The Gazetteers Department

Situation. The district of Akola lies in the western parts of the Nagpur Division of Maharashtra State and is surrounded by Amravati district in the north and north-east, Yeotmal in the south-east, Parbhani in the south and Buldhana in the west. The district lies between 19� 51' and 21� 16' latitude and 76� 38' and 77� 44' longitude. It has a total area of 10,567 square kilometres and a population of 15,01,478 which constitute 3.43 percent and 3.57 percent of the State figures, respectively as per the 1971 Census.

Territorial changes. What constitutes Akola district at present was originally a part of the Nizam's dominion assigned in 1853 to the East India Company in liquidation of the large debt due on account of arrears of pay on the Hyderabad contingent and as a security for future payment of that force. At that time Berar was divided into two districts, South and North. In 1857 Berar was reconstituted into two districts, West Berar with headquarters at Akola and East Berar with headquarters at Amravati. In 1903, the treaties of assignment were superseded by an agreement under which the Nizam leased Berar to the Government of India for an annual rent of 25 lakhs of rupees in perpetuity.

The administration of Berar was transferred from Hyderabad to the then Chief Commissioner of Central Provinces. In 1864, when the district of Buldhana was constituted, a part of the west Berar district was transferred to Buldhana district. In 1875, again when the Washim district was created some parts were transferred and the district and tahsil boundaries were completely overhauled in 1905. Murtizapur tahsil was transferred from Amravati to Akola district and Khamgaon and Jalgaon tahsils were transferred from Akola to Buldhana district. The Washim district was broken and two tahsils of Washim and Mangrulpir were included in the newly constituted Akola district. There were no major changes in the boundaries of the district between 1911 and 1955. In 1956, with the Reorganisation of the States, the district was transferred from Madhya

Pradesh to the then Bombay State and in 1960 it became a part of the State of Maharashtra.

For administrative purposes, the district is at present divided into six tahsils, viz., Akot in the north, Balapur, Akola, Murtizapur in the middle from west to east, and Washim and Mangrul-pir in the south.

Boundaries. Starting from the tri-junction of Buldhaua, Amravati and Akola districts, the boundary runs eastwards along the foot-hills of the Satpuda scarp at an elevation of 400 m. till reaching the celebrated triple hill forts of Narnala, Jafarabad and Teliaghat situated romantically at a height of 1,000 m. over a flat plateau overlooking the Payanghat plains. Thereafter, the boundary follows downstream the banks of Pathar river which it crosses near the village Popatkhed, continuing to skirt the Satpuda scarp keeping all the foot-hill villages within the district. Just near the village Khirkund Budrukh the boundary turns south to follow generally the Aran nadi initially, later its main stream the Bodli river, through a flat featureless country, meeting the river Purna near the big market village of Dahihanda. Thereafter, the boundary runs following the river Purna upstream eastwards keeping the left bank villages within the district till it reaches the confluence of Pedhi river on its left bank near the village Kolsara in the Murtizapur tahsil. Thereafter, the boundary runs across the country for a short distance eastwards and then turns south-south-eastwards crossing the Pedhi river near the village Kurhad and the Bombay-Nagpur railway line near Kuram railway station near the milestone 615 km. Then it turns towards south, keeping the Amravati and Chandur tahsils of Amravati district and Darwha tahsil of Yeotmal district to its east. Here again, the boundary runs through a gently sloping featureless terrain till it slowly ascends the slopes of the Buldhana plateau and having gained the top level of the plateau continuing to run in the same trend fill reaching the village of Amkinhi of Mangrulpir tahsil and the fort of Shendona nearby. Thereafter, the boundary runs westwards along the crestline of a hill ridge at an average elevation of 500 m. for a distance of about 20 km. before turning south and following the edge of a plateau. Slightly deviating from this plateau rim westwards, the boundary descends down to the Penganga valley which it follows westwards midstream keeping the district of Parbhani to its south. After following the river for a considerable distance, the boundary deviates from it near the village Warud Topha. It runs generally west-south-westwards till reaching the village Mohojabandi at the extreme southwestern corner of the Washim tahsil. Here, the boundary runs, north, keeping Buldhana district to its west; if crosses the Penganga once again and descends down the northern slope of Buldhana plateau in the Ghotbari reserved forest area and skirts its edge northwards roughly till reaching the Thorna river near Lakhanwada and following it off and on eastwards till its confluence with the Mun river. Thereafter, the boundary runs north roughly parallel to the course of the Mun river at a distance of 1 to 2 km. for a distance of about 25 km. and finally joining it near the village Manarkhed and following it downstream till its confluence with the Purna river. Then, for a short distance the boundary runs upstream with the Purna river and turns north near the village Wangargaon through a rolling country till reaching the banks of the Ban river just south of Danpur. Then it follows the river till the tri-junction at the foot of Melghat.

