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CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY
924 073 057 352
GAZETTEER
PROVINCE OF OUDH.
VOL. iii.--isr. TO z.
^ublijSi^ta bg ^ut^ortt^.
ALLAHABAD:
NO E T n- WES TERN TBOVINCES AND OODH Q07EENMEHT PRESS.
1878.
A GAZETTEER
OF THE
PROVINCE OF OUDH.
N. TO Z.
NABINAGAR* — Pargana L^harpur — Tahsil Sitapur — District Sita-
PUR. — Nabinagar was founded about two centuries ago by Nabi Khan,
son to Nawab Sanjar Khan of Malihabad. Some fifty or sixty years after-
wards the Gaur Chhattris took it, and ever since it has been held by them,
and is the headquarters of the taluqdar of Katesar. It is 20 miles from
Sitapur to the north-east, and 3 miles north-west from Laharpur, on the
cross-country road which joins that town to Hargam. It has no other
communications, but one mile to the west is the river Kew4ni, which is
navigable during the greater part of the year. It is a poor place, with
only one masonry house in it, the taluqdar's residence ; the mud houses
being 323, and the population 2,649.
The only public building is the school. And the only sacred place iu
it is a tank, on the brink of which stands a mean Hindu temple.
There are no shopkeepers in the town with the exception of the Banidn,
who supplies the taluqdar's establishment.
The inhabitants get their necessaries from Kesriganj, which was
founded by Kesri Singh, grandfather to the present taluqdar, and which
lies between this town and Ldharpur.
The annual value of the yearly sales being close upon Rs. 1,00,000,
NAGRXM — Pargana Mohanlalganj — Tahsil Mohanlalganj — District
LUCKNOW. — Situated at the extreme eastern boundary of the pargana,
about midway between the two roads from Lucknow to Sultanpur and
Rae Bareli. The date of its foundation is unknown, but it is said to have
been called after Raja Nal, a Bhar chieftain, who had a large fort here,
the site of which, a high mound in the centre of the village, still exists.
For some considerable time the village appeared in the Government
records as Nalgram, so the tradition assigning the foundation to Raja Nal
is a well attested historical fact. It seems to have fallen in the track of
Sayyad Sdlar's invasion; for on the mound of thefort are the graves of
I Mv/nawwar and Anwar Shahids, and outside is the tomb of Piran Hdji
' Burd, and a " Ganj Shahid^n," or " martyr gathering." There is no proof
that Sayyad Snldr's conquest was in any, way permanent. The place
seems to have been left to the Bhars, and was subsequently occupied by
• By Mr. M. L, Ferrar, C.S,, Assistant Commissioner.
1 !'■■'
2 NAG— NAI
the Kumhrawan Amethias, a branch of the family established at Amethi
Dingur. They were led by Jaip41 Singh, and were probably driven out
by the same Musalman invasion that established the Ansari Shekhs in
Amethi at about the end of the 15th century. But the Rajputs did not
forget their rights nor the solemn duties of prosecuting the blood feud
which they had inherited. Twice afterwards — once in the reign of Farrukh
Siar when they were led by Sher and Baghar Singh, and fought a battle
at the Gurha tank, called aftsr this the Ran-i-Gurha, the Gurha of the fight,
and again in the time of Alamgir II., under Chhatar Dhar and Gobar
Singh — did they attack the village, and the second time with some success,
for they secured four villages which they still hold, and established an
impost called Satrah of Rs. 4 on the shopkeeper, and Rs. 24, a road cess, on
the inhabitants of Nagram, which was maintained throughout the NawabL
In the reign of Akbar, Nagram was made the centre of a pargana, and
was not broken up till the time of ilsif^ud-daula in 1789 A.D. With
this administration came the usual accompaniment of pargana officials —
chaudhris, qazis, muftis, mutawallis. The latter three offices were con-
ferred on members of the chief Sayyad family that had assisted in the
invasion, and who now hold two out of the three tarafs of the village. In
addition to the tombs already mentioned, there is that of Miran Shah, a
Sayyad, the founder of the Sayyad family, and some lesser ones erected to
the faqjrs of the village who have died here. The town is of very consi-
derable size, the population numbering nearly 5,000 souls, of which a very
fair population are Musalmans. All the trades are fairly represented, but
there are in special some 14 families of a Kayath class called profession-
ally Koh-hal, who practice the profession of oculist, and are held in great
repute. The annual bazar sales amount to, 35,500, and the chief article
of sale is rice, which is largely grown in the neighbourhood. In the old
dih, the site of the fort, stands the Government school which overlooks the
village. The people seems to evince some appreciation of education,. for,
in addition to the boys' school there is a girls' school. The town presents
a somewhat ruiaous appearance, for the old masonry houses of the Musal-
mans are not rebuilt, and probably the Musalmans are poorer than they
were. The country round is fairly wooded, and finely cultivated, towards
the south. But to the north the land is very low and marshy, though well
adapted for rice cultivation.'
NX.1N — Pargana Salon— Tafei? Salon — District Rae Baeeli. — This
village was founded by Naini, an Ahirm, about 500 years ago. It is two
miles north of the road from Salon to Rae Bareli, fourteen miles from Rae
Bareli. This place is now the headquarters of a branch of the Kanhpuria
clan, the most turbulent Chhattris in Oudh. In 1802, there was a fight
between the chakladar Shukr-uUa and Ishuri Bakhsh. In 1815, another
fight occurred with Ihsan Ali, chakladar. In 1833, Mirza Kdzim, chakla-
dar, again attacked the fort. In 1826, Ndzim Darshan Singh besieged
the fort, attacking it when some marriage festivities were in progress.
Many of the guests were killed and wounded, and the Kanhpurias had
to leave the estate for this year. Rdna Beni Mddho was wounded in
this mSl^e. In 1836, again Raja Kundan L41, chakladar, had another fight
with the taluqdars of Nain. Again in 1843, five thousand men fought
NAK— NAN 3
round NAin. In 1853, Khan AH Khan, chakladar, and the N4in gentle-
men fought again. In 1857, at the commencement of the mutiny, the
N4in taluqdars joined the rebel soldiery, and plundered the station of
Parshadepur : —
Population ... ... ... 811 Hindua.
Bitto ... ... ,„ 16 Musalmana,
827
The fort was formerly a strong place : it is in the middle of ravines, covered
with brushwood, which extend to the bank of the Sai, here a narrow
deep channel, with lofty banks, picturesquely clothed with jungle. This
is celebrated for being the haunt of many_ wild cattle ; these animals
differ little from ordinary cattle, yet it is almost impossible to keep them
alive if caught and put in confinement.
NAKPUR — Pargana Surhaepttr — Tahsil Tanda — District Fyzabad.—
This town -is on the Tons, 52 miles from Fyzabad. It was founded by
one Muhammad Naqi three hundred years ago. The population consists
of 1,248 Hindus and 1,569 Musalmans — all Sunnis. There is one mosque.
This, as far as population is concerned, is the chief place in the pargana,
as it contains 2,672 persons, but in appearance it rather resembles three
or four rural villages joined together than a town. It is on the same
bank of the river Tons as Jalalpur, and not more than two miles from
that place. It is said to have been founded by an early member of the
Baragd.on family, Sayyad Naqi by name, and to be older than Jalalpur,bufc
very little seems to be known of its past history.
NANDORA — Pargana Biha'e — Tahsil Kunda — District Partabgarh.
This village was founded by one Raja Nand, on the road from Bihar to
Allahabad. It is three miles north of the Ganges, 31 from Bela, two
from Bihar. The population is composed of —
),5«2 Hindus.
I,?.40 Moslems.
2,762
There are eight mosques, and the tomb of one Sana-ul-Haq. There is a
bazar called Lalganj, at which property to the amount of Rs. 3,00,000 is
annually sold.
N XNPARA Pargana* — Tahsil NaNPaea — District Bahraich. Nanpara
pargana is a creation of the English Government ; the whole of it under
the late rule (with the exception of 63 villages formerly included in Firo-
zabad) having formed a portion of pargana Bahraich. It is well nio-h con-
terminous with the taluqa of the same name ; 269 villages out of 314
belonging to that estate. It is bounded on the north by the Naipal terri-
tory, on the east by pargana Charda, on the south by Bahraich, and on the
west by Dharmanpur and the Gogra. Its extreme length is 38 miles • its
extreme breadth 24 miles ; its area being 523 square miles.
* By Mr, H. S. Boys, C.S., Assistant Commissioner.
4
NAN
The eastern portion lies high, and forms a part of that table-laud which
acts as the watershed of the two river systems of the Rapti and the Gogra.
The western half of the pargana is a portion of the basin of the latter
river and its afiSuent the Sarju, which joins the main river just below
Khairigh^t, and has been channelled in all directions by these streams in
their wanderings over the country. This section is peculiarly fertile,
having a rich yet light alluvial soil which requires no irrigation, and but
little labour to induce it to yield very fine crops. The pargana is not so
well wooded as its neighbours to the south ; only l'7l per cent, being grove,
land. The proximity of the jungle tracts, however, in some degree com-
pensates it for this drawback. There is an immense area of culturable
waste land, there being 213 square miles of it to 257 square miles of culti-
vation out of a total area of 523 square miles. Irrigation there is none,
except in the higher lying villages to the east. Here, as in the Bahraich
pargana, there is every fecility for irrigation, the water being near the
surface.
The following shows the areas of land under the main staples of the
pargana : —
Acres.
Acres.
