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Imperial Gazetteer of India, v. 14, p. 403.

KAXKREJ 403 nearly 130 square miles and kodoit 32. The cultivated area has increased largely in recent years. There are 21 tanks which irrigate about 350 acres. The recent opening of a branch line to Dhamtari has brought the considerable forests of the State within reach of the railway, and a large income is obtained from sales of timber. About 333 square miles are tree forest. The State contains 51 miles of metalled and 75 miles of unmetalled roads; the principal metalled road is from Dhamtari to Kanker. The total revenue in 1904 was Rs. i,;6,ooo, the principal heads of receipt being land revenue (Rs. 67,000), forests (Rs. 60,000), and excise (Rs. 20,000). The incidence of land revenue is less than 4 annas per acre of cropped area. The principal items of expenditure were Rs. 45,000 for the maintenance of the ruling family, Rs. 13,000 on general administration, Rs. 8,300 on police, Rs. 4,200 on education, and Rs. 3,400 on land revenue settlement. During twelve years since 1892-3 a total of Rs. 1,14,000 has been expended on public works, under the supervision of the Engineer of the Chhattisgarh States division. Besides the roads already mentioned, an office building, jail, schools, post office, and sarai or native travellers' resthouse have been constructed at Kanker. The State supports one vernacular middle and 16 primary schools, with a total of 1,316 pupils. Only 904 persons were returned as able to read and write in 1901, the proportion of male literates being 1-7 per cent, of the population. A dispensary is main- tained at Kanker. A Political Agent under the supervision of the Commissioner, Chhattisgarh Division, controls the relations of the State with Government. Kankrej (or Thara).—A collection of petty estates under the Palanpur Agency, Bombay, with a total area of 810 square miles. They are bounded on the north by Palanpur; on the east by a sub- division of Baroda territory : on the south by Radhanpur State ; and on the west by the Palanpur estates of Diodar. The population in 1901 was 38,829, compared with 38,842 in 1891. The first connexion of the British Government with the States of Kankrej dates from the formation in 1819—20 of the Mali! Kantba Agency, in which they were included till 1844, when, on account of their nearness to Palanpur, they were transferred to the Palanpur Agency. Kankrej comprises 26 different estates, the chief of which are Thara. Un, and Kamboi, most of them held by Rajputs who have intermarried with Koli women. The largest and most important estate is Thara, whose chiefs are Vaghela Kolis by caste : and these, by refusing to eat with their brethren, have been allowed to intermarry with Rajput houses, and are now generally admitted as belonging to the Rajput tribe. The principal village in Kankrej is Thara, 5 miles north of which is Kakar, the ancient capital of the State, with some ruined temples.