BEZWADA, a town of British India, in the Kistna dis trict of Madras, on the left bank of the river Kistna, at the head of its delta. Pop. (t 93 r) 60,427. Here are the headquarters of the Kistna canal system, which irrigates about 700,00o acres, and also provides navigation throughout the delta. There are rice-mills, and cotton-ginning and -pressing factories. The town is an important trade centre and the junction of 5 railways, and has increased largely in population in recent years. The anicut or dam at Bezwada, consists of a mass of rubble, fronted with masonry, 1,24o yards long. Ancient cuttings on the hills west of Bezwada have been held by some to mark the site of a Bud dhist monastery; by others they are considered to have been quar ries. At Undavalle to the south are some noted cave-shrines.