PLACES

PAUNI

Pauni, with in 1971 a population of 17781 persons, is a municipal town in Bhandara tahsil, situated in 20° 48' North and 79° 39' East, on the Wainganga river, 32 miles south of Bhandara by raod. Pauni Road is a railway station on the Nagpur-Chanda narrow gauge route which traverse's the north-western corner of the district. There are post and telegraph facilities too.

Many a legend are current about Pauni and one such considers the town as an old one and well peopled in the days when the greater part of the district was an impenetrable wilderness. The name is derived from the mythical king Pavan, after whom Pohna and Paunar in Wardha district and Pavanghar in Berar are also called. The town was formerly known as Padmavati after the king or the queen, so that in old times to speak of it as Pauni was to show yourself a newcomer and not one of the old families to whom the name Padmavati was still a sacred remembrance. Interesting tales are told about king Pavan. His name was derived from pavana or the wind, and he left Paunar in the morning to bathe in the Wainganga at Pauni over 100 miles distant and then made a return journey of 130 miles to Pohna in Hinganghat tahsil to take his food, after which he returned another 30 miles to Paunar for the night. His queen was so virtuous and had such merit that she walked over tanks supported only by a lotus leaf, and drew water from wells in unbaked pots by means of an untwined string. Although the couple possessed untold wealth, they wore simple white garments and laboured with their own hands to make a living. According to another account they possessed the philosopher's stone by whose touch they could turn their subjects, tribute of iron ore and such other things into gold and silver if they so desired. But a day dawned when Pavan's wife, known as Kamptapat, the queen of the water-lily, was tempted by colourful garments and ornaments of gold and silver, on seeing the rest of the women go out to celebrate the Pola festival, gaily dressed and bedecked with all kinds of jewellery. She too must: dress like-wise; and before the next festival came round, she had induced her lord by constant importunity, to let her dress and adorn herself as other women did. She joined the festival, no longer distinguished by the simplicity of her apparel. But alas! She found that her virtue had departed from her. Her eyes were now opened. No longer would her untwined string and the unbaked pot perform their office; no longer would the lotus-leaf support her steps. To crown it all an earthquake followed which left Pauni in shambles. The glory of Pavan had departed, and soon afterwards he fell under the power of the Musalman invaders. These are, however, popular legends not worthy of credence from a critical mind. But recent excavations carried out by the Nagpur University and the Archaeological Department of the Central Government have proved that Pauni was a well-known centre of Buddhism in ancient times. It lay on the bank of the sacred river Vena (modern Wainganga), which has been highly eulogised in the Mahabharata. Its antiquities go back to pre-Ashokan times. In the excavations, pottery and punch-marked coins of the pre-Ashokan period have been found. The hillock near the tank called Balasamudra just outside the city wall represents an ancient stupa which was erected in the pre-Ashokan age and was developed and decorated with a railing and gateways in the Shunga period. It seems that Pauni was an important Buddhist centre on the highway from the north to the south. Pauni retained its importance in the later Kushana and Vakataka periods. A stone inscription found outside the city wall mentions a padukapatta installed by King Bhagadatta of the Bhara family. The remnant of, a memorial pillar of Maha-kshatrapa Rupiamma was found in a field near Pauni. A set of copper plates discovered recently at Pauni records a grant of the Vakataka king Pravarasena II, which shows that Pauni retained its importance till the fifth century A. D. at least. Coins of the Satavahana and later periods have also been found in the excavations at Pauni.

