MeraPahad Community Of Uttarakhand Lovers

                     Glimpse of Maniyarsyun Villages   
                  British Administration in Garhwal   -156
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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -174
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            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -1008
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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)

       The 99% population lived in villages. There were 2929 villages in British Garhwal in 1822.   The estimated agriculture area was 57432X20 Nali.
            Captain Hardwick (Asiatic researches) described worse conditions of Garhwal villages in 1796. It is definite that the condition in Garhwal would be worsened in Gorkha period.
   Hardwick writes – I entered in a village Kotdwara on 20th April 1796. There was a wooden door and a check post at entry. Ahead of Kotdwara the road to Garhwal was rough.  I crossed Amsaur and  Ghinoli (Gainolo) villages. There were 3 huts in Ghinoli. There were 3-4 huts in each village from Kotdwara to Shrinagar. It was a rare scene for watching 5-6 huts in a village. The village was called big if there were 9-10 huts. I reached to Dias (Dyusa )village from Ghinoli. From Dyusa, I reached to Bilkhet. It is clear that all the villages in between Dyusi to Bilkhet were settled after British rule started.
     From Bilkhet, I reached to Naithana village. Irt and poverty was there in Naithana. Ahead of Naithana, there was a ruined hut in Advani. Tourists used to take rest there. Further to Advani, there was one hut in Teka ka Manda. I could se one or two huts on crossing hill villages. The villages were human less and poor. Mostly, wild animals were there instead of human settlements.
  In Gorkha era, more than 2 lakhs Garhwalis were forced to flee Garhwal (either for sales or they fled). Due to mass flee, most of villages were deserted.
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References 
1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -7 Garhwal par British -Shasan, part -1, page- 332-456
2 Hamilton, Description of Hindustan, Vol 2, page 639-48
3- Asiatic Researches Vol.1, page 324-330


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                     Remigration of Garhwalis from Plains
                  British Administration in Garhwal   -158
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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -178
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            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -1010
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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)

   Before, British rule started, in Gorkha rule, thousands of Garhwalis migrated to plains of India.
    The news spread about suitable and better British administration than local Kings all over India. Migrated Garhwalis also came to know about citizen oriented rule in British Garhwal. Migrated Garhwalis started coming back to their villages. Salves sold by Gorkha could not return back. Most of their huts were intact as they left. Retuned Garhwalis had to repair their huts and resettled there .Their land was now, barren. With efforts, they remade land suitable for farming. No authorities stopped them for regaining their rights.
    However, in some cases, where the land was super fertile, Sayanas, and strongmen in absence of owners captured the land those escaped from their villages. When they returned the new owners did not offer back their land. 
  Vishnu Singh Gorla Rawat informed to Dr Dabral an incident of Gujdu patti. A family had to flees from Ruindali Bhandar village in 1810 as the family could not pay tax.when in 1821, the family returned, they saw that Kamin established another rKhaikar on that land. The case came before Trail in 1833.
 




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References 
1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -7 Garhwal par British -Shasan, part -1, page- 343-44 from Vishnu Singh Gorla Rawat collection

                    Shilpkar (Craftsmen), Harijan  or Scheduled Castes of Garhwal in 1865   
                  British Administration in Garhwal   -160
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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -180
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            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -1012
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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)
    Before, independent, craftsmen caste was called ‘Doom or Dome’. Now, this word is unconstitutional.
  There was heavy demand for craftsmen (Shilpkar or S.C.) , farmers  under contract (Tihari) and women. The service providing community was craftsmen or Shilpkar society. Upper Caste farers required shilpkar for big or small farming , hut building and other activities.
          There were two major classes of Shilpkar or Harijan.
    Dancers, singers and music instrument players came under Entertaining class as Badi, Auji, Bhat, Hurkya.
  People require entertaining class at auspicious occasions.
   Auji was important class as they were Dhol-Damau players. Auhi had seven or ten villages under them.
 On every first day of month, Auji used to play Dhol-Damau at every courtyard. In marriage or other auspicious day, Auji used to play Dhol –Damau.
 Badi was another important entertaining community. They were dancers and singers.       
     Under real Craftsmen class were iron smith, metal smith, carpenters, and producers of various home- farm appliances nd labors for various activities.
   Shilpkar used to make wood, bamboo utensils and other utensils.   Shilpkar used to plow fields and also they erected farms by digging jungles. They used to carry grooms and brides at marriage procession through pinus or Dola.
 It was a must to have one or two Shilpkar families in each village.
 Kamin brought Harijan from here and there and established them in each village. Kamin were responsible for providing labor to British officers in their tour to rural regions. Kamin used to send Shilpkar/Harijan for that work. 
 The population of British Garhwal (todays’ Pauri, Chamoli and Rudraprayag) was 248742 in 1860 and out of this the Shilpkar ? Harijan population was 35992.
           
   
   

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References 
1-Shiv Prasad Dabral ‘Charan’, Uttarakhand ka Itihas, Part -7 Garhwal par British -Shasan, part -1, page- 343-44 from Vishnu Singh Gorla Rawat collection
2-Joshi, Khas Family law

                   
                    Search for Tenant Farmers
                  British Administration in Garhwal   -162
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History of British Rule/Administration over Kumaun and Garhwal (1815-1947) -182
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            History of Uttarakhand (Garhwal, Kumaon and Haridwar) -1014
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                              By: Bhishma Kukreti (History Student)
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  The major land in Garhwal was barren when British entered into Garhwal. Kamin or Sayane were interested for settling tenants in the cultivated or barren land.  There were tenants those were habitual of shifting one place to other. Therefore, Kamin started luring the tenants (Asami).
  The basic reasons for farmers (owner or tenants) were wild animals as tigers, leopards killing human beings and animals as deer, bores, bears, destroying the crops. There were epidemics in some particular regions for farmers for migrating other regions. The floods, drought, landslides  were also other causes for farmers leaving the places.
   Many people indulged in social norms crimes as marrying outcast or society compelled men for leaving their caste and in such cases, they had to flee their respective village for protection from social punishment. Many times, blind faith was also reason for a farmer shifting from one village to other village.
  Kamin /Sayana were trying their best for farmer tenants settling in their area.

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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 - 29

                   
                    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   

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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