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Chapter -2
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
2.1 Geology
2.2 Topography
2.3 River system
2.3.1 Yamuna
2.3.2 Tributaries of Yamuna
2.4 Flora
2.5 Fauna
.
Chapter-2
Geography of Agra Region
Topography of a particular region plays an important role for human settlement.
Ancient settlements are mostly located on the banks of rivers to cater to the needs of both
humans and animals. Similarly, availability of natural resources for multiple use
depends upon the geomorphological features and climatic conditions of the region.
Hence, brief information about the Geology, Physical features and Ecology of Agra
region is dealt herein.
2.1 Geology:
The area comprising Agra and its adjoining districts has been geologically
mapped by Mallet (1869), Hacket (1870), and Heron (1922, 1936). The general
geological sequence of Agra region can be classified broadly into three fold geological
sequence viz. Algonkian- Delhi system, Cambrian (Upper Vindhyan) and Quaternary
(Pleistocene, Recent to Upper Pleistocene) (Heron ( 1922, 1936) (Table-2/1). Coming to
the geological environment of Agra district proper, the whole of the district is covered by
Pleistocene to sub-recent alluvial deposits of the rivers of the Indo-Gangetic system
which have traversed this area (Joshi 1965). In the southern part of the district it gets
blended with the alluvial deposits of the peninsular block, carried by the rivers of the
Vindhyan Foreland (Chandra Bhan 1977). The deposition of the alluvium commenced
after the final upheaval of the Himalayas and has continued all through the Pleistocene
age upto the present. The alluvium in the district consists of interbeded deposits of sand,
silt and clays. At places calcarious concretions (locally known as kankar) are associated
with this alluvium (Joshi 1965). Kankar is very commonly found in the alluvium and
quarried economically where it is found within a depth of 3 m(10 ft) below land surface.
Open-pit quarrying for kankar below that depth is generally not considered economical.
Kankar is used as road metal and also for making lime. (Baweja et al..,1980). As
revealed by the basic data reports of boreholes, the depth of alluvium varies from 150
metres near the village Basai Kalan (Block-Saiyan) at distance of 5 km of Agra, to 252
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GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
metres near the village Arzi Round to 3 km to the north- east of Firozabad. The thickness
of the alluvium progressively decreases towards south and ultimately becoming zero
over the peninsular block (Chandra Bhan 1980).
A narrow strip of easterly trending Vindhyan sandstone outcrop, running in a
north-eastern to south-western direction, is exposed in the south-western part of the
district near Fatehpur Sikri (Joshi 1965, Baweja et al., 1980). The Vindhyan rock system
of the district comprises of Upper Bhander sandstones. It comprises hard compact,
reddish, fine grained sand stones characterized by white to fawn coloured spots. The
ripple marks and current bedding indicate deposition under shallow water conditions.
Mallet (1869) has estimated a thickness of 228.6 m (750 ft) for sandstones near Fatehpur
Sikri in which neither the upper nor the lower beds are included. The Vindhyan outcrops
does not riser for more than 80 metres above the surrounding plains (Baweja et al.
1980). The Vindhyan sandstones are traceable even beyond the boundaries of the district
under the massive cover of alluvium. From the borehole reports of Geological Survey
of India, it is revealed that the layers of these rocks dip towards the north-east. They were
encountered at a depth of 150 metres near Agra and at 252 metres near Firozabad.
Vindhyan sandstones are both flagtsones and freestones and often homogeneous, fairly
fit of elaborate and delicate carving (Joshi 1965). The white spotted red sand stone was
profusely used as medium of Mathura school of art in Kushan and Gupta period. In the
magnificent Mughal monuments at Fatehpur Sikri, Agra, Delhi, it constitutes the
common building material .
Rocks of the older formations like the Vindhyan system and the Delhi system are
highly folded and faulted. Heron (1922) has mentioned two main faults running parallel
to each other in a NE-SW direction which is the direction of axis of folding in the region
(Baweja 1980). The Great Boundary Fault, separating the two important formations, the
Dharwarian represented by the Aravalis on the west and the Vindhyans on the east, is
another remarkable geologic features of the district. The eastern extremity of one of
these, the Great Boundary Fault of Eastern Rajputana has been traced to about 5 km west
20
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
of Agra district boundary in the Kheragarh tehsil. The north-western fault is not so well
seen and much of its length can only be approximately laid down on the map as it lies
below the veil of alluvium deposit in the district (Baweja 1980; Singh 1971).
