The Gazetteers Department

ACCORDING TO 1971 CENSUS THE BHANDARA DISTRICT accommodates 1,585,580 persons (m. 798,072: f. 787,508) as spread over its three tahsils. The following table gives the tahsilwise distribution of population in the district in 1971: —

TABLE No. 1

TAHSILWISE POPULATION OF BHANDARA DISTRICT, 1971.

District/Tahsil/ Town	Total Rural Urban	Area in sq. km.	Population per sq. km.	Population
District/Tahsil/ Town	Total Rural Urban	Area in sq. km.	Population per sq. km.	Persons	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)
DISTRICT	Total	9,214.00	172	1,585,580	798,072	787,508
	Rural	9,147.06	154	1,405,067	704,677	700,390
	Urban	66.04	2,718	180,513	93,395	87,118
Gondia Tahsil	Total	2,687.06	232	623,464	313,791	309,673
	Rural	2,653.09	200	529,876	265,198	264,678
	Urban	33.07	2,777	93,588	48,593	44,995
Gondia (M)	Urban	18.08	4,314	77,992	40,699	37,293
Tirora (M)	Urban	15.62	998	15,596	7,894	7,702
Bhandara Tahsil	Total	2,606.06	193	502,973	253,913	249,060
	Rural	2,573.09	162	416,048	209,111	206,937
	Urban	32.07	2,657	86,925	44,802	42,123
Tumsar (M)	Urban	7.36	4,038	29,721	15,189	14,532
Bhandara (M)	Urban	16.83	2,342	39,423	20,651	18,772
Pauni (M)	Urban	8.52	2,087	17,781	8,962	8,819
Sakoli Tahsil	Total	3,985.08	115	459,143	230,368	228,775
	Rural	3,985.08	115	459,143	230,368	228,775
	Urban	--	--	--	--	--

The table given above shows that the population of 1,585,580 is spread over the district area of 9,214 km². which works out at about 172 persons to a sq. km. Of these, 1,405,067 persons are distributed over the rural area of 9,147.6 km.² and the remaining 180,513 persons are spread over the urban area of 664 sq. km. This shows a very low percentage of urbanisation in the district.

Variation in Population.— The population of the district and decade variation rates since 1901 are as follows: —

Year	Population	Decade variation	Rate of variation
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
1901	587,812	--	--
1911	685,828	+ 98,016	+ 16.67
1921	717,747	+ 31,919	+ 4.65
1931	824,496	+ 106,749	+ 14.87
1941	963,225	+ 138,729	+ 16.83
1951	1,071,657	+ 108,432	+ 11.26
1961	1,268,286	+ 196,629	+ 18.35
1971	1,585,580	+ 312,942	+ 24.59

The population of the district increased by 16.67 per cent in the decade 1901—11 mainly due to the recovery from the famine and scarcity conditions in the earlier decade. In the following decade in addition to the scarcity conditions, the influenza epidemic of 1918-19 took a heavy toll, and the population increased by only 4.65 per cent. The conditions improved in the following decades and the population increased by 14.87 per cent during 1921—31, by 16.83 per cent during 1931—41 and by 11.26 per cent during 1941—51. During the 1961—71 decade the population increased by 24.59 per cent which was the highest decadal rate observed in the last eighty years. It might be due to control of epidemics and other diseases since 1960.

The 1951—61 decade variation for the district and each of the tahsils was as follows: —

District/Tahsil	Percentage variation (1951—61)
Bhandara district	+ 18.31
1. Gondia tahsil	+ 17.25
2. Bhandara tahsil	+ 17.51
3. Sakoli tahsil	+ 20.88

Sakoli tahsil, entirely a rural area, recorded the highest variation of 20.9 per cent. Itiadoh scheme of construction of earthen dam initiated in the Second Plan and building of Sakoli-Lakhan-dur road also might have attracted quite a large number of workers from the adjoining districts or tahsils.

The decade variation during 1961—71 was 24.59.

