Birth
Ceremonies among Sikhs--- The Sikhs
do not consult priests on the birth of a child. They only name the child by
opening Guru Granth Sahib at random and the child has to be found a name beginning with the first letter of first
word of the first passage on the left page. Jat Sikhs generrally do not observe
forty days seclusion. (chila) unless required for special reasons . Some of the Sikhs perform kesi dahi cermony by
putting curd in the hair of boy - a ceremony corresponding to mundan among the
Hindus.
Birth
Ceremonies among Christians.----- A child
born in a christian family is christened by the priest. This ceremony is called
baptism. The Christians also rejoice at the birth of the son,but they do not
dislike the birth of a daughter. The mother observes no period of impurity.
Death
Ceremonies.----- Among Hindus when a
person is on the death-bed, someone recites verses from the Bhagwat Geeta. The
Sikhs offer strength to the departing soul by reciting Sukhmani---- the psalm
of peace. In case of death among Hindus when a person is about to die, he is
often removed from the cot and put on the floor, his feet turned towards the
north. ( There is a common belief that a person who dies on his cot becomes a
ghost). Thereafter, the ceremony of deeva batti is performed.
When the actual death takes place, the women of the
house sit around the dead person and lament loudly. Men spread a cover in the
courtyard and sit silently, while friends,
neighbours and relatives come in to console. Among some Hindus, the sons
of the deceased have their heads shaven off. The widow of the deceased takes of
all her jewellery and, if she happens to be young and is still wearing wedding
bangles,these are broken.
Certain rites are performed before the body of
deceased is taken for cremation. His body is rubbed with curd, bathed and
wrapped in a shroud. The body is put on a bier and carried to cremation ground
with recitation of mantras. The bier is put on pyre and put to fire by
sprinkling samagri and ghee. When the body is almost burnt, the ritual kapal
kirya (breaking the skull) is performed. On the third day, a few persons go to
collect the phul (the ashes). These are broken into pieces and immersed into
the Ganges at Hardwar ( UP) in the presence of a priest. Similar custom
prevails amongst the Sikhs with the only difference that the ceremonies are
performed by a Granthi or any learned man. They immerse the ashes in the Satluj
river at Kiratpur in Rupnagar District.
Hindus mourn their dead for thirteen days. This
mourning ends by feeding the Brahmans. Sikhs end the mourning with bhog
ceremony.
The Muhammadans, after bathing the dead body and wrapping
it into white cloth , take the bier to the mosque. The Mullah reads the Kalma
and then the dead body is buried in the graveyard. A Stone slab is sometimes
placed on the grave and every man attending the funeral covers the grave with
earth. The Mullah prays for the dead for three days.
Like the Hindus, the Jains also cremate the dead body.
The only difference is that the Jains do not mourn the dead, but instead forget
all about it immediately after the death.
The Christians bury their dead in a cemetry in a coffin.
An epitaph is sometimes fixed on the grave indicating the particulars about the
dead person.
(IV)
Home Life
Dwellings---- Types and quality of residential unit in a
particular geographical area are fairly
indicative of the pattern and quality of life of the people inhabiting that
area. On the basis of homesteads revealed after excavations, historians have drawn conclusions regarding
the standard of living of the people of the Indus Valley Civilization .
Knowledge about the dwelling units in which people lived on a particular period
of time is , therefore , very relevant to assess the pattern of life of the
people , with prosperity and advancement of knowledge, it is but natural that
people should think of having better quality houses.
Previously, most of the houses in the villages of the
Patiala District were Kachcha. The walls of these houses were made of mudbricks
. The roofs of the houses were also of mud, the beams which supported it were made of wood. These beams were rested
on mud walls. Across these beams, smaller beams and over these kana or grass,
lastly upon the grass mud mixed with straw and a layer of earth was laid. These
kachcha houses are now being rapidly replaced by pucca houses with a provision of hand pump or electric
motor in the courtyard. These new houses have separated kitchens and bath
rooms. The percentage of kachcha houses in the rural areas of the district has
considerably decreased . With spread of education , economic and social
developments and growing outlook for better sanitation and health facilities,
the villagers are changing the pattern of their houses. The modern houses are
just like the houses in urban areas with a separate provision of cattle shed.
