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at night, for their habits are nocturnal. None of the other musk deer species have the bag or pouch peculiar to the male of this animal, and at some seasons of the year, and far to the north of Thibet, the contents of the bag, even of this species, are almost inodorous. BEGLERBEY, a Turkish title, meaning lord of lords, a title equivalent to duke or prince.

BEGUM, a Hindoo lady, princess, woman of high rank.

BEJAGUR is a large hill fort, situated in the Satpoora mountains, in Lat. 21 deg. 36 min. N., Lon. 75 deg. 40 min. E. This was the capital of the old Hindoo province of Neemar, and was subsequently that of the Mooghul province of Khandesh, until supplanted by Boorhanpoor. BEJAPOOR. This province is bounded on the north by Aurungabad; east, Aurungabad and Beder; south, the Dooab; and west, the sea. Its principal divisions are Sattara and Kolapoor, the former composing the present dominions of the Mahratta rajah, the latter belonging to a petty chief, styled the Kolapoor rajah; and on the coast, the northern and southern Konkan. The rivers are Beema, Kistna, Gutpurba, and some others. In the vicinity of the mountains, along its western boundary, this province is very hilly, and thickly wooded; eastward it becomes more level and open. The productions are cholum, maize, gram, and other dry grains, with a small proportion of rice, cotton, and sugar. The principal towns are Colaba, Poona, Severndroog, Sattara, Sholapoor, Rutnagherry, Kolapoor, Merrich, Bejapoor, Vingorla, and Goa.

BEJAPOOR, called by old European writers "Viziapour," is situated in about 17 deg. Ñ. Lat., and 76 deg. E. Lon. This was in former times one of the largest cities in Asia, the fort measuring not less than eight miles round the outside. At pre

sent, it is almost entirely in ruins, but there remains enough to show that the place was, originally, of great magnitude. It contained numerous handsome edifices, many of them are still in good order. Of these, the principal are the mausoleum and musjid of Ibraheem Adil Shah, and the mausoleum of Mahomed Shah. The latter is a plain square building, surmounted by a dome of 350 feet in circumference, the largest in India, and visible from the village of Kunnoo, fourteen miles distant. Bejapoor was the capital of the Mahomedan kingdom of that name.

BEKTEE, or COCKUP, a fish of the Indian seas, which very strongly resembles the jack, and grows to an enormous size. The average size at which they are brought to market may be from eighteen to thirty inches in length; and their weight from two to ten or twelve pounds. They flake like cod, to which, also, their flavour greatly assimilates. BELATEE, or Velagut, Hindostanee for foreign, European. BELGAUM, or Shapoor Belgaum, is a large flourishing town in the Dooab, or southern Mahratta country, well situated in an elevated plain in Lat. 15 deg. 52 min. N., Lon. 74 deg. 42 min. E. It consists of two distinct towns, Belgaum, which has a strong well-built fort, and Shapoor. Amongst the inhabitants of Belgaum are many of the Jain sect.

BELINGAHA, the Cingalese name for the Bilimbi tree. The tree grows in the island of Ceylon to about twenty feet in height, and has small leaves. The fruit springs immediately out of the trunk, and is seldom more than an inch and a half long. The blossom is like the "London Pride." It bears twice a year, in January and May. BELLARY, the capital of the province of Balaghat (the Ceded Districts), is situated in about 15 deg. N. Lat., and 77 deg. E. Long. It has a small hill fort and a fortified pettah.

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to the north-westward of Hindostan. It is bounded on the north by Persia and Afghanistan; east by Afghanistan, and the Brahooee mountains, separating it from Sind; south, by the sea; and west, by Persia. Its chief divisions are Shawl, Kelat, Kuch-Gundava, formerly called Sewistan, and Mukran. The general character of this country is mountainous, and its climate in winter, in the northern parts, intensely cold, the snow lying deep, even in the valleys, from the end of November to the beginning of February. The soil is generally sandy, stony, and arid, but there are occasional tracts of great fertility. Kuch-Gundava, in particular, was formerly much celebrated as a very populous and well-cultivated district, though now, from the prevalence of light drifting sand, almost desert. Its productions are in general the same as those of Afghanistan and Sind. Wheat, barley, and other grains, but no rice. Fruits of all kinds, both European and Asiatic. Sheep and cattle are numerous, and camels and horses in abundance. The woods are principally the apoor, resembling the teak, tamarind, and the babool. The date also grows in the plains. Minerals of all descriptions are said to be found in different parts, but our information on this subject is as yet defective. The greyhounds of this country are excellent, and are bred with great care by the Beloochese, who hold them in great estimation. The prin

