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BIJAIGARH—BIJAPUR. The

miles south of Benares.

times, but the existing fortress

hill is

423

was no doubt occupied

attributed to the

in very early

Emperor Sher Shah.

It was subsequently occupied by the Chandel Rdja of Bijaigarh, but was seized by Balwant Singh, the founder of the family of the Raja of

Benares, about 1772.

In 1781, his son Chait Singh, in his rebellion

Warren Hastings, took refuge in this fort, but, on the advance of Major Popham, fled precipitately with all the treasure he could remove. His wife and mother, who remained, defended the fortress for

against

a time, but Anally surrendered to the British.

Bijaigarh.

—Town

Area, 41 acres.

Aligarh District, North-Western

in

Provinces.

Agricultural town, advancing in prosperity.

Held

post-oflrce, ancient fort.

School,

1803 by Bhagwant Singh, who was Monument to Colonel Gordon, killed

in

not dislodged without trouble.

by an accidental explosion after the capture of the fort. Distant 1 miles from Aligarh, 10 miles from Sikandra. Bijapur. Sub-division of Kaladgi District, Bombay Presidency. Area, 869 square miles, with i village and 91 towns ; occupied houses, 12,657; population (1881) 76,896, namely, 38,235 males and

—

Hindus number 66,853; Muhammadans, 9646; and

38,661 females. ‘

The

others,’ 397.

Dhow, but

of this tract

soil

in other parts

it

is

of the country, which, though

and 4 criminal

regular police, 80

men

name

in

long.

75° 46' 5" E.

Kaladgi

tion



village

the valley of the

destitute

of

The

trees,

is

well

watchmen

supplied

Sub-division contains

District,

Bombay

i

strength of

{chauk'iddrs), 389.

— Chief town of the Sub-division of the Presidency.

Lat.

same

16° 49' 45" n.,

Fifty-two miles north-east of Kaladgi, 130 miles

of Satara, and

(1881)

fertile in

courts, with 7 police stations (thdtids)

Bijdpur {Vijayapurd).

south-east

very

Climate dry and healthy.

with water. civil

is

barren, owing to the undulating nature

11,424,

160 miles south-east of Poona. Popula8422 Hindus, 2931 Musalmans, 42

namely,

Area of town site, 1361 acres. 8 Christians, and 21 Parsis. Municipal revenue in 1880-81, ^234 rate of taxation, 4|d. per head of population (11,757) within municipal limits; municipal expenditure

Jains,



same year, ;^253. Sub-judge’s court, post-office, railway station, and dispensary. Bijapur has been recently made the head-quarters of in the

Kalddgi

District.

The founder

Musalman State of Bijapur was, according to Murad ii., the Osmanli Sultan, on whose death his son and successor, Muhammad ii., gave orders that all his own brothers From this fate one only, named Yusaf, escaped should be strangled. by a stratagem of his mother. After many adventures, Yusaf is said to of the

Ferishta, a son of

have entered the service of the King of Ahmadabad-Bidar, where he On the king’s death, he with-

rose to the highest offices of state.

drew from Ahmadabad

to Bijapur,

and declared himself

its

king; the