Patiala and Rajpura are the most flourishing towns of the
district . Patiala and Nabha , being the headquarters of the erstwhile princely
States have many palaces and well constructed buildings. The recently
constructed houses, however are of modern designs. Cement and iron are mostly used
in the construction of modern dwellings.
Decoration
and Furniture.---- In the urban areas,
the items of furniture general chairs and tables are placed in the drawing
room. The houses of the well-to -do persons are tastefully furnished and
decorated in a modern style. In these days, the status of people is judged by
the standard of their dwellings and the decoration thereof. Since furniture and
decorations have becoem a matter of prestige, people vie with one another in
having costly and elegant things. The preferred itemsof furniture are modern
types of beds and cots, dressing table, sofa set, dining table and chairs,
electric fans, air coolers, air conditioners, floor carpet or drugget
particularly for the drawing room, steel almirahs, etc. Table radios or
portable transistors and tape recorders are found in almost every home, rich or
poor. Television and VCRs are also becoming popular not only in urban areas,
but also in rural areas have almost all the items of furniture as those found
in urban areas. In the houses of economically weaker sections of people ,
chairs and a small table besides old type of furniture like pihri, muhra, could
invariably be seen.
The stainless steel utensils are becoming more and more
popular in urban and rural areas of the district . However, the people in the
rural areas have still not abandoned the use of bronze and brass utensils like
thalis, karahis, glasses, lotas, kettles, etc. Modern cutlery is in big demand
and the well-to-do people entertain guests in dinner sets of fine-type china
ware.
Dress and
Ornaments - The dress of the people in
the rural areas of the district is simple. The men wear a safa (turban) , a
kurta (shirt) and a chadra (knee deep cloth tied round the waist). Chadra which
was a part of dress is now less in fashion. This type of dress is used in
summer, while in winter, a chader, khes, loi ( thin warm cloth) or blanket is
used as a wrap.
In the urban areas, educated villagers, especially the
younger generation , have mostly taken to the pullover,etc. The use of pyjama
and kurta is confined to however . The women in rural areas generally wear
salwar-kameez, suit and cover their heads with dupattas. In theurban areas
also, the women wear, salwar kameez suit and dupatta, but among the younger
generation, sari is becomming very popular. The school as well as college going
girls also wear salwar and shirt. However the use of western trousers among
college going girls is also becoming popular in the district.
Women here as
elsewhere in the State are fond of jewellery. Earlier, ornaments made of gold
were used by them. But now gold is being substituted either by silver or
artificial jewellery. In urban areas, it is only the middle aged women who wear a small quantity of gold, a small chain
around the neck, a nose pin, a ring and ear rings. The modern young and
educated ladies who generally move out wear artificial jewellery besides a ring
made of gold. Ladies from very well- off families, besides the gold ornaments
are becoming very popular among the lower middle class, mainly due to the
reason that the price of gold has soared beyond their reach.
In the rural areas, ladies generally use silver jewellery,
although in some well-to -do families, gold jewellery is also used. The newly
married women display a good deal of jewellery, the commonest among which are:
shingar patti on the forehead, chaunk on the head top, ear rings and a nath ( a
large nose ring). The nath is used only at the time of one's marriage and is
replaced by till or dandi thereafter . They also wear mattermala ( a Kind of
golden neckalce ) The brides also wear chura of white plastic in decorative
desings.
Food - The simple food of the people in rural areas have
little variety. The number of meals varies according to seasons and the nature
of work done by the people. In the morning , an average villager takes three or
four loaves of makki (maize0 in winter and of wheat or grams and wheat mixed in
summer with dahi (curd) and tea or lassi ( butter milk) . Mid-day meal and the
evening meal (dinner) consists of roti with some cooked pulses and vegetables
with onion and mango pickle. During winter, maize rotis with saag (cooked
mustard leaves) is taken . Meat and eggs are also taken by the people. On the
occassion of marriage, the use of rice is very common. On festive occassions,
khir, halwa and other sweet dishes are prepared. Tea has become very popular
and is taken atleast thrice a day. It is replacing lassi to a great extent. In
the post-partition period , on account of the rise in the price of desi ghee,
the use of vegetable oils, as cooking medium , has become almost universal.
