Basti district


Basti district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state, India, and a part of Basti Division. Basti city is the district headquarters. In the freedom struggle of 1857, about 250 martyrs of Amorha State were hanged by the British Government from peepal trees located at Chhawani.

Origin of name and history

Basti came from the original name vasisthi, vasisth the great sage ashram situated in this area. Sher Shah Suri made a well and a sarai here and hence receiving the name.
In 1801, the town Basti became a tehsil headquarter, and in 1865, it was chosen as the headquarters of the newly established Basti district of Gorakhpur Commissionary.
Amorha Khas is a historical place situated at a distance of 41 km from the district headquarters. Its old name is Amorha, and it was once a province of Raja Zalim Singh. Raja Zalim Singh's Mahal is here, old wall of mahal is still there with the mark of a bullet used by the English. The famous temple Ramrekha Mandir is here. Ramrekha Temple is one of the most ancient Hindu Mandir of Lord Ram and Goddess Sita. Lord Shri Ram stayed here for one day during his journey of Janakpur-Ayodhya. Lord Shri Rama and Sita with Lakshmana journeyed towards Ayodhya by the road called Ram Janki Marg near Chhawani.

Geography

The district lies between the parallels of 26° 23' and 27° 30' North Latitude and 82° 17' and 83° 20' East longitude. Its maximum length from north to south is about 75 km. and breadth from east to west about 70 km. The district lies between newly created district Sant Kabir Nagar on the east and Gonda on the west on the south, the Ghaghra river near Amorha Khas previously known as Amorha Province or State of Raja Zalim Singh separates it from the Faizabad and newly created district Ambedkar Nagar. On the north it is bounded by district Sidharth Nagar.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census, Basti district had a population of 2,464,464, of which only 5.6% lived in urban areas. This ranked it the 178th most populous district in India. The district had a population density of. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 18.21%. Basti had a sex ratio of 963 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 67.22%. The child sex ratio of Basti was 922 females for every 1000 males.

Languages

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 97.77% of the population in the district spoke Hindi and 2.14% Urdu as their first language.
Languages spoken in the district include Awadhi in western areas and Bhojpuri in the eastern side. The district Basti may be considered as the demarcation of the languages Awadhi and Hindi. In city, due to increase in educated population, khari boli of Hindi is also observed in daily conversations.

Indian diaspora

During the late 1800s some 6,415 people from the district of Basti migrated through the indenture system to the Fiji Islands and Suriname. A lot stayed and carried their traditions in the then British Colony.

Education

The district have medical college named Maharishi Vashishtha Medical College and one Rajkiya Engineering College in Government Polytechnic, Basti.
The district follows a usual 10+2+3 pattern of education as elsewhere in India. Some notable schools and institutions of the district are :
is the district headquarters of the district. Basti district, a part of Basti division, is formed of four tehsils: Basti Sadar, Harriya, Bhanpur and Rudhauli and 15 development blocks, 139 Nyay Panchayats, two Parganas named Amorha and Nagar as well as 10 Gram Sabhas. The development blocks included are:
The district is noted for its cotton textiles and sugar industries. Cottage industries and small-scale industries including the manufacturing units of brassware, iron and carpentry goods, agricultural implements, bricks, agro-products, foot-wear, soaps, candles, and pottery are present here. Basti is also known for its bamboo, eucalyptus, mango and shisham populations. Four sugar factories are housed in the district. Sugarcane, maize, paddy, pulses, wheat, barley, and potato are commonly cultivated. Most of the population depends for their livelihood on agricultural practices. The district is well-connected through NH 28 which reflects on its good economy. The city is well-connected through railways also.
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Basti one of the country's 250 most backward districts. It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme. City is also known for nationwide youth organisation National Association of Youth founded by Bhavesh Kumar Pandey and run from Basti.
The organization organizes Basti Mini Marathon every year since 2012.

Transportation

lies on the main line connecting Lucknow with Gorakhpur and places in Bihar and Assam in the east passes through the south of the district. The main line has 7 railway stations which are, from east to west, Munderwa, Orwara, Basti, Govindnagar, Tinich, Gaur, and Babhnan within the district. There is a daily Intercity express between Gorakhpur, Basti, Gonda, and Lucknow.
National Highway 28, a part of the East West Corridor project of Government of India and NHAI, also passes through Basti.

Flora and fauna

The forest cover of the district has dwindled with increasing use of land for agriculture. There are areas with high prevalence of mango, mahua, sal, and bamboo trees. Some of the wild animals of the district are the nilgai, antelok, pig, wolf, jackal, fox, hare, monkey, wild cat and the porcupine. Several species of game birds are also seen, including the peafowl, the black partridge and the gray partridge. A number of migratory water fowls visit the water bodies of the district in winter, such as the goose, common teal, red-crested pochard, white-eyed pochard and the wigeon. The cobra, krait, and rat-snake are commonly found. The Indian crocodile or naka, and the ghariyal are also found in the river Ghaghra. The common fish species are rohu, bhakur, nain, parhin, krunch, and tengan.

Notable people

Notable people from the district include: