Khādir orKhadar andBangar,Bāngur orBhangar (Hindi language: खादर और बांगर,Urdu languageکهادر اور بانگر) are terms used inHindi,Urdu,Punjabi andSindhi in theIndo-Gangetic plains ofNorth India andPakistan to differentiate between two types ofriverplains andalluvial soils. Bangur and Khadir areas are commonly found in thedoab regions. Some villages may have both Khadar and Bangar areas within their revenue boundaries. Bhangar soils are less fertile as they are above flood level whereas Khadar soils are more fertile as they are below the flood level. Bhanger is full of kankers (lime nodules) while khadar soil is composed of fine silt and clay.It is fertile land as it contains alluvial soil deposited by rivers.

Khadir orKhadar (Hindi:खादर orखादिर), also calledNali orNaili,^[1] are low-lying areas that arefloodplains of a river and which are usually relatively narrower compared to unfloodedbangar area.^[2] Khadar areas are prone to flooding and sometimes includeportions of former river-beds that became available for agriculture when ariver changes course. It is moisture retentive and sticky when wet.^[3][4]Khadir soil consists of newalluvial soil relatively higher in newsilt content from the river, gets replenished with each flooding cycle, and is often very fertile.^[4]

TheKhadir is also calledNali in the northernHaryana which is the fertileprairie tract between theGhaggar river and the southern limits of theSaraswati channel depression that gets flooded during the rains.^[1]

Sri Sri Ravi'sArt of Living FoundationWorld Culture Festival, 2016 (11 March) was held onYamuna's Khadir floodplains andNational Green Tribunal (NGT) recommended a fine of INR 50 million, on Art of Living Foundation for damaging ecology on Yamuna's Khadar flood plains.

Bangar/Bangad/Bhangar (Hindi:बांगर) areas are beyond the floodplains,^[2] that lie more upland, and compared to Khadar it consists of olderalluvial soil which is higher insandyloam content.^[4] Bangar areas are less prone to flooding but are usually more sandy and less fertile as well.^[5][6]

A Bangar area, can be further subdivided into the following based on the type of irrigation:^[7][8]

• Barani area are traditionally rain-fed areas.^[7][8] These are any low rain area whererain-feddry farming is practiced.^[9]Bagar tract, the dry sandy tract of land on the border of Rajasthan state adjoining the states of Haryana and Punjab,^[9] is an example of Barani land. Not all the Barani lands are part of the Bagar tract. Some of Barani areas nowadays are dependent on tubewells for irrigation wherever groundwater level is not too low,^[9] hence technically they can now be termed asChahi even though their legal classification in land revenue records may still beBarani.

• Nahri is anycanal-irrigated land,^[1] for example, theRangoi tract is a Nahri area because it is irrigated by theRangoi canal made for the purpose of carrying flood waters ofGhagghar river to the dry bangar areas.^[10][11] For theNahri lands,Warabandi is a roaster of water to be drawn from a canal by each farmer for irrigating their land.^[2]Chak, based onBritish Raj era revenue collection system, is theland revenuesettlement/assessment circle marking a contiguous block of land,^[12] which has also become synonymous with the name of the village founded by migrant farmers within the revenue circle.^[13]
• Chahi is any land that is irrigated throughwells/tube wells.^[7][8]Chahi Khalis is the land irrigated only by the well.^[12]Chahi Nahri is the land partly irrigated by the well and partly by the canal.^[12]Chahi Sailab is the land within Kadhir areas which is partly irrigated by the well and partly by the floods.^[12]Chahi Taal orTaal is land irrigated byjohad (pond).

Zamindar (landlord) is the Indian legal term for the owner of land.^[7][14] Both Bangar and Kadhir land can also be classified based on the type ofland use:^[7]

• Banjar is any uncultivated land.^[7]Kalar isbarren land.^[12]
  • Banjar Jadid is any newfallow land that has been left uncultivated for the last four harvests.^[7]
  • Banjar Kadid is the old fallow land that has been left uncultivated for the last eight harvests.^[7]
• Jangal is any uncultivated land covered withbrushwood and small trees.^[12] WhereasBir land means anature reserve.^[12]
• Abadi is any inhabited area on any type of land [including theGair Mumkin land where cultivation is not possible] andAbadi Deh is any inhabited area on the cultivatable land.^[7][12]

Abadi is an Urdu word which means a population, usually a large one, hence the name of the type of land.

• Gair Mumkin is any non-cultivable land,^[7][12] such ashills,parts of foothills, ormountains.
• Shamlat (शामलात) is land that belongs to the community,^[7] jointly owned by the villagers in proportion to their land ownership of the cultivatable land and it is usually left uncultivated for community usage, such as grazing or for building future facilities like schools, dispensaries,johad, etc.Shamlat Deh (शामलात देह) is the community land jointly belonging to all land owners of the village.^[7]
  • Shamlat Panna (शामलात पाना) is the community land belonging to all land owners of apanna in a village,^[7] whereas pana itself is a habitation subdivision of villagers inJat villages,^[14] which is also calledShamlat Patti (शामलात पत्ती) in the non-Jat villages.^[14] It is also called asTaraf (towards/direction).
    • Shamlat Thola (शामलात ठोला) is the community land belonging to athola in a village,^[7] which is a habitation subdivision ofpanna in the Jat villages^[14] usually made up of people belonging to the samegotra lineage. Shamlat Thola is also calledShamlat Thok (शामलात ठोक) in the non-Jat villages.^[14]

Other useful terms in themeasurement of land in Haryana and Punjab areBigha,Khasra,Patwari (Village accountant),Shajra,Zaildar, etc.

Since North India and Pakistan is coursed by a multiplicity of Himalayan rivers that divide the plains intodoabs (i.e. regions between two rivers), the Indo-Gangetic plains consist of alternating regions of river,khadir andbangar. The centers of thedoabs consist ofbangar and the peripheries, which line the rivers, consist ofkhadir.^[15] Historically, villages in thedoabs have been officially classified askhadir,khadir-bangar (i.e. mixed) orbangar for many centuries and different agricultural tax rates applied based on a tiered land-productivity scale.^[16][17]

In some areas, these terms have become incorporated in several village names themselves, such asMurshidpur Bangar andRanchi Bangar-Khadir inMathura district ofUttar Pradesh.^[18] Other places includeChilla Saroda Bangar,Gharonda Neemka Bangar,Pehlad Pur Bangar,Rampur Bangar andSalarpur Khadar.

• Geography of India
• Geography of Pakistan
• Geography of Haryana

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