Example sentences:

Ramayana: Though Kishkinda was the habitat of monkeys, it was no backwater; it was replete with royal luxuries. 

Mahabharata: Khandava had been a backwater when the Pandavas received it, but they soon converted it into a flourishing kingdom by Krishna’s grace. 

Bhagavad-gita: To grow spiritually, we don’t have to renounce our ambitions and live as in a backwater; we just need to redirect our ambitions in the service of our Lord.