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BURDWAN, or BARDWAN

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Originally appearing in Volume V04, Page 811 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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BURDWAN, or BARDWAN , a See also:town of See also:British See also:India, in See also:Bengal, which gives its name to a See also:district and to a See also:division. It has a station on the See also:East See also:Indian railway, 67 m. N.W. from See also:Calcutta. Pop. (1901) 35,022. The town consists really of numerous villages scattered over an See also:area of 9 sq. m., and is entirely ruralin See also:character. It contains several interesting See also:ancient tombs, and at See also:Nawab See also:Hat, some 2 M. distant, is a See also:group of ro8 See also:Siva lingam temples built in 1788. The See also:place was formerly very unhealthy, but this has been to a large extent remedied by the See also:establishment of See also:water-See also:works, a See also:good See also:supply of water being derived from the See also:river See also:Banka. Within the town, the See also:principal See also:objects of See also:interest are the palaces and gardens of the maharaja. The See also:chief educational institution is the Burdwan Raj See also:college, which is entirely supported out of the maharaja's See also:estate. The town owes its importance entirely to being the See also:head-quarters of the maharaja of Burdwan, the premier nobleman of See also:lower Bengal, whose See also:rent-See also:roll is upwards of £300,000. The raj was founded in 1657 by See also:Abu Ra Kapur, of the Kapur Khatri See also:family of Kotli in See also:Lahore, See also:Punjab, whose descendants served in turn the See also:Mogul emperors and the British See also:government.

The See also:

great prosperity of the raj was due to the excellent management of Maharaja Mahtab Chand (d. 1879), whose See also:loyalty to the government—especially during the See also:Santal See also:rebellion of 1855 and the See also:mutiny of 1857—was rewarded with the See also:grant of a coat of arms in 1868 and the right to a See also:personal salute of 13 guns in 1877. Maharaja Bijai Chand Mahtab (b. 1881), who succeeded his adoptive See also:father in 1888, earned great distinction by the courage with which he risked his See also:life to See also:save that of See also:Sir See also:Andrew See also:Fraser, the See also:lieutenant-See also:governor of Bengal, on the occasion of the See also:attempt to assassinate him made by See also:Bengali malcontents on the 7th of See also:November 1908. The DISTRICT of BURDWAN lies along the right See also:bank of the river Bhagirathi or See also:Hugh. It has an area of 2689 sq. m. It is a See also:flat See also:plain, and its scenery is uninteresting. Chief See also:rivers are the Bhagirathi, Damodar, Ajai, Banka, Kunur and Khari, of which only the Bhagirathi is navigable by See also:country See also:cargo boats throughout the See also:year. The district was acquired by the East India See also:Company under the treaty with Nawab Mir Kasim in 176o, and confirmed by the See also:emperor Shah Alam in 1765. The See also:land See also:revenue was fixed in See also:perpetuity with the zemindar in 1793. In 1901 the See also:population was 1,532,475, showing an increase of 10 % in the See also:decade. There are several See also:indigo factories.

The district suffered from drought in 1896-1897. The See also:

Eden See also:Canal, 20 M. See also:long, has been constructed for See also:irrigation. The See also:weaving of See also:silk is the chief native See also:industry. As regards See also:European See also:industries, Burdwan takes the first place in Bengal. It contains the great See also:coal-See also:field of Raniganj, first opened in 1874, with an output of more than three million tons. The Barrakur ironworks produce See also:pig-See also:iron, which is reported to be as good as that of See also:Middlesbrough. Apart from Burdwan town and Raniganj, the chief places are the river-marts of See also:Katwa and Kalna. The East Indian railway has several lines See also:running through the district. The DIvIsIoN of BURDWAN comprises the six districts of Burdwan, See also:Birbhum, See also:Bankura, See also:Midnapore, See also:Hugli and See also:Howrah, with a See also:total area of 13,949 sq. m., and a population in 1901. of 8,240,076.

End of Article: BURDWAN, or BARDWAN

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