Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/218

 BASTI.

2o8

Mata Devi, and anoint her image with ground sandal-wood and water, with which they then sprinkle the house where the patient lies, and sign his forehead his diet consists of fruit and cooling food and drink, but no medicines are friends constantly repair to the temple of



is unknown inoculation, however, is Rheumatism affects many of the inhabitants, exceedingly common.

Vaccination

administered. practised to

some

and hydrocele

is



extent.

— District of the Benares Division,

in the Lieutenant-Governorship of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, lying between 26“ 24' 45" and 27° 30' N. lat, and between 82° 17' and 83° 15' e. long. ; area,

Basti.

2752 square miles; population (1881) 1,630,612

souls, or

592 to the

square mile.

—

Physical Aspects Basti is a sub-montane tract lying between the Nepal Hills and the Gogra (Ghagra) river, and presents the flat, marshy aspect typical of tardi land. The territory of Nepal bounds it on the north Gorakhpur District of the North-Western Provinces on the east; and the Faizabad and Gonda Districts of Oudh on the south and west. It has a mean height of only 326 feet above sea level, and no natural elevations of any description diversify its surface. Numerous rivers and lakes keep the soil charged with moisture and in the rainy season ever)’ depression fills, forming a temporary lake, till dried up by the sun. The general line of drainage is to the south-east. At one time,.





tree jungle covered a large proportion of the District last forty



but during the

years 150 square miles of waste land have been granted to

this has not been brought There are no ravines, and but little usar (saltpetre) land, so that of the whole area, two-thirds, or 1,169,925 acres, are actually productive and of the other third, 330,042 acres are cultivable, though not yet under the plough. No waste land now remains at the disposal of Government. The rivers Rapti and Kuana divide the District into three natural belts. The northern belt, lying between the Rapti and the hills, is pure tardi (sub-montane) land, reclaimed from the forests and marshes

Europeans, but a considerable portion of

under

cultivation.



breadth is from 14 to 20 miles between the Rapti and the Kuana ; and being drained by them, is less marshy, and suitable therefore to wheat and other cereals. The southern belt, lying between the Kuana and the Gogra, is much drier, artificial irrigation being in parts required The It is from 12 to 28 miles in breadth. for the ordinary cereals. from length total is about miles. The mean breadth of the District 40 The chief rivers are the Rapti, the Burhi north to south is 60 miles. Rapti, Arrah, Banganga, Masdih, Ami, Kuana, Kura, Kotnaiya, and that

originally covered

throughout.

it.

The middle

Its

belt lies

—

the Gogra.

The

last

District, separating

it

forms throughout the southern boundar)’ of the from Faizabad. It is a river of great volume, in