Wheat
... 2,706
Indian-corn ...
... 10,408
Barley
... 19,044
Rice
... 18,777
Wheat and barley mixed
... 6,751
Eape seed
... 5,970
Sugarcane ...
63
Other grains ...
... 79,464
Arbar and lahra .„
^ 2,444
The revenue demand is distributed as follows : — ■
-J
Incidence of Government
S
J2
a
■ i
a
demand per acre.
«
, ,
5
<D
^
a
Class of village.
>
CM
o
&
a
PI
a
es
>■
■3
S
g
<u
3
C3
■S.2
S
a
u
o
ti
a "
a
a
<
O
o
O
o
Es.
a.
?•
Ks. a.
P-
Rs. a. p.
Rs. a. p.
/ Perpetual settle-
8
10
2,280
0
0
0 8
3
0 6.3
0 5 6
Taluqdari 3 -»J; ,.,,„^
290
439
1,90,920
0
0
1 4
1
0 11 11
0 10 11
I 10 years ditto,
8
27
3,970
0
0
0 U
5
0 6 6
0 3 10
Total
.306
476
1,97,170
0
0
1 3
5
1
0 n 7
0 10 4
Independent Tillages
3J
3
1,569
2
6
1 «
0 14 5
0 13 3
Kcvenue-f ree for lifetime only.
1*
1
...
Grand Total
311
480
1,98,789
2
6
1 3
6
0 11 7
0 10 6
NAN
The following statement gives the
population : —
|1
Agricultural
77,647
:§.
Brahmans
6,615
■"-I
Chhattris
a,87i
a 1^ •'«
31
Non-agiicaltUTal ...
46,653
Vaisliya
Eayath
4,231
1,406
.S ^^ >: s g
j5 '3 '3 g •« 5
Total
1,24,100
=^
^ c
A Mr
12,560
OMXhsWcQ
Q (
Agricultural ...
12,709
Bhunjwa ...
2,930
2 = -" = = =
e OB )
Pasi
4,514
1 ^
Non-agricultural ,
11,763
J
Teli
Chamar
Kiirmi
Kahar
Kalwar
2,63s
10,693
16,897
6,353
2,754
is
0 O
:| 1
Total
S4,472
1
<L) '<!»i e to o o o
^ GQ Ol t^ -^ vH r^
e
Agricultural
90,256
J-
S
oT
Kori
6,278
4^
1
Non-agricultural ...
68,316
■§
G araria
2,439
o
ft
a
Nao
2,798
1^'
Males
78,385
!5
Lodh
9,lf-9
"53
Lonia
8,344
-t-a
1
Females ...
70,187
Mnrfio ...
3,061
e5
L
Others
24,645
a o **
L
» • (
Sayyad
437
3 S cs
12
Shekh
2 430
Is-'
i«J
Pathans
8,6&6
2 4J
i = <
Jnlaha ..,
1,696
11
Others
6,772
ja o K -
Miscellaneons
5 462
a i,
Total population ...
Nntsiber of souls per
1,48,572
Total
1,48,672
o o to r-
310
O
square mile, exclu-
sive; of Oudh For-
est areas.
The large number of Musalmans, of whom the Pathans form the greater
portion, are mostly residents of Nanpara itself, and are the retainers of the
former taluqdars.
The main road from Bahraich to Naipalganj passes through J^anp^ra,
and second-class district lines run from N;'mp4ra to Motipur, 16 miles, to
Bhinga 29, and to Khairighdt 12 miles. The main bazars are at Nanpara
and Khairighat ; a great quantity of grain being shipped at this last-named
place for exportation. Timber also is floated down from here. Large
fairs are held at Jangli Nath, seven miles to the south, and at Takiaghat,
Shah Sujan's Dargah, on the Sarju ; at the latter place in November, and
at Jangli Nath several times during the course of the year. Besides the
Government vernacular town school at Ndnpara there are village Govern-
ment schools at —
Jjenra .i. ... ... ... ..
itana ... ... ... ... ..
Shinpur ... ... h. ..• ..i
Bampnr ... ... ... ... ,.
GSeghat ... ... ... ... ..
Gopia ... .,. ... ,,. ..
Mithgaon ... ... ... .« ..
jSohbatia .>■ .«• ... ... ..
80
boys
34
II
64
11
43
29
46
30
27
Total
303
6 NAN
There are district post-offices at Motfpur and Shiupur bazar. Besides
the thana at Nanpara, there is also a police station at Motipur.
Situated on the skirt of that belt of Tardi which lies immediately
under the Naip&l hills, the pargana has been the scene of continual con-
tests for the debateable land between the lieges of the Delhi Sovereign and
the tribes of the north. As early as the reign of Bahlol Lodi — viz., 891
Hijri (A.D. 1474) — one Raja Sangram Siih, a hill chieftain, is found
paying nominally a revenue of Rs. 54,921 for pargana Rajhat, which lies
between Nanpara and the hills, but it may safely be assumed that the
entry of this payment was a mere boast, and that Sangram Sah was
independent, for Todar Mai is more honest and admits that his imperial
master only held sway over 4,064 bighas of cultivated land in Rajhat.
There is a tradition that shortly before Akbar's reign — viz., in 1500 A.D. —
the whole of this part of the country had the misfortune to be cursed by
a saintly mendicant by name Shah Sujan, who had his dwelling at Dugaon,
a town on the banks of the Sarju. The ban was efifectual, the city was
deserted by its inhabitants in one day, and the country side was overrun
by the Banjdras. It is certain, however, that this did not happen until
after the time of Akbar ; for in Abul Fazl's record the town is spoken of
as being a flourishing place, the centre of a considerable trade with the
hill tribes ; and in the Ar4ish-i-mahfil, under the name of Deokhan or
Deokan, it is described in similar terms, mention being made also of a mint
of pice which was established here. The town was evidently one of some
importance, the ruins of the houses which still exist proving the very
substantial character of the buildings. The Banj^ras in the reign of Shah
Jahan became so troublesome that Salona Begam, the wife of Prince Dara,
was unable to obtain possession of a jagir of 148 villages, which, under the
name of Salonabad pargana, had been granted to her by her husband's
imperial father. It was then, in 1632 A.D., that one Rasul Khan, Afghan,
Togh, received a commission from the emperor to coerce the Banjaras,
obtaining a grant of five villages and -one-tenth of the rental of the whole
of this disturbed tract of country. This risaldar is the ancestor (seventh
in ascent) of the present R4ja of Nanpara, whose family gradually secured
a firm hold of the large estate now owned by him. In 1662 A.D., the
Raja of Saliana, a fort situated within the hills, held the pargana of Rajhat,
and also a portion of pargana Sujauli on the west, but he was apparently
unable to penetrate further south, though he was supported by other hill
chieftains on the east of Salonabad. In 1784 A.D., the condition of this
part of the country is illustrated by a clearing lease that was given to
Bhayya Himmat Singh, of Piagpur, by Xsif-ud-daula, from which it appears
thp.c out of 1,734 villages in the north of Bahraich 1,486 were completely
doserted, while the Nanpara estate only comprised 59 villages. Subse-
4uently the Nanpdra raja pushed further northwards, and occupied
105 villages of pargana Rajhat ; the Rdja Kanslir S4h of Salidna being
driven back until his Tarai territory was limited to 173 villages. This
remaining tract of country was,_ after the successes achieved by General
Ochterlony, annexed by the British, and made over to the Oudh Govern-
ment in 1816 A.D. ; Kanslir Sah being killed in 1822 A.D. by the Chau-
han Raja of Tulsipur, to whom this portion of the conquered territory was
NAN 7
assigned. The liext thirty years seem to have been a jperiod of progress.
The jungles gradually disappeared, and the taluqdars being men of a
strong hand were able to hold their own against the avaricious chakla-
dars (native collectors). For the 16 years, however, prior to annexation,
the internecine quarrels of the two ranis, widows of Munawwar Ali Khan,
inflicted injuries on the estate from which it is but just recovering. The
wide expanse of waste, however, is now gradually coming under the plough,
and the pargana is entering on a period of prosperity which it will be
difficult even for the present bad management entirely to avert. The
estates of the Tulsipur Taluqdar were confiscated for rebellion, and
conferred on the Maharaja of Balrampur, but the Government subsequently
made over all the villages of what was formerly pargana Rajhat, except a
few held by the raja of Nanpara, to the Naipal sovereign, from whom they
had been wrested in 1816 A.D., and the Balrampur Mahdraja received
the Charda and Kakardari estates in lieu of his first assignment.
NXNPXRA — Pargana* NaNp^ea — Tahdl NiNPARA — District Baheaich
(Latitude 27°51'20" north, longitude 81°32'23" east)— Lies 22 miles to
the north of Bahraich on the road to Naipalganj, the well known iron
mart of Naipal. It is about 520 feet above the sea level, and is situated
about one mile from the edge of the high ground which forms the
watershed of the Sarju and the Rdpti. It is the headquarters of a tahsil
and the Raja of Ndnpara, who owns the larger portion of the pargana of
-the same name ; has his residence here. Tradition says that the town was
founded by an oil-man named Nidhai, whence the name Nidhaipurwa,
corrupted into Nadpara, and latterly to Nanpara. In 1047 Hijri (A.D.
1630), one Rasfil Khan, the ancestor of the present raja, obtained it and
four other villages in service grant. Ahirs are said to have been the
prevailing caste of this part in old times ; the Musalmans, however, have
lately increased in numbers. The population numbers 6,818, of whom
3,808 are Musalmans. There are 1,267 houses, of which 12 are of brick.