Relief Features. In relief, the district shares a similarity of topographical arrangements as found in Buldhana district. It also falls into three physical units; a narrow northern strip in the Akot tahsil in the Satpuda foot-hills, the Payanghat or Purna plains in the middle, occupying nearly half the district area in the tahsils of Akot, Balapur, Akola and Murtizapur and the Balaghat on the top of the Ajanta ranges comprising Washim and Mangrulpir tahsils to the south. The landscape in the district though not highly hilly, still offers interesting contrasts between the plateau and the plains, further enriched by a forested ghat country and a bad land topography joining the Mun river.

Hills. The district does not have any large area under extensive hill ranges. The northern extreme of the district in the foothills of Satpuda and the ghat country through which the land rises from the Purna plains to the Balaghat plateau as well as the isolated broken hill terrain in the extreme south-east in Mangrulpir tahsil are the only regions of relatively higher elevation.

Melghat.—The Melghat referred as the Satpuda scarp in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra State forms a very small part within the district. In fact, it is only the extreme southern foothill slopes, at an average elevation of about 400 m. that are found within the district forming a linear strip of average width of 2 to 5 km. The only true sections of higher elevation in this area that are found within the district are where the boundary completely dips north over a distance of 5 km. to include a high level mesa with its overhanging cliff slopes facing south. This plateau at an elevation of 940 m. has the celebrated uninhabited Narnala fort on its top overlooking the Payanghat plains. The ascent to this fort from the plains below is through a spur of hills and ridges through intermediary flat structural levels.

This foot-hill region everywhere is scoured by hill torrents and gullies that have in many places developed extensive debris slopes.

Ajanta Range. -The Ajanta range carrying on its flat top the Buldhana plateau (Balaghat) of Washim and Mangrulpir tahsils has steep rims facing north and descending to the Purna plains. This hilly ghat country at an overall elevation of about 400 m. is extremely uneven and rough with a tangle of hill masses covered by jungles. This escarpment is much less defined than the Satpuda scarp. It has a curving trend from west to east. It is highly dissected, carrying everywhere small undissected sections of plateaus forming isolated stretches of mesa separated by deep river valleys in which the rivers have serpentine courses. This scarp edge is comparatively more well defined in the southern parts of Balapur and Akola tahsils.

Another area of hill terrain within the district is seen in the southern part of the Mangrulpir tahsil particularly, along the boundaries of Yeotmal district. This tangle of the hill masses rising to an elevation of 500 to 600 m. is much less dissected than the northern scarp slope at a comparatively lower elevation. This slope in many places is cut into by the tributaries of the Penganga forming deep entrenched valleys that constitute the main lines of the access and habitation development.

Plateaus. The Washim and Mangrulpir plateaus in the Balaghat are at an elevation of about 400 to 500 m. sloping gently to the east. It is a rolling country with a number of residual hills and knolls dotting the country plains. It is along the rim of the plateau that the terrain becomes much more rugged and uneven developing a ghat aspect. Comparatively the Washim tahsil is much more level and even than Mangrulpir. The plateau is drained eastwards mainly and to a lesser extent to the north due to the recession of scarp on the northern edge.

