Basti district | |
|---|---|
 Location of Basti district in Uttar Pradesh | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| Division | Basti |
| Headquarters | Basti |
| Government | |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | Basti |
| • MP | Ram Prasad Chaudhary[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 2,688 km2 (1,038 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 2,464,464 |
| • Density | 916.8/km2 (2,375/sq mi) |
| Language | |
| • Official | Hindi[3] |
| • Additional official | Urdu[3] |
| • Regional languages | Awadhi, Bhojpuri |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 67.2 per cent |
| • Sex ratio | 963[2] |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| Vehicle registration | UP-51 |
| Major highways | National Highway 28 |
| Average annual precipitation | 1166 mm |
| Website | basti |
Basti district is one of thedistricts of Uttar Pradesh state,India, and a part ofBasti Division.Basti city is the district headquarters.
The district is bordered bySant Kabir Nagar to the east andGonda to the west. To the south, theGhaghara River forms its boundary withAyodhya andAmbedkar Nagar, while to the north, it shares its boundary withSiddharth Nagar district. The district covers an area of 2,688 square kilometers.[4]
Basti was originally known asVaishishthi.[5] The origin of the name Vaishishthi is attributed to the fact that this area was theashram of Rishi (sage)Vashistha in ancient period.Rama with his younger brotherLakshmana are described in theRamayana as living withRishi Vashistha for a period.[citation needed]
The district was formerly a major centre ofBuddhism, being close to the holy sites ofKapilavastu andShravasti. British records then claim that after the decline of Buddhism, the district gradually became covered by jungle and was the home of theBhars andTharus. The tract comprising the present district was remote and much of it was covered with forest. But gradually the area became inhabitable, for want of recorded and reliable history it cannot, with any degree of certainty, be said how the district came to be known by its present name :
“On account of the original habitation (Basti) having been selected by the KalhansRaja Udai Raj Singh as a seat of his Raj, an event which probably occurred in the 15th century. In 1801, Basti became the Tehsil headquarters and in 1865 it was chosen as the headquarters of the newly established district.Raja Udai Raj Singh was the first ruler ofKalhans dynasty based atBasti.[6]”
In 1801, the town Basti became atehsil headquarter, and in 1865, it was chosen as the headquarters of the newly established Basti district ofGorakhpur Commissionary.[7] Specifically, it happened on 6 May 1865.[8]
At first, the plan was to use theRapti andJamuwar rivers as the boundary between Basti and Gorakhpur districts, but this plan was abandoned.[8] Instead, the boundary cut across existingparganas, with a few areas east of the Jamuwar becoming part of Basti district, while the eastern parts ofMaghar andBinayakpur parganas remained in Gorakhpur district.[8] Newtehsils were established, and most of the original 8 parganas were split into two, for a new total of 13 parganas.[8] Subordinate to the parganas were 131tappas, which were of significant administrative significance.[8] The resulting setup was the following:
Amorha Khas is a historical place situated at a distance of 41 km from the district headquarters. Its old name is Ambodha, and it was once a province (state) of Raja Zalim Singh. Raja Zalim Singh's Mahal is here, old wall of mahal is still there with the mark of a bullet used by the English. The famous templeRamrekha Mandir is here.[citation needed]
In theGreat Revolt of 1857, about 250 martyrs ofAmorha State were hanged by the British Government frompeepal trees located atChhawani.[9][10][11][12]
The district lies between the parallels of 26° 23' and 27° 30' North Latitude and 82° 17' and 83° 20' East longitude. Its maximum length from north to south is about 75 km. and breadth from east to west about 70 km. The district lies between newly created district Sant Kabir Nagar on the east and Gonda on the west on the south, the Ghaghra river nearAmorha Khas previously known asAmorha Province or State of Raja Zalim Singh separates it from theAyodhya and newly created districtAmbedkar Nagar. On the north it is bounded by district Sidharth Nagar.[13][14][15]
The forest cover of the district has dwindled with increasing use of land for agriculture. There are areas with high prevalence ofmango (Mangifera indica),mahua (Madhuca longifolia),sal (Shorea robusta), andbamboo (Bambusa arundinacea) trees. Some of the wild animals of the district are thenilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), antelok (Anelok cervicapra),pig (Sus scrofa),wolf (Canis lupus),jackal (Conis aureus),fox (Vulpes bengalensis),hare (Lepus ruficandatus),monkey (Macaca mulatta),wild cat (Felis bengalensis) and theporcupine (Hystric leucura). Several species of game birds are also seen, including thepeafowl (Pavo cristatus), the blackpartridge (Frencolinus francolinus) and the grey partridge (Francalinus pondicervanus). A number of migratory water fowls visit the water bodies of the district in winter, such as thegoose (Anser anser),common teal (Anas crecca),red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), white-eyed pochard (Aythya rufa) and thewigeon (Mareca penelope). Thecobra (Naja naja),krait (Bungarus caeruleus), andrat-snake (Ptyas mucosus) are commonly found. The Indian crocodile or naka (Crocodylus palustris), and theghariyal (Gavialis gangeticus) are also found in theriver Ghaghra. The common fish species arerohu (Lebeo rohita), bhakur (Catla catla), nain (Cirrhina mrigala),parhin (Wallagonia attu), krunch (Labeo calbasu), and tengan (Mystus seenghala).[16]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 656,285 | — |