The net percentage increase since 1901 for the district, division and the State is given in the following statement:-

Period	Bhandara District	Nagpur Division	Maharashtra State
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
1901—1911	+ 16.67	+ 13.63	+ 10.74
1911—1921	-4.65	+ 0.39	-2.91
1921—1931	+ 14.87	+ 13.55	+ 14.91
1931—1941	+ 16.83	+ 8.30	+ 11.99
1941—1951	+ 11.26	+ 8.36	+ 19.27
1951—1961	+ 18.35	+ 20.19	+ 23.60
1961—1971	+ 24.59	+ 24.46	+ 27.45
1901—1971	+ 168.62	+ 131.09	+ 159.97

Density of Population.— The density of population for Maharashtra State, Bhandara district and its tahsils for 1961 and 1971 is as follows: —

State/District/Tahsil	Density		Percentage of district population in
State/District/Tahsil	1961 (per sq. mile)	1971 (per sq. km.)	1961	1971
	(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Maharashtra State	334	164	--	--
Bhandara District	350	172	100	100
Gondia Tahsil	458	232	39.94	39.32
Bhandara Tahsil	415	193	31.62	31.72
Sakoli Tahsil	233	115	28.44	28.96

Urban Population.— The following table gives the urban population of the district at each census and its variation since 1901 besides the variation in population of each town in the district.

TABLE No. 2

TOWNS CLASSIFIED BY POPULATION IN 1971 WITH VARIATION SINCE 1901.

Tumsar—contd.

District/Tahsil	Name of town	Status of town	Year	Area in sq.km.	Persons	Males	Females	Decade variation	Percentage decade variation
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)
District urban population	--	--	1901	--	31,505	15,293	16,212	--	--
			1911	--	27,861	14,062	13,799	—3,644	-11.57
			1921	--	41,189	21,018	20,171	+ 13,328	+ 47.84
			1931	--	54,281	28,219	26,062	+ 14,092	+ 31.79
			1941	--	66,985	34,432	32,553	+ 12,704	+ 23.40
			1951	--	91,965	47,673	44,292	+ 24,980	+ 37.29
			1961	--	136,261	70,797	65,464	+ 44,296	+ 48.17
			1971	66.04	180,513	93,395	87,118	-44,252	+ 32.48
Class II-50,000 to 99,999
Gondia Tahsil	Gondia	M*	1901	--	--	--	--	--	--
			1911	--	5,847	3,115	2,732	--	--
			1921	--	10,617	5,550	5,067	+ 4,770	+ 81.58
			1931	--	14,947	8,201	6,756	+ 4,340	+ 40.88
			1941	--	20,320	10,754	9,566	+ 5,363	+ 35.86
			1951	--	36,686	19,517	17,169	+ 16,366	+ 80.54
			1961	--	56,320	29,643	26,677	+ 19,634	+ 53. 52
			1971	18.08	77,992	40,699	37,293	+ 21,672	+ 38.48
Class III-20,000 to 49,999.
Bhandara Tahsil	Bhandara	M	1901	--	14,032	6,840	7,183	--	--
			1911	--	7,414	3,787	3,627	-6,609	—47.13
			1921	--	13,399	6,867	6,532	+ 5,985	+80.73
			1931	--	16,738	8,562	8,176	+ 3,339	+ 24.92
			1941	--	19,708	9,997	9,711	+ 2,970	+ 17.74
			1951	--	22,640	11,522	11,118	+ 2,932	+ 14.88
			1961	--	27,710	14,366	13,344	+ 5,070	+ 22.39
			1971	16.83	39,423	20,651	18,772	+ 11,713	+ 42.27
	Tumsar	M	1901	--	8,116	3,885	4,231	--	--
			1911	--	4,378	2,123	2,255	—3,738	-46.06
			1921	--	6,692	3,348	3,344	+ 2,314	+ 52.86
			1931	--	10,061	5,117	4,944	+ 3,369	+ 50.34
			1941	--	13,266	6,696	6,570	+ 3,205	+ 31.86
			1951	--	18,250	9,358	8,892	+ 4,984	+ 37.57
			1961	--	24,910	12,908	12,002	+ 6,660	+ 36.49
			1971	7.36	29,721	15,189	14,532	+ 4,811	+ 19.31
Class IV-10,000 to 19,999.
	Pauni	M	1901	--	9,366	4,568	4,798	--	--
			1911	--	10,222	5,037	5,185	+ 856	+9.14
			1921	--	10,481	5,253	5,228	+ 259	+ 2.53
			1931	--	12,525	6,339	6,186	+ 2,044	+ 19.50
			1941	--	13,691	6,985	6,706	+ 1,166	+ 9.31
			1951	--	14,389	7,276	7,113	+ 698	+ 5.10
			1961	--	14,801	7,544	7,257	+ 412	+ 2.86
			1971	8.52	17,781	8,962	8,819	+ 2,980	+ 20.13
Gondia Tahsil	Tirora	M†	1961	--	12,520	6,336	6,184	--	--
Gondia Tahsil	Tirora	M†	1971	15.62	15,596	7,894	7,702	+ 3,076	+ 24.57

*M—Municipality.