Plains. The Payanghat plains of the Purna valley occupy the middle and northern sections of the district at an average elevation of 260-300 m. gently sloping the west. The plain is on an average 50 km. wide. It is bounded in the north by the scarp of Melghat and in the south by the Ajanta scarp and it is believed by the geologists to be the graben floor developed as a result of faulting during the recent geological past. It is alluvially infilled, the alluvium having been brought and deposited by the Purna and its tributaries. The alluvium in most of the places contains calcareous kanker nodules and is fossiliferous. The thickness of alluvium in most of the places exceeds 400 m.

Drainage. The two main rivers of the district are the Purna and the Penganga, the other less important rivers being the tributaries of these two rivers. They are the Katepurna, Shahaimr. Morna, Mun, Nand, Man and Lima, which are the tributaries of the Purna, and the Adan, the Arna and the Pus which are the tributaries of the Penganga.

Purna. — The only perennial stream of the Payanghat plain, the Purna, rises in the south facing scarps of Gavilgad hills in the district of Amravati. It flows westwards through the district, forming the northern boundary of Murtizapur, Akola and Balapur tahsils and the southern boundary of Akot tahsil. Though perennial, the river is not navigable. Its channel in many places is 30 m. deep and 200 m. wide. The banks are of soft alluvium. A large number of streams rising in the-scarp to its north and to its south join the river and drain the region with a fairly dense network. Most of these tributaries are pools of water during hot weather developing swirling floods during rains. The river has a length of about 100 km. in the district. The immediate Banks of the Purna river are badly broken and dissected by a strong rill erosion and undercutting of banks. The right bank in general is at a higher level than the left bank which seeing to be the main reason for a large number of rural settlements being found on its northern banks. The aggraded valley of Purna has many streams developing a sub-parallel drainage to the main river before their confluence with the main river. Of these tributaries, the Katepurna is the most significant.

Katepurna. -The Katepurna, rises in the northern slopes of the Ajanta ranges about 20 km. east of Barsi Takli at an elevation of 320 m. It mainly flows north in a non-perennial channel. If joins the main river on the left bank of the village Batori. It has an overall length of 100 km in the district. The river in its lower course turns by sharp bends westwards and northwards. Its immediate banks are mostly liable to flooding.

Uma.-The Uma rises in the extreme southern parts of Murtiza-pur tahsil near the village Poho and flows to the north. The river almost from the source is perennial. It has a fairly straight course, braided in sections and crossed at many points by fords. It joins the Purna near the village Durgavad about 10 km upstream of the Katepurna confluence after flowing sub-parallel to the main river on its left bank for about 10 km. The river has low banks throughout and a narrow channel and is liable to flooding during the rains. The river, flowing entirely within the. district, has an overall length of 60 km. Unlike the other tributaries of the Purna, this river is perennial flowing through, a generally better watered region.

Pedhi—The Pedhi rising in the Melghats of the Amravati district initially flows south-westwards and then flows westwards to join the Purna on its left bank near the village Kolsar. This river too is perennial in its lower course and it has gullied banks like the main river. The river has an overall length of 12 km within the district.

Morna.—The Morna river rises in the Washim tahsil near Shirpur village and flows through an open and flat country of the plateau, before passing through the large village of Medsi on the edge of the plateau. From here, the river goes through the ghats in a romantically picturesque country with sharp bends in between interlocking spurs developing a deep valley with a cliff face on the outer bank and wide alluvial flats on the inner bank before entering into the Payanghat plains. In this section, the Purna-Akola-Khandwa railway line closely follows the river and sticks to the narrow ledge adjoining the valley-side and crosses the river at no less than four different places to gain a foothold from one side of the deep valley to the other. Descending down from the scarp, the river flows through a fairly gently sloping country with a perennial channel on its bed. It skirts past the town of Akola just after it is joined on its right bank by the tributary, Indrupa. In its lower course, the river has developed extensive meanders and cut off loops, unlike many other left bank tributaries of the Purna. It develops a sub-parallel course for nearly 20 km before joining the main river near the village Andura. The length of the river is 113 km.

