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 BJA'BA.

5°

supported large bodies of dependants.

The Census

of 1881

showed

a very slight increase of 924, the total population being returned at 698,608 on an area of 3061 square miles. Density of population 221 6

Number

per square mile.

Number inmates

occupied

of

123,393, "’'^h an average of 5 ‘66 according to sex, the males numbered

Divided

each.

of villages, 1166, or -38 per square mile.

houses,

Classified according to religion, 354,377, and the females, 344,231. Hindus numbered 657,413, or 94T0 per cent. ; Muhammadans,

40,627, or

5'8r per cent.;

The Brahmans form a

Sikhs,

21;

Christians,

278; Jains, 269.

very numerous body, and, together with

the

Rajputs, comprise the mass of the cultivators, the former numbering

Next come the trading castes of 106,099, and the latter 58,381. The labouring class consists of Baniyas, 23,071, and Ahirs, 55,545. low-caste Hindus and semi-Hinduized aborigines. The most numerous of these are the Chamars, 109,363.

name

Though

the Bundelas give

numerous in Banda. There Banda, the are only 3 towns containing more than 5000 inhabitants chief town and civil station, 28,974; Rajapur, 7329; and Mataundh, Karwi, which in 1872 contained a population of 6854, has 6258. greatly decayed of late years, and the Census returns of i88r do not give it as among the towns containing 5000 inhabitants or upwards. The District also contains the famous hill fortress of Kalinjar, the The towns and villages in 1881 stronghold of the Chandel kings. Of the 1166 villages and towns, 326 conwere classified as follows 258 from 500 to tained under 200 inhabitants; 391 from 200 to 500 loco; 146 from 1000 to 2000; 32 from 2000 to 3000; 10 from 3000 As to 5000; 2 from 5000 to 10,000; and i upwards of 20,000. regards occupation, the male population were returned under the Class (i) Profollowing six main headings in the Census of 1881 fessional, including military and civil officers of Government, the learned professions, etc., 7212; (2) domestic servants, board and lodgingtheir

to the Province, they are not



—

—





house keepers, traders,

etc.,

carriers,

gardeners,

1118;

4685

175,768;



(5)

(3)

—

commercial class, including merchants, and pastoral class, including

(4) agricultural

manufacturing, industrial, and artisan class,

38,127; (6) indefinite and non-productive (including 17,493 general labourers and 109,974 children, old men, and persons of unspecified The language in ordinary use is Bundeloccupation), 127,467. Hindi ; but another dialect, embracing a of form khandi, a corrupt

debased Urdu element, is spoken in many villages. Though Banda is not quite so backward as some other Agrindture Out portions of Bundelkhand, yet its condition is far from satisfactory. of an assessed area, in i88o-8r, of 1,832,320 acres, 936,960 are cul.

—

644,480 more are cultivable or gr.azing lands. The consists of wheat, gram, jodr, bdjrd, cotton, id, produce principal tivated,

while