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{{short description|Land between two converging, or confluent, rivers}}
{{Other uses|Do Ab (disambiguation){{!}}Do Ab|DOAB}}
{{Other uses|Do Ab (disambiguation){{!}}Do Ab|DOAB}}
{{short description|Land between two converging, or confluent, rivers}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
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'''''Doab''''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|d|oʊ|ɑː|b}}) is a term used in [[South Asia]]<ref name=oed-doab-cite-1>{{citation|title=doab or duab, n.|publisher=OED Online, Oxford University Press |date=March 2014|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/56229|access-date=24 April 2019}} Quote: "Originally and chiefly in South Asia: (the name of) a strip or narrow tract of land between two rivers; spec. (with) the area between the rivers Ganges and Jumna in northern India."</ref> for the tract<ref name=oed-doab-cite-2>{{citation|title=doab or duab, n.|publisher=OED Online, Oxford University Press |date=March 2014|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/56229|access-date=24 April 2019}} Quote: "confluence, land between two rivers, used in India of the tongue of land between the Ganges and Jumna, and of similar tracts in the Punjab, etc., lit. ‘two waters’ "</ref><ref name=oed-doab-cite-1/> of land lying between two [[confluence|confluent]] rivers.  It is similar to an [[interfluve]].<ref name=doab-websters-unabridge>{{citation|title=Doab.|publisher=Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged.|year=2013|url=http://www.merriam-websterunabridged.com/unabridged/doab|access-date=24 April 2019}} Quote: " a tract of land between two rivers :  interfluve"</ref>  In the ''Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary'', [[R. S. McGregor]] defines it as from Persian ''do-āb'' ({{lang|fa|{{nq|دوآب}}}}, literally "two [bodies of] water") "a region lying between and reaching to the confluence of two rivers."
'''''Doab''''' ({{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|d|oʊ|ɑː|b}}) is a term used in [[South Asia]]<ref name=oed-doab-cite-1>{{citation|title=doab or duab, n.|publisher=OED Online, Oxford University Press |date=March 2014|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/56229|access-date=24 April 2019}} Quote: "Originally and chiefly in South Asia: (the name of) a strip or narrow tract of land between two rivers; spec. (with) the area between the rivers Ganges and Jumna in northern India."</ref> for the tract<ref name=oed-doab-cite-2>{{citation|title=doab or duab, n.|publisher=OED Online, Oxford University Press |date=March 2014|url=http://www.oed.com/view/Entry/56229|access-date=24 April 2019}} Quote: "confluence, land between two rivers, used in India of the tongue of land between the Ganges and Jumna, and of similar tracts in the Punjab, etc., lit. ‘two waters’ "</ref><ref name=oed-doab-cite-1/> of land lying between two [[confluence|confluent]] rivers.  It is similar to an [[interfluve]].<ref name=doab-websters-unabridge>{{citation|title=Doab.|publisher=Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged.|year=2013|url=http://www.merriam-websterunabridged.com/unabridged/doab|access-date=24 April 2019}} Quote: " a tract of land between two rivers :  interfluve"</ref>  In the ''Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary'', [[R. S. McGregor]] refers to its Persian origin in defining it as ''do-āb'' ({{lang|fa|{{nq|دوآب}}}}, literally "two [bodies of] water") "a region lying between and reaching to the confluence of two rivers."