Mun.—The Mun river rises in the northern Ajanta scarps of the Chikhli tahsil of Buldhana district and flows east through the Ghatbori reserve forest area to enter the district of Akola. It is joined by a right bank tributary, the Uttavli, also rising in the scarps in Buldhana district and joining the Mun at the foot of the scarp near the village Pimpalkhuta after which the combined flow-northwards is fed by another stream the Vishwamitri rising on a similar scarp within the district and flowing north. After the confluence, the river flows through a flat alluvial country making-curves and graceful meanders; it flows past the township of Balapur; to the immediate north of Balapur, it is joined by a left bank-tributary, the Mas river, and another 6 km further downstream by a fairly long source stream, the Nirguna river and its tributary the Bordi river, both of which rise in the Medshi and Pathar reserved forest sections of the ghat country and flow north. After its confluence with the Bhuikund, the Mun is crossed by the Bombay-Nagpur railway line over a bridge which is south-east of Nagjhari railway station. In its lower course, the Mun makes excellent meanders and oxbow lakes in wide plains; its immediate banks art highly gullied. It joins the Purna river near the village of Khajikhed on its left bank. It forms for quite some distance the boundary between the Buldhana and Akola districts.

The right bank tributaries joining the Purna from the north are comparatively smaller hill torrents draining the foot-hill slopes of Melghat. Of these the Nagjhari, the Gautami, the Witruba and the Shahanur are the most important tributaries. The last said Shahanur river at the end of the last century was diverted at Dahihanda in the south-east of Akot tahsil so that it joins the Purna immediately alter entering the district. This new channel carries the water so rapidly that it always remains dry except during short intervals of floods. The overall length of the river is 130 km.

All these tributaries of the Purna river share certain common characteristics. These tributaries by and large are dry in their low courses and their banks are subject to enormous gully erosion in thick deposits of alluvium, so much so that the villages in general avoid these gullied immediate banks which are also liable to floods. The sub-parallel drainage pattern in the aggraded Purna valley is strongly suggestive of the nature of the evolution of drainage pattern. Most of the larger townships have developed along the banks of the tributaries at some distance from the main river at nodal points. The left bank tributaries are more important than the right ones and the main river itself flows closer to the northern scarp slopes than the southern one.

Penganga.—The Penganga river rises in the Deulghat hills of the Buldhana plateau and flows east to enter Akola district in its south-western parts in Washim tahsil near the village Wakad. The river has an overall length of 100 km. in its course through the district. Initially, it flows through a rolling plateau country in a narrow channel' less than 100 m wide with sharp bends. It forms the boundary between this district and Parbhani from the village Warud Topha downstream till its exit into the Yeotmal district. In this section, where it forms the boundary, the river bed is wider and rugged and the river channel itself is braided. The river turns at sharp bends, suggestive of the joint control of the bed rocks. In its entire course through the district, the river is non-perennial. It has many tributaries within the district which are also non-perennial. The Kas river rises in Washim tahsil and flows south to join the Penganga near the village Masla. The Adol river flowing past Shirpur and the Chandrabhaga are other small tributaries.

Pus.- The Pus river rises in the south-eastern part of Washim tahsil and descends down the rugged plateau edge through a series of sharp bends controlled by the pentagonal joints in the basalt, before leaving the district to enter Yeotmal district near the village Rui. The scarp on its banks, has retreated by parallel recession to develop wide alluvial flats that are dotted with villages in the deep valley bottom, and are enclosed by hills to remain isolated in many parts. Its significant source tributary, Bopalpandi river also rises in this district.