| 1911 | 650,693 | −0.09% |
| 1921 | 684,396 | +0.51% |
| 1931 | 738,712 | +0.77% |
| 1941 | 776,969 | +0.51% |
| 1951 | 848,764 | +0.89% |
| 1961 | 1,010,706 | +1.76% |
| 1971 | 1,142,299 | +1.23% |
| 1981 | 1,366,434 | +1.81% |
| 1991 | 1,686,327 | +2.13% |
| 2001 | 2,084,814 | +2.14% |
| 2011 | 2,464,464 | +1.69% |
| source:[17] | ||
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 84.52% | |||
| Islam | 14.79% | |||
| Buddhism | 0.40% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.29% | |||
According to the2011 census, Basti district had apopulation of 2,464,464.[19] This ranked it the 178th most populous district in India. The district had a population density of 917 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,380/sq mi). Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 18.21%. Basti had asex ratio of 963females for every 1000 males, and aliteracy rate of 67.22%. The child sex ratio of Basti was 922 females for every 1000 males. 5.60% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes make up 20.85% and 0.15% of the population respectively.[19]
At the time of the2011 Census of India, 80.25% of the population in the district spokeHindi, 14.29%Awadhi, 3.21%Bhojpuri and 2.14%Urdu as their first language.[20]
The district Basti may be considered as along the border ofAwadhi andBhojpuri speaking regions, and the dialect is consequently a mix of both. In cities and urban areas, due to increase in the educated population,Hindi is also spoken in daily conversations.[21]
During the mid-1800s to the early 1900s many people from the district of Basti migrated through theIndian indenture system toFiji,Mauritius,South Africa,Guyana,Jamaica,Trinidad and Tobago,Suriname, and otherCaribbean countries. Most of them stayed and carried their traditions in those then European colonies.[22] The formerPresident of Guyana,Cheddi Jagan's parents were from Basti district.[23] FormerLeader of the Opposition of Trinidad and Tobago and founder of theSanatan Dharma Maha Sabha,Bhadase Sagan Maraj's paternal grandparents were from Basti district.[24] The maternal great-great-great-grandparents and maternal great-great-grandfather ofIrfaan Ali, thePresident of Guyana, were from Basti district as well. In Trinidad, the name of the Indian majority village, Basta Hall, is derived from Basti.[25]
Basti town is the district headquarters of the district.[16] Basti district, a part of Basti division, is formed of four tehsils: Basti Sadar,Harraiya, Bhanpur andRudhauli and 14 development blocks,[27] 139 Nyay Panchayats, two Parganas namedAmorha and Nagar as well as 10 Gram Sabhas. Thedevelopment blocks included are:
The district is noted for its cotton textiles and sugar industries. Cottage industries and small-scale industries including the manufacturing units of brassware, iron and carpentry goods, agricultural implements, bricks, agro-products, foot-wear, soaps, candles, and pottery are present here. Basti is also known for its bamboo, eucalyptus (Eucalyptus teritrornis), mango and shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) populations. Four sugar factories are housed in the district. Sugarcane, maize, paddy, pulses, wheat, barley, and potato are commonly cultivated. Most of the population depends for their livelihood on agricultural practices. The district is well-connected through NH 28 which reflects on its good economy. The city is well-connected through railways also.[citation needed]
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Basti one of the country's 250most backward districts (out of a total of640).[28] It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[28] City is also known for nationwide youth organisation National Association of Youth founded by Bhavesh Kumar Pandey and run from Basti.[29] The organisation organizes Basti Mini Marathon every year since 2012.
Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram International Airport (Ayodhya) andGorakhpur Airport are the nearby airports.
Basti railway station lies on the main line connectingLucknow withGorakhpur and places in Bihar and Assam in the east passes through the south of the district. The main line has 7 railway stations which are, from east to west, Munderwa,[30] Orwara, Basti, Govindnagar, Tinich, Gaur, and Babhnan within the district. Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express and Amrit Bharat express has official stoppage at Basti railway station.
Basti is well connected with the nearby cities ofFaizabad,Ayodhya,Gorakhpur andGonda.
There is a daily Intercity express betweenGorakhpur,Basti,Ayodhya,Gonda, and Lucknow. National Highway 2a part of the East West Corridor project of Government of India andNHAI,[31] also passes through Basti.
The district has a medical college,Maharshi Vashishtha Autonomous State Medical College, Basti, and an engineering college, Rajkiya Engineering College. The district follows a usual 10+2+3 pattern of education as elsewhere in India. Some notable schools and institutions of the district are :
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Notable people from the district include:
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Places adjacent to Basti district | |
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