Page:The Imperial Gazetteer of India - Volume 2 (2nd edition).pdf/97

 ;

BANKURA—BANNU.

87

Bengal (Smith & Elder, 1868). Also Census Report of 1881, the Revenue Sun>ey Report of the District, and the Provincial Administra1880-82.]

tion Reports for

Bankura. District,

— Chief town and administrative head-quarters of Bankura

Bengal, on the north bank of the

Dhalkisor

Lat.

river.

23° 14' N., long. 87° 6' 45" E.

Population (1881) 18,747, consisting of Hindus, 17,829; Muhammadans, 859; and ‘others,’ 59. Area of town site, 2400 acres. Municipal income in 1881-82, ;C’]22, of which

^655

was derived from taxation; expenditure,

>

average incidence

Bankura contains,

of taxation, 8|d. per head of municipal population.

besides the usual public buildings, courts, treasury, post-office,

a Government school and a library. as very healthy.

being

The

Considerable trade

rice, oil-seeds, lac,

is

station

—

and

dry,

and

is

jail, etc.,

regarded

carried on, the chief exports

cotton and silk cloth, silk cocoons,

the principal imports English piece-goods, nuts,

is

salt,

etc.,

and

tobacco, spices, cocoa-

pulses.

Bannawasi.

—Town

in

North Kanara

District,

Bombay

Presidency.

See Banavasi.

—

District in the Derdjdt Division of the LieutenantBannu. Governorship of the Punjab, on the north-western or Pathan frontier,

and 33° 15' n. lat., and between 70° 26' and long. Area 3868 square miles; population (1881) 332,577. Bounded on the north by the Khatak Hills in the British District of Kohat on the east by the British Districts of Rawal Pindi, Jhelum (Jehlam), and Shahpur; on the west and north-west by hills in the occupation of independent Wazirl tribes and on the south by the District of Derd Ismail Khan. The civil station and head-quarters of the administration are at the town of Edwardesabad, situated near the lying between 32“

10'

72° E.





north-west corner of the District, in

Physical Aspects.

— The

north to south, divides

it

lat.

32° 59'

n.,

long 70° 38'

e.

Indus, passing through the District from into

two

distinct portions.

Westwards from

the river, after a strip of open plain, the country rises rapidly into a

range of

hills

— the

Khatak-Niazai or Maidani range, a part of the

trans-Indus continuation of the Salt

Range

—

in

which one peak, that

of Sukha Ziarat, rises to a height of 4745 feet above the sea level. Beyond lies the valley of Bannu proper, stretching to the frontier hills, irregular oval, measuring 60 miles from north to south, and about 40 miles from east to west. Girt in by mountains, the valley itself is open and comparatively level, having a soil composed of thick deposits, apparently of lacustrine clay, mingled more or less copiously with sand and pebbles. Towards the south and east, the sand in places completely smothers the sub-soil of clay. Northwards, the country is closely cultivated and thickly dotted with villages, trees, and gardens while irrigation channels, flowing between grassy banks, impart an air of

an

I