The Gazetteers Department

By the Treaty of Devgaon in 1803, the territory to the west of Wardha river from its rise in the Injardi Hills of the Mahadeva Range, of the Sata- puda Mountains, to its confluence with the Godavari near Sironcha in the present district of Chandrapur, was ceded to the British. They gave this to their friend the Nizam. From this time the four districts of Berar to the west of the Wardha river viz. Amravati, Akola, Yeotmal and Buldhana came to be governed by the Nizam till 1853. The hold of the Marathas over these districts established by the Sixty-Forty treaty came to an end.

In Berar the Nizam introduced the auction system for the collection of the land revenue in supersession of the age-old wise system of Malik Ambar. The revenue collection was given to the highest bidder, who appointed his own agents throughout Berar. Any thing over and above the amount fixed in the auction was the profit of the bidder. In this system the Government was free from all administrative botheration as the responsibility was shifted to the highest bidder. But the incidence of this system was that the ryots were left to the mercy of the newly created class of the monopolists. Towards the end of the Nizam's rule over Berar in 1853, the monopolists had sufficiently abused their power bringing the Nizam's Government into disrepute. For this, the word Mogalai became synonimous with irresponsible government.

The revenue of Berar for a number of years was auctioned at Rs. 52 lacs, as a result of which Berar came to be called Bavan Wardha.

The Nizam appointed his own Subhedar over Berar in consultation with the British Resident at Hyderabad. Raja Mahipat Ram was the first Subhedar appointed by the Nizam. He was followed by Alam and later by Munir-ul-Mulk. During the Subhedarship of the last named actual power was in the hands of one Raja Chandulal (1818-43.) Though Chandu-lal was clever, corruption was rampant during his administration. Owing to mal-administration the Nizam's Government incurred heavy debts. Palmer and Company were the richest Bankers offering loans to the Nizam. It was Sir Charles Metcalf, the Resident, who freed the Nizam's Government from the debts by making available loan directly from the British Government.

Due to Nizam's mis-government petty rebellions, dacoities and harassment by the powerful were common in Berar. Sindkhed was a nest of robbers. In 1803 some bands of dacoits looted Barashitakali and Adgaon. The pargana of Phattekherda, for three months in 1813, was in the hands of two Maratha noblemen who had rebelled against the Government. In 1809 the roving Pendhari bands looted and burnt Ellichpur, Washim, Jalgaon, Pimpalgaon and Patur. Southern Berar was devastated by a tribe of Naiks. In 1818 their leader Navasaji Naik had grown bold enough to attack a force of the Nizam under the command of Major Pittman.

The Arabs and the Rohillas who were disbanded from the army of the Bhosles and the Shindes freely roved in Berar harassing the people. The Rohillas in particular were notorious for the cruelties they perpetrated upon the poor and helpless. In the revenue system by auction the Rohillas at the village level made money advances to the sub-agents of the principal bidder, responsible for the entire collection, and exacted money from the cultivators in excess of the advance. This ultimately ruined the ryots. Malik Ambar had established direct relationship between the peasantry and the Government by reducing the influence of the middlemen. His sound system was bartered away by the British for the help they had received from the Nizam who from first to last was disloyal to the land of his subjects.

When fresh auction for the land revenue was made, the new bidder always found it difficult to appoint his own agents in place of the old ones. The old often would not give up their agency without a war. [ KVI. pp. 219-36.]

In 1850, the Nizam owed to the British Government Rs. 70,000,00 for the maintenance of the subsidiary force. The mal-administration of the Nizam had already drawn the attention of the British Government for interference. In 1853 it was therefore decided that the British should take charge of the paraganas of Berar which in all yielded an income of Rs. 50 lacs, the amount which the Nizam owed them in that year. This Berar which the British took from the Nizam was smaller in area than the one which was ceded to them by Raghuji II in 1803, in the Treaty of Devgaon.

During the Revolt of 1857 the British were engaged in a life and death struggle in India. The Nizam offered them every help. In return for his loyalty the British wrote off the debt he owned them and gave him the Berar subha once again. The actual administration however remained with the British. [ KV1. pp. 241-42.]

During the Viceroyalty of Lord Curzon (in 1903) Berar was taken over by the British as the people were not willing to be under their old master. Nizam's original claim over the Berar was recognised and he was to receive for the same annually a sum of Rs. 25 lacs. On the 1st of January every year his flag was to be unfurled at Amravati and guns were to boom in recognition of his claim. [ KVI. p. 243.]

This situation changed when the native States were merged with the neighbouring territories and the provinces were redrawn according to the decision of the States Reorganization Commission.

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