Dang district, India

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Dang district
Dandakaranya
Lakes near Saputara
Lakes near Saputara
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Coordinates: {{WikidataCoord}} – malformed coordinate data
Country India
StateGujarat
HeadquartersAhwa
Area
 • Total
1,764 km2 (681 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
228,291
 • Density129.4/km2 (335.2/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialGujarati, Hindi, English
 • SpokenKhandeshi, Gujarati, Bhili, Marathi, Hindi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationGJ-30
Websitedangs.nic.in

Dang district is a district in the southeastern part of the state of Gujarat. The administrative headquarters of the district are located in Ahwa. Dang has an area of 1,764 km2 and a population of 228,291 (as of 2011).[1] As of 2011, it is the least populous of Gujarat's 33 districts.[2] As per the Planning Commission, Dang is one of the most economically distressed districts out of 640 districts in India.[3][4] 94% of the population belongs to one of the scheduled tribes.[5][6] The five Kings of Dangs are the only hereditary royals in India whose titles are currently recognized by the government owing to an agreement between the East India Company and the Dang kings in 1842.[7][8]

Etymology

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The origin of the name of the Dang is uncertain. In common parlance the word 'dang' means a hilly village. There is another connotation of the word 'dang' which means bamboo (a place of bamboo). The name is also associated with Hindu mythology. It is related to the Dandakaranya of the Ramayana. It is said that during the exile, Rama passed through this area on his way to Nashik.[9]

Kings of Dang

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File:Surat Agency with all princely states with labels British India 1880-1933.svg
The Dangs (orange) within Surat Agency, India

The five Royal Bhil Kings of Dangs are currently the only hereditary rulers in India.[10]

Before Independence several wars were fought between the five tribal kings of Dang and the Company. According to the history of Dang, the biggest war to took place at 'Lashkaria Amba', in when the kings of all the five states joined to protect Dang from the British.[7] The British were beaten and agreed to a compromise.[7]

As per the treaty signed in 1842 the Company allowed to use the forests and their natural products against which they had to pay around 3,000 silver coins to the five kings. Currently the kings receive a yearly political pension by the Government of India, which is the main source of their income. This payment is continued even though all privy purses for the Princely states of India were stopped in 1970 since the agreement was between then monarchy of Dangs and the Government of India, not the Crown.[7][11]

At the end of each fiscal year during Holi, the kings gather in Ahwa for a traditional royal ceremony, in their richly decorated buggies and bands with tribal dancers, to receive the payment as per the agreement of 1842.[12] In ancient Indian Scriptures Dang is known as Danda Aranyaka, meaning 'Bamboo forest'.[11] Recently the Dangs Kings have urged the government to protect their depleting forest cover due to illegal logging.[13]

The five kingdoms are Daher-Amala, Linga, Gadhvi, Vasurna and Pimpri.[7][14]

Rulers

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  1. Linga - Raja Bhawarsinh
  2. Daher-Amala - Raja Tapatrao Anandrao Pawar
  3. Gadhvi - Raja Karan Singh Yashwantrao Pawar
  4. Vasurna - Raja Dhanrajsinh Chandrasinh Suryavanshi
  5. Pimpri - Raja Trikamrao Sahebrao Pawar

Dang States

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Historically there were 14 Dang states in the region: [15]

Demographics

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Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
190118,333—    
191128,926+4.67%
192124,142−1.79%
193133,495+3.33%
194140,236+1.85%
195147,282+1.63%
196171,567+4.23%
197194,185+2.78%
1981113,664+1.90%
1991144,091+2.40%
2001186,729+2.63%
2011228,291+2.03%
source:[16]
Religions in Dang district (2011)[17]
Hinduism
89.16%
Christianity
8.77%
Islam
1.57%
Other or not stated
0.50%
Distribution of religions

According to the 2011 census, Dang district has a population of 228,291,[2] roughly equal to the nation of Vanuatu.[18] This gives it a ranking of 587th in India (out of a total of 640).[2] The district has a population density of 129 inhabitants per square kilometre (330/sq mi).[2] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 21.44%.[2] Dang has a sex ratio of 1007 females for every 1000 males,[2] and literacy rate of 76.8%. 10.81% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 0.43% and 94.65% of the population respectively.[2]

Language

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Languages in Dang District (2011)
  1. Dangi (59.6%)
  2. Gujarati (32.5%)
  3. Gamit (3.18%)
  4. Marathi (1.20%)
  5. Hindi (1.21%)
  6. Other (1.54%)

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 59.55% of the population in the district spoke Dangi, 32.53% Gujarati, 3.18% Gamit, 1.99% Marathi and 1.21% Hindi as their first language.[19]

Politics

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{{#section:15th Gujarat Assembly|MLA Header}} {{#section:15th Gujarat Assembly|Dang district}} |}

Economy

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In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Dang District as an economically distressed district, one of 250 out of a total of 640 districts.[20] It is one of the six districts in Gujarat currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[20]

Forest

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Dang District has part of a forest that includes Purna Wildlife Sanctuary,[21] which is shared between the districts of Dang and Tapi in Gujarat and Nandurbar District in Maharashtra,[22][23] and Vansda National Park in Navsari District, which shares a continuous tract of forest with Valsad district.[21][24][better source needed]

A rusty-spotted cat was sighted for the time in 1991 in Shoolpaneshwar Wildlife Sanctuary.[25]

In Purna and Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuaries, eight bird species are considered locally extinct, including Indian grey hornbill, jungle bush quail, red spurfowl and large woodshrike.[21] Also, Bengal tiger, Indian giant squirrel and gaur are reportedly extinct in Gujarat.[26]

Talukas

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  1. Subir
  2. Waghai
  3. Ahwa

Rivers of district

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See also

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Places of interest

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References

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  1. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  3. ^ "Governance in Gujarat Under Modi - A Critique"
  4. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  10. ^ Kings of the Dang
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  12. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  13. ^ Dang tribal kings urge Modi to protect their jungle
  14. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  15. ^ "The golden book of India; a genealogical and biographical dictionary of the ruling princes, chiefs, nobles, and other personages, titled or decorated, of the Indian empire, with an appendix for Ceylon", https://archive.org/details/goldenbookofindi00lethrich/page/40/mode/2up
  16. ^ Decadal Variation In Population Since 1901
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  22. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  23. ^ Jhala, Y. V., Qureshi, Q., Sinha, P. R. (Eds.) (2011). Status of tigers, co-predators and prey in India, 2010. National Tiger Conservation Authority, Govt. of India, New Delhi, and Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. TR 2011/003 pp-302
  24. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  25. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
  26. ^ Worah, S. (1991). The ecology and management of a fragmented forest in south Gujarat, India: the Dangs. Ph.D. thesis, University of Poona, Pune, India.
  27. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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