As in other parts of the State, smoking is not uncommon in
the district. The people of Patiala also make use of liquor though inless
proportion as compared to the neighbouring district of Ludhiana.
(V)
Communal Life
Fairs and
Festivals.-- The Punjabis are very fond
of fairs and festivals and almost every fortnight, there is a fair or a
festival in one part of the State or the other. People come to participate in
such fairs from far off places, trudging dusty distance . These fairs and
festivals provide an index to the cultural, social and domestic life of the
people.
There is a chain of functions, fairs and festivals all the
year round, among the Sikhs, Hindus, Muslims, etc. Some of them signify the
change of season and celebrate the anniversaries of incarnations of God, gurus,
saints and notable personages. Gurpurbs are the religious festivals of the
Sikhs which are celebrated with great devotion and love for the gurus. Big
diwans (congregations of people) are held on the birth days of Guru Nanak Dev
and Guru Gobind Singh and on the martyrdom day of Guru Arjan Dev and Guru Teg
Bahadur . The gurpurb of Guru Ravi Dass is also celebrated in the month of
February with great enthusiasm. People show great interest in celebrating the
religious festivals of Shivratri, Holi, Janam Ashtami, Mahavir Jayanti, Rakhi,
Dussehra, Diwali, Ram Naumi, Guga Naumi, etc. The seasonal festivals of Lohri,
Maghi, Basant and Baisakhi are also celebrated with a good deal of fanfare.
The Republic Day ( 26 January), Independence Day (15 August) and the birth day of Mahatma
Gandhi (2 October) are observed as common national days of rejoicing all over
the country.
Besides the above fairs and festivals, Shahidi Jor Mela at
Fatehgarh Sahib is celebrated with great enthusiasm. Abrief description of the
Jor Mela is given as under:
Shahidi Jor
Mela Fatehgarh Sahib.----- The
Shahidi Jor Mela is held at Fatehgarh Sahib to commemorate the martyrdom of the
two younger sons of Guru Gobind singh, the tenth Guru of the Sikhs. The fair is
held from 11 to 14 of poh of the Bikrami calendar. These dates generally fall
during the last week of December. The fair was first held in 1944 Bikrami ( AD
1888) and has continued to be held since then.
In 1704 , the united forces of the
Governors of Lahore and Sirhind and the hill chieftains of the Shiwaliks, under
the orders of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb besieged the fort of Anandpur Sahib,
where Guru Gobind Singh, his family and Sikh warriors were encamping. The siege
continued for three months. The sikhs ran short of provisions and were on the
point of starvation. The enemy made an offer
to the Guru that if he left the fort, the siege would be lifted and he
would not be attacked on the way. The Guru accepted the offer and left the
fort, but the enemy did not keep his word and suddenly attacked the Guru and
his followers on the bank of the River Sirsa which was then in spate. During
the attack, Mata Gujri, the mother of Guru Gobind Singh and his two younger
sons, Zorawar Singh and Fateh Singh aged, 9
and 7 years, respectively, got separated from the party. They reached
village Kheri and took shelter with their old servant, Gangu. The latter , out
of fear of the Mughal wrath and allured of reward, got them arrested by the
administrator of Mornda who handed them over to the Governor of Sirhind. This
happened on 9 Poh of 1761 Bikrami. At Sirhind, the sons and the mother of the
Guru were imprisoned in one of the minarets of the fort, where Gurudwara Burj
Mata Gujri stands. On 10 Poh, the boys were brought before the Governor, who
persuaded them to embrace Islam. On their refusal, he ordered that they be bricked up alive in a wall. The legend goes that they were bricked up to
the height of their necks, they became unconscious, the wall burst and they
were removed to the minaret where they regained consciousness. On the 12 and 13
Poh, they were again called to the court and asked to choose between life and
death, but they resolutely refused to embrace Islam and were slain. When Mata
Gujri, their grand mother learnt of the tragedy , she also fell dead. The three
dead bodies were allowed to be cremated according to Sikh rites. The rites were
performed by one Diwan Todar Mal of Sirhind who purchased a piece of land for the purpose from the
ruling fanatics after paying a heavy price in gold mohars.