cipal towns are Kevetta, in Shawl; Kelat, Dadur, Bhag, and Gundava, in Kuch-Gundava; and Kedje, in Mukran. The inhabitants are called by the general name of Beloochees. They are composed of two great divisions, the one named Beloochee, the other Brahooee, and both subdivided into a number of smaller tribes and families. There are also many Hindoo and Afghan settlers, and a tribe called Jats, who appear to be descended from the original Hindoo inhabitants of the country converted to Mahomedanism. In religion, both Beloochees and Brahooees are Mahomedans of the Soonnee sect.

BENARES is situated on the northern bank of the Ganges, in Lat. 25 deg. 30 min. N., Long. 83 deg. 1 min. E. This is considered to be the largest and most populous city in Hindostan, its population (consisting of all classes, including natives of all parts of India, with considerable numbers of Turks, Tartars, Persians, and Armenians), being estimated at not less than 700,000 persons. It is, however, very badly built, the streets being extremely narrow, and the whole town remarkably dirty. By the Hindoos it is usually styled Kusee, or "the splendid," and according to the Brahminical legends, it was originally constructed of gold, which in consequence of the wickedness of the people became stone, and latterly has degenerated into mud and thatch. The city, with the surrounding country for ten miles distance, is held by the Hindoos to be sacred, and it is resorted to by great numbers of pilgrims. Many chiefs of distant provinces, who cannot visit it in person, are accustomed to send deputies thither to wash away their sins for them by proxy. It is a place of considerable commerce, and a noted mart for diamonds procured chiefly from Bundulkhund. BENCOOLEN, or Fort Marlborough. It lies on the south-western coast of the island of Sumatra, and formerly

belonged to the English, who made a settlement there in 1685, but in 1825 it was given over to the Dutch.

BENGAL, a large province in the East Indies; its boundaries are, north, Nepal and Bootan; east, Assam and Arracan; south, Arracan, the Bay of Bengal, and Orissa; west, Bahar. Exclusive of the dependent states, which will be separately noticed, the principal divisions of this extensive province are the following: Purnea, Rungpoor, Dinajpoor, Mymoonsing, Silhet, Beerbhoom, Moorshedabad, Rajshahee, Dacca-Julahpoor, Burdwan, Jungal Mahals, Midnapoor, Hoogly, Twenty-four Purgannas, Nuddea and Jessoor, Bakergunj, Tippera, and Chittagong. The rivers are the Ganges, Hoogly, Teeta, Brahmapootra, and numerous others. Along the whole northern frontier of this province there runs a bed of low land from ten to twenty miles in breadth, covered with the most exuberant vegetation, particularly aujaerga grass, which sometimes grows to the height of thirty feet, and is as thick as a man's wrist, mixed with tall forest trees. Beyond this belt rise the lofty mountains of Northern Hindostan. Eastward of the Brahmapootra are other ranges of mountains, and along the westward and south-westward of Beerbhoom and Midnapoor, the country becomes hilly and broken. whole remainder of the province may be described as one immense open plain, intersected in every direction by rivers and jheels, or small lakes, and having large tracts subject to annual inundation, forming one of the most fertile countries in the world. The whole extent of the southern coast, between the Hoogly on the west and the Megna on the east, forming the delta of the Ganges, is broken into numberless small marshy islands called the Sunderbunds, covered with forest, and swarming with tigers of the largest description and alligators. These

