Backergunje

Backergunje, or Bakarganj was a former district of British India in the Dacca division of Eastern Bengal and Assam, and is now mostly in Bangladesh. With an area of 4542 mi² (11,764 km²), it forms part of the joint delta of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra.

Geography

The general aspect of the district is that of a flat even country, dotted with clusters of bamboo and betelnut trees, and intersected by a perfect network of dark-coloured and sluggish streams. There is not a hill or hillock in the whole district, but it derives a certain picturesque beauty from its wide expanses of cultivation, and the greenness and freshness of the vegetation. This is especially true immediately after the rains, but at no time of the year does the district present a dried-up or burnt appearance. The villages, which are always walled by groves of bamboo and betelnut palms, have often a very striking appearance; and Backergunje has many beauties of detail which strike a traveller in passing through the country.

The level of the country is low, forming as it does, a part of the great Gangetic delta; and the rivers, streams and water-courses are so numerous that it is very difficult to travel, except by boat at any season of the year. Every natural hollow is full of water, around the margin of which, long grasses, reeds and other aquatic plants grow in the greatest profusion, often making it difficult to say where the land ends and the water begins. Towards the north-west, the country is very marshy and nothing is to be seen for miles but tracts of unreclaimed swamps and rice fields, with a few huts scattered here and there raised on mounds of earth. In the south of the district, along the coast of the Bay of Bengal, lie the forest tracts of the Sundarbans, the habitation of tigers, leopards and other wild beasts.

Rivers

The principal rivers of the district are the Meghna, the Arial Khan and the Haringhata or Baleswar, with their numerous offshoots. The Meghna represents the accumulated waters of the Brahmaputra and Ganges. It flows along the eastern boundary of the district in a southerly direction until it debouches into the Bay of Bengal. During the latter part of its course the river expands into a large estuary containing many islands, the principal of which is that of Dakshin Shahbazpur. The islands on the seafront are regularly exposed to devastation by cyclonic storm-waves.

The Arial Khan, a branch of the Ganges, enters the district from the north, and flows generally in a south-easterly direction until it falls into the estuary of the Meghna. The main channel of the Arial Khan is about 1,500 m (1,700 yd) in width in the dry season, and from 2000 to 3000 m (2000 to 3000 yd) in the rains. It receives a number of tributaries, sends off several offshoots, and is navigable throughout the year by the native cargo boats that are often of considerable size.

The Haringhata, Baleswar, Madhumati and Garai are different local names for the same river along various parts of its course and it represent another great offshoot of the Ganges. It enters Backergunje near the north-west corner of the district, whence it forms its western boundary, and runs south, but with great windings in its upper reaches, until it crosses the Sundarbans, and finally falls into the Bay of Bengal by a large and deep estuary, capable of receiving ships of considerable size.

In the whole of its course through the district the river is navigable by native boats of large tonnage, and by large sea-going ships as high up as Morrellganj, in the neighbouring district of Jessore. Among its many tributaries in Backergunje, the most important is the Kacha, itself a considerable stream and navigable by large boats all the year round, flowing in a southerly direction for 30 km (20 miles), when it falls into the Baleswar.

Other rivers of minor importance are the Barisal, Bishkhali, Nihalganj, Khairabad, Ghagar, Kumar, etc. All the rivers in the district are subject to tidal action from the Meghna on the north, and from the Bay of Bengal on the south, and nearly all of them are navigable at high tide by country boats of all sizes. The rise of the tide is very considerable in the estuary of the Meghna, and many of the creeks and water-courses in the island of Dakshin Shahbazpur, which are almost dry at ebb tide, contain 5.5 to 6 m (18 or 19 ft) of water at the flood. A very strong tidal bore or wave runs up the estuary of the Meghna at spring tides, and a singular sound like thunder, known as the Barisal guns, is often heard far out at sea, about the time it is coming in. There are numerous marshes in the district, of great size and depth, and abounding in fish.

Culture

Islam is the principal religion professed in the region. The Faraizis or Puritan sect of Islam is exceedingly adhered to in the district. The Buddhist population consists of Maghs or the people of Arakan, who first settled in Backergunje around 1800. A nomadic tribe called the Bebajias is rather numerous in this district. They played a large role in clearing the Sundarbans. Living principally in boats, they travel from place to place, profess Islam, and gain their subsistence by wood-cutting in the Sundarbans, fishing, fortune-telling and trading in trinkets. In 1901, the population was 2,291,752, showing an increase of 6% over the decade.

A number of small trading villages exist throughout the district, and each locality has its periodical fairs for purposes of traffic. The material condition of the people is good. Every inhabitant is a small land-holder and cultivates sufficient rice and other necessaries for the support of their families. Owing to this reason, hired labour is very scarce.

Agriculture

Rice is the primary crop of the district, and three harvests are obtained annually — the aman or winter rice; aus or autumn crop; and bore or spring rice. The climate of Backergunje is one of the healthiest in Eastern Bengal, owing to the strong south-west monsoon, which comes up directly from the Bay of Bengal, and keeps the atmosphere cool; but the heavy rainfall and consequent humidity of the atmosphere, combined with the use of bad water, are fruitful sources of disease. The average annual temperature varies from 25 to 30°C (78 to 85°F) with maximal temperature ranges of 17 to 37°C (62 to 98°F).

Towns

Banisal, the headquarters station, situated on the west bank of the Barisal River, had a population in 1901 of 18,978. The next largest town is Pirojpur (14,119).

Others

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# Bakarganj is also a famous locality in Kanpur district of Uttar Pradesh, India.