Punjab District Gazetteer Vol Xxxiv A.

· 1910 · Public domain (published pre-1930) · archive.org ↗

1MoZAFFAEGAEH jDlSTBICT.]

23

3[Paet a.

4TIig inundation canals find tlieir way m, and witli tlioir help good

5crops of indigo and wheat aro gTOWn. The ilial does not form

6a dorsal ridge between the rivers. Tbete is a regular slope

7from the Indus to the Ohenab. Tbo native legend about the

8fonnation of the thal is, that formerly the Indus flowed down the

9centre of it and deposited the sand ; then the Indus changed its

10com’se to the west and the wind blew the sand into the heaps we

11now see. There is no doubt that the Indus did flow down the

12thal at one time. Mr. O’Bnen saw a deed of sale in which Basira ,

13a village now in the centre of the and oqui-distant fiom the

14Indus and the Ohenab, is descnbed as Bet Basfra, At Shahgarh,

15which 18 the southern end of the thal, a long lake which used to

16be the bed of the Indus is still extant.

17The Thai consists of two large divisions known as the Jal

18Thai and the Roda Thai.

19The Jal Thai is the Western and the Southern portion of the

20tract, taking up about half the area. It inclndcs neatly the whole

21of the Thai Circle of Muzaffargarh, the greater part of the Nahn

22Thai, a small portion of the Ghahi Thai and about one-half of the

23Pakka Circle of Sindwan. This last Assessment Circle is nearly

24aU canal-irrigated and the western half of the Nahri Thai of

25Sinawan as well as a lai’ge portion of the Muzaffargarh Thai

26receives a considerable quantity of canal water. The waste area

27in the canal-imgated portion has plenty of Sarkana {SaMai im

28munja). The eastern half of the Nahri Thai and the eastern

29portions of some of the villages m the Pakka Circle he beyond

30the reach of the present inundation canals. Cultivation is found

31here only on wells which are soattared about, rather thmly.

32This tract abounds m the Jal {Salvador a Oleoides) which accounts

33for the name, and has also plenty of Kanda or Jand trees {P)osopis

34Specigei a).

35The Roda Thai is so called because it is bare, i.e , void of trees

36Large tiees of Kanda (Jand) and Ukahn [Tamarm Onentahs)

37are found only on weUs. The Roda Thai may be divided into

38three mam portions ; — the Lana Thai, the Bui Thai, and the

39Dhaya Thai,

40The Dhaya Thai is a strip of veiy high sand-hills runnmg

41along the Chenab Kacha fiom the extreme noith-east of the

42District past the tomb of Bagga Sher m village Khanpur down to

43a point opposite the town of Muzaffargarh Even these large

44sand-hills have Laics of culturable land between them, although

45the proportion is much smaller than that in the Jal Thai or m the

46rest of the Roda Thai, This tract is from half to three or four

47miles broad.

48The northern part of village Munda and the group of villages

49north of it are distinguished for growing a very large amount of

50the shrub oaUed Lana {Analasis Midtido'i a).

51CHAP. I, A.

52Physical

53Aspects.

54Tho Thai

55ClasBification

56of tlio Thai

57Jal Thai

58The Boday

59Thai

60The Dhaa

61Thai

62The Lana

63Thai

Punjab District Gazetteer Vol Xxxiv A., p. 20 · Lahore Durbar Foundation