BANIA CHANG— BANKA.
74
80° 15' 10"
53' 25" N., long.
Founded by
E.
Sayyid Ala-ud-di'n, about 1300 a.d. of
At
a
Muhammadan
saint,
that time the neighbouring village
in possession of a Hindu Raja, who sent a band of men to Muhammadan away, whereupon, according to the local legend, man cursed him so that he and all his people perished, and the Newar was annihilated. Its ruins are still to be seen. On
Newar was
drive the
the holy
town of
Ala-ud-din’s death a shrine was built over his grave, which
is still
in the
was formerly rich and famous, but has now decayed in popular esteem, and has lost great part of the revenues with which it was endowed. Population (1881) 6350, comprising 3659 Hindus and 2691 Muhammadans. Area of town site, is reported to be decreasing in population year 1 acres. The town 1 5 by year. Of the houses, nearly one-half are of masonry 1 3 mosques, and 13 Hindu temples; school; bi-weekly market ; post-office; sarai, possession of his descendants.
It
or native inn
police station.
Baniachang. District,
— Village
Assam.
been founded
in
first
half of the i8th century
of the family of the old
pay
tribute to the
mosque
Habiganj Sub-division of Sylhet It is said to have e.
by Abed Reza, the Hindu Rajas of Laur who submitted to Mughals and embraced Muhammadanism. There is local repute. Kasba Baniachang has an area of 4 ’4
in the
first
a
the
24° 31' n., long. 91° 24'
Lat.
of great
square miles, but the population (1881), 24,061 in number, is scattered over a wider area than the kasba strictly so called. It is a great congeries of huts, built on the sides of numerous tanks, are of considerable size.
Baniachang
is
now
some of which
the head-quarters of a
police circle {thdnd).
Banihal.
— Pass
long. 75° 20'
Banka.
Kashmir
State, Punjab, lying over a range of the feet.
Lat. 33° 21' n.,
E.
— Sub-division
24° 32' 30" E.
in
Elevation above the sea, 8500 to 9000
Himalayas.
and 25°
long.; area, 1185
prising 382,858
of Bhagalpur District, Bengal, lying between
30" n.
6'
lat.,
and between 86°
32' 45"
and 87°
13'
square miles; population (1881) 420,379, com-
Hindus, 27,683 Muhammadans,
5
Christians,
7511
and 2322 Kols average density of population, 355 per square mile; number of villages, 2546; houses, 74,629, of which 70, 184 are occupied number of villages per square mile, 2-15, of occupied houses,
Santals,
62'98;
persons per village,
355;
persons per house,
5'99.
The
Sub-division comprises the three thdnds (police circles) of Umarpur,
In 1883, it contained one civil or munsif’s Banka, and Katuriya. and two criminal courts, namely, the Sub-divisional Magistrate’s Strength of regular police, Court, and a Court of Bench Magistrates. Throughout the Sub{chaitk'iddrs), village watchmen men; 977. 63
court,
division,
demon-worship, and especially the worship of the Brahman For the local legend connected Bhairan, is prevalent.
demon Dube