Table-2/1: Generalized geological sequence for Agra Mathura, Etah and Mainpuri area (After Baweja et al.)
2.2 Topography
Comprising a fertile alluvial plain, slopping almost imperceptibly towards the
east-south east, Agra district lacks the more striking features of natural beauty
(Atkinson 1884). Atkinson has suggested threefold physical division of the district viz.
1) the Trans-Jumna, 2) the Cis-Jumna and 3) the trans-Utangan (Atkinson 1884:411-
In simple language, the district is mostly covered by a thick pile of quaternary
sediments with restricted patches of rocks of Vindhyan Supergroup (Fig.2/1). Vindhyan
Supergroup consists of rocks of Bhander Group, which includes white to purple
arenite, medium to fine grained purplish to reddish spotted and laminated sandstone
with intermittent partings of shale, shale-pebble-conglomorate,siltstone and greenish
sand stone.
Quaternary sediment has been classified into (1) Older Alluvium and 2) Newer
Alluvium. The older Alluvium is represented by Varanasi Alluvium of Middle to Later
Pleistocene age. Newer Alluvium of Holocene age comprises of two units
(1) Terrace Alluvium and (2) Channel Alluvium. The district is poor in minerals (GSI
District Resource Map, Agra 2002).
Quaternary Recent to UpperPleistocene
Newer Alluvium Sand and gravel
Plesistocene Older AlluviumLaterite and Clay
Sand, clay, silt andkanakr
Upper VindhayanCambrian
Upper Bhander Sandstone
Lower Rewa Sandstone
Sandstone, hard andcompact
Sandstone, hard andcompact
Delhi systemAlgonkian
Ajabgarh Series
Alwar Series
Slates, phylites, quartiziteand quartizites, impure,limestonesQuartizites, grits, conglomerates and impure limestone
21
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
413). The district is divided by four well-defined tracts, separated by the main rivers
(Nevill 1905: 1A).Joshi (1965) has also suggested four physical division of the district
which are formed by its major rivers, the Yamuna, the Chambal and the Utangan. The
first of these consists of area which lies to the north of the Yamuna forms part of the
Ganga-Yamuna doab and includes the tehsil Etmadpur in Agra and neighbouring
Firozabad now a separate district.The second comprises a uniform stretch of upland
country between the Yamuna and Utangan, which includes the tahsils of Agra, Kiraoli,
Fatehabad and a considerable portion of tehsil Kheragarh. The third division is the long
and narrow strip in the south-easr between the Yamuna and the Chambal includes Bah
tehsil.The fourth division is the remainder of Kheragarh, extending in a south-westerly
direction from the Utangan , between the territory of Bharatpur and Dholpur in
Rajasthan.
The trans-Yamuna division or belt includes the Etmadpur tehsil of Agra district
and part of newly carved Firozabad district. This division has a level expanse of upland
which has been dissected by the inconsiderable affluent of the Yamuna, mainly Jhirna,
Sengar and Sirsa. Small and isolated ridges of sand occur in this tract the characteristic
feature of which is a light yellow loam of great natural fertility. In the south its almost
level surface is cut up by deep and extensive ravines which render large areas unsuitable
for agriculture. Another feature of this region is the occurrence of kankar beds which are
sometimes exposed or are left covered with a thin layer of soil due to active erosion in the
vicinity of the ravines. The whole of the ravine belt is dotted with babul trees and is used
as a grazing ground. The khaddar or flood plain of the main rivers lies below the ravines
and forms narrow belts by the sides of the ravines where tall grasses known as munj and
Sarpat grows in abundance (Atkinson 1884; Joshi 1965).
The next physical division is a tract lying to the south of the Yamuna which
extends as far as the Utangan. It is practically a level stretch of loamy soil, broken only by
the Khari river and drainage channel locally known as the Dahar (or Nahra). A few
outcrops occur rising out of the alluvial plain in the west, from Fatehpur Sikri to Kiraoli.
Along the course of the Khari Nadi there are ravines which grow longer and deeper as the
22
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
river flows east-south-eastwards. Until the Yamuna reaches the Agra tehsil the ravines
along its course break up the surface only for a short distance from the river line after
which they are more marked, the land affected being rendered uncultivable for over a
mile in breadth. In tehsil Fatehabad they almost disappear for some distance
(thehighlands gradually sloping down to a low bank of alluvial land) but they soon
appear again becoming deeper and broader as the river proceeds onwards. The ravines
along the Utangan are similar to those along the Khari.