Adan.— It rises in the eastern parts of Washim tahsil and then flows towards east through the northern parts of Mangrulpir tahsil before entering into Darwha tahsil of Yeotmal district. The Arna and its tributary, the Kupti, rise in Mangrulpir tahsil and flow east in the southern parts to enter Yeotmal district.

Lakes and Tanks. There are not many perennial tanks or lake depressions within the district in the Payanghat plains. A few are found around the villages Mardi and Punda both in the foothill slope of Akot tahsil; around the villages Banbada Budrukh. Kutasa both in the Shahanur valley and Ghusar and Akkatwada both in a minor tributary valley on the left bank of the Purna.

A few deep and perennial tanks are found in the trap country of the Washim plateau around Mohoja, Bhat, Wakad and Risod. All these appear to be small basin, like depressions collecting the rain water from amphitheatre like basins and supplemented springs.

Springs. A number of springs occur on the southern slope of the Balaghat plateau descending clown to the Godavari vailey. These springs occur at 500 m level probably due to exposure of an intratrappean acuiter. Not many springs are found on the northern scarp slope.

Geographical Regions. The foregoing description of the physical features helps in appreciating the local and regional variations within the district in terrain,slopes, water supply and soil conditions and their impact on human response. The district as a whole is a prosperous cotton-jowar farming zone in the core of the Purna valley; the key-note of human response to the physical setting in the district is very well reflected in the farming practices, the cropping pattern and the associated agro-based cottage and factory industries. The local variations within the district are mainly the outcome of underlying relief and soils.

The district area falls broadly into three distinct regional units, two of them being sub-divisible into lesser micro units:—

(1) The Satpuda foot-hill zone in the north, 2 to 6 km wide;

(2) The Purna valley or Payanghat plains, an alluvial infilled rift valley comprising —

(a) the southward sloping rolling plains north of the Purna, and

(b) the flat plains, south of the Purna;

(3) The Balaghat or the Washim-Mangrulpir plateaus on the crest of the Ajanta range further divisible into—

(a) the ghat country on the northern scarp edge of the Ajanta range;

(b) the rolling uplands of Washim and western Mangrul-pir tahsils including the Penganga and upper Adan valleys;

(c) the eastern and southern hill country of Mangrulpir including the entrenched valleys of the Adan, the Arna and the Pus rivers.

Satpuda foot-hill Region.—The Satpuda foot-hill zone in the northern extremities of Akot tahsil is at an average elevation of about 400 m. This region consists of an upper hill zone with fairly steep slopes followed by a zone of debris developed in the piedmont, together having a width of about 6 km. The piedmont zone is a region of numerous seasonal rain-water gullies and coarse porous gravelly soils. The streams get swollen during rains; otherwise the area presents a dry appearance. The ground water-table is extremely shallow and the river banks are lined with babul trees.

The region as a whole is an area of negative human response. The hill slopes are covered by a poor deciduous forest-cover that provides the basis of a precarious livelihood for the rural dwellers of the region. All along the break of slope at the upper edge of the piedmont, above the zone of shallow ground water and high malarial incidence, hamlets are strung in a line. These hamlets are connected with larger settlements lower down the piedmont slope by track's that follow the beds of streams.

The only feature of interest of the region is a high level mesa that caps the basaltic precipices in the north-eastern extreme of the tahsil. The plateau has on its top a large fortification containing within it 3 forts, viz., Teliaghat in the west, the Narnala in the middle and Jafarabad in the east. The fort overlooks the Purna plains to the south and presents a picturesque plain country in the foreground.

