Basti

Basti lies in the eastern plains of Hindustan, in a tract once extensively covered by forest. An older name, Vaishishthi, recalls the sage Vashistha, whose hermitage was traditionally placed here and whom Rama and Lakshmana were said to have visited. The Kalhans raja Udai Raj Singh is believed to have chosen Basti as a seat of his rule, probably in the sixteenth century. In 1801 the town became the headquarters of a tehsil.