Part of Basti Division, Basti district is one of the districts in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The district headquarters are at Basti city.

Name origin and background
Vaishishthi was the ancient name of Basti. Since this region once served as Rishi (sage) Vashistha’s ashram, the name Vaishishthi has its origins in this. Rishi Vashistha had brought Rama and his younger brother Lakshmana to this place some time ago.