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are uninhabited, but are resorted to during the dry season by woodcutters and salt makers, who carry on their trade at the constant hazard of their lives. Latterly, attempts have been made to clear one of the principal of these islands, named Sugor, occupying the south-western corner, but as yet little has been accomplished. There are hot sulphurous springs in some parts of this province, and the vicinity of Calcutta is occasionally subject to slight earthquakes. Rice in the greatest abundance, wheat, barley, chenna, and other grains; indigo, cotton, silk, hemp, tobacco, opium, sugar, mustard, ginger, madder, lac, dyeing and medicinal drugs and gums, various seed oils, betel, wax, ivory, iron, saltpetre, limestone, shell lime, coal, and salt. Its manufactures of silk, and of muslins, calicoes, and other descriptions of cotton goods, have long been the most celebrated in India. Amongst its fruits are oranges of the finest kind, which are produced in Silhet in such quantities that they have been sold at the rate of 1000 for a rupee. The sheep and cattle are small, as are also the horses, of which there are some breeds of a remarkably diminutive size. Elephants abound, with tigers, bears, apes, monkeys, and other wild animals and snakes of all descriptions. The rhinoceros is likewise found in this province, chiefly in the northern and north-western parts, and otters are numerous. The silk, of which mention has been made above, comes from a small worm which feeds upon the leaves of the mulberry tree. The worm, when full grown, spins from its body, like the spider, a fine thread, which it winds round itself so as to form a ball. This ball, which is called a cocoon, is thrown into hot water to kill the worm inside, and then the silk is wound off on a wheel. If the worm be not killed in this way, it changes into a moth, and eating its way out of the cocoon spoils the silk. The

towns are Purnea, Rangamathy, Goalpara, Chelonaree, Dinajpoor, Nussurabad, Silhet Chera Poonjee, Moorshedabad, Burhampoor, Cossimbozar, Nattoor, Dacca, Jureedpoor, Narraingunj, Burdwan, Bankrora, Midnapoor, Jellasore, Chunder

nagore, Serampore, Calcutta, Rishenagur, Moolee, Burrishol, Lukhipoor, Romilla, Chittagong, and Cox's Bazar. In Hindoo books this province is generally designated as the Gour or Bunga Desa. The lower part of the province was anciently called Bung, from which, probably, has been derived its present general appellation of Bungalee, or Bengal. The upper parts of the province, not liable to inundation, were distinguished by the term Barindra. The inhabitants are Hindoos of various classes, and Mahomedans. The Hindoos of the central parts of the province are styled | Bengallies, or Bengalese, and are distinguished for their effeminate and timid character, though in words, forward and litigious. There are also connected with this province several savage tribes, probably the original inhabitants, dwelling in the woods and hills. The principal of these are the Garrows, Cosseahs, or Khasiyas, and Kookees. prevailing language of the province is called Bengalee, and is written in the Deva-Nagree character. Hindostanee, or Hindee, is also general. BERAR, a province of India. It is bounded on the north by Khandesh and Gondwana; east, Gondwana; south, Beder and Aurungabad; west, Aurungabad and Khandesh. The province is divided into a number of small districts, but which are not sufficiently well defined to be correctly enumerated. The rivers are the Tuptee, Wurda, Paeen Gunga, and two Poornas. The Wurda and Paeen Gunga both have their sources in this province. The Paeen Gunga flows easterly into the Wurda, and the Wurda south-easterly, joining the Wyne Gunga in Gondwana;

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one Poorna flows westerly into the Tuptee, and the other south-easterly into the Godavery. The principal portion of this province consists of an elevated valley shut in on the south by ranges of hills, extending from Ajuntee to the Wurda; other ranges of hills traverse the province further northward, but the country in general is open. The soil is chiefly of the description designated black cotton, and is naturally fertile, though, owing to the very disturbed state in which the province has long been, it is poorly cultivated. The productions are wheat, maize, gram, and other grains; cotton and flax. The bullocks of this province are noted for their size and strength. The towns are Gawilgurh, Narnulla, Ellichpoor, Mulkapoor, Balapoor, Akola, Oomrawutti, Ajuntee, Jaffurabad, Maikher, and Mahoor. BERRIARAH, or GURREARAH, a shepherd. Beyond the metropolis of India a Berriarah is included among the usual servants attendant upon the out-door concerns of a family. It is a common, and often an unavoidable practice, for up country families to keep their own flocks and herds, or they stand an indifferent chance of getting supplied with good meat.

