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 496 L UCKNO IV 015 TIP/Ci.

bequeathed the kingdom to her priestly confessor (gift-12), Hatgobind, whose dynasty lasted for ﬁfteen generations.‘

Populalzbn.——The area Comprising the present District of LucknOn' contained, in 1869, a population of 778,195 souls. At the last Census in 1881, the population was returned at 696,824, showing a decrease of 81,371 souls, or 105 per cent., in twelve years. Lucknow was in the very centre of the tract which suffered most severely from the famine of 1877-78, and the fever epidemic of the following year; and the diminution of population is ascribed to these calamities. The results of the Census of 1881 may be brieﬂy summarized as follows :— s\rea of District, 989'6 square miles, with 5 towns and 942 villages; number of houses, 131,215. Total population, 696,824, namely. males 365.305, and females 331,519; proportion of males in the total populatiOn, 522; per cent. Average density of population, 704 persons per square mile; towns and villages per square mile, 0'95 ; persons per town Or village (excluding Lucknow city and cantonments), 471; number of houses per square mile, 132'5 ; inmates per house, 5'3. Classiﬁed according to religion, the population consisted in 1881 of— llindus, 540,037, or 775 per cent. ; Muhammadans, 149,921, or 21'5 per cent; Sikhs, 218; Christians, 6280; Jains, 339; Jews, to; and l’arsis, 19. Classiﬁed according to age, there were, under 1 5 years of age—males 120,844, and females 107,234 ; total children, 228,078, or 32'7 per cent. of the population : 15 years and upwards-mules 244,461, and females 224,285; total adults, 468,746, Or 673 per cent. of the pOpulation.

Among Hindus, the higher castes of Brahmans and Rajputs bear a less proportion to the general population in Lucknow than in any other District of Oudh. The Census of 1881 returned the Braille mans at 45,549, or 8'3 per cent. of the Hindu population; Rajputs at 27,765, or 5'1 per cent. The Baniyas or trading class numbered 18,840; and the Kayasths, or writers and ofﬁcial class, 15,640. or the lower or Stidra castes, the most numerous were—Ahirs, 65,189; l’ist's (aborigines and one of the dominant classes of the country prior to the Rajput and Muhammadan invasions), 58,435; Charmin, 58,396; Ludhis, 45,778; Kurmis, 21,261; Kachhis, 19,836; Koris, 16.333: Kahars, 14.760; Telis, 13,428; Dhobis, 10,621; Nais, 10,439; Bar- hais, 8711 ; Bhurjis, 8019; Kumbha’rs, 7314 ; Tambulis, 7088;140h5rs. 6:63; llhnngis, 6061; Gaddrias, 5917; Kalwars, 5890;, and Sultan's, 5218. Lucknow has a larger proportion of Muhammandans than any other District in Oudh, but this is mainly due to Lucknow city, which contains a Mnsalman population of 94,851. By sect the Muham- madans consist (if—Sunnis, 115,371, and Shifts, 34,550, the large pro- portion of the latter being due to the fact that Lucknow was the seat of a Shii court during the days of the Nawabl, and the great majority of