Land Tax on Gunth Land in Garhwal

Temple Land and Temple Administration in British Garhwal-3

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                            British Administration in Garhwal   -93

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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -111

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            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -948

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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)

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Garhwal Kings offered villages as Guth to temples that the grains from Gunth villages would be given as Bali (food for beggers, sadhus, kshetrapal, etc)  and Charu (offering to god) for temples. That was the reason grains were taken from Gunth land villages.

      British stopped that system.  The temple administrators pleaded the matter with courts. Train decided in his decision of  1820 and 1829, that Rawal was not authorized for interfering on farming in Gunth Bhumi not he could have any a ownership right on such land. The Rawal or priests could get money only from tax (donation) collected by government from Sadavrat land.

   The government notified the cultivators for Gunth land as Hissedar (owner) of the land as was practice for Khalsa land.  The government instructed the cultivators for paying tax to respective temples in money form instead of grains.  However, the Kedarnath Rawal got signs for  an agreement on stamp paper from cultivators of Ukhimath for paying tax in grain form. When grain became costly, there was dispute in paying tax. On 1^st June, 1880, Henry Ramsey instructed the cultivators for paying tax by money and not by grains. Board of Revenue also cancelled the agreement and found Rawal’s agreement illegal (Stowel).

   By cancelling paying tax in grain form created difficulties in offering free food to pilgrims as Sadhu, beggars etc and Naivedy (alter).

 The cost of grain was increasing but tax was not increasing in ratio and temple administrators were finding difficulties for free food offering and Naivedya etc,

 Dabral states that government did injustice to temples as-

1-Government already took the local village Gunth land and taxed it

2-Government made hurdles on temples getting free food for needy, offering to god.

3-Getting tax through money opened doors for corrupt practice among temple administrators.

4- By making Gunth land cultivator as land owner who could sell the land as and when he desired.

5- Muslim rulers destroyed the Hindu temples and British rules made temples income less and financially destroyed the Hindu temples. (Dabral)

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Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India, bckukreti@gmail.com 22/12/2016

History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -947

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*** History of British Rule/Administration over British Garhwal (Pauri, Rudraprayag, and Chamoli1815-1947) to be continued in next chapter

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(The History of Garhwal, Kumaon, Haridwar write up is aimed for general readers)

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References  

 1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -7 Garhwal par British -Shasan, part -1, page- 269-278

2- Becket, Garhwal Settlement Report, page 13

3-Stowel, Manual 13, 27, 120, 127  

Xx

History of British Rule, Administration , Policies, Revenue system,  over Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand ; History of British Rule , Administration , Policies Revenue system  over Pauri Garhwal, Udham Singh Nagar Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Chamoli Garhwal, Nainital Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Rudraprayag Garhwal, Almora Kumaon, Uttarakhand; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies ,Revenue system  over Dehradun , Champawat Kumaon, Uttarakhand ; History of British Rule, Administration, Policies, ,Revenue system  over Bageshwar  Kumaon, Uttarakhand ;

History of British Rule, Administration, Policies, Revenue system over Haridwar, Pithoragarh Kumaon, Uttarakhand;