†Treated as town for the first time in 1961.

The number of towns, the rate of decade variation in urban population and percentage of urban population to total population at each Census since 1901 for the district and the State are as follows: —

Bhandara District				Maharashtra State
Year	No. of towns	Rate of variation in urban population	Percentage of urban population to total population	No. of towns	Rate of variation in urban population	Percentage of urban population to total population
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)
1901	3	--	5.36	219	--	16.59
1911	4	-11.57	4.06	232	+0.99	15.13
1921	4	+ 47.84	5.74	238	+ 18.72	18.50
1931	4	+ 31.79	6.58	258	+ 15.54	18.60
1941	4	+ 23.40	6.95	266	+ 27.11	21.11
1951	4	+ 37.29	8.58	383	+ 62.42	28.75
1961	5	+ 48.17	10.74	266	+ 21.32	28.22
1971	5	+ 32.47	11.38	289	+ 40.75	31.16

The net growth in urban population of the district in 1971 over that of 1901 is 472.97 per cent as against 388.35 per cent for the State.

The district is much less urbanised than the State average. The proportion of urban population had decreased both for the district and the State in 1911. Since then it has gradually increased up to 1971. There were only four towns since 1911 to 1951. Only one town was added in 1961.

Rural Population.— The following table shows for the district and for each tahsil the number of inhabited villages and their population for each class of villages.

TABLE No. 3

VILLAGES CLASSIFIED BY POPULATION, BHANDARA DISTRICT, 1971.

District / Tahsil	Total No. of inhabited villages	Total Rural Population			I—Villages with less than2,000 population
		Total Rural Population			Less than 200			200—499
		Persons	Males	Females	No.	Males	Females	No.	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)
Bhandara District	1,500	1,405,067	704,677	700,390	266	11,907	11,786	314	55,276	55,527
Bhandara Tahsil	496	416,048	209,111	206,937	87	4,646	4,694	105	17,951	18,042
Gondia Tahsil	438	529,876	265,198	264,678	37	2,156	2,108	58	10,204	10,206
Sakoli Tahsil	566	459,148	230,368	228,775	102	5,105	4,984	151	27,121	27,279

District / Tahsil	I—Villages with less than 2,000 population						II—Villages with a population 2,000—9,999
	500—999			1,000—1,999			2,000—4,999			5,000—9,999
	No.	Males	Females	No.	Males	Females	No.	Males	Females	No.	Males	Females
(1)	(12)	(13)	(14)	(15)	(16)	(17)	(18)	(19)	(20)	(21)	(22)	(23)
Bhandara District	454	163,562	164,010	360	253,725	253,509	34	48,149	46,130	5	16,138	15,273
Bhandara Tahsil	167	60,430	60,170	104	71,837	71,413	19	28,180	26,794	2	7,226	6,822
Gondia Tahsil	119	43,900	44,110	158	114,386	114,572	8	11,207	10,692	2	5,994	5,578
Sakoli Tahsil	168	59,232	59,730	98	67,502	67,524	7	8,762	8,644	1	2,918	2,873

The rates of variation in rural population and the percentages of rural population to total population of the district and the State since 1901 are as follows: —

Year	Bhandara District		Maharashtra State
Year	Rate of variation in rural population	Percentage of rural population to total population	Rate of variation in rural population	Percentage of rural population to total population
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
1901	--	94.64	--	83.41
1911	-18.27	95.94	+ 12.68	84.87
1921	+ 2.83	94.26	-6.77	81.50
1931	+ 13.84	93.42	+ 14.77	81.40
1941	+ 16.36	93.05	+ 8.54	78.89
1951	+ 9.31	81.42	+ 7.72	71.25
1961	+ 15.55	89.26	+ 24.51	71.78
1971	+ 24.12	88.62	+ 22.22	68.83

The urban population had grown faster at the expense of rural population. As a result, the rural population has increased at lower rates than total population except in the decade 1901—11. The percentage of rural population has gradually decreased since 1911.