Besides the daily routine religious observances, the
following celebrations are held during the course of the fair:
Akhand Path (non-stop recitation of Granth Sahib) at the
Gurudwara JotiSaroop from 11 to 13 of Poh.
Diwn ( religious gathering ) in the Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib
on 11, 12 and 13 of Poh.
Amrit Prachar ( sikh
baptism) on the 12 Poh late in the evening. A Big diwan ( religious gathering)
is held on the 14 Poh at the Gurudwara Burj Mata Gujri.
This is a very colourful function. On the 13 Poh, a big
procession goes from Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib to Gurudwara Jyoti Sarup. The
spectators start occupying vantage points all along the road sides hours
earlier. At about 9 AM ,a golden palanquin garlanded and decorated with
floweres is brought inside the sanctuary of Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib. The Granthi (priest ) recites the path of Japji
Sabhib, and a member of the gaddi of Granth Sahib on it. He is honoured by the
head priest by offering a saropa (turban) . The Nihang Sikhs of the Buddha Dal
come wearing sings of the faith and weapons, and their guru pays obeisance to
the gaddi. The procession reaches Gurudwara Jyoti Sarup by 11 AM. A diwan is
held here with the palanquin of Granth Sahib placed on a platform. The Granthi
recites the Kirtan sohila, and after that the procession returns to the
Gurudwara Fatehgarh Sahib. Most of the visitors return home after witnessing
the procession.
Besides the religious diwans in the gurudwaras , a number of
politico-religious meetings are organised by various parties.
The fair is attended by more than a lakh of people. They are
mostly Sikhs, coming from all parts of the country, but the Hindus of the
neighbouring areas also participate with equal eclat and enthusiasm.
Games,
Sports and Recreation - Games and
recreations are essential for the proper physical development of young and the
old like. Almost all sorts of modern games and sports are played in schools and
colleges, the most important among these being, hockey, football,volleyball,
basketball, handball, cycling, boxing, athletic's etc. Among the indigeneous
games. Mention may be made of kabaddi, wrestling, chess, playing cards and
chaupat. Dramas, cinema, cultural shows including bhangra and gidha, etc. from
the usual sources of entertainement.
Cyclists from the patiala District have excelled in cycling
events in many State level and national competitions.
Folk Songs
and Cultural Life. .----- Folk songs have
remained an essentail part of Punjabi culture from the very beginning. These
express the ideas and sentiments of the people. These are sung on various
occassions like birth of a child, marriage or engagement of a boy or girl,
fairs or other social and religious celebrations, etc. Brief extracts from some
of folk songs common in the district are given below:
1 nI nwBy dIey bMd boqly,
qYƒ pIxgy nsIbW vwly[
Nee nabhe diye band botle
tenu peenge nashiban wale
O' seales bottle of Nabha
wine,
Only the nasian wale.
2 rwqI t~ut geI nINd nw AweI
kwlI gwnI im`rw dI
Ratin tut gae neend na aye
kai i gani mittran dee
during night i
could not sleep
as the dlack
string offered by lover got
broken
Utthe lai chal
charkha mera
jithe tere hal wagde
carry my spinning -wheel
where your ploughs
are plying
phulkari sadi reshmi
utte chamkan mor
Gallan thuhdian mitthian andron dil de hor
Peacocks shine on my silken
phulkari,
Your talk sounds so sweet,
but you are false with in
Do pattar anaran de,
sadi gali aa chan ve,
tap tutan bemaran de.
Two leaves of pomegranate,
O' dear! come to my street,
and rid me of my ailment.
Ho aari aari aari,
Kothe charh ke vekhan laggi, lade jaan vapari,
Uttardi de kanda lagg giya,
rogan ho gai bhari.
Viahian tiwian nachno raih
gayian,
Kurarian di aye vari
Burhe balad tan chalno raih
gaye,
alkan kanneh panjali.
Datan sap veri, kardi phire
kuari.
Datan sap
vergi.........................