Five Hindu temples, four mosques and idgdhs, a school house, a tahsil
and police station, a sarae, and the rdja's houses.are the only buildings which
call for notice. The vernacular town school is maintained by Government.
The police force stationed here consists of one chief constable, three head
constables, one mounted constable, and 18 constables. The through trade
with Naipal along the Naipalganj road is as follows : —
Imports, Exports.
Eg.
Salt ,„ 14,006
Sugar and gur ,., 7,894
Metals, manufactured utensils 1 1,970
Cloth and piece-goods .., 1,56,7S5
Miscellaneous ... 3,436
Ks.
Cereals ...
Ml
78,566
Oil seeds...
• ■1
33,978
Iron ...
t««
10,964
Spices ...
>*>
63,945
Bides ...
• ••
2,200
Timber ...
ta*
7,628
Ghi
...
• ••
30,369
Miscellaneous
...
Es.
• ••
1,000
2,28,640
BS. ,., 1,99,061
A municipality has lately been established in the town, and the value
of goods subject to octroi brought to market for local consumption (exclu-
* By Mr, H. S. Boys, C.S., Assistant Commissigner.
8 NAS— NAW
sive of piece-goods, brass vessels, &c.) is Es. 1,01,450: grain is sent out by way
of Khairighat on the Sarju, and timber and firewood find their way to the
same place. A fair increasing yearly in importance is held during the
Dasahra festival at Jangli Nath on the old bank of the river, 8 miles to the
south, and another in November at Takiaghat, 5 miles to the north-west,
main roads go from Nanpara to Bahraich and Naipalganj, and there are
second-class district lines to Motipur (vid Saraghat) 16 miles, to Kataighdt
on the Kauri^la vid Shiupur, Baruhi, and Khairighat, and to Bhinga
vid Bhangha, 30 miles,
NASIRABAP — Pargana RoKHA JaIS — Tahsil Salon — District Rae
Baeeli.— This town lies in latitude 26''15' north, longitude 81°34'
east, and is situated forty miles west of Sultanpur, four miles south-east of
Jais, and fourteen miles north-east of Salon. This town is partly built oni
a rising ground which covers the ruins of an ancient fort. The water of
the wells is sweet. No forests are near the place. There is a Government
school here in which Urdu and Hindi are taught. There is neither sarde
nor bazar here. It has only a few shops from which articles of daily con-
sumption are supplied. The annual sales amount to Rs. 20,787. The
population amounts to 3>420. And the number of houses is 875, of which
as many as 162 are brick-built. Sayyad Dild4r Ali, the Mujtahid (high
priest) of the Shia Musalmans, was a native of this town. Resettled at
Lucknow, and was appointed mujtahid in the reign of Saadat Ali Khan.
Sayyad Muhammad, the mujtahid, who died in 1868 was his son.
Maulvi Khwaja Ahmad of this town, belonging to the Sunni sect, has a good
many desciples. Raja Har Parshad, Kayath, a native of this town, was the
N4zim or Commissioner of Khairabad Division during the reign of the
ex-king. He joined the mutineers and went up to Naipal where he is said
to have died.
In 1867 A.D., during the Muharram, a fight took place between the
Sunnis and Shias, but no lives were lost. The town is said to have been
named after Nasfr-ud-din Humaynn, of Delhi, who founded it on the site
of four villages. He also built a masonry fort here. But there are two
more stories relating to the origin of the name; the one ascribes it to
Ibrahim Sharqi, who is alleged to have built the fort in the name of his
son, Nasir-ud-dfn, and the other to Sayyad Zikria, who transmigrated from
Jais to this place, and is said to have founded the town in the name of his
grandfather, Nasir-ud-din. The descendants of Zikria are still in posses-
sion of the place, and thus give some clue to the latter story. The Musal-
mans reached this place not before they occupied Jais. The HindiiJB, how-
ever, seem to have come to this place at a time anterior to theirs, though
the exact dates are unknown. The Kayaths of Nasirabad are descendants
of Rae Hira Mai, who, on the overthrow of the Ujjain raj, came to Mtingi
Patau, and thence accompanied the Bais chief, Rae Ahban, who invaded
Oudh along with the forces of Ald-ud-din Ghori. Rae Bhikham Rae, son
of Sanbhar Mai, came here as paymaster-general.
NAWABGANJ Pargana^— Tahsil Nawabganj — District Bara Banki.
This pargana is bounded on the north by Ramnagar and Fatehpur, on the'
east by Daryabad, on the west by Dewa, and on the south by Partabganj.
NAW 9
Its area is seventy-nine square miles, or 50,479 acres, of which 32,266
acres are cultivated, 11,276 culturable, and 5,592 barren. The irrigated
area amounts to 9,691 acres, and the uniriigated to 22,575. The river
Kalyani skirts the pargana on the north, and flows for about eight miles
within its limits. There are about twelve villages on its banks. Water
is met with at from six to twelve feet. The principal manufactures are
sugar and cotton cloth. Nawabganj town has a considerable market.
The metalled road from Lucknow to Fyzabad passes through this pargana:
also a road leading to Bahramghat, the great timber market. The railway
traverses it, and it also contains the village of Bara Banki, in which is the'
civil station. The district post and registry offices, the head dispensary, the
police stations, and the Government high school, are all at Nawabganj.
There are two other village schools. The Government revenue amounts to
Es. 87,441 ; and the seventy- seven vSiages of this pargana are held as
follows : —
Talaqdari ... ... ... .•■ .» 44
Mufiad ... ... ... ... ... 33
The population is returned as 62,832, being at the rate of 795 per
square mile. The only villages having a populations of over 2,000 are
Nawabganj and Masoli.
The pargana has been known as such since the Nawabi. Out of the
forty-four taluqdari villages twenty-five are held by Raja Farzand Ali
Khan, of Jahdngirabad, the rest are divided between several neighbouring
landowners.
NAWABGANJ — Pargana Nawa'bganj — Tahsil Nawabganj — District
Bara Banki. — Nawabganj, the headquarters of the tahsil and par-
gana of the same name, lies in latitude 26° 55' north, longitude 81°
15' east, at a distance of seventeen miles east of Lucknow, 61 west of
Fyzabad, and 22 south of Bahramghat. The civil station is situated at
Bara Banki, a mile west of the town on some high ground sloping down
to the Jamuriha — a small stream flowing between the two. The ground
in its immediate neighbourhood is very barren, and cut up by a net work
of ravines. The Deputy Commissioner's kachahri, the offices of the assist-
ant engineer, and the assistant opium officer^ the jail, police lines, and a
few bungalows constitute the station. The imperial road to Fyzabad after
crossing the Jamuriha passes close by the town. The main street is broad
and the houses on either side well built. A country house was built here
by Nawab Shuja-ud-daula some 100 years ago on the land taken from two
villages, Rasdlpur and Faiz-ulla-ganj. The land was made nazlil and the
town founded by Asif-ud-daula, but it was never of importance until Bara
Banki became the headquarters of the district. The well-to-do Hindus
are chiefly Banians and Sarawaks (if the latter can be called Hindus),
who carry on a large trade in sugar and cotton. The public buildings
are the thana, Government school, three saraes, and a very commodious
dispensary. The drainage is good, water plentiful, and climate remarkably
healthy. The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway passes about half a mile to
the north of the town, and the railway station, at which there is a junction,
with the branch line to Bahramghat, is about a mile to the west of it.
10 NAW
Tliere is a temple to Dqbi, and a sbiwala of Nageshwar Nath Mahadeo.
The people attend on Mondays and Fridays at these temples, and the fairs
of Chait and .Phagun, in honour of both respectively are attended by a
great assemblage. The total population is 10,606, of which Hindus arQ
7,411, and Muhammadans 3,195.
The battle of Nawabganj, in 1857, may be related from Ballis' History
of the Mutiny.
"At length it was considered proper to put an end to operations that
produced so much needless anxiety; and at midnight, on the 12th of
June, Sir Hope Grant, with a column of all arms, amounting to 5,000
men, marched for Chinhut on his way to beat up the quarters of a divi-
sion of the enemy, reported to be commanded by the Maulvi.
" The night was dark, but the guides were skilful, and the force, without
accident, reached Jaadrigunge, near Nawabgunge, where it was to cross
the Beti Nuddee. Here the advance guard was challenged by a picket
of the enemy, and the column halted. At daylight it again moved for-
ward, and crossed the bridge under a fire of musketry and guns, so placed
in adjacent topes as to sweep the line of advance. The enemy's fire was
well directed, but fortunately the river bank was sufiSciently elevated to
cover the bridge and the approach to it, and as soon as the artillery had got
up and opened fire, the rebels began to retire to their main body (about
16,000 strong), a short distance in the rear of a tope and ravine.
" The troops followed, and in a short time found themselves surrounded —
a heavy ill-directed fire opening upon them from the brushwood in their
fiont, their rear, and both flanks. Encouraged by the success of the
manoeuvre by which the European troops had been as it were drawn into
a trap, the rebels ventured to emerge from the wood, and bringing their
guns into the plain commenced an assault ; but Grant's artillery, only 200
yards distant, opened upon them with such a destructive shower of grape
as inflicted a fearful slaughter in their ranks, and deterred them from any
further effort to attack.