Size of Villages.— The distribution of population by size of villages for the district and the State in the year 1971 is as follows: —

Size	Bhandara District		Maharashtra State
Size	Percentage of villages to total number of villages	Percentage of population to total rural population	Percentage of villages to total number of villages	Percentage of population to total rural population
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
Less than 500	36.00	9.57	39.52	10.68
500—999	30.27	23.31	29.43	21.80
1,000—1,999	24.00	36.10	20.79	29.40
2,000—4,999	9.13	26.96	8.67	25.87
5,000 and over	0.60	4.06	1.59	12.25

Villages with less than 1,000 population are 66.27 per cent of the total number of villages in the district and have 33.88 per cent of the rural population. These figures are nearly the same as those for Maharashtra. Villages with more than 1,000 population are 33.73 per cent of the total number of villages and account for 67.12 per cent of the rural population in the district.

Average population per village in 1961 was 762 in the district as against 792 in Maharashtra. The average population per village within the district varied from 638 in Sakoli tahsil to 1,004 in Gondia tahsil. Villages with a population of 5,000 and over in the district were 9 covering population of 57,034. Their percentage to total rural population was 0.16 in 1971.

Migration.— According to the 1961 Census, out of the total population of 1,268,286 (m. 635,174; f. 633,112), 799,729 (m. 510,456; f. 289,273) or 63.17 per cent were enumerated at the places of birth. This percentage for males was 80.48 but for females it was only 45.80. The difference was due to women married outside their places of birth. This migration of females due to their marriage is further evidenced by a very high proportion of females among persons born elsewhere in the district. This may be true to some extent for those born in other districts and outside Maharashtra State. Among the migrants the proportion of persons born outside the State was higher than that of persons born in other districts of the State. It is so because Bhandara is a border district and has better communications with adjoining districts in Madhya Pradesh. Manganese mines and bidi industry seem to be attracting workers from nearby areas in Madhya Pradesh. The following statement gives proportions of population by places of birth in Bhandara district as per 1961 Census:—

	Total population	At place of enumeration	Elsewhere in the district	Outside the district but in Maharashtra	Outside Maha- rashtra
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)
Persons	1,268,286	799,729	349,006	53,281	63,900
Males	635,174	510,456	80,534	18,813	24,460
Females	633,112	289,273	268,472	34,468	39,440
Percentage to total population—
Persons	100.00	63.17	27.57	4.21	5.05
Males	100.00	80.48	12.70	2.96	3.86
Females	100.00	45.80	42.50	5.46	6.24

Age and Marital Status.— The district has the largest proportion of child marriages in the State. During the period between 1951 and 1961 the proportion of never married however, increased both for males and females. There was also a decrease in the proportion of widowed both for males and females. The proportion of divorced or separated showed an increase but it was hardly of any numerical significance. All these changes contributed towards lowering the proportion of married persons both for males and females. Table No. 4 gives the distribution of the district population by different age-groups and by marital status.

Languages.— Table No. 5 gives the population by nine major languages in the district, its tahsils and towns.

TABLE No. 4

DISTRIBUTION OF POPULATION BY AGE-GROUPS, BHANDARA DISTRICT, 1961.

