Page:Vizagapatam.djvu/85

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THE PEOPLE.

East) and Jeypore, three industrial classes, an orphanage at Sálúr and a boarding-school at Kótapád in which there are 130 girls.

The Canadian Baptists (Ontario and Quebec board) of the Gódávari district sent over one of their body in 1890 to Yellamanchili, where he erected a mission house and took up his residence.1[1] Medical work being a part of the policy of the mission, a hospital with accommodation for ten in-patients was built there in 1897. Yellamanchili is now the only place in the district where the mission has any European worker left. A church was founded at Anakápalle in 1898, but that town is now included in the Yellamanchili field; and a station was opened in 1893 at Narasapatam, but is now under the missionary at Tuni in the Gódávari district.

The Baptists of the Maritime Provinces of Canada are also working in the district.2[2] Stations are in existence at Bimlipatam (started in 1875), Bobbili (1876). Vizianagram (1889) and Páalkonda (1891); the European staff consists of three missionaries and six lady workers; and, besides primary schools, the mission keeps up a lower secondary school for boys at Bimlipatam and another for girls at Bobbili.

As has been stated, Musalmans are proportionately fewer in Vizagapatam than in any other district except Ganjám. Seeing how long the country was under Muhammadan dominion, this is curious. They are relatively most numerous in the taluks of Vizagapatam, Sarvasiddhi (Kasimkóta was once an important fort) and Vizianagram. Those in the Vizagapatam fort are known as Jamáyats. In Túba and one or two other villages round Nandapuram in the Pottangi taluk are quite isolated settlements of Musalmans who say they are the descendants of soldiers who came on a military expedition from Hyderabad against the Jeypore country, and settled down there and married Poroja women. They still wear the Musalman costume and observe the Mohurrum.

The Muhammadans of the plains speak excellent Telugu, seldom keep their womenkind gósha, and are on Friendiy terms with the Hindus, who make vows to the famous Musalman darga in Vizagapatam town and join in the Mohnrrum. The feeling that the Mohurrum should be kept rather as a fast

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  1. 1 The account which follows has been kindly contributed by the Rev.E. G. Smith,M.H.
  2. 2 The Rev. W. V. Higgins has been good enough to supply information regarding them,