Bengal District Gazetteers Angul

This gazetteer, published in 1908, is the first of Angul district in Odisha. It describes various aspects about the district its economy, society, politics and administrative setup, as well as its history, geography, climate, biodiversity and natural resources. It does so for the district’s two sub-divisions: Angul and the Khondmals. The Gazetteer gives a panoramic description of the region, including general characteristics of the people, their languages, religions, dresses, food, etc. It reveals some aspects of Hinduism, encompassing tank worship, animism and witchcraft. It states that the Khond hold their own lands and claim permanent rights over the soil. They practice the joint community system of land ownership. The gazetteer mentions that the Khonds routinely practiced human sacrifices to ensure good crops and immunity from diseases and accidents. It specifies that the 1901 Census shows only 2 per cent of the population can read and write. However, there has been an improvement in educating girls.