Uttar Bastar Kanker district is located in the southern region of the state of Chhattisgarh, India between latitudes 20.6-20.24 and longitudes 80.48-81.48. The district covers an area of 6432 square kilometers and has a population of 748,941.
The district headquarters, Kanker town, is situated on the National Highway 30 almost halfway between Chhattisgarh's two major cities - Raipur, the state capital, and Jagdalpur, the second biggest city and headquarters of the neighbouring Bastar district and Bastar Division.
History The history of Kanker is said to date back to the Stone Age. According to the legendary Sanskrit epics of India, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, there was once a dense forest area named Dandakaranya, in the region where Kanker is located. According to myth, Kanker was also a land of monks and sages. Many Rishis (monks/sages) such as Kank, Lomesh, Shringi, Angira were said to have lived here. The influence of Buddhism in the region is believed to have begun in the sixth century BC. Ancient accounts of Kanker state that records it remained an independent state for much of its history.http://planningonline.gov.in/data/report/DP2010-2011_381Merge.pdf
In 106 AD, the Kanker state was under the rule of the Satavahana dynasty with Satkarni, as its king. This fact is also described by Chinese visitor Xuanzang. After Satvahana rule, the state was under the control of the Nags, Vakataks, Gupt, Nal and Chalukya dynasties. The Som dynasty was founded by the king Singh Raj, and this dynasty ruled the state from 1125 to 1344. Following the decline of the Som dynasty, Dharam Dev founded the Kandra dynasty, which ruled until 1385. After the downfall of the Kandra dynasty, the Chandra dynasty came. According to a local tradition, its first king was Veer Kanhar Dev, who ruled until 1404. This dynasty ruled the state up to 1802. In more recent years, the Kanker region has been affected by violence associated with Naxalite groups, including the Communist Party of India (Maoist).
Kanker State
The Kanker state came under the control of the Bhosales of Nagpur during the reign of Bhoop Dev from 1809 to 1818. During the kingship of Narhari Deb, the Kanker state came under control of the British after the Maratha period. The British government recognised Narhar Dev right of adoption, and he subsequently acknowledged British suzerainty. In 1882, the control of Kanker State was handed over to the Commissioner of Raipur.
The rule of Narhar Deo saw the construction of many buildings, including a palace near Gadiya Mountain, a printing press, a library, Radhakrishna Temple, Ramjanki Temple, Jagannath Temple and Balaji Temple. Narhar Deo made a plan termed 'Ratna Bhandar' for keeping grain in stock for his people. He established a new town named Narharpur near Kanker.
In 1904, Komal Dev became the king of Kanker. During his rule one English secondary school, one Girls school, and 15 primary Schools were established, as well as two hospitals: one in Kanker and the other in Sambalpur. He died on 8 January 1925. After his death, Bhanupratap Dev became the king. Bhanupratap Dev was the last king of Kanker before the Independence of India. After independence, he was elected twice as an MLA from the Kanker constituency.
Rajas/Zamindars
5 Dec 1853 - May 1903 Narhar Deo 1903 - 8 Jan 1925 Lal Kamal Deo 8 Jan 1925 - 15 Aug 1947 Bhanupratap Deo (b. 1922)
Post-independence What is now Kanker District was a part of old Bastar district. In 1999, Kanker received its identity as an independent district. It is now surrounded by five other districts of Chhattisgarh state: Kondagaon District, Dhamtari District, Balod District, Narayanpur and Rajnandgaon District.
It is currently a part of the Red Corridor, the region in the eastern, central and the southern parts of India that experience considerable Naxalite–Maoist insurgency.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Kanker district has a population of 748,941, roughly equal to the nation of Guyana or the US state of Alaska. This gives it a ranking of 493rd in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 15%. Kanker has a sex ratio of 1007 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 70.97%. 10.25% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes make up 4.21% and 55.38% of the population respectively.
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 60.76% of the population in the district spoke Chhattisgarhi, 17.06% Gondi, 13.10% Bengali, 5.71% Hindi and 1.71% Halbi as their first language.
Geography The district headquarters of Kanker is 140 kilometers from Raipur and 160 kilometers from Jagadalpur. In 2018, the district got its first railway station in the form of Bhanupratappur railway station. Daily DEMU services connect Keoti and Bhanupratappur to Raipur.
The Mahanadi River, Doodh River, Hatkul River, Sondur River and Turu River all flow through small pockets of hills in the district.
The physical area of Kanker is heterogeneous and is a mix between flat land and undulating hills. Most of the land is between 300 and 600 meters above sea level, and about 80% of the area of Kanker is flat. These flat lands can be divided into two parts, the Mahanadi Plane and the Kotri Plane.
The northeastern part of Kanker is on the Mahanadi Plane. The majority of this plane lies at an elevation less than 500 meters above sea level. The main river in that area is the Mahanadi River. Hatkul, Chinar, Doodh, Sondur, Nakti, and Toori are the other rivers of the area. Bhanupratappur is located on the Kotri Plane. The majority of this plane lies at an elevation less than 400 meters above sea level. Korti and Valler are the main rivers of this area. The topography of Kanker district is also dotted with a multitude of hilly regions. These can be divided into the following three groups:
A. Vindhyana Hill Group: These hill groups are spread in the south eastern part of Kanker district, where the soil constitutes six phases of quartile and sand.
