhoj is still th unit of
sub division and ach still r tains much th sam boundari s which it had in th old
Rajput tim s. Th Thakurs ow d all gianc s to th Raja of Sirmur, but at last app ar to
hav ass rt d ind p nd nc , wh r upon th Sirmur Raja call d in th aid of som
Rajput adv ntur rs from Hindustan. Kataha was subdu d, and mad ov r by th Raja to
Pratap Chand, on of his Rajput alli s, to whom h had giv n his daught r in marriag .
Partab Chand’s family h ld Kotaha for 11 g n rations. Th Nahan Raja th n att mpting
to oust th m, th y procur d h lp from D lhi. Th l ad r s nt to th ir r li f was Hakim
Kasim Khan. H xp ll d th Sirmur Raja, but unsurp d th pow r for hims lf. Th s
v nts took plac about th middl of th 17th c ntury. Kasim Khan’s d sc ndants rul d
Kotaha for about 100 y ars, but w r at last oust d by th Sirmur Raja, who onc mor
obtain d poss ssion, and h ld it until th b ginning of th pr s nt c ntury. H th n in
turn was oust d by th Gurkhas, who h ld poss ssion for n arly four y ars. Th
follow d th Gurkha Campaign of 1814-15, which plac d th whol of Sirmur at th
disposal of th British Gov rnm nt. Kotaha was b stw d upon Mir Jafir Khan who th n
r pr s nt d th family of Kasim Khan in consid ration of his anci nt titl and c rtain
s rvic which h r nd r d during th war.
Th following ar th t rms of th Sanad pr s nt d to th Mir on 26th Octob r 1816 by

G n ral Orcht rlony on b half of th Gov rnor G n ral, conf rring th Morni tract upon
th family :-
“WHEREAS by th Grac of God th whol body of th Gurkhas has b n driv n out

of this country and all th plac b longing to this district having b n brought und r th
British Pow r, th old plac s of th many anci nt Rajas who had lost th ir rul and
stat s by th Gurkha tyranny hav com by th g n rosity of this Gov rnm nt in
consid ration of th Rajas’ priority and poss ssion und r th h ad of gratuty(
bakhshish). Th r for by th ord r of His
70
CHAP. I.[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER, -THE DISTRICT.
CHAPTER I, C. Exc ll ncy th Gov rnor-G n ral of India, th taluka of. Morni,
The People.
including- th fort and th villag s app rtaining th r to as d tail d
b low and thr (3) Sav r Chaukis and th incom from fairs of
Th Kotaha family.
th shrin s of Bhowani (godd ss) in. Tilokpur and Samlotha,
b sid s th coll ctions from th lands of Tilokpur situat in th
low country (des), tog th r with all d scription of rights or
int r sts, out r and inn r (kharji and dakhili), which w r in th
hands of th Gurkha karindahs hav b n r stor d to and
stablish d in th nam of Mir Muhammad Tafar Ali Khan Sahib
of Kotaha in p rman nt t nur , g n ration aft r g n ration and
issu aft r issu . Th said Mir Sahib ought to consid r this
docum nt as a g nuin Sanad and tak poss ssion of his villag s,
and taking car not to ncroach upon th t rritori s of oth rs, h
should h artily mploy hims lf in s ttling down th p opl and
awarding justic to all complainants, and r turn thanks for this
bounty by z alously submitting to and ob ying Th ord rs of th
British offic rs with gr at constancy.
" And wh n v r a disturbanc may tak ris , h should
att nd hims lf with his pr s nt forc s for Gov rnm nt s rvic ,
and should not disob y ord rs for procuring B garis as is
practical, from his ilaka, such as may b r quir d on th occa-
sion, and that it is incumb nt and prop r upon hims lf to
'■
construct such roads within th pr cincts of th taluka of Morni

for th passag of a art, as may b consid r d r quisit .
' Than th abov -m ntion d matt rs no furth r d mand of
Peshkash (pr s nt) or nazrana (off rings) will b mad from him
on th part of th British offic rs, at any tim .
" Th arrang m nt of th subj cts in th said taluka will b
that th y shall consid r th said Mir Sahib as th p rman nt
propri tor of th taluka. g n ration aft r g n ration, and shall
omit nothing in paying th prop r r v nu , incr asing th cul-
tivation, showing submission and ob di nc and oth r-mann rs
b coming th capacity of ryots. In this matt r th y ar s v rally
njoin d."
(NOTE.—This is th xtant translation of th Sanad which is
commonly r f rr d to by th Mir, and it is suffici ntly accurat
for purpos s of r f r nc . It is follow d by a list of th bhojes and
haml ts, which is not worth r producing.)
R c nt history of th Mir’s
Th r c nt history of th Mir's family is rath r curious, and
family without dw lling unduly on his past troubl s it is n c ssary to
stat th facts bri fly so that th xact position of affairs may b
und rstood. In th Mutiny th th n Mir, Akbar Ali Khan,
grandfath r of th pr s nt jagirdar, f ll und r grav suspicion of
giving assistanc to bands of r b ls passing through Naraingarh.
It is probabl that in th g n ral confusion of th tim th xt nt
of his actual complicity was som what xagg rat d. This at any
rat was th
Ambala istrict.]
opinion strongl y h ld by Mr. M l vill, and put forward by him shortly CHAPTER,1.C.
aft rwards in a m morandum which is still in xist nc . Th tim was not
The People
how v r on for nic distinctions of right and wrong, and s v r punishm nt was R c nt history of th
promptly ord r d. Th Mir's forts at Kotaha in th plains and Morni in th hills Mir’s family.
w r d stroy d, and his ntir jagir in th hills and plains was r duc d by two annas in
th rup , to b th nc - forward l vi d as commutation du s from which h had b n
pr viously x mpt und r sp cial ord rs of th Gov rnm nt of India. In 1864 th Mir
unfortunat ly cam again und r th s v r displ asur of th Gov rnm nt on a charg
of conspiracy, and on an att mpt to partially r build his fort at Kotaha with-
out p rmission. H narrowly scap d r sumption of his jagir, and was banish d
from th district, b ing forbidd n to r sid ith r at Morni or Kotaha, and his whol
prop rty in Naraingarh was brought und r dir ct official manag m nt. It is
satisfactory that on a furth r nquiry mad in 1876 th Gov rnm nt was abl to canc l
th s nt nc of banishm nt and to sanction th r storation of his prop rty. Th ord rs
w r communicat d in 1876, but as a fact th prop rty was not, finally r stor d till
1880. In th m anwhil Mir Bakar Ali Khan who was not dir ctly conc rn d in his
grandfath r's troubl , had s ttl d in th Bulandshahr district of th North-
W stProvinc s, and had th r inh rit d a larg zarnindari prop rty in th
Bulandshahr, Aligarh and Budaon districts. H l ct d to r sid p rman ntly in
th Bulandshahr district, and was r ward d with th titl of C. I. E. for his s rvic s
th r . In consid ration of th sp cial circumstanc s und r which th
Morni tract was acquir d th jagir r v nu of th ilaka was x mpt d from
commutation for military s rvic und r ord rs of 1850 and 1852. In 1858 th s
ord rs w r r vok d in cons qu nc of Mir Akbar Khan's misb haviour, and th
usual commutation tax at two annas p r rup of r v nu was l vi d until 1892, wh n
th tax was again r mitt d. Th x mption do s not apply to th Mir's jagir
villag s in th plains of Naraingarh, which ar h ld und r th g n ral t rms cov r d
by th proclamation of 1809 and subs qu nt ord rs in forc for th Ambala district as
a whol . Mir Bakir Ali di d l aving two sons and was succ d d by th ld r Mir
Jafar Ali Khan, who is th xisting jagirdar. Soon aft r his succ ssion to th jagir h
f ll into th hands of vil councillors and contract d larg d bts. H would hav lost
th whol of his prop rty in this district if th Court of Wards in th Unit d
Provinc s had not int rf r d. It took th stat both h r and at Pindrawal,
Bulandshahr district, und r its manag m nt Th incom in Ambala has consid rably
incr as d.Th d bts ar still larg and will tak a long tim to cl ar off. Th Ambala
portion of th stat pays Rs. 23,000 annually towards th liquidation of th d bt.
Th Mir's xtravaganc is still only limit d by his inability to rais loans. His
son Mir Akbar Ali Khan is a youth of promis .
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
72 CHAP. I.—THE DISTRICT.
(5) Th Sohana family is anoth r of what may b call d th indig nous famili s of
CHAPTER,1.C. th district, having b n firmly stablish d b for th Sikh invasion of 1763. Th
The people Sardar of Sohana holds an almost uniqu position among th principal
The Sohana and Sardars of th district as a r al l ad r among th p opl , b ing hims lf a Baidwan Jat
Manakmajra
Family
and th h r ditary h ad of th prosp rous trib of Baidwan Jats who occupy th mor
important of his jagir villag s.
Th p digr of th family is as follows: —
RANJIT SINGH (d.1821)
Jassa Singh (d.1828) Bhup Singh (d.1850)
Basawa Singh(d.1864) Bhagwan Singh(d.1896)
Narain Singh(d.1911) Brij Chand Singh(d.1904)
Raghbir Singh Jagbir Singh Tara Singh Gurbakhsh Singh D vInd r Singh
(d.1900) (d.1891) (d.1910) (d.1902) (d.1900)
Th jagir is divid d into two branch s. Sardar Bhagwant Singh r pr s nt th s nior

lin at Sohana and Sardar Narain Singh th junior at Manakmajra. Sardar Bhagwant Singh
was an xc ll nt sp cim n of th b tt r class of Sikh jagirdar. H liv d an old fashion d lif
in his fort at Sohana h ld pow rs as an Honorary Magistrat and Sub-R gistrar and us d his
pow rs on th whol with discr tion and good ff ct. Th Baidwans ar a strong, turbul nt
s t of m n and is was fortunat that th y had at th ir h ad a man who was capabl of
x rcising much good influ nc in th country, and capabl of x rcising much good
influ nc in th country and who r ally r pr s nt d th p opl from whom h d riv d his
The Bhawani incom . H di d in 1896 and his son Brij Chnad Singh in 1904. Th branch is now
family r pr s nt d by D v Indar Singh. H is acting as Assistant Manag r of his own stat , which
is und r th Courts of Wards. Gurbakhsh Singh has pass d th Entranc Examination
r c ntly and is a promising youth.
Th junior branch is r pr s nt d now by Jogind r Singh who is also a minor. H and his
uncl Raghbir Singh ar both studying in th Aitchison Ch ifs’ Coll g Lahor . Jagmir
Singh is an Excis Sub Insp ctor.
(6) Sardar Bahadur Bhagwant Singh of Bhar li in th Kharar tahsil r pr s nt a minor
branch of th Singhpuria family which has b n alr ady m ntion d. H holds a larg jagir in
a d tach d block of villag s situat d round Bhar li. Th Family has now no dir ct
conn ction with th main Singhpuria branch, and th r is no right of collat ral succ ssion
b tw n th two. Th Sardar manag s his affairs with a strong hand and do s cr dit to th
training h got as a ward. H is an Honorary Magistrat too at Bhar li. His ld st son T ja
Singh ahs marri d an h ir ss of th Majitha family.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. I.—THE DISTRICT.
73
(1) Th pr s nt position of th Kharar and Maloa famili s is xplain d by th following
abbr viat d p digr tabl : —
DYAL SINGH(d 1808)
Gurmukh Singh(d.1852) Kishan Singh(d.1809) Dharam Singh(d.1811)
(Many d sc ndants) Chatar Singh(d.1828)
Ganda Singh (d.1877)

Diwan Singh Kiwan Singh Nagina Singh
(d.1818) (d.1880) (d.1857)
(Many d sc ndants) Harnam Singh(d.1920)
Harcharan Singh(b.1886)
Narain Singh Natha Singh Atar Singh
(b.1858) (b.1854) (b.1840)
Sardar Harnam Singh, th pr s nt h ad of th family, holds th Kharar jagir of

about Rs. 7,000 a y ar. Th r maining d sc ndants of Dyal Singh, som tw nty in
numb r^ divid th Maloa jagir of about Rs. 4,200 in fractional shar s, and hold oth r
prop rty in th Jullundur, Hoshiarpur and F roz por districts. Most of th m liv in thos
districts, but som f w of th Sardars r sid at Maloa in th tahsil Kharar. Th r is a long
standing disput in th family. Th Maloa Sardars claim th right of succ ssion to th
Kharar jagir as collat rals d sc nd d from Dyal Singh, who was aliv in 1808, but th
right has n v r b n formally r cognis d, and in th v nt of th Kharar lin b coming
xtinct it would probably b h ld that Dyal Singh could not b consid r d th poss ssor
of 1809, and that th Kharar jagir would cons qu ntly laps to Gov rnm nt. Th r is
now no imm diat probability of failur of h irs to Sardar Harnam Singh, and th
qu stion of succ ssion may th r for n v r aris . It may how v r b notic d, in cas th
matt r should v r r quir a d cision, that a claim on th part of th Maloa Sardars
should b scrutinis d v ry clos ly, and would probably b found unt nabl .
Sardar Harnam Singh is a qui t, w ll dispos d g ntl man living at Kharar. H is an
Honorary Extra Assistant Commission r.
Tl\ r is not much to b said in favour of th Maloa Sardars. Sardar Atar Singh of
Maloa stood high in th district Darbar list though his actual jagir shar in Ambala was
und r Rs. 400 a y ar. His son Sardar Bhagwan Singh is manag r of th Garhi Kotaha
Estat und r th Court of [Wards.
(8) Excluding villag s h ld by th Mir of Kotaha n arly th whol Th Ramgarh family
r maining r v nu of plains villag s in th Kotaha family •pargana of tahsil
Naraingarh is assign d to a larg family of Rajput Sardars having its h adquart rs
at Ramgarh. This
74
[PUJAB GAZETTEER
CHAPTER1,C. family also was stablish d in th district b for th Sikh invasion of

The people. 1763. It has no dir ct conn ction with th Rajput villag s of
Th Ramgragh Naraingarh, and claims r lationship with th high r cast Rajputs of
Family. th Simla Hill Stat s. Th p digr is as follows: —
KUSALSINGH(d. 1785)
Narain Singh Mald o Singh

(d.1854) (d.1820)
Hari Singh Gopal Singh Dalip Singh D vi Singh

(d.1854) (d.1848) (d.1866) (d.1854)
Jaswant Singh Ranjit Singh

Daya Singh (d.1865) (d.1881)
(d.1879)
Amar Singh
Ram Singh (d.1920)
(d.1888)
Anrod Singh Parduman Singh
(d.1865) (d.1902)
Shamsh r Singh Gulab Singh
(d.1897) (d.1871)
Balbir Singh
(d.1886)
Ajm r Singh Kaka
(d.1897) (d.1895)
Such t Singh Sukhdarshan Singh J i Singh

(d.1884) (d.1912) (d.1854)
Partap Singh Gov rdhan Singh

(d.1876) (d.1812)
Udham Singh T k Singh Alias T gh Singh

(d.1874) (d.1876)
Th two main branch s of th family, d sc nd d from

Mald o Singh and Narain Singh, ar quit distinct, as Mian
Kusal Singh di d b for 1809. Th lat h ad of th ld r
branch, Mian Parcluman Singh, r c iv d rath r ov r a-third
of th total jagfr. Th r ar sp cial ord rs about this family
r cognising th right of primog nitur . Th young r
broth r, Sardar Anrod Singh, was ntitl d to maint nanc
only. Th r maining jagfr r v nu was divid d among th
v
following Sardars :—
(1) Amr Singh of Dhandarru.
(2) Govardhan Singh of'Kishangarh.
(3) Sukhdarshan Singh and Such t .Singh of Khatauli.
(4) Shamsh r Singh and Gulab Singh of Rarngarh.
Sardar Amr Singh's right to a shar in th jagir was not usually r cognis d in th family,
though th cas was d rid d by Gov rnm nt in his favour wh n th disput aros ..
AMBALA DISTRICT.
Sardar Govardhan Singh's jagir includ s th r v nu of CHAPTER1,C.

Bharal in Bhoj Mator of th Morni ilaka, th only part of The people.
Th Ramgragh
th Morni tract of which th r v nu is not njoy d by th Family.
Mir of' Kotaha or his sub-assign s.
Most of th Sardars w r r sp ctabl m n, but Mian Parduman Singh alon

took a promin nt position in th country, x rcising pow rs as an Honorary
Magistrat and Sub-R gistrar. Th family holds its lf aloof from th p opl of
th district in virtu of its conn ction with ruling famili s in th Hill Stat s. It is
th only family of this class anywh r in Ambala.
Mian Anrod Singh, who is now th h ad of th family, is an Honorary
Magistrat with 2nd class pow rs and is also a Sub-R gjstrar. H is an old
fashion d g ntl man of r tir d habits. Th family still maintains its
xclusiv n ss and priz s matrimonial -conn ctions with Hill Stat s.
Ajm r Singh was a ward till 1918. Udham Singh is a Sub-Insp ctor of
Excis in th Kangra District.
Th oth r Provincial darbdris of th district ar Sardar Bahadur Sardar
Jwahir Singh Mustafabad and Sardar Bahadur Sardar Shamsh r Singh of
Mianpur in tahsil Rupar. Th y hold consid rabl jagir, but th r is littl to
notic about th family history. Th y ar d sc nd d from th Cis-Sutl j
invad rs of 1763.
Th only non-jagirdar on th list of Provincial darbdris is Rai Bahadur
Raja Joti Parshad of Jagadhri. H owns consid rabl land d prop rty in th
Ambala and Saharanpur districts in both of which plac s h is Gov rnm nt
tr asur r as w ll.
Of th jagirdar famili s th Jharauli, Dyalgarh, Purkhali and Mianpur
famili s w r not form rly r cognis d among th 34 l ading hous s of th
district. Th distinction has long c as d to b anything but nominal, but th y ar
for this r ason class d as pattidari jagirdars. Th Purkhali jagir
laps d to Gov rnm nt.
Th Mianpur jagir (No. 18) was originally a subordinat
f udatory (zail) of th gr at Sialba stat which laps d in 1866, and as such
holds status from th y ar 1847 inst ad of 1809.
In addition to th abov th list of major jagirdars for th district (Stat m nt
A of th App ndix) compris s th r lativ ly unimportant famili s of Saran in
Jagadhri and Dhanaura Labkari in Pipli, tog th r with a d tail of jagir shar s
h ld in Ambala by th Sardars of Lodhran in Ludhiana, and Arnauli
Sidhowal in Karnal. Som notic is r quir d lastly of th Bhabhat jagir in tahsil
Kharar. This jagir stands on a footing of its own, having b n grant d as a
r ward for mutiny s rvic s
76
-[PUNJAB GAZETTEER
CHAP. L THE DISTRICT.
CHAPTER1,C. to Raja Bahadur Singh of th Kuthar Stat in th Simla district, and is cons qu ntly
The people. x mpt from commutation tax. Th pr s nt hold rs ar Sardars Basant Singh and
Th Ramgragh Family.
Govardhan Singh.
L ading groups of pattidari
Jagirdars
Many of th pattidari jagirdars (Stat m nt B of th App ndix) hav larg jagir incom s,
but comparativ ly f w hold a position of such importanc in th district as to ntitl
th m to m ntion among th l ading famili s. Th Pathans of Khizarabad in Jagadhri, th
Rajputs of Burail in Kharar and th Baidwan Jats of Bakarpur in th sam tahsil ar th
principal groups of jagirdars whos conn ction with th country dat s from, th p riod
b for th Sikh conqu st. Th minor Sikh jagirdars ar count d by thousands, but as
th y ar for th most part m r . Jagirdars without propri tary rights in th land th y
hav n ith r th m ans nor th inclination to tak any promin nt part in th affairs of
th district.
Of th l ading m n oth r than jagirdars th r ar v ry f w, and it is oft n a matt r of
som difficulty v n to find a duly qualifi d h adman to fill th post of inamdar or
zaildar. Th r ar f w larg landhold rs, and such as th r ar hav
usually burd n d th ir stat with a h avy load of d bt, making it now impossibl for
th m to tak that position in th country to which th y would oth rwis b ntitl d by
th pr vious history of th ir famili s.
(9) Th Sardars of Raipur in Naraingarh r pr s nt a v ry anci nt family of Rajputs. Th

Raipur faimily
h ad of th family tak s th titl of Rao and is r cognis d h ad of th Hindu Chauhan
Rajputs of Naraingarh. In form r tim s it h ld a v ry strong position in th district, but
many of th Raipur villag s w r s iz d by th Sardar of Shahzadpur in or about 1763.
Th family still holds larg mafi assignm nts (lahnas) or fractional shar s in th jagir
r v nu of a numb r of villag s in Naraingarh, in addition to th jagir of th Raipur
villag s prop r, and it also owns th whol villag of Raipur, but it has
b com h avily ind bt d in th nd avor to k p up app aranc s without th n c ssary
m ans. Th r pr s ntativ s of th family ar Sardars Bald o Singh and Jaid o Singh, th
custom of primog nitur has b n adopt d in th family and Bald o singh was d clar d
h ir to th jagir stat . H was born in 1875, and his cousin Jaid o Singh in 1873. Th
prop rty is difficult to manag w ll as it is wid ly scatt r d and h avily ncumb r d. It
was tak n und r th manag m nt of th Court of Wards during th minority of Bald o
Singh. H was r l as d from th Court of "Wards for a short tim but onc mor
ncumb r d th prop rty by his xtravaganc and th stat was again tak n und r th
manag m nt of th Court of Wards. Th Rao has ruin d his h alth by his x-
c ss s. Both of his marriag s w r in th ruling famili s of .hill Rajputs. Th
ind bt dn ss amounts to Rs. 46,500 and
AMBALA DISTRICT. J
CHAT. I.—THE DISTRICT. 77
th incom to Rs. 19,000 p r annum. His cousin Jaid o Singh quarr ll d about CHAPTER,1.C.
maint nanc and succ d d in g tting two villag s for hims lf. H sold off on of
The People
th s villag s and is trying to s ll th oth r.
(10) Th surviv rs of th Pathan family of Kotla Nihang in tahsil Rupar ar Th Kotaha Nihang
conn ct d as follow : family
BHIKAN KHAN(d 1802)
Ghulam Mohi-nd-rin Khan (d. 1856). Balwant Khan (d. 1844).

Atar Muhammad Khan (d. 1885).
Faiz Muhammad Khan (d. 1905).
Muhammad Alam Khan (d. 1907).
Yusaf Ali Khan, alia Mobarik Muhammad Ishaq Khan {d. 1867).
Ali Khan (b.1883).
Th r ar oth r d sc ndants of Bhikan Khan living in Kotla Nihang, who do not shar in
th jagir through failur to trac l gitimat d sc nt. Th family holds xt nsiv
propri tary rights in villag s lying und r th low hills of Rpar. Th jagir is now
divid d in th proportion roughly of two-thirds in th lin of Muhammad Alam. Khan
and on -third in th lin of Faiz Muhammad Khan, sp cial ord rs having b n laid
down to r gulat th succ ssion aft r a prolong d disput in 1872-73 (Punjab
Gov rnm nt No. 318, dat d 5th March 1873). Th family was much divid d
against its lf and was conspicuous mainly for its t nd ncy to ngag in us l ss
litigation. It must form rly hav b n of som importanc to b abl to hold its own
against pow rful n mi s in th Singhpuria and Rupar Sardars.
Th r is no lov lost b tw n th r pr s ntativ s of th

two branch s of th family, Muhammad Ishaq Khan and
Yusaf Ali Khan. Both hav improv d th ir circumstanc s,
th form r by a grant of 8 squar s from th Gov rnm nt and
th latt r by conomy and wis manag m nt of his prop rty.
Muhammad Ishaq Khan was a m mb r of th B nch of
Honorary Magistrat s at Rupar for som tim . Th b nch
has now b n abolish d.
CHAPTER II.
ECONOMIC.
SECTION A. —AGRICULTURE, ARBORICULTURE AND LIVE
STOCK.
Th district includ s a gr at vari ty of soil, and agricultur is carri d on