Age-Group	Total Rural Urban	Never married		Married		Widowed		Divorced		Unspecified status
Age-Group	Total Rural Urban	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)	(12)
All ages	T	293,604	236,114	314,603	318,498	22,875	74,669	3,887	3,554	205	277
	R	256 539	209,292	283 410	287,729	20,647	67,174	3,602	3,199	170	254
	U	37,065	26,822	31,184	30,769	2,228	7,495	285	355	35	23
0—9	T	178,899	179,962	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
	R	160,207	161,386	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
	U	18,692	18,576	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
10—19	T	95,678	53,342	19,748	54,517	137	395	198	595	52	72
	R	87,781	45,498	18,832	50,554	132	363	196	559	30	64
	U	13,897	7,844	916	3,963	5	32	2	36	22	8
20—29	T	15,604	1,927	89,874	111,824	1,729	2,145	1,467	1,290	28	77
	R	11,761	1,634	81,498	99,878	1,541	1,904	1,367	1,160	25	70
	U	3,843	293	8,376	11,946	178	241	100	130	3	7
30—39	T	1,576	150	84,363	75,978	2,918	7,198	1,105	764	20	53
	R	1,233	113	76,954	68,066	2,576	6,448	1,022	680	15	48
	U	343	37	9,409	7,912	302	750	83	84	5	5
40—49	T	681	64	58,599	45,749	4,342	15,040	604	487	13	31
	R	537	46	52,100	41,161	3,883	13,422	545	428	10	29
	U	144	18	6,499	4,588	459	1,618	59	59	3	2
50—59	T	313	84	35,650	20,545	4,816	17,881	311	210	8	19
	R	256	79	31,945	18,873	4,328	15,951	283	177	7	19
	U	57	5	3,705	1,672	488	1,930	28	33	1	--
60 and above	T	225	28	26,329	9,798	8,977	32,001	202	207	6	22
	R	175	26	24,056	9,112	8,181	29,077	189	194	5	21
	U	50	2	2,273	686	796	2,924	13	13	1	1
Age not stated	T	628	558	40	87	6	9	--	1	78	3
	R	589	510	34	85	6	9	--	1	78	3
	U	39	48	6	2	--	--	--	--	--	--

TABLE No. 5

POPULATION BY MOTHER-TONGUE, BHANDARA DISTRICT, 1961.

District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Gondi		Gujarati		Hindi		Holiya		Kalari
District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)	(12)
District Total	Total	28,537	30,290	2,271	1,818	100,491	98,509	1,063	1,020	785	831
	Rural	28,097	29,858	401	295	84,909	84,679	980	942	782	822
	Urban	440	432	1,870	1,523	15,582	13,830	83	79	3	9
Gondia Tahsil	Total	15,363	16,270	1,747	1,403	75,099	72,719	824	800	653	677
	Rural	14,976	15,892	102	63	63,977	62,997	741	721	650	668
	Urban	387	378	1,645	1,340	11,122	9,722	83	79	3	9
Bhandara Tahsil	Total	4,302	4,589	376	298	16,478	16,724	99	104	132	154
	Rural	4,279	4,535	151	115	12,018	12,616	99	104	132	154
	Urban	53	54	225	183	4,460	4,108	--	--	--	--
Sakoli Tahsil	Total	8,872	9,431	148	117	8,914	9,066	140	116	--	--
	Rural	8,872	9,431	148	117	8,914	9,066	140	116	--	--
	Urban	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

TABLE No. 5—contd.

District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Marathi		Sindhi		Telugu		Urdu		Others
District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Female
(1)	(2)	(13)	(14)	(15)	(16)	(17)	(18)	(19)	(20)	(21)	(22)
District Total	Total	487,839	487,694	3,795	3,250	1,046	873	5,453	5,397	3,894	3,430
	Rural	443,494	445,884	456	172	585	478	2,364	2,292	2,309	2,227
	Urban	44,345	41,810	3,339	3,078	461	395	3,089	3,105	1,585	1,203
Gondia Tahsil	Total	152,448	154,341	2,993	2,504	598	523	1,712	1,749	2,201	1,881
	Rural	135,318	137,981	234	38	217	189	524	526	920	931
	Urban	17,130	16,360	2,759	2,466	318	334	1,188	1,223	1,281	950
Bhandara Tahsil	Total	176,040	173,455	629	620	307	264	2,644	2,644	678	562
	Rural	148,825	148,005	49	8	227	203	743	762	374	309
	Urban	27,215	25,450	580	612	80	61	1,901	1,882	304	253
Sakoli Tahsil	Total	159,351	159,898	173	126	141	86	1,097	1,004	1,015	987
	Rural	159,351	159,898	173	126	141	86	1,097	1,004	1,015	987
	Urban	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Gondi		Gujarati		Hindi		Holiya		Kalari
District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)	(11)	(12)
					TOWNS
Gondia	M	373	363	1,603	1,325	9,494	8,130	79	79	3	9
Tirora	M	14	15	42	15	1,628	1,592	4	--	--	--
Tumsar	M	38	43	103	87	2,492	2,362	--	--	--	--
Bhandara	M	15	11	102	81	1,808	1,589	--	--	--	--
Pauni	M	--	--	20	15	160	157	--	--	--	--

