Berar Province
Berar Province | |||||||||
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Province of British India under the nominal sovereignty of Hyderabad State | |||||||||
1724–1903 | |||||||||
Flag | |||||||||
Hyderabad and Berar Province in 1903 | |||||||||
Capital | Ellichpur | ||||||||
Area | |||||||||
• 1881 | 29,340 km2 (11,330 sq mi) | ||||||||
Population | |||||||||
• 1881 | 2,672,673 | ||||||||
History | |||||||||
• The Nizam of Hyderabad becomes the de jure sovereign of Berar | 1724 | ||||||||
• Establishment of the Berar Division | 1903 | ||||||||
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public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Berar". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. | This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Berar Province, also known as the Hyderabad Assigned Districts, was a province of
In 1881, the population of Berar was 2,672,673.[citation needed] The total area of the territory was 29,340 square kilometres (11,330 sq mi).
After 1 October 1903, the administration of the province was placed under the Commissioner-General for the Central Provinces, as the Berar Division. In 1936, the territory was renamed as the Central Provinces and Berar, and its legislative assembly was established.
The successor to Berar, with changed boundaries, is
History
Background
Before the Mughal occupation, Berar was a part of the Nizam Shahi Sultanate of Ahmadnagar. It was ceded to Emperor Akbar by Chand Bibi in 1596, who was unable to stand against the imperial forces led by Prince Mirza Murad. After this initial victory, Prince Mirza Murad settled in Berar, with Balapur as his headquarters. Near Balapur, he founded a new city named Shahpur and constructed a beautiful palace for himself. As his relationship was deteriorating with Abdur Rahim Khan-i-Khanan, the commander of the army, Akbar recalled Khan-i-Khanan and sent his trusted friend Abul Fazl to help him. Mirza Murad died in 1598. After his death, Mirza Daniyal was given the charge as governor of Berar, Ahmadnagar, and Khandesh, and Khan-i-Khanan was sent along with Mirza Daniyal. Akbar died in 1605.
In 1611, the southern provinces of Ahmadnagar, Berar, and Khandesh defied Mughal sovereignty under Malik Ambar. Jahangir sent Man Singh and others to crush the revolt. Man Singh died a natural death on 6 July 1614 at Ellichpur. During Jahangir's rule, Malik Ambar, till his death in 1626, recovered a substantial part of the Deccan from the Mughals including Berar. In 1628, the first year of the reign of Shah Jahan (Mirza Khurram), Berar again came under the Mughal sway.
In 1636, the Mughal possessions in Dakhin (Deccan) were divided into 4 Subahs.
In 1720, Maratha Peshwa Balaji Vishwanath had the right to collect chauth and sardeshmukhi from Berar.
Nizam and Maratha period
In 1724, the
This condition of things was ended by Wellesley's victories at Assaye and Argaon (1803), which forced the Bhonsla raja to cede his territories south of Gawilgarh and Narnala Fort and east of the Wardha River. The forts of Gavilgad and Narnala remained subject to the Bhosale raja of Nagpur.
By the partition treaty of Hyderabad (1804) between
When Berar was no longer protected by its
British Raj
At last, the British government intervened, and in 1853, a new treaty was signed with the
After 1865, the American Civil War gave an immense stimulus to Berar's cotton trade, as did the laying of a railway line across the province.[citation needed]
Building Berar's prosperity on cotton, however, came with a price. During the famine of 1900, for example, nearly 8.5% of the population died, "with the greatest number of deaths", according to the historian Sven Beckert, "occurring in districts most specialized in cotton production".[1]
Through an agreement signed on 5 November 1902, 6th
On 1 October 1903, Berar was placed under the administration of the British Commissioner–General of the Central Provinces. In 1936, with the establishment of the legislative assembly of the "Central Provinces and Berar", the territory was renamed as the Central Provinces and Berar. Berar became known as Berar Division.
Administration
In 1853, after the administration of the province was assigned to the British East India Company by the Nizam following a treaty, it was divided into two districts, South Berar with its headquarters at
In 1864, East Berar was divided into two districts: Amraoti and Southeast Berar (which was first renamed as Wun district and then in 1905, Yeotmal district), with headquarters at Yeotmal. In 1867, Ellichpur District was also carved out of Amraoti.[3] In 1864, the talukas of Malkapur, Chikhli, and Mehkar were separated from the West Berar District, and a new district, Southwest Berar District, was formed, which was renamed Mehkar District in 1865. In 1867, Buldana was selected as the district's headquarters, and later the district was renamed as Buldana district.[4] In 1868, Basim district was formed.
Berar consisted of one Division with a Commissioner and six districts viz. Amraoti, Ellichpur, Wun, Akola, Buldana, and Basim in 1905. It was rearranged into four Amraoti, Yeotmal, Akola, and Buldana districts. In 1869, municipal administrations were introduced at Amraoti, Akola, Ellichpur, Basim, Yavatmal, and Khamgaon. Later, Shegaon (1881), Akot (1884), and by 1904, four more, became municipal towns.[5]
Officers of Berar Province
- Commissioner - Lt. Col W Hastings
- Deputy Commissioner - A Godwin-Austen
- Judicial Commissioner - J K Batten
- Civil and Sessions Judge - F W A Prideaux[6]
See also
- Berar Sultanate
- Berar Subah
- Nizam of Hyderabad
- Vidarbha
References
- ^ Beckert, Sven (2014). Empire of Cotton: a Global History. New York: Knopf.
- ^ "Gazetteers of the Bombay Presidency-Buldhana district-History-British Period". Buldhana District Gazetteer website. Archived from the original on 6 October 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
- ^ a b "Gazetteers of the Bombay Presidency-Amraoti district-History and Archaeology". Amravati district website. Archived from the original on 10 April 2009. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
- ^ "Gazetteers of the Bombay Presidency-Buldhana district-History and Archaeology". Buldhana District Gazetteer website. Archived from the original on 5 December 2010. Retrieved 25 March 2009.
- ^ Imperial Gazetteer2 of India, Volume 7, page 411 - Imperial Gazetteer of India - Digital South Asia Library
- ^ The India list and India Office list. Great Britain, India Office. 1903. p. 37.
central provinces and berar.