=={{anchor| Khadir | Bangar | Barani | Bagar| Nali | Nalli | Naali| khadir | bangar | barani | nali | nalli | naali| bagar}} Khadir, bangar, barani, nali and bagar==
=={{anchor| Khadir | Bangar | Barani | Bagar| Nali | Nalli | Naali| khadir | bangar | barani | nali | nalli | naali| bagar}} Khadir, bangar, barani, nali and bagar==
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[[File:Khadir-and-bangar.jpg|thumb|150px|In any ''doab'', ''khadir'' land (green) lies next to a river, while ''bangar'' land (olive) has greater elevation and lies further from the river]]
[[File:Khadir-and-bangar.jpg|thumb|150px|In any ''doab'', ''khadir'' land (green) lies next to a river, while ''bangar'' land (olive) has greater elevation and lies further from the river]]
Since [[North India]] and [[Pakistan]] are coursed by a multiplicity of Himalayan rivers that divide the plains into ''doabs'' (i.e. regions between two rivers), the [[Indo-Gangetic plains]] consist of alternating regions of river, ''khadir'' and ''bangar''. The regions of the ''doabs''  near the rivers consist of low-lying, [[floodplains]], but usually, very fertile ''khadir'' and the higher-lying land away from the rivers consist of ''bangar'', less prone to flooding but also less fertile on average.<ref name="encybritt2010">{{Citation | title=Pakistan: Soils | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010 | url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1404392/bhangar | quote=''... khaddar soils. Away from the river, toward the middle of the doabs, older alluvial soils (called bangar) are widely distributed ...''}}</ref><ref name=ravi1>[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=hi&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khaskhabar.com%2Flocal%2Fdelhi-ncr%2Fdelhi-news%2Fnews-art-of-living-responsible-to-damage-yamuna-khadar-said-ngt-news-hindi-1-277190-KKN.html Damage to Yamuna Khadar, Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Responsible: NGT], [http://www.khaskhabar.com Khas Khabar]. 7 Dec 2017.</ref>
Since [[North India]] and [[Pakistan]] are coursed by a multiplicity of Himalayan rivers that divide the plains into ''doabs'' (i.e. regions between two rivers), the [[Indo-Gangetic plains]] consist of alternating regions of river, ''khadir'' and ''bangar''. The regions of the ''doabs''  near the rivers consist of low-lying, [[floodplains]], but usually, very fertile ''khadir'' and the higher-lying land away from the rivers consist of ''bangar'', less prone to flooding but also less fertile on average.<ref name="encybritt2010">{{Citation | title=Pakistan: Soils | publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010 | url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/1404392/bhangar | quote=''... khaddar soils. Away from the river, toward the middle of the doabs, older alluvial soils (called bangar) are widely distributed ...''}}</ref><ref name=ravi1>[https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&amp;sl=hi&amp;tl=en&amp;u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.khaskhabar.com%2Flocal%2Fdelhi-ncr%2Fdelhi-news%2Fnews-art-of-living-responsible-to-damage-yamuna-khadar-said-ngt-news-hindi-1-277190-KKN.html Damage to Yamuna Khadar, Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Responsible: NGT], [http://www.khaskhabar.com Khas Khabar]. 7 Dec 2017.</ref>


Khadir is also called '''nali''' or '''naili''', specially in northern Haryana the fertile [[prairie]] tract between the [[Ghaggar-Hakra River|Ghaggar]] river and the southern limits of the [[Drishadvati river|Saraswati channel depression]] in that gets flooded during the rains.<ref name=nali1>[https://archive.org/stream/imperialgazettee14grea/imperialgazettee14grea_djvu.txt "The imperial gazeteers of India, 1908"], [[British Raj]], page 288.]</ref>
Khadir may also be called '''nali''' or '''naili''' in northern [[Haryana]], where it refers to the fertile [[prairie]] tract between the [[Ghaggar-Hakra River|Ghaggar]] river and the southern limits of the [[Drishadvati river|Saraswati channel depression]], which gets flooded during the rainy season.<ref name=nali1>[https://archive.org/stream/imperialgazettee14grea/imperialgazettee14grea_djvu.txt "The imperial gazeteers of India, 1908"], [[British Raj]], page 288.</ref>