The third division, which is covered by the tehsil of Bah, is an oblong strip of land
about 65 km long with an average breadth of 12 to 14 km. It is bounded by the Utangan
and the Yamuna in the north and by the Chambal in the south and is scoured by the deep
and extensive ravines of these rivers (Fig. 2/2). The level upland, which forms the
watershed between them, is very narrow and almost makes a ridge flanked on all sides by
broken land. The soil in this watershed is a fine loam which becomes sandy as the ravines
Fig. 2/2: View of ravines in Bah tehsil, Agra
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GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
on the north are approached, whereas to the south the soil is of a clayey nature. The clay
is dark in colour in the west and is known as mar. It becomes a genuine stiff clay (termed
matiyar) ion of the tract becoming somewhat sandy in the extreme in the eastern port
Fig. 2/3A: View of Upper Vindhyan ridges near Bandrauli.
Fig. 2/3B: View of Upper Vindhyan ridges near Patsal.
24
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
east. In this tract the lowlands are more valuable agriculturally than those in the other
parts of the district; indeed the kachhar is limited to a narrow, raised strip along the
Yamuna, though at some places ( for example north of the village Bateshwar in the north
and north of village Khilaoli in the east) there are broad stretches of fine rich soil.The
lowlands of the Chambal are extensive and produce magnificent crops because they are
annually enriched with silt bought down by the rivers.
The fourth natural division of the district is that part of the Kheragarh tehsil
which lies to the southwest of the Utangan. It is drained by several water courses and is
flafld by a spur of the Vindhyas which run along its northern boundary. Sandy and clayey
soils are generally found in this tract which is dotted with numerous isolated hills. The
water-table is near the surface by the nature of the underlying strata renders irrigation
difficult. Due to the character of the soil, this tract differs from the rest of the district.
Here the loam (dumat) is not only inferior in quality but also very limited in extent.
Fig. 2/4: View of hill formation near Bargawan Khurd, Tehsil Kheragarh.
25
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
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. 2
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GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
The hilly tract south-west of tahsil Agra, which occupies parts of Kiraoli and
Kheragarh tehsils, may well be considered a fifth natural division of the district. The hills
belong geologically to the Upper Vindhyan system including their lowest (the Kaimur
group) as well as their highest (the Bhander group) beds. The Bandrauli and Fatehpur
Sikri spurs are the two parallel but broken ridges of Vindhyan sandstone running south-
west to north-east (Fig. 2/3A-3B). The Bandrauli ranges starts from the village of
Churiyari and terminates near the village of Saunauthi in the east of tehsil Kiraoli while
the Fatehpur Sikri ridge starts from the village of Bahrauti and extends to the village of
Khera near the south-western boundary of the tehsil. The elevation of these ridges does
not exceed 150 feet above the surrounding plain. The rocks vary in colour from red to
grayish-white, sometimes having a bluish tinge, as in the villages of Dhanauli and
Ninwaya. The Fatehpur Sikri ridge, well known for its quarries, has supplied red
sandstone for the construction of forts, palaces and mosques in Agra and Delhi.
The hills in tehsil Kheragah are higher and well-defined, the highest point being
Usra hill which is 810 feet above sea level. There are other lesser ridges and hills, the
most prominent being those lying to the east of Bargawan Khurd (Fig. 2/4) , to the east of
Naya Gaon, near Nasaua, near Khohara and near Udaina.
2.3 River System
The most prominent physical feature of the district is river Yamuna with its main
tributaries, Chambal and Utangan, which in turn have many other minor steams as their
tributaries. The affluents form a broken chain of pools in summer but assume
considerable volume during the rainy season, the velocity depending on the nature of the
rainfall. During the monsoon the upper portions of the courses of these streams have low
and shelving sides but their banks become more abrupt as they approach the bigger
rivers. The minor channel flow from north to south in the north of the Yamuna but to the
south of the river they move from west to east (Fig. 2/5).
27
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
2.3.1 Yamuna
The Yamuna, the chief river of the district, is personified in Hindu mythology as
Suryatanaya, the daughter of Surya (the sun god), as Yamasvara, the sister of Yama (the
lod of death) and one of the wives of Krishna. Another popular name of the river is
Kalindi. It is said that on its banks the rishi Agastya underwent penances and austerities,
Kin Bharat performed over 300 horses sacrifices and Shantanu 7 big sacrifices and
Sahadeva distributed lakhs of gold coins.
