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335

From

ten to fifteen yards across, when it first enters the district, it gradually increases to an average width of from forty to fifty, widening out at places, and embracing small islands covered with cane-brakes and a luxuriant growth of bushes. It is never very deep, and shortly after the rains is fordable to foot-passengers at every second or third mile. It is crossed by three bridges, where it cuts the Gonda and Balrdmpur, Gonda and TJtraula, and Utraula and Nawabganj roads. Its most valuable natural products are the mahua, which grows in great quantities in the jungles on its bank and gort, a kind of rush, whose stalks are worked up into matting, and feathery seed used for stuffing pillows. The cane, where it does occur, is of no practical use.

BISWA'N Town

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Pargana Biswan Tahsil Biswan District Sitapur. Biswan 27° 29' north, and 81° 2' esist, is 21 miles east from Sitapur, on the kachcha road which leads to Gonda and Fyzabad through Bahramghat. Another good road connects it with Laharpur on the north, and a third takes the traveller east 22 miles to Chahlari Ghat on the Gogra, lying over against Bahraich. This last-mentioned road meets in its way with two unbridged rivers, one of which, the Kewani, is fordable in the dry season the other, the Chauka, being crossed by a ferry, though a good sized elephant can do it on foot. It is 11 miles east from Biswan. The town is said to have been founded about .500 years ago by an ascetic named Bishwanath, and to have taken its name from him, and to this very day there exists his mandhi, built on the spot where he resided during his sojourn on the earth.

Biswdn, including Jalalpur, has a population of 7,308 souls-, of whom rather more than one-half are Hindus of various castes, principally Brahmans; and artizans. It is the head-quarters of a tahsil, and has police, post, and registry offices, with a school, at which there are 53 boys in daily attendance the place was formerly the residence of an amil, the remains of his: fort being still extant ; but where the dmil and his fighting men held sway, the schoolmaster now wields his ferule.

The town

contains

21 Musalman, and 17 Hindu sacred buildings

The bazars are good, and markets are held daily built of brick. nual value of sales averages 1,50,000 Rs., or £15,000 sterling.



the an-

The tasaas and tabuts made up here are famous, and Biswan tobacco' is known to those who delight in a huqqa. The trade of stamping

well

cloth is also carried on to a considerable extent, and the, cloth is exported to great distances. The climate is good, the water is not bad, and there are

two pleasant encamping grounds

for the travellers,

who may bB independent

of the caravansarae. Among the sacred places in the town are certain tombs said to have been built over the bodies of some of the S'ayyad Salar's (MasaM of Ghazni) army, which encountered the forces of the Ikauna raja in There is a weekly- fair held in a grove outside the this neighbourhood. town, at a place sacred to Mansa Rdm, a Brahman of character who died about 125 years ago.

There are 323 masonry and 1,108 mud built houses in Biswan. The prinmosque, tomb, and caravansarfie, erected by

cipal buildings are the palace,