Purna Plains-North.—The Purna plains, north of the river is a compact tract, with an average north to south length of 40 km. and a breadth of 30 km. It is almost entirely plain though in the south a few gullies running from east to west cause considerable depression. The rolling plains in the north have a comparatively steeper gradient of about 6 metres to a kilometre which gradually decreases southwards. The numerous gullies and hill torrents descend down the piedmont slope on entering into the plains in the northern limits of the area and merge together to develop into a number of sub-parallel streams flowing southwards. These streams on approaching the main river Purna turn westwards and flow parallel to the main stream in longitudinal depressions before joining the main river. The Shahanur, the Witruba, the Gautami and the Nagjhari are the most significant of them. The Shahanur which formerly flowed for some miles past Dahihanda and Kadholi was diverted towards the end of the last century during a famine from the village of Dahihanda to join the Purna two miles away and has from that time ceased to have a continuous current. Most of the streams change their course quite often during the floods eating away the soils on their banks and washing out the valuable cultivable lands.

This region, lying entirely within the Akot tahsil, is the most productive region of the Purna valley with very rich deep black soils. However, along the northern edge, adjoining the piedmont the soils tend to be stony and lighter.

The region records the highest percentage of net cropped area within the district accounting for more than 90 per cent of the land area. The cropping pattern in general is superior to what is found in the other parts of the district and reveals a predominance of cotton accounting for nearly 55 per cent of the net cropped area, followed by jowar (22 per cent). Both these crops are tilled in the Kharif season. Tur amongst pulses is a minor significant Kharif crop. Rabi crops are much less important and account for less than 10 per cent of the net sown area. Wheat and gram are the only two rabi crops. In the more coarse and gravelly soils of the north, chillis and mango orchards are of some importance. The wheat soils are generally found away from the river and have a good admixture of lime.

The villages of the region are medium sized with a population of 700 on an average. They are fairly compact and aligned on the flanks of stream valleys but perched on high sites avoiding in general the immediate banks of the streams. The rural population densities recorded in this region reach the highest values within the district as well as in cotton-jowar farming zone of the entire Tapi-Purna valley. Desertion of sites is quite common, particularly in the neighbourhood of Akot town partly due to flooding and partly due to migration oi the rural population to the larger market villages or the nearby townships. Many villages in the south, adjoining the main river and the depressions of the tributary streams, suffer severely from lack of water; throughout larger area, water when found is too brackish to drink. In some cases, drinking water is generally obtained only from the shallow streams (jhiras) sunk in the alluvium and has during hot weather to be fetched from a village, 2 or 3 km away. Even cattle have to migrate over a large distance.

Purna Plains-South.—The Plains, south of the Purna river about 60 km wide in a north-south direction and about 80 km. long east-west slopes northwards, with the highest elevations in the south reaching about 550 m along the scarp edge of the Ajanta ghat country. The entire region is drained by a number of tributaries of the Purna, northwards, the Mun, the Bhuikund, the Morna, the Katepurna and the Uma being the most significant of them. The Bemla, a tributary of the Wardha, drains eastwards in the extreme eastern parts of this region.

The tract covered by this region falls within the tahsils of Balapur, Akola and Murtizapur from west to east. The region as a whole is a rolling alluvial plain country with a hilly and stony waste country in the central parts of the Akola tahsil. Mangrulpir tahsil is more uneven than the plains further west but it is better watered and has a more perennial supply of water throughout the year.

The greater portion of the country in this tract has a rich black soil zone becoming more open and lighter southwards in the vicinity of the hills. The soils in the extreme east also tend to be shtllow and stony. All along the Purna valley, the soils tend Jo be somewhat saline and somewhat silty. About three-fourth of the land is under the plough, comparatively a jower percentage being recorded in the Akola tahsil on account of the stony waste found in the centre on either bank of the Katepurna river.