The first appearance of the river is in the north of tehsil Kiraoli where it forms the
boundary of the district for some distance, separating the tehsils of Agra Sadar and
Kiraoli from the district of Mathura. Making a convex bend it flows south for 1.5 or 3 km
and then turns in an easterly direction forming the boundary between the northern tehsils
of Firozabad and Etmadpur and the southern tehsils of Fatehabad and Agra Sadar. In the
extreme east of tehsil Fatehabad receives the waters of the Utangan and continues its
course along the northern boundary of tehsil Bah, dividing it from the districts of
Mainpuri and Etawah. From village Khilaoli the Yamuna finally leaves the district and
passes into Etawah district. That the river has an extremely meandering course in the
district is by the fact that although its total length in the district is 145 miles,
the distance (as the crow flies) from its point of entry to that of its exists in only half that
length. Its course is marked by a wide belt of calcarious ravines which get steeper and
wider as it flows from west to east, the only break being a 9 km stretch near Etmadpur
Mudra ( a village 9 km east of Agra). Here the old high bank of the river makes a large
loop enclosing loop enclosing a tract of heavy alluvial soil.
Generally the bank of the river are firm, steady and stable and are scoured by
many ravines but a strip of alluvial flood plain of varying width occurs between the cliff
and the river. The variation in the width of the main stream is from 500 feet to a quarter of
a mile and the normal velocity is nearly two miles an hour but during the rains it rises to
seven and a half miles.
evidenced
28
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
2.3.2 Tributaries of Yamuna
Jhirna:
The first tributary of the Yamuna in Agra district is the Jhirna (also known as the
Karwan or the Karon) which joins it in the north. The stream enters the district near the
village of Naharria which is in the north of tehsil Etmadpur. Its course continues in a
southerly direction till it joins the Yamuna near Shahdara, a few miles from Agra. The
area adjacent to the site where the stream enters the district is scoured by ravines.
Another stream, also called the Jhirna, appears during the rains and flows along the
common boundary of the tehsils of Firozabad (now a separate district and Etmadpur
tehsil of Agra district but dries up in summer and is of little importance.
Sirsa and Sengar are two other small streams of undivided Agra district and now
fall in Firozabad district.
Utangan:
Utangan or Banganga is the only southern affluent of the Yamuna in Agra
district. It rises near Jaipur, some two hundred miles away, and passes through the
Bharatpur district, receiving on its southern bank the waters of the Gambhir a short
distance fefore its entry into Agra district at the south-western corner of tehsil Kiraoli,
near the village Sarauli (Nevill 1905:9). It separates the tehsils of Fatehabad and Bah and
joins the Yamuna at the village of Rihawali, 15 km (ten miles) east of Fatehabad. The
main characteristic of this river is that it has a shallow bed of sand and single. During the
rainy season it swells to a fair size, frequently inundating the low marshy land along its
course and becoming liable to floods though it shrinks considerable during the summer.
It proceeds east between high banks of stiff soil cut up by ravines and changes its courses
several times. A channel was made in 1848 near the village of Sarauli (in tahsil Kiraoli)
for diverting the waters of the Fatehpur Sikri canal but the river appropriated this new
channel for itself in order to find way into the Khari. It retained this new course for over
twenty years causing frequent floods. In 1885 it broke through its northern bank and
destroyed the villages of tehsil Kiraoli and the adjoining fields. The flood of 1991
29
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
necessitated the training of the river and it was diverted to its old course to which it has
adhered ever since. Several small tributaries feed the Utangan, the Kawar (or Goela)
being the first to join it in this district which it enters in the south-western part of tahsil
Kheragarh. After flowing in a north-easterly direction it passes from the villages of
Jagner and Singaich to the Vindhyan hills and then bends eastwards to join the Utangan
near the village Ghosiana. The Kawar is also fed by some small affluents such as the
Chlhi, Lohenri and Jhanjhan which are insignificant watercourses. During the hot
weather they dry up completely but attain a fair size during the monsoon. The Utangan is
joined by the Prabati in the south of tehsil Kheragarh, a stream of a considerable size
which flows into the district from the north-west (Joshi 1965).