O' saw, saw, saw,
After going upstrains she saw caravan of merchants,
while coming down , she was
pricked by thorn and
became much afflicted.
The married women could
dance no more,
So the virgins had to dance.
The old oxen could not be
put to plough,
So the untrained oxen had to
yoke.
Serpent like twig, the
virgin was brushing her teeth,
Serpent like
twig......................
Uddub uddin ve tilyar kaga,
lami te lain ve udari.
ja akhin mere mahi nu
Gori kyon manon visari
Dil da tukrha main kagaz
banawan
Ungali kat ke kani
Akham da kajla main
shahi banawan
Hanjuan da pandi an pani
Fly ,fly, O' starling !
Go on a long ;flight ,
Go and ask my sweet heart
(or love ),
why have you forgotten your
fair love
l cut my heart and make it
parchment .
Of my finger ,l make a oan ,
From the collyrium in my
eyes l gether ink .
l wet it with my tears .
Navin bahu muklave aye ,baih
gai pihra dah ke
Lehiga jamni kurti wari di baaih
gai chaunk chand pake .
pind dahu kurian chawan
mattian ayian hum humake .
Navin viahi da na puchhdian
, ghund chuka ke
Navin viahi
da....................................
THe ddddride came to her in -laws for the first time and sat
on a decorated stool ,
She was looking very chaming
in her violet wedding dress abd
jewellery.
The village girls caaaame to
see her in excitement,
They asskeeed the naame of
the neewwwly wed after lifting deveil ,
They asked the name pf the newly wed ...............................................
Tun haaaasdi dil razi mera
,lagde ne bol piare,
chal kidhre do gallan
kariue,daih ke nadi kinare ,
Luk luk laian pargat hoian,
vaj gae dhol nigare,
sohniye, aja ni dubdian nu
rad tare.
Your smile gives me
pleasure, l adore your every word,come
let us talk of love on the river dank ,
Our secret is now exposed
through the deat of drum, come my darling, trust every through the deat of
drum,
come my darling, trust every
thing to God.
sada chirian da chamba ve
,babal assan ud jana,
sadi lammi udari ve , babl
kehrhe desh jana.
Tere mehlan de dar vich ve,
babal dola nahin langda,
Ik it put dewan , dhiya ghar
ja apne.
Tere bagan de vich vich ve,
babal dola nahin langda,
Merian Kattan potrian, dhiya
ghar ja apne.
Mera chhada kasida ve, babal
das kaun kadhu?
Merian kadhan potrainm dhiya
ghar ja apne.
Ours is a flock of sparrows,
dear father, we 'II fly away,
On a long long flight, we
Know not to which land we shall go.
Through your palace's door,
dear father, the planquin won't pass.
I 'II have a brick dislodged
, O' daughter , go for that is your home, my dear.
Through your orchards, dear
father, the planquin won't pass,
I 'II have a shisham tree
uprooted, go for that is your home, my dear.
In your palace, dear father,
who will do spinning ?
My grand daughter will spin
, you go to your home, O' dear daughter.
There is my left-over
embroidry, who will finish it, my dear father?
My grand daughters will do
that ,O' daughter , you must depart, for that is your home.
CHAPTER IV
AGRICULTURE AND
IRRIGATION
|
v
Forestry |
As per 1981
census, more than two-third of the total area of the patiala district was under culti-vation. of the total working
force of the district, 57;55 per cent depended on agriculture as cultivators
and agriculural labourers. the
following table shows the persons engaged in agriculture in the districtas per census of 1981.-
..........................................................................................................................................
Males Females Total
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
As Cultivators 1,64,071 633 1,64,704
As Agricultural 1,02,068 3,248 1,05,316
Labourers
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: 2,66,139 3,881 2,70,020
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(1)
Land Reclamation and Utilization
Land
Utilization .----- The Pattern of land utilization in the
Patiala District, during 1977-78 to 1988-89 is given in the following
statement:-
The area , according to
village papers is based on returns of area prepared by village staff for
revenue purpose in the district, whereas area by professional survey is worked
out by the Surveyor General of India. There is some difference in the two sets
of figures because of different methods adopted by them. In 1988-89, total area
of the district was 463 thousand hectares.