"Whileyet hesitating, two squadrons of cavalry and one of Hodson's
horse charged, with the infantry, and cut down about 500 of them, and the
remainder of the insurgent force, finding themselves beaten on all points,
•retired precipitately on Nawabgunge, where they remained till the follow-
ing day, when they were driven out with considerable loss by the English
troops, leaving also a great portion of their baggage behin-d them. At
noon on the 14th, Sir H. Grant occupied Nawabgunge, which he at once
proceeded to fortify. The rebels, who had retired to Bittowlee, at the conflu-
ence of the rivers Ghagra. and Chauka, lost no time in throwing up strong
earthworks for their protection at that place. The loss sustained by them
in the action of the 13th amounted in killed and wounded to 1,000 men,
with nine guns and two standards ; that on the British side amounted to
thirty-six killed and sixty-^wo wounded."
NAWABGANJ Parganat^Tahsil BmAMGAm— District Gonda —This
pargana is bounded on the north by parganas Mahadewa and Manikapur,
on the south by thenver Gogra and some villages of the Fyzabad district^
NAW
11
on the west by parganas Digsar and Mahadewa, and on the east by the
district of Basti. The former area was 90,040 acres ; but since settlement
the pargana has received an addition, raising its present area to 91,080
acres or 143 square miles, divided into 128 demarcated mauzas or town-
ships. The area of the pargana is divided as follows : —
Uuculturablc waste ... ,., 19,979 acres or 218 per cent.
Culturable ditto „. „. 28,«e4 „ „ 318 „ „
Cultivated ... ... 41,274 „ „ 45'3 „ „
Gioves ... ... ... 1,343 „ „ 1-4 „ „
9i,U80
6,039 acres are irrigated from wells, 4,469 acres from tanks, and 30,766
acres are left to natural irrigation. In other words, 28 per cent, of the
actual cultivation is irrigated, and 72 per cent, is left unirrigated.
The Gogra borders the pargana on the south. The smaller streams are
the Tirhi, the Jamni, and the Sujoi. These rivers are of no use for irriga-
tion purposes, and occasionally do mischief by overflowing their banks
during the rains. There ate about 12 villages of this pargana which
border the Gogra, and about 15 which lie near the Tirhi. The Jamni
skirts 12 villages, and the Sujoi 2. All these are liable to injury from
floods. Water is met with at from 14 to 21 feet below the surface. There
is no disease peculiar to the pargana. The villages near the jungle suffer
much from fever during the cold weather.
The revenue demand amounts to Rs. 68,307-5-0, land
Rs. 66,530, and cesses Rs. 1,777-5-0. The varieties of tenure are ;
revenue
Taluqdarl
Zamindari
Fattidari
Total
116
7«
80
272*
Demarcated mauzas
Copercenary muhals
Total
The tribal distribution of property h
Brahman ... ...
Chhattri
Mnsalman
Eiyath
Bairagi
Europeans
I^anak shabi
Others
Total
as follows : ■
128
144
272
110
82
27
2G
17
7
2
1
272
The taluqdari villages are mostly held by Pande Krishan Datt Ram, of
Singha Chanda, and the Basantpur and Birwa taluqdare.
The population of the pargana is given in the census at 57,439. These
reside in 10,345 houses, of which 35 are masonry. The number of the
prevailing 9astes is as follows : —
Brahman ... ... ... ... lo;o79
Ahir ... ... ... ... 9,011
KahSr ... ... ... ... *,*n
Chhattri ... ... ... ... 4,193
Banian ... ... ... ••■ 2,07 9
Murao „\ .., <,, .. l,9ol
12
NAW
ChamSr
• • *•
-.. 1,S87
Kurmi
■ ■ ••
1,282
Teli
• • ••
.. 1.SB4
Gararift
,, „
.. 1,194
Chai
*.
.. 1,106
Pasi
.. 1,073
Kayath
■ • ««
1,044
Nao (Hindu)
•• ••
.. 1,019
53
pupils.
48
,1
32
M
57
1,
20
I,
SO
,f
20
,,
110
l>
26
»
The traffic is carried on via the metalled road from Gonda to Fyzabad
which crosses the Gogra at Miran Ghdt just above Fyzabad city. A bridge
of boats is kept during a great part of the year, but is removed during
the rains, and communication is kept up by ferries. It is but seldom, and
that only during the rainy season, that boats are seen in the Tirhi. The
town of Nawabganj has a considerable grain mart ; in it are the post and
registry offices ; schools have been established at the following places : —
Tulsipur with
Anbhola „
Bisuoharpur „
Kalyanpur „
remale school at KalySnpur ,■
Another female school „
Hargobindpur female school „
Town school, Kawabganj „
Kamanpur „
History. — This pargana was formerly known as Rdj R^mgarh Gauri,
and was in the possession of a chief of the Sarawak or Jain religion.
These sectaries worshipped the sun, and also a god named Sobh Ndth.
Their dominions extended to the hills on the north, to the south the Gogra
was the boundary, and on the east were the mountains of Butwal.
When Suhel Deo came to the throne, Sayyad Masaud led his crescen-
tade to Oudh, and having fought with him was killed at Bahraich. R^ja
Suhel Deo met his destruction by his fort having been turned topsy-turvy,
and the whole of his family crushed to death. His kingdom remained
for some time without a lord, till in 1 14il A.D. the Muhammadans con-
quered India, and the Emperor of Delhi bestowed this rdj upon Ugarsen
Dom as j%ir. He built several forts in these parts, and fixed his abode
near Gorakhpur on the bank of the Rdpti. That place is still called
Domangarh. In 1376 A.D., the Dom Raja became very powerful, he
demanded the hand of a Brahman girl of mauza Karghaiad, pargana Amo-
dha, district Basti, and on his request being refused confined the family
to their house. The girl then on the pretence of a pilgrimage to Ajodhya,
went to Rde Jagat Singh, Kd,yath, subahdar of Sultanpur, and implored his
aid. The subahdar, on the day the marriage was to take place, crossed the
Gogra, reached the place with a large force, and cut down all the raja's
family and retainers. The P£nde, father of the girl, then came out rejoicing,
and in gratitude for his having saved the Brahman religion, he took off
bis sacred cord, and threw it on the neck of the valiant subahdar. His
descendants are all invested with the sacred cord, and, though Kayaths,
are known by the surname of Pande. These Kayaths abstain from all
alcoholic drinks.
The subahdar after this adventure reported the matter to the Delhi Dar-
bar, and in consequence was granted the nrj of Amodha, and of all this
NAW 13
part of the country. E<ie Jagat Singh then parcelled out the country,
and gave portions of it in reward to his followers. There was one Newal
b&h, a Bandhalgoti Chhattri, who held the office of risalddr in the Uie's
force, and had shown his bravery in subduing the fort of Ramanpur, in
the possession of R&ma Bhar, a lieutenant of the Dom Raja. This officer
was a native of Amethi, in the district of Sultanpur ; he received the part
of country which is now known by the name of the Nawabganj pargana
as his share of the booty.
Pargana families. — Mahardni Subhdo Kunwar.— This taluqdar is the
widow of Mahdraja Sir Man Singh, K.C.S.I., and " Qaim Jang," of Shdh*
ganj.
Raja Krishan Datt Ram, P^nde, of Singha Chanda. — HanniSn R^m
Pande was the progenitor of the line. He was a native of mauza Durjanpur
in pargana Digsar, and by profession a banker. Mardan Ram, a son of
his, rose to be nizim. Ram Datt Rdm was another able man in the family,
who was murdered by Nazim Muhammad Hasan. Raja Krishun Datt Ram
is the present owner. The number of villages in his possession is 308,
and the Government revenue of his estate amounts to 2,07,357-15-2.
(For further account of the family, see Gonda pargana and district article,
" historical part.")
Mahant Harcharan Dds, of Basantpur. — The present owner is suc-
cessor to Mahant Gurnari'iin Das, a Nanakshihi faqir of Lucknow. He was
much respected by the Kayath Ahlkdrs and other Hindu gentleman, and
he obtained vast estates in Oudh by receiving rent-free grants, and
purchasing to a large extent. His estates lie in seven districts of Oudh.
His total land revenue paid to Government amounts to Rs. 81,096-13-8.
Antiquities. — Of the antiquities there is only the B6gh-i-Harharpur,
built by Nawab Shuja-ud-daula in 1184 A.D.
There are 30 religious places of both creeds, as follows : —
Hindu places of worship ... ... ,., 26
lUahammadan mosques, &c. ... ... 4
The only religious fair is held on the day of Rdmnaumi in Chait (March),
on the opposite bank of the river, where the fair of Ajodhya assem-
bles. The gathering amounts to more than 50,000. Common articles of
daily use are sold. People who come to this fair are those who dont wish
to go across the Gogra to Ajodhya. The gathering disperses as soon as
the bathing ceremonies are over.