Within bangar area, the '''barani''' is any low rain area where the rain-fed dry farming is practiced, which nowadays are dependent on the tubewells for irrigation.<ref name=bag1/> '''[[Bagar tract]]''', an example of barani land, is the dry sandy tract of land on the border of Rajasthan state adjoining the states of Haryana and Punjab.<ref name=bag1>E. Walter Coward, 1980, [https://books.google.com.sg/books?isbn=0801498716 "Irrigation and Agricultural Development in Asia: Perspectives from the social sciences"], [[Cornell University]] press, {{ISBN|0801498716}}.</ref> '''Nahri''' is any [[canal]]-irrigated land,<ref name=nali1/> for example, the ''Rangoi tract'' which is an area irrigated by the ''Rangoi channel/canal'' made for the purpose of carrying flood waters of Ghagghar river to dry areas.<ref name=rangoi1>1987, [http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/gazetteer_india_hisar.pdf "gazetteer of India: Hisar District"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501213030/http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/gazetteer_india_hisar.pdf |date=1 May 2014 }}, page 7.</ref><ref name=landtypes1>1987, [http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/hisar_1987/Revenue_Administration.pdf "Gazeteers of Hisar district, 1987"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107072120/http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/hisar_1987/Revenue_Administration.pdf |date=7 November 2017 }}, [[Government of Haryana]], page 162.]</ref>
Within bangar area, the '''barani''' is any low rain area where the rain-fed dry farming is practiced, which nowadays are dependent on the tubewells for irrigation.<ref name=bag1/> '''[[Bagar tract]]''', an example of barani land, is the dry sandy tract of land on the border of Rajasthan state adjoining the states of Haryana and Punjab.<ref name=bag1>E. Walter Coward, 1980, [https://books.google.com.sg/books?isbn=0801498716 "Irrigation and Agricultural Development in Asia: Perspectives from the social sciences"], [[Cornell University]] press, {{ISBN|0801498716}}.</ref> '''Nahri''' is any [[canal]]-irrigated land,<ref name=nali1/> for example, the ''Rangoi tract'' which is an area irrigated by the ''Rangoi channel/canal'' made for the purpose of carrying flood waters of Ghagghar river to dry areas.<ref name=rangoi1>1987, [http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/gazetteer_india_hisar.pdf "gazetteer of India: Hisar District"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140501213030/http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/gazetteer_india_hisar.pdf |date=1 May 2014 }}, page 7.</ref><ref name=landtypes1>1987, [http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/hisar_1987/Revenue_Administration.pdf "Gazeteers of Hisar district, 1987"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107072120/http://revenueharyana.gov.in/html/gazeteers/hisar_1987/Revenue_Administration.pdf |date=7 November 2017 }}, [[Government of Haryana]], page 162.]</ref>