District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Marathi		Sindhi		Telugu		Urdu		Others
District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(13)	(14)	(15)	(16)	(17)	(18)	(19)	(20)	(21)	(22)
					TOWNS
Gondia	M	12,931	12,219	2,567	2,283	373	329	987	1,018	1,233	922
Tirora	M	4,199	4,141	192	183	8	5	201	205	48	28
Tumsar	M	9,600	8,839	411	423	40	26	132	158	92	64
Bhandara	M	10,781	10,025	169	189	19	14	1,272	1,258	200	177
Pauni	M	6,834	6,586	--	--	21	21	497	466	12	12

The distribution of languages by rural and urban areas of the district in 1961 is as follows: —

Language	Percentage to total population			Percentage of each language in
Language	Total	Rural	Urban	Rural areas	Urban areas
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)
Gondi	4.64	5.12	0.64	98.52	1.48
Gujarati	0.32	0.06	2.49	17.02	82.98
Hindi	15.69	14.98	21.58	85.22	14.78
Holiya	0.16	0.17	0.12	92.22	7.78
Kalari	0.13	0.14	0.01	99.26	0.74
Marathi	76.92	78.57	63.23	91.17	8.83
Sindhi	0.55	0.06	4.71	8.91	91.09
Telugu	0.15	0.09	0.63	55.39	44.61
Urdu	0.86	0.41	4.54	42.91	57.09
Others	0.58	0.40	2.05	61.93	38.07
All languages	100.00	100.00	100.00	89.26	10.74

Marathi is the principal language and is the mother-tongue of 76.9 per cent of the population. In rural areas Marathi speakers account for 78.6 per cent of the population. They make 63.2 per cent of the population in urban areas. Hindi has the second largest number of speakers; they make 15.7 per cent of the total population in the district. It is spoken more in urban areas where its speakers make as much as 21.6 per cent against nearly 15 per cent for rural areas. Gondi has the third largest number of speakers. They make 4.6 per cent of the total population of the district. It is spoken more in rural areas where its speakers make as much as 5.1 per cent against only 0.6 per cent for urban areas. The speakers of Holiya and Kalari languages are concentrated in rural areas. Gujarati and Sindhi speakers are mostly concentrated in urban areas. Telugu and Urdu speakers are fairly distributed over rural and urban areas.

The comparative position of the languages in 1901, 1951 and 1961 is as follows: —

Language	Percentage to total population
Language	1901	1951	1961
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
Gondi	8.40	12.41	4.64
Gujarati	--	0.29	0.32
Hindi	13.52	18.09	15.69
Holiya	--	0.04	0.16
Kalari	--	--	0.13
Marathi	77.60	67.45	76.92
Sindhi	--	0.36	0.55
Telugu	0.17	0.11	0.15
Urdu	--	0.68	0.86
Others	0.31	0.57	0.58
All languages	100.00	100.00	100.00

The proportion of Marathi speakers decreased from 77.60 per cent in 1901 to 67.45 pert cent in 1951 and increased to 76.92 per cent in 1961. The percentage of Hindi speakers increased from 13.52 per cent in 1901 to 18.09 per cent in 1951 and decreased to 15.69 per cent in 1961. Gujarati, Sindhi and Urdu were reported in 1951 and their proportions have increased over a decade. The percentage of Gondi speakers increased from 8.40 per cent in 1901 to 12.41 per cent in 1951 and decreased to 4. 64 per cent in 1961. The percentage of Telugu speakers had remained almost constant, Kalari language was reported only in 1961. The proportion of Holiya speakers though not much had increased over a decade. The 1901 proportions shown here are for the district boundaries as they existed in that year. They are not strictly comparable with 1951 or 1961. The reasons why the proportion of Marathi declined so heavily and the proportions of Hindi and Gondi increased instead in 1951 are not clear. The reason may be the differences in the dialects grouped with the more important languages. The 1961 proportions appear to be nearer those of 1901.

Population by Religion.— The Table No. 6 gives the population by religions for the district and each tahsil and town separately.

