Page:A Manual of the District of Vizagapatam, in the Presidency of Madras.djvu/21

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Third, Bijipur. Soon after leaving Godiary, we aacead an incon- sideiable ghaut, at Qie foot of which lies a fine valley about four miles long; after this the road is bad and heavy jungle to Fonkfila (nine miles) the first stage. From Poukftla to Bijipur is almost one dense unbroken Sdl jungle (nine mileeV The MnttA consiflte of twelve villages and is included in the Godaiiy t&luq. There is a P&tro here, an TTriya peon, who superintends th^ villages ; each vil- lage paying a trifling annual tribate to the P&tro, who again pays something to Chaitan Deo, Fourth, Chamdrapur. After passiog the village of Eillidi, three miles from Bijipur, we ascend a steep and stony gbant ; it is followed by a plateau, a mile and a half long to the village of Chotragam, when an extenuve valley is crossed, then the river ' Dimuru Noi,' a feeder of the Tamsftdh&ra, on the right bank of which stands Chandrapur. The village itself is a small Hindu colony. Some twenty-five years ago, the Jeypore K&jah sei^t one of his peons up here, with permission to cultivate free of rent as much grouod as he' cared to clear, and to take ajiy tribute he could extract from the neighbouring Khonds. The man came up with a dozen adherents and their families, tmd the village is now a very thriving one ; but nothing has been got &om the Khonds, who continue in all their ancient independence. They acknowledge the Jeypore Kajah and respect his local representative; but they contribute nothing to the flsc, unless it be a few chickens and bunchee of plantains at the Dasaharft. There are twelve villages here, and it was formerly a very troublesome Uutta. They had the audacity to turn out in great force and attack General Campbell's camp ; but fifteen yeaj« have made a great change ; they now come in willingly enough to viait the officers of Government when summoned by the Pfttro for that pur- pose. Fifth. — Sayabiji lies in a south-west direction from the last, distance ten miles ; the track is tolerably level, through a jungle in great part bunboa Bayabiji is an important place as the centre of the most considerable of the Khond hill tracts of Jeypoi^ It com- prises 106 purely Khond villages, divided into six MuttOs. There are twelve other villages in the hands of Hindu P&tros, one Pfttro to each Khond Muttft. Sixth. — BisseTnotUtack is e^teeu miles west of Rayabiji, is a direct line, but from the ranges of ghaut lying between, it is necessary to approach it by a bend round to the north, halting at Dongasurada and Kotraghur, both on the bankB of the Vams&dbSra; the distance is twenty-five miles. The Jungle is lighter ; near BiswemmittHi-k the villa^s lie- pvetty closely together ; L^.q.i.ze.b.'C^OO'^IC