Increase in Village Numbers and Agro-Land

British Administration in Garhwal   -164

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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -184

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            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -1016

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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)

 As soon as Trail had agreement with Kamin and Thokdar for land ownership Kmin and Thokdar started establishing tanents /Khaikar farmers in villages. Padhan aloso started occupying land and started establishing Khaikar. There was sizable increase in numbers of villages and agriculture land. There was increase in revenue too.

 From 1815-1864, there was freedom for encroaching forest land and barren fields for cultivation. Becket informed that till measurement through land settlement was not completed it was difficult for taking tx from the new cultivated land or nayaavad bhumi. Becket wrote that till 1840, people were poor. Government created new district as Garhwal and slowly the situation started changing. People started keeping guns and started occupying nearby village land for their uses. People occupied whole valley  for cultivation.

  There were following reasons for increase in agro-land-

1-People started re-cultivation on old but barren land.

2-Making nearby forest as cultivated land

3- Cutting forests and digging land for cultivation

  There were 2929 villages and 57432X20 Path occupied land in 1822. There was 30135 20Path land that was barren lan.  By 1838, the village numbers were 4103 and cultivated land 90000 X20 Path.

   The process making forest as cultivated land was called Katol. People used to cut forest in winter and used to burn the same. In monsoon, people used to dig land for agriculture use by Kuti. People used to sow Til sesame seeds etc. For three for years, farmers used to do temporary faming of sesame or turmeric. Then they used to make contours and made the land use for other crops.  

  Becket offered following details for cultivated land and village increase-

  Year --------------No.Villages------------  Cultivated land (in 20 Path)

1822--------------------2929-----------------------57432

1824---------------------2929----------------------76340 (including old barren land)

1840---------------------4103----------------------89653 (excluding Bhotia)

1864 -------------------4395 +22-------------------149379   

XXX   

References  

1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -7 Garhwal par British -Shasan, part -1, page- 343-77 from Vishnu Singh Gorla Rawat collection

2-Joshi, Khas Family law

3- Paw- Garhwal Settlement page 44

4-Batton t, Garhwal resettlement report – 521-529

5-Becket , Garhwal Settlement Report page 35

Copyright@ Bhishma Kukreti Mumbai, India,bjkukreti@gmail.com 25/8/201710History of Garhwal – Kumaon-Haridwar (Uttarakhand, India) to be continued… Part -1017

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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)

Forest settlement , History of British Rule, Administration , Policies, Revenue system,  over Garhwal, Kumaon, Uttarakhand ; Forest settlement , 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; Forest settlement ,  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 ; Patwari , Civil Police History of British Rule, Forest settlement,  Administration, Policies, Revenue system over Haridwar, Pithoragarh Kumaon, Uttarakhand;