Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/84

 BANIA CHANG— BANKA.

74

80° 15' 10"

53' 25" N., long.

Founded by

E.

Sayyid Ala-ud-di'n, about 1300 a.d. of

At

a

Muhammadan

saint,

that time the neighbouring village

in possession of a Hindu Raja, who sent a band of men to Muhammadan away, whereupon, according to the local legend, man cursed him so that he and all his people perished, and the Newar was annihilated. Its ruins are still to be seen. On

Newar was

drive the

the holy

town of

Ala-ud-din’s death a shrine was built over his grave, which

is still

in the

was formerly rich and famous, but has now decayed in popular esteem, and has lost great part of the revenues with which it was endowed. Population (1881) 6350, comprising 3659 Hindus and 2691 Muhammadans. Area of town site, is reported to be decreasing in population year 1 acres. The town 1 5 by year. Of the houses, nearly one-half are of masonry 1 3 mosques, and 13 Hindu temples; school; bi-weekly market ; post-office; sarai, possession of his descendants.

It



or native inn

police station.



Baniachang. District,

— Village

Assam.

been founded

in

first

half of the i8th century

of the family of the old

pay

tribute to the

mosque

Habiganj Sub-division of Sylhet It is said to have e.

by Abed Reza, the Hindu Rajas of Laur who submitted to Mughals and embraced Muhammadanism. There is local repute. Kasba Baniachang has an area of 4 ’4

in the

first

a

the

24° 31' n., long. 91° 24'

Lat.

of great

square miles, but the population (1881), 24,061 in number, is scattered over a wider area than the kasba strictly so called. It is a great congeries of huts, built on the sides of numerous tanks, are of considerable size.

Baniachang

is

now

some of which

the head-quarters of a

police circle {thdnd).

Banihal.

— Pass

long. 75° 20'

Banka.

Kashmir

State, Punjab, lying over a range of the feet.

Lat. 33° 21' n.,

E.

— Sub-division

24° 32' 30" E.

in

Elevation above the sea, 8500 to 9000

Himalayas.

and 25°

long.; area, 1185

prising 382,858

of Bhagalpur District, Bengal, lying between

30" n.

6'

lat.,

and between 86°

32' 45"

and 87°

13'

square miles; population (1881) 420,379, com-

Hindus, 27,683 Muhammadans,

5

Christians,

7511

and 2322 Kols average density of population, 355 per square mile; number of villages, 2546; houses, 74,629, of which 70, 184 are occupied number of villages per square mile, 2-15, of occupied houses,

Santals,





62'98;

persons per village,

355;

persons per house,

5'99.

The

Sub-division comprises the three thdnds (police circles) of Umarpur,

In 1883, it contained one civil or munsif’s Banka, and Katuriya. and two criminal courts, namely, the Sub-divisional Magistrate’s Strength of regular police, Court, and a Court of Bench Magistrates. Throughout the Sub{chaitk'iddrs), village watchmen men; 977. 63

court,

division,

demon-worship, and especially the worship of the Brahman For the local legend connected Bhairan, is prevalent.

demon Dube