NAWABGANJ* — Pargana Nawabganj — Taltsil Begamganj — Dis-
trict Gonda. — ^Latitude 26°52' north, longitude 82°11' east. A century
ago the present teeming parganas of Nawabganj and Mahadew% were but
thinly populated, and Nawab Shuja-ud-daula, in his frequent hunting
expeditions from Fyzabad to "V^azirganj, found it necessary to establish a
bazar on the north of the Gogra for the supply of his troops and attend-
ants. A site was selected about two miles from the river, just far enough
* By Mr.W. C, Benett, C. S., Assistant Commissioner,
14 NAW
to be tolerably safe from the rain floods, on the boundary of the villages of
Agampur and Tathia ; and, from the small beginning thus "i^de, has grown
the largest grain market in the district, and perhaps m the whole ot Uuan,
During the interval of English rule (1802-1816 A.D.), two new quarters
were added to the infant bazar, but up to annexation it was never ot
sufficient importance to be the seat of a government official, Mid it is
since the mutiny that the ten new quarters of Golaganj, Pakka Uarwaza,
Chai Tola, Lonia Tola, Teliani Tola, Pura Ram Sahae, Pura Koriana, Juldha
Tola, Thatherai Tola, and Bazzaz Tola, have sprung up round the old muhals
of Nawabganj, Motiganj, and Sanichari bazar. The present town con-
tains 6,131 inhabitants and 1,273 mud-built houses. The religion of the
people is reflected in the distribution of their places of worship, of
which 22 are dedicated to Mahddeo, while three are mosques. It contains
one small and very dirty sarae for the accommodation of travellers ;
and a school, attended by 106 boys, contends without any striking success
against the indifference of the local traders to any learning beyond the art
of writing their unintelligible business characters. In plan 'it is a long
street, with shops and dwelling-houses on each side, in front of which are
piled heaps of grain to attract the attention of dealers. To the north the
street broadens on to a good-sized plain, which is bordered here and there
by substantial sheds for the storage of merchandize, and serves as a stand-
ing place for the innumerable carts, which bring down the produce of the
Tarai. The principal export is the rice of Tulsipur, Utraula, and the north-
west portions of the Basti district, and during the end of the cold weather
the infamous road from Utraula, which forms the only channel for this
trade, is blocked by strings of carts, often numbering over a hundred in a
single line.
Besides rice the Tarai contributes large quantities of oil seeds, and the
more southern parts of the district their wheat, Indian-corn, and autumn
rice. A considerable export business is done in hides, but there is no other
article of merchandize of any importance, and the imports are quite insig-
nificant, being confined entirelyto salt, and a few thousand rupees worth
■of English cloth, and pots and pans from Mirzapur or Bhagwantnagar.
The trade on leaving Nawabganj takes two main directions — one by the
Gogra to Dinapore, Patna, and Lower Bengal, the other through Fyzabad
to Cawnpore, and the cotton country. The main export by the latter is rice,
while Bengal absorbs the greatest part of the oil seeds, Indian-corn,
and hides. Of such part of the trade which passes through other districts
before leaving the province, there are absolutely no means of making at all
an accurate estimate : nor do I attach any great value to the returns of the
registration office for the merchandize which leaves the province at once.
It is obviously for the interest of the natives stationed there to leave as
many carts out of their tables as possible, and pockst the fees themselves,
and effective supervision is impossible. Anyhow the returns, if absolutely
accurate, could only give an inadequate idea of the trade actually carried
on, as there is nothing to confine carts to this one halting place, and num-
bers of them dispose of their merchandize at small bazars, a few miles
to the east — in Shahganj, Ism&Upur, and other stations — along the river,
where they are free from Government toll, Government police protec-
NAW
15
fion, and Government regulation cleanliness. An abstract of the returns is
given for what it is worth. As far as I can tell their audacious mendacity
puts them beyond the pale of criticism. For instance, that only 360 hides
left the market for Lower Bengal in 1871-72 is wholly incredible, as it is
hardly possible to visit the place for a single day without seeing a far
krger number collected there. The fact that these returns only cover the
direct trade with Lower Bengal is here of no consequence, as that province
takes all the hides exported from Gonda.
Till two years ago octroi was levied on every article sold in the bazar,
and a light ad valorem duty provided from the traders' pockets, the cost
of repairing roads, which is now paid in addition to his land revenue by
the proprietor of the soil. When this was abolished a small fixed toll on each
cart and beast of burden was substituted ; and the register shows that in
1870-71 A.D., the market was visited by 36,500 carts and 9,100 beasts of
burden, while the numbers in 1871-72 were 42,344 and 26,680 respectively.
Assuming, as will be near the truth, that a fourth of the carts were drawn
by four bullocks, and allowing twenty maunda for a four-bullock, ten for
a two-bullock cart, and four maunds to each beast of burden, we get the
following results. Total exports in 1870-71, 4,81,400 maunds, total in
1871-72, 6,50,160 maunds.
The mart is connected by a good metalled road with Gonda (24 miles),
a good grass road runs through Panispur to Colonelganj (35 miles), while
Utraula is divided from it by an almost impassable embanked way, which in
a length of thirty-six miles opposes at least as many formidable obstacles
in the shape of broken bridge arches, or severed banks, to the toiling cart
bullocks.
Export returns via tJie Oogra from Nawahganj bazar.
1867-68,
1868-69,
1869-70,
1870-71,
1871-72,
Wheat.
153,173
105,211
3,902
46,813
18,648
Value.
2,45,077
2,64,348
9,498
46,400
27,474
Bice.
Value.
69,644
1,106
690
539
1,490
Oil-
seeds.
290,604
793,567
432,300
92,639
56,287
Value.
4,61,967
19.91,171
11,93,162
1,99,818
1,47,748
other
edible.
264,998
810,561
71,745
16,186
23,693
Value.
2,03,998
1,186,862
1,19,635
17,079
28,213
Hides.
14,320
10,610
38,330
Value.
7,159
5,890
34,338
"'600
Total
exports.
750,908
1,525,372
546,866
155,963
101,123
Value.
8,04,688
34,74,364
13,60,569
1,63,834
2,06,525
N AWABGAN J— Par^awa Jhalotar AjGAm—Tahsil MohaN — District
Unao. — Lies 12 miles north-east of the sadr on the metalled road to Luck-
now, from which place it is 25' miles distant. A thana, a tahsil, and
school were all established at this place, but all have been removed. There
is a large fair in the end of Chait every year in honour of the Durga and
Kusahri Debis. The temple of the former goddess lies in Nawahganj, and
that of the latter in village Kusumbhi, where there is also a pick-up sta-
tion of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway, Cawnpore Branch. This fair
attracts a very large gathering from Lucknow and Cawnpore,, besides the
people of the neighbourhood.
This ganj was built by Amin-ud-daula, the prime minister of Oudh in
1249 fasli (1842 A.D.), with a sarae and mosque, There is also a tank built
16 . NfiO— NEW
by Naubat Rae, treasurer. Though the removal of the tahsil from it, and-
the introduction of the railway to Cawnpore, caused material damage to
the local trade, as it was a dkk station, and most traffic since then passes-
by railway, the annual sales still amount to Rs. 18,000; a great part_ of
course being made up by the bargains made in the fair. The population
is 3,128, of which 547 are Musalman.
'N'EOTINI—Pargana Mohan Aur is— Tahsil 'ilLonlJS— District Unao. — .
Neotini is a Muhammadan town, situated south-west of Mohan about two
miles off on the right bank of the river Sai. It is the seat of the only
Muhammadan colony that seems to have come into the pargana. But'
the arrival of the Musalmans was early, and they took possession of nine
villages, which they hold to the present day. The town is said to have
been founded by a Dikhit, R4ja Ram, a descendant of Raja Balbhadr of
Jhalotar, who on a hunting expedition saw the spot, and attracted by its
beauty cut away some of the thin grass that grew there, and founded a
town which he called Neotini. There is an old dih in the place still as-
signed as the site of his fort. It remained with the Dikhits till the time-
of Raja Apre, who having, it is said, ill-treated and plundered a great mer-
chant, whose complaints reached the ears of Mahmud of Ghazni, was
driven out by an invasion headed by Miran Muhammad and' Zahir-ud-din
" Aftab." They and their descendants have occupied the place ever since.
They said it was Khuda Ddd which gives the date 614 A. H. (1197A.D.),
so it must have been occupied in the reign of Shams-ud-dfn. The place
bears an air of prosperity. There are several old mosques and shrines and
some good houses belonging to members of the family, who hold appoint-
ments under the British Government, and are pleaders in the courts. The
land round the town is extraordinarily rich and well cultivated ; the Crops
being poppy, vegetables, spices, and medical herbs. The pan gardens are
very numerous ; the families of tomofe number no less than 37. The,,
whole population is 3,809, and the number of houses 718. There is a
Government school in this place. There is only a small bazar.
NEWALGANJ-cum-MAHRXjGANJ— Parc^ctTia Moha'n Auba's— TaA-
sil Mohan — District Unao.— (Latitude 26°48' north, longitude 80°
43' east.) This is a junction of two market towns situated on the road,
to Mohan from Lucknow, about 13 miles from the city. It is two miles
east of the tahsil station Mohan, and 26 south-east of the sadr (Unao.) -
The former was built by Maharaja Newal R^e, the iNaib of Nawab
Safdarjang, and the same who built the bridge over the Sai at Mohan ; the
latter is a continuation of it built by Mahardja Balkrishn, the late finance
minister of the ex-king. It is approached by a long and handsome bridge
which terminates in an archway, the entrance into the bazar. The gani
is about one-fourth of a mile long, and ends in another archway, passing
under which, a sharp turn to the right brings the traveller opposite a third
arch, which is the entrance into Newalganj. The bi-weekly bazar is held
in Mahrajganj, and is one of the largest in the neighbourhood. The total-
annual sales amount to Rs. 25,000, and consist of all the usual country
produce of grain, tobacco, spices, and vegetables, with country cloth and
European piece-goods, There is also a separate trade in brass vessels.