CHAPTER,1I.A.
Agricultur und r wid ly diff r nt conditions in diff r nt parts, but throughout th gr at r part of
Arboricultur and Liv Ambala th r gular two-y ar cours of agricultur pr vails, land lying fallow for
Stock a whol y ar and th n b ing cultivat d for two succ ssiv crops. Th b n fits of th long
fallow ar w ll und rstood, and it is only in th xc ptional circumstanc s of irrigat d
Th syst m of lands, or of an unusually favourabl rainfall, that th practic is d part d from. Th r has
husbandry b n comparativ ly littl chang of syst m in th last forty y ars. Th d mands of th xport
trad hav l d to som incr as in th ar a grown with wh at and cotton, th latt r in th
Kharar tahsil sp cially, and th t nd ncy of fix d cash ass ssm nts has b n to ncourag
g n r- ally th mor valuabl crops, such as sugarcan , tobacco,
poppy, v g tabl s and spic s. All th s how v r, r quir sp cially favourabl conditions of soil
and industry, and th ar a on which th y can b grown is n c ssarily
limit d. Th gr at, mass of th p opl still d p nd on th stapl grains and puls s, wh at and
gram in th spring harv st and maiz , ric , moth, and mash in th autum,
tog th r with a larg chari crop grown as fodd r for th ir cattl . Almost th only agricultural
impl m nt which has b n acc pt d by th p opl as an
improv m nt on th traditional m thods of th ir for fath rs is th small iron roll r sugar mill
originally introduc d from B har about forty y ars ago. Th r was for a long tim
much opposition v n to this, in spit of th as with which it is work d as compar d with th
wood n mills (b lna or kolhu) form rly in us . But it is univ rsally acc pt d now.
Th soils. Th soils most commonly r cognis d by th p opl ar highly manur d hom st ad
lands (niai), loam (s oti), clay (dakar); v ry stiff clay us d for ric cultivation only (dahr),
flood d land (sailab) and sandy soil (r t or bhur). Th r ar many oth r local t rms indicating
various d gr s of f rtility, but th s r pr s nt th principal class s of land on which crops
can b grown without irrigation. Th land irrigat d by w lls is all alik call d chain, wh th r
irrigat d from P rsian wh ls, th l ath r bag (charsa) or small hand l v r w lls (dhingli).
Wh r th soil is much damag d by sand blown up from sand drifts or th b ds of hill str ams
it is said to b urar mar and wh r damag d by surfac drainag or ravin cutting (as
is v ry commonly th cas in Ambala) th t rm us d in darar.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. II. ECONOMIC 79
CHAPTER II.A
Th small xt nt of irrigation in th district, wh th r from w lls or str am, Agriculture Arboriculture
has b n pr viously d scrib d. Th only part in which w lls ar xt nsiv ly us d ov r and Live Stock
any consid rabl ar a ar th uplands of th Rupar tahsil.
In th Rupar Dhaia th w lls ar d p and xp nsiv to work, involving- much Irrigation.
labour to both m n and cattl , but th wat r-supply is good and th irrigation of gr at
valu , sp cially for th wh at and sugarcan crops. Th charsa is us d xclusiv ly.
Many of th w lls hav two runs and ar work d with compl t doubl s ts of
apparatus. Strong cattl ar r quir d, and hav to b obtain d from th gr at cattl
raising country of Sirsa and Hissar. A good pair of w ll bullocks, fully grown, will cost
at l ast lis. 120 to Rs. 150, and b ing such, valuabl prop rty th y ar v ry car fully
look d aft r. it is a common practic for a numb r of villag s to combin tog th r to
s nd down a party to th Hissar cattl fairs to buy up as many bullocks as ar r quir d,
and th y grat fully acknowl dg th b n fit it is to b abl to do this without running th
s rious risk of th fts on th way back, which had to b n- count r d in
form r tim s.
Th following d scription of th us of manur and th syst m of rotation of crops as Manur and rotation of
practis d in th district was furnish d for th Famin R port of 18T9 (pag 256). — crops.
"On land constantly manur d th av rag w ight of manur p r acr is 300 maunds;
on land occasionally mannr d 350 maunds p r acr v ry fourth or som tim s v ry
fifth y ar.
Land cropp d with wh at has g n rally lain fallow sinc th
last rabi crop or on dry lands sinc th p nultimat kharif; it is
plough d v ry oft n, as many as ight tim s, and n v r loss than fiv
tim s. In Octob r aft r ploughing, wh at land is ' clos d," as it w r ,
with th sohaga. i.e.. hush d and roll d and l ft till sowing tim in
Nov mb r. For gram agriculturists ar not n arly so particular; th
land is not plough d oft n, and hard r i c l and is us d. Barl y is culti-
vat d lik wh at. "Wh at and barl y land is oft n cropp d with sugar-
can and cotton aft rwards, lying fallow aft r th rabi harv st in April
till sowing tim , which for cotton would b in Asar (Jun ), or for
sugarcan till th following March, in which cas th land will hav
had a r st of n arly tw lv months. Aft r a grain crop th sam
land is g n rally cropp d with ric , and in th sam way gram may
follow ric . Wh r sugarcan is grown, th land, as xplain d b for
li s fallow all through th kharif; it is plough d a numb r of tim s
mor , v n, than wh at land. In barani land th r is usually a two
harv st (i.e.. a whol y ar's) fallow b for a n d aft r a can crop. Aft r ploughing in
Octob r th surfac soil is clos d up and smooth d
across with th sohaga for th ntir cold w ath r, and in March th
sugarcan is sown : aft r v ry succ ssiv show r of rain it is w d d
and arth d up. Among kharif crops, cotton land is plough d in th
cold w ath r, and it is sown in Jun . It do s not particularly matt r
wh n th oth r kinds of kharif crops, such as makki. jawar. Bajra, ar sown, and th land
do s not r quir much pr vious ploughing. “ As r gards r sts to unmanur d lands,
wh at land is commonly cropp d with chart at onc aft r a wh at crop and th n li s
fallow for a whol y ar, and ric land and sugarcan l a nd also ar g n rally l ft fallow
aft rwards, or during th cold w ath r s ason, though if th r is an early crop of ric , owing
to th favourabl and s asonabl rain, land cropp d with ric is not infr qu ntly cultivat d
with gram;
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
80
CHAP. II. —ECONOMIC.
but, xc pt on khadar land n ar hill str ams, gram on ric land is a

CHAPTER,1I.A. catch crop. Th only particular diff r nc in tr atm nt of manur d and unmanur d
Agricultur and irrigat d and unirrigat d land is, that irrigat dland which has b n manur d will b
Arboricultur and Liv
Stock plough d much oft n r than unirrigat d land which has not b n manur d, but th r
will not b any mat rial diff r nc in th rotation or succ ssion of crops."
Manur and rotation of
To add to this d scription it is only n c ssary to say that th ordinary p asant
crops
thoroughly und rstands th valu of manur , sp cially for his irrigat d lands. His
difficulty is not so much that h will not us it, or dislik s th troubl , as
that it simply is not to b had wh n onc h has xhaust d his sl nd r shar of th
villag h ap. Th on substanc which li s at his door, and which cast pr judic
forbids him to us , is bon dust. A familiar sight at v ry .Railway station is
th pil of bon s coll ct d for xportation. Th only us to which bon s ar put in th
villag s is for th d coration of th Chuhro's pig-sty , a v ry fr qu nt obj ct all ov r th
district, much to th iscandal of th worthy Muhammadan to whom th
villag pig (bad) is a constant y sor .
Important Crops Th conditions und r which th important crops ar grown in this district, th
agricultural cal ndar follow d and th impl m nts us d by th p asants ar th sam as
in th n ighbouring districts of Ludhiana and Karnal. Th Ludhiana
syst m is id ntical with that of th corr sponding parts of th north rn tahsils of
Ambala and th Karnal syst m with that of th south of th district. Sinc th
cultivation of poppy has b n stopp d th ric is th only crop in th Ambala
district which is l ss common in oth r districts of th East rn Punjab.
Th ric grown in Ambala is of s v ral kinds, both fin and common. Fin ric is
Ric plant d out from a small plantation wh n th s dlings ar a f w inch s high, whil th
common r vari ti s ar g n rally sown broadcast. Th yi ld from fin
ric is much th h avi r of th two and th grain s lls at l ast 20 p r c nt, d ar r. Th
fin ric most g n rally grown is ziri or chahora. Irrigation is not usual in th cas of
ziri, and th crop is th r for liabl to s rious risks from a br ak in th rains,
but wh n th rains ar opportun th outturn is v ry larg .
Chahora is grown in th N li circl of th Kharar tahsil and in th Morni hills. Th
crop is irrigat d by ducts from th Ghaggar or hill str ams and is always highly
r mun rativ , but th drawback in this cas is that th tracts wh r it can
b grown ar v ry unh althy and th r is a difficulty in g tting nough hands to
cultivat prop rly. Altog th r som 20,000 acr s of fin ric ar grown in th district
as against 100,000 of common ric . Th vari ti s of th latt r ar ndl ss.
Thos most g n rally grown ar sati (a coars r d ric ) and 'dholu. Th crop is n v r
irrigat d, and only do s w ll about on y ar in four, wh n it giv s good r turns. In th
oth r thr y ars th r is lik ly to b at l ast on in which th crop
[Ambala Dist ict.
CHAP. II. —ECONOMIC. 81
CHAPTER II, A.
far s mor or l ss compl t ly from drought or floods, and it is always a capricious crop
v n at th h st of tim s. Th r ar larg ar as of v ry stiff clay soil in th south rn Agricultur
tahsils which' ar hardly v r cultivat d with anything but ric , hut wh r th Arboricultur and Liv
clay is not hop l ssly stiff or chok d with coars grass th ric crop may b Stock
Ric
follow d by gram.
Morni hill crops;
Many crops ar grown in th Morni hills which ar not found ls wh r in th district. Sing r, &c.
Th common st ar th c r al "mandua ( l usin corocana), th puls kulthi (dolichos
uniflorus) and th tub r kachalu (arum colocasia). By far th most valuabl of th hill
crops ar th dibl sugarcan (ponda), and th ging r (zingib r officinalis). (Ging r is an
xp nsiv crop to grow, costing som Rs. 100 an acr for s d alon , but th gross
produc is s ldom worth l ss than Rs. 250 an acr and in a good y ar may f tch a much
high r pric . Th crop r quir s high cultivation, and will probably b follow d by
ric in th n xt two y ars. It is grown in v ry small patch s, as f w famili s can afford
th outlay or command th labour n c ssary for cultivation on a larg scal . Av rag yi ld of
Crops. Production
Th following tabl shows th av rag yi ld of th principal crops of th district as And consumption of
asc rtain d from a numb r of produc xp rim nts carri d out in th cours of th r vis d Food graim
s ttl m nt of b tw n 1883 and 1886. Th yi ld is stat d in s rs pakka p r acr
:—
Tashil Tashil Tashil Tashil

Crop. Ambala. Khara.r upar. Narain
-
Garh.
Weat … … … … … 249 282 336 360
Gram … … … … … 184 250 231 …
Mixtur s of wh at, barl y

and Gram… … … … 369 363 364 280
…
Fine rice… … … … 345 376 … …
Coarse rice… … … 290 … 333 350
Maize … … … … … 371 476 470 398
Mash and mung …… 139 167 166 125

Ar a standard and
Th Gov rnm nt standard of ar a now in forc in th Ar a standard and district is a kacha bigha of Yi ld.
5/24ths of an acr or 1,0081/3 squar yards. Th zamindars th ms lv s commonly us a som what
small r kacha bigha roughly quival nt to on -sixth of an acr . Wh n stating th produc of th ir fi lds
th y always xpr ss it in t rms of kacha maunds to th kacha bigha. Th maund us d by th m contains
about 16 s rs pakka and as th bigha th y r f r to is about on -sixth of an acr , and
outturn of on maund
[Punjab Gaz tt r,
82 CHAP. II. —ECONOMIC.
A. to th biglia is roughly quival nt to 100 s rs pakka (206 lbs.) Agric ultur ,arbork' to
CHAPTER,11. A th acr of yi d giv n abov ar av rag s cultur and xp rim ntsl parts of th tahsil
Agriculture, and with Stock vari ty of soil and s ason. A v ry fin wh at croch such
Arbori culture
and Live
as that. Grown in parts of th Rupar B t will yi ld as much as 700,s rs say
Stock. 22bush ls to th acr . O n t h o t h r h a n d , a larg proportion of
th ar a r turn d as und r crop in th district is v ry poor, yi lding p rhaps 150 to 300
s rs to th acr . On a broad g n ral av rag it would not b saf to stimat th
outturn of wh at on th total ar a und r crop in an av rag y ar at much abov 250 to
Ar a standard and 300 s rs, or say 8 to 10 bush ls, to th acr . Th av rag consumption of food p r
yi ld h ad has b n alr ady notic d. It is b li v d to hav b n ov r stimat d, but on th
figur s giv n a rough stimat of th total production, xports and imports was fram d
in 1.878, and it was tat d (pag 151, Famin R port) that an annual import of som
2,985,500mauns was r quir d to suppl m nt th local production, consisting of ric
from across th Jumna, and of wh at, maiz , gram, and oth r puls s from
th Punjab. Th total population of th district is now n arly th sam as wh n that
stimat was mad . Th stimat was bas d on a population of 1,035,488 as against
1,033,427 by th c nsus of 1891.
Caus s of injury If th crops ar not car fully watch d wh n rip ning som consid rabl damag may
to crops, b don by pigs and d r in th plain and monk ys in th hills. Th s larg r animals
ar how v r at any tim much l ss d structiv than th cat rpillars and ins ct
blights which attack th growing crops, and th whit -ants
which inf st th soil in many parts of th district, ating th
roots and doing much injury to th . rabi crops sp cially.
.Fi ld rats only mak th ir app aranc occasionally. Th r
was a p rf ct plagu of th m in 1883, a v ry dry y ar, and th
damag don by th m to th cotton crop was normous. Th
rats climb d th plants just as th cotton was coming into
s ason, d stroying th cotton in th buds to g t at th s d,
and th fi lds w r dott d ov r with littl h aps of debris, but
strang ly nough th r was hardly a sign of a r turn of th
p st in lat r y ars. Of calamiti s oth r than thos du to
animal lif th most to b f ar d ar floods and hailstorms.
rost do s littl harm xc pt to cotton. If tim ly rain
has fall n in Jun th cotton will hav b n sown at th prop r
s ason and th picking will b ov r by th nd of D c mb r
or th first w k in January, b for xc ssiv cold s ts in. If
how v r th rains ar lat sowings cannot b ff ct d till
July th pickings go on through January and F bruary, and
th xtr m cold will th n do consid rabl harm to th crop.
Th crop is tol rably c rtain to b mor or l ss of a failur
unl ss sown by th 10th of July at lat st, and v ry day's
d lay b yond that m ans s rious loss in th outturn. Lightning is b li v d to hav an
injurious ff ct on crops coming i nt o dow r bot h i n t h s pr i ng a nd a ut umn
ha r v s t s . Gr a m
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. II.—ECONOMIC. 83
is said to b sp cially liabl to this risk from th viol nt

thund rstorms which ar not uncommon in th arly spring. Th CHAPTER II, A.
Agriculture, Arboriculture
prud nt farm r will insur hims lf from th risk by sowing a thin and Live Stock.
lin of lins d round his gram fi lds, and th small blu flow rs
of th lins d may b confid ntly xp ct d to prot ct th gram
from injury much in th way that th n cklac of blu glass
b ads hung round his pony's n ck wards off th vil y .
Th cotton crop is of so much importanc in th district Khaki cotton xp rim nt.
that it' is worth whil giving a f w figur s showing th r sults of
is som xp rim nts carri d out with gr at car in 1887, with a
vi w to asc rtaining wh th r natural khaki colour d (nankin)
cotton should b introduc d as a n w stapl . T n s rs of s d
w r sown in all, in two lots. Fiv s rs w r sown on th 17th
Jun in 2 ½ bighas, or 0-52 acr s of irrigat d land at Oind in
Rupar, and fiv on th 5th July in 4 bighas, or 0-83 acr s, at
Kurali in Kharar on unirrigat d but manur d land. Th Oind
xp rim nt yi ld d 182 s rs of cotton in 19 pickings b tw n th
1st Nov mb r and 4th F bruary, and th Kurali xp rim nt 148
s rs in 23 pickings b tw n th 13th Nov mb r and 21st
F bruary, giving an outturn of 350 and 179 s rs, r sp ctiv ly,
p r acr for irrigat d and unirrigat d land. Th v ry much
h avi r yi ld in th irrigat d land was du not so much to
irrigation aft r th crop was sown, as to th fact that th
command of wat r nabl d th xp rim nt r to sow thr w ks
arli r in th on cas than th oth r. Th total produc of 330
s rs pakka yi ld d th following r sults by ginning : —
Cotton Seed
Actual, in s rs ... ... 78 252
Equival nt p r acr , in s rs … 58 188
At th harv st pric s th n curr nt th valu of th gross

produc was R.s. 31 p r acr (Rs. 19 for cotton and Rs. 12 for
s d), from which, would b d duct d at ordinary rat s Rs. 3
for cost of picking and Rs. 6 for ginning, in addition to th
cost of cultivation. Th cotton was a fin , strong plant with
good fibr , and mad up w ll as coars cloth, but th n t r sult of th
xp rim nts was to show that th stapl would not
b popular. Gov rnm nt d cid d that it could not tak th
plac of dy d khaki cotton for army purpos s, and th zamin-
dars th ms lv s pr f rr d th ordinary cotton of th country.
firstly, on account of th colour, s condly, b caus th nankin
cotton took from 15 to 20 days long r to com to maturity,
and, thirdly, b caus ordinary cotton yi lds on ginning about
on -third cotton to two-third s ds, as against on -fourth cotton to thr -
fourths s d with th nankin vari ty. Th s obj ctions w r undoubt dly
fatal, and furth r xp rim nts w r not att mpt d. Mor r c ntly
xp rim nts hav b n tri d with Nagpur, Egyptian and Am rican
cotton, th latt r with good r sults as r gards outturn.
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
84 CHAP. 11. – E CONOMIC .
CHAPTER 11, A. Tabl No. XVII shows th whol ar a of wast land which is und r th manag m nt of
th For st D partm nt. Th following not on th for sts of th district was kindly furnish d by Mr.
Agriculture, Down, of th For st D partm nt, in 1883 : —
arboriculture and
Live Stock. " This for st in th Ambala district, consisting of 11,829 acr s, is situat d on th
right bank of th riv r Jamna n ar th h ads of th W st rn Jamna Canal, and about 32 mil s
Arboricultur
north of th Jagadhri Railway Station. It is bound d on th north and w st by th t rritory
and for sts.
of th Raja of Nahan, on th south by th t rritori s of th Raja of Nahan and of th Sardar of
Kal sar For st Kalsia and villag lands of Khizrabad and Lala Bansi Lai, and on th ast by th lands of
Kal sar. Th Kal sar Gov rnm nt for st li s principally b tw n two low rang s of Siwalik
hills running w st from th Jamna. Th vall y is about nin mil s long and is narrow, b ing
about 1/2 mil s broad at th ast nd, and gradually d cr asing towards th w st. Th for st in
th vall y is divid d by a broad wat r-cours call d th ' Suk Rau,' which carri s off th
drainag of both rang s into th Jamna.
“Th growth in th vall y is sdl with a slight mixtur of misc l- lan ous tr s. Th inward
slop s, how v r, ar 3/4 misc llan ous and, 1/4 sal barkli (Lagerstraemia parviflora0 b ing v ry
pl ntiful, though mor so in th north rn than th south rn rang s. Th outward slop s
of both rang s ar v ry pr cipitous. Th Gov rnm nt for st also xt nds to th south of th
south rn rang from th Jamna to th Ch kan Ghat. Th ground h r , how v r, is compos d of
small low hills much int rs ct d with wat r-cours s, and th growth is poor. Th r is no bamboo
in th vall y, but th Burror and Nangal stat s south of th south rn rang contain a larg
quantity, but of small siz . Babar grass is pl ntiful all ov r th low hills. Th principal tr s
at Kal sar ar sdl, sein, sandan, barkli, ebony, dhaman, bahera, hurra huldu, kachndr, bel, siris,
khair, aunla &c., &c. Th produc is at pr s nt insignificant. Th soil is good in th vall y as.
far as th Ch kan Ghat, w st of which it b com s inf rior and mix d with r ddish clay.
Bould rs xist for a gr at d pth v rywh r ; v n on th hills Th soil south of th south rn
rang is v ry inf rior.
“Gov rnm nt rights ar absolut ; but th Pathan jagirdars of Khizrabad hold s v n shar s of
Rs. 65 ach in th gross r v nu . Wat r is v ry scarc , and during th hot months is only found in
two or thr plac s. Th sal in th vall y is prot ct d by fir cons rvancy.
Jagadhari “This plantation, consisting of a long narrow strip of 200 acr s 3 roods and 10 pol s, was
plantation(r s r comm nc d in 1868-69. It is compos d ntir ly of shisham, and situat d on th right bank of th
v d) Jamna about fiv mil s from th Railway Station of Jagadhri. It xt nds from n ar and b low th
railway bridg ov r th Jamna for about two. mil s downstr am. Th soil is good saildba."
Morni For sts

In 1888 a proposal was mad to constitut a r s rv d for st in th Morni tract in th int r sts
partly of Gov rnm nt and partly of th Mir of Kotaha. Gov rnm nt was int r st d in th
sch m in vi w of th prot ction of th hill sid s from d nudation, whil it was sugg st d that th
Mir, as th principal right-hold r in th Morni jungl s, would b n fit by r s rvation in a larg
incr as to th valu of th for st products. In th r port on th sch m submitt d in Octob r
1888 it was notic d that th xisting for st growth, which is v ry d ns in th
high r rang s, is compos d of misc llan ous scrub int rmix d in th upp r
portions with chil (pinus longifolia) and chal (cono arpus latifolia). Low r down
in th vall ys
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
th scrub is chi fly mingl d with sandan (Oug inia Dalb rgioid s), siris CHAPTER II, A.
(Albizzia Stipulata), sein (P ntapt ra Tom n-tosa), papri (Ulmus int grifolia),
Agri cultur , Arbo
kachndr (Bauhinia vari gata) khair (Acacia cat chu),biul (Gr wia oppositifolia),
Cultur and liv
jingan (Odina wodi r), aonea (Phylanthus Emblics), amaltas (Cassia Fistula), sohdnpxa
(Moringa Pt rygosp nna) and bael (A gl marm los). Th r ar no compact for sts of chil Stock.
but a fair numb r of th s tr s ar found on th morni rang ( ast of Morni) and on th Morni for st.
Nangal and tipra kothi rang s ln particular th tr s ar Targ and w ll grown in Bhoj
Naggal b low Tandok, whil thos on th Morni rang ar crook d and ill-form d, most
probably in cons qu nc of constant fir s. Natural r production of chil is xc ll nt, and all
that can b d sir d in plac s that hav scap d fir . Low down in th vall ys th r ar many
fin jaman (Eug nia Jambolana), mahwa (Bassia Latifolia), bahera (T rminalia B ll rica),
tun and harrar tr s. Larg numb rs of th latt r grow in th cultivat d fi lds of Bhoj
Naggal, and yi ld a fair r v nu of which th zamindars hav hith rto tak n by far th larg r
shar . Cr p rs ar running rampant, and doing much harm, sp cially th maljun (Bauhinia
Yah Hi). Th sal tr (Shor a Robusta) is found nowh r in th s hills and it is xc dingly
doubtful wh th r it could b introduc d. Th att mpt was r c ntly mad to rais tr s from
s d obtain d from Pilibhit. This was a compl t failur , as was only to b xp ct d, owing
to th w ll-known difficulty in transporting sal s d from a long distanc . Und r any
circumstanc s th limit of th sal tr is practically a f w mil s w st of th Jamna. In th
working plans of th D hra Dun For sts it is promin ntly notic d that sdl cannot b grown
furth r to th w st on account of th xc ssiv h at and dryn ss of th Punjab portion of
th Sub-Himalayan rang .
As r gards th b n fits arising to Gov rnm nt from a

strict r s rvation it app ar d lik ly that if it should b found
practicabl to clos th low hills absolut ly both from fir and
grazing, a v ry mark d improv m nt would tak plac rapidly
l ading v ntually to diminution in th forc of th hill str ams.
Rich lands in th plains would b prot ct d from rosion, and
Gov rnm nt would b sav d h avy loss s on account of land
r v nu r missions, and risk of damag to important lin s of
road and railway. Appar ntly this was th limit of th dir ct
int r st of Gov rnm nt in th sch m , and this int r st appli d
to th low r hills only and not to th whol tract. Furth r
good would b don indir ctly by way of xampl in th v nt of any sch m
how v r small b ing carri d out succ ssfully, but whil th cost of troubl of
r s rvation would fall on th Mir h would, in th low hills at l ast, r alis but a small
portion of th ultimat gain. Th scrub jungl which would grow ov r th s hills would b
invaluabl as a prot ctiv cov ring, but would not b in its lf a sourc of much r v nu . Ex-
t nsion of cultivation would hav to b forbidd n absolut ly, whil v n a mod rat
int rf r nc with xisting rights.
[PUNJABGAZETTEER,
86 CHAP. II.—ECONOMIC.
of fr grazing would m t with d t rmin d opposition from th

CHAPTER II, A. p opl on whom th Mir d p nds for his r v nu . Und r th s
Agri cultur , circumstanc s it s m d doubtful wh th r th Mir should b ncourag d
Arboricultur and to und rtak th closur of th low hills as a sourc of gain to
liv hims lf. Th cas was alt r d if Gov rnm nt was willing to und rtak
Stock.
th whol or part of th xp ns on its own account, but if Gov rnm nt
Morni for st. was pr par d to tak dir ct action at all, it might do so mor
profitably in oth r parts of th rang , wh r th r has b n gr at r
d nudation.
As r gards th high r rang s of Morni and Tipra Gov rnm nt was not dir ctly
int r st d in th r s rvation sch m , xc pt in so far as it would afford som
guarant against wast ful manag m nt in. th v nt of th tract passing into
in ffici nt hands. For prot ctiv purpos s nothing could b b tt r than th
xisting growth of d ns scrub jungl cov ring n arly all th high r spurs. A
car ful xamination of th s hills show d that th r is practically no rosion.
Th r ar occasional landslips, but v n th s ar obviously du to
natural d f cts in th hill conformation and not to th und rmining action of
xt nsiv torr nts. Th ntir abs nc of drift wood along th b ds of th
str ams within th hills, th mod rat dim nsions of th ir chann ls, th
p rman nc of th t rrac d cultivation on v n th st p st slop s, and th
g n ral d pth and xc ll nc of th soil ar all alik vid nc that no
mor ff ctual m asur s ar r quir d with a vi w to ch ck th
rush and volum of flood wat r. No cl ar instanc of xt nsiv
damag was d t ct d which could b dir ctly trac d to in-
suffici nt affor station in th s high r rang s. Th volum of
wat r carri d down from th s high hills must n c ssarily b larg but would
not b appr ciably l ss n d by strict r m asur s of prot ction than thos alr ady
in forc . It was notic d in v ry dir ction that it was not until th str ams
pass d within th low rang s of th out r hills that th y assum d th charact r
of sand torr nts causing so much d struction in th plains. Th xplanation
s m d to b that th injury is du much mor to th g ological structur of
th s low hills than to th actual amount of flood wat r brought down to th m
from abov .
Th conclusion arriv d at was that no larg outlay on th
for st would bring in any ad quat r turn. Th country is so
rugg d, and th scrub growth so d ns that th cost of planting
op rations would b prohibitiv . This conclusion was acc pt d
aft r som discussion and Gov rnm nt v ntually abandon d
th r s rvation sch m in July 1890. Th sugg stions mad
for th improv m nt of th prop rty, which could b carri d out by th
Mir ind p nd ntly of proc dur und r th For st Act, notic d th advisability of
syst matic cr p r cutting; of ncouraging th mor xt nsiv growth of th
Barrar tr (T rminalia chobula) for th sak of Myrobalan fruit; of
bamboo planting; of prot ction from fir s by th appointm nt of fir guards,
and by stopping th practic of firing th trunks.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
of chil tr s to xtract th r sin; and, lastly, of op ning out th prop rty by cutting small paths to
improv communications. Th following is a list of th mor important tr s growing in th Morni
jungl s : —
Used for building purposes and
agricultural implements. Lopped for fodder, but not used as
timber. CHAPTER II, A.
Khair—Acacia cat chu. Agricultur , Arboricultur
Kachnar Bauhinia Vari gata and liv Stock.
Chal—Conocarpus latifolis
Kendu—Diosp ros Mantana.
Sein —P ntapt ra Tom ntoss. Morni for st
Keim—St ph gyn Parvifolis.
Shisham—Dalb rgia Sissoo
Dhamin—Gr wia Tilia folia
Sandan— Oug inia Dalb igioid s.
Lasora—Cordia myxa.
Tun—C dr la Toona.
Karaunda—Carissa Diffusa.
Used for building purposes.
Maljan—Baahinia vahill
Chil— Pinus longifolia
Mdlkangni—C lastrus S n galcnsis.
Jarnan—-Eug nia Jambolana.
Mahwa— Bassia l.atifolia Miscellaneous trees.
Pipal—F ius R ligiosa. Harrer Terminalia chebula
Papri—Ulmus Int gritolia.
Aonla— Phylanthua Emblica.
Padul—St r ospcrmun Suav ol ns
Basl—A gl Marm los.
Pula—Kydia Calycina.
Ghilla—Ca saria Torn ntosa
Kakker pistachia integerrina.
Keint—Pyrus Variolosa.
Used for building purposes and also lopped for fodder.
Sohdnjna— Moriiipa ygosp nua.
Bor — Fi ns B ngal nsis.
Sahara—T rminalis B ll rica. Sinibal—Bombaxlabaricum.
Ber—Zizyphus Jujuba Aviallds—Cassia Fistula.
Dhaek—Rut a Frondosa.
Siris —Albizzia Sipulata. Karnola—Mallotas Philippin nsis.
Birl—Gr wia oppositifolia. Tezbal—Xantboxylum Hostil .
Jigan—Odina Wodi r. Harsinghar — Nyctantb 9 Arbortristic.
Dhai—Woodfordia Floribunda.
Th Hon'bl Mr. P. J. Fagan, Financial Commission r, tour d through th Rupar sub-division in