The cropping pattern in the region is practically the' same as that in the Akot plains but the yields are somewhat lower on account of less productive soils. Cotton is still the main crop grown during the kharif season but its proportion is about 40 per cent of the net sown area. Kharif jowar is somewhat more important than in Akot tahsil about 30 per cent of the net sown area, probably on account of the more open soils. Tur amongst the pulses is a significant minor crop particularly in Murtizapur. Groundnut is another minor cash crop. Rabi crops accounting for about one tenth ot the sown area mainly consist of wheat and gram. Linseed used to be an important crop during the past but with the increase of cotton area it has declined in importance. The entire crop is practically rainfed and this explains as in the Akot plains the' predominance of the kharif crop.

However, recently, a number of irrigation projects have been initiated particularly to improve the cash crop economy. The Katepurna project in Akola tahsil, recently completed, irrigates about 24,000 hectares mainly in the central parts of Akola tahsil where cultivation was at a lesser level till recently.

The Morna river project also in Akola tahsil and the Rishi tank project near Karanja in Murtizapur tahsil, apart from a number of wells and bandharas, irrigate about 6,000 hectares of land. The irrigated crops are mainly the food crops, olten, jowar, sugarcane, condiments and spices. Potato under irrigation is grown in Murtizapur tahsil while chillis are the main crops irrigated in Akola tahsil.

The villages in these fertile plains are medium sized although they tend to be larger in the west and smaller in the east. On an average, about 40 villages are found in every 250 square kilometre area, which indicates the relative close spacing of the villages. The villages are by and large linear or have a ribbon pattern, mostly divided by the roads. The siting of the villages mainly concentrated in the tributary river valleys is however not on the immediate banks, in order to avoid flooding; particularly the immediate banks of the Purna are avoided. The villages on the Purna banks are comparatively smaller but are perched on high sites of river bluffs, comparatively less eroded. In fact the string of larger village market settlements and townships exist in a linear fashion west to east at an average distance of 20 km south of the Purna. It is along this belt that the main Bombay-Nagpur railway line and the Dhulia-Nagpur highway run. The feeder roads run south from this main highway along the river valleys and gain access to the plateau through a ghat country, following the rivers closely. A few roads take off to the north also, crossing the Purna at three bridgeable points.

The people of these plains are mainly the Kunbi farmers. The plains as a whole record fairly high densities of more than 150 people per square kilometre but the density decreases southwards. This tract also has larger proportion of urban population, nearly a quarter of the population living in them.

Compact, nucleated villages, well spaced at an average distance of 10 km from each other and nodally located at the junction of the district and tahsil roads dot the entire plains and constitute the main market centres for cotton, jowar, groundnut, tur and chillis, indicative of the agricultural prosperity of the entire region. Of these, the larger and the more important are Wyala and Wadegaon in Balapur, Barsi. Takli, Borgaon Manju_;Khirankhed, Pinjar all in Akola tahsil and Jamti, Poho, Manbha, Kamargaon and Kuram all in Murtizapur tahsil. A few of the larger settlements have mud forts and watch towers reminding one of bygone days during which these prosperous villages lying on the march routes of Moghal armies and the Pendhari invaders used to suffer huge damages. The number of forts particularly increases eastwards and are very common in Murtizapur tahsil especially in the more wealthy larger villages.

The northern scarps of Ajanta range lying on the border between the Balapur, Akola and Murtizapur tahsils, in the north and the Washim and Mangrulpir tahsils in the south is a rugged hill country at an average elevation of 500 to 600 m highly dissected with small isolated plateau' tops; eastwards particularly in Murtizapur tahsil, the heights come down. This entire region is dissected by a number of Purna tributaries flowing north; these rivers have actively eroded their head-waters and pushed their sources well upto the crest of the plateau. It is only the alluvial flats adjoining the rivers that constitute the only good cultivable tracts. The Nirguna river and the Katepurna river having comparatively wider valley bottoms are tilled fairly intensely. The hills are extensively covered by mixed deciduous forests that are reserved. Babul, poor grade teak, ain, salai are the common trees. The undergrowth, luxuriant during the rains, produces a number of grass ramanas that provide grazing ground. The hills have mostly Banjara and Labhana hamlets and wadis, most of which are deserted at their earliest excuse. The larger villages are all along the stream courses which are also the main lines of access between the Purna plains and the Balaghat. In this zone, with lighter, coarser and shallow soils, pulses and grams are of some importance.