Khari:
This river is the only feeder of Utangan in the north. It enters the district from the
south-west of Fatehpur Sikri and proceeds north for a short distance till it meets the
Orinia, another stream derived from numerous small channels which carry of the
drainage from Bharatpur in Rajastahn. From the junction of these two streams the Khari
bends eastwards and after flowing under a bridge on Fatehpur Sikri road it turn south-
east at Shingharpur and , passing the villages of Janegara and Akola in tehsil Kiraoli,
demarcates the boundary between the tehsil of Kheragarh on the south and those of
Fatehabad and Agra on the north. It finally meets the Utangan at the village of Motipura
in tehsil Fatehabad. It flows in a shallow channel between low banks in the upper portion
of its course but in its lower courses it is flanked by precipitous ravines. During the rainy
season it is swollen by floods but in summer it shrinks to only a ribbon of water.
Chambal :
This river rises in the northern slopes of the Vindhyas. Tasrod is the village in the
extreme west of tehsil Bah near which the river first touches its boundary. The river
flows as far as the border of district Etawah. The banks of the river are steep and high but
there is a flood plain below the banks in which the river takes its course. During the rains
it is fed by many torrents and consequently it becomes a wide and turbulent stream,
frequently inundating the surrounding areas but in summer it shrinks to a thread of water
30
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
winding along a sandy bed. Its velocity varies from an hour according to
the season and it is not navigable because of the variation in the depth and volume of its
water (Nevill 1905:11).
2.4 Flora
The flora of district is divided into three geographer categories viz. the ravined
lands along the Yamuna and the Chambal, the non-ravined lands including the Yamuna-
Chambal doab and the xerophytic areas of tehsil Kheragarh. In the first, xerophytic
shrubs and stunted trees are also met with, the most common species being reonj (Acacia
leucophloea), cheonkar (Prosopis spicigera), hins (Capparis horrid), pilua ( Salvadora
oleoides), arusa (Adhatoda vasica), khajur (Phoenix species), hingota (Balanites
roxburghii), kari (Dichrostachys civera), kakraunda (Carissa spicigera), chapat
(Grewia flavescens), kairukha (Diosphyros cardifolia), makoh (Zizyphus oenoplia),
jharberi (Zizyphus numularia) and ber (Zizyphus xylocarpus) (Joshi1965).
The tops of the ravines are arid and barren and contain the more zerophytic
species like kakril (Capparis aphylla) whereas the nullah beds and sides carry
comparatively more vegetation of a less xerophytic character. The first six species that
grow in the ravined lands are also found along the nullah beds and milder slopes. The
vegetation is denser and richer in the parts of the ravines near the rivers but the parts
further away are either barren or sparse in vegetation. In such areas useless grasses like
safed lappa (Artistda adscensionis) are found along with patches of bhanjura (Aphuda
mutica), chhoti jargi (Bothriochloa pertusa), jargu (Dichnthium annulateum), mueel
(Iscilema lexumq) dab (Demostachya cipinnta), anjana (Ceuchrus ciliaris) and doob.
The ravine along the left bank of the Yamuna are less barren than those in the
Yamuna-Chambal doab and on the right bank of the Chambal pilua (Salvadora
oleoides) occurs profusely and grows to a large size. The Yamuna-Chambal doab is
almost devoid of any of these forest trees and is under cultivation. Groove lands of
mango, khini (Manilkara hexandra) and buron (Krataeva religiosa) often occur in this
area.
In the dry and ravined areas of tehsil Kheragarh the same xerophytic species are
two to six miles
31
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
found as in the ravined lands, the southern part of this area being almost a desert. Forest
plantations of babul, sheesham (Dalberjia sissoo), siris (Albizzia labbek) and neem
(Azadirachta indica) have been raised in blocks in all these three botanical divisions
(Joshi 1965).
Forests- The forests of the district are of the dry deciduous type o to the low
average rainfall. The growing period is limited to the three monsoon months of July,
August and September and growth in the rest of the season is not very perceptible. The
forest area of the district falls into four categories. The first is the protected forest along
the canals; the second is the reserved forest; the third is the unclassed forest and
wastelands (44,978 acres) and the fourth consists of roadside avenues which are
controlled by the forest department.