Octob r 1916, and r cord d a not on th Siwalik affor station op rations. Though a p riod of only two
y ars had laps d sinc r strictions und r s ction 4 of th Chos Act had b n nforc d, Mr. Fagan was
confid nt that th r had b n much improv m nt, and that th r sults w r d cid dly ncouraging-. Th r
was of cours no soil improv m nt as y t in th dir ction of th formation of v g tabl mould, but a
b ginning had b n mad , and th r sults cl arly indicat d that op rations und r th Chos Act should b
pros cut d dilig ntly and d v lop d. In th plains nothing of any importanc had b n don to r claim
cho-b ds, but th r would b pl nty of scop for action as th ar a in which r clamation can and should b
und rtak n is xt nsiv . H not d as follows: —
" As r gards pr s nt proposals, ii is ss ntial that Mr. Holland's sch m for th Rpar sub-division
should b compl t d. This involv s th issu of th notification und r s ction 5 of th Chos Act as
originally cont mplat d, th paym nt of comp nsation and th prohibition of cam l grazing throughout
th s ction 4 ar a as has alr ady b n clon in. Hoshiarpur.
88 [ PUNJAB GAZETTEER, -
CHAP. II.-ECNOMIC
Th s ction 5 ar a should h compl t ly clos d to all rights with th possibl

CHAPTER II, A.
xc ption of th annual cutting of grass aft r th s ds hav fall n, and th
Agri cultur , cultivat d laud in th cho-b ds insid th s ction 5 ar a should b tak n up. Half
Arbori Cultur and m asur s only giv ris to troubl and friction lat r on. As a corollary to th s
liv Stock.
m asur s, th co-op ration of th Patiala and Naragarhl b n c ssary along th
Morni for st
Siwalik ridg . Th n also op rations should b comm nc d in and along th
cho-b ds in th plains. It is advisabl to b gin with som thing quit d finit , and
th S ttl m nt Offic r informs m that th r ar bar sand dun s within th villag
boundari s of Sahaoran and Chaparch ri, whil th ar a to th south
of Kharar town contains bad patch s of sand and alkali. I propos to hav th s
plant d in th rains of 1919.''
R clamation and cons rvation m asur s ar just as urg ntly

Nagli Khol r quir d in th plains and low r hills of th Naraingarh
Pr s rvation sch m . and Jagadhri tahsils, and in th plains of th Ambala tahsil. p rhaps th n d is v n
gr at r b caus of th f ckl s charact r of th p opl . Th stat of things is about
as bad as it can b , and is bri fly d scrib d in th n w ass ssm nt r ports.
Th Tangri Nadi is about th most unstabl and d structiv cho in th district, and
has its catchm nt ar a in th Morni hills which ar in th jagir of th Mir of
Kotaha, Naraingarh tahsil. Th Mir's stat is now und r th administration of
th Court of Wards. Th low r slop s of th Morni.hills ar in th last stag s of
d nudation, and th radication of plant growth has b n follow d in plac s by
xt nsiv landslips which hav laid bar th solid rock und rn ath. Th r was a
proposal at last s ttl m nt to mak th Morni tract a r s rv d jungl ,
but it unfortunat ly f ll through. Most of th low r hills in th British t rritory
b tw n th Grhaggar and th Jamna ar in much th sam condition, and provid
a sorry contrast with th r s rv d for sts of th Kalsia and Nahan
Stat s. I may tak th sp cific cas of th Nagli Khol in th
Jagadhri tahsil; th torr nt m rging from it is th Boli Nadi
which is train d across th W st rn -Jamna Canal at Dadupur. 'A quart r of a
c ntury ago Mr. R. J. Pind r, D puty Con s rvator of For sts, d scrib d th v ry bad
stat of th Nagli Khol, and vigorously advocat d th adoption of prot ctiv
m asur s, but nothing has b n don .
A sp cial f atur of an xt nsiv tract in th Naraingarh tahsil is th pr val nc
of ravin -cutting, locally known as darrar. H avy rain falling on slop s wash s away
th surfac soil and l av s an absolut ly barr n xpans of grav l and clay. Th
num rous tiny str ams unit to form larg on s which at th ir way into th surfac
and produc a wild rn ss of st p dik s and ravin s. An ff ctiv r m dy would b
th construction of small ston walls across th shallow wat r-cours s, which would
hold up th silt whil allowing th wat r to p r colat through. In this way th
ravin s would gradually fill.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAPTER II, A.
th ms lv s up, and th loss of f rtil silt would b pr v nt d. This plan would

not b succ ssful unl ss carri d out syst matically on a larg scal , and th Agriculture, Arbori Culture
p opl ar too f bl to start it th ms lv s. Th usual grass planting is of cours and live Stock.
indicat d along th torr nt b ds and on th sand hills throughout th
thr south rn tahsils.
I hav alr ady touch d on th inad quacy of th sup r vision in th Rup r Khara Th Siwaliks affor station
Siwaliks. Ad quat sup rvision is a fundam ntal condition of succ ss, and I sch m .
arn stly advocat that prop r arrang m nts b mad from this point
of vi w. Probably on for st r and six for st guards ar a suffici nt subordinat
staff for th Rupar sub-division Siwaliks but it is ss ntial that th y should b
prop rly sup rvis d, and th r is ampl work for a whol tim official of th
standing of a Naibahsildar. Kharar town is in a c ntral position and
is a suitabl h adquart rs. Th Naib-Tahsildar's first duty would b th
pr paration of th comp nsation stat m nt und r s ction 5 of th Chos Act.
H would b plac d in charg of th cons rvation and r clamation op rations in
both hills and plains, including' sowing and planting, and his fforts would
b controll d and dir ct d by occasional insp ctions on th part of an xp rt
from th For st D partm nt. H would b r quir d to tour tw nty-fiv days in
th month, and would submit a monthly diary to th D puty Commission r
through th Sub-Divisional Offic r, liupar. Similarly op ration in th thr
south rn tahsils would b plac d und r a Naib-Tahsildar with h adquart rs at
Naraingarh say.
Ord rs ar solicit d on th following matt rs : —
(1)Th compl tion of th original proj ct for th con-
s rvation and r bois m nt of th Rupar and Kharar Siwaliks,
and as a corollary th appointm nt of a suitabl whol tim official to
b in charg of th op rations both in th hills and in th plains of
th Rupar sub-division.
(2) Th s curing from th Patiala and Nalagaih Stat s
of suitabl co-op ration in thos parts of th
Siwaliks b longing to th m.
(3)Th comm nc m nt of similar op rations in th hills
and plains of th Naraingarh, Jagadhri and Am
bala tahsils. Th d putation of an offic r from th
For st D partm nt would b n c ssary for on
cold w ath r in ord r to pr par th pr liminary
r port. Us ful docum nts would b th joint
r port, dat d Octob r 1888, of M ssrs. Doui and
K nsington on th proposals for for st r s rva-
tion in th Morni Hill Tract and Mr. Pind r's
r port on th Nagli Khol. It would b as w ll
for him to mak a car ful xamination of th
conditions pr vailing in th larg darrar ar as in
th plains portion of th Naraingarh tahsil.
90
[ PUNJAB GAZEITEER
CHAP II.—ECONOMIC.
CHAPTER II, A.
Th progr ssiv ly incr asing d struction of f rtil land by th hill
Agri cultur , torr nts or chos is primarily du to th d nudation of
ArboriCultur and th catchm nt ar as, and th circumstanc s und r which that
iv Stock. r ckl ss r moval of tr s and und rgrowth was allow d to tak Plac ar
d scrib d in paragra phs 726 to 730 of th Land Administration
Th Siwaliks affor s- Manual, to an obs rv r at Jiasauii tli contrast pr s nt d by th utt rly
ation sch m . d solat British Siwaliks of th Jiupar and Karar tahsils as compar d with th
gr n portions of th sam rang which ar r s rv d by th Patiala Stat is a
striking obj ct l sson. At th 1887 S ttl m nt Mr. (now
Sir A.) K nsington took a v ry gloomy vi w of th rapidly
augm nting damag don by th chos, and by th wind blown sand along th ir
banks, but was unabl to indicat any r m dy. Th matt r was tak n up with
charact ristic n rgy by Mr. C. E. Gladston , D puty Commission r (1890-9-3),
who taught th zaniindars to combat th mischi f by planting thatching grass
(kharkana bind pula) along th sid s of th torr nts, and an astonishing d gr
of improv m nt w r obtain d in th Rupar sub-division. Th m asur s w r not
so succ ssful in th thr south rn tahsils wh r th p opl ar singularly f bl
and apath tic. V ry littl , if anything has b n don on th s lin s sinc Mr.
Gladston 's tim and of cours th fons et origo of th vil r main d untouch d.
In th y ar 1911 Mr. L. B. Holland, Assistant Cons rvator of For sts, was
d put d to conduct an nquiry into th condition of th Ambala Siwaliks b tw n
th Ghaggar and th Sutl j, and his print d r port was submitt d to Gov rnm nt
und r cov r of For st Cons rvator's ndors m nt No. 1458, dat d 7th Jun 1912.
Th r m dial m asur s sugg st d by Mr. Holland w r much th sam as thos
und rtak n in th cas of Hoshiarpur chos, nam ly, (1) th prohibition of
browsing; (2) th compl t closur of a b lt of lb to 2 mil s wid along and on both
sid s of th cr st of th Siwaliks; (3) th op ning and closing th cattl grazing for
two y ars at a tim of alt rnat blocks b low th said b ll. Th Cons rvator ob-
s rv d that d t rioration had gon so/fur that h doubt d of th possibility of any
progr ss unl ss natur w r assist d, and h sugg st d for th clos d b lt th
syst m of sowing in contour tr nch s which had prov d succ ssful in th Pabbi
hills of th Gujrat district. Thos familiar with th tract will thoroughly agr
with this opinion. All v g tabl mould has b n wash d away from th slop s of
th hills and only surviv s in pock ts and on th rar ly occurring flat t rrac s ; th
slop s th ms lv s ar at pr s nt as barr n as th mountains of th moon. Th
good soil which was wash d down by th tor- r nts us d to b n fit th plains to
som xt nt, but th chos now carry nothing but vast quantiti s of sand and
grav l, and hav b com an unmitigat d sourc of damag and d struction.
Th sudd n and viol nt charact r of th floods is a sur indication of tli compl t
d nudation of th catchm nt ar as, and th amount of damag don is obscur d by
th partial and in quitabl us of th dialluvion rul s. It is plain that th
most
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
n rg tic m asur s ar n c ssary to produc any r al improv - CHAPTER II , A.
m nt within a r asonabl p riod of tim .
Agrieculture, Arboriculture
Mr. Holland was plac d in charg of th op rations through out th l ngth and live Stock.
of th Siwalik rang in Hoshiarpur and th Rupar sub-division of th Ambala
district, and was dir ct d to assist th D puty Commission r of Ambala and th Th Siwaliks affor station
Sub-Divisional Offic r, Rupar, in d marcating ar as and in framing th n c s- sch m .
sary notifications und r th Chos Act. Th r strictiohal m asur s
advocat d by him ar d scrib d in a m morandum to th D puty Commission r,
Ambala, dat d 24th July 1914. Bri fly h propos d to divid th hills into two
tracts only, A and B say, A comprising th whol of th upp r slop s and B
th low r slop s. Tract A was to b totally clos d und r s ction 5 of th Chos
Act, and partial prohibition was to b appli d to tract B und r s ction 4 of th
Act. Mr. Holland was oppos d to rotational closur . M anwhil , on th
29th May 1914, Gov rnm nt sanction had b n accord d to th nt rtainm nt
of on for st r and six for st guards in th Ambala Siwaliks for a p riod of fiv
y ars only. Th ntir ar as A and B w r clos d und r s ction 4 of th Chos
Act by virtu of Punjab Gov rnm nt notification No. 458,dat d
25th S pt mb r 1914, and Mr. Holland proc d d to d marcat
th inn r ar a A to which s ction 5 of th Act was to b appli d—see Print d
Proc dings, For st D partm nt, F bruary 1915, Nos. 52, 55 and 56.
Gov rnm nt r fus d to pass ord rs on th proposal und r s ction 5 of th Chos
Act until furth r information was giv n and a rough comp nsation
stimat mad .
An stimat of th cost of th m asur s towards th r bois m nt of th
Rupar sub-division Siwaliks is contain d in l tt r No. 330, dat d th 4th August
1915, from th Sub-Divisional Offic r, Rupar, to th D puty Commission r,
Ambala, and was fram d on th lin s alr ady adopt d som y ars pr viously by
Mr. P. J. Fagan in th Hoshiarpur district. Th sums as. stimat d w r : —
Rs.
Cost of th op rations und r s ction 4
Of th Chos Act … 80,372
Cost of th propos d m asur und r
s ction 5 of th Chos Act … 1,27, 757
M asur s und r s ction 4 of th Act had alr ady b n und rtak n, and som
tw nty thousand sh p and goats had b n xp ll d, but action und r s ction 5
was postpon d ind finit ly owing to th financial string ncy—l tt r No. 11
For sts, dat d th 7th January 1916, from th R v nu S cr tary to Gov rnm nt,
to t h Junior S cr tary to t h Financial Commission rs. Th actual cost
of th s ction 4 op rations
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
was Rs. 82,508. In April 1916 Mr. Holland was transf rr d.

CHAPTER II, A. it was point d out at th tim that it would b n c ssary lat r to r plac Mr.
Holland by anoth r offic r wh n financial conditions mad it possibl to
Agrieculture, Arbori
Culture and live Stock. tak furth r m asur s for th affor station of th Siwaliks—l tt r No.140-
For sts,dat d 5th April1916, from th R v nu S cr tary to Gov rnm nt,
Th Siwaliks to th Cons rvator of For sts. Th primary r ason for th
affor station sch m . transf r of Mr. Holland was th closing down of any r ally ff c
tiv op rations owing- to th lack of funds. Sinc that tim th
Ambala Siwaliks hav b n nominally und r th sup rint nd nc of
th Katardhar Tahsildar at Hoshiarpur, but it is quit
impracticabl for on man to sup rvis on hundr d and t n
mil s of Siwaliks sp cially as Rupar and Kharar ar so highly
Agricultural impl m nts
and applianc s. inacc ssibl from Hoshiarpur. In r ality th r strict d ar a
in th Rupar and Kharar Siwaliks has b n at th m rcy for th last
two y ars of th for st r and his six for st guards.
Th stock n c ssary for th cultivation of a small holding, say on of
10acr s, is with xc ption of th ox n, cov r d a f w rup s; a pair of
ordinary plough bullocks may b bought for from us. 50 to Us. 100 and th
oth r impl m nts would not cost mor than it has. 10 for w ll-land an additional
xp nditur of p rhaps it’s. 220 ar r quir d for r quir d to work th d p w lls
of th Rupar Dhaia. Villag s s ldom hav any larg grazing ar as. Th cattl
d p nd on stall f ding) and wh r v r th soil is good th p opl find it pay
b tt r to grow fodd r crops than to l av th land wast . Th pric of cattl
has incr as d larg ly sinc 1860-61 in common with th g n ral ris in th
valu of. Agricultural produc du to th op ning out of th country by
railway communications. Th p opl ar apt to complain of th incr as d
cost of cattl , but th ir loss s in this dir ction ar much mor than
comp nsat d for by th profits r aliz d by th high r pric s obtain d for th ir
crops and farm products. Th r is no vid nc of disproportionat ris in th
pric of cattl , and as far as it go s th ris indicat s a g n ral growth of pros-
p rity in th country rath r than domination in th r sourc s of th agriculturist.
Th br d of cattl is op n to improv m nt, but th quality of plough bullocks
us d d p nds larg ly on th work r quir d of th m. It is us l ss to att mpt
farming in h avy clay soils, or wh r <d p irrigation w lls ar work d,
unl ss with istrong bullocks costing its. 60 to Ks. 100 a pair on
th oth r hand, it is bad farming for a man with a fiv -acr holding of light
alluvial soil to us such xp nsiv animals, wh n half th pric would b
suffici nt for th work r quir d of th m. Th zamindars ar quit aliv to th
advantag s of th strong r br ds, and buy th m up fr ly wh n r ally r quir d,
but for ordinary purpos s th w ak r hom -br d cattl answ r b tt r than
thos import d b caus th y hav b n accustom d to stall-f ding all th ir
liv s, and do not f l th chang wh n sudd nly cut off from th
grazing in th
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
Op n to which th fin r cattl of th jungl tracts ar accustom d. In common CHAPTER II, A.
with most districts of th East rn Punjab Th r is a strong pr judic in Ambala
against th us of mal buffalo s for ploughing or oth r farm work. It is Agrieculture, Arboriculture
tol rably stock, c rtain that this pr judic will giv way as soon as th p opl and live Stock.
r ally f l th qu stion of cattl supply to b a difficulty.
Th District Board maintains sis hors stallions and fiv
donk y stallions. Th form r ar r plac d by th District Board and th latt r by Hors and cattl br ding
Gov rnm nt. Th y supply 1,600 mar s. No f is charg d for th s rvic of th s
stallions. Th r ar som sixty Hissar bulls in th district. Th District
Board obtains t n bulls y arly and issu s th s to th villag s who apply,
pr f r nc b ing giv n to thos who contribut a portion of th ir pric . B sid
th s Hissar bulls suppli d by th District Board, th r ar som 200 Pun bulls
(d dicat d bulls), mostly unsuitabl , working in th district.
Sh p br ding is b ing tri d in th district. Th District Board pays for th
railway xp ns s of th sh p import d. Som rams and w s hav r c ntly
b n obtain d from Hissar on th application of th p opl .
Th r ar fiv v t rinary disp nsari s, i.e., on at th h adquart rs of ach
tahsil. Th V t rinary Assistants in charg of th disp nsari s ar Gov rnm nt
s rvants but th r maining staff of th disp nsari s is paid by th District
Board. An itin rating V t rinary Assistant is also attach d to th district with
h adquart rs at Barara. F s according to th scal pr scrib d by th Dir ctor of
Agricultur (Agricultur circular No. 5) is charg d from incom -tax pay rs for
th tr atm nt of animals at th v t rinary disp nsari s.
Th District Board holds a hors show at Ambala City
ach y ar, in which som Rs. 600 ar allott d in priz s. Grass
and wood n p gs ar suppli d fr of charg for th animals
att nding th hors show. A f of two pic in th rup is charg d on th pric
of animals sold at th show, but g n rally th r ar not many sal s xc pt on
occasions wh n hors s ar r quir d by Gov rnm nt. Th hors show costs th
District Board ov r Rs. 2,000. A cattl fair is h ld y arly at Morinda,
in th Rupar sub-division, 16 mil s from th Sirhind Railway Station. Ov r 4,000
animals, mostly buffalo s, att nd. A f of on pic in th rup is charg d on.
th pric of animals sold at th fair. This yi lds an incom of n arly Rs. 3,000 to
th District Board. Th District Board has r c ntly d cid d to start cattl fairs in
oth r tahsils also. Sal of cattl for slaught r is prohibit d at th s fairs.
Larg quantiti s of pigs and poultry ar k pt in th district by Chuhras. Th pigs Oth r dom stic
ar filthy f d rs, but th fl sh is in gr at d mand among th low r class s. Animals.
Th r is a larg d mand for poultry in th n ighbouring hill stations.
All
9
C
Though th summ r month a string of banghiwalas may b s n carrying fowls
CHAPTER II, B. H
upA to th hills in bask ts. Th pric s obtain d th r mak th k p of poultry
Rents, tenants and highly
P r mun rativ in Ambala .
.
Wages.
I
I
SECTION B.—BENTS, TENANTS AND WAGES.
.
Rents. — Th ar as on which tru cash r nts ar paid ar small, and th cultivating
E
hold
C
rs, wh th r propri tors or occupancy t nants, usually k p th b st lands in
thO ir own hands. Wh r comp tition cash r nts pr vail th rat s vary larg ly
according
N to th quality of th soil. From Rs. 20 to Bs. 50 an acr a y ar
O
may b paid for rich mark t gard n lands lying clos to towns or larg villag s
M
whI
r th r ar faciliti s for h avy manuring. Th s xc ptional r nts may,
how
C v r, b l ft out of account. Th y ar paid on v ry small plots and by
cultivators
. of a sp cial class, and do not r pr s nt th r al l tting valu
of land und r normal conditions. Els wh r cash r nts ar paid ith r in a lump
sum for ntir holdings, or at bigha rat s of from Rs. 1-5-6 to Rs. 2-G-l p r
bigha quival nt to about Bs. 6-12-0 to Bs. 12-1-5 an acr on unirrigat d land,
and roughly at doubl th s rat s wh r irrigation is practicabl . Grain r nts
run from a-third or a-fourth of th gross produc in poor r lands to on -half in
th rich r. Sp aking g n rally on -half is th common rat in th prosp rous
and d ns ly populat d tahsils Kharar and Rupar, and two-fifths
ls wh r . In th rich r parts of th tahsils m ntion d it is not uncommon to
find t nants paying th v ry high r nt of on -half produc in grain with an
addition in cash of half th Gov rn- m nt d mand for
r v nu and c ss s.
Th occupancy t nants of Ambala ar an important class, holding about
72,500 acr s or n arly 8 p r c nt, of th cultivat d ar a, and including a numb r
of small communiti s of industrious p asants of th Aram, Saini or Mali class
locat d in larg Rajput villag s, wh r th y manag to mak a living,
in spit of v ry small holdings,, on land which th propri tors th ms lv s ar
unabl to turn to good account. Wh r th r ar only a f w occupancy t nants in
a villag th y will g n rally b found to b of th sam cast as th propri tors,
and d sc ndants of m n who w r associat d with th m by ti s of blood
or marriag , or ls to b long to th m nial and artisan class s. In th form r
cas th r is a littl r al distinction b tw n th propri tors and t nants. Th
t nants may and commonly do own land as propri tors in th sam or
n ighbouring villag s in addition to what th y hold in t nant right. At th r gular
s ttl m nt, of 1847-53 tw lv y ars' pr vious unint rrupt d poss ssion was
g n rally consid r d suffici nt to stablish a claim to occupancy right, and
th r nt for t nants of this class was usually fix d in t rms of th r v nu
and c ss s without
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
addition for propri tary du s. Wh r th t nants b long to. th m nial or artisan CHAPTER II, B.
class s th holding is ordinarily v ry fronts and small, r pr s nting a f w bighas
mad ov r to th m as an in- wag s, docum nt to r main in th villag . In such cas s Rents, tenants and
also th r nt fix d at r gular s ttl m nt includ d ith r no malikana or only a v ry Wages.
trifling sum.
R nts.
Th r r mains th third and much th most important class wh r th t nants ar
m n wholly diff r nt by cast , habits and position from th propri tary body, b long-
ing usually to th industrious cast s alr ady r f rr d to. Th y w r common-
ly stablish d in th villag within th last c ntury or so, and occupy lands from
which th original propri tors w r forcibly disposs ss d by th Sikh Chi fs during
th p riod of s mi-ind p nd ht""jurisdiction. Throughout this p riod th Sikhs
coll ct d th ir r v nu in kind, and on of th ir principal m ans of incr asing th
r v nu was by ncouraging famili s of mor industrious cultivators to s ttl in th
villag . Originally f w in numb rs th s small communiti s continu d' to grow and
flourish at th xp ns of th propri tors, and as a rul th y ag rly fast n d on th
rich hom st ad lands- sp cially suit d to th ir mark t gard n styl of cultivation.
"'During th Sikh mil th t nants w r tol rat d by th propri tors without activ
r sistanc , and in most cas s th propri tors w r probably only too glad to b
r li v d of r sponsibility for cultivating, and to g t a trifling r cognition of th ir
propri tary right in th shap off s r or two in th maund from th produc . Th
situation chang d altog th r on th introduction of th r gular s ttl m nt. Th
propri tors th n did all th y could to r cov r land from th t nants, and th latt r in
th ir turn all th y could to b giv n th status of propri tors inst ad of occupancy
t nants. In villag aft r villag th disput was fought through th Courts with much
bad f ling on both sid s and th f ling still xists in plac s. Th d cision at r gular
s ttl m nt was g n rally in favour of th propri tors as r gards rights, but in
consid ration of th fact that th t nants had born th ir full or mor than th ir full,
shar of r sponsibility for th high r v nu l vi d by th Sikhs or tak n by
Gov rnm nt at th summary s ttl m nts, th ir r nt was g n rally fix d in cash in
t rms of th r v nu with an addition of not mor than on or two annas in th rup
as malikana.
Th arli r t nancy l gislation of 1868 did not imm diat ly
aff ct th t nants in Ambala as th r nts fix d at th 1852 s ttl - T nancy l gislation
m nt r main d in forc till r vision of ass ssm nt, but Act XVI Of 1868 and 1887.
of 1887 brought a gr at chang in th position of affairs. Out of
th total 72,500 acr s th n cultivat d with occupancy right
littl ov r 20,000 acr s paid r nts in kind. From 9,000 to
10,000 acr s, mostly in th north rn tahsils, paid Gov rnm nt
du s only, without malikana, and th r maining 43,000 acr s
paid cash r nts with an addition of what was int nd d at r gular
s ttl m nt to b usually 6 1/4 to 12 ½ p r c nt., though subs qu nt chang s
and rrors in villag accounts had
96
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER
CHAP. II.—ECONOMIC.
fr qu ntly mad th malikana actually tak n almost nominal.
CHAPTER II, B. Comparativ ly f w of this latt r class could stablish a right to privil g d status
Rents, tenants und r th t rms of th Acts of 1868 or 1887, and th y th r for b cam liabl to
and Wages. nhanc m nt of r nt up to 75 p r c nt, of th r v nu in addition to Gov rnm nt du s.
Th r nts w r r vis d by th S ttl m nt Offic rs in 1888 and 1889, and th difficulty
was got ov r by allowing a rat of nhanc m nt much b low th maximum cont mplat d
by th Act of 1887, giving' malikana g n rally at two annas, four annas, or fiv annas
four pi p r rup of r v nu , r pr s nting 12i, 25 and 33 p r c nt., r sp ctiv ly.
Th subj ct of th mploym nt of fi ld labour oth r than that of th propri tors or
Agricultur t nants th ms lv s is thus notic d in answ rs furnish d by th District Offic r and
labour rs ins rt d in th Famin R port of 1879 (pag s 713-14) : —
“In this district th r ar f w w ll-to-do agriculturists, h nc th y n v r mploy any p rman nt
hir d fi ld labour rs. It is only for w ding th kharif crops of cotton and makki, and at th
Rabi for th sugarcan /'tobacco and poppy crops that hir d daily labour rs ar nt rtain d for two
or thr days at th most. Th rat s of wag s vary according to th amount of work th labor r is
abl to p rform; th daily labour wag s rang from two annas to four annas. At, r aping
tim hir d labour rs ar also r quir d, but th y ar not paid in mon y; th y r c iv as
wag s a load or bundl of th crop th y hav cut, and which p rhaps may yi ld four or fiv s rs
of grain. Th r is no sp cial class mploy d in fi ld labour, but g n rally chamars of
th villag or oth r indig nt p rsons who hav no particular m ans of liv lihood. This kind of
mploym nt at th most n v r xt nds long r than on month at a tim . At oth r tim s, wh n
not ngag d in fi ld labour, th s m n work in th town as cooli s, or p rhaps work
in l ath r or w av . About 10 p r c nt, of th whol population of th district may b assum d
to work at tim s at fi ld labour. Th condition of this class (fi ld labour rs) is no doubt v ry
inf rior to that of v n th v ry poor st s lf-cultivating propri tors, and th y
v r hav anything in hand ; in short, liv from hand to mouth, and in s asons of famin
str am out of th ir villag s into th towns, having nothing to fall back upon, and no cr dit with
th villag bania ; and xc pt h r and th r , wh r mploy d as p rman nt ploughm n
or h rdsm n p rhaps, th y g t no assistanc from th villag agriculturists. In short, in tim s of
distr ss and scarcity and high pric s, th s poor wr tch s ar in v ry vil plight. Th y
hav no cr dit account with th villag bank r or mon y-l nd r."
This d scription is hardly accurat now. Th position of th m nial and artisan class s has
imm ns ly improv d. Th y ar not av rs to quitting on villag for anoth r or to
s ttling in towns if th y can improv th ir condition by so doing. Th y v n chang th ir
prof ssion if n c ssary and hav to that xt nt an advantag ov r th land-own rs who
stick to th ir farms in good y ars or bad and who f l d grad d in working as labour rs. Th s
advantag s and th growing spirit of ind p nd nc nabl th m to d mand high r wag s.
Th syst m of r c iving paym nts in kind at harv st in r turn for s rvic s r nd r d throughout th
y ar still continu s. Nominally th amount of kind paym nts is th sam . But
th propri tors ar forc d to mak xtra paym nts in kind to
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
k p th artizans in good humour or ls th y would not s rv willingly, as CHAPTER II, C.

