The great hedge of India

This book investigates the creation and impact of the Inland Customs Line — a vast, man-made hedge built by the British in 19th-century India to enforce salt and inland customs duties.

It explores the hedge's construction, administration, and the social and economic consequences of this form of colonial control.

The author traces how thousands of personnel maintained the barrier and how it shaped regional movement and governance.

The work combines archival research with narrative history to recover a largely forgotten aspect of British imperial administration.

By shedding light on this remarkable colonial project, the book situates the hedge within broader debates about extraction, empire, and resistance in colonial India.