This is a timeline of major famines on the Indian subcontinent during the years of British rule in India from 1765 to 1947. The famines included here occurred both in the princely states (regions administered by Indian rulers) and British India (regions administered either by the British East India Company from 1765 to 1857, or by the British Crown, in the British Raj, from 1858 to 1947). The year 1765 is chosen as the start year because that year the British East India Company, after its victory in the Battle of Buxar, was granted the Diwani (rights to land revenue) in the region of Bengal (although it would not directly administer Bengal until 1784 when it was granted the Nizamat, or control of law and order.) The year 1947 is the year in which the British Raj was dissolved and the new successor states of Dominion of India and Dominion of Pakistan were born.
Timeline
Chronological list of famines in India between 1765 and 1947[1] |
Year |
Name of famine (if any) |
British territory |
Indian kingdoms/Princely states |
Mortality |
1769–70 |
Great Bengal Famine |
Bihar, Northern and Central Bengal |
|
10 million[2] (about one third of the then population of Bengal).[3] |
1782–83 |
|
Madras city and surrounding areas |
Kingdom of Mysore |
See below. |
1783–84 |
Chalisa famine |
|
Delhi, Western Oudh, Eastern Punjab region, Rajputana, and Kashmir |
Severe famine. Large areas were depopulated. Up to 11 million people may have died during the years 1782–84.[4] |
1791–92 |
Doji bara famine or Skull famine |
|
Hyderabad, Southern Maratha country, Deccan, Gujarat, and Marwar |
One of the most severe famines known. People died in such numbers that they could not be cremated or buried. It is thought that 11 million people may have died during the years 1788–94.[5] |
1837–38 |
Agra famine of 1837–38 |
Central Doab and trans-Jumna districts of the North-Western Provinces (later Agra Province), including Delhi and Hissar |
|
800,000.[6] |
1860–61 |
Upper Doab famine of 1860–61 |
Upper Doab of Agra; Delhi and Hissar divisions of the Punjab |
Eastern Rajputana |
2 million.[6] |
1865–67 |
Orissa famine of 1866 |
Orissa (also 1867) and Bihar; Bellary and Ganjam districts of Madras |
|
1 million (814,469 in Orissa, 135,676 in Bihar and 10,898 in Ganjam)[7] |
1868–70 |
Rajputana famine of 1869 |
Ajmer, Western Agra, Eastern Punjab |
Rajputana |
1.5 million (mostly in the princely states of Rajputana)[8] |
1873–74 |
Bihar famine of 1873–74 |
Bihar |
|
An extensive relief effort was organized by the Bengal government. There were little to none significant mortalities during the famine.[9] |
1876–78 |
Great Famine of 1876–78 (also Southern India famine of 1876–78) |
Madras and Bombay |
Mysore and Hyderabad |
5.5 million in British territory.[6] Mortality unknown for princely states. Total famine mortality estimates vary from 6.1 to 10.3 million.[10] |
1888–89 |
|
Ganjam, Orissa and North Bihar |
|
150,000 deaths in Ganjam. Deaths were due to starvation as famine relief was not provided in time.[11] |
1896–97 |
Indian famine of 1896–97 |
Madras, Bombay Deccan, Bengal, United Provinces, Central Provinces |
Northern and eastern Rajputana, parts of Central India and Hyderabad |
5 million in British territory.[6] |
1899–1900 |
Indian famine of 1899–1900 |
Bombay, Central Provinces, Berar, Ajmer |
Hyderabad, Rajputana, Central India, Baroda, Kathiawar, Cutch, |
1 million (in British territories).[6] Mortality unknown for princely states. |
1905–06 |
|
Bombay |
Bundelkhand |
235,062 in Bombay (of which 28,369 attributed to Cholera). Mortality unknown for Bundelkhand.[12] |
1943–44 |
Bengal famine of 1943 |
Bengal |
|
1.5 million from starvation; 3.5 million including deaths from epidemics.[12] |
|
Notes
- ↑ Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume III 1907, pp. 501–502
- ↑ Cambridge 1983, p. 528
- ↑ Cambridge 1983, p. 299
- ↑ Grove 2007, p. 80
- ↑ Grove 2007, p. 83
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Fieldhouse 1996, p. 132
- ↑ Cambridge 1983, p. 529
- ↑ Imperial Gazetteer of India, volume III 1907, p. 488
- ↑ Hall-Matthews 2008, p. 4
- ↑ Davis 2001, p. 7
- ↑ Cambridge 1983, p. 530
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Cambridge 1983, p. 531
References
Famines
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Epidemics and Public Health
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
See also