v rywh r labour is gaining th upp r hand.Th following will b r ad with Comm rc Manufactur and
Industri s.
int r st as showing th condition of day labour rs thirty y ars back. Agricultural labour rs.
Th supply of day labour rs is d riv d ith r from th chamar casts, or by
t mporary immigrants from Bikanir and Hariyana. Wh n mploy d in harv sting, Wag s of day Labour rs.
labour rs ar paid in kind, r c iving g n rally ight s rs of grains p r day in th
n ighbourhood of towns, and fiv s rs in villag s wh r labour is mor pl ntiful and th
n c ssiti s of th labour r small r. Oth r agricultural labour is paid for in mon y at th
rat of 2 ½ or 3 annas a day. Wag s in kind s m to r main stationary,
but mon y wag s hav doubl d within th last tw nty y ars. Sinc how v r th pric s of
food and n c ssari s of lif hav ris n in almost th sam proportion, it is doubtful
wh th r th actual condition of th labour r is much b tt r than it was in
old days. Skill d labour is b tt r paid in towns than form rly in cons qu nc of an
incr as d d mand. Artisans (such as carp nt rs, smiths, masons) can arn from thr
to fiv or v n six annas a day according to th ir ability.
Wag s in kind still r main th sam . But faciliti s of locomotion, th g n ral ris in
pric s, visitations of plagu and pid mics and migration to coloni s ar inflating
mon y wag s imm ns ly. In th harv st s ason labour rs hav to b paid tw lv annas
p r day and v n a rup . Th ir ordinary wag s how v r do not xc d s v n annas p r
day in villag s and t n annas p r day in towns. Skill d labour is much
d ar r. Carp nt rs, smiths, masons g t on rup ight annas p r day in towns and on
rup in villag s.
SECTION C.—COMMERCE, MANUFACTURE AND INDUSTRIES.
Comm rcially and industrially th district is not an int r sting on . Its manufactur s
ar f w and unimportant. Rupar is famous for its production of small articl s of iron-
work and Ambala for darris (carp ts). Coars country cloth is wov n in almost v ry
villag , but for local consumption only. Mr. LockVood Kipling, Principal of th Lahor
School of Arts furnish d th following not in 1892 on som of th sp cial
industri s of th district: —
“Consid ring th history and traditions of this district it is disappointing to find so
f w r mnants of ith r Muhammadan or Hindu ar still aliv and in practic . At Sirhind
and oth r plac s in th n ighbourhood ar unusually fin but littl known xampl s of
Pathan archit ctur , whil som parts of th district ar p culiarly sacr d in
Hindu stimation. At Ambala its lf th r is nothing to b s n but th larg Military
Cantonm nt. A Lucknow figur -mod ll r has stablish d hims lf in th bazar, and
produc s small figur s in t rra cotta, r pr s nting s rvants, fakirs, and oth r
charact ristic typ s.
H
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
CHAPTER II, C. Th s ar quit qual to th av rag standard of Lucknow figur -

mod ling'. Bask t-work in bamboo is a growing trad . Lady's work-
Commerce Manu- tabl s, occasional t a-tabl s, flow r stands and oth r fancy articl s
facture and Indus- copi d from Europ an originals ar th usual forms, in addition to bask ts for nativ
tries.
us . At D ra Basi and som oth r villag s cotton
prints, unlik thos of any oth r district in th Punjab, ar mad .
Country cloth of v ry narrow width is us d, and th patt rns ar
g n rally diap rs qually distribut d, r s mbling th prints import d
into Europ from which th first id a of " Indian chintz " was tak n.
Th usual Punjab practic now is, on th oth r hand, to tr at th
surfac to b ornam nt d as a compl t composition, with bord rs and
pan ls. Th s prints ar s nt into th hills and carri d a long way
into th int rior. In som of th mor laborat patt rns th fabric is
strikingly lik wooll n cloth. Jagadhri has a w ll-d s rv d r putation
for brass-war . Tast ful and pr tty lamps with branching arms touch d
with colour on th l av s, and many oth r forms of brass-war , ar
h r xc ptionally w ll mad . Shahabad is spok n of as xc lling in
som handicrafts, but th y s m to b practis d by on or
two individuals only. Two silv rsmiths from this plac contri-
but d to th Exhibition of 1882 v ry good sp cim ns of
chis ll d silv r, such as op nwork brac l ts s t with turquois s, and
b lt clasps of xc ll nt, though som what minut , workmanship.
Th y ar also th b st s al- ngrav rs in th Provinc , b ing capabl
of cutting intaglios of armorial and oth r subj cts, as w ll as th usual
P rsian writing forsign t rings. H r also is a virtuoso in th manu-
factur of musical instrum nts, such as saringis, tamburas, &c. Mul
b rry and tun ar th woods g n rally mploy d, and ivory carving
and inlay with wood-carving in low r li f ar fr ly introduc d. H
has also produc d th pique inlay known in Bombay work-box s, mad
by arranging tiny rods of m tal, sandalwood, and particolour d ivory
of g om tric s ction in patt rns which ar glu d up and th n sawn
across in s ctions, ach s ction, lik a slic of th English sw tm at
call d ' rock ' b ing a r p tition of th patt rn r ady for ins rtion in
a ground. From th sam plac from tim to tim sp cim ns of on
of th many pu riliti s in which nativ ing nuity and skill ar so oft n:
wast d ar s nt. This is a sort of pap r lac —writing pap r cut
into a dainty op nwork of foliag and oth r forms with gr at d licacy
and som skill in d sign. Th r ar xampl s of this triviality in th
Lahor Mus um."
Th r ar now thr fin st am flour mills—two at Ambala Cantonm nt and on
in th Ambala City—b sid s a numb r of small r pow r plants. Th r ar two ic
manufactori s, on in th Cantonm nts and on in th City. Two firms of Ambala
Cantonm nt manufactur sci ntific apparatus and furnitur for schools. A glass
factory start d as far back as 1893 mak s lamp glass-war Th r ar six cotton
ginning factori s with, th baling pr ss s in Ambala prop r and cotton ginning
factori s at Rupar, Kharar, Kurali, Khanpur and Morinda. Ginn d cotton is d spatch d
to Bombay.
Saltp tr is xtract d in a villag n ar Ambala City. Th proc ss is simpl , Th

impr gnat d arth is wash d with wat r and th salt solutions so obtain d ar
vaporat d in th sun. Most of th nitr is xport d.
Th r is a larg iron foundry at Nahan in th n ighboring hill stat of Sirmur which
suppli s most of th iron Sugar mills us d in Ambala.
AMBALA DISTRICT]
A m b a l a , R u p a r a n d J a g a d h r i , s i t u a t d x c p t R u p a r o n th CHAPTER II, C.
Railway, ar th chi f trading c ntr s in th district, and v n from th s th r Commerce Manu-
ar no w ll stablish d lin s of trad , Th district is populous, and it is doubtful facture and Industries.
if it do s mor than tri s, supply its own wants in th way of food-grains; in
bad y ars larg imports ar r quir d of both grain and fodd r. All mis-
c llan ous products find a r ady sal in th num rous hill stations
within asy r ach of th district.
Ambala City is a consid rabl grain mart, r c iving grain
and cotton in larg quantiti s from th district, and from th
south rn parts of th Ludhiana district and also from th ind p nd nt Stat s of
Patiala, Nabha and Jind, and xporting th m both up and down country. It
carri s on a consid rabl trad in hill products, such as ging r, turm ric, potato s,
opium, charas, &c. From th south it imports English cloth and iron; and from
th Punjab, salt, wool, wooll n and silk manufactur s. In r turn, it manufactur s
and xports cotton goods, sp cially darris, in consid rabl quantiti s.
Rupar is a mart of xchang b tw n th hills and plains: it carri s on a
consid rabl trad in grain and sugar; salt is larg ly import d from th salt
rang min s, and xport d to th hills, in r turn for iron, ging r, potato s,
turm ric and opium. Country cloth is manufactur d in th town and larg ly
xport d to th hills. Th smiths of Rupar hav a r putation for th
manufactur of locks and oth r small articl s of iron.
Clay mod ls of all vari ti s of fruits, birds and r ptil s pr -
par d by Lala Lal Chand ar w ll known.
Jagadhri carri s on a consid rabl trad in m tals, importing larg
quantiti s of copp r and iron from Calcutta and Bombay, conv rt d into v ss ls,
&c, of diff r nt sorts and siz s, and xporting to th Unit d Provinc s and
Punjab.
It also. carri s on an xt nsiv trad in timb r brought from th hills by
th W st rn Jamna Canal.
A consid rabl quantity of borax is manufactur d at Sadhaura. Many of th
mor consid rabl towns hav th ir w kly mark t days for th disposal of
country produc ; audit is at th s mark ts that most of th busin ss of th district
is transact d. Th principal w kly mark ts ar at Jagdhri,
Khizrabad, Mutafabad, Buria and Kharar: at Ambala, Rupar and a f w oth r
plac s suppli s ar always pl ntiful, and no sp cial mark t day is r cogniz d.
Kurali has lost what littl of importanc it poss ss d at th last s ttl m nt
as cotton mark t. Th r is a ginning factory h r , but th starting of similar
factori s in th n ighbourhood has divid d th cotton busin ss.
Kalka is a v ry important mart of xchang b tw n th hills and th
plains and a hug busin ss is don in potato s .
H2
[Punjab Gaz tt r;
CHAP. II. —ECONOMIC.

SECTION –D COMMUNICATIONS.
Mil s . Th figur in th ar both
HAPTER. II, .
Navigabl riv rs Sutl j and Showth communicationin
omunications. Jamna … … 51 th district.
Railway … … 75
M tall d Road … … 200.13
Unm tall d Road … … 200.75
Th S u t l j a n d J a r m n a ( x c p t wi th in th h il ls ) ar b o th
Riv r Stations. Distanc REMARK. Navigabl for
in mil s. country craft
Sutl j… Sarai … … Through th ir
Awankot… 4 courc s abov th
r sp ctiv canal
Maini … 3
F rry and h adwork. Th
Rupar … 4 Mooring m o o r i n g p l a c s and
Plac . f rri s, and th
Chahilan . 8 distanc s b tw n
Makowal 4
th m, a r g i v n i n t h
margin. Th Sirhind
Bibipur ... … Canal is op n for
Jamna… boat traffic during
Baj Ghat… 4
m o s t o f th y ar, and by
giving notic
b f or ha nd
a r r a ng m nt s c a n n a r l y a l w a y s b mad for th conv yanc of trav l rs from Rupar
by boat to th North-W st rn Railway at Doraha. Th passag to Doraha by country boat tak s
som ight hours as a rul . Th journ y upstr am tak s much long r unl ss a canal
motor launch should b availabl Th Jamna is cross d by a road bridg at
Kalanaur.
Th North-W st rn Railway runs through th district with downwards stations as follows: —
Sirhind to Sarai Banjara, 9 mil s; Rajpura, 6 mil s; Simbhu, 7 mil s; Ambala City, 6 mil s;
Ambala Cantonm nts, 5 mil s; K sri, 7 mil s; Barara, 8 mil s; Mustafabad, 6 mil s
Darazpur, 3 mil s; Jagadhri, 7 mil s. from Rajpura th r is a branch lin to Patiala and Bhatinda,
wh r a junction is ff ct d with th D lhi lin .
Th East Indian Railways runs through th district with stations as follows: —
Ambala Cantonm nts; Dhulkot (for Ambala City), 5 mil s; Lalru, 6 mil s;
Ghaggar, 10 mil s; Chandigarh, 9 mil s; Kalka, 9 mil s.
Th Jagadhri light Railway was op n d by privat nt rpris in th y ar 1911 and runs b tw n
Abdullapur and Jagadhri town, a distanc of 4 mil s.
Th m tall d roads in th district ar : (1) Th Grand Trunk Road, which nt rs it from Kama! a
f w mil s south of th Cantonm nt and runs n a rly north as far as Ambala; from
AMBALA DISTRICT.
CHAP. II.—ECONOMIC.
101
This point it runs north-w st, and pass s a f w mil s furth r on into th Patiala
CHAPTER. II, .
t rritory. Th principal bridg s ar thos of th Markanda and th Ghaggar.
Bridg s ov r th Umla and Tangri ar und r construction. Its total l ngth within
Communications.
th district is 13 mil s. (2) Th Ambala and Kalka Road |(for Simla). This l av s
th Grand Trunk Road 4 mil s abov th Ambala Cantonm nt, and runs n arly du
north to Kalka, at th foot of th hills: distanc 39 mil s. Th
Ghaggar is cross d by a ford, 20 mil s from Ambala; all oth r
str ams ar bridg d. Th construction of a bridg ov r th
Ghaggar is at last b ing tak n in hand. (3) Th Sirhind-Rupar Road via Kurali, a
distanc of 31 mil s. (4) Th Kurali-Chandigarh Road via Kharar and Manimajra,
24 mil s. (5) Th Barara-nahanRoad via Sadhaura and Kala Amb. This
road is m tall d up to .Kala Amb, a distanc of 24 mil s, wh r it nt rs Nahan
Stat t rritory. (6) Str tch s of m tall d roads radiating from Jagadhri to Buria, to
Chhachhrauli, to Radaur (Karnal District) via Jagadhri Station and Damla,
and to Saharanpur vi-d Jagadhri Station, and Kalanaur and th Jamna Road bridg .
(7) Th banks of th Sirhind and W st rn Jamna Canals can b us d by motorists
from Rupar to Doraha and from Buria to Tajawala also south of Buria to
th district boundary. Th following tabl shows th principal roads of th district
tog th r with th halting plac s on th m and th conv ni nc for trav ll rs and
troops to b found at ach: —
in mil s
Distanc
Rout Halting plac R marks
Grand Trunk Road Ambala Cantonm nt … All Faciliti s
Ambala-Kalka Ambala Cantonm nt … As abov

Kasauli
Lalru (Patiala Stat ) 13 Encamping ground
Mubarkpur(Ghaggar) 9 Ditto and PWD R st-hous
Chandigarh … 11 Encamping-ground ; Public Works

D partm nt r st hous
Kalka … Encamping ground Civil r st hous ;

railway station r fr shm nt and
waiting rooms
Kasauli 9 by bridl Dak Bungalow hot ls, all faciliti s

path,22 by
m tall d
raod via
Dharmpur
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER

CHAPTER II, ................ ' ........ " — ---------— --------•-a .......... ,
. Halting plac .
1
Rout . •1 REMAKES.
Communications.
Sirhind-Rupar
Morinda ... 16 Encamping-ground; District Board
bungalow.
Kurali … 5 Encamping-ground ; Civil r st-hous .

Rupar …
10 Canal r st-hous ; ncamping-ground.
*
Kurali-Chandigarh. 7 Encamping-ground; District Board r st-
Kharar … hous . Th r is an ncamping ground
at Rurki 7 mil s from Kharar.
Manimajra … 12 Privat s t-hous b longing to Rana

Basant Singh, Rais and jagirdar, Mani-
majra.
Chandigarh … 5 As abov .
Barara-Nahan Barara ... ...
Sarai.
Sadhaura …
18 District Board r st-hous .
Kala Amb … sarai

7
Jagadhri Jagadhri … ... Encamping ground; Civil, r st-
hous .
Chhachhrauli … 5 Kalsia Stat r st-hous
Dadular … 8 Canal r st-hous
Tajawala … i3 Ditto,
Kal sar … 3 For st r st-hous .
Th r ar also r st-hous s at— upar: (1) Bharatgarh (District Board), (2)

Kamalpur, Raipur (Canal). Kharar-: Manauli (Manauli stat ), Mirzapur (District
Board). Ambala: Naggal (District Board), Mulana (Polic ). Narain-garh: Morni
(Kotaha stat ), Naraingarh (Civil). Jagadhri: Bilaspur (Polic ), Abdullapur (Canal).
Th r ar also district unm tall d roads from Ambala City to P howa which runs
for 13 mil s within this district: Jagadhri via Khizrabad to Kal sar 22 mil s; Khizrabad
via Bilaspur, Sadhaura to Naraingarh 30 mil s; Naraingarh1 to Manimajra, 29 mil s;
Ambala to Sadhaura 23 mil s; Ambala to Kharar, 27 mil s.
CHAPTER III.
ADMINISTRATION.
SECTION A.—ADMINISTRATION AND DIVISIONS. CHAPTER. III, B.
Th district is und r th g n ral control and sup rvision of th Commission r of th
Ambala Division. B sid s th D puty Commission r th r is a Sub-Divisional Offic r, Criminal and Civil
usually Justic , an Assistant Commission r, in charg of th Rupar Sub-Division, which Justice
compris s th Rupar and Kharar tahsils Th r ar fiv tahsils with h adquart rs at
Ambala, Jagadhri, Naraingarh, Kharar and Rupar. A Naib-Tahsildar holds charg
of th Kalka sub-tahsil und r th Tahsildar of Kharar.
SECTION B.—CRIMINAL AND CIVIL JUSTICE.
Th criminal judicial work of th district is sup rvis d by th

District and S ssions Judg of th Ambala S ssions Division. Th
official staff of Magistrat s consists of th District Magistrat , th
S nior Sub-Judg , a G n ral Assistant (1st Class Magistrat ) and th
Sub-Divisional Offic r, Rupar (all of whom hav also pow rs und r
s ction 30, Criminal Proc dur Cod ). B sid s th r ar 1 Junior Sub-
Judg , 2 Extra Assistant Commission rs with 1st class pow rs, 2
Cantonm nt Magistrat s with 1st class pow rs, 5 Tahsildars with 2nd
class pow rs, 5 Naib-Tahsildars with 3rd class pow rs, on Naib-
Tahsild rs with 2nd class pow rs, and occasionally an Assistant
Cantonm nt Magistrat with 3rd class pow rs.
Th following g ntl m n x rcis criminal jurisdiction as Honorary
Magistrat s in c rtain parts of th .district: —
Nam s of g ntl m n x rcising Pow rs Jurisdiction
Judicial pow rs.
1. Khan Bahadur Sayad M I Class … Kharar Tahsil

Bashir Hussain
2. Sardar Bhahadur
Sardar Jawahar Singh 2nd Class … Jagadhari tahsil
3. Sardar Jiwan Singh Ditto … Shahzadpur, 51 agir villag s

C.I.E.
Ditto … Kharar, Ambala, and Naraingarh tahsils
4. Sardar Bahadur Sardar
Bhagwant Singh Ditto … Ramgarh, Naraingarh
5. Mian Anrodh Singh Ditto … Manimajra, tahsil Kharar
6. Rana Basant Singh
7. Rai Sahib Lala Ganga Ditto … Ambala Tahsil

Ram
PUNJAB GAZETTEER
104 CHAP. III.- -ADMINISTRATION
Th following- trib s hav b n r gist r d und r th Criminal
R v nu R v nu Trib s Act, 1919. Th ir plac of r sid nc and numb r
Adminstration ar giv n against ach: —
Criminal Justic .
1 2
S rial No. Nam of trib s and th numb r of mal s

r gist r d.
1 Sansis 268
2 Biloch 20
3 Baddun 1
4 Bhangali ... 84
5 Dhujas 171
6 Ghardilas ... 57
7 Kachbands ... 99
8 ' Nat 5
9 Oth r Sansis (Kikan) ... ... 1
Civil Th civil judicial work is sup rvis d by th District Judg of

Justic . Ambala, who is th principal judicial offic r in th district. H has
fiv Subordinat Judg s und r him. Th latt r ar station d on
ach at Ambala, Jagadbri and Rupar. Th Honorary Magistrat s
also x rcis civil pow rs.
SECTION C.—REVENUE ADMINISTRATION.

(1) SETTLEMENTS.
By th R vis d S ttl m nt of 1882-1887 th ass ssm nt of th Ambala district was
rais d 14^ p r c nt, by M ssrs. K nsington and Doui to Rs. 11,44,000 with an
incid nc varying from R . 1-5-5 p r acr in Ambala tahsil to R . 1-14-11 in Rupar
tahsil. In th tim of Akbar th incid nc bad av rag d R . 1-8-0 for th tract. Th
th n n w.
AMBALA DISTRICT.']
CHAP. III .—ADMINISTRATION. 105
d mand was stimat d to absorb 88 p r c nt, of half-n tt ass ts. During th p riod of
S ttl m nt it was found -n c ssary to r mit us. 51,725 only of th d mand—Ambala Nation
tahsil accounting for Rs. 30,884. In spit of th comparativ as with which th d mand was
paid, Gov rnm nt h sitat d in 1904 and again in 1909 to r vis th ass ssm nt, and finally
s ttl m nt op rations w r comm nc d in Octob r 1915 wh n an nhanc m nt of 25 p r c nt.,
was for cast d.
Th curr nt s ttl m nt was carri d out by Mr. Whit h ad and his two
assistants M ssrs. Cowan and B azl y b tw n 1915—1920.
Sinc last s ttl m nt population has d cr as d by 22 p r c nt.
Ploughs show d a d cr as of 11 p r c nt, though cattl had incr as d.
Cultivat d ar a had d cr as d slightly owing to action of torr nts. Th r was,
how v r, .no shortag of man-pow r for cultivation owing to th small ar a of th
holdings. Th position of th agriculturist had improv d vis a vis th mon yl nd r, and
th l tting and sal valu of land had ris n mark dly. Th chi f ground of nhanc m nt
was, how v r, th incr as d valu of th produc . Finally, an nhanc m nt of 28 p r
c nt, for a t rm of 30 y ars was tak n.
Th following tabl shows th n w ass ssm nts actually impos d and
compar s th m with th stimat d valu of tru half-n tt ass ts and th comput d
valu of th gross produc : —
P rc nt column 4 on
column 4 on column
Tru half-n tt ass ts.
Ass ssm nt impos d
P rc nt column 4 on
Tahsil INCEDENCE PER ACRE OF
Incr as p rc nt
Expiring d mand
NEW ASSESSMENT ON
valu of total
Cultivat d
produc .
column 3
Matur d
Ar a
Ar a
2
Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. A.P Rs. A.P.
Rupar 2,31,796 5,77,000 2,94,732 51 12.5 27 27 5 256
Kharar 2,55,836 7,27,000 3,39,544 46 12.25 32 239 229
Ambala 2,34,140 51 10.5 24 11110 1132

5,68,600 2,91,396
Naraingarh 1,80,955 4,27,300 2,24,335 52 10.75 24 1117 1121
2,36,841
Jagadhari 5,89,400 3,04,750 52 11 28 1 141 1153
11,39,577 28,89,300 14.54.757

Total …. 50.3 11.25 28 1 15 10 2 0 1
7,970 …. 8,803
Morni …. …. …. 10 1 12 6 1 9 6
Total District 11,47,547 ….. 14,63,560 …. … 28 1 15 10 2 0 0

[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER.
106 CHAP. III-ADMINISTRATION
CHAPTER III C.
R v nu Th d f rr d d mand was Rs. 29,244 on account of prot ctiv l as s and progr ssiv
Administration ass ssm nts—387 villag s b ing aff ct d—Rs. 25,650 was d f rr d for 5 y ars and Rs.
1,235 for 10 y ars on th latt r account.
Criminal Justic .
For ass ssm nt purpos s ach' tahsil was sub-divid d into ass ssm nt circl s and th
d mand sanction d for ach .circl was distribut d ov r villag s. Th following tabl shows
th ass ssm nt circl s p r tahsil with th r v nu d mand for ach circl : —
Tahsil. Ass ssm nt Circl . Numb r of D mand

villag s p r circl .
P r circl .
Ambala
Rs.
Ambala Circl ... … 2,91,396
306
Kandi … …. 41 16,19?
Banpar … … 200 1,83,845
Jagadhri South rn Jamna Khadar 60 48,200
North rn Jamna Khadar 32 17,940
Som Khadar ,„ ... 54 38,270
Total 387 3,04,450

S oti 203 1,78,325
Ghar 109 46,010
Naraingarh ... Morni 14 8,803
Total 326 2,33,138

S oti, I 121 1,35,705
S oti, II. 130 1,00.075
Kharar Dakar ... 50 28,430
Charsa 13 16,855
Gbar 51 33,861
N li 27 24,113 505
Pahar 4
Total 396 3,39,544
76,052
B t ... ... 144
Dhaia ... ... 171 1,88,470
Gbar B t Gbar 23 11,460
Rupar 48
Total
18,750
386 494,732
TOTAL ….- 1,801 14,63,260
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. III.—ADMINISTRATION. 107
(2) VILLAGE COMMUNITIES AND TENURES. CHAPTER III C

Th Ambala district contains 1,801 villag s in 5 tahsils, R v nu Administration
and th ir t nur s may b class d as follows: —
Nam of tahsils Zamindari Pattidari
Gair mukammal
Gov rnm nt
Bhaichara
Mukammal
Bilijmal
khalis
Total
Ambala 2 1 5 295 1 306
Kharar 10 5 2 8 368 3 396
Rupar 1 18 2 13 352 … 386
Jagadhari 18 14 2 325 27 1 387
Naraingarh 20 4 1 8 293 … 326
Total ….
49 43 8 359 1387 5 1801
Zamindari Khalis villag s ar thos own d by a singl propri tor, and zamindari
bilijmal ar thos h ld un-partition d by s v ral own rs.
Pattidari mukammal ar thos in which ach own r's holding is in
accordanc with his anc stral shar . In Pattidari Ghair-mukammal villag s
holdings no long r corr spond with anc stral shar s, but such shar s ar
maintain d in shamilat or common land.
In Bhaiachara villag s poss ssion is th sol m asur of ach own r's right.
Though th various typ s of villag s ar d t rmin d by th way in which
th villag was originally found d, th t nd ncy is for th t nur to b com
bhaiachara.
(3) ADMINISTRATION.
Th H ad of th R v nu administration is th D puty Commission r
acting in his capacity of Coll ctor. For
108 .-[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER
CHAP. III -ADMINISTRATION.

