HENZADA DISTRICT 101
from a dam on the Lakshmantirtha in the Hunsur tdluh. Red and
dark-brown soils are general, and two crops of rdgi are often produced
in the year. ° Wet' cultivation is limited, partly owing to the unhealthi-
ness of the irrigated tracts. This country was the ancient Punnata,
mentioned as Pounnata by Ptolemy, who describes it as containing
beryl.
Helmand.-A river of Afghanistan which, with its five principal
tributaries- the Kaj or Khud Rud, Tirin, Arghandab, Tarnak, and
Arghastan--drains all the south-western portion of the State. The
Helmand rises at Hazar Kash, in an upland valley called Chaj Hazara,
on the western slopes of the Paghman range, and runs for 300 miles
in a south-westerly direction through the Hazarajat, the least-known
tract of Afghanistan, before it passes Girishk, about 8o miles west of
Kandahar. In the Hazarajat the Helmand is joined by the Khud
Rud, and in this part of its course it is said to flow in a deep, narrow,
and frequently rocky valley, with numerous gorges. Lower down it
is joined by the Tirin, and about 35 miles south-west of Girishk by the
united waters of the Arghandab, Tarnak, and Arghastan at Kala Bist.
From this junction the course of the Helmand is still south-west,
through an arid desert, for 75 miles, when it turns west to Band-i-
Kamal Khan, and then north, finally losing itself in the Seistan
Hamfin. That the whole of its lower valley was once the seat of
a large and prosperous population is evidenced by extensive ruins.
At the present day inhabitants are few, and cultivation is carried on
only in the vicinity of the river. The soil is highly fertile, and with
more care in the distribution of the water cultivation could be largely
extended. The eastern tributaries of the Helmand-namely, the
Tirin, Arghandab, and Tarnak--are rivers of considerable length; and
though their source is not correctly known, it is believed that they rise
in the highlands to the west and south-west of Ghazni.
Hemavati (also called Yenne-hole).-A river of Mysore and one of
the chief tributaries of the CAUVERY. It rises in the Western Ghats
in the south-west of Kadur District, and runs south-east through the
Manjarabad tdluk to the Coorg frontier, where, joined by some streams
from the west, it turns east. Receiving the Yagachi from the north,
it then winds round Hole Narsipur, and runs south to the Cauvery
near Yedatore, after a course of over 16o miles. It has ten dams, from
which about r45 miles of channels are drawn off, irrigating nearly
ro,ooo acres. The largest channels are the Sr1ramadevar north channel,
47 miles long, in Hassan District, and the Mandigere, 27 miles long,
in Mysore District.
Henery.--Island near the entrance of Bombay harbour, off the
mainland of Kolaba District, Bombay. See UNDERL
Henzada District (Hinthada),.-Northernmost District of the Irra-
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