The percentage of religions for a few Census years in the district is also follows: —

Religions	Percentage to total population
Religions	1901	1951	1961	1971
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)
Buddhists	--	--	16.93	13.01
Christians	0.05	0.05	0.06	0.09
Hindus	88.07	98.06	81.10	84.75
Jains	0.07	0.06	0.10	0.21
Muslims	1.91	1.71	1.75	1.86
Others	9.90	0.12	0.06	0.08
All religions	100.00	100.00	100.00	100.00

About 81.1 per cent of the population reported their religion as Hindu in the year 1961 as against 84.75 in 1971. Buddhists in the year 1961 accounted for 16.93 per cent while it was 13.01 in 1971. Christians, Jains and followers of other religions are similarly more numerous in urban areas. The Hindus and the Buddhists are more numerous in rural than in urban areas. Jains are the most urbanised group and the Buddhists the least urbanised.

TABLE No. 6

TAHSIL-WISE POPULATION BY RELIGIONS, BHANDARA DISTRICT, 1971.

District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Buddhists		Christians		Hindus		Jains
District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)
Bhandara District	Total	102,085	104,212	703	654	677,754	665,935	1,698	1,685
	Rural	93,530	95,941	410	336	600,595	594,470	1,164	1,122
	Urban	8,555	8,271	293	318	77,159	71,465	534	564
Bhandara Tahsil	Total	34,579	34,872	433	408	212,291	207,475	322	429
	Rural	31,522	31,996	328	269	173,990	171,694	180	195
	Urban	3,057	2,876	105	139	38,301	35,781	142	234
Gondia Tahsil	Total	28,260	29,531	220	200	277,970	273,079	805	772
	Rural	22,762	24,136	32	21	239,112	237,395	413	442
	Urban	5,498	5,395	188	179	38,858	35,684	392	330
Sakoli Tahsil	Total	39,246	39,809	50	40	187,493	185,381	571	485
	Rural	39,246	39,809	50	46	187,493	185,381	571	485
	Urban	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Bhandara Town	--	1,364	1,185	86	114	17,228	15,469	48	150
Tumsar Town	--	806	820	11	15	13,554	12,947	92	84
Pauni Town	--	887	871	8	10	7,519	7,365	2	--
Gondia Town	--	4,300	4,180	186	176	32,633	29,688	398	330
Tirora Town	--	1,198	1,215	2	3	6,225	5,996	3	--

District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Muslims		Sikhs		Other religious persuasions		Religion not stated
District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Female
(1)	(2)	(11)	(12)	(13)	(14)	(15)	(16)	(17)	(18)
Bhandara District	Total	15,120	14,412	677	580	10	4	25	25
	Rural	8,579	8,193	377	310	10	4	12	14
	Urban	6,541	6,219	300	270	--	--	13	11
Bhandara Tahsil	Total	6,064	5,709	213	162	8	4	3	1
	Rural	2,896	2,636	186	143	8	4	2	--
	Urban	3,168	3,073	27	19	--	--	1	1
Gondia Tahsil	Total	6,187	5,773	338	307	--	--	11	11
	Rural	2,814	2,627	65	56	--	--	--	1
	Urban	3,373	3,146	273	251	--	--	11	10
Sakoli Tahsil	Total	2,869	2,930	126	111	2	--	11	13
	Rural	2,869	2,930	126	111	2	--	11	13
	Urban	--	--	--	--	--	--	--	--
Bhandara Town	--	1,896	1,834	27	19	--	--	2	1
Tumsar Town	--	726	666	--	--	--	--	--	--
Pauni Town	--	546	573	--	--	--	--	--	--
Gondia Town	--	2,907	2,661	273	251	--	--	11	7
Tirora Town	--	466	485	--	--	--	--	--	3

The proportion of Christians and Jains has increased during the last seventy years. The percentage of Hindus has gone down from 98.06 per cent in 1951 to 81.10 per cent in 1961 because some persons belonging to Hindu Scheduled Castes returned their religion as Buddhist or Nav-Bauddha. The combined proportion for Hindus and Buddhists has increased over that of 1901. It was because a large number of tribal people who have returned their religion as Hindu had in 1901 been classified as Animists and grouped under the head " Others '. The proportion of other religions has accordingly decreased from 9.90 per cent in 1901 to only 0.08 per cent in 1971.

The percentage decadal growth rate during 1961—71 is shown in the following statement: —

Particulars	Percentage decadal growth rate—1961—71
(1)	(2)
Total population	24.59
Hindus	30.17
Muslims	32.31
Christians	84.88
Sikhs	104.06
Buddhists	—4.20
Jains	172.24
Others	—87.50

Scheduled Castes.— In all 20 castes were notified as Scheduled Castes in the district but only 18 were reported in 1961 Census and 17 at the time of 1971 Census. The following two tables show the castewise and tahsilwise population of Scheduled Castes:—

TABLE No. 7

SCHEDULED CASTES POPULATION, BHANDARA DISTRICT, 1971.