"The town is surrounded on three sides by a mound of earth and a moat, the walls being in some parts covered with stone battlements. On the fourth side to the east is the scarped bank of the Wainganga.... Within the town is a citadel or old fort with walls consisting of loose dressed stones of a large size. This is attributed to the Gaolis. The gateway and one of the walls of the fort are still standing [Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Bhandara District, 1908, ed., p. 220.]". Of the fortifications and the moat, hardly any trace remains. The town has since greatly expanded and has spilt much beyond the old fortifications. The prosperity of the town thrice invited the attacks of the Pendharis in olden days. Mr. Lawrence has given a description of these attacks in his Settlement Report of 1867. The first time, the inhabitants tried to put the river between themselves and their assailants; but they were overtaken and plundered in the dry sandy bed of the river. On their second coming the Pendharis had it all their own way. They came again for the third time; but the men valiantly defended the fort this time. The Pendharis had to content themselves with looting the defenceless suburbs; there was nothing to be gained by sitting down before even mud walls as the tactics of the Pendhari cavalry always consisted in lighting raids and carrying off bloodless booty [Mr. Lawrence's Settlement Report (1867), paragraph 68.]. The town was captured by the British in 1818, an account of which is given in the chapter on History. On the banks of the Wainganga some bathing ghats or broad flights of steps have been constructed. The Diwanghatis perhaps the best of all. Overlooking the river and interspersed with fine trees are some temples of fair architecture. Among the shrines, the temple to Murlidhara is the most important. It is a handsome and lofty building surrounded by a wall and adorned by a beautiful and tall shikhar. The town has two large tanks called Karhada and Balasamudra.

Municipality.— Pauni was created a municipality in 1867 and has an area of 3·3 sq. miles under its jurisdiction. Composed of 17 councillors, the municipal council is headed by the president elected by the members from among themselves.

Income and Expenditure: Till 1908 when the old Gazetteer was published the average municipal receipts were a little more than Rs. 4,000, having been nearly stationary for a number of years. The receipts are mainly derived from a property tax [Central Provinces District Gazetteers, Bhandara District, 1908 ed., p. 220.]. Since then the income has greatly increased, and in 1968-69 it stood at Rs. 4,86,215·92, the major sources being municipal rates and taxes, municipal property and powers apart from taxation, realisations from special acts, grants and contributions. Expenditure during the same year amounted to Rs. 4,62,445·92. The major heads of expenditure were general administration and collection charges, public safety, public health and convenience, and public instruction.

Medical Aid, Drainage and Water Supply: A medical dispensary located in the Sahar ward and maintained by the municipality together with an Ayurvedic dispensary render medical aid. The town has also a T. B. Survey, Education and Transport Centre, a maternity home and a family planning centre. Steps are taken to inoculate the people in times of epidemics like cholera. The veterinary dispensary located in Bhaitalav ward is conducted by the Panchayat Samiti. The drainage system consists of kutcha drains which are dug every year. At present the town depends upon wells, the Wainganga and the tanks for its water-supply, which, however, falls short during the hot season. A water-supply is under active consideration. It is estimated to cost Rs. 10 lakhs.

Education : Primary education is imparted in Marathi, Hindi and Urdu. It is taken care of by the Zilla Parishad. There are three high schools of which one is conducted by the municipality.

Cremation and burial places: The municipality maintains four burial and cremation places.

"The staple industry of the town is the manufacture of silk-bordered cloths and thread of very fine counts is woven. Some of the finer fabrics are exported to great distances. In 1865 Pauni cloths took the first and second prizes at the piece-goods section of the Nagpur exhibition. The industry is not so prosperous now as in former times... Men's loin-cloths are chiefly woven and thread of counts as fine as 80's is employed. A little tasar silk is also spun from the cocoons by Koskatis". Dhotis fringed with green silk or silver thread continue to be a speciality of Pauni. Although the weaving industry is no longer as prosperous, it has nevertheless been considerably revived by giving aid in the form of loans and subsidies and organising the weavers into co-operatives. Manufacture of bidis on a small scale is another industry of note. In the vicinity of the town chromite ore is mixed. Gold has also been reported to occur in the mineralised belt between Bhiwapur in Nagpur and Pauni in Bhandara. A regulated market with necessary facilities and amenities has been set up at Pauni. It has gone a long way in giving the cultivators a fair price to their produce. In the environs of the town there are a number of betel-vine gardens and the production of the leaf is greater here than in any other part of the district. Singhara or water-nut (Trapa bispinosa) is also grown. The seed is first sown in shallow water and then just before the rains the creepers are uprooted and planted in waist-deep water, being stamped into the mud with the foot. The plants grow up to the surface in the rains and the fruits appear on the top of the water. Pauni has a police station, and a rest house. A weekly market is held on Tuesdays and Saturdays, besides the daily vegetable market where fish is also sold. A separate mutton market has also been provided.

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