BETEL, the Areka. See PAUNSOO

PAREE.

BEY, a Turkish title of nobility. BEYA, or BEAS, a river (the Hyphasis of the Greeks), which rises in the Himalayas, and falls into the Sutlej some distance above Ferozepoor. BHADON, the fifth month in the Hindostanee year. See BYSACK. BHAGIRUTTEE, the name which the Ganges acquires in the province of Gurwal, where it has its source. BHAIRAVA, or BHYRU, in the Hindoo mythology, is an incarnation or son of Siva, in his destructive character, and Kali. He is a terrific deity, and can only be satisfied by blood. He cut off the fifth head of Brahma with his thumb nail. There are two Bhairavas, the fair and the

black (Gora and Hala), who, in the field of battle, are the standardbearers of their mother. The sable

deity is the one most worshipped. The dog is sacred to him, and in sculptures he is commonly represented on one. He is also called Bajranga, or of thunderbolt fame. Under the name of Bhairava, Siva is regent of Kashi (Benares). All persons dying at Benares are entitled to a place in Siva's heaven; but if any one violate the laws of the Shastre during his residence, Bhairava grinds him to death. BHAT, boiled rice, the staple food of the natives of Lower India. It is likewise much used by Europeans in that country, in conjunction with fried fish, curried meat, &c. BHATNEER, in the province of Ajmeer, is the principal town of the Bhattee tribe, and is a place of some antiquity, as it is mentioned having been taken by Tymoor in 1398. It stands on the eastern border of the Great Desert. BHATOTUR, from bhaat, a class of brahmuns; meaning a maintenance for the bhaat brahmuns. BHATS. See GUZERAT. BHATTEAS, inhabitants of the province of Ajmeer, or Rajpootana. They were originally shepherds, but have long been noted as a plundering tribe, remarkable for carrying on their depredations on foot, and for the length and rapidity of their excursions. See CUTCH. BHATTIAS, a Hindoo tribe, the principal merchants of the country, actively engaged in trade with Arabia and the west of India. BHAUGULPOOR.

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The Ganges is here of great breadth. In the rainy season, when the waters have risen, the river is not less than eight miles across! The situation of Bhaugulpoor is pretty and healthy. It commands a distant view of Mount Mandar, an insulated conical hill, renowned as a place of Hindoo pilgrimage. There are some silk manufactories here, which produce a

coarse stuff, called baftah, and a lighter silk termed tusser, much used, when stretched upon a frame, for room-punkahs, and also for gentlemen's blouses and ladies' morningdresses. The station is a civil one, but a corps of hill rangers, composed of the Puharees or hill men, is kept up in an excellent state of discipline, to protect the country from banditti, and otherwise to act as the magistrate may occasionally require. The Puharees, who inhabit the neighbouring hills, are not many degrees removed from the savage

race.

They live chiefly by the chase, and always go armed. They are hospitable and honest in their intercourse with one another, though accustomed to make predatory inroads upon their neighbours or hereditary foes. Their probity is remarkable, and they are faithful when employed as servants. They believe in a Supreme Being, to whom they offer up sacrifices, and have adopted the doctrine of Metempsychosis.

BHAVANI, in Hindoo mythology, another form of Parvati. She is nature personified; in which character she is fabled. Parvati is very generally known under the form of Bhavani among the Jainas, Bhuddas, and other heterodox sects. At Omer Kantuc, near the sources of the Nerbuddah and the Soane, she is fancifully worshipped as Bhavani, under the symbol of Narmada, or the Nerbuddah river.

BHAY KHELAUT, cost of robes of honour called khelats. Farms under the Deccan government. A cess, or contribution, was levied to defray the expense of providing such

dresses.

BHEARER, an annual Mahomedan fête, which takes place at night. It is instituted in honour of the escape of an ancient sovereign of Bengal from drowning, who, as the tradition relates, being upset in a boat at night, would have perished, his attendants being unable to distinguish the spot where he struggled in the water, had

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