Settlement report of the Karnal district, 1909

· 1912 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

2As the floods subside the people sow wheat iu the cracks of .the soil, securing;

3very fair crops with little expendi ture of trouble. TV ith each succeeding'

4flood the silt deposited becomes lighter and more sandy. The land is then regu¬

5larly ploughed and gram is usually substituted for wheat. If the floods

6continue to affect the village, the soil becomes the good Seoti of the Bet Mar-

7kanda. But before this stage is reached the water is often diverted in another

8direction owing to the rise in levels created by the floods themselves.

9Below Pehowa a large area is flooded yearly from the Sarusti Nadi

10either by spill from the main channel

11Saruiti and Qhoggar sailab. Qr py artificial Cuts. The Soil IS VtTJ

12stiff, hut, if well flooded, produces excellent crops of rice and gram.

139. The averages recorded at the tahsil rain gauges for the last 28 years

14show roughly the distribution of the

15RaiufaU ' rainfall

16i

17Summer—■

18April to

19September.

20Winter—

21October to

22March.

23!

24Total.

25Thaneiar

26a««

27»*•

2825'02

29429

3029 31

31Karnal ...

32.««

33...

34...

3527'33

363'87

37Sl-2

38Panipat

39• ••

40...

41...

422213

433'69

4425 83

45Kaithal

46HI

47...

48... g

49...

5015-53

513'63

521919

53Guhla ...

54...

55...

56...

57• a.

5815'06 J

593'63

601871

61The advantages of the Kliadar and Bangar tracts, on the borders of

62which the three first gauges are situated, are sufficiently apparent. There is a

63marked and sudden diminution of the rainfall as soon as the stiff soil of the

64Chachra and Nardak tracts are reached. The natural state of this region

65is extremely precarious, and, before the recent extensions of the TVestern

66Jumna Canal, was one of the most insecure in the province. The Bangar of

67Kaithal, especially in the southern villages, is fortunate in possessing a lighter

68soil where a crop may he raised with far less rain than in the Nardak.

69It must not be forgotten that the success of the canal crop also depends

70very largely on the rainfall. The kharif of 1905 and the rabi of 1908 are

71striking, but by no means solitary examples of the failure of canal water as at

72present distributed to mature a crop when the rainfall is unfavourable.

73CHAPTEE II.— Pbeviotjs Settlements.

74Prior to British rule.

7510. The administrative fabric reared by the Moghal Emperors was

76destined to crumble under the succes¬

77sive revolts and invasions of the

78eighteenth century. The country north of Delhi, impoverished by the arrnies-

79of Nadir Shah, by the hordes of Mabrattas and the opposing Imperial troops,

80fell an easy prey to the Sikh marauders flushed with the victory at Sirhind.

81The northern part of the district was parcelled out between a number of Sikh

82chieftains and their adherents, of whom the most important were the Bhais of

83Kaithal, the Sardars of Thanesar and Ladwa, and the Pathan Chiefs of Kunj-

84pura. The country south of Karnal was a no-man’s land, seized sometimes by

85the Sikhs and sometimes by the Mabrattas and their adherents. Throughout

86the country the rule was the rule of the strongest. The state of things pre¬

87vailing in the Delhi territory was graphically described by the Civil Commis¬

88sioner in 1820

89“ Eevenue administration there was none ; the cultivator followed the

90plough with a sword in his hand ; the Collector came at the head of a regi¬

91ment ; and if he fared well, another soon followed him to pick up the crumbs.”'