The area under forests in the district during 1988-89 was
12 thousand hectares. This includes actually forested area on the lands classed
or admininstered as forest under any legal enactment dealing with forests
whether State owned or private except in areas not cadastrally surveyed. The
area under forests given in this section does not tally with that of the Forest
department owing to the fact that certain lands, though not wooded, are taken
are not treated as such by the Director of Land Records, Punjab.
Land not available for cultivation includes absolutely
barren and unculturable land, mountains , deserts, etc. which cannot be brought
under plough except at exorbitant cost, or land covered by buildings roads and
railways and water or otherwise appropriated for non-agricultural purpose. The
total area of land not available for cultivation in the district was 58
thousand hectares in 1988-89.
Other uncultivated land, excluding fallow lands denotes land
available for cultivation either not taken up for cultivations or abandoned
later on for one reason or the other and includes culturable wastes, permanent
pastures, other grazing lands, and land under miscellaneous tree crops and
groves. In 1988-89 , the area under this head was less than 5 hundred hectares
in the district.
Fallow lands denote cultivable land which after abandonment
remains uncultivated over a long period called old fallows and those kept
uncultivated during the current year are called current fallows. The area under
current fallow lands in the district during 1988-89 was 10 thousand hectares.
Net area sown is the area on which sowing is actually done
during the course of a year. In 1988-89 , the net area sown in the Patiala District
was 3,83,121 be tares. Area sown more than once is that portion of the net
shown area which was sown more than once. Such area in the Patiala District,
during 1988-89 was 3,21,314 hectares. The culturable area per agricultural
worker in the district during 1988-89 was 1.40 hectares as against 1.66
hectares in 1971 . The net area sown per agricultural worker also decreased in
1988-89 to 1.15 hectares from 1.65 hectares in 1970-71.
(ii) Reclamation of Waterlogged Area, Swamps, etc.----- There is no perennial river flowing through
the district. The main seasonal stream which traverses this district is
Ghaggar. After receiving the waters of some hill torrents like sukhna, Jhajjara
and Sirsala, Ghagggar enters the plains near Mubarakpur and after skirling the
border of Kharar ( Rupnagar District) , it enters the Patiala District from
north-east . During its course in the district, Banga, Tangri and Patiala Nadis
merge into it. Its bed is narrow and till defined in Banur and Ghanaur. Its banks are low and the steam floods easily .
During the rainy season, considerable
water flows into it and with other numerous torrents jointly, it cause
extensive floods and damage in the region. Patiala Nadi rising from near
Chandigarh and carrying with the water of other torrents flows past Patiala and falls into the Ghaggar near
village Ghanaura in Samana. Sirhind Cho commencing from near Rupnagar flows
through the areas of Fatehgarh Sahib, Bhawanigarh and Sunam ( Sangrur District)
.
During 1988 , 152 hectares of land & 453 villages were
affected by thur in the district.
Patiala, being predominantly agricultural district, the
well-being and prosperity of the tiller depends upon to a large extent on the
irrigation . A majority of the population of
the district depends on land. Allout efforts are made to bring more
areas under irrigatior and a number of irriagation schemes are being taken up.
During 1988-89 , the total area under irrigation in the district was 652.7
thousand hectares (92.7) per cent of the total cropped area.
(i) Rainfall .---- Rains normally set in by the firstweek of
July and continue till about the middle of September. In winter , rains are
generally received in January and February. The average annual rainfall in the
district during the last five years i.e. from 1984 to 1988 was 507.92
centimetres. The following statement shows the month-wise rainfall in the
district during the period 1977-1988:--
Irrigation
facilites.--- There is a positive
corelation between agricultural production and irrigation facilities. Tube
-wells, wells and canals are the main sources of irrigation in the district.
However , well irrigation is giving way to tube-well irrigation. The gross area
irrigated in the district during 1988-89 was 652.7 thousands hectares (92.7 per
cent of the gross cropped area. ).
The table below shows the net area irrigated alongwith the
percentage to the net area sown, through different sources of irrigation in the
district , during 1981-82 to 1988-89.
