Bannu Town

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This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS.

Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts.Many units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.

Edwardesabad

Head-quarters of the District and tahsil of Bannu, North-West Frontier Province, situated in 33 o" N. and 70 36' E., near the north-west corner of the District, one mile south of the Kurram river, 79 south of Kohat, and 89 north of Dera Ismail Khan. Population (1901), 14,291, including cantonment and civil lines (4,349)- It was founded in 1848 by Lieutenant (afterwards Sir Herbert) Edwardes, who selected the site for political reasons. The fort, erected at the same time, bore the name of DhulTpgarh (Dallpgarh) in honour of the Maharaja of Lahore ; and the bazar was also known as DhulTpnagar (Dalipnagar). A town gradually grew up around the bazar, and many Hindu traders removed hither from Bazar Ahmad Khan, which had formed the commercial centre of the Bannu valley prior to annexation. The Church Missionary Society supports a small church and a high school founded in 1865.

The cantonment centres in the fort of Dhullpgarh. Its garrison consists of a mountain battery, a regiment of native cavalry, and two regiments of infantry. The munici- pality was constituted in 1867. The municipal receipts and expenditure during the ten years ending 1903-4 averaged Rs. 46,000. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 47,000, chiefly derived from octroi; and the expendi- ture was Rs. 55,000. The receipts and expenditure of cantonment funds during the ten years ending 1902-3 averaged Rs. 4,200 and Rs. 3,700. The profuse irrigation and insufficient drainage of the surrounding fields render Bannu an unhealthy station. The town has a considerable trade, embracing the whole traffic in local produce of the Bannu valley. The nearest railway station is at Kohat on the Khushalgarh-Thal branch of the North-Western Railway, 79 miles distant by road. A weekly fair collects an average number of 8,000 buyers and sellers. The chief articles of trade are cloth, live-stock; wool, cotton, tobacco, and grain. Bannu possesses a dispensary and two high schools, a public library, and a town hall known as the Nicholson Memorial.