18i'9.] Slaiisdcs of the Circar of Dotdutahad. 521 



iiexed thereto orig-inally for the supply of the military and civil es- 

 tablishment of the Mahomedan Government, 



All the towns and villages are surrounded by walls of stone or 

 mud, many of which are much out of order, but if repaired, are suffi- 

 ciently strong to protect the inhabitants from common marauders. 

 The walls are usually flanked by towers, and -not unfrequently fur- 

 ther protected by cavalier bastions. In the centre of the village a 

 square building, generally of brick, is seen, with its walls pierced for 

 musquetry, and having but one entrance, this is the Patell's house, 

 and forms a sort of citadel to the village in cases of emergency. 



The form of the houses vary throughout the Circar, according to 

 circumstances : those on the lower plains, being more inclined to 

 adopt flat terraced roofs, which are made of mud amongst the poorer 

 classes, and chunam in the houses of the rich ; whilst on the higher 

 lands, pent roofs prevail; the better kinds being tiled. On the whole 

 the inhabitants appear comfortably lodged. 



My limits do not allow of very detailed descriptions of towns and 

 pillages, I will therefore confine my observations chiefly to the notice 

 of the principal ones of each Purgunnah, whose population exceeds 

 500 souls, merel}' ofiering remarks in a fuller manner upon a few, 

 whose importance require it. Proceeding therefore to the notice 

 of this question, I shall commence with Aurungabad, but having ful- 

 ly treated already of this city, little beyond a passing notice will now 

 be required. 



Aurungabad is the residence of the Soubah, and a station of the 

 Nizam's contingent. Its population about thirty years ago were 

 computed at 100,000 according to my calculations made from a 

 very careful enumeration of houses, I estimated the whole in round 

 numbers at 40,000: 4,199 pucka houses, varying in size from four 

 stories to one, and 2,932 kutcha houses. In computing, five persons 

 were allowed to every single storied house, and four to every story 

 exceeding this, which in the aggregate gave 5| souls to a house ; 

 with this serious falling off in the population, there will be found of 

 course, a similar declension in the prosperity of the city, for in lieu 

 of there being a thousand looms at work, as was then the case, ma- 

 nufacturing costly brocades and silks, the annual worth of which was 

 estimated at about three lacs, there are now but sixteen for brocades, 



* Sir lltMiry Rus- eU's report on the Nizam's Dominions, 



