Table of Contents
Who were Agariyas?
The Agaria were an Indian community of iron smelters. They declined rapidly after the import of English steel in India was promoted during the 20th century and the weapons and utensils were made using English steel.
Where are the salt fields in India?
Gujarat
The majority of India’s salt production can be traced to one region: the west central-state of Gujarat. With more than 50 percent of salt workers located in Gujarat, the state accounts for almost three-quarters of the country’s annual salt production.
How do they harvest salt in India?
To do this, they must manually move and roll the earth to create shallow, rectangular pans that collect the salt for slow evaporation under the hot desert sun. Later, they rake these pans until large crystals of salt are left behind to be harvested by hand.
How is Gujarat salt made?
In the monsoon months, Rann of Kutch is submerged in sea water. As the water recedes from October, the Agariyas move in to set up square fields to grow the salt. They dig wells to pump out the briny groundwater and fill the fields where the natural evaporation process leaves behind white crystals.
Who was Lohasur?
The Agariyas are one of the major tribes of India engaged in the production of Iron in central India, their main deity God is Lohasur (the God of iron). The Agarias workship ‘Lohasur’ or Kalabhairava as their tribal God.
What is salt farming?
Sea salt farming almost always occurs in warm climates with little precipitation, such as in Indonesia. Sea salt is harvested from shallow ponds called salterns through natural solar evaporation. When the water reaches about 25 percent salinity, the salt starts to crystallize and it can be harvested.
Who makes salt in India?
The top five salt-producing states in India are Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. Gujarat contributes a whopping 76 per cent of India’s total salt production, thanks to its arid climate and large land availability.
Where does salt come from?
Salt comes from two main sources: sea water and the sodium chloride mineral halite (also known as rock salt). Rock salt occurs in vast beds of sedimentary evaporite minerals that result from the drying up of enclosed lakes, playas, and seas.
Which is the largest salt desert of the world?
the Salar De Uyuni
Containing more than 10 billion tonnes of salt, the Salar De Uyuni is the world’s largest salt desert and was once part of an ancient salt lake, Lake Minchin. This lake covered a large part of Bolivia and when it dried up it left behind large salt pans, including the Salar De Uyuni.
Why Gujarat is the largest producer of salt in India?
Gujarat lies in sub tropical high pressure zone towards west India. It is characterized by semi – arid & arid conditions. The coastal zone of the state remains dry during most part of the year. Hence, salt production is high.