Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/235

 —

BEHAR. Population.

—Behar

225

forms the most densely peopled Province of on the soil being as high as 524 per

India, the pressure of the people

square mile, ranging from 287 per square mile in the hilly tracts of the Santal Parganas to 869 per square mile in Saran. The total popu-

was returned by the Census of that year an area of 44,139 square miles, or an increase (allowing

lation of the Province in 1881 at 23,127,104, on.

changes of area) of 2,716,503, or i3’3 per cent, in the 9 years since This population of 23,127,104 (males the previous Census in 1872. for

11,385,836, and females 11,741,268) live in 77,407 towns and villages, and occupy 3,520,896 houses; average number of villages per square mile, I ‘75 average number of houses per square mile, 84^96; average number of inmates per house, 5'57- The religious classification is as

follows



— Hindus, 19,169,327, or 82

Muhammadans,

'8

per cent, of the total population

3,312,697, or i4‘3 per cent.



Christians, 10,954





Sikhs,

54; Buddhists, 132; Jains, 24; Brahmos, 19; Jews, 50; Parsi, i; and others,’ chiefly aboriginal tribes still professing their primitive modes of faith, 633,846, or 2-8 per cent. These aboriginal tribes include 559,620 Santdls and 11,995 Kols. The table on p. 226 exhibits the area and population in each Division and District separately. Of the Hindu population, the higher castes include Brahmans, Babhan, an inferior class of Brahmans, 1,076,643 Rajputs, 1,166,593 985,098;- Baniyas, or traders, 393,537; and Kayasths, the scribe or ‘

—





The

writer caste, 358,068.

principal Sudra castes are the following:

Madak, confectioners, 145,717; Kumbhar, potters, 283,740; Tanti and Tatwa, weavers, 419,521 Teli, merchants and oil-sellers, 632,029 Lohar, blacksmiths, 252,914 ; Sonar, goldsmiths and jewellers, 184,229 Napit, barbers, 340,717; Kandu, traders and sugar-boilers, 531,423; Gowala, cowherds and milkmen, the most numerous caste in the Pro;





Kurmi, the highest cultivating caste, 790,523 ; Koeri, 1,124,361; Sunri, merchants and spirit dealers, 139,505; Kahar, labourers and palanquin-bearers, 468,305 ; Mallah, boatmen, 392,622; Kent, fishermen, 1 12,821 ; Pasi, palm-toddy makers, 147,041

vince, 2,642,957; cultivators,

Dhanuk, fowlers, and also village watchmen, 53 1,904; Chamdr, shoemakers and skinners, 882,113 Dosadh, scavengers, 1,052,564. The aboriginal tribes professing Hinduism, as distinguished from aborigines by race, Bhuinhars, 182,954; Koch, 132,636; Kharwars, 32,578; comprise Gonds, 31,296; Santals, 10,203; Kols, 3481; Bhumijs, 3880; and

—

‘others,’

sect

into

1x5,810.

—

unspecified,

Sunni's,

The Muhammadans Shias,

2,958,739;

292,223.

The

Christian

are

classified

61,708;

according to

Wahabis,

27;

community comprises

and

— Euro-

‘others,’ 6729, of whom 6091 77,407 towns and villages are thus Containing less than two hundred classified according to population

peans, are

3010; Eurasians, 1192; and

natives

of

India.

The



—

Sentence contmtied on p. 227.

VOL.

II.

p