That 1500-2000 figure is in Bhuj alone. The full death toll is not known. And yes, the population is far larger today. One of today's papers had on the front page an estimate that the death toll of Friday's quake may rise to over 150,000, making it the worst eq disaster anywhere since Tangshan.

The 1819 earthquake produced 9 m of surface displacement at the epicentre, creating the Allah Bund - the Wall of God.