. R v nu work h has usually two gaz tt d offic rs as assist-
CHAPTER, III.C ants: —
(1) for th Rupar Sub-Division, which includ s th tah-
Revenue Adminis- sils of Rupar and Kharar, th Sub-Divisional Offic r of Rupar;
tration. (2) for) th r maining tahsils of th district, th R v nu
Extra Assistant Commission r with h adquart rs at Ambala.
In ach of th 5 tahsils th r ar on Tahsildar and on
Naib-Tahsildar xc pt that in th Kharar tahsil th r is a
2nd Naib Tahsildar with h adquart rs at Kalka. Th R v - -
nu Extra Assistant Commission r is r sponsibl for th
sup rvision and maint nanc of R v nu R cord work and has
und r him at h adquart rs a District Kanungo with two Assistant Kanungos.
Th following tabl shows th class s and numb rs of
R v nu officials working und r ach Tahsildar: —
Tahsil. Fi ld kanugos Patwaris. Assistant patwaris.
Ambala … … 5 73 5
Kharar … … 5 87 5
Kupar … … 5 83 5
Jagadhri ... … 4 67 5
Naringarh … … 4 66 5
Total … 23 876 25
Th abov official machin ry is assist d in R v nu administration by th zaildars and suf dposh s in th ir

r sp ctiv circl s and by lambardars in th ir r sp ctiv villag s. Th ir r mun rations and duti s ar
d t rmin d und r th Land R v nu rul s and th ir distribution in th district is as follows: —
1
Tahsil. Zaildars. Saf dposb s. Lambardar.
Ambala … … 14 14 807
Kharar … … 16 16 949
Rupar … … 13 /3 789
Jagadhri … … 15 15 833
Naringarh … … 13 802
13
Total … 71 71 4,180
,
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. III.—ADMINISTBATION. 109
CHAPTER, III.C
(4) INSTALMENTS OF LAND REVENUE DEM AND.
Land R v nu d mand is payabl as fo llo ws: —
Revenue Administration.
Kharif instalm nt ... 2nd—25th January
Rabi instalm nt ... 10th Jun —10th July
xc pt in th Morni Hill tract wh r dat s fix d ar g n rally
15 days lat r than th r st of th District.
(5) DI-ALLUVION RULES.
Owing to th passag of two riv rs and num rous hill torr nts through th district di-
alluvion rul s play a consid rabl part in r v nu administration. Th s will b found in
App ndix III of th Final R port of th 2nd R vis d S ttl m nt of, Ambala District, 1915—1920.
(6) S USPENSIONS AND REMISSIONS OF L AND R EVENUE D EMANDS .
G n rally th agricultur of th district may b r gard d as s cur xc pt in th worst
s asons, and dang r rat s hav b n fix d for c rtain villag s only in th Ambala tahsil, wh r th
rainfall is comparativ ly light and th soil sp cially stiff,—vide paragraph 75, Pinal R port,
1915—20.
For th district g n rally no sp cial sch m for susp nsion and r mission of d mand was
pr par d for th curr nt s ttl m nt. Th S ttl m nt Offic r mphasis d that th prop r us of crop
r turns was th k y to succ ssful r v nu manag m nt, and that susp nsions should b grant d
fr ly in poor y ars. H consid r d that such susp nsions should rar ly b com r missions
b caus tracts which suff r most from draught ar thos which hav th larg st surplus in good
y ars.
(7) REVENUE ASSIGNMENTS.
R f r nc is invit d to th summary on th subj ct contain d in Mr. "Whit h ad's Pinal
S ttl m nt R port of th Ambala district and paragraphs 100—127 of th Punjab Land
Administration Manual.
Pour class s of jagirs hav b n r cognis d—
(1) Major jagirdars,
(2) Pattidari jagirdars.
(3) Zaildars or subordinat f udatori s of th major
jagirdars.
(4) War jagirdars.
(1) Th major jagirdars including: n arly all th l ading Sardars of th district ar
ntitl d to th r v nu of fairly larg groups of villag s.
(2) Pattidari jagirdars ar th d sc ndants of jagirdars who w r giv n th status of
1809 ' and shar th jagir m
PUNJAB GAZETTEER
110 CHAP. III- ADMINISTRATION.
CHAPTER 111,C. pattis, all collat rals inh riting from shar rs dying without
R v nu Administration issu provid d th y can trac common d sc nt from an anc stor
living in 1809.
(3) Zaildari jagirdars hav th status of 1847. Th y ar not ind p nd nt
jagirdars but hold und r big sardars, who claim th right to succ d to >shar s
without h irs.
War jagirdars ar thos whos r ward for war s rvic s tak th form of an
x mption from Land R v nu or a charg on Land R v nu .
Jagir work is d alt with by a sp cial jagir staff with a s parat fil for ach jagir
dir ct by th D puty Commission r through Tahsildars.
Th amount of khalsa and gross assign d r v nu (including commutation) by

th final n w d mand is shown in th following stat m nt. Assign d r v nu
amounts to 43 p r c nt, of th total: —
T&hsfl. Jagir. Khalsa. Total.
Rs. Rs, Rs.

Rupar... ... ... 1,00,552 1,94,180 2,94,732
Kharar . 1,61969 1,77,575 3,39,544
Ambala ... 1,09,057 1,82,339 2,91,396'
Naraingarh 9'1,260 1,28.075 2,24,335
Morni 8,803 8,%03
Jagadbri 8,04,750
1,48,552 1,56,198
14,63,560
Total
6,25,195 8,:; 8,367
No disput of any importanc r garding th jagir status has aris n during th last
thirty y ars xc pt th cas of th Afghans of Aurangabad, Jagadhri tahsil, who W r
r gard d as muafidars at th last S ttl m nt. On th ir r pr s ntation it was h ld that
th ir chaharmi rights w r in th natur of a jagir and th y w r giv n th status of
1852.
Th total sum including commutation now distribut d among th

diff r nt class s of jagirdars is as follows: —
Major jagirdar ... ... 3,22,319
Pattidari jagirdars ... ... 2,85,749
Zaildari jagrrdai'S ... ... 17,125
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
VILLAGE IN TOTAL NUM-

Th
following tabl
Numb r of patti s.
total pattidari jagir
WHICH HELD. BER OF
shows by
tahsils th
Tahsil d tail d figur s
of pattidari
r vanu .
Famili s.
Whol .
Shar s.
Total.
jagirs:—
Part.
Th numb r of
Rs shar rs has-
Rupar … 33,810 16 31 47 148 405 8 d cr as d sinc
S ttl m nt
Kharar … 54,954 31 103 134 460 1,871 26 from 4,582 to 4,493,
Ambala … 97,804 48 103 151 213 814 21 and this is to b
Naraingarh… 32,919 12 72 85 143 532 27 account d for by
66,262 85 162 247 202 871 29 h avy mortality.
Jagadhri … P tty jagirdars who
own no lands find it
difficult to g t
Total … 2,85,749 193 471 664 1,166 4,493 111 marri d particularly
as th y hav to
import
th ir wiv s from th ir original hom s in th Manjha.
Th following tabl shows th pattidari famili s and shar s classifi d according to

th valu of th ir shar s as now asc rtain d : —
two annas
two annas
Rs. 100 to
Ov r Rs.
Rs.10 to
Rs.25 to
Rs.50 to
annas to
Rs. 1 to
Rs. 5 to
to Rs.1
to Rs.1
Rs.100
Rs.500
Valu
Total.
Rs.10
Rs.25
Rs.50
Four
Rs.5
500
of
shar s.
Famili 9 5 41 7 132 124 137 196 384 131 1,166
…
Shar s 40 45 303 283 1,105 991 595 525 506 100 4,493
…
N arly 400 shar rs draw amounts of on rup and l ss.

PUNJAB GAZETTEER
112 CHAP. III.—ADMINISTRATION.
SECTION B.—MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE.

Th r has b n a radical chang in th xcis administration. of provinc , All
local arrang m nts for th supply of country liquor w r abolish d in 1898 wh n
CHAP. III,C. th Ambala C ntral Distill ry and th Tahsil D pots w r clos d. Fiv lic ns d
Local and municipal distill ri s now supply th whol provinc . Th y ar at Solon, Sujanpur,
government.
Amritsar, Rawalpindi and Karnal.
Excise. Excis r v nu has ris n normously. In 1919-20 th country liquor shops, of
which th r ar 41 in numb r, w r auction d for a total f of Rs. 1, 04, 040. Th
Excis D partm nt has b n ov rhaul d and th n w sch m provid s for a mor
ff ctiv ch ck on illicit distillation. Th r is a Sub-Insp ctor ov r ach tahsil and
an Insp ctor at h ad. quart rs. Th ir vigilanc , polic co-op ration and d cr as in
opportunity to commit crim hav diminish d illicit distillation but J a t vi l la g s
a r not f r f r om s us pi c i on s ti l l .
Poppy cultivation has b n ntir ly prohibit d and xcis
opium is th only vari ty of which sal is p rmitt d now. Th r ar 49 opium shops
in th district which w r sold last y ar for Rs. 73,560.
Charas is import d from th war hous s at Hoshiarpur Amritsar and
Income-tex. Rawalpindi. Th r ar 30 shops for v nd of bhang and charas in th district and
w r sold last y ar for Rs. 33,920.
Incom -tax as ass ss d in th last fiv y ars has b n : —
1915-16. 1910-17. 1917-18 1918-19. 1019-20

Rs. Rss Rs. Rs. Rs
62,663 82,815 95,002 1,65,376 1,54,375
Stamps.
Profits during th war w r abnormal h nc th st ady ris in this tax.
R c ipts from stamps for th last thr y ars w r as follows: —
Court-fee Act .Stamps Jet. Total.
Rs. Rs. Rs.
1917-18 ... 1,45,230 53,407 1,98,637
1918-19 ... 1,34,852 66,145 2,00,997
1919-20 ... 1,55,020 84,656 2,39,676
The istrict Board. Litigation d cr as d during th war and is only gradually r gaining its old l v l.
SECTION E.—LOCAL AND MUNCIPAL GOVERNMENT.

Th District Board consists of 30 l ct d, 5 nominat d and11 x-offjicio
m mb rs. Th ex-ofiicio m mb rs ar th D puty Commission r, who is also th
Pr sid nt, th R v nu Assistant, th Sub-Divisional _ Offic r, Rupar, th Civil
Surg on, th Sup rint nd nt, Polic , th District Insp ctor of Schools and th fiv
Tahsildar.
AMBALA GAZETTEER,
CHAP. I11 — ADMINISTRATION. 113
Th district is divid d into 80 l ctoral circl s and th . CHAPTER, I11.C

Qualifications &f l ctors ar : —
Local and Municipal
Government .
“Ev ry mal p rson of not l s' than. 21Y ars of ag who pays in th district
Th District Board.
Rs. 2-9-8 p r annum or upwards as local rat , or who is a lumbardar, is qualifi d
to vot for th l ction in th circl of which h is a r sid nt.” Th m mb rs ar
gradually int r sting: th ms lv s in th activiti s of th Board and no mor
yawn at m ting's as idl sp ctators. Th right of l cting- m mb rs for th Punjab
L gislativ Council which was accord d to th District Boards by th Minto-
Morl y R form Sch m has mad m mb rship a much st m d offic .
Vacanci s ar v ry k nly cont st d now.
Among th manifold activiti s of th Board ducation is conspicuous. Th

Board maintains 6 V rnacular Upp r Middl Schools, 5 Low r V rnacular
Middl Schools, 164 Primary Schools for boys and 11 Primary Schools for girls.
T n n w Primary Schools ar start d v ry y ar. A larg numb r of stip nds ar
award d to succ ssful scholars, and a consid rabl amount of grant d aid is giv n
to institutions controll d by r ligious and local bodi s. Th total gross xp nditur
on ducation amount d to its. 84,831 in 1918-19.
Th Board maintains thr disp nsari s at Kharar, Mani majra and Naraingarh.
B sid s it contribut s on -half of th cost of maint nanc of th municipal
disp nsari s at Ambala, Jagadhri, Rupar and Sadhaura. Th f mal disp nsary run
by th Am rican Mission at Ambala. City is also h lp d by th Board. A staff of
vaccinators is maintain d for rural ar as.
Th l ngth of m tall d r ads maintain d by th Board is 94-31 mil s and of

unm tall d roads 280-25 mil s. Four civil and two district board r st-hous s and
four sarais ar maintain d by th Board. Th Lowis Pavillion, so-call d aft r
Major (aft rwards Li ut nant-Colon l) R. M. Lowis, som tim D puty
Commission r, Ambala, has also b n transf rr d to th District Board. It was
originally construct d for th Low is Club from funds rais d by public
subscription. It consists of suit of rooms clos to th Kutch ry building and is
us d by th Board now for m tings, Agricultural. Exhibitions and various oth r
purpos s. Th sarai at Barara built similarly by subscription and also call d aft r
Major (aft rwards Li u-t nant-Colon l) Lowis has b n transf rr d to th Board.
On station, gard r. at Ambala City (th Company Bagh) and anoth r at Jagadhri
ar also maintain d by th Board. Bunds for th prot ction of villag s from hill
torr nts hav b n construct d in t n diff r nt villag s only or partially at th
Boards xp ns . Th growth of r ds and grass on th s bunds brings in a small
incom . Th bazar at Mustafabad and som str ts in Naraingarh w r pav d by
th Board partially at its own xp ns . Th Board has now in hand th
construction of th Ambala-Naraingarh m tall d r ad, which is stimat d to cost
Rs. 1, 70,000.
114
[P U N J AB G A Z ETTE ER,
CHAP. III.—ADMINISTRATION.
Arboriculture is a source of considerable incom to th Board for which it arns

CHAPTER III, E. about Rs. 18,000 p r annum. Shisham, and babul tr s flourish in th road av nu s.
Local and Municipal Th Board maintains a staff of about 100 malis for d v loping roadsid plantation.
Government . Th District Board purchas s t n bulls annually from th Hissar Cattl Farm and
suppli s th m to villag s which contribut part of th pric . Th r ar sixty of
The District Board. th s now in th district. Th Board contribut s towards th maint nanc of fiv
v t rinary disp nsari s, on at th h adquart rs of ach tahsil. To improv th br d
of hors s and mul s six Arab pony stallions and fiv Hissar donk y stallions
ar also maintain d. Hors and cattl fairs ar h ld at Ambala and Morinda und r
th manag m nt of th Board, and priz s ar award d for th b st hors s and cattl
shown.
Th Board und rtak s to mak cons rvancy, wat r-supply tc., arrang m nts
at thr of th bigg st fairs in th district, viz., Gopal Mochan fair, n ar Bilaspur,
th Shah Kumais fair in Sadhaura and th Mansa D vi fair in Manimajra.
To m t xp ns s incurr d it l vi s small f s from shopk p rs. In th rainy
s ason th Board mploys a staff of Kahars for two or thr months to assist
p opl in crossing th str ams wh n th y ar in flood. Th r ar six f rri s on
th Sutl j (nam ly, Awankot, Sarai, Rupar, Miani, Mukkowal, Chahlan) controll d
by th District Board. Th y arn about Rs. 2,700 a y ar. Th Board also controls
th r gistration of marriag s and r -marriag s through Insp ctors and r gistra-
tion cl rks working und r th sup rvision of Tahsildars. A small f is l vi d for
th s ntri s. Th r ar 20 cattl pounds und r th Board's control.
Th main sourc of incom to th Board is th local-rat , which is l vi d at th
rat of 20 pi s p r rup of r v nu . Th total incom of th . Board amounts to
about 3. lakhs. Th Ambala District Board inv st d Rs. 70,900 in th War Funds
during th Gr at War.
Th r ar fiv municipaliti s in th district, nam ly, Ambala City, Jagadhri,
Municipaliti s. Buria, Sadhaura and Rupar. Th y ar all of th s cond class. . Th tabl app nd d
h r with shows th ir incom and xp nditur for th last thr y ars.
Th incom is d riv d mainly from octroi duti s. Th Ambala City Municipality
alon mak s arrang m nts for supplying drinking wat r though1 at consid rabl
xp ns and inconv ni nc owing to th unr liability of th w lls. Full d tails of
Wat r-supply sch m ar giv n und r th d scription of Ambala town. Th Buria
and Jagadhri Municipaliti s hav non-official Pr sid nts. Th D puty
Commission r is th Pr sid nt of th Ambala Municipality, th Sub-Divisional
Offic r, Rupar, that of th Rupar Municipality, and th Tahsildar,
Naraingarh, is th Pr sid nt of th Sadhaura Municipality. Th Ambala Municipal
Committ consists of tw lv m mb rs, 'Jagadhri, Rupar and Sadhaura
Committ s of nin m mb rs
AMBALA ISTRICT.]
ach, and th Buria Committ of s v n m mb rs. Th latt r

ar all nominat d. Ambala, Rupar and Sadhaura hav on CHAPTER III, F
nominat d m mb r ach and Jagadhri thr .
Public works.
INCOME. EXPENDUTURE.
Nam of
1916-17. 1917-18. 1918-19. 1916-17. 1917-18. 1918-19.
Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs. Rs.
Ambala City 1,74,593 90,027 1,08,227 86,470 1,83,732 94,740
Jagadhri … 35,663 38,754 41,559 38,900 37,073 37,300

Rupar … 36,379 35,105 47,866 66,385 32,841 60,937
Sadhaura … 12,973 13,242 13,461 11,438 13,978 26,733
Buria … 5,961 6,097 6,158 6,069 6,367 5,614
Kalka … 23,774 14,299 13,060 10,371 51,473 13,618
Kharar … 5,432 5,849 6,870 3,520 4,973

T
SECTION F. – PUBLIC WORKS.
Th r ar notifi d ar a committ s at Kalka and Kharar.
Th following is th stat m nt of incom and xp nditur :h r ar two canals
which pass through th district, th Sirhind Canal and th W st rn Jamna
Canal. Th Sirhind Canal as far as Ambala is conc rn d is administ r d by
th Ex cutiv Engin r, H ad Works Division, Rupar.
Th r ar two Sub-Divisional Offic rs und r him with h adquart rs at Rupar
and Rampur (Patiala Stat ) n ar Doraha Station, North-W st rn Railway.
Rupar was cr at d a division in 1915. Th Sup rint nding Engin r, Sirhind
Canal, has his h adquart rs at Ambala Cantonm nt.
Th W st rn Jamna Canal in this district is administ r d by th Ex cutiv
Engin r, Dadupur. It was a sub-division till 1918 wh n it was rais d to th
status of a division. Th r ar two sub-divisions with h adquart rs at
Taj wala and Dadupur.
Th roads and buildings in th district ar und r th control of th Ex cutiv
Engin r, Provincial Division, 'Ambala with h adquart rs at Ambala
Cantonm nt. A Sub-Divisional Offic r with h adquart rs at Ambala holds
imm diat charg . Th Grand Trunk Road which pass s through th district and
important provincial buildings ar maintain d by th Pubic Works D partm nt,
and th oth r roads and buildings hav been ntrust d for maint nanc to th
District Board which is r sponsibl for all p tty and annual r pairs.
116. [ PUNJAB GAZETTEER
CHAP. III ADMINISTRATION.
Th East Indian Railway and th North-W st rn Railway

APTER. III,G.
both trav rs th district. Both th Railways hav adminis- -
trativ offic rs at Ambala Cantonm nt. Th Locomotiv Sup rint nd nt,
ice and jails.
Kalka-Simla Railway, is station d at Kalka.
Th buildings and roads in Ambala and Kasauli Canton-
m nts ar administ r d by Offic rs of th Military D partm nt.
SECTION G.—POLICE AND JAILS.

Th . r gular polic forc of th district consists of 786 m n of all ranks. Th
Sup rint nd nt who controls this forc has usually on Assistant and on or two
D puti s und r him. Th Assistant Sup rint nd nt or on of th D puti s r mains
at h adquart rs. Anoth r D puty holds charg of th Sub-Division. Th r ar four
Insp ctors, two of whom, ar Europ ans, th Cantonm nt Insp ctor and th R s rv
Insp ctor. Th fourth is station d at h adquart rs as Court Insp ctor. Of th 27 Sub-
Insp ctors sanction d for th district 18 ar post d to polic stations and nin ar
mploy d on cl rical duti s.
Ambala is not a criminal district. Trafficing in wom n is th chi f crim . A
larg numb r of wom n abduct d from th hills ar purchas d and marri d by Jats.
Th following stat m nt giving th figur s for th last four y ars would
indicat th natur and volum of th s rious crim in th district: —
Murd rs. Dacoi- Robb ri s. Off nc s
ti s. und r s c-
tions 363-
368, I. P.C.
1915 … 17 4 8 35
1916 … 14 2 10 21
1917 … 11 3 12 26
1918 … 12 2 12 21
At th tim of th d mobilization aft r th Gr at War a numb r of s poys form d
th ms lv s into gangs of dacoits and waylaid pass ng rs in th suburbs of Ambala Cantonm nt.
Two of th s gangs w r arr st d, and th r hav b n no mor dacoiti s in that locality.
Th Rajput villag s of th Mulana parganah in Ambala and som Rajput and Gujar
villag s in Naraingarh, sp cially parganah Kotaha, ar addict d to cattl st aling. Som of
th Jat villag s of Rupar and Kharar hav a bad nam for crim s of viol nc g n rally
originating sin disput s about land and wom n, and Sadhaura in Naraingarh is a w ll-known
c ntr for prof ssional forg rs.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAPTER. III,G.
Th p opl of th district ar not addict d to much s rious.
crim on th whol , but from a polic point of vi w Ambala is a h avy district, Police and jails.
from its larg siz and irr gular formation; from th larg numb r of s parat
polic thanas, many of th m not r adily acc ssibl at all s asons of th y ar;
and from th way in which, it is surround d on all sid s and int rs ct d
with Nativ Stat s. Cattl st aling in th south, of th district can hardly b k pt
within r asonabl bounds without fr us of th s curity s ctions of th
Criminal Proc dur Cod . Th p opl ar apt to look on it in th light of a
g ntl manly mploym nt mor than a crim , and v n a villag h adman gains
rath r than los s influ nc by conniving at th ft, if ind d h do s not actually
participat . It is v ry common for th s cas s to b s ttl d summarily by th
p opl th ms lv s. Th own r of th cattl mak s nquiri s, finds out wh r th y
hav gon , and nt rs into t rms with th thi f paying a sum of
mon y as ransom (bunga) for th r turn of his prop rty. Th polic th n h ar
littl or nothing about th cas unl ss on or oth r of th parti s fails to act up
to his ngag m nt. If both parti s k p th ir word honorably th incid nt nds
without l aving bad blood. Th matt r is tr at d as a gam and th
los r consol s hims lf with' th hop that h will som day hav a chanc of
r taliating.
Th following is a list of th thanas and out-posts in th district: —

Tahsil Ambdla.—Ambala City, Ambala Sadar, Ambala Cantonm nt and
Mulana.
Tahsil Kharar.—Kharar, Chandigarh, Mubarikpur, Kalka and Kasauli.
Tahsil upar.—Rupar and Morinda.
Tahsil Naraingarh.—Naraingarh, Sadhaura, Raipur and
Road-post Patwi.
Tahsil Jagddhri.—Bilaspur, Jagadhri and Chhappar.
Th District Jail at h adquart rs has accommodation for
985 mal and 29 f mal prison rs. Th jail was t mporarily r duc d to th
status of a sub-jail on th 1st March 1918 on account of th s rious and growing
d fici ncy of wat r. Convicts of only six months' s nt nc and und r ar at
pr s nt d tain d h r , whil oth rs ar transf rr d to th C ntral
Jail at Lahor and th District Jail at Ludhiana. Th str ngth of th jail guard, as
at pr s nt constitut d, consists of a jailor, an assistant jailor, a h ad ward r, and
17 ward rs. All manufactur s c as d from th 1st March 1918, on which dat
th jail was conv rt d to a sub-jail. Convicts ar now mploy d on pr paring
articl s for th us of prison rs alon .
Th cont mplat d proj ct of stablishing a C ntral Jail at Ambala was

probably abandon d b caus of th insuffici nt supply of wat r.
118 [ PUNJAB GAZETTEER;
CHAP. III A MINISTRATION.
SECTION H.—ARMY.
Th district contains two Cantonm nts, Ambala and Kasauli. Th garrison
CHAPTER. III,H
Army
forms th Ambala Brigad , furth r particulars of which will b found in Chapt r
Garrison IV.
Recruiting B for th War d partm ntal r cruiting was carri d out by Class R cruiting
Offic rs. Und r this syst m if a Sikh of Ambala wish d to nlist h had to go to
Jullundur ; oth r cast s would probably hav to go to D lhi. In ith r cas
consid rabl nthusiasm would b n c ssary.
Most of th r cruiting how v r was don r gim ntally. It is stimat d that
th r w r about 2,800 Ambala m n in th army wh n war brok out. Most of
th s cam from th Rupar and Kharar tahsils.
In 1917 th t rritorial syst m of r cruiting was adopt d. A Divisional
R cruiting Offic r was stablish d at D lhi, and an Assistant R cruiting Offic r
was appoint d to nlist m n in th Ambala, Karnal and Saharanpur Districts; a
Naib-Tahsildar was appoint d to assist th R cruitomg Offic r in th Ambala
district. This syst m was not altog th r succ ssful, and in August 1917 a British
Offic r was appoint d as Assistant R cruiting Offic r for th Ambala district, with
pow rs to nlist on th spot. This offic r mad w kly visits to th principal
towns of th district.
M tings w r H ld and r gim ntal d pots w r form d to ncourag r cruits,
and a syst m was start d by which r cruits aft r a short p riod of training w r
s nt back on r cruiting duty b for b ing d spatch d to th ir r gim nt.
By th s m ans th r cruiting of th district was gr atly incr as d, and xt nd d
to cast s who had hith rto tak n no part.
In 1918 a quota of 9,000 was fix d by Gov rnm nt to b
provid d by th district in th y ar starting on April 1st.
On th basis of this figur quotas w r arrang d for ach
tahsil by giving a proportion of th m n of fighting ag to b nlist d from ach
villag .
Th proportions finally adopt d. W r :—
Rupar and Kharar … … 1in 6
Ambala ... … 1 in 8
Naraingarh and Jagadhri … … 1in 10
All towns … … 1in 20
Th quotas r quir d w r not, how v r, announc d till August and Octob r