Historically, villages in the ''doabs'' have been officially classified as ''khadir'', ''khadir-bangar'' (i.e. mixed) or ''bangar'' for many centuries, and different agricultural tax rates applied based on a tiered land-productivity scale.<ref name="ref81pifip">{{Citation | title=Land Revenue Settlement of the Gurgaon District | author=F.C. Channing | year=1882 | publisher=Government of India | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75kIAAAAQAAJ | quote=''... The rates here applied were the same as those applied in the Bangar and Khadar circles and the same comparisons hold good ...''}}</ref><ref name="ref23qixic">{{Citation | title=Final report on the settlement of land revenue in the Delhi District | author=Oswald Wood, R. Maconachie | year=1882 | publisher=Government of India, 1882 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=23EIAAAAQAAJ | quote=''... The Khadar-Bangar chak lies along the river; 37 villages are purely Khadar and 39 partly Khadar partly Bangar. The villages nearest the river are subject to inundations, but where the water runs off in time, the natural fertility of the ...''}}</ref>
Historically, villages in the ''doabs'' have been officially classified as ''khadir'', ''khadir-bangar'' (i.e. mixed) or ''bangar'' for many centuries, and different agricultural tax rates applied based on a tiered land-productivity scale.<ref name="ref81pifip">{{Citation | title=Land Revenue Settlement of the Gurgaon District | author=F.C. Channing | year=1882 | publisher=Government of India | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=75kIAAAAQAAJ | quote=''... The rates here applied were the same as those applied in the Bangar and Khadar circles and the same comparisons hold good ...''}}</ref><ref name="ref23qixic">{{Citation | title=Final report on the settlement of land revenue in the Delhi District | author=Oswald Wood, R. Maconachie | year=1882 | publisher=Government of India, 1882 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=23EIAAAAQAAJ | quote=''... The Khadar-Bangar chak lies along the river; 37 villages are purely Khadar and 39 partly Khadar partly Bangar. The villages nearest the river are subject to inundations, but where the water runs off in time, the natural fertility of the ...''}}</ref>
=={{anchor| The Doab | Ganges-Yamuna Doab | Ganga-Yamuna Doab |}} The Doab==
=={{anchor| The Doab | Ganges-Yamuna Doab | Ganga-Yamuna Doab |}} The Doab==
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''The Doab'' designates the flat alluvial tract between the [[Ganges]] and [[Yamuna]] rivers extending from the [[Sivalik Hills]] to the two rivers' confluence at [[Prayagraj]]. It is also called as ''Ganges-Yamuna Doab'' or ''Ganga Doab''. The region has an area of about 23,360 square miles (60,500 square km); it is approximately {{convert|500|mi|km|0}} in length and {{convert|60|mi|km|0}} in width.<ref name=ymd1>[https://www.britannica.com/place/Ganges-Yamuna-Doab Ganges-Yamuna Doab], [[Encyclopedia Britannica]].</ref>
''The Doab'' designates the flat alluvial tract between the [[Ganges]] and [[Yamuna]] rivers extending from the [[Sivalik Hills]] to the two rivers' confluence at [[Prayagraj]]. It is also called as ''Ganges-Yamuna Doab'' or ''Ganga Doab''. The region has an area of about 23,360 square miles (60,500 square km); it is approximately {{convert|500|mi|km|0}} in length and {{convert|60|mi|km|0}} in width.<ref name=ymd1>[https://www.britannica.com/place/Ganges-Yamuna-Doab Ganges-Yamuna Doab], [[Encyclopædia Britannica]].</ref>


The [[British raj]] divided the ''Doab'' into three administrative districts, viz., Upper Doab (Meerut), Middle Doab (Agra) and Lower Doab (Prayagraj).<ref name=ymd1/>{{Citation needed|reason=about the British claim|date=December 2017}}
The [[British Raj]] divided the ''Doab'' into three administrative districts, viz., [[Upper Doab]] (Meerut), Middle Doab (Agra) and Lower Doab (Allahabad).<ref name=ymd1/>{{Citation needed|reason=about the British claim|date=December 2017}}


Currently the following states and districts form part of ''The Doab'':<ref name=ymd1/>
Currently the following states and districts form part of ''The Doab'':<ref name=ymd1/>


===Upper Doab===
===Upper Doab===
Main article : [[Upper Doab]]
*'''[[Uttarakhand]]''':
*'''[[Uttarakhand]]''':
[[Dehradun district|Dehradun]] and [[Haridwar district|Haridwar]]
[[Dehradun district|Dehradun]] and [[Haridwar district|Haridwar]]
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===Lower Doab===
===Lower Doab===
[[Farrukhabad district|Farrukhabad]], [[Kannauj district|Kannauj]], [[Etawah district|Etawah]], [[Auraiya district|Auraiya]], [[Kanpur district (disambiguation)|Kanpur]] (Urban & Rural), [[Fatehpur district|Fatehpur]], [[Kaushambi district|Kaushambi]] and [[Allahabad district|Allahabad]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/archaeology-of-lower-ganga-yamuna-doab-2-volumes-2007703973.html|title=Archaeology Of Lower Ganga-Yamuna Doab 2 Volumes}}</ref>
[[Farrukhabad district|Farrukhabad]], [[Kannauj district|Kannauj]], [[Etawah district|Etawah]], [[Auraiya district|Auraiya]], [[Kanpur district (disambiguation)|Kanpur]] (Urban & Rural), [[Fatehpur district|Fatehpur]], [[Kaushambi district|Kaushambi]] and [[Allahabad district|Allahabad]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.indiamart.com/proddetail/archaeology-of-lower-ganga-yamuna-doab-2-volumes-2007703973.html|title=Archaeology Of Lower Ganga-Yamuna Doab 2 Volumes}}</ref>


==The Punjab Doabs==
==The Punjab Doabs==
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Each of the tracts of land lying between the confluent rivers of the [[Punjab region]] of Pakistan and India has a distinct name, said to have been coined by Raja [[Todar Mal]], a minister of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Akbar]]. The names (except for "Indus Sagar") are a combination of the first letters, in the Persian alphabet, of the names of the rivers that bound the Doab. For example, "Chaj" ({{lang|fa|چج}}) =  '''''Ch'''''anāb ({{lang|fa|چناب}}, "Chenab") + '''''Je'''hlam'' ({{lang|fa|جہلم}}, "Jhelum"). The names are from east to west.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}
Each of the tracts of land lying between the confluent rivers of the [[Punjab region]] of Pakistan and India has a distinct name, said to have been coined by Raja [[Todar Mal]], a minister of the [[Mughal Empire|Mughal]] emperor [[Akbar]]. The names (except for "Indus Sagar") are a combination of the first letters, in the Persian alphabet, of the names of the rivers that bound the Doab. For example, "Chaj" ({{lang|fa|چج}}) =  '''''Ch'''''anāb ({{lang|fa|چناب}}, "Chenab") + '''''Je'''hlam'' ({{lang|fa|جہلم}}, "Jhelum"). The names are from east to west.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}


===Indus Sagar Doab===
===Sind Sagar Doab===
{{main article|Indus Sagar Doab}}
{{main article|Sind Sagar Doab}}
The [[Indus Sagar Doab]] lies between the [[Indus River|Indus]] and [[Jhelum River|Jhelum]] rivers.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}
 
The [[Sind Sagar Doab]] lies between the [[Indus River|Indus]] and [[Jhelum River|Jhelum]] rivers.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}


===Chaj Doabs===
===Chaj Doab===
{{main article|Chaj Doab}}
{{main article|Chaj Doab}}
The [[Chaj Doab]] lies between the [[Jhelum River|Jhelum]] and the [[Chenab River|Chenab]] rivers.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}
The [[Chaj Doab]] lies between the [[Jhelum River|Jhelum]] and the [[Chenab River|Chenab]] rivers.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}


===Rachna Doabs===
===Rachna Doab===
{{main article|Rachna Doab}}
{{main article|Rachna Doab}}
The [[Rachna Doab]] (considerable portion of the Rechna Doab is [[Majha]]<ref name=majhaArea/>) lies between the [[Chenab River|Chenab]] and the [[Ravi River|Ravi]] rivers.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}
The [[Rachna Doab]] (considerable portion of the Rechna Doab is [[Majha]]<ref name=majhaArea/>) lies between the [[Chenab River|Chenab]] and the [[Ravi River|Ravi]] rivers.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}


===Bari Doabs===
===Bari Doab===
{{Main|Bari Doab}}
{{See also|Bar Region}}
{{See also|Bar Region}}
The [[Bari Doab]] (considerable portion of the Bari Doab is [[Majha]]<ref name=majhaArea>Kakshi, S.R.; Pathak, Rashmi; Pathak, S.R.Bakshi R. (2007-01-01). Punjab Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. {{ISBN|978-81-7625-738-1}}. Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref>) lies between the [[Ravi River|Ravi]], [[Beas River|Beas]] and [[Sutlej]] rivers.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}
The [[Bari Doab]] (considerable portion of the Bari Doab is [[Majha]]<ref name=majhaArea>Kakshi, S.R.; Pathak, Rashmi; Pathak, S.R.Bakshi R. (2007-01-01). Punjab Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. {{ISBN|978-81-7625-738-1}}. Retrieved 12 June 2010.</ref>) lies between the [[Ravi River|Ravi]], [[Beas River|Beas]] and [[Sutlej]] rivers.{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}
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===Raichur Doab===
===Raichur Doab===
{{main article|Raichur Doab}}
{{main article|Raichur Doab}}
The [[Raichur Doab]] is the triangular region of [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Karnataka]] states which lies between the [[Krishna River]] and it's tributary the [[Tungabhadra River]], named for the town of [[Raichur]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}
The [[Raichur Doab]] is the triangular region of [[Andhra Pradesh]] and [[Karnataka]] states which lies between the [[Krishna River]] and its tributary the [[Tungabhadra River]], named for the town of [[Raichur]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2017}}


