B I J 



303 



B I L 



The principal streets are paved with Hags of granite, am! 

 this stone has been very generally used in constructing 

 arches, and aqueducts, making pillars, and even for the 

 flat roofs and rafters of houses. The remains of numerous 

 temples, choultries (houses of accommodation for travellers), 

 and many other public and private buildings, exhibit the 

 purest style of Hindu architecture. Some blocks of granite 

 which have been used in the construction of these edifices 

 arc from twelve to fifteen fuel square; they are cut and 

 fitted to each other with great nicety, and considering the 

 want of mechanical skill among the builders, they testify 

 in a high degree to their industry and perseverance. 



The part of the city which is situated on the south-cast 

 bank of the Toombuddra is, except where bounded by the 

 river, inclosed with strong stone-walls, or by barriers 

 planted by the hand of nature. The circuit of this part 

 of the city is eight miles, but in consequence of the inter- 

 ruptions occasioned by the masses of rock already men- 

 tioned, a great part of the inclosed area contains no 

 buildings. Near the western extremity, and terminating 

 a street ninety feet wide, running parallel with the Toom- 

 buddra, is a magnificent temple dedicated to Mahadcva 

 (the great god). This temple is surrounded by numerous 

 cells for devotees ; facing to the east is a pyramidal portico 

 about 150 feet high, and divided into ten stories. The at- 

 tendant Brahmins are numerous, and the establishment is 

 well endowed. The street which leads to this temple is 

 chiefly appropriated to the use of the numerous pilgrims 

 whn visit it at the time of the annual festival. Another 

 temple near the centre of the city is dedicated to Wittoba 

 (an incarnation of Vishnu). This establishment consists 

 of a group of buildings comprehending, besides the principal 

 place of worship, four choultries and many smaller pagodas, 

 the whole occupying an area of about 400 by 200 feet, and 

 surrounded by numerous cells. The granite columns which 

 support the roof of the chief temple have numerous figures 

 of lions clustered round them, and the entablature is orna- 

 mented, as well as the ceiling, with various sculptures. On 

 holidays, the image of the god Wittoba is exposed in a 

 chariot, constructed, wheels and all, of granite: this cha- 

 riot is elaborately_and delicately finished. The division on 

 the north-west bank of the river is uninhabited, wilh the 

 exception of a small village built near the centre with 

 stones collected from the surrounding ruins. A temple de- 

 dicated to Krishna, situated near this spot, is kept in repair, 

 and still used for the performance of religions rites. 



The city of Bijanaghur was built between the years 133G 

 and 134.'!, by two brothers named Aka Hurryhur and Hurra 

 Hurryhur, who ruled here in succession, Aka until 13 JO, 

 and Bucca until 1378. The rajahs of Bijanaghur were con- 

 stantly involved in war with the Mohammedan rulers of the 

 dDeccan, and at length, in 1 564, the sovereigns of Ahmcd- 

 irugsur, Boeder, Golcomln, and Bejapore combined together, 

 and routed the forces of Ram Raja, the rajah of Bijanaghur, 

 on the plains of Tellicotta. The conquerors afterwards ad- 

 vanced upon the capital, which they took, and completely 

 sacked, so that it was deserted by nearly all its inhabitants. 

 BI.JNKE, a principality beyond the limits of Northern 

 Hindustan, situated on both sides of the Brahmapootra river, 

 and bordering on Asam to the cast, Bootan to the north, 

 Hungporo to the west, and the Gavrows on the south. 



I'art of the lands of Bijnee are situated within the limits 

 of British jurisdiction, and a part consists of territory said to 

 be independent, but which is subject to an insignificant tri- 

 bute paid to the rajah of Bootan. The division north of 

 the Brahmapootra is called Khungtaghaut, which name is 

 sometimes applied to the whole principality, and that south 

 of the great river is called Howeraghaut. 



This extensive country possesses much natural beauty, 

 and contains a great proportion of fertile land, but the level 

 < "iiintry is subject to inundation, and the government is very 

 b'idly administered. The inhabitants are sunk in poverty, 

 and the land is consequently ill cultivated. Owing to the 

 unsettled shite of the country, and of some of the ncigh- 

 IILT states, many of the cultivators do not establish 

 tln'in-clves in any fixed place, but always hold themselves 

 in readiness to withdraw, as circumstances may require, 

 into the English territory, Bojtan, or Asam. Rice is the 

 principal vegetable production. The soil is adapted for 

 wheat, barley, pulse, sugar-cane, and mulberry trees, but 

 no silk-worms, and but little of the other kinds of pro- 

 ductions here named are cultivated. It is customary for 

 many of the natives of Bijtiee to bring their wives and fa- 



milies for safety within that part of the principality which is 

 under British protection, while they themselves pursuo 

 their labours in other districts more liable to disturbance. 



