The district is bordered by Sant Kabir Nagar to the east and Gonda to the west. To the south, the Ghaghara River forms its boundary with Faizabad and Ambedkar Nagar, while to the north, it shares its boundary with Siddharth Nagar district. The district covers an area of 2,688 square kilometers.[4]
Origin of name and history
Basti was originally known as Vaishishthi.[5] The origin of the name Vaishishthi is attributed to the fact that this area was the ashram of Rishi (sage) Vashistha in ancient period. Rama with his younger brother Lakshmana are described in the Ramayana as living with Rishi Vashistha for a period.[citation needed]
The district was formerly a major centre of Buddhism, being close to the holy sites of Kapilavastu and Shravasti. British records then claim that after the decline of Buddhism, the district gradually became covered by jungle and was the home of the Bhars and Tharus. The tract comprising the present district was remote and much of it was covered with forest. But gradually the area became inhabitable, for want of recorded and reliable history it cannot, with any degree of certainty, be said how the district came to be known by its present name :
“On account of the original habitation (Basti) having been selected by the Kalhans Raja Udai Raj Singh as a seat of his Raj, an event which probably occurred in the 15th century. In 1801, Basti became the Tehsil headquarters and in 1865 it was chosen as the headquarters of the newly established district. Raja Udai Raj Singh was the first ruler of Kalhans dynasty based at Basti.[6]”
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.[7] Specifically, it happened on 6 May 1865.[8]
At first, the plan was to use the Rapti and Jamuwar rivers as the boundary between Basti and Gorakhpur districts, but this plan was abandoned.[8] Instead, the boundary cut across existing parganas, with a few areas east of the Jamuwar becoming part of Basti district, while the eastern parts of Maghar and Binayakpur parganas remained in Gorakhpur district.[8] New tehsils were established, and most of the original 8 parganas were split into two, for a new total of 13 parganas.[8] Subordinate to the parganas were 131 tappas, which were of significant administrative significance.[8] The resulting setup was the following:
Amorha Khas is a historical place situated at a distance of 41 km from the district headquarters. Its old name is Ambodha, and it was once a province (state) 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.[citation needed]
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 Ayodhya and newly created district Ambedkar Nagar. On the north it is bounded by district Sidharth Nagar.[13][14][15]
According to the 2011 census, Basti district had a population of 2,464,464.[19] This ranked it the 178th most populous district in India. The district had a population density of 917 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,380/sq mi). 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. 5.60% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes make up 20.85% and 0.15% of the population respectively.[19]
The district Basti may be considered as along the border of Awadhi and Bhojpuri speaking regions, and the dialect is consequently a mix of both. In cities and urban areas, due to increase in the educated population, Hindi is also spoken in daily conversations.[21]
Basti town is the district headquarters of the district.[16] Basti district, a part of Basti division, is formed of four tehsils: Basti Sadar, Harraiya, Bhanpur and Rudhauli and 14 development blocks,[27] 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 (Eucalyptus teritrornis), mango and shisham (Dalbergia sissoo) 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. [citation needed]
In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Basti one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[28] It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[28] City is also known for nationwide youth organisation National Association of Youth founded by Bhavesh Kumar Pandey and run from Basti.[29] The organisation organizes Basti Mini Marathon every year since 2012.
Basti railway station 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,[30] Orwara, Basti, Govindnagar, Tinich, Gaur, and Babhnan within the district. Gorakhpur-Lucknow Vande Bharat Express and Amrit Bharat express has official stoppage at Basti railway station.
There is a daily Intercity express between Gorakhpur, Basti, Ayodhya, Gonda, and Lucknow. National Highway 2a part of the East West Corridor project of Government of India and NHAI,[31] also passes through Basti.
Amorha Khas is situated at a distance of 41 km from the district headquarters. Its old name was Ambodha, and it was once a province (state) of Surajbansi Rajput Raja Zalim Singh. Zalim Singh's Mahal is here, Old wall of mahal is still there with the mark of a bullet used by the English. Also a temple Ramrekha Mandir is here.[10][11][12]
Chhawani is a police station and is situated at a distance of 40 km from the district headquarters. It was the main shelter for Indian fighters during the 1857 mutiny.[9]
Vikramjot is a Block and small market of the Basti district 46 km away from the headquarters of Basti district.
Harraiya is one of the tehsils in Basti district and also a legislative assembly.
Maharshi Vashishtha Autonomous State Medical College
The district has a medical college, Maharshi Vashishtha Autonomous State Medical College, Basti, and an engineering college, Rajkiya Engineering College. The district follows a usual 10+2+3 pattern of education as elsewhere in India. Some notable schools and institutions of the district are :
^ ab"District Basti". National Informatics Centre, Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology, Government of India. Archived from the original on 10 August 2018. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
^Gopeshwar Tripathi, ed. (2009). "Bhojpuri: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 30 September 2011.