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Ap (water)]]
* [[Interamnia (disambiguation)|Interamnia]], an ancient Latin placename, meaning "between rivers"<!-- The two are compared in: <ref>{{cite book |author=Banarsi Prasad Saksena |author-link=Banarsi Prasad Saksena |chapter=The Khaljis: Alauddin Khalji |editor=Mohammad Habib and Khaliq Ahmad Nizami |title=A Comprehensive History of India: The Delhi Sultanat (A.D. 1206-1526) |volume=5 |edition=Second |year=1992 |publisher=The Indian History Congress / People's Publishing House |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_9cmAQAAMAAJ |oclc=31870180 |pages=192-193 }}</ref> -->
* [[Interamnia (disambiguation)|Interamnia]], an ancient Latin placename, meaning "between rivers"<!-- The two are compared in: <ref>{{cite book |author=Banarsi Prasad Saksena |author-link=Banarsi Prasad Saksena |chapter=The Khaljis: Alauddin Khalji |editor=Mohammad Habib and Khaliq Ahmad Nizami |title=A Comprehensive History of India: The Delhi Sultanat (A.D. 1206-1526) |volume=5 |edition=Second |year=1992 |publisher=The Indian History Congress / People's Publishing House |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_9cmAQAAMAAJ |oclc=31870180 |pages=192-193 }}</ref> -->
* [[Mesopotamia]], in {{langx|grc|links=no|Μεσοποταμία}} '[land] between rivers'.


== Notes ==
== Notes ==
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==References==
==References==
*{{citation|last=McGregor|first=Ronald Stuart|author-link=R. S. McGregor|title=The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MILAQgAACAAJ&pg=PA513|access-date=11 September 2013|year=1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=513|isbn=978-0-19-864339-5}}
*{{citation|last=McGregor|first=Ronald Stuart|author-link=R. S. McGregor|title=The Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MILAQgAACAAJ&amp;pg=PA513|access-date=11 September 2013|year=1993|publisher=Oxford University Press|page=513|isbn=978-0-19-864339-5}}
{{Hydrography of Uttar Pradesh}}
{{Hydrography of Uttar Pradesh}}
{{GeoSouthAsia}}
{{GeoSouthAsia}}
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{{Uttarakhand}}
{{Uttarakhand}}


[[Category:Doabs of Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Doab| ]]
[[Category:Geography of Haryana]]
[[Category:Geography of Haryana]]
[[Category:Geography of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Geography of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Geography of Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Doabs of Punjab, Pakistan| ]]
[[Category:Geography of Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Geography of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Geography of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Geography of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Geography of Uttar Pradesh]]
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[[Category:Regions of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Regions of Madhya Pradesh]]
[[Category:Regions of Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Regions of Punjab, India]]
[[Category:Regions of Punjab, Pakistan]]
[[Category:Regions of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Regions of Rajasthan]]
[[Category:Regions of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Regions of Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:Persian words and phrases]]
[[Category:Persian words and phrases]]
[[Category:Natural regions of Asia]]
[[Category:Natural regions of India]]
[[Category:Landforms]]

Latest revision as of 12:00, 22 March 2026


For other uses, see Do Ab and DOAB.
Doab
Natural region
A map showing the different doabs in the northern subcontinent
A map showing the different doabs in the northern subcontinent
RegionIndian subcontinent

Doab (English: /ˈdoʊɑːb/) is a term used in South Asia[1] for the tract[2][1] of land lying between two confluent rivers. It is similar to an interfluve.[3] In the Oxford Hindi-English Dictionary, R. S. McGregor refers to its Persian origin in defining it as do-āb (دوآب, literally "two [bodies of] water") "a region lying between and reaching to the confluence of two rivers."

