The Chalisa famine of 1783–1784 in the

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followed unusual

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events that began in 1780 and caused droughts throughout the region. ''Chalisa'' (literally, "of the fortieth" in Hindustani) refers to the

Vikram Samvat Vikram Samvat (ISO: ''Vikrama Saṁvata''; abbreviated VS), also known as the Vikrami calendar is a Hindu calendar historically used in the Indian subcontinent and still also used in several Indian states and Nepal. It is a lunisolar calendar ...

calendar year 1840 (1783). The famine affected many parts of

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, especially the Delhi territories, present-day

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, Eastern

Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...

Rajputana Rājputana (), meaning Land of the Rajputs, was a region in the Indian subcontinent that included mainly the entire present-day States of India, Indian state of Rajasthan, parts of the neighboring states of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, and adjo ...

, and

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, then all ruled by different Indian rulers. The ''Chalisa'' was preceded by a famine in the previous year, 1782–1783, in South India, including Madras City and surrounding areas (under

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rule) and in the extended

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(under the rule of Haider Ali and

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). Together the two famines may have depopulated many regions of India, including, for example, 17 percent of the villages in the

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region of present-day

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, 60 percent of the villages in the middle

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of present-day

, and over 30 per cent of the villages in the regions around Delhi. It is thought that up to 11 million people may have died in the two famines.

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See also

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Further reading