SOCIO-CULTURAL AND ECONOMIC DIMENSIONS OF CHAUDHARI COMMUNITY IN BANASKANTHA DISTRICT

Banaskantha District:


Banaskantha is one of the border districts of Gujarat close to Pakistan border as well as Rajasthan. Banaskantha has 1246 villages and is divided into 12 talukas. The main businesses of this district are agriculture, animal husbandry, diamond, etc. Banaskantha is the name given to this district as the river Banas passes through it. Banaskantha is known for its ‘Vadhiyar’ buffaloes and ‘Kankrej’ cows. Rich deposits of marble, sand stone and copper are found in this district. The district head quarter of Banaskantha is Palanpur, which is known as diamond and perfume city.

Banaskantha is mainly an agriculture district, as nearly 80% of its working population is engaged in agriculture and allied activities. It is one of the largest producers of food grains in the state. Looking at its importance, the Gujarat Agriculture University has been headquartered at Dantiwada in this district. The Banasdairy project was established at 5 km far from Palanpur in 1974-75. A major part of the district receives scanty rainfall and is therefore, chronologically affected by drought conditions. However, it has some area under irrigation mainly due to the Dantiwada major irrigation project constructed on the river Banas at estimated cost of Rs.11 crores.



In respect of demography, there are some noteworthy features. In 2001, it had a total population of 25, 02, 843 persons. Out of these as much as 80% comprised rural population and 20% formed urban component. The district has thus predominantly rural characteristics. 1



History of Banaskantha District:

Banaskantha, as its name denotes, forms part of the Banas valley of Banas, the main river of the district. The district comprises the former princely states of Palanpur, Tharad, Vav, Danta, Deodar and Thara Jagirs and the old agency thanas of Varahi, Sihori, Bhabhar and sub thana old Suigam. Among these Palanpur was class-I state where as Danta was class-II state. Palanpur was the oldest and has a continuous history right from the 15th century until its mergering in the Bombay state. After independence, these and other estates were dissolved into the Indian union and merged in the Banaskantha district thus enlarging its existing boundaries. Banaskantha was the part of then Bombay state until 1960. It now forms one of the constituent parts of Gujarat state. However, this district is again reformed in 2000 by the former chief minister Shree Shankarsinh Vaghela as two talukas, named Radhanpur and Santalpur are included in new formed Patan district. Today Banaskantha district is spread over 10, 757 sq. km., and is the third largest district of Gujarat state.

Location:

Banaskantha district lies between 23-33’ to 24-45’, north latitudes and 71-o3’ to 73-02’ east latitudes on the banks of the Banas River. The district is in the northwestern part of Gujarat. In the north, Marwar and Sirohi area of Rajasthan state, in the south, the Patan district, in the east, Sabarkantha district, and in the west, the Rann of Kuchchh, which forms the borderline with Pakistan, bound this district. From the viewpoint of length it measures about 122 km from north to south, and in respect of breadth it measures 200 km, from east to west.





Rivers:

Most of the rivers in this district originate in the Abu and Aravalli hills. All the rivers of this district are entirely dependant on monsoon and dry up in the summer. Some rivers of the district enter the Rann of Kuchchh. They are the Banas, the Sipu, the Balaram, the Arjuni, the Sarswati, the Umardashi, etc. Among them, the Banas is an important river of the district, and it was called Parnasa in the past and rises in the Dhebar Lake among the Udaipur hills in the Rajasthan. The chief tributers of the Banas are the Sipu and the Balaram. The Sipu joins the Banas near Bhadath and Chhota-Ranpuvas in Deesa taluka and Balaram joins the Banas near Kharja in Palanpur taluka. The dam has been constructed on the Banas River near Dantiwada about 25 km away from Palanpur that forms the core of Dantiwada irrigation project.