—
BEHAR. Population.
—Behar
225
forms the most densely peopled Province of on the soil being as high as 524 per
India, the pressure of the people
square mile, ranging from 287 per square mile in the hilly tracts of the Santal Parganas to 869 per square mile in Saran. The total popu-
was returned by the Census of that year an area of 44,139 square miles, or an increase (allowing
lation of the Province in 1881 at 23,127,104, on.
changes of area) of 2,716,503, or i3’3 per cent, in the 9 years since This population of 23,127,104 (males the previous Census in 1872. for
11,385,836, and females 11,741,268) live in 77,407 towns and villages, and occupy 3,520,896 houses; average number of villages per square mile, I ‘75 average number of houses per square mile, 84^96; average number of inmates per house, 5'57- The religious classification is as
follows
— Hindus, 19,169,327, or 82
Muhammadans,
'8
per cent, of the total population
3,312,697, or i4‘3 per cent.
Christians, 10,954
Sikhs,
54; Buddhists, 132; Jains, 24; Brahmos, 19; Jews, 50; Parsi, i; and others,’ chiefly aboriginal tribes still professing their primitive modes of faith, 633,846, or 2-8 per cent. These aboriginal tribes include 559,620 Santdls and 11,995 Kols. The table on p. 226 exhibits the area and population in each Division and District separately. Of the Hindu population, the higher castes include Brahmans, Babhan, an inferior class of Brahmans, 1,076,643 Rajputs, 1,166,593 985,098;- Baniyas, or traders, 393,537; and Kayasths, the scribe or ‘
—
The
writer caste, 358,068.
principal Sudra castes are the following:
Madak, confectioners, 145,717; Kumbhar, potters, 283,740; Tanti and Tatwa, weavers, 419,521 Teli, merchants and oil-sellers, 632,029 Lohar, blacksmiths, 252,914 ; Sonar, goldsmiths and jewellers, 184,229 Napit, barbers, 340,717; Kandu, traders and sugar-boilers, 531,423; Gowala, cowherds and milkmen, the most numerous caste in the Pro;
Kurmi, the highest cultivating caste, 790,523 ; Koeri, 1,124,361; Sunri, merchants and spirit dealers, 139,505; Kahar, labourers and palanquin-bearers, 468,305 ; Mallah, boatmen, 392,622; Kent, fishermen, 1 12,821 ; Pasi, palm-toddy makers, 147,041
vince, 2,642,957; cultivators,
Dhanuk, fowlers, and also village watchmen, 53 1,904; Chamdr, shoemakers and skinners, 882,113 Dosadh, scavengers, 1,052,564. The aboriginal tribes professing Hinduism, as distinguished from aborigines by race, Bhuinhars, 182,954; Koch, 132,636; Kharwars, 32,578; comprise Gonds, 31,296; Santals, 10,203; Kols, 3481; Bhumijs, 3880; and
—
‘others,’
sect
into
1x5,810.
—
unspecified,
Sunni's,
The Muhammadans Shias,
2,958,739;
292,223.
The
Christian
are
classified
61,708;
according to
Wahabis,
27;
community comprises
and
— Euro-
‘others,’ 6729, of whom 6091 77,407 towns and villages are thus Containing less than two hundred classified according to population
peans, are
3010; Eurasians, 1192; and
natives
of
India.
The
—
Sentence contmtied on p. 227.
VOL.
II.
p