Khadir, bangar, barani, nali and bagar[edit | edit source]

Main article: Khadir and Bangar
See also: Bagar tract, Dhani, and Chak
In any doab, khadir land (green) lies next to a river, while bangar land (olive) has greater elevation and lies further from the river

Since North India and Pakistan are coursed by a multiplicity of Himalayan rivers that divide the plains into doabs (i.e. regions between two rivers), the Indo-Gangetic plains consist of alternating regions of river, khadir and bangar. The regions of the doabs near the rivers consist of low-lying, floodplains, but usually, very fertile khadir and the higher-lying land away from the rivers consist of bangar, less prone to flooding but also less fertile on average.[4][5]

Khadir may also be called nali or naili in northern Haryana, where it refers to the fertile prairie tract between the Ghaggar river and the southern limits of the Saraswati channel depression, which gets flooded during the rainy season.[6]

Within bangar area, the barani is any low rain area where the rain-fed dry farming is practiced, which nowadays are dependent on the tubewells for irrigation.[7] Bagar tract, an example of barani land, is the dry sandy tract of land on the border of Rajasthan state adjoining the states of Haryana and Punjab.[7] Nahri is any canal-irrigated land,[6] for example, the Rangoi tract which is an area irrigated by the Rangoi channel/canal made for the purpose of carrying flood waters of Ghagghar river to dry areas.[8][9]

Historically, villages in the doabs have been officially classified as khadir, khadir-bangar (i.e. mixed) or bangar for many centuries, and different agricultural tax rates applied based on a tiered land-productivity scale.[10][11]

The Doab[edit | edit source]

The Doab
Area depicting the Ganges-Yamuna Doab.
A 1908 map of the Doab, United Provinces

The Doab designates the flat alluvial tract between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers extending from the Sivalik Hills to the two rivers' confluence at Prayagraj. It is also called as Ganges-Yamuna Doab or Ganga Doab. The region has an area of about 23,360 square miles (60,500 square km); it is approximately 500 miles (805 km) in length and 60 miles (97 km) in width.[12]

The British Raj divided the Doab into three administrative districts, viz., Upper Doab (Meerut), Middle Doab (Agra) and Lower Doab (Allahabad).[12][citation needed]

Currently the following states and districts form part of The Doab:[12]

Upper Doab[edit | edit source]

Main article : Upper Doab

Dehradun and Haridwar

Saharanpur, Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Baghpat, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Gautam Buddh Nagar and Bulandshahr

Central or Middle Doab[edit | edit source]

Etah, Kasganj, Aligarh, Agra, Hathras, Firozabad, Mainpuri and Mathura is in the trans-Yamuna region of Braj.

Lower Doab[edit | edit source]

Farrukhabad, Kannauj, Etawah, Auraiya, Kanpur (Urban & Rural), Fatehpur, Kaushambi and Allahabad.[13]

The Punjab Doabs[edit | edit source]

View of a canal in the lower Bari Doab of the Punjab Doabs
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Each of the tracts of land lying between the confluent rivers of the Punjab region of Pakistan and India has a distinct name, said to have been coined by Raja Todar Mal, a minister of the Mughal emperor Akbar. The names (except for "Indus Sagar") are a combination of the first letters, in the Persian alphabet, of the names of the rivers that bound the Doab. For example, "Chaj" (چج) = Chanāb (چناب, "Chenab") + Jehlam (جہلم, "Jhelum"). The names are from east to west.[citation needed]

Sind Sagar Doab[edit | edit source]