NIG 17
which are made in large quantities in Newalganj, where a large colony of
Thatheras (braziers) has established itself. The climate of the place is
healthy, water good, and scenery tolerable. The remains of an enclosure
built of solid masonry round the town and its gateway are historical
features.
The Machberia gate contains the Government school. There is also an
old sarde ; it boasts of three temples to Mah&deo and eight mosques. A
fair is annually held on the day of Dasahra, the 10th of the lunar half of
Jeth (May-June), having an attendance of not more than 500 people.
At the west end of Newalganj is the pohce station where a force of 12
policemen is kept up, who have the whole of the pargana to look after.
The station is not very centrically placed. The total number of inhabi-
tants is 3,728, and the houses 725, but none are of masonry. The inhabi-
tants are chiefly -Hindus, and largely made up of braziers, Banians, and
Brahmans. There are of these classes 77,129, and 91 families respec-
tively. The rest consist of food and vegetable-dealers, Bhurjis (grain-
parchers), Halwais (confectioners), Ahirs, (herdsmen), Telis (oil-men), and
Chamars (tanners). The population amounts to 4,028 ; Hindus being -
3,618, and Musalmans 310. The place is a thriving centre of trade.
NIGHXSAN Pargana* — Tahsil NiGHiCSAN — District Kheri. — ^Pargana
Nighasan has been quite recently constituted. It consists of the Trans-
Chauka portion of the old pargana of Bhdr ; like'that pargana it somewhat
resembles a wedge in shape, lying from west to east, with the narrow end
at the west, and the broad end at the east. On the north lies pargana
Khairigarh, which is separated from Nighasan by the river Suheli or Sarju,
which flows from west to east with a very winding course of about 45
miles from Dudhua Ghat, where it enters the pargana to Shitabi Ghat,
where it flows into the river Kauriala. The length of Nighasan, however,
is only on the northern side 35 miles from east to west. On the south
lies pargana Bhiir, which is separated from Nighasan by the river Chauka,
which has a tolerably straight course of about 30 miles. The length of
Nighasan on the southern side from east to west is 26 miles. On the
west side Nighasan touches Palia, which till recently belonged to the
district of Shahjahanpur in the North-West Provinces. A straight line
eight miles in length going due north and south from the Sarju to the
Chauka, and marked by masonry pillars, denotes the boundary between
the two parganas, which was also for about 53 years the boundary between
British India and the kingdom of Oudh. On the east Nighasan marches
with pargana Dhaurahra, and' is 14 miles in breadth from the Chauka
at Pachperl Ghat to the Sarju ; at Sbitabi Ghat there is no natural boun-
dary, and the line of demarcation is irregular, and about 18 miles in
length.
This pargana forms a part of the low plains lying between the great
rivers and the mountains which are called the Ganjar. It nearly all lies
in the tarai of the rivers Chauka and Sarju ; there is some high land
* Bj Mr. J. C. Williams, C-S.
3
18 NIG
between them ; the pargana possesses certain geographical features which
may be now described.
The Sarju is a narrow stream of an average width of 50 yards ; the
depth of water at the fords is only a few feet, and the fords are numerous ;
the current is slower than that of the Chauka ; the banks are generally
about 20 feet high, both on the north and south side, or even higher ;
sometimes they follow close along the edge of the river,- and sometimes
reach to a distance of a mile or two miles from it, leaving a low tarai
along the river side. Innumerable small tributary streams flow down
into the Sarju from the higher land to the south, but many of these are
backwaters through which the autumnal floods often escape out of the
Sarju and inundate the tarai ; occasionally but seldom rising to the level
of the higher lands.
This tarai is generally covered with a jungle of khair, shisham, and giilar
trees, and is subject to inundation during the autumnal rains. After the
reconquest of Oudh a large portion of this jungle was appropriated by
Government, and was afterwards made over to the Forest Department ;
for the first 28 miles of the river's course, after entering the pargana at
Dudhua Ghat, the jungles along its banks belong to the Forest Depart-
ment ; for the next 17 miles they belong to revenue-paying villages.
The course of the Sarju is so winding that its distance from the Chauka
and consequently the width of the pargana varies from 4 to 14 miles.
Between the two rivers there exists a long high ridge of land, with a good
loamy soil, forming a central plain varying in width from one to nine
miles, the greatest width being at the east. This plain can only be called
high by comparison with the lower lands along the rivers to the north
and south. There is probably no part of it where water is not found 14
feet below the surface ; and the soil is so moist that except vegetables,
poppy, and tobacco no crops need irrigation. It is intersected by " sotas"
or backwaters of the Sarju and Chauka, which frequently communicate
with each other ; and it is covered with jhlls of the curious formation
called " bhagghar," which have been already described under the head of
pargana Bhiir.
One of these sotas is called the Bahatia ; it has a wide bed, and in the
autumn carries a large volume of water ; it crosses the pargana in the
centre, flowing at right angles to the Sarju and Chauka from north to
south, or from south to north, according as the floods from the Sarju or
that from the Chauka be the stronger. The bha^ffhars SLSsume the most
fantastic shapes, but always retain the one characteristic attribute a very
high bank on one side and a low marsh on the other.
In addition to the hhagghars and sotas, large shallow jhils are scatter
ed over the whole surface of the central plain, while dry water-courses and
ravmes mtersect it in every direction, running into the jhils, sotas and
bkagghars at every imaginable angle. > ^
In the higher parts of the central plain the soil consists of a very thin
loam, mixed with much gritty earth and very- small stones. This soil
NIG 19
shines like sand, and generally has a substratum of pure sand at a distance
of from a few inches to a few feet below the surface. It is poor and
unproductive, and known by the local name of tdpa.
In my report of pargana Bhur, I said that I believed the whole country
between the high bank in that pargana and the corresponding high banks
in Khairigarh formed once a large inland lake.*
The general appearance of the country, its interminable network of
lakes and streams, dry water courses, and gritty high land, and specially
the alternate ridges and depressions of soil by which the high land gradu-
ally slopes down into the river tarais — all seem so many evidences of a
time when the whole country was part of a great inland lake. The
absence of sdkhu trees, which only grow in soils beyond the influence of
fluvial action, may be mentioned as another argument ; they grow in abun-
dance to the south of the high bank in Bhiir, or north of the high bank
in Khairigarh, but hardly anywhere between the two rivers.
Though the period when the country was a lake has long ago passed
from the memories and traditions of the people, the fact that the river
Chauka or Sarda and the river Sarju were once the same stream is still
fresh in their minds. These rivers are known to have been once connect-
ed quite recently by a water-course now almost dry which passes near
Newalkh^r, and when they were thus connected, the waters passing down
the stream flowing under Khairigarh, now called the Sarju, were called
the Chauka, and far exceeded in volume those contained in the most
southern channel of the Chauka. Now the case is exactly the reverse,
and the name Chauka is restricted to the southern stream. I have men-
tioned that the two rivers are even now connected by the Baita river
which flows across this pargana.
An argument that the rivers were once the same may be derived from
the etymology of the words. Sarju is of course a mere euphonious con-
traction of Sarda kojii ; the river of Sarda, and as jii, is Persian, the name
must have been given first in Muhammadan times. This reduces the three
names to two. Now Sarda is the title of a goddess, and is assumed both
by Saraswati, wife of Barmha, and by Durga, wife of Shiva. The mytho-
logy of the Brahmans, which assigns divine protectors to mountains, rivers,
and all great natural features, necessarily provided a goddess for a stream
mi<yhtier even than the Ganges ; probably the goddess was originally
Saraswati, but she receives now but scanty honour. The Chauka is now
looked on by the residents on its banks as under the peculiar protection
of Durga. It is frequently called Maharaui or Chauka Maharani ; some-
times Sarda, or Sarda Maharani. These two names therefore are evidently
the names of one river and of its tutelary goddess. The word Chauka
* An argument in support of this conclusion may be drawn from the etymology of
the word tdpa. For it is evidently the same as tdpH, whioh m Hmdi means aa island, and
I think the conclusion is possible that the patches of high land which have the soil now
called tapa were orginally islands in the middle of the arge lake or inland sea which once
stretched from the Sarju to the Chauka; being the highest land, they are of course the
parts of the plain which would first be left-dry by the receding waters.
20 ■ KIG
is I understand derived from a Sanskrit word meaning cleanliness, P^^^y-
The Hindus even now believe that its waters possess peculiar efficacy both
for ordinary cleansing purposes and for ceremonial ablutions. Some go
so far as to maintain that its waters yield not even to those of mother
Ganga : Chauka therefore means the pure river, Mah^rani Chauka, the
Queen of purity.
On the south of the. central plateau is a low plain forming the tarai of
the river Chauka, and generally resembling the low plain already described
in pargana Bhiir. It is completely inundated for several months of every
year. The floods reach it by simply overflowing the river bank, and not
as in Bhtir and Srinagar by first flowing up backwaters communicating
with the stream, and generally joining it at almost a right angle. In Nighd,^
san the bank of the Chauka is seldom more than 5 feet in height, but the
northern bank of the river Ghaghi, which is now to be described, is on an
average quite 20 feet in height during the eastern part of its course.
There are hardly any backwaters or sotas running out of the Chauka.
Their place is taken by a branch of the Chauka called the Ghdghi. The
Gh4ghi leaves the Chauka between the Ghdts of Marauncha and Patwara
in pargana Palia, and flows in a direction nearly parallel to that of the
Chauka to a spot some three miles north of Pachperi Ghat only 22 miles
to the south-east. The Ghaghi draws the high country in the centre
of the pargana, and a great number of jhils and streams run into it.