The ideas of irrigating
Patiala territory from the Satluj River originated with Maharaja Narinder Singh
in 1861, and a survey wae made by Captain 9afterwards General) Crofton in 1862
at his desire at the cost of the State. The project was, however, dropped for a
time, as the cost was cosidered prohibitive for the irrigation of such a
limited area. A partial estimate for a combined British and Native States
system was submitted by Captain (Colonel) Robert Home in 1869 and sanctioned by
the Secretary of State in 1870. The closure of the account after construction
took place on 31 march 1989. The three Native States - Patiala, Jind and Nabha
were associated in the construction under the terms of an agreement excuted on
18 February 1873. The Sirhind Canal was first estimated to command 4,027 square
miles in British territory and 4,450 in that of the Native States, 2,970 square
miles of the latter being in Patiala. This estimate was subsequently corrected on the completion of
the system to 5,322 square miles in British territory and 2,998 square miles in
the Native States. The canal was originally designed as navigable waterway. The
main line of the Native States Branches from Manpur to Patiala was navigable.
Irrigation began on the Patiala distributaries in the rabi crop of 1984-85.
The Sirhind Canal and Bhakra Main Line are the main sources
of irrigation in the district. The Sirhind canal takes off from the left bank
of Satluj river from the Rupnagar Headworks. After entering the district, it
traverses considerable length and irrigates the area of Fatehgarh Sahib,
patiala and Nabha tahsils. The Bhakra Main line enters the district at village
Fatehpur in Fatehgarh Sahib Tahsils and covers the whole district through its
various branches. The Banur canal has been taken off from the Ghaggar. River
near Banur . It is a seasonal canal and besides being a source of irrigation is
an old anti-flood measure. Besides these canals, the well known drains are, the
Patiala Model Town Drain, the Rohit Drain, the Nabha Drain and the Mohalgowara
Drain.
The following table shows the area irrigated by canals in
the district during 1981-82 to 1988-89:---
Tube
-wells and Pumping--Sets
Tube-wells and pumping -sets, another source of irrigation ,
come next to canals for irrigation purpose. Well irrigation in the Punjab is
very old. Earlier bullocks and camels provided the main source of power for
running the persian wheel. However, in recent years, the number of pumping
-sets run by diesel and hydro electric power has considerably increased in the
district. Well irrigation does not cause any water--logging. The number of
tube--wells and pumping--sets installed in the district and used for irrigation
purposes, during the years 1983-84 to 1988-89 are given in the following talbe:--
(C)
Agriculture and Horticulture
(i) Set-up and Activities of the Agriculture
Department
At the district level, the department of Agriculture is
represented by the Chief Agricultural Officer, who is under the control of the
Director of Agriculture , Punjab, Chandigarh. He is responsible for the entire
activities in the district. He guides the farmers in proper cultivation of
land, proper use of artificial manures and in arranging good quality seeds. In
doing so, the Chief Agricultral Officer, patiala is assisted by 1 District
Training Officer, 1 Project Officer (Reclamation) , 48 Agricultural Inspectors
, 75 Agricultural Sub-Inspectors, 1Technical Assistant, 6 Statistical
Assistants, 4 Field Assistant, 10 Senior Laboratory Assistants, 10 Laboratory Assistant, 2 Superintendents, 14
Accountants, besides other miniterial/technical Class III and Class IV staff.
To look after the Plant
Protection Scheme, there are 1 Assistant Plant Protection Officer, 5 Plant
Protection Inspectors, 1 Agricultural Sub-Inspector 5 Mechanics, 7 Beldars, 1
Accountant, 1 Clerk, 1 Driver, 1Peon and Chowkider working under the control of
the Chief Agricultural Officer.
The Agriculture Department
guides the farmers in controlling various pests and diseases affecting
agricultural crops in the management and procurement of fertilizers and good
quality seeds and in laying out demonstration plots to bring home to the
cultivators the superioration of varieties recommended for cultivation in the
district. Loans are advanced by the Government to the cultivators for repairing
old wells and constructing new ones and installing tube-wells and pumping sets.
Besides, assistance is also rendered in getting taccavi loans. Loans for the
reclamation of land are also advanced to the cultivators.