The authority of the British over part of Bijnee is derived 

 from its connexion with the Mogul emperor, to whose rights 

 the East India Company has succeeded. Previous to f?85 

 the tribute had been paid in a certain number of elephants, 

 which were unprofitable to the Company's government, and, 

 at the date just mentioned, the collector at Rungpore com- 

 muted this tribute into an annual money payment of 2000 

 rupees. 



In 1701 Ilavindra Narrain, the rajah of Bijnee, was as- 

 sassinated, and the rajah of Bootan took upon himself to 

 nominate as his successor Mahindra Narrain, a relative of 

 the murdered chief. To this nomination the Bengal go- 

 vernment assented, not because of any right of nomination 

 in the rajah of Bootan, but because the pretensions of 

 Mahindra to the succession were well founded. The reve- 

 nue of the rajah is estimated at 162,000 rupees, but full 

 one-half of the rents are paid in coarse cotton clolhs, woven 

 by the females of the country, and a considerable loss is 

 sustained upon the sale of these fabrics. 



Bijnee, the capital of the principality, is situated in 26 

 29' N. lat., 90 48' E. long. The town is surrounded by a 

 brick wall, built in the form of a parallelogram. Beyond 

 this wall is a ditch, on the outside of which is a strong 

 hedge of prickly bamboo. Each side of the wall contains a 

 gate, but when the latest account of the place was obtained, 

 neither of these gates was provided with doors that could be 

 shut. Besides the fort, which is built of brick, in which the 

 rajah lives with his retinue, including fifty male and seventy 

 female slaves, the town contains a few small brick temples, 

 without any attempt at magnificence; the remainder of the 

 buildings are nothing better than thatched huts. This town 

 is considered as a sort of neutral ground. To the English 

 the rajah represents that it is subject to Bootan, while the 

 rajah of Bhootan is told that it is English property, and 

 it is not considered an object of sufficient importance by 

 cither party to risk any misunderstanding on account of it. 



BIJORE, a subdivision of Sewad, an Afghan district in 

 the province of Cabul. This district is described as an un- 

 dulating plain, about 25 miles long from E. to W., and only 

 li miles broad from N. to S. The soil is fertile, and pro- 

 duces good crops of wheat. The towns of Bijore, the capital, 

 and Mawagye, each contain about 1000 houses. The prin- 

 cipal part of the inhabitants are Afghans, but there are also 

 many settlers from C'affristan. The town of Bijore is in 

 31' 47' N. lat., 71" 14' E. long. 



It was long traditionally held that this district had once 

 en inhabited by a tribe who were descendants from the 

 companions of Alexander the Great. It was said that these 

 inhabitants were remarkable for their personal beauty and 

 European complexions, their worshipping of idols, and drink- 

 ing of intoxicating liquors, besides the circumstance of their 

 language being different from that of any sin-rounding tribe. 

 The Emperor Baber, in his memoirs, written in the begin- 

 ning of the sixteenth century, tells us, that as the men of 

 Bijore were rebels to Islam, he put them all to the sword, 

 and sold their wives and children into captivity. The recent 

 investigations of Mr. Elphinstone <lo not tend to confirm the 

 tradition as to the Grecian origin of the antient inhabitants 

 of the district. 



BILBA'O, a city in Spain, the capital of the lordship of 

 Biscaya. It is situated in a spacious and fertile plain on 

 the east or right bank of the river Nerva or Nervion, called 

 by the inhabitants Ibaizabal, nine miles E.S.E. of Portu- 

 g'alete, 4:! 15' N. lat. 2 50' W. long. The plain of Bilbao 

 is surrounded by high mountains, from which numerous tor- 

 rents descend in the rainy season. This circumstance for- 

 merly exposed the town to frequent inundations ; but the 

 inconvenience has been of late avoided by widening the 

 canal, and constructing dams and other works. The plain is 

 very well cultivated and covered with numerous neat country 

 houses. The chief produce of the land is Indian corn, 

 chacoli or wine, chestnuts, fruits and grass. The bullocks 

 and nhecp which are fed in the pastures near the coast 

 furnish a very juicy, tender, and well-flavoured meat; the 

 game is excellent, particularly a bird of passage called chim- 

 bo, and the fish, both of the river and sea, are very delicate. 

 Bilbao contains four parishes, five convents of nuns, two 

 of monks, an hospital, and about 800 houses, substantially 

 built, generally three stories high. The hospital is a mag- 

 nificent stone building, containing 600 beds, a chapel, and 



NO. 254. 



[THE PENNY CYCLOPAEDIA.] 



VOL. IV, 3 E 



