VURSHIDABAD. 25 follows :— Area, 2144 square miles, with 5 towns and 3580 villages ; total number of houses, 278,027, of which 257,967 were occupied, and 20,000 unoccupied. Total population, 1,226,790, namely, males 586,483, and females 640,307; proportion of males, 47086 per cent. Average density of population, 572*2 persons per square mile; towns and villages per square mile, 167; persons per town or village, 342 ; houses per square mile, 1297 ; innates per occupied house, 4'7. Classified according to sex and age, there were under 15 years of age, boys 243,088, and girls 227,376; total children, 470,464, or 38-3 per cent. of the population : 15 years and upwards, males 343,395, and females 412,931; total adults, 756,326, or 61°7 per cent of the population. Religion. One of the surprises first disclosed by the Census of 1872 was that the Muhammadans form a minority of the population. Even in the city and suburbs of Murshidabad itself, they are outnumbered by the Hindus, and they predominate only in the agricultural tracts in the north-east and south-east of the District. In 1881, Hindus numbered 634,796, or 51*7 per cent. of the population; Muhammadans, 589,957, or 48'i per cent. ; Jains, 675; Christians, 470; Brahmos, 14; Buddhist, 1; and aboriginal tribes still professing their primitive faiths, 877. The general character of the population is mixed. Bengalis of the delta, hill tribes from Chutiá Nágpur, and the peculiar Hindu castes of Behar are all represented; while the presence of the court has introduced Rajputs from the North-west for military service or trade, Afgháns and Persians from beyond the frontier, and a body-guard of Habshís from the east coast of Africa. Tribes, Castes, etc.-Besides the 377 aborigines still professing their primitive faiths, the Census of 1881 returned 25,350 others of aboriginal descent, but included as Hindus in the religious classification. Of Hindu castes proper, the Brahmans number 33,935; Rajputs, 8955 ; Baniyás, 14,333 ; and Káyasths, 15,655. By far the most numerous caste is the Kaibartta, 100,355 in number ; following on which, in numerical order, come the Sadgop, 36,927; Goálá, 35,411 ; Bagdi, 30,568; Chamár, 22,550; Tánti, 19,818; Chandál, 17,972 ; Koch, 17,582 ; Nápit, 13,493 ; Sunri, 13,038; Telí, 12,088; Kumbhár, 10,487; Mál, 9687; Barhai, 9673; Karmakar or Lohár, 8952; Kalu, 8642 ; Hari, 7753 ; Tior, 7729; Dom, 7505 ; Madak, 7253; Dhobi, 7048; Vallah, 6265; and Jugi, 5240. The native Christians number 250. Among the Hindus are included the Vaishnavs, numbering 25,034; the Jains, who are especially influential at the trading centres of Azimganj and Jiáganj; the Brahma Samaj, which has a regular meeting-house at Barhampur; and other minor sects. Towns, etc.—For a Bengal District, Murshidabad contains a fair share of large towns; but it appears certain that the urban population is not now on the increase. The five following places are returned in the