1918 and th syst m coming to a clos with th armistic did not hav a long trial.
Th r cruiting fforts of th war r sult d in nlisting about 7,400 m n from th
district. Of th s about two-thirds cam from th main land-owning trib s, th
Sikh' Jats and Sainis h ading th list.
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER;.
Persian schools ar not much in vogu ; th y ar only found in th qasadhs, or larg

CHAPTER III,I. villag s. Th y ar g n rally s t up in his own hous by som individual who wants to t ach his
childr n, and mploys a t ach r on two or thr rup s a month ; oth rs, who wish to
hav th ir sons ducat d, too, s nd th ir boys, and giv th t ach r
Education. from two to ight annas a month, according to th ir m ans. Th
incom of th t ach r is thus mad up to Rs. 8 or his. 10 a month.
Boys com to school at from 5 to 6, som as lat as 10; th y r ad for
ight or nin y ars, som as long as 12 or 13. Many th n g t paying
mploym nt of som kind, and discard th ir books. Th par nts ar
too l ni nt, and do not insist upon th att ntion of th childr n;
som cannot pay th t ach r, and th boys ar withdrawn. Th t ach rs ar m n of unfinish d
ducation. Th y ar not xamin d r vious to th ir appointm nt, and ar many of th m ignorant of
v rything but how to r ad and writ . Th t ach r r ads out th
l sson, which th childr n r p at aft r him, som f w r p at from
m mory. Th y hav a r p tition day onc a w k, g n rally Thurs
day, in th for noon. In th aft rnoon of that day-th y l arn po try,
,and in th v ning cap v rs s. In som schools on of th boys is mploy d as an assistant to th
mast r, and h ars, v ry day, th r p tition of th pr vious day's l sson. Th cours of r ading is
v ry low; works on thics and morals ar not r ad. Th y ar taught to r ad and writ in all th
schools, and in som th y ar taught to cyph r. Th first att mpts at writing tr upon a chalk d
board, with a p n mad from th surpat grass. Th n th y com to pap r doubl d twic ; a finish d
p nman writ s on a thin pi c of pap r, only support d by his hands. Abs nc is punish d by
admonition, pulling th ars, and. caning. If a boy do s not com , anoth r is always s nt to bring
him; v ry boy is numb r d wh n h com s into school, and wh n th y ar dismiss d ar s nt away
in th ord r th y cam , th first with on pat on th hand, th s cond with two, and so
on. Th last boy who com s into school, and who is call d a phadi, g ts th most
pats, and th s a trifl hard r than th r st. Inatt ntion and stupidity ar punish d as abov ,
and by r fusal, of th indulg nc of holidays. Boys ar xp ll d for th ft and any oth r s rious
misconduct. Tutors ar r sp ct d and look d up to, and th appointm nt is on much sought aft r. Fridays ar
holi days, as ar th Akhiri Char Shamba, th last W dn sday of th month Rajab, and oth r f ast days and
(teohars) f stivals. On th occasion of th ir f stivals th childr n giv small pr s nts of thr or four pic to th ir
tutors, calling it Idi. Nothing of artisanship is taught by any r sp ctabl schoolmast r.
“Th chatsals, or Hindi schools, ar g n rally h ld at th hous of th padha t ach r, if not at th

chaupal, or oth r public plac . Th s schools ar principally att nd d by Banias, and th att ntion
of th pupils is confin d to accounts. Th first thing taught is th pahara, multiplication tabl . Each
tabl is call d a kotha, from its similarity to th ir roof. Th mast r r c iv s on anna from th pupil
for ach tabl h l arns, up to 10 tim s. Th s tabl s do not stop at 12, as ours do, but th y go on to
100 tim s. Aft r th first t n tabl s hav b n mast r d, th mast r g ts paid four annas for v ry addi-
tional t n tabl s taught. Boys g n rally l arn up to forty or fifty tim s of ach tabl ; a f w, how v r,
l arn up to on hundr d. Wh n th multiplication tabl is l arnt, which it g n rally is in four or fiv
months, th mast rs g t on rup four annas in advanc , and in th month of Bhddon, th y visit ach
hous , and ar paid four annas in coin, and g t cloth worth ight annas from ach hous . This
visiting is call d chauk chakara. Th y also r c iv 1 ½ s rs of grain from ach pupil on Sunday,
which day is a holiday. Th rudim nts of writing ar taught on th ground; l tt rs ar form d in
th dust, with a blunt d r d; wh n th pupils hav l arnt how to from th l tt rs, a board is giv n
to th m, and th tutors th n r c iv a pr s nt
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
of from on rup to on rup four annas. Wh n th y hav com- p lt d th ir ducation CHAPTER. III, L
in writing, a pr s nt of on or two rup s, or a cow or cloth s, ar giv n. Childr n go at
fiv or six rup s or ag . Th r is no pr vious xamination. Th y tak about two-and-a-haif Education.
y ars to finish th cours . Th t ach r says th l sson, and th boys
r p at aft r him. Som tim s th cl v r st boy says th l sion and
th oth rs r p at aft r him. This is call d maharani. Th . firnt thing
th y ar taught is to prais God, which th y do by r p ating and
writing th words onamassi dhan,' a corruption of th thr words,
' Auj nama Sidhun,' which m an ' Ob isanc to God and th Saints.
Punishm nts ar of th sam d scription as in th P rsian schools. Boys ar xp ll d in th
sam way, and for th sam r asons; and th tutors ar r sp ct d and look d up to.
" Pathshala, Sanskrit Schools.—Boys’ g n rally com to th s at six or s v n y ars of ag ,
and r ad 10 y ars; som l ss than this; som tim s a Pandit t ach s young Brahmans of
from 15 to 20 y ars of ag . Th s latt r liv by b gging in th villag s, and giv . Th
t ach r th b n fit of th ir s rvic s. Th s l arn rs ar call d Biddhyaratis Th y hav
many holidays—about ight a month—on th days of chang of th moon. Chaudas is
r p tition day. Nothing but Sanskrit is taught.
“Maktabs for learning Arabic.—Zamindars who wish that th ir childr n should hav a
finish d ducation s nd th m to th Muazzina. At th mosqu . Th s m n g n rally know
som portion of th Quran by h art. Th y t ach th youth what th y know, though v ry
oft n n ith r of th m und rstands th m aning of it. Th p rson who r coll cts th whol
Quran is ntitl d to th distinguishing nam of Hafiz-but it is v ry oft n giv n to thos who
'r coll ct v ry littl . Th instruction is not confin d to boys; grown m n som tim s com
to l arn it, and littl girls. Th t ach rs ar paid by cook d food, grain, or cloth s.
R p tition is g n rally on Thursdays ; som tim s on Mondays and Thursdays. Fridays and
oth r f ast days ar holidays. Punishm nts, &c, as .abov .
“Th r ar only two plac s wh r Gurmukhi is taught. Th l arn rs giv according to th ir
ability. Th ir ducation is compl t d in two or thr y ars."
Th distribution of scholars by r ligion and th occupations of th ir fath rs, as it stood in
1882-83, is shown b low: —
D tail. Boys. Girls.
Europ ans and Eurasians … … …

…
17 …
Nativ Christ ns … …
… 3,094 17
Hindus … … 1,828 42
…
397 1
Mussalmans … …
… 4 …
Sikhs … …
…
Oth rs … …
…
Childr n of agriculturists …
… 2,960 37
,, ,, non agriculturists … 3,180 23

…
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER;
122 CHAP. III. -ADMINI STR ATION.

CHAPTER . III, I. Th old syst m is obsol t and has b n r plac d by w ll organiz d schools
maintain d by Gov rnm nt, by local bodi s and privat nt rpris . Th two
Insp ctors of th division with th ir Assistants and on District Insp ctor with
Education. his Assistants constitut th controlling and sup rvising ag ncy. Th r is on
Gov rnm nt High School at Ambala City. Th District Board maintains 170
V rnacular Middl and Primary Schools and th municipal bodi s
and local committ s maintain 17 Upp r and Low r Middl Schools. As
r gards privat bodi s th Arya Samaj maintains 6 schools, local Hindu
Soci ti s 22, th Singh Sabha 5, th Islamic Soci ti s 14 and th
Christian Missions 3. B sid s th s th Arya Samaj runs 6 schools for th
Th distribution of Chamars and oth r d pr ss d class s and th D v Samaj 3 schools of a similar
Scholars by r ligion charact r. All th s ar boys' schools. For girls th r ar thirty schools in th
district, 13 run by th local bodi s, 6 by Christian Missions and th r st by
privat nt rpris .
1- Th following stat m nt shows th numb r of boys

of ach r ligion att nding school in 1890 and 1919: —
1890. 1919.
F mal s.
Mal s. F mal s. Mal s.
Non-Brahman Hindus 30 5,986 609

Sikhs ... … 15 2,324 53
… 520
Jains ... … 141 ... 137 38
…
Numb r and kinds Mussalmans … 1,778 95 4,184
of school. … 363
Christians … 139 116 79 158
…
Oth r r ligions (d pr ss d ... ... 504 5
class s)
Brahmans … ..V 1,915 123
…
2. (1) High Schools.—In th district th r ar 10 High
Schools for boys with an av rag att ndanc of 2,814. Th y
ar : —
(I) Gov rnm nt High School, Ambala- City.
(ii) Anglo-Sanskrit High School, Ambala City.
(i i i) Khalsa High School, Ambala City.
(iv) Mission High School, Ambala City.,
(v) Muslim High School, Ambala City.
(vi) Banarsi Das High School, Ambala Cantonm nt.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
(vi) Hindu-Muhammadan High School, Ambala Cantonm nt CHAPTER.III,I
(viii) Municipal Board High School, Jagadhri.
Education.
(ix) Muncipal Board High School, Rupar.
(a) London Baptist Mission High School, Kharar. Numb r and kiads
No. (i) is manag d by Gov rnm nt, Nos. (viii) and (ix) by municipal of School.
committ s, No. (vi) by Rai Sahib Lala Banarsi Das and th r st by r ligious and
privat bodi s.
(2) Middle Schools.—Th s hav an av rag att ndanc
of 1,782 boys and ar of two typ s, (a) Anglo-V rnacular, (b)
V rnacular. At pr s nt th r ar 4 Anglo-V rnacular Middl
Schools, viz., (1) Coronation Middl School, Kalka Notifi d
Ar a, (2) Muslim School, Sadhaura, (3) King G org School,
Kasauli, (4) Khalsa School, Chamkaur. No. 1 is manag d
by a public body, Nos. 2 and 4 by r ligious bodi s and No. 3
by a local committ . In1 addition to th s th r ar 13 Anglo-V rnacular
Schools up to th 5th Low r Middl standard. Th r ar 7 V rnacular Middl
Schools at Mulana, Bilaspur, Naraingarh, Kharar, Manimajra, Morinda and
Buria. Th y ar all District Board Schools xc pt Buria,
which is a Municipal Board School. B sid s th s , th r ar at pr s nt 5 Low r
Middl Schools up to th 6th. Class but th ir numb r will soon b rais d to
about 25.
(3) Primary Schools.—Th s ar 162 distribut d as follows
ov r th diff r nt taljsils: —
(a) Ambala ... ... ... 37

(6) Jagadhri ... ... ... 23
(c) Naraingarh ... ... ... 26
(d) Kharar ... ... ... 45
( ) Rupar ... ... ... 31
Total … ... 162
Th av rag att ndanc at th s schools last y ar was 9,531. To s v ral of

th s w ll grad d Mahajani class s ar attach d. Th languag taught in most of
th schools is Urdu, but in som Hindi is taught as a s cond v rnacular and
in oth rs Hindi is th m dium.
(4) Industrial Schools.—Th s ar only two with an
av rag att ndanc of 95 boys. Both ar maintain d by Municipal Boards, on
at Ambala City and th oth r at Rupar. Th y ar up to th 5th Class and
t ach carp ntry and drawing.
(5) Low-caste Schools.—Th s ar 9 in numb r with an
av rag att ndanc of 276 boys. Th y ar maintain d by th Arya and th D v
Samaj s. Th y t ach th 3 R's with Hindi as th m dium of instruction.
124 [PUNJAB GAZETTEER:
CHAP. III.—ADMINISTRATION.
CHAPTER III, I. (G) Indigenous Schools.—Th s ar t n in numb rs and
Education. t ach Hindi and Sanskrit only.
Numb r and Kinds of (7) Elementary Branch Schools.—Forty-four in numb r,
schools. maintain d by th High and Middl Schools chi fly as f d rs.
Th Christian Missions also maintain th m wh r a school of
a high r standard is not possibl .
Th Girls' Schools ar all Primary Schools, xc pting th
two Mission Schools in Ambala City.
Th following is a comparison with th condition in
1888: —
Kind of School, Number in Number in
1888 1920
High … … 2 10
Anglo-V rna ular Middl … 5 4
Middl … … 11 12
Primary … … 89 162
Industrial … … … 2
Low-cast … … … 9
Indig nous … … … 10
El m ntary branch … … … 44
Total … 107 266
Girls' Schools.
Anglo-V rnacular Middl … … 2

SECTIONAL SCHOOLS.
Boys' Schools.
High … … 1 6
Anglo-V rnacular Middl … 1 15
Primary … … 24 63
Girls Schools.
Anglo-V rnacular Middl … … 1
V rnacular Middl … … 1
Primary, … … … 15
History of som Th Mission High School at Ambala City is th pr mi r institution

of th institution in th district. It was start d in 1839 by th Am rican Pr sbyt rian
Mission and had a building of its own r ct d in 18541 Th
Municipal Board School at Ambala City was conv rt d into a
Gov rnm nt School in 1905. Th Anglo-Sanskrit High School
was start d in 1897 by public
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. III.—ADMINISTRATION 125
subscription. Th Khalsa High School was start d lat r and. CHAPTER II, J.
th Muslim High School cam into xist nc in 1913. All
th s privat schools r c iv grants-in-aid from th Gov rnm nt. Th r ar Medical
two High Schools in Ambala Cantonm nt. History of som Th Hindu-
Muhammadan High School was start d in 1892 and was manag d by a body History of som \of
of Hindus and Muhammadans till 1913 wh n it was mad ov r to th control of th institutions
th Cantonm nt Committ . Rai Bahadur Lala Banarsi Das, bank r and mill-
own r, Ambala Cantonm nt, runs a High School mainly at his own xp ns .
H has r c ntly announc d th g n rous int ntion of raising it to th status of a
coll g . Th Municipal Board, Rupar, maintains a High School with a grant-
in-aid from th Gov rnm nt. Th London Baptist Mission School at Kharar
was start d in 1892 and rais d to th status of a High School in 1913. Its
sp cial f atur s ar an Agricultural and a Tailoring Class and a Co-op rativ
Soci ty for th purchas of books, station ry, tc., for th boys. Th Municipal
Board, Jagadhri, also maintains a High School with a grant-in-aid from th
Gov rnm nt and th District Board. Th Kalka Notifi d Ar a Committ
maintain an Anglo-V rnacular Middl School with h lp from Gov rnm nt and
th East Indian and Kalka-Simla Railway Boards. Th Khalsa School,
Chamkaur, is manag d by a local committ with is som aid from th
Chi f Khalsa Diwan. Th Muslim School, Sadhaura, is maintain d by a
local Anjuman. It was start d in 1915 and r c iv s a grant-in-aid from
Gov rnm nt. A Primary School is maintain d at Sanawar. It was start d by
public subscription and r c iv s a grant-in-aid from th Gov rnm nt.
Th Am rican Pr sbyt rian Mission maintains a Girls* School at Ambala
City and th Baptist Mission on at Kharar. Rai Bahadur Panna Lai, Rais, runs a
Pathshala at his own xp ns in Ambala City. Th r ar Mission Schools for
girls at Buria and Jagadhri.
Th r is th Lawr nc Royal Military School at Sanawar. 'It was found d
by Sir H nry Lawr nc , aft r whom, it is call d, and is xclusiv ly for th
b n fit of th childr n of British soldi rs; it is maintain d by th Gov rnm nt of
India. Th childr n numb r 500—250 boys and 250 girls. Th pr s nt Principal,
th R v. G. D. Barn , M.A., has organis d th school on th hous syst m. Th
staff is ampl and w ll qualifi d.
SECTION J.—MEDICAL.
Th r ar thr charitabl hospitals maintain d by th District Board in th
district; th Municipal Towns of Ambala, 'Jagadhrij Rupar and Sadhaura, ach
maintain a charitabl hospital in th ir town. Th Notifi d Ar a of Kalka also
maintains a charitabl hospital.
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER,;.
On disp nsary maintain d by th Irrigation D partm nt at Dadupur-; also affords

CHAPTER III J. charitabl m dical r li f to out-.M dical pati nts. Although, th r ar no
Gov rnm nt or Local Fund M dical institutions d vot d to th r li f of wom n
Medical and childr n only, th r ar s v ral such maintain d by oth r ag nci s.
Thus in th city of Ambala an out-door disp nsary is maintain d for wom n and
childr n by th charity of a privat donor, and in Ambala City and Jagadhri Towns
hospitals for wom n and childr n ar maintain d by Missionary Ag ncy.
At Kharar som m dical work is don by th Baptist "Mission” Th Polic ,
Railway and Canal Disp nsari s do not call
for r mark, as th y ar for th sol us of th d partm nts conc rn d.
Th total xp nditur on all Local Fund M dical Institu~ tions for th whol y ar
1918 was Rs. 36,042.
During that y ar 141,741 out-door pati nts and 2,555 indoor pati nts w r tr at d.
Vaccination is compulsory in Ambala City, Jagadhri Town and Rupar Town.
Th district is not mor subj ct to th visitation of pid mic dis as than
n ighbouring districts and is not s v r ly aff ct d by malaria, and th r was hardly any
Th Ambala L p r plagu during 1918; although influ nza pr vail d as an pid mic in that y ar th r w r
Asylum many districts which suff r d much wors .
This Asylum was found d in 1856. It was built and at .Cantonm nts, but lat r aid d
larg ly by Gov rnm nt and th Mission to L p rs in India and th Far East. It is situat d
north- ast of th city and north of th Grand Trunk Road. ,Th buildings hav b n
nlarg d so as to provid accommodation for about ighty pati nts, although th av rag
att ndanc is only about fifty, and a small chap l op n on all sid s was built by th
L p r Mission. Th obj cts of th Asylum ar not only s gr gation of poor l p rs and
th all viation of th ir physical suff rings, but th ir moral and spiritual improv m nt as
w ll. Th r is hop that an actual cur for l prosy has b n found. During th past y ar
sp cial tr atm nt has b n giv n to 32 l p rs by th lady doctor in charg of th Z nana
Mission Hospital und r th sup rvision of Sir L onard Rog rs, and in th cas of thos
who hav continu d to r c iv inj ctions th r is improv m nt du to both sp cial 'di t
and m dical tr atm nt. 'An Indian Compound d with sp cial training att nds to th
m dical tr atm nt of th inmat s und r th honorary sup rvision of th abov nam d
lady .doctor, whil anoth r Indian living in th -Asylum compound
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
looks aft r th g n ral n ds of th inmat s und r th sup rvision of a r sid nt CHAPTER III, K.
missionary. Th Civil Surg on of th is station has g n ral sup rvision of th Asylum.
Und r th n w sch m th Punjab Gov rnm nt has assum d practically th ntir Misc llan ous
r sponsibility for th institution and mak s a grant of 8 p r adult l p r p r month, th
Am rican Pr sbyt rian Mission furnishing fr th s rvic s of th lady doctor and th
Missionary Sup rint nd nt.
With Gov rnm nt Funds und r th sup rvision of Sir L onard Rog rs th lat st
tr atm nt for l prosy was b gun in March 1919. Of th 32 l p rs who b gan th
tr atm nt only 6 p rsist d, and at th nd of a y ar all G show d som b n fit du , no
doubt, partly to th drug, sodium morrhuat , and partly to a good di t. At pr s nt about
26 ar und r th sp cial tr atm nt. A good Hindu Compound r has b n ngag d who
was giv n a sp cial training in th tr atm nt of l prosy. H not only giv s th
hypod rmic inj ctions but s s that ach pati nt g ts his sp cial di t.
Th tr atm nt is sup rvis d by th lady physician in charg of th Philad lphia
Hospital (th Z nana Mission Hospital) and gr at hop s ar nt rtain d.that a
p rman nt cur will b ff ct d in tim .
SECTION K.—MISCELLANEOUS.
Th Gr at War brok out on August 4, 1914. At that War work in th tim th r
w r only 2,851 m n of this district in th Army Ambala District. Of th s all but a
v ry small numb r cam from th Rupar and Kharar tahsilis. Th assistanc of th civil War work in th
authoriti s was d finit ly invok d in 1916 wh n th District Offic rs w r call d upon Ambala District
to furnish 1,500 cam l sarwans and 2,000 mul t rs for an m rg ncy in M sopotamia.
Th Ambala contribution was m agr as 5 sarwans and 22 mul t rs nlist d.
Th class syst m of r cruiting which obtain d b for th War did not answ r th
purpos . Th t rritorial syst m was th r for adopt d from January 1917. A Divisional
R cruiting Offic r was appoint d to nlist r cruits of all class s obtain d in th ar a for
which h . was appoint d. In August 1917 Captain H. K. Tr vaskis, I.C.S., was
appoint d Assistant R cruiting Offic r with pow rs to nlist on th spot. H arrang d
w kly visits to Kharar, Chhachhrauli (or Jagadhri) and Sadhaura* A Sp cial
R cruiting M dical Offic r was also appoint d. Th s faciliti s h lp d r cruiting much
in ar as with a pr vious tradition. But som thing mor was r quir d to nurs r cruits
from th n w class s. Th syst m of r gim ntal d pots was d vis d. Th d pots of 1
/18th at Abdullapur and of th 36th Sikhs at Chhachhrauli for Sikhs and Hindu Jats
prov d continuously succ ssful. N w r cruits mad far th b st r cruit rs. Th y w r
giv n a short training and out on r cruiting duty b for dispatch to th ir r gim nts.
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER
Following on th announc m nt that Gov rnm nt xp ct d From th district a

CHAPTER II, K.
quota of 9,000 in th y ar b ginning with April 1st 1918 quotas were fixed for
Miscellaneous ach tahsil and v ntually for ach town and inhabit d villag . Owing to various
caus s th r was gr at d lay in working out th quotas and th syst m did not hav
War work of th a long trial. R cruiting, how v r, was in full swing wh n th influ nza and th
district Armistic put an nd to it. As many as 7,299 r cruits had b n nlist d by that tim .
About two-thirds of th s w r provid d by th main landowning class s of th
district. Sikh Jats did b st and th -•\ Sainis cam n xt to th m. Th Mali's and
Hindu Gujars w r th worst.
Th contributions of th district to th "War Funds w r lib ral. Fourt n lakhs
w r inv st d in th First "War Loan which was announc d in 1917. Th purchas of
cash c rtificat s was .stimulat d in villag s and about 8 lakhs out of 14 ar b li v d
to hav b n rais d in this mann r. Th S cond War Loan was announc d in May
1918. Th instructions w r to obtain no inv stm nts from th class s which could
nlist in th Army. Inv stm nts in th form of cash c rtificat s w r discourag d. In
spit of th s m asur s th total inv stm nts of th Ambala district in th S cond
"War Loan amount d to Rs. 7,35,556.
Rup s 70,000 w r subscrib d to th Imp rial Indian R li f Fund in th arly
days of th War and Rs. 12,347 lat r on in th Punjab A ro plan Fund. Rs. 14,620
w r coll ct d to provid articl s r quir d by th War Hospitals in Cantonm nts.
Rup s 4,164 w r coll ct d towards th Ambala Ladi s War Fund, out of which Rs.
1,500 w r r mitt d to Lady O'Dwy r's Comforts Fund and th balanc put into th
Imp rial R li f Fund. Rup s L300 w r coll ct d for th Princ of Wal s Fund and
Rs. 46,745 w r r c iv d for ' Our Day.'
For d tails of conspicuous war work don and honors award d th r for th
r ad r is r f rr d to th print d Ambala District War R cord.
Two hundr d and nin lic ns s w r issu d during th y ar 1919 for th prot ction
-Arms Lic ns s.
of crops and 809 for th purpos s of sport or prot ction of lif and prop rty. Of th
latt r 76 ar military lic ns s h ld fr of charg . Fifty-thr hold rs ar x mpt d
from th obligation of obtaining lic ns s.
Th r ar six stat s und r th Court of Wards. A' bri f account of th s

Court of Wards.
follows:
Manudli.—It was first tak n, und r sup rint nd nc on 7th S pt mb r 1909 on
account of th minority of Sardar Umrao Singh. It was r l as d on 15th Nov mb r
1918 on th ward's attaining majority, but was r -notifi d on th sam day on account
of th ward's incapability to manag his own affairs. In 1909 th stat was
ind bt d to th xt nt of
[AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAPTER II, K
Rs. 50,000. Th incom of th stat amount d to Rs. 92,857 including a jagir of Rs.
48,381. Th d bt has b n cl ar d off and th stat is prosp rous. It inv st d Rs.
Miscellaneous
75,000 in th War Loans and purchas d 19 squar s of land in Lyallpur Court of Wards,
and Montgom ry. Rup s 1,74,500 hav b n advanc d to oth r stat s. Sardar
Court of wards
Umrao Singh has r c ntly b n appoint d Assistant Manag r to giv him som
xp ri nc .
Kotaha.—Th stat cam und r th Court of Wards on th 1st F bruary 1911 on
account of th incapability „and ind bt dn ss of Mir Muhammad Jafar Ali Khan. A
d tail d account of th family is giv n ls wh r . Th incom of th stat amounts to
Rs. 37,065 including a jagir of Rs. 12,109. Rup s 23,000 p r annum ar contribut d to
th main stat at Bulandshahr towards liquidating d bt.
Ripur —Th stat was tak n up on 19th Jun 1906 on' account of th incapability
of th Rais Rao Bald r Singh. D bts amount d to Rs. 1,13,002, out of which Rs.
46,500 r main to b paid off. Th annual incom of th stat is Rs. 19,180 including a
jagir of Rs. 4,154.
Mdnakmdjra.—Th stat cam und r sup rint nd nc on ' 29th F bruary 1912
on account of th minority of th Rais S. Jogindar Singh. Th liabiliti s
which amount d to Rs. 6,070 hav b n cl ar d off. Th annual incom of
th stat amounts to Rs. 14,416 including a jagir of Rs. 9,982.
Kandhola.—Th stat was tak n up on 6th May 1902 on account of th
minority of th Rais S. Bhagwan Singh. Th stat had to pay d bts amounting to
Rs. 13,730. Th s hav b n liquidat d. Th annual incom of th stat amounts
to Rs. 9,905 including a jagir of Rs. 7,237.
Th D puty Commission r acts as R gistrar and ach Tahsildar is a joint sub-
r gistrar for his tahsil. Th r ar also d partm ntal sub-r gistrars at Ambala City,
Jagadhri, Naraingarh and Rupar and honorary sub-r gistrars at Kharar and Ramgarh.
Th Cantonm nt Magistrat s of Ambala and Kasauli ar also sub-r gistrars within
th ir r sp ctiv jurisdictions.
CHAPTER IV.
PLACES 0F INTEREST
CHAPTER IV Ambala is situat d in th op n plain b tw n th Ghaggar, and Tangri Naddis, in a
Plac s of Int r st north latitud 30° 21' and ast longitud 76° 52' and had a total population,
including th City and Cantonm nt, of 80,131 at th tim of th 1911 C nsus. It was
Ambala found d during th 14th c ntury and th found r is suppos d to h on Amba
Rajput, from whom it d riv s its nam , It s ams mor lik ly, how v r, that th nam
is a corruption of " Ambala," or th mango-villag , judging from th numb r of
mango grov s that xist in its imm diat n ighbourhood. Th town ros to no
importanc ith r in " Imp rial or Sikh tim s. In 1809, wh n th Cis-Sutl j Stat s
cam und r British prot ction, th stat of Ambala was h ld by Day a Kaur, widow
of Sardar Gurbakhsh Singh, who had di d in 1783. Th town had b n originally
conqu r d by on Sangat Singh, but was tr ach rously wr st d from him by
Gurbakhsh Singh, whom h had ntrust d with its guardianship. Daya Kaur was
t mporarily j ct d by Ranjit Singh in 1908, but was r stor d by G n ral
Ocht rlony. On h r d ath, which occurr d in 1823, th stat laps d to th British
Gov rnm nt, and th town was fix d upon as th r sid nc of th Political Ag nt for
th Cis-Sutl j Stat s. In 1843 th pr s nt cantonm nt was stablish d, and in
1849 Ambala b cam th h adquart rs of a district and division und r th n wly
form d Punjab Administration.
Th City Th City its lf is unwall d, and consists of two portions known as th old and
n w town. Th latt r has sprung up sinc th location of th cantonm nts, and
consists of a main str t,, straight and about 30 f t wid , which was laid out by Sir
G org Clark wh n Political Ag nt. In th old town th str ts ar as usual narrow,
dark and tortuous. Th principal str ts ar pav d with Kankar, and drain d by op n
sid drains. Th wat r-supply has always giv n troubl . Th pr s nt supply ^is
d riv d from Hand sra on th Tangri .Naddi ight mil s from th City. Th wat r is
pump d from w lls, at Hand sra to a r s rvoir in th City. This supply was
op n d in 1896. From th first th yi ld was l ss than was anticipat d, and it has
sinc st adily fall n. As a r sult th pr s nt supply is quit inad quat . Exp rim nts
for incr asing th supply hav b n mad by laying a horizontal strain r tub und r
th b d of th Tangri. Th r sults hav b r, favourabl , and a subsidiary pumping
station is to b install d. A drainag syst m was compl t d in 1905, und r which
two s wag farms w r construct d outsid th City, wh r th s wag is pump d
from tanks on to th fi lds by oil ngin s
AMBALA DISTRICT. ]
CHAP. IV.—PLACES OF INTEREST. 131
Th Municipal Committ consists of 12 l ct d, 3 x- Officio and 2 CHAPTER IV

nominat d m mb rs, pr sid d ov r by th D puty commission r.
Plac s of int r st
Th r has b n a consid rabl incr as in schools of r c nt y ars. Th r ar
now in Ambala City 5 High Schools, 8 Indig nous Schools, 1 Th City
Municipal Girls School, and . 1 Municipal Industrial School. Ambala is
w ll situat d from a comm rcial point of vi w. Th r is a consid rabl trad in
grain; cotton goods, darris and glass ar th principal manufactur s. Th Imp rial
St am-roll r Flour Mills w r r c ntly r ct d by Lala Balmukand. B sid s a larg
Civil Hospital th r is B hari Lai's Lady Harding F mal Hospital, a f mal
hospital manag d by th Am rican Mission, a Jail Disp nsary, a Polic Hospital,
and a L p r Asylum. Th Courts of th D puty Commission r and Magistrat s ar
situat d n ar th Railway station; about half a mil to th south’s his w st of th
City, tog th r with th District Offic s, Tr asury and District Board Offic . To
th south- ast of th City li th Civil Lin s, th District Judg 's Court, th Polic
barracks and th jail.
Th Cantonm nt li s four mil s to th south- ast of th Th Cantonm nts Th Cantonm nt

City, and cov rs an ar a of 9,930-17 acr s. It dat s from 1843. It is said that
aft r th abandonm nt of th Karnal -^ Cantonm nt in 1841 on account of th
pr val nc of malaria, th troops w r marching to a plac n ar Sirhind which
had b n s l ct d as th sit for th n w Cantonm nt. A halt of two days was
mad at Ambala and th h alth of th troops so improv d that halt was
prolong d, with th r sult that th malaria altog th r disapp ar d. In
cons qu nc of it his it was d cid d to mak th n w Cantonm nt at Ambala.
Th Ambala Brigad , which was pr viously part of th Lahor Division,

ros during th war to th status of an ind p nd nt brigad und r a Major-
G n ral. This arrang m nt c as d aft r th war and th brigad now com s
und r, th 16th Division, and is command d by a Li ut nant-Colon l with a
brigad staff.. Th normal post-war garrison us d to consist of—I
1 Batt ry, Royal Hors Artill ry.;
1 Batt ry, Royal Fi ld Artill ry.
1 Ammunition Column.
1 Infantry Brigad H adquart rs.
1 Battalion, British Infantry.
1 Squadron, Royal Air Forc .
1 Indian Cavalry D pot.
1 Battalion, Indian Infantry or Pion rs.
3 Mul Corps.
Th Brigad H adquart rs and half th British Infantry go to th

hills for th hot w ath r.
K2
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER
132 CHAP. IV.—PLACES OF INTEREST.
CHAPTER IV. Th staff includ s a D puty 'Assistant Dir ctor of Supply

Plac s of int r st
Th Cantonm nt and Transport and an Assistant Commanding- Royal Engin r, whil
th r is a Garrison Engin r in charg of, buildings and public works of th
station. Th -M dical D partm nt, including th station hospital which contains
220 b ds, is und r th control of an Assistant Dir ctor of M dical S rvic s.
Th r is a Military Grass Form, which, tog th r with th Indian Cavalry Grass
farm, cov rs a total ar a of 2,479 acr s. Th r is also a Military Dairy Farm to
th w st of th Cantonm nt cov ring an ar a of 334 acr s, with' about 450 cows
and buffalo s. Th dairy is fitt d with th lat st machin ry and applianc s, and
has its own l ctric plant. Th Garrison Church is consid r d on of th fin st in
th provinc , and will s at mor than 1,000 p rsons. Th Sirhind Club, in th
middl of th station, was found d in 1891 and has at pr s nt 250 m mb rs.
Th r ar a numb r of Europ an shops in th Cantonm nt, and s v ral good
hot ls. N ar th British Infantry barracks is on of Miss Sand 's Soldi rs,j
Hom s wh r th m n can g t good food at r asonabl pric s, and whol som
r cr ation. Th hom is manag d on xc ll nt lin s, and th fforts of Miss
Sh pard, th Sup rint nd nt, for th w lfar of th soldi rs ar much,
appr ciat d by th m n of th Garrison.
Th Cantonm nt wat r-supply pr vious to 1908 was d
riv d ntir ly from w lls at Kayra on th banks of th Tangri
Naddi, about fiv mil s north- ast of th station. This supply
was install d about fifty y ars ago. In 1908 a pip d supply
was op n d from Bibyal, also on th banks of th Tangri,
two mil s ast of Cantonm nts, at th cost of about s v n
lakhs. Th latt r is now th only supply us d for drinking
purpos s, th Kayra supply b ing us d only for wat ring ani
mals, roads and gard ns. Th Kayra supply d p nds on a
masonry duct which is in constant n d of r pair, and only;
a portion of th wat r pump d from th works r ach s its
d stination. Th two sourc s combin d scarc ly suffic to
supply th n ds of th Cantonm nt, and as th wat r l v l
at Bibyal is sinking! th pip d supply is pr carious.
Rupar Rupar is situation. on th Sutl j, 45 mil s north of Ambala, and has a

population of 6,935 (1911). Th town is on of consid rabl antiquity and was
form rly known as Rup Nagar. Th following l g nd is told as to its arly
history. At th tim of th arly Muhammadan invasions of India a Raja call d
Rok shar rul d h r , who found d th town and •call d it aft r his son Rup S n.
This Raja was daily suppli d with milk by Mussammat Masto, a Gujari of som
n ighbouring villag . On day a fakir call d Roshanwali m t Masto with th
milk and wish d to buy it, off ring twic th ordinary pric . Masto agr d, but
th fakir only dipp d his fing r in' th milk, which th n w nt on to th Raja.
Rok shar on tasting th milk p rc iv d that it had b n pollut d, and on
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP. IV.—PLACES OP INTEREST. 133
h aring th truth from Masto, s nt for Roshanwali and had his fing r cut off.
Th fakir in r v ng w nt to his n ph w Khalid, rul r of Multan, and ask d for CHAPTER IV
h lp against th Raja of Rupar. Khalid was about to g t marri d, and th dat
Rupar. for th w dding was fix d. H agr d, how v r, to cut off his h ad to Plac s of int r st
r pr s nt him at th marriag , and to s nd
his body with Roshanwali to Rupar. This was don , and th xp dition was also Rupar
accompani d by th Princ s of Bokhara and Syria. A fi rc battl took plac .
Rok shar was d f at d and b cam a conv rt to Islam. Two of his sons r fus d to
acc pt Islam and w nt away to th hills. A third son b cam 'Muhammadan and
his d sc ndants ar th S n Rajputs of Rupar. Masto is said to hav b n turn d
into ston in cons qu nc of sarcastic r marks about th h adl ss body of Khalid,
and a structur id ntifi d with h r m mory still stands in Rupar. Roshanwali is
said to hav b n buri d in th Kh ra Mohalla at Rupar, and Shah Khalid in a
villag n ar by call d aft r him. Two big fairs ar h ld in th month of Jeth at
Shah Khalid's grav . At th foot of th mound on which his tomb stands th r is a
d p w ll with a ston inscription sh wing a dat of th tim of Shah Jahan.
In lat r y ars Rupar form d part of th dominions of th Sikh Chi f Hari Singh,
and in 1792 cam to his son Charat Singh. T His stat s w r confiscat d in 1846 in
cons qu nc of th part tak n by th family in th Sikh War of 1845. It-was at Rupar
also that th c l brat d conf r nc took plac in 1831 b tw n th Gov rnor-
G n ral, Lord William B ntick, and th Maharaja Ranjit Singh.
Rupar is th h adquart rs of a sub-division of th Ambala
district, and is th sit of th h adworks of th Sirhind Canal.
Th Assistant Commission r in civil charg of th sub-divi
sion, and an Ex cutiv Engin r of th Canal D partm nt
ar station d h r . Th public buildings ar th Assistant
Commission r's Court and th Munsif Js Court, th tahsil, thana
and Municipal offic . Th r is also a Civil Disp nsary and a
V t rinary Hospital. Th Europ an bungalows and canal
offic s ar .situat d s parat ly in th h adworks ar a. Th r
ar also two insp ction bungalows controll d by th Canal
D partm nt, whil a third is und r construction. Th munici
pal committ consists of nin m mb rs, six of whom ar l ct d.
Th r ar thr Gov rnm nt aid d schools, two aid d by th
municipality, and on unaid d Anglo-Arya Middl School.
Th chi f articl s of trad ar . Country cloth, silk, locks and
iron work, susi, sho s and clay mod ls. Th r ar two corn mills, on of which is
also us d for ginning cotton.
During th construction of th canal th r was a railway b tw n Rupar and
Doraha, and th total population of th town in 1875 and 1881 was ov r 10,000. In
1882 th canal was op n d and th railway was tak n up in 1884-85. Aft r that th
population sank again to about its pr s nt l v l.
134
PUNJAB GAZETTEER
CHAP. IV.—PLACES OF INTEREST.
Rupar is conn ct d by m tall d roads both with Sirhind, on th North-W st rn

CHAPTER IV.
Railway, and with Chandigarh, on th East Indian Railway. Th r is a mail tonga
Plac s of Int r st. s rvic with Sirhind, and a privat motor s rvic has b n att mpt d, but owing
Rup r to th torr nts th p rman nc of th latt r is doubtful. Th canal is navigabl and
is us d for th conv yanc of pass ng rs and fr ights b tw n Rupar and Doraha.
It is probabl that th carrying out of th hydro- l ctric proj ct n ar Kiratpur will
hav consid rabl ff ct upon Rupar, and a p rman nt branch of th North-
W st rn Railway running through th town is propos d. It is also xp ct d that
on of th main transmission lin s from th pow r station to Patiala Stat will
pass through Rupar, making availabl a larg supply of ' pow r at a ch ap rat .
This will almost in vitably l ad to a d mand for factory sit s in this locality, and
Rupar is lik ly to b cam an important industrial c ntr .
Th s two villag s in th n ighbourhood of Rupar ar of int r st in
conn ction with th following Sikh l g nds about Guru Gobind Singh: —
Anandpur in th Hoshiarpur District was th s at of Guru Gobind Singh's

Kotla Nihang and Chamkaur. pow r. H was th t nth Guru in th lin which b gan with Guru Nanak. H
conv rt d th Sikhs from a trib of r ligious d vot s into a nation of warriors.
His pow r and influ nc incr as d imm ns ly and rapidly, and h b cam a
t rror to th n ighbouring hill Rajas, who w r Staunch Hindus. Th y mad
a l agu with Aurangz b to annihilat him and laid si g to Anandpur.
Th Guru Sahib unabl to stand th si g and xp cting no quart r from his
n mi s fl d from th plac . H was pursu d but mad 'good his scap ,
gallantly fighting his fo s. H cross d th Sirsa str am and th Sutl j and
cam to Rupar, but th Hindus th r r fus d to giv him r fug . H th n w nt
to Kotla Nihang, which is clos to Rupar, and ask d to b shown som
(s clud d plac for sojourn. Th Pathans to whom th r qu st was mad
j stingly point d to a lim -kiln as th only fit plac for him to stay in. Th
Guru Sahib l d his hors straight to th kiln, and on his approach th fir
miraculously w nt out. Th Khans, h aring of his port nt, cam and took th
Guru Sahib to th ir hous . H r how v r his pursu rs ov rtook him. Th
Khans w r t rrifi d and w r about to b tray him -wh n th Guru Sahib
r monstrat d with th m. Th y list n d to him and did not r v al his
wh r abouts. Th Guru Sahib mad th m c rtain gifts and l ft for Chamkaur
th n xt day, unknown to his pursu rs.
An nthusiast r discov r d this kiln about th y ar 1913, but sc ptics say
that it r ally dat s from th construction of th Sirhind Canal.
A Gurdwara has b n built at th plac sinc 1914.
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
Aft r his flight from Kotla th Guru Sahib cam to Chamkaur. Th Baja of this
CHAPTER IV
plac , Bidhi Chand by pjac s of Int r st us d pr viously to visit th Guru Sahib at
Anandpur and fr qu ntly ntr at d to b ord r d to r nd r him som s rvic . Kotla Plac s of int r st
Nihang and R m mb ring th Raja's words th Guru Sahib on r aching Chamkaur.
Chamkaur s nt for him. Th plac wh r Guru Sahib halt d ,was th Raja's gard n. Kotla Nihang and
A Gurdwara has b n built th r , now call d Dam Dama Sahib, from th Guru's having Chamkaur
tak n r st th r . Th Baja cam to s th Guru, but m t his r qu st for prot ction
v ry coldly. H said h had only on hous in his poss ssion which was occupi d by
his z nana. Th Guru Sahib with his forty follow rs and two sons th r -upon w nt and
forcibly op n d th gat s of th fortr ss. It is also said that th Guru Sahib touch d th
Raja on th back and th latt r b cam stupifi d and follow d him sp llbound to th
fortr ss. Wh th r by physical or by spiritual forc th Guru Sahib succ d d in
stablishing hims lf in a portion of th fortr ss. That portion is also a
Gurdwara, now 'd dicat d to th Guru Sahib ; it is call d th Tilak Asthan from th
story that th Guru Sahib on his flight from th plac mark d Sant Singh, a follow r,
with th Tilak and mad him his succ ssor. It is said that th Guru's pursu rs, 22 lakhs
in numb r, cam up and laid si g to th fortr ss. Th si g last d for som tim , and
v ntually th Guru Sahib s nt his two sons to fight th n my. Both di d h roically,
and of th forty Sikhs only thr surviv d. Th plac wh r th two sons and th
thirty-s v n Sikhs di d is th sit of th bigg st Gurdwara in Chamkaur, call d th
Katlgarh .or Shahid Garh. It is of a mix d styl of archit ctur and is mount d with a
dom and minar ts in th fashion of Islamic plac s of worship. Th tradition is that it is
an imitation of th Guru Sahib's own Samadhi at Haziir Sahib in Hyd rabad. It is said
that Gurdial Singh, an anc stor of th Singpur family of Jagirdars, visit d th Hazir
Sahib and was told in a dr am to r nd r his d votions at Chamkaur Sahib inst ad of
coming to Haziir Sahib. H brought th d sign from th r , and his son compl t d th
building and construct d th minar ts.
Th Guru Sahib fl d from Chamkaur with only two follow rs, l aving Sant Singh
disguis d in his own dr ss. A Mazhabi Sikh, Jiwan Singh by nam , was l ft in
command at' Chamkaur. A fourth Gurdwara call d th Shahid Burji is d dicat d to him.
It is visit d by Mazhabi Sikhs only.
Two big fairs ar h ld in Chamkaur, on in th month Poh to comm morat th
massacr of th two sons, th oth r on th occasion of th Dos hra. Both ar larg ly
att nd d by pilgrims from far and n ar.
This is a small haml t situat d in th Siwaliks about 10 mil s ast of Rupar. It Bardar
has in it th ruins of an anci nt city. 'A numb r of ston imag s w r discov r d in a
fi ld som forty y ars ago and ar consid r d to b about 700 y ars' old.:
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER
136 CHAP. IV.,—PLACES of INTEREST.,
CHAPTER IV. Th imag s ar of Durga and oth r minor Hindu d iti s. This indicat s th xist nc of a
Plac s of Int r st t mpl at that spot. Possibly; th city was subm rg d in som sudd n convulsion or
arthquak which pr v nt d th p opl from saving v n th imag s of th ir gods.
Bardar
Th local tradition is that th plac was onc rul d
by a Rajput Raja of th Dahia trib . A forc of in
vad rs of th Ghor wah s ction of th Rajput trib s cam
from th south. Th y pitch d th ir t nts outsid th villag
and s nt word to th Raja asking for dahi. Th Raja took
this d mand for dahi as an insult. H s nt out pitch rfuls of dung ov rspr ad with a
small quantity of dahi. Th strang rs who w r pr par d for a conflict took up th
gauntl t, and a battl nsu d, nding in th compl t victory of th Ghor wah invad rs.
From that day th loss of this plac has b com a by -word among th Dahia Rajputs,
and th y say, on h aring of th birth of a child in th ir trib " what if a child is born. H
won't r cov r Bardar."
Th r is a small t mpl h r built to th godd ss Mansa D vi. It was onc larg ly
visit d by th Labanas r siding n ar Manimajra. But th y h long r worship th godd ss.
Th villag is now owered by Jats and Grujars. Wh n th y cam to s ttl h r th

plac was ntir ly uninhabit d. Th Jats ar of th Mundi trib and originally cam from
n ar Ludhiana. Coins of th ag of Akbar and Muhammad Shah ar found now and th n,
and imag s hav b n fr qu ntly un arth d, som of which hav b n d posit d in a
Shivala at Rupar. Th y ar said to b of a Budhistic d sign.
Siswan is situat d at th ntranc to th Siwaliks on th old Kurali-Simla road.
Siswan.
This road was at on tim th main ntranc to th hills, and in Sikh tim s Siswan was of
consid rabl importanc as a mark t for opium, charas, wool and oth r hill products. It
also trad d with th hills in grain brought from th plains. Its comm rcial busin ss
xt nd d all ov r th provinc , and th inhabitants still r m mb r grain carts coming
from plac s as far away as Bhatinda. This prosp rity c as d with th construction of th
Kalka-Simla Road and th introduction of Gov rnm nt control ov r opium and charas.
Th plac is now going to ruins and th banias ar fast d s rting it.
Th r is a small t mpl h r to Bhairon, gat -k p r of Shivji. It is visit d by
local Mahajans only, and th r is no fair of any importanc . Th r is no tradition as to
how th t mpl cam to b built h r , but th Siwaliks abound with' monum nts to Shiv-
ji and his att ndants.
Gold is coll ct d in th torr nt h r , but not in any appr ciabl quantity.
AMBALA DISTRICT]
137 CHA P. IV.—PLACES OF INTEREST.
CHAPTER IV. Manimiijra is situat d on th Chandigarh-Rupar Road. 23 mil s du north of

Plac s of Int r st Ambala. Nothing is known of its history b for th Sikh p riod, though th r is a
Manimajra l g nd that it was found d by Mani Ram, jat, Dhillu, about 400 y ars ago. But aft r th
d ath of Zain Khan, Gov rnor of Sirhind, in 176-3 A.D., and th br ak up of th
Imp rial pow r, on Gharib Das a Sikh l ad r, s iz d upon 84 villag s which his fath r
had h ld as a r v nu offic r und r th Empir . Manimajra b cam th capital of th
n w principality, which was furth r xt nd d by th s izur of th fortr ss of Pinjaur.
This, how v r, was aft rwards wr st d from Manimajra by th Patiala Raja. Gharib Das
di d in 1783, l aving two sons, Gopal Singh and Parkash Chand. Th ld r of th s did
xc ll nt s rvic in 1809, and again in th Gurkha campaign of 1814. H r c iv d at his
own r qu st, in li u of oth r r ward, th titl of Raja. H di d in 1560. Th jagir, th n
worth Rs. 39,000 a y ar, finally laps d to Gov rnm nt in 1875 on th d ath of th lat
Raja Bhagwan Singh without prop r h irs ; and th importanc of th plac has sinc
rapidly d clin d.
Th r ar various Sikh l g nds in conn ction with a Mussammat Raj Kaur,
wif of, Ram Rai of th family of Sikh Gurus. Raj Kaur is said to hav quarr ll d with
h r husband and to hav com to Manimajra from Garhwal Tiri. Gharib Das is said to
hav ow d his pow r to th fact that his fath r Ganga.Rani h lp d Raj Kaur to prop up
h r hous on rainy night, and so won th holy woman's bl ssing. Gopal Singh,
how v r, son of Gharib Das, f ll foul of Mussammat Raj Kaur at th tim of building'
th fort at Manimajra. Raj Kaur was building a t mpl at th sam tim , and th Baja
took away h r workm n for his fort. Raj Kaur was oblig d to abandon h r t mpl but
r taliat d by pronouncing a curs on all who’s should r ct a building high r than th
pr s nt h ight of th t mpl . According to th l g nd it was this curs which
caus d th xtinction of th RBaja's family, as Gopal Singh's fortr ss was mad high r
than th t mpl . Th curs is b li v d to b still ff ctiv , and has caus d such' in-
conv ni nc that th p opl of Manimajra r c ntly coll ct d a sum of Rs. 1,000 for th
purpos of incr asing th h ight of th t mpl , and so making it saf to build high r
hous s.
Th shrin of Mansa D vi, situat d a f w mil s to th north' of th town, is y arly
a c ntr of attraction to larg numb rs of worshipp rs. Th shrin form rly was in th
Nahan t rritory.. On on occasion, how v r, th str am which suppli d th pilgrims
with wat r was cut off by som of th hill trib s, and gr at distr ss occasion d. At this
crisis, Gurbakhsh Singh, Raja of Manimajra, most opportun ly dr am d that th
godd ss app ar d to him, and dir ct d him to stablish h r shrin in his t rritory. H
ob y d th call with alacrity, and was r ward d by th r alization of consid rabl profit
from th annual fair. As many as 40,000 p opl of whom p rhaps.
[PUNJA GAZETTEER
138
CHAPTER IV. On -half ar pilgrims from a distanc , ar comput d to att nd ^Pi c s of Int r st which
Plac s of Int r st tak s plac on th 8th Chait and four following days.
Manimajra
Th local industri s ar th manufactur of various articl s from bamboo,
and cutting mill-ston s, of which a larg quantity ar annually turn d out. A small trad
also is carri d on with th hills in country produc , sp cially ging r and spic s.
Manimajra is th c ntr of th v ry unh althy tract known as th N li, which has b n
pr viously m ntion d. .Th town is occupi d by cultivators from a numb r of th worst
villag s of th tract, who ar unabl to liv on th irlands owing to th d adly climat . A
larg proportion of th s p opl ar afflict d with malarial dis as of a v ry bad typ ,
and th town has in cons qu nc acquir d a bad nam for sanitation. It is in a mis rabl ,
d cay d condition, and in spit of th fin crops to b rais d in parts of th N li th
strong st induc m nts will hardly t mpt n w cultivators to s ttl in th plac .
Pan jaur Panjaur is a small villag in th Patiala t rritory, about 3 mil s south of Kalka
and six mil s north of Chandigarh. It is famous for th b autiful Mughal Gard n
situat d th r .
Th gard n li s on th Ambala-Simla Road just outsid th villag abadi. It is
said to hav b n plann d by a c rtain Fidal Khan in th r ign of th Mughal Emp ror
Jahangir. Akbar th Gr at had a long but unsucc ssful war with th hill Raja of
Bhowana who h ld sway ov r th country xt nding from Rajpura to Solon. Th
tradition is that th Emp ror's si g of 12 y ars prov d abortiv . Possibly local
patriotism has modifi d th tradition. W ar told that Fidai Khan, th son of Jahangir's
w t-nurs , cam to s ttl in this ilaka and laid th foundation of th gard n. Th
laborat d sign how v r sugg sts rath r a rul r or Vic roy of th Gr at Mughal than
any m r s ttl r at th m rcy of a hostil Raja.
Th gard n, which is surround d by a high wall, is about two furlongs in l ngth