Washim-Mangrulpir Plateau Zone.—This area lies on the crest of the Balaghat at an average elevation of 550-600 m. The eastern and south-eastern parts are more rugged and hilly. The area slopes in general to the south, towards the Penganga river. The area is a rolling upland country with knolls and low plateaus dotting the landscape. Mangrulpir is much more undulating than Washim. The northern and western parts of Mangrulpir contain productive black soil more variable in depth while in Washim the richest portions are found in the centre, with a considerable depth. The proportion of the cultivated area in this tract is somewhat less as compared to the Purna plains ranging about 60 per cent. Current and permanent fallows assume significant proportion about 8 per cent while permanent pastures in the whole district are significant only on this tableland and account for about 10 percent of the land area.

Though the general cropping economy is similar to that of the Purna plains, it differs in certain respects. Rabi crops are comparatively more important in this area. Cotton, though till the predominant crop, declines in importance to occupy a third of the net sown area and another third is devoted to kharif jowar. In contrast, the area under pulses is somewhat larger, about 10-15 per cent. Groundnut is significant particularly in Mangrulpir. Of the rabi crops, wheat and gram in the Penganga lowlands of Washim and groundnut in the light medium soils of Mangrulpir are noteworthy. The entire crop is rain-fed though some measures have been initiated to irrigate small areas under tank and well irrigation. The recently completed Ekburji tank project in Washim, irrigates about' 7,500 hectares of land. Potato under irrigation is grown in patches in Mangrulpir.

Settlements on the plateau are comparatively farther spaced, and are squarish and compact, with few hamlets. The average size of the settlements is medium with a population of about 650 people. The villages are essentially located at water sites, desertion of sites being only due to lack of secure water supply. Most of the larger villages have mud forts or gadhis outside the main village, indicative of a troubled past when the more prosperous villages were open to robbery and plundering by tribals. The number of such fortified villages increases in general eastwards.

The hill region south and east of Mangrulpir is drained eastwards by the Pus, the Adan, the Arna and the Kupti rivers. The whole country has a rugged uneven terrain, the hill slopes being covered with mixed forests and uneven lands by a permanent pasture cover. The soils are light, gravelly and shallow and cultivation is not of any great importance except, along the immediate banks of rivers. Villages are small but nucleated and possess fortifications; they are fairly well spaced and are nodal. Anshang and Kupal are the two of the larger settlements of this area.

General Summary. The district as a whole is typical of the Berar plains. Agriculture dominates the rural economy and even the urban landscape to a considerable extent. Manufacturing and household industry barely account for 15 percent of the working population while services, trade and commerce account for a greater proportion in this district. Factory manufactures are insignificant and relatively recent. Industries are agro-based, viz.. cotton ginning and pressing, spinning and weaving, and flour mills, oil crushing and dal mills.

There is a considerable seasonal migration of population within the district particularly from rural to urban areas. One movement is the migration of labour after the main harvest of jowar in October to the cotton fields for picking of cotton. This labour returns home soon after the cotton picking season is over. During this season, the urban areas and cotton mill centres also attract some labour due to high market arrivals of cotton. The reverse movements back to the food crop zone generally starts in the months of February and March.

With a number of medium and small scale irrigation projects in erection during the plan periods, measures of improvement of agriculture, use of better quality agricultural implements and considerable amount of agricultural research done within the district itself in four different centres, agriculture within the district is at a much more sound footing than in the adjoining districts of Berar. This is well reflected in the phenomenal growth of the larger trade centres and the city of Akola itself during the last two decades has grown rapidly. The district is well set on the road to economic prosperity.

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