﻿POLITICAL 
  AND 
  PHYSICAL 
  GEOGRAPHY. 
  5 
  

  

  dia. 
  The 
  country 
  thence 
  to 
  Chandgarh 
  is 
  moderately 
  fertile 
  and 
  fairly 
  

   populated 
  on 
  the 
  metamorphic 
  rocks 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  Bijawars 
  are 
  comparatively 
  

   s 
  terile, 
  and 
  therefore 
  covered 
  with 
  jungle. 
  Between 
  Chandgarh 
  and 
  

   Barwai, 
  a 
  barren, 
  jungle-clad, 
  hilly 
  tract 
  of 
  sandstones 
  and 
  quartzites 
  

   sparsely 
  populated, 
  and 
  but 
  little 
  cultivated, 
  intervenes. 
  It 
  comprises 
  

   some 
  well-known 
  forests 
  — 
  the 
  Chandgarh 
  forest, 
  the 
  Dhar 
  forest, 
  and 
  the 
  

   Katkut-Barwai 
  forest 
  north 
  of 
  the 
  Narbada, 
  and 
  the 
  Punassa 
  (Ponassa) 
  

   reserved 
  forest 
  south 
  of 
  the 
  river. 
  The 
  forests 
  are 
  co-extensive 
  with 
  the 
  

   outcrops 
  of 
  the 
  Vindhyans 
  and 
  the 
  Bijawars. 
  

  

  The 
  Narbada 
  between 
  Handia 
  and 
  Barwai 
  illustrates 
  in 
  a 
  most 
  re- 
  

   markable 
  manner 
  the 
  close 
  connection 
  between 
  physical 
  features 
  and 
  geo- 
  

   logical 
  formations. 
  Broadly 
  speaking, 
  the 
  river 
  runs 
  in 
  a 
  direction 
  parallel 
  

   with 
  the 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  metamorphics, 
  viz., 
  E.N.E., 
  W.S.W. 
  Between 
  

   Handia 
  and 
  Juga 
  (Joga) 
  its 
  course 
  lies 
  through 
  variously 
  hard 
  metamor- 
  

   phic 
  schists 
  and 
  granitoid 
  rocks 
  traversed 
  by 
  doleritic 
  dykes 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  

   bed 
  of 
  the 
  river 
  (which 
  is 
  from 
  J 
  to 
  over 
  | 
  of 
  a 
  mile 
  in 
  breadth) 
  is 
  

   studded 
  with 
  numerous 
  little 
  islets 
  of 
  the 
  harder 
  rocks, 
  making 
  naviga- 
  

   tion 
  impracticable. 
  At 
  Juga 
  the 
  Bijawars 
  come 
  in 
  ; 
  these 
  are 
  compara- 
  

   tively 
  harder, 
  and 
  lithologically 
  much 
  more 
  uniform 
  — 
  siliceous 
  limestones 
  

   and 
  breccias 
  being 
  almost 
  the 
  sole 
  constituents 
  ; 
  and 
  the 
  channel 
  of 
  the 
  

   river 
  is 
  deeper, 
  narrower, 
  and 
  less 
  obstructed. 
  Four 
  miles 
  south 
  of 
  Juga, 
  

   the 
  Bijawars 
  come 
  against 
  the 
  metamorphics 
  ; 
  and 
  a 
  most 
  remarkable 
  

   change 
  strikes 
  the 
  eye. 
  The 
  river 
  becomes 
  shallower 
  and 
  widens 
  out 
  

   suddenly 
  to 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  £ 
  miles, 
  with 
  islands 
  in 
  its 
  bed, 
  the 
  largest 
  of 
  

   which 
  measures 
  1 
  mile 
  in 
  breadth 
  and 
  2* 
  miles 
  in 
  length. 
  On 
  entering 
  

   the 
  hard 
  Vindhyan 
  quartzites 
  at 
  Palasi 
  (Jamoti, 
  a 
  few 
  miles 
  below 
  

   Chandgarh), 
  it 
  is 
  again 
  markedly 
  narrowed 
  and 
  deepened, 
  and 
  flows 
  

   through 
  a 
  gorge 
  with 
  magnificent 
  wild 
  scenery. 
  A 
  few 
  rapids, 
  and 
  

   especially 
  the 
  fall 
  at 
  Dhari, 
  interfere 
  with 
  navigation, 
  but 
  below 
  that 
  

   place 
  water-carriage 
  is 
  practicable 
  throughout 
  the 
  year 
  as 
  far 
  down 
  as 
  

   Mahesar 
  (map 
  No. 
  2). 
  

  

  The 
  Vindhyan 
  range, 
  the 
  southern 
  face 
  of 
  the 
  Malwa 
  plateau, 
  takes, 
  

   like 
  the 
  Narbada, 
  a 
  direction 
  parallel 
  to 
  the 
  strike 
  of 
  the 
  metamorphics. 
  

  

  