[5] The origin of the name Vaishishthi is attributed to the fact that this area was the ashram of Rishi (sage) Vashistha in ancient period.

[citation needed] The district was formerly a major centre of Buddhism, being close to the holy sites of Kapilavastu and Shravasti.

British records then claim that after the decline of Buddhism, the district gradually became covered by jungle and was the home of the Bhars and Tharus.

[8] The resulting setup was the following: Amorha Khas is a historical place situated at a distance of 41 km from the district headquarters.

[citation needed] In the Great Revolt of 1857, about 250 martyrs of Amorha State were hanged by the British Government from peepal trees located at Chhawani.

There are areas with high prevalence of mango (Mangifera indica), mahua (Madhuca longifolia), sal (Shorea robusta), and bamboo (Bambusa arundinacea) trees.

Some of the wild animals of the district are the nilgai (Boselaphus tragocamelus), antelok (Anelok cervicapra), pig (Sus scrofa), wolf (Canis lupus), jackal (Conis aureus), fox (Vulpes bengalensis), hare (Lepus ruficandatus), monkey (Macaca mulatta), wild cat (Felis bengalensis) and the porcupine (Hystric leucura).

A number of migratory water fowls visit the water bodies of the district in winter, such as the goose (Anser anser), common teal (Anas crecca), red-crested pochard (Netta rufina), white-eyed pochard (Aythya rufa) and the wigeon (Mareca penelope).

The Indian crocodile or naka (Crocodylus palustris), and the ghariyal (Gavialis gangeticus) are also found in the river Ghaghra.

[21] During the mid 1800s to the early 1900s many people from the district of Basti migrated through the Indian indenture system to Fiji, Mauritius, South Africa, Guyana, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and other Caribbean countries.

[23] Former Leader of the Opposition of Trinidad and Tobago and founder of the Sanatan Dharma Maha Sabha, Bhadase Sagan Maraj's paternal grandparents were from Basti district.

[citation needed] In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Basti one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).

Basti railway station lies on the main line connecting Lucknow with Gorakhpur and places in Bihar and Assam in the east passes through the south of the district.

The main line has 7 railway stations which are, from east to west, Munderwa,[30] Orwara, Basti, Govindnagar, Tinich, Gaur, and Babhnan within the district.

National Highway 2a part of the East West Corridor project of Government of India and NHAI,[31] also passes through Basti.