Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/467

 BILIGIRl-RANGAN—BJLIMORA.

457

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Biligiri-rangan. Range of hills in the east of the Yelandur jagir, running north and south for about 1 1 miles, in Mysore District, Mysore

and extending Madras Presidency.

State,

On

the

5000

highest

feet

above

to the Lat.

point

Hassaniir pass in Coimbatore District,

ii°

of

40'

the

sea-level, is the

to

12°

western

10'

part

temple of

n.,

long.

10'

77°

Biligiri

Sanskrit Svetadri, from which the hills are named.

e.

about

of the range,

Rangaswami, the

The

slopes

are

and covered with long grass and groves of forest trees, including teak and sandal-wood. Wild animals abound, especially elephants, bison, and sdmbhar deer. The only inhabitants are the wild tribe of Soligars, who occupy isolated hamlets of wattle huts. The summit is reached by two paths, the best of which, 9 miles long, is just passable for horses. There is a good cart road to the foot of the hills from the town of Yelandur, distant about 6 miles. At the top is a bungalow, near which is a cinchona plantation, protected from wild elephants by a deep trench, and in the neighbourhood is a neat little orchard, where some Indian and foreign fruit-trees are grown with great success. Excepting a small garden owned by the shdnbhbg of the temple, coffeeplanting has not yet been introduced, though the soil and climate are favourable. The obstacles are fever at certain seasons of the year, and an insufficient supply of drinking water. The temperature is moderate, the thermometer seldom rising above 75° or falling below 60° F. The temple is a shrine of great antiquity, built on the brink of a precipice. An endowment of two villages granted by the Diwdn Purnaiya yields a revenue of ^95. On the summit of a neighbouring peak are the ruins of an old fort See Balirangan. steep,

— — Rent-free .

Bilihra.

estate in Sagar (Saugor) District, Central Pro-

vinces, consisting of 5 villages; area, which originally comprised 12 villages,

15 square miles.

This

estate,

was assigned by the Peshwa to one Prithwi Pat at a quit-rent. His descendants remained in undisturbed possession till 1818, when the District was ceded to the British, and the quit-rent tenure was changed. Seven out of the 12 villages were fully assessed, and 5 (the present estate) were continued to the possessors

rent-free in perpetuity.

Bilihra village contained in

1881

Land a population of 1519, dwelling in 434 houses. Village school. revenue of the estate, ^496 rental paid by cultivators, ;^936. Bilimora. Town belonging to the territory of the Gaekwar of

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Baroda, Bombay Presidency. Situated on the bank of the river Ambika, about 13 miles from Naosari, and 135 miles from Bombay. Lat. 20° 41' N., long. 73° 4' E. It is the seat of a town magistrate, and has a customs-house, dispensary, post-office, and a vernacular school.

Population (1881) 4508, namely, 2907 Hindus, 578 Muhammadans, 784 Pdrsis, and 239 Jains. Bilimora is a station on the Bombay and exports. Baroda Railway. Value of sea-borne trade for 1880-81

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