Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/198

 BASIM TALUK AND TOWN.

i88

11,576; receipts for 1880-81,

^262;

expenditure, ;^384; incidence

of municipal taxation per head of population, 5 id. Meteorological Aspects. The climate of Basim is preferred to that of

—

the other Districts in Berar

summer months

the hot wind which blows during the day



Highest at night by a cool breeze. May, io4°F. lowest in December, 63°; rainfall for 1881, 37'87 inches, which was inches above the average over 32 inches fell from June to September. The principal diseases are fevers, bowel complaints, and cholera. The number of deaths registered in 1880 from all causes was 6464. Ratio of deaths per 1000 of population, 18 0. The number of births registered in 1880 was 10,652 ratio per 1000 of population, 297. Two Government dispensaries and one civil hospital afforded medical relief in 1880 to 9600 patients; 9355 persons were vaccinated by the vaccine in the

shade temperature

at

is

succeeded

Basim

in



—



department or

the

at

civil

[For

dispensaries.

further

information

regarding Basim District, see the Berar Gazetteer, edited by Sir Alfred

(Bombay, 1870); the Census Keport for Berar for and the Advwiistration Reports of the Haidarabdd Assigned

Lyall, K.C.B., C.S.

1881



Districts for 1880 to 1882.]

Basim.

— Taluk of Basim

District, Berar.

Area, 1051 square miles;

town and 321 villages. Population (1881) 157,690, namely, 81,565 males and 76,125 females, or i5o‘o3 persons per square mile. Hindus numbered 145,857 Muhammadans, 7891 Jains,

contains

i



1830



Sikhs, 18



Christians, 93



Parsi,



Area occupied by

r.

cultivators,

543,943 acres.

—

Basim. Town in Berar, head-quarters of the District and tdlick of same name. Lat. 20° 6' 45" n., long. 77° ii" e. height above sea

the



1758 feet; population (i88i) within municipal limits, 11,576, namely, 6015 males and 5561 females. Of the total population, 8685 were returned as Hindus, 2485 as Musalmans, 317 as Jains, 79 as Christians, 9 Sikhs, and i Parsi. Area of town site, 568 acres. The town is distant 52 miles south-south-east from Akola, on the Great Indian Peninsula Railway, and 29 miles north from the military station of Hingoli ; good metalled roads connect it with both

level,

these places.

a

Rishi,

tells

and

It

is

said to be a very old town,

originally

named

after

him

of a king, Wasuki, afflicted with

Wachh

leprosy,

founded by Wachh, Gulin.

A

legend

who was cured by

bathing in a pool outside the town, which he enlarged to a tank, known as Padma Ti'rtha, still largely resorted to for bathing in. It is said to petrify articles exposed to in

the

17th century,

its

action.

received large grants

The Desmukhs

of Bisim,

of land and perquisites

from the Mughal Emperor, and the family have always been of some After the Bhonsla ruler at Nagpur consideration in South Berar. ceased to receive a share (jo) of the revenue, the Nizam stationed