Part 5 (1/2)

=Bangkok=, Siam. 14N. 101E. Ceded to Louis XIV., 1687; became royal residence, 1767. Contains famous temples, and a colossal statue of Buddha. (See Little's 'Far East.')

=Banias=, Syria. 33N. 36E. Visited by W. M. Thomson, and described in 'The Land and the Book.'

=Bankapur=, Bombay. 15N. 76E. First mentioned, 898. Stormed by Firoz Shah, 1406; conquered by Hyder Ali, 1776; ceded to British, 1802.

=Bantam=, East Indies. 6S. 106E. Described in first part of 'Purchas His Pilgrimes' as celebrated town of Java.

=Baragaon=, Bengal. 25N. 85E. Visited by Hiuen Tsiang, who here studied religion.

=Bardwan=, Bengal. 23N. 88E. Scene of the third story of the vampire in Burton's 'Vikram and the Vampire.'

=Bareilly=, United Provs. 28N. 79E. New town f. by Rajah Makrand-Mughals, 1657. Taken by English, 1801; Europeans ma.s.sacred during Mutiny, 1857; recaptured by Sir Colin Campbell, 1858.

=Baroda=, Bombay, 22N. 73E. Tributary to Great Britain, 1802; Malhar Rao succeeded Sayaji Rao III., 1875.

=Barpeta=, Bengal. 26N. 91E. Sankar Deb, follower of Vishnu, here f. a religious college. Partially destroyed by earthquake, 1897.

=Barrackpur=, Bengal. 23N. 88E. Prominent town in Sepoy mutinies, 1824, 1857. Contains Lady Canning's tomb.

=Barsana=, United Provs. 28N. 77E. Fabled to be a res. of Radha, mistress of Kishna. Pillaged by imperial troops, 1774.

=Barwani=, Central India. 22N. 75E. Said to have been f. by Rana Chandra Singh, c. 1650. Near town is sacred hill of Jains, and temple with inscription dating from 1166.

=Basarh=, Bengal. 26N. 85E. Visited by Buddha, and sacred town of Buddhists. Visited by explorers Fa Hian and Hieun Tsiang.

=Basavapatna=, Mysore. 14N. 76E. Captured by Bij.a.purs, 1637; destroyed by Hyder Ali, 1763; plundered by Mahrattas, 1791. Ancient res. of Baba Budan.

=Basra= ('fortress'), Asiatic Turkey. 30N. 48E. F. under Omar, 656.

Contains tomb of Zobeir. (See 'Travels of Marco Polo.')

=Ba.s.sein=, Bombay. 19N. 73E. Ceded to Portuguese, 1534; taken by Mahrattas, 1765; by British, 1780.

=Batala=, Punjab. 32N. 75E. F. by Rai Ram Deo, c. 1465. Contains tomb of Shamsher Khan, foster-brother of Akbar.

=Batavia= ('good land'), East Indies. 6S. 107E. First European settlement f. by Pieter Both, 1610; new city f. by Jean Koen, 1621. Unsuccessfully besieged by Kings of Bantam and Jacantra, 1619. Earthquake experienced, 1699.

=Bayana=, Punjab. 26N. 77E. Contains temple with inscription dated 1043.

Fort near captured by Mohammed Ghori, 1196; by Sikanda Lodi, 1492; by Humayun, 1535.

=Bayazid=, Turkish Armenia. 39N. 44E. Captured by Russians, 1828, 1854, 1877. Yielded to Turkey by Treaty of Berlin, 1878.

=Bednore= ('bamboo city'), Mysore. 14N. 75E. Capital of Rajah of Ikari, 1645. Taken by Hyder Ali, 1763; by General Matthews, 1783; by Tippoo Sahib, 1784.

=Beer-Sheba= ('well of the oath'), Palestine. 31N. 35E. Only ruins remain of ancient city famous in Biblical history from time of Abraham's digging a well and planting a grove.

=Begampur=, Bombay. 18N. 76E. Contains tomb of daughter of Aurungzebe.

=Behar= ('monastery'), Bengal. 25N. 86E. Famous as ancient centre of Buddhism, and as city in which Buddha preached.

=Behistun= ('place of the G.o.ds'), Persia. 34N. 47E. Rock on which cuneiform inscriptions recounting deeds of Darius I. are engraved; discovered by Sir Henry Rawlinson, 1835.