Scheduled Castes	Total Population			Illiterate			Literate and educated persons
Scheduled Castes	Persons	Males	Females	Persons	Males	Females	Persons	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)	(10)
Basor	943	494	449	718	326	392	225	168	57
Bhangi	1,556	761	795	908	310	598	648	451	197
Chambhar	16,402	8,606	7,796	11,624	5,033	6591	4,778	3573	1,205
Dhor	4	2	2	1	--	1	3	3	1
Dom	288	149	139	164	55	109	124	94	30
Ganda	94	25	69	82	19	63	12	6	6
Ghasi	350	188	162	235	9 7	138	115	91	24
Holiya	2,490	1,252	1,238	1,966	841	1125	524	411	113
Kaikadi	49	13	36	24	9	15	25	4	21
Katia	9	5	4	7	3	4	2	2	--
Khangar	5	2	3	5	2	3	--	--	--
Khatik	1,131	576	555	597	214	383	534	362	172
Kori	480	198	282	350	109	241	130	89	41
Madgi	23	8	15	19	5	14	4	3	1
Mahar	56,306	28,335	27,971	32,720	11,909	20,811	23586	16,426	7,160
Mang	2,625	1,210	1,415	1 883	681	1202	742	529	213
Sansi	6	5	1	3	3	--	3	2	1
Unspecified	204	140	64	94	57	37	110	83	27

TABLE No. 8

TAHSIL-WISE SCHEDULED CASTE POPULATION, BHANDARA DISTRICT, 1971.

District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Total Population			Illiterate		Literate
District / Tahsil / Town	Total Rural Urban	Persons	Males	Females	Males	Females	Males	Females
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)	(5)	(6)	(7)	(8)	(9)
Bhandara District	T	82,965	41,969	40,996	19,673	31,727	22,296	9,269
	R	68,847	34,751	34,096	16,928	26,888	17,823	7,208
	U	14,118	7,218	6,900	2,745	4,839	4,473	2,061
Bhandara Tahsil	T	26,380	13,358	13,022	5,836	9,742	7,522	3,280
	R	19,606	9,882	9,724	4,552	7,484	5,330	2,240
	U	6,774	3,476	3,298	1,284	2,258	2,192	1,040
Bhandara Town	U	2,882	1,509	1,373	553	882	956	491
Tumsar Town	U	2,709	1,325	1,384	488	990	837	394
Pauni Town	U	1,183	642	541	243	386	399	155
Gondia Tahsil	T	39,086	19,628	19,458	9,271	15,302	10,357	4,156
	R	31,742	15,886	15,856	7,810	12,721	8,076	3,135
	U	7,344	3,742	3,602	1,461	2,581	2,281	1,021
Gondia Town	U	5,823	2,968	2,855	1,182	2,047	1,786	808
Tirora Town	U	1,521	774	747	279	534	495	213
Sakoli Tahsil	T	17,499	8,083	8,516	4,566	6,683	4,417	1,833
	R	17,499	8,983	8,516	4,566	6,683	4,417	1,833
	U	--	--	--	--	--	--	--

The comparative position of the Scheduled Caste population in 1951, 1961 and 1971 in the district is as follows: —

	Percentage to total population in
	District Total	Rural areas	Urban areas
(1)	(2)	(3)	(4)
All Scheduled Castes—
1951	19.74	20.16	15.25
1961	2.45	2.15	4.93
1971	5.23	4.90	7.82

The reduction of the percentage from 19.74 to 2.45 is the result of a large number of persons (mostly from Mahar Caste) returning their religion in the 1961 Census as Buddhist or Nav-Bauddha. Among the Scheduled Caste population in Bhandara district in 1971 the Mahar community was the largest group of 56,306 persons or 67.87 per cent. Of these 26,797 or nearly 50 per cent were residing in the Gondia tahsil alone. Next to this group the Chambhar community was in majority who accounted for 16,402 persons or 19.77 per cent to total Scheduled Caste population. They were like the Mahar community concentrated in the Gondia tahsil. The Dhor, Katia, Khangar, Sansi formed a minority.

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