by on in br adth, and is laid out on a slop running down to th Ghaggar torr nt.
Advantag is tak n of this slop to provid a b autiful xampl of th t rrac d gard ns
of th Mughals. Th r ar six t rrac s with an artificial str am running down th middl
of ach and falling in a cascad to th n xt l v l, whil fountains throw th wat r. to an
incr asing h ight as th low r t rrac s ar r ach d. Th gat way, surmount d by a suit
of rooms, giv s acc ss to th high st t rrac from th Kalka road, and th y is m t by
gr n lawns and bright flow r b ds, whil in th c ntr th str am, flank d by av nu s
of tall palms, l ads into th whit Shish Mahal, a building standing at th far nd of th
t rrac . Th low r t rrac s ar laid out on a similar plan; a two-stori d building call d
th Bang Mahal stands at th nd of th s cond t rrac . This is us d by th Raja as a
r st-bous on his visits to Panjaur. It ov rlooks th third t rrac
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
139
CHAPTER IV. at a consid rabl h ight and affords a b autiful vi w of all th low r l v ls. Th fourth
Plac s of Int r st t rrac contains a tank in th c ntr of which is a summ r hous surround d by
fountains.
Panjaur
Tradition ascrib s Fidai Khan's flight from Panjaur, to a curious story. H

r qu st d th Raja to s nd his Har m to th gard n for an int rvi w with his wiv s. Th
Raja s nt such of his f mal s rvants as had th ir throats swoll n from goitr . Th
Khan's wiv s w r t rrifi d on h aring that, th climat br d such a dis as . Fidai Khan
d s rt d th plac . Th gard n pass d to th Raja of Bhiwana and from him to th Raja
of Sirmur. Th Patiala Stat bought th gard n . and a consid rabl ilaka from Sirmur
for Rs. 60,000.
Kalka Kalka is a small town situat d on th banks of th Sukhna Nadi, just at th point
wh r th torr nt m rg s from th hills. Its h ight abov s a l v l is 2,270 f t and its
population according to th 1911 c nsus was 5,938.
With th adjoining villag of Kurari th town forms an island of British t rritory

surround d by Patiala Stat . Th ar a was acquir d from th Darbar in 1846 and was
includ d in th Simla district. Th town of Kalka as it now stands did not th n xist; a
sit was mark d out for a bazar as soon as acquir d, and th " t hzamini," a ground
r nt, which forms on of th main sourc s of incom of th local committ , is a du
l vi d in virtu of th propri tary rights of Gov rnm nt to this sit .
In 1899 owing to th r organisation of th cantonm nts in.”th Simla hills und r

a S nior Cantonm nt Magistrat at Kasauli, Kalka, with Kasauli, was transf rr d from
th Simla to th Ambala district.
Th town is th t rminus of th East Indian Railway ( xt nd d in 1891) and th

starting point of th Kalka Simla Railway (op n d in 1903). It is th most conv ni nt
railh ad . for th Cantonm nt Sanitorium of Kasauli with which it is conn ct d by a
good bridl -track (9 mil s); th cart road rout b ing a good d al long r. Th Ambala-
Simla High road forms th main str t of th town.
Thus situat d, Kalka has grown consid rably sinc its foundation and can boast a
flourishing trad . Th principal products of Simla and th surrounding hills—such as
potato s, ging r, pom granat , walnuts, p ars, appl s and Banaksha (a nativ
m dicin )—find a sal in its mark ts, whil in r turn larg quantiti s of wh at, gram,
puls s, salt, sugar, v g tabl and charcoal ar xport d to Simla and th surrounding
stations. Th r ar many larg m rchants and commission ag nts in Kalka who ply a
flourishing busin ss and thriv xc dingly.
Th propos d branch lin of th North-W st rn Railway 'from Ludhiana is not

lik ly to mat rializ , but Kalka will in all probability play an important part to th
proj ct d Sutl j Hydro-El ctric Sch m that is b ing volv d at Kiratpur on th upp r
r ach s of th riv r Sutl j.
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER
140 CHAP. IV.—PLACES OF INTEREST.
Th town is administ r d by a committ consisting of Plac s of Int r st thr

CHAPTER IV. of whom (including th Pr sid nt) ar ex-officio. Th Station Mast r has b n
Plac s of Int r st
vic -Pr sid nt sinc 1906, whil th oth r two ar r sp ctiv ly a promin nt Hindu and
Kalka Muhammadan citiz n of Kalka, nominat d by Gov rnm nt. Sanitation has lat ly b n
improv d by th introduction of a good drainag sch m , but th town is v ry
cong st d, and th r is v ry indication that its ar a will hav to b xt nd d in th n ar
futur .
In 1908 Kalka was mad th h adquart rs of a sub-tahsil in th Kharar tahsil of
th Ambala district. Th Primary School that was op n d in th arly nin ti s was
rais d to th status of an Anglo-V rnacular Middl School in 1914, and is now a v ry
flourishing institution. Th r ar also thr disp nsari s (two railway and on civil, in
conn ction with which an amalgamation sch m is und r consid ration)> a Post
Offic , - Polic Station and Civil R st-Hous in th town.
A Grass Farm D partm nt was op n d in 1908, whil a mul and pony corps ar
as a rul locat d h r . In th hot w ath r th r is a r st camp for troops marching to
and from th hills.
Kasauli is th south rnmost of th cantonm nts in th Simla hills; it li s to th
Kasauli.
w st of th Kalka-Simila Road, and looks out ov r th Siwaliks to th plains of
th Ambala district. It is about nin mil s by bridl -path from Kalka and is 6,000
f t abov s a l v l. Th Cantonm nt cov rs an ar a of 676 acr s, and its population
in 1911 was 2,612. It was form d in 1842 aft r a surv y by Colon l Tapp, Political
Ag nt of Subathu. It was this Colon l Tapp who gav its nam , Tapp's nos , to th
high st point in Kasauli (6,322 f t abov s a l v l). Th first troops to occupy th
Cantonm nt-w r th 13th Som rs t Light Infantry on th ir r turn from Afghanistan in
1843. Land was grant d fr by th Rana of Baghat for th forming of th
sanitorium. Th church was b gun in 1844, but was not compl t d till 1853.
Kasauli had its shar in th troubl s of 1857, wh n th Gurkha guard d camp d
with s. 26,000. Th two most important institutions in Kasauli ar th
Past ur Institut and th R s arch Institut . Th North rn Command School of
Signalling conducts its cours s h r ; th r is also a school of Physical Training for
Indian Non-Commission d Offic rs, a School of Instruction for British Soldi r Cl rks,
and a Military Food Laboratory. Th h adquart rs of th Ambala Brigad mov s to
Kasauli ach y ar for th hot w ath r. Th sanction d normal garrison of British
troops is 690. Th wat r-supply is obtain d from springs and is pump d to all parts
of th station. Th Cantonm nt was transf rr d from th Simla to th Ambala district
in 1899.
Th Lawr nc Royal Military School situat d at Sana war, a mil or two to th
Saniwar.
ast of Kasauli, was found d by Sir H nry;
AMBALA DISTRICT. ]
CHAP. IV.-PLACES OF INTEREST.
141
.Lawr nc , E.C.B., in 1847. It b cam a Gov rnm nt Institution aft r th Mutiny CHAPTER IV.
of 1857, and it was now affords accommodation for 500 childr n of both s x s. " Plac s of Int r st
Th obj ct of th institution is to provid for th orphan and childr n of soldi rs Sanawar
s rving" or having s rv d in India an asylum from th d bilitating ff cts of a
tropical climat and th d moralizing influ nc of barrack lif , wh r in th y may
obtain th b n fits of a bracing climat , a h althy moral atmosph r , and a plain,
us ful, and, abov all, r ligious ducation, adapt d to fit th m for mploym nt
suit d to th ir position in lif ; and with th Divin bl ssing to mak th m
consist nt Christians, and int llig nt and us ful m mb rs of soci ty
Th institution is now und r th dir ct control of th Gov rnm nt of India

in th Army D partm nt, and th pr s nt Principal is th R v. G. D. Barrn,
O.B.E., M.A. Th .Boys' School is und r th dir ction of a h admast r and ight
assistant mast rs with a staff of military instructors. Th Girls' School is und r a
h admistr ss and nin assistant mistr ss s. Th r is also a Training Coll g for
Europ an School Mast rs with tw nty stud nts in r sid nc .
Sadhaura is a small town situat d n ar th hills, 26 mil s ast of Ambala, Sadbauua.

on th Nakti or Sadhaurawal Naddi. Th town is on of som antiquity, dating
back to th tim of Mahmud of Ghazni, but is now of no political importanc . It
is th sc n of a y arly fair at th shrin of a Muhammadan saint nam d Shah
Kumais. This fair tak s plac on th 10th of abi-ul-Sdni and four following
days ; th att ndanc is stimat d at 20,000 p rsons. Th r is a thana h r and a
disp nsary. Th Municipal Committ consists of nin m mb rs, of whom six
ar l ct d. Coars country cloth is manufactur d to a consid rabl xt nt in th
town, and it has a local trad in country produc . Th town was onc notorious
as b ing th c ntr of a consid rabl industry in th manufactur of forg d
docum nts. Much of th crim of that class in th district and ov r a larg xt nt
of n ighbouring country was b li v d to hav b n originat d or ab tt d by
r sid nts of Sadhaura. This occupation app ars to hav d clin d of lat y ars.
Th r is a larg colony of Say ads in th town and n ighbouring villag s.
Th population, which in 1875 was ov r 11,000, had sunk by 1911 to 7,774. Th Jamk sar
Th Jamk sar Tank is in th villag of Husaini n ar IS Naraingarh. Clos to it Tank.
ar two t mpl s, on d dicat d to Ram Chandar, th h ro of th Ramayana, th
oth r to th god Shivaji. Th tank is said to mark th spot wh r th Pandavas
of th Mahabarata halt d during th ir flight to th Himalayas. Th r is a
tradition that th gat s, of a gr at city call d Karori onc stood n ar this spot,
and that Korwa and Bari and Chhit, Kori, in th Naraingarh tahsil, and Pilkhani
in th Ambala Tahsil w r all onc part of th city. Indications of form r
habitations ar som tim s un arth d in th
[ PUNJAB GAZETTEER -
142 CHAP. IV.- PLACES OF INTEREST.
CHAPTER IV. n ighborhood. -Th following tradition is told of th origin of th nam Jamk sar. A
Plac s of Int r st
rich bania, who want d a w althy husband for his daught r, s nt a numb r of cam ls to
Karori load d with kesar, or saffron. This was to b sold to any on who could pay th
Th Jamk sar
Tank. pric in coins of on mintag . A w althy bania of Karori paid th pric , as r quir d, and
thr w all th saffron into th trough, from which th mud for th banks of th tank was
b ing tak n. H nc a ros th nam Jamk sar. Oth rs conn ct th nam with Yam
Ishwar, m aning God's ang l of d ath
Jagadhari Jagadhri is situat d 37 mil s south- ast of Ambala and thr mil s to th north of
th North-W st rn Railway, and is th h adquart rs of a tahsil and thana. Th
municipality is r pr s nt d by a 3rd class committ of nin m mb rs, of whom < six
ar l ct d. Jagadhri is a town of som importanc . It had a population in 1911 of
12,045. It ow s its importanc to Rai Singh of Buria, who conqu r d it in th Sikh
tim s, and ncourag d th comm rcial and manufacturing class s to s ttl h r . It was
utt rly d stroy d by Nadir Shah, but was r built in 1783 by th sam Rai Singh. It
laps d to th British. Gov rnm nt in 1829, tog th r with th t rritory of which it was
th capital. Th old nam of th plac was Gang'a Dhari, so call d from a. stor of
Gang s wat r nshrin d in th plac at its foundation.
Th town imports copp r and iron from th hills and from Calcutta and Bombay,
and consid rabl manufactur s ar carri d on in th s m tals. V ss ls and tools of
various d scriptions ar xport d both, into th North.-W st rn Provinc s and into th
Punjab. Jagadhri has also a w ll-d s rv d r putation for brass-war . Ornam ntal lamps
and oth r forms of brass-war ar xc ptionally w ll mad . Borax, brought from ti
hills, is h r r fin d and xport d to B ngal. Oxid of l ad is also manufactur d for us
by goldsmiths, and in nativ m dicin s. ''Th town arn d som notori ty in 1864 from
th d t ction of a long stablish d manufactory of spurious gold coins.” Th coins
w r mad up to r s mbl th old Jaipur Mohar of th y ars 1808 to 1813. Th y
contain d rath r mor alloy than th g nuin gold coins, so as to yi ld a profit of from
12 annas to R . 1-4-0 on ach, coin of a nominal valu of Rs. 16. It was found that a
r gular busin ss had b n carri d on for t n y arvs by a numb r of p rsons in th
manufactur of th s coins. Th y w r sold at Simla and Mussoori , wh r gold coins
w r at th tim in gr at d mand owing to th numb r of s rvants and m n mploy d
on th Tib t road, who pr f rr d gold for its portability, and owing also to th hoarding
prop nsiti s of th hill Rajas. It was stimat d that from 1,000 to 2,000 coins a month
w r b ing .turn d out. Th y w r manufactur d principally from English; sov r igns,
and th discov ry was put forward promin ntly in 1864 as pointing to th n c ssity for
a Gov rnm nt gold
AMEALA DISTRICT.]
CHAPTER IV.
Coinag . Murshidabad Mohars w r imitat d for us in th plains as w ll as Jaipur
coins. Plac s of Int r st
This t mpl is situat d in th Jagadhri tahsil, about two mil s north of th villag
Jagadhari
of Kotgarh, wh r th sacr d str am Saraswati issu s from th Siwaliks. It is
d dicat d to th first God, Adhi Narain. Th l g nd is that Brahma found favour,
Th Adhbadri
with Vishnu and was told to mak any r qu st h pl as d. H pray d that Vishnu
t mpl ,
would continu to dw ll in this sacr d spot till Brahma had liv d a hundr d liv s, so that
Kotgarh
h might pl as th God in v ry xist nc . Th r is also a t mpl to Shiva h r , but it
is not so much v n rat d as th Adhbadri t mpl . Th plac is much visit d by
pilgrims from th surrounding country, and th r is a big fair h r in th month Baisdkh.
Gopal Mochan n ar Bilaspur, an th Jagadhri tahsil, is Gopal Mochan. famous for a Gopal Mochan.
sacr d tank of th sam nam . Th l g nd is that th God Shivji' going to th r scu
of Saraswati, who was b ing pursu d by Brahma, struck off th latt r's h ad. A lock
of hair was l ft in Shivji's hand and his body was black n d. for a long tim Shivji
was unabl to cl ans 'hims lf, till, r sting on night in a cow sh d, h ov rh ard a
conv rsation b tw n a cow and h r calf. Th calf said that it was going to Mil its
mast r,4^, Brahmin, to avoid b ing castrat d. Th cow tri d to dissuad it from th
sin, but th calf answ r d that it kn w of a tank wh r it could cl ans its lf from th
sin of killing a Brahmin. Shivji follow d th calf n xt day and saw it kill its mast r.
Th bodi s of th cow and calf th r upon w r black n d, until th y cl a,ns
th ms lv s by bathing in th Gopal Mochan. Shivji follow d th ir xampl and
was lik wis cl ans d. Sinc th n th wat rs of th Gopal Mochan hav r tain d
th ir virtu , and ar consid r d by many to b mor fficacious than th wat rs of th
Gang s at Hardwar.
Anoth r sacr d tank, th Bin Mochan, is situat d clos to th Gopal Mochan: a

big fair is h ld in th villag in th month of Katak
Damla.
Damla is on th Jagadhri-Than sar Road, fiv mil s from Damla_ Abdullapur
Railway Station. Th plac is now larg ly in ruins, but app ars to hav b n a
flourishing town at on tim . Th nam is said to b an abbr viation of Ddm Liya, or
bought with a pric . Th found r is said to hav b n Sy d Hyd r Shah, a saint who
flourish d about fiv hundr d y ars ago. Th l g nd says that this saint won th
gratitud of a Gujar Chi f of th n ighbourhood by casting vil spirits out of his
daught r. In r comp ns h only wish d to b sold th jungl in which his hut was
situat d. Th Chi f agr d and th jungl was bought for a handful of coins. Th saint
happ n d to- b a fri nd of som Tarin Pathans from Sirhind, who oft n halt d for th
night n ar- his hut on th ir way to rHardwar to s ll hors s. Aft r acquiring th jungl
Sy d Hyd r Shah s nt for th Tarins and s ttl d th m on th spot. TL
[PUNJAB GAZETTEER,
144 CHAP. IV.- PLACES OF INTEREST.
b cam his d vout discipl s, and w r r ward d with promis s of futur prosp rity.
CHAPTER IV. On th d ath of th saint, a shrin was built ov r his r mains, but, according to his
b h st, no dom was r ct d. Lat r a dom was add d, but in a short tim it f ll down.
Plac s of Int r st
Damla Th Pathans prosp r d and multipli d. Th y built forts for th ms lv s and b cam
m rc nary soldi rs, s lling' th ir s rvic s to th high st bidd r. Ev ntually th y f ll
foul of th Sikhs and w r worst d, and from that day th ir fortun s hav d clin d.
Th shrin of th Pir is still v n rat d, and an annual fair is h ld. Th Pathans ar

now in poor circumstanc s. In th arly s ttl m nts th y w r too proud to com and
lay th ir claims b for th British S ttl m nt Offic rs, not r alising that th ir swords
had lost th ir mark t valu . Th ir forts ar now in ruins, and th mat rials ar us d to
m nd th roads and canal banks.
Buria
Th town of Buria is situat d n ar th w st bank of th Jamna Canal, 3| mil s to th
north of th North-W st rn Railway. Buria is an anci nt town, built in th tim of th
Emp ror Humayun. It was tak n by th Sikhs about 1760, and b cam th
h adquart rs of consid rabl chi fship ; on of thos nin which w r x mpt d from
th r forms of 1849, and allow d to r tain ind p nd nt jurisdiction - for som tim aft r
th r duction of th oth r chi fs to th position of jagir-dars. Part of th stat has
sinc laps d, but th r maind r is still h ld as jagir by Sardar Lachhman Singh, th
pr s nt r pr s ntativ of th family. Th r is a handsom fort insid th town, th
r sid nc of th Sardar. Th municipality is r pr s nt d by a 3rd class
committ consisting of (s v n m mb rs appoint d by th D puty Commission r,
fiv of whom ar non-officials. A consid rabl manufactur of country cloth is carri d
on h r , but th r is no trad of any cons qu nc .
Th population, which in 1881 was ov r 7,000, had sunk by 1911 to 4,272.
Hindu shrin s Outsid most villag s in th district th r is a small squar shrin , with minar ts at
ach corn r, sacr d to Gugga Pir, th snak god. Gugga is v n rat d mor
particularly by th low r cast s. Th l g nd is that his moth r could not
conc iv till sh w nt .to th Sadhus and obtain d th ir b n diction. Aft r
this sh conc iv d with Gugga, but was turn d out of th hous by h r husband. On
h r journ y back to h r par nts' hous th ox n drawing th cart w r bitt n by snak s.
Gugga, still in th womb, told his moth r to apply neem l av s to th bit s. Sh did
so and th ox n r cov r d. Gugga r main d unborn till th thirt nth month, f aring
th r proach of b ing born in th hous of his moth r's par nts. Ev ntually by
app aring to his fath r in dr ams, h induc d him to tak back his moth r. Gugga
was th n born in his fath r's hous , and v n from th cradl b cam famous as a snak
kill r. H lat r gain d such pow r ov r snak s that
AMBALA DISTRICT.]
CHAP . IV PLACES CF INTEREST. 15
wh n th fath r of his b troth d r fus d to giv him his daught r in marriag , h w nt to

CHAPTER IV.
Basang, th king of th snak s, and thr at n d him and his hous with xt rmination If
Plac s of Int r st his b troth d should not b brought to him. Tatig Nag, Basang's sist r's son,
th r upon cons nt d to carry out Gugga's wish s. H w nt to Dhup Nagar in
Hindu shrin s B ngal wh r Sirial, th Pir's b troth d, liv d with h r fath r. Th r h contriv d to bit
Sirial whil sh was bathing in a tank.
Sirial n ith r di d nor r cov r d from th ff cts of th poison till Tatig Nag, in th shap
of a Brahmin, agr d to cur , h r on condition sh should b marri d to Gugga. H r
fath r agr d, and Sirial was cur d. H r fath r th n fix d th
s v nth day for th marriag , so that Gugga should not b abl to arriv in tim . Gugga,
how v r, arriv d in an airship contriv d by his Guru, and th w dding took plac . Of th
d ath it is said that h quarr ll d with som cousins and kill d s
th m, and that wh n his moth r utt r d a curs upon him h disapp ar d und rground.
H r app ar d to his wif in answ r to h r pray rs, but upon b ing obs rv d by his moth r
h again disapp ar d n v r to r turn.
Th r is a shrin to Sakhi Sarwar on a p ak of th low r Siwaliks n ar Khizri, a

f w mil s from th Jamna Canal h ad at Taj wala. Th shrin is not unlik thos of Gugga
Pir in structur . Sakhi Sarwar was not a local saint, and littl it known of him in th
n ighbourhood. It is said that a bania from this locality got into troubl whil in Bagar in
th Hissar district. H vow d to build a shrin to th Bagar Saint, Sakhi Sarwar, on th
high st p ak in his own n ighbourhood if th saint would h lp him out of his troubl s. Th
h lp was giv n and th shrin was built.
A fair is h ld h r on v ry Thursday in th month of Sawan. Th worshipp rs of

Sakhi Sarwar ar mostly of th low r cast s, including v n th criminal class s.
Mughal r mains Th Mughal gard n at Panjaur has alr ady b n d scrib d. Th r ar th ruins of a
Mughal palac call d th Rang Mahal n ar Buria. It is said that th Emp ror Jahangir us d to
halt h r on his way to his favourit hunting ground at Kal sar. Buria its lf is said to hav b n
th birthplac of Birbal, on of Akbar's minist rs. Th r is also a ruin d fort in th poss ssion of
th Pathan jagirdars of Khizrabad, in th Jagadhri tahsil, which is said to b of Mughal origin.
To th north and south of Ambala th old Badshahi Sarak from D lhi to Lahor can b trac d by
m ans of th kos minars. On of th s is just outsid Ambala City Station, and has b n mad a
prot ct d monum nt. Th r ar also th foundations of a Mughal S rai at th villag of Kot
Kachhwa, a f w mil s south of Ambala Cantonm nts, with a larg masonry tank. Th tank is
fill d up with arth, and its xcavation has b n propos d as a famin work.

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HARYANA ISTRICT GAZETTEEERS

1st Reprint: ecember, 1998

Controller of Printing and Stationery, Government of Haryana,

Th District Gaz tt r is a miniatur ncyclopa dia and a good guid . It

Th old gaz tt rs of th Stat publish d in th British r gim contain d

Th Ambala District Gaz tt r of 1923-24 was compil d and publish d

Th Volum is th r print d dition of th Ambala District Gaz tt r of

D c mb r, 1998 J t Ram Ranga

RENEST LEROUX, 28 Ru Bonapart Paris, Franc .

BENARD QUARITCH, 11 Grafton Str t, N w Bond IN IN IA

HIGHGINBOTHAMS, Limit d, Madras

THE first dition of th Ambala District Gaz tt r, publish d in 1885,

A r vis d s ttl m nt of th district was b gun in 1882 and 1883 and

T rritorial chang s that hav tak n plac sinc 1893 hav b n th

Th railway from Ambala to Kalka was op n d in 1891 (now East

CHAPTE I.—THE DISTRICT ... ... 1

SECTION A.—D scriptiv ... ... ib.

CHAPTE II.—ECONOMIC ... ... 78

SECTION A.—Agricultur , Arboricultur and … ib.

CHAPTE 111.—ADMINISTRATION ... 103

SECTION A.—Administration and Divisions ... ib.

CHAPTE IV.—PLACES OF INTEREST ... 130

Th pr s nt Ambala district has an ar a of 1,867 squar mil s and xt nds

Th district boundary on th ast is th Jamna, s parating th Jagadhri

Tahsil. Total ar a Ar a culti Numb r R marks.

Rupar ... ... 288 187 386

Physical f atur Th . district is usually d scrib d as submontan , and th D scription is

wat r to spill on on sid or th oth r till th str am wid ns CHAPTER, 1.A

Th Markanda Th Markanda, rising in th Siwaliks n ar Nahan, is th s cond larg st

CHAP. I. —THE DISTRICT. 7

th Ghaggar, and that wh n anci nt writ rs sp ak of th Sarusti, th y

Th Sarasuti, in Sanskrit Soraswati, is too w ll known to r quir

CHAP. I. —THE DISTRICT.

CHAPTER 1, A. For th r pairs of th ngin s and machin ry in us on th Canal, a

modifications to m t th n w conditions .th first fourt n CHAPTER 1, .A

What is locally known as th Budha Nala b gins n ar Slrhind

Th following is a list of f rri s and crossings within th limits of

CHAPTER 1, A. runs on th bord r of th Saharanpur and Ambala districts as far as

Th W st rn Th h ad works of th W st rn Jamna Canal ar situat d at

Th climat of Ambala is fairly good, but th chang s of t mp ratur ar s v r .

Upp r Siwalik stag

Sub- Himalayan syst m

Th upp r and middl Siwalik stag s ar w ll xpos d in this district in th

w lls in th s villag s ar built from th larg blocks dug up CHAPTER ,1. A.

CHAPTER I, A. th small outlying bungalows of th district wh n taking up th ir abod th r . Th

It is probabl , how v r, that only idl look rs-on will b d t rr d by such

CHAPTER I, B. th pr s nt Ambala district in th Punjab coll ction of

th Sutl j "during th latt r half of th last c ntury As th c ntral

Th history of th n xt forty y ars is mad up of th ndl ss p tty

f atur of th district, r calling th xtraordinary lawl ss-

Proclamations of Th ov rtur s w r v ntually succ ssful, and a d finit tr aty

In 1846-47 a fr sh st p had to b tak n owing to passiv obstruction or op n

w r : Patiala, Jind, Nabha, Faridkot, Mal r Kotla, CHAPTER,1. B

CHAP. I THE DISTRICT

Th Mutiny Th following account of th cours of v nts in 1857 is tak n from th Punjab

Th station of Ambala was l ft with four w ak compani s (about 250 m n) of th 2nd

failur of crops both in th autumn harv st of 1860 and th spring harv st of

In subs qu nt y ars th r w r bad failur s of crops in 1868-69, 1884-

It has b n xplain d that th Ambala district was constitut d in 1847

SECTION C—THE PEOPLE.

Tahsil 1891 1901 1911 1921

Total … 855,285 815,880 689,970 681,477 95.3 80.6 79.61

C nsus P rsons Mal s F mal s D nsity p r squar