2.5 Fauna
The natural habitat for wild life is not uniform in all parts of the district. The
forest cover is less in the Etmadpur and Agra Sadar tehsils , where as it is more in the
tehsils boarding either Madhya Pradesh or Rajasthan. The wild life of the district is more
varied to the south of the Yamuna, particularly in the neighbourhood of the ravines along
this river and the Chambal and in the hill tracts adjacent to Fatehpur Sikri and Kheragarh
but birds are not found in great numbers due to the lack of cover and the sparse
vegetation. The species met with are those that prefer wide open spaces rather than dense
jungle. The most commonly seen animal is the nilgai or the blue bull (Boselaphus
tragocamelus). Though not very common, black bucks (Antelope cervicapra) are
reported to inhabit in the region. The Chinkara or the Indian gazelle (Gazelle bennetti),
also called the ravine deer, is found mostly in the ravines, the arid areas and the broken
country along the Yamuna and the Chambal and their number is not large. The other
herbivorous animals found in the district include sambar (Cervus unicolor), wild boar
(Sus porcinus), the former being very rare and the later being very commonly found in
the forest blocks or ravines. Hyena and Jackal (Canis aureus) are the most common
carnivorous animals found in the district. The former are being found in the hill tracts.
wing
32
GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
Foxes (Vulpes bengalensis) are also found in the district but are not very common. Small
population of wolves is found in forest area (Joshi 1965).
In Bah tehsil, Tigers and leopards were seen. Hyenas, wolves, jackals and foxes
are found in the ravines of the tehsil. The ravine deer and nilgai are found in the tehsil, the
former being found in both ravines and upland and the later found in the areas adjacent to
ravines. In Kiraoli tehsil nilgais are also found. In Fatehabad tehsil panthars are not
found generally, they come occasionally from across Rajasthan border. Deer, nilgais,
pigs, foxes, jackals and hares are found in almost all parts of ravines of the tehsil. The
Etmadpur tehsil of Agra district has thin forest coverage due to which the number of wild
animals is also small. Here jackals and foxes are generally seen along with other animals
like hares, wolves and wild cats. Nilgai population is less in the tehsil and that too found
in the south-east of it.
Birds:
Crane and adjutant were found in the district in the past. The common among the
game birds is the partridge (Francolines pondicerianus) , locally known as titar and
found in all parts of the district. Black patridge or kala titar (Francolines vulgaris) is
found in the ravined lands. In the ravines land of the tehsil Bah, painted patridge or kala
titar (Francolines pictus) are found (Joshi 1965). The most common among the quails
are the bater (Coturnix communis) and the lava (Pardicula asiatica). These birds are
generally found in the forest blocks of ravined lands.
Reptiles:
The reptiles in the district include a variety of snakes like ajgar or python
(Python molurus) domuhi or sand-boa (Eryx johni), Russell's sand-boa (Eryx conicus),
dhaman, wolf- snake, water-snake, rakat-bansi, striped keelback, black-barred sanke,
blind snake, the krate, cobra, sand-snake, kankutti pambu etc. The lizards found in the
district include goh or moniter lizard, the house gecko, the girgit, Oosarsanda or sanda,
bamani etc. Three types of tortoises are common in the district. These are Yamuna
kachhua (Kachuga tectum), the patar ( Trionyx gangeticus) and the pond turtle
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GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION
(Lissemys punctata). The first category is found in the river Yamuna and the other two
categories are found in the lakes, ponds and rivers (Joshi1965, p.20). Two species of
crocodiles viz. gharial or long-snouted crocodile (Gavialis gangeticus) and magar or
broad-snouted crocodile (Crocodilus palustris) are found in the district in the river
Yamuna and Chambal. A variety of ordinary species of fish are found in the rivers and
tanks of the district.
References
Atkinson, E.T. & Fisher, F.H. (Ed): Statistical Descriptive, and Historical Account of the
North-Western Province of India, Vol.VII-Agra District, (Allahabad, 1884)
Baweja, B.K. etal., 1980. 'Geology of parts of Agra district' in GSI, Bulletin No.38 .
Bhan, C. 1977 . “ Geomorphology of Agra District- A Micro-Morphgenetic Analysis” in
Geographical Review of India, Vol.39, Calcutta.
Geological Survey of India 2002. District Resource Map Agra, Uttar Pradesh
Joshi, E.B. (Ed), 1965. 'Uttar Pradesh District Gazetter: Agra' Department of District
Gazetteers, U.P., Lucknow .
Nevill H.R. 1905. Agra:A Gazetteer, being Volume VIII of the District Gazetteers of the
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh, Allahabad.
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GEOGRAPHY OF AGRA REGION