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    "source_title": "Encyclopaedia Britannica (1911)",
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    "chunk_id": "1911:kistna:6a5bbebf099f",
    "title": "KISTNA",
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    "verified_text": "kistna, or krishna, a large river of southern india. it rises near the bombay sanatorium of mahabaleshwar in the western ghats, only about 40 m. from the arabian sea, and, as it discharges into the bay of bengal, it thus flows across almost the entire peninsula from west to east. it has an estimated basin area of 97,000 sq. m., and its length is 800 m. its source is held sacred, and is frequented by pilgrims in large numbers. from mahabaleshwar the kistna runs southward in a rapid course into the nizam's dominions, then turns to the east, and ultimately falls into the sea by two principal mouths, carrying with it the waters of the bhima from the north and the tungabadhra from the south-west. along this part of the coast runs an extensive strip of land which has been entirely formed by the detritus washed down by the kistna and godavari. the river channel is throughout too rocky and the stream too rapid to allow navigation even by small native craft. in utility for irrigation the kistna is also inferior to its two sister streams, the godavari and cauvery. by far the greatest of its irrigation works is the bezwada anicut, begun by sir arthur cotton in 1852. bezwada is a small town at the entrance of the gorge by which the kistna bursts through the eastern ghats and immediately spreads over the alluvial plain. the channel there is 1300 yds. wide. during the dry season the depth of water is barely 6 ft., but sometimes it rises to as much as 36 ft., the maximum flood discharge being calculated at 1,188,000 cub. ft. per second. of the two main canals connected with the dam, that on the left bank breaks into two branches, the one running 39 m. to ellore, the other 49 m. to masulipatam. the canal on the right bank proceeds nearly parallel to the river, and also sends off two principal branches, to nizampatam and comamur. the total length of the main channels is 372 m. and the total area irrigated in 1903-1904 was about 700,000 acres. kistna (or krishna), a district of british india, in the n.e. of the madras presidency. masulipatam is the district headquarters. area, 8490 sq. m. the district is generally a flat country, but the interior is broken by a few low hills, the highest being 1857 ft. above sea-level. the principal rivers are the kistna, which cuts the district into two portions, and the munyeru, paleru and naguleru (tributaries of the gundlakamma and the kistna); the last only is navigable. the kolar lake, which covers an area of 21 by 14 m., and the romparu swamp are natural receptacles for the drainage on the north and south sides of the kistna respectively. in 1901 the population was 2,154,803, showing an increase of 16% in the decade. subsequently the area of the district was reduced by the formation of the new district of guntur (q.v.), though kistna received an accretion of territory from godavari district. the population in 1901 on the area as reconstituted (5899 sq. m.) was 1,744,138. the kistna delta system of irrigation canals, which are available also for navigation, connect with the godavari system. the principal crops are rice, millets, pulse, oil-seeds, cotton, indigo, tobacco and a little sugar-cane. there are several factories for ginning and pressing cotton. the cigars known in england as lunkas are partly made from tobacco grown on _lankas_ or islands in the kistna. the manufacture of chintzes at masulipatam is a decaying industry, but cotton is woven everywhere for domestic use. salt is evaporated, under government supervision, along the coast. bezwada, at the head of the delta, is a place of growing importance, as the central junction of the east coast railway system, which crosses the inland portion of the district in three directions. some seaborne trade, chiefly coasting, is carried on at the open roadsteads of masulipatam and nizampatam, both in the delta. the church missionary society supports a college at masulipatam. the early history of kistna is inseparable from that of the northern circars. dharanikota and the adjacent town of amravati were the seats of early hindu and buddhist governments; and the more modern rajahmundry owed its importance to later dynasties. the chalukyas here gave place to the cholas, who in turn were ousted by the reddi kings, who flourished during the 14th century, and built the forts of bellamkonda, kondavi and kondapalli in the north of the district, while the gajapati dynasty of orissa ruled in the north. afterwards the entire district passed to the kutb shahis of golconda, until annexed to the mogul empire by aurangzeb in 1687. meantime the english had in 1611 established a small factory at masulipatam, where they traded with varying fortune from 1759, when, masulipatam being captured from the french by colonel forde, with a force sent by lord clive from calcutta, the power of the english in the greater part of the district was complete. kit (1) (probably an adaptation of the middle dutch _kitie_, a wooden tub, usually with a lid and handles; in modern dutch _kit_ means a tankard), a tub, basket or pail used for holding milk, butter, eggs, fish and other goods; also applied to similar receptacles for various domestic purposes, or for holding a workman's tools, &c. by transference \"kit\" came to mean the tools themselves, but more commonly personal effects such as clothing, especially that of a soldier or sailor, the word including the knapsack or other receptacle in which the effects are packed. (2) the name (perhaps a corruption of \"cittern\" gr. [greek: kithara]) of a small violin, about 16 in. long, and played with a bow of nearly the same length, much used at one time by dancing-masters. the french name is _pochette_, the instrument being small enough to go into the pocket.",
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