478 CENSUS OF THE POPULATION 



On occasions of eclipses, religious festivals and Melas, Benares is 

 well known to be crowded with an influx of pilgrims, not only from the 

 neighbourhood, but from every part of India. I once endeavoured to 

 make an estimate of their numbers, and as the subject is connected with 

 my present enquiry, I here introduce the substance of a memorandum 

 on the subject, inserted in the proceedings of the Committee of Improve- 

 ments at the time. 



" For three days and nights previous to the Eclipse of the 21st May 

 1826, Chaprdsis and Bearers were stationed, in pairs, at the five principal 

 approaches to the City, for the purpose of counting the passengers by 

 means of small pebbles, which they threw into a bag as the people 

 passed. The Ferry people had also directions to supply returns, but 

 it is feared that they may have purposely underrated the number of per- 

 sons crossing from the south of the river. The results were as follows : 



19th May. 20th May. 21st May. Total. 



At Nadesvar or Lakhipur bridge, .. 336 1,250 11,800 13,386 



JBeni Ram Pandit" s garden, 715 1,250 9,695 11,660 



Well north of Jagatgcuy, 151 457 4,550 5,158 



Ousdn Ganj, near the TJidneh, .. 75 675 2,971 3,721 



Hanumdn Phdtek, 211 450 3,244 3,905 



Total, without counting people of the town and vicinity, 37,830 



Ferry at Raj Ghat during three days, omit-") 



ting common passengers, $ 



Ditto Rajmandil and Gai Ghat, 400 



Ditto Kyli Ghat, 20th May, 69 



Ditto at Mdnmandil, S'tvala, Ram Ghat,. 



1200 



&c say, 



H 12( 



■ 2,475 



Add for all the other approaches to the Town, say, 15,000 



Total strangers at the Eclipse, 21st May, 1826, about . . 55,000 



