GAYA, a district of British India in the Patna division, under the lieutenant-gov ernor of Bengal, situated between 24° 17' and 25' 19' n., and 84° 4' and 86° 5' cast. It is bounded on the n. by Patna, on the e. by Monatyr, on the s.e. and s. by Hazaribagh, and on the w. by Shahabad districts. Generally speaking, Gaya consists of a level plain, with a ridge of prettily wooded hills along the southern boundary, whence the country falls with a gentle slope towards the Ganges. Rocky hills occasionally occur, either detached or in groups, the loftiest being Maher hill, about 12 rn. s.e. of Gaya town, with an elevation of 1620 ft. above sea-level. The eastern part of the district is cultivated; the portions to the n. and w. are less fertile; while in the s. the country is thinly peopled, and.consists of hills, the jungles on which are full of wild animals. The principal river is the Son, which marks the boundary between Gaya and Shahabad, navigable by small boats throughout the year, and by crafts of 20 tons burden in the rainy season. The other rivers are the Pimpun, Phalgu, and Jamna, and a number of smaller streams. branches of the Son canal system, the eastern main canal and the Patna canal, intersect the district. The census of 1872 takes the Area of Gaya dis trict at 4,718 sq.m.; and returns the pop. at 954,129 males and 995,621 females—total.
1,949,750, residing in 6,530 villages or and 32i7,845 houses. Classified 'according to religion, there are 1,729.890 Hindus, 219,332 Mohammedans, 203 Christians, and 316 "others." Amongst the higher caste there is an unusually large proportion of Brah mans, a circumstance due to the sacred places which the district contains. The Gaya Ovals, or priests in charge of the holy places, are held in high esteem by the pilgrims; but they are not pure Brahmans, and are looked down upon by those who are. .They live an idle and dissolute life, but are very wealthy, from contributions extorted from the pilgrims. The ruined city of Buddh. Gaya, about 6 tn. s. of Gaya town, marks the residence of Sakya Sinha, the founder of the Buddhist religion, who flourished in the 6th c. and an ancient tree is pointed out as the identical fig tree under which the sage sat in abstraction for five years, until he attained to the state of Buddha. Another place of religious interest is a temple of great antiquity, crowns the highest peak of the Baraber hills, and at which a religions fair is held each September. attended by from 10,000 to 20,000 pilgrims. At the foot of the hill are numerous rock caves exca vated about 200 B.C. [Encyc. Brit., 9th ed.]