The course of the river has so many windings that it is some 32 miles
in length. Its average distance from the Chauka is from one to four miles,
and it may be considered as the boundary between the central plain and
the Chauka tardii.
The Ghaghi joins the Chauka at Chhedoipatia for about a quarter of
a mile and then again leaves it. From this spot it has increased in volume
of water greatly within the last few years, and it now flows with a deep^
and rapid current between high and steep banks, but in a very narrow
bed, about 15 yards in width. Year by year the volume of its waters is
increasing, and there appears a probability that the Chauka may soon
altogether leave its present bed and pass off into that of the Ghaghi.
This will be a mere repetition of the process that we have seen has
been at work in pargana Bhiir for many ages, where apparently every
change of the river's course brought it further to the north.
If this happens, as the present bed of the Ghaghi will be far too small
to contain the whole stream of the Chauka, the waters will sweep over
the country bordering on the Ghdghi, and spread ruin far and wide over
some of the finest villages in this pargana.
The change of the Chauka's course opposite Bhiirguda has been men-
tioned in my Bhur report. Abandoning its old bed it has cut through
Maurias Loki and Munria Mahadeo, leaving Dhundhila and the jungle
grant No. 12 on its south; and joining the Ghaghi it re-enters its old
bed three miles above Pachperi ghat in company with that stream From
tiie spot where the Ghaghi rejoins the Chauka, the latter has a high bank
NIG 21
on its northern side, somewhat similar to the high ridge which meets the
river on its southern side just above Bhiirguda, about two miles west of
junction of the two rivers. At annexation several villages of this pargana
were found to be deserted, some lay on the Palia frontier, forming a con-
siderable tract of country, to a great extent overgrown with jungles,
several others lay along the banks of the Chauka, these villages had all
formed part of the great Bhur taluqa, and appear to have fallen out of
cultivation, and become abandoned by their inhabitants in the time of
Rdja Ganga Singh, or at any rate within 30 years of annexation.
At the reconquest of Oudh these villages were appropriated by Govern-
ment, and were soon repeopled by immigrants from Khairigarh, Dhaurah-
ra, Bahraich, and Shahjahlnpur. After being held for sometime on lease
by the taluqdar of Patihan, they have lately been decreed to Government,
the north-west corner of the pargana, — in fact the whole of the forest Ghak
is still very scantily inhabited.
The forests along the Sarju river swarm with wild animals, and herds
of wild pigs, deer, blue bulls, and antelopes wander about undisturb-
ed, and find abundant pasture and water ; they do great injury to the
crops in the villages alongside the forest ; and great labour and trouble
have to be devoted to the necessary task of watching the fields by
night. Tigers are occasionally but seldom found to the south of the
Sarju ; panther and leopards are more frequently met with.
The inhabitants of the villages in the forest chak suffer terribly from
goitre, which occasionally reaches the stage where it becomes cretinism,
and from jungle fevers, generated by the decaying vegetation in the
malarious swamps within the forest.
These villages are mostly small and thinly peopled, but they all have
very large areas of fallow, waste, and forest land within their boundaries.
Tilokpur and Maj4on are the only considerable villages in this portion
of the pargana. The former gives its name to the taluqa held for some
years by Sarabjit Sah, Taluqdar of Patihan, and now decreed to Govern-
ment.
On the south also, in the Ganjar chak, there are no large villages
except one Munra Munri which has the remains of an old fort. Here
every village has a number of small hamlets scattered over its lands, and
situated on rising ground just out of reach of the floods ; generally this
part of the pargana is exactly like the Ganjar plain of pargana Bhir.
There are some large, fine, and populous villages in the central chak, of
these Lodhauri was formerly one of the headquarters of the Bh6r taluqa ;
Nighasan has a police station, a tahsil station, and a large bazar, and gives
its name to the pargana. Rakheti and Parua have some fine masonry
mosques and temples, and are surrounded with magnificent mango
groves.
There is a road running through the pargana from Palia on the west to
Shitabi Ghat on the east frontier, being a part of the high road from
Bahraich to Shdjah^npur ; and at Bahrampur, near the centre of the par-
22
NIG
gana, it is crossed at right angles by a. road from Sirsr Ghat, on the south
to Khairigarh on the north. There are no other roads.
The ghats or ferries on the Chauka are at Margha, Sirsi, or L^l^jhu
and Pachperi, a hamlet in Munra, and have been mentioned m the Bhur
report. On the Sarju there are fords at Dudhua, Khairigarh, Dukherwa,
and Shitabi, where the Sarju and Kauriala meet. The area and popula-
tion of the whole pargana is here given —
Number of villages
Cultivated area without fallow ..
Culturable area iucluding fallow..
Barren and revenue-free .,
Population
Pupulauon per square mile
Total
73
66,124
64,891
16,045
1,47,160
64,683
239
The one grant which has now been partly cultivated, and is held by
Eao Tala Ram, lies on the river Chauka. It has an area of 3,252 acres,
and a population of 159 persons. This grant belonged at first to a Eura-
sian, Mr. Taylor, but was sold in execution of a decree of the civil court, and
purchased by its present owner.
The seven tracts of forest along the river Sarju have an area of 15,971
acres. la these forests there are a few huts here and there inhabited by
herdsmen tending cattle, and boatmen taking logs of timber down the
Sarju river, but the population is fleeting and inconsiderable, has never
been enumerated, and is not known. For the whole pargana then the
figures are as follows : —
Total area.
Population.
Population per square
mile.
The 73 villages
» ' grant
„ forest
146,160
3,252
16,971
61,683
159
Not known.
239
33
Not known.-
166,383
64,842
212
But as the forest will never be brought under cultivation, the forest area
is to the settlement officer the same as barren land, and is excluded from
all calculations about the relation of population to the cultivated and cul-
turable areas. For purposes of assessment, the population per square mile
is not 212 but 239.
There are no data for giving exact details of the number of the various
castes, as the pargana has been newly constituted since the census tables
were compiled. Approximately I estimate them as follows : —
Mubammadana
Brahmans
Cbhattris
2,300
3,800
1,400
NIG
23
Vaishyas ... ... ...
Ahirs ... ..,
Banjaras ... ...
F&sis ... ... ...
Chamars ... ... ...
Eurmis ... ... ...
Urarias ... ... ...
Lodhs
Lonias ... ... ...
Murios ... ... ...
Mans
All other castes having less than 1,000 each
Total
800
9,000
1,800
3,510
6,300
i,5no
2,000
4,000
2,000
7 800
1 .000
7,142
54,842
There has been a considerable immigration of Murdos and Lodhs
since the reconquest of Oudh. There is only one proprietary caste
throughout the whole pargana, the Chauhdn Rajput family of the
Bhur taluqa. The old pargana of Bhur was conterminous with the
boundaries of the Bhfir taluqa. Proprietary rights in the pargana are
thus distributed : —
Name of taluqdar.
Joint estate of the Rani of Raj Ganga Singh, fiaj Gubardban
Singh, Raj Guman Singh, and Raj Ualipat Singh...
Raj-Gumau Singh ... ... ...
Raj Lfilta Singh, a relative of the family ,„ ...
Eaj Milap Singh, ditto
Raj Dalipat Singh ... diito
Rani R4j Ganga Singh ditto
Mathura Das Goshfiiu
Government
ditto
ditto
ditto
Total
No. of
villages.
73
Remarks.
49
llent-free for
Ufe.
Rent-free for
10
ever.
The eleven villages which do not now belong to this family did so once,
.the Goshain's village was given to him by a former taluqdar, and the ten
villages now belonging to Government were appropriated at annexation
as waste land: because they had become deserted by their inhabitants, and
entirely fallen out of cultivation; they are called the Tilokpur taluqa from
the name of the principal village.
In a description of this pargana, the Muraos from their number and
prosperity claim special notice. Like almost all of the agricultural and
artizan castes, the Muraos claim to have seven subdivisions, and these
subdivisions are bound down by very strict rules regulating what they
may and what they may not cultivate. The name of the subdivision that
ranks first is, as in the case of many other castes, Knaujia. The other six
tribes are Thakiiria, Kachhwdha,, Haridwdra, Manwa, Jaiswdr, and Kori,
24 NIG
Mur^os are enterprising and bold men, and are always ready to emi-
grate from their homes and settle in new lands, specially if they are
offered easy tenures, and find soil suitable to their pecular crop, " Ubi
lene est, patria est," should be the Muraos motto. Muraos cultivate all the
common cereals that are grown by other castes, and a Mur^o's field may
generally be known by the closeness of the furrows to each other, and the
smallness of the clods into which the plough has broken up the soil. _ Of
crops almost exclusively grown by this caste turmeric is the principal.
This crop is grown only by the Thakurias and Haridwdras, and since
annexation there has been a considerable immigration of these men into
the northern villages of Bhiir, who are bringing large areas of lands
under turmeric cultivation.
The Kanaujias are the sub-caste that abound all over pargana Nighdsan, ,
and they have been up to the present .time increasing in number by
immigration every year. They are not allowed by the rules of their caste to
grow turmeric ; their peculiar crops are vegetables and poppy and tobacco ;
they also grow onions and garlic, in great quantities, and here all castes
eat garlic, and all except Brahmans eat onions. Recently the district
authorities have been directed to aid the Opium Department in stimulating
the cultivation of the poppy, and within the last year the plant has spread
very greatly all over this pargana. Besides turmeric, onions, garlic, tobacco,
and poppy, the following articles are occasionally grown by the Muraos of
this pargana : —
Coriander (dhania).