Main article: Sind Sagar Doab

The Sind Sagar Doab lies between the Indus and Jhelum rivers.[citation needed]

Chaj Doab[edit | edit source]

Main article: Chaj Doab

The Chaj Doab lies between the Jhelum and the Chenab rivers.[citation needed]

Rachna Doab[edit | edit source]

Main article: Rachna Doab

The Rachna Doab (considerable portion of the Rechna Doab is Majha[14]) lies between the Chenab and the Ravi rivers.[citation needed]

Bari Doab[edit | edit source]

Main article: Bari Doab
See also: Bar Region

The Bari Doab (considerable portion of the Bari Doab is Majha[14]) lies between the Ravi, Beas and Sutlej rivers.[citation needed]

Bist Doab[edit | edit source]

Main article: Bist Doab

The Bist Doab (or Doaba) - between the Beas and the Sutlej rivers.[citation needed]

Other doabs[edit | edit source]

Raichur Doab[edit | edit source]

Main article: Raichur Doab

The Raichur Doab is the triangular region of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka states which lies between the Krishna River and its tributary the Tungabhadra River, named for the town of Raichur.[citation needed]

See also[edit | edit source]

  • Ap (water)
  • Interamnia, an ancient Latin placename, meaning "between rivers"
  • Mesopotamia, in Script error: The function "langx" does not exist. '[land] between rivers'.

Notes[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 doab or duab, n., OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2014, retrieved 24 April 2019 Quote: "Originally and chiefly in South Asia: (the name of) a strip or narrow tract of land between two rivers; spec. (with) the area between the rivers Ganges and Jumna in northern India."
  2. ↑ doab or duab, n., OED Online, Oxford University Press, March 2014, retrieved 24 April 2019 Quote: "confluence, land between two rivers, used in India of the tongue of land between the Ganges and Jumna, and of similar tracts in the Punjab, etc., lit. ‘two waters’ "
  3. ↑ Doab., Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged., 2013, retrieved 24 April 2019 Quote: " a tract of land between two rivers : interfluve"
  4. ↑ Pakistan: Soils, Encyclopædia Britannica, 2010, ... khaddar soils. Away from the river, toward the middle of the doabs, older alluvial soils (called bangar) are widely distributed ...
  5. ↑ Damage to Yamuna Khadar, Ravi Shankar's Art of Living Responsible: NGT, Khas Khabar. 7 Dec 2017.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "The imperial gazeteers of India, 1908", British Raj, page 288.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 E. Walter Coward, 1980, "Irrigation and Agricultural Development in Asia: Perspectives from the social sciences", Cornell University press, ISBN 0801498716.
  8. ↑ 1987, "gazetteer of India: Hisar District" Archived 1 May 2014 at the Wayback Machine, page 7.
  9. ↑ 1987, "Gazeteers of Hisar district, 1987" Archived 7 November 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Government of Haryana, page 162.]
  10. ↑ F.C. Channing (1882), Land Revenue Settlement of the Gurgaon District, Government of India, ... The rates here applied were the same as those applied in the Bangar and Khadar circles and the same comparisons hold good ...
  11. ↑ Oswald Wood, R. Maconachie (1882), Final report on the settlement of land revenue in the Delhi District, Government of India, 1882, ... The Khadar-Bangar chak lies along the river; 37 villages are purely Khadar and 39 partly Khadar partly Bangar. The villages nearest the river are subject to inundations, but where the water runs off in time, the natural fertility of the ...
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Ganges-Yamuna Doab, Encyclopædia Britannica.
  13. ↑ "Archaeology Of Lower Ganga-Yamuna Doab 2 Volumes".
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Kakshi, S.R.; Pathak, Rashmi; Pathak, S.R.Bakshi R. (2007-01-01). Punjab Through the Ages. Sarup & Sons. ISBN 978-81-7625-738-1. Retrieved 12 June 2010.

References[edit | edit source]

Template:PunjabGeography Template:Historical regions of North India

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