B. Archian Hill Groups: 95% of the area of Kanker is covered by Archian Hill Group. In this area, granite and gneiss rocks are spread over almost all the geographical area of the district.
C. Dharwar Hill Group: This hill group is very crude and broken in shape and form. These hills are spread all over the northern region of the district, in the areas close to Sambalpur and Bhanupratappur.
Climate The climate of the district is of predominantly a “Monsoon type”. May is the hottest month and December is the coolest month. Annual average rainfall in the district is 1492 mm, 90% of which falls during the period from June to October. The average annual rainfall has fluctuated greatly over the last six years.
Within the district, the Kanker and Charama blocks have a predominantly dry climate, whereas that of Bhanupratappur is of the wet type.
Soil The soil in Kanker originates from granite, gneiss, sand and khedar. Most of the area is covered with red soil. The soil is faintly coloured in the higher regions of the hilly tract, while in the river valleys, the soil is smooth and fertile. The soils of this district can be divided into four types.
A. Kanhar: This type of soil is black and oily. The capacity of water absorption by this soil is great, and this is very useful in growth of Kharif and Rabi crops in the region. This type of soil is found in the planes of Kotri and Mahanadi.
B. Dorsa: This type of soil is medium in nature and it is very similar to Matasi and Kanhar type soil. This type of soil is found in north east Kanker and in the Bhanupratappur region.
C. Matasi: This type of soil is found at an elevation higher than Kanhar and less than Bhata. This soil is appropriate for growing rice. This type of soil is found in most of the Kanker region.
D. Bhata: This soil-type is affected by a late rating process. It can be red or yellow, having a mixed shape/condition. This soil is found in uplands of the area. It is appropriate for the cultivation of crops like Kodo, Kulthi, Maize and Kutki.
Administrative divisions There are 7 blocks and 11 tehsils in Kanker district. They are: +BlockTehsilImportant placesKankerKankerKanker, MakdiCharamaCharamaCharama, LakhanpuriNarharpurNarharpurNarharpurSaronaSaronaBhanupratappurBhanupratappurBhanupratappur, Sambalpur, Korar, Kachche DurgukondalDurgukondalDurgukondal, KodekurseAntagarhAntagarhAntagarhAmabedaAmabedaKoyalibedaKoyalibedaKoyalibedaPakhanjurPakhanjur, Kapsi, BadgaonBandeBande There are 454 Gram Panchayats and 1005 villages in the Kanker district.
Economy Agriculture is the mainstay of people in the district. Even though large numbers of them are tribal, it is agriculture that sustains them for most of the year. Non-timber forest produce is another major source of income, as large tracts of the land are still forested. The tribes in many places practice Marham or Dippa. The farmers who live in the forest cut the trees before the rainy season and use the land for agriculture. After every two years they prepare a new farm and leave the old one fallow for some time. On the planes, the land is farm every year. Rice is the main crop but wheat, sugar cane, Gram, Kodo, Moong, Tilli, and maize other important crops. People also grow varieties of vegetables. Varieties of fruits such as mangoes, and bananas are also produced.
About half of rural Kanker is below the poverty line, according to official estimates. The entire district is drought prone. Over 80 percent of the working population is already dependent on marginal agriculture and allied activities, with low incomes and stagnant productivity. Thus, in addition to providing a livelihood for the unemployed, it is a challenge to make the existing the livelihoods of the nearly 295,000 (2.95 lakh) workers more productive. This would be beneficial, since persons engaged in agriculture could then earn an adequate income to meet their basic needs. Thus, the only feasible option in the short to medium run is to increase employment in the main livelihood sector, which is agriculture. Diversification, intensification and stabilisation of agriculture are at the core of the challenge of livelihood promotion in the district.
Minerals Kanker is rich in minerals. Iron ore, quartzite and garnet deposits are found in southern regions of the district, but mining of these minerals on a commercial scale has not been attempted. About 100 million tons of iron ore deposits have been identified in the Hahaladdi region of the Bhanupratappur Tehsil. Chhattisgarh's second biggest iron ore deposits, Rowghat Mines, is in Antargarh tehsil in this district. Its reserves are assessed at 731 Million tons. Rowghat Mines will supply iron ore to the Bhilai Steel Plant of SAIL.
Black and white granite is plentiful in the district, where it is used as a building material. In the Markatola and in Barchhegondi region aluminium-bearing Sillimanite/Kinite deposits have been identified. Some deposits of gold have been found in Sona Dehi, Michgaon and in certain other regions of Bhanupratappur Tehsil. At present some bauxite-based (aluminium) industries are functional in the district.
Flora Most of the forest in Kanker district is of dry deciduous type. In Kanker district Sal, teak and mixed forests are found. Sal forests are found in the eastern part of the district, teak forests are found in the Bhanupratappur region and mixed forests are found in most of the area. In the mixed forest varieties of medicinal plants and other economically important plants such as Saja, Tendu, Dhaura, Bija, Harra and Mahua are found in abundance.
Socio-cultural Aspects About half of the total population is Kanker district is tribal. Accordingly, most of the culture of Kanker district is tribal, even though an interplay/fusion with other cultures is clearly visible.
Languages