Pepper (mircli).
Purslain (luoiya).
Femgreek (methi).
Aniseed (ajwain).
Marshmallows (khatmi^.
Ginger (sonth).
Endive (kasni).
Anise (saunf^.
The fear of destruction by wild animals prevents Muraos from growing
these plants in the hdr, and they are all grown quite close to the village ;
whereas in England a farmer never will sow his most valuable crops, such
as turnips and carrots, anywhere except at some distance from a village
or town from fear of being robbed by them at night.
It speaks well for the morality of the peasantry that the market gardener
can rear his valuable produce unprotected by wall or fence, and, surrounded
by the dwellings of a dense population, without the slightest fear or risk of
being robbed.
In the settlement report of the Bhdr pargana I have described Ganjar
scenery, but when closing my description of pargana Nighiisan, I cannot
refrain from making a few remarks on the description of the people of
Ganjar country recently written by the Extra Assistant Commissioner, Kali
Sahae. He states that the customs and manners, the dress, the food, and
the language of the Ganjar people are all totally different from those of the
people in the upper country, — in fact, he seems almost to consider the inha-
bitants of the Ganjar as a separate nation.
These statements are, I think, somewhat exaggerated and likely to mis-
lead. There are some differences, but they seem to me to be only such as
NIG 25
are naturally attributable to the backwardness and remoteness of the
country. There is no great highway of commerce through it or near it,
and large^ forests and- enormous rivers are formidable barriers to the pro-
gress of civilization. The usual characteristics of a rustic population are
found in an exaggerated form. This is the principal point of difference
between the Ganja^r and the upper country.
The simplicity and ignorance of the people is certainly greater than .
in any other part of Oudh. I have been in villages where a European had
never before been seen," where on several occasions the thekddars came'for-
ward to ofifer me their nazars (presents) of three or four rupees, and showed
great surprise when they were refused. In fact, once a lengthy explanation
and apology on my part became necessary to remove from an old gentleman's
mind the impression, that the refusal of the nazar was a direct insult, or at
least a signal mark of the Hakim's displeasure.
There is no difference in the language, but the pronunciation is pecu-
liar ; the vowels are broadened and softened, and some of the inflections
in the conjugation of the verb are different from anything T have heard
before. These differences are sufficient to cause some difficulty in under-
standing the people. But there is great ignorance of the most ordinary
Urdu or Persian words, which sometimes lead to puzzling and amusing
errors. I recollect two villages, Girda Kalan and Girda Khurd. None of
the inhabitants know the meaning of the distinguishing epithets. They had
always called their villages Bar4 Girda and Chhota Girda, and now consi-
dered that two new names — KalAn and Khurd — had been bestowed on
them by the Government. They were loth to give up the old names, yet hesi-
tated to disobey a supposed order, so they had compromised the matter by
naming their villages Bard Girda Kaldn and Ghhota Girda Khurd. An old
instance of a new application of a familiar term, and also of the rapidity
with which historical facts are forgotten, is the name given to pargana
Palia by the inhabitants of the Oudh pargana bordering it. It is always
known as the Angrezi Mauriisi, the hereditary dominion of the English.
In dress I have found no difference except in the case of one caste, the
BanjSras, whose women wear petticoats and jackets made of different
coloured patches of cloth, and having no sleeves for the arms, which are
bare of clothes, but generally almost covered with silver ornaments. But
Banjara women dress thus wherever they may be settled.
Customs and manners differ only so far as they are agricultural, and are
modified by the peculiar circumstances under which husbandry is in this
country carried on.
In the matter of food there is some difference, — for instance rice, jundhri,
and barley are almost the only grains eaten by the people, specially the
first of the three ; wheaten bread is an unheard of luxury, only the cheaper
kinds of rice are eaten, and the better kinds are exported.
The differences in social customs, if they exist, are certainly not appa-
rent to a European. But the remoteness and backwardness of the country
is a constant theme of merriment to native visitors from the upper country
and the contempt with which an inhabitant of Kheri pargana, or of any
place south of the Ul, regards the people of the Ganjar, and their country
4
26
isriG
is most amusing to a European ; the southerner looks on the people of
the Gdnjar as rustic boors, and on their country as an outlandish jiingle,
and parties and witnesses in court constantly apologize for their inability tO
speak intelligibly, or their ignorance of the simplest rule of procedure, by
begging the presiding officer to remember that they are simple people
living in the Ganjar.
The aversion with which the low river plains are regarded is most
advantageous to the inhabitants, though they do not know it. But it keeps
out population, and therefore keeps down competition for land. Immi-
grants from the upper country have to be tempted to settle by the most
liberal offers. The nakshi tenure is probably more favourable to the
cultivator than any other in India.
Consequently the people as yet are very well off, and it is gratifying to
see their prosperity, and the independence that must accompany it, shared
by low castes as well as by high. The evidences of it stare one in the
face. Little children, with golden ear-rings and bracelets, meet me in
every village, and the wives of even Chamars and Pasis load themselves
with silver ornaments. The same is the case in Khairigarh.
The independence and prosperity of the lower castes tends to weaken
the feelings by which caste distinctions are supported. Brahmans, Chhat-
tris, a.nd Goshains are not ashamed here to plough with their hands ;
whereas in Baiswara the high caste man is degraded by the touch of the
plough. In the densely inhabited villages of Baiswara, and districts in the
south of Oudh, the females of the lowest castes are hot allowed to wear any
jewellery whatever, and generally would be too poor to possess any.
The low castes keep great herds of swine, and pigs attain a size and
fatness that would win them honourable mention even in Baker street.
Dogs abound in Ganjar villages, testifying by their ^independent bearing
• and loud and bold barkings that they too share in the general prosperity.
Banjaras specially have a fine large breed of dogs which they use for the
chase of wild animals, principally boars, of the flesh of which this
caste is immoderately fond. Garerias also keep dogs in great'' numbers for
watching their flocks of sheep and goats.
Table s
hawing the populat
ion of
the
pargana.
rf
6
P
.9
i
S3
HINDUS.
MITSALMAN.
Total.
bo
1
1
s
1
Agricultuee.
NON-iGETCUL-
TURK.
AG-BICULTtTRE.
NON-AaRIOCIi-
TURB,
Male.
F&nale.
Male.
Female.
Male.
Female.
Male.
Female,
o
a
.S
If
as
g|
3
9
a
3
i
1
i
as
^
fl
■a
13
S
a
£
i
^
g
■^3
1
1
rd
S
T3
g
.-
Eh
Cm
'A
H
H
<
O i <
u
<
u
<
O
<I
o
<1
O
<
o
<
3
-sj
<
<
O
m
£2:
h
B
^
t
to
n.
<M
«
^
Oi
M
cs
nn
^
,
t; ^ -
s
■§
t
a
a
Tf*
t>
S'
«■
uf
N
-ii-
N
lO .
Ml
cq
'g
53
%
ai
o-
<£
m
A
ia
g^
■^
TO
I*
1
NIG 27
NIGOHi^N SissAiNDi Pargana*—TaMl MoHlNLAmANj— Z)isiric«
LUCKNOW.— The pargana of Nigohan Sissaindi lies between latitude 26°30'
and 26°50', and is crossed by 81° of longitude. It is one of the two parganas
into which the tahsil of Mohanlalganj is divided. Its area is seventy-two
square miles. In shape it is oblong, with a length of from twelve to
thirteen miles, and an average -breadth of five. The Mohanlalganj par-
gana lies on its north, and it is bounded on the south by the river Sai,
which separates it from the district of Unao.
It is traversed by two roads — one running from Rae Bareli along the
north side of the pargana through Mohanlalganj to Lucknow, and the
other from Sissaindi, lying at its south-west comer to Mohanlalganj.
The pargana is finely wooded to the south and round the town of Nigo-
han, but to the north-west it is bare, and crossed by large barren plains. The
country along the Sai is light and sandy, and also along the banks of the
Bank stream, which crosses the pargana obliquely from the north, and joins
the Sai at a point to the south of Nigohan. This sandy land amounts to
twenty per cent, of the cultivation, and very much affects the fertility of
the pargana. Except round the large villages, and in the south-west of the
pargana, the cultivation is not so high as in the other parganas of the district.
The Sai is the only river, and is little fitted for irrigation, which is
carried on chiefly from small jhi'ls and wells. The only large jhils are at
Sissaindi — ^where the water is almost unfailing — and Jabrauli. The cultiva-
tion round the former village is specially fine. Water throughout the
pargana can be met with at a distance of thirteen feet from the surface,
and well-irrigation is more than ordinarily common, amounting to thirty-
seven per cent, of the whole extent irrigated.
The old pargana consisted of sixty-four villages, but by demarcation
they have been reduced to fifty-seven, averaging an area of 805 acres
each.
The population is in density 517 to the square mile, .and Musalmans
amount to only 4'6 per cent, of the whole. In this it stands lowest of any
of the parganas in the district.
The agricultural element is fifty-two per cent. This is also below the
average, and is perhaps due to the presence of Brahmans, who are more
than usually numerous in this pargana.
Of the total area fifty-seven per cent, is cultivated, and the population
falls on this at the rate of 1,005 per square mile. The culturable is high,
amounting to 34'19 of the whole, but 9,890 or forty-three per cent, of this
is under groves. What is left is situated towards the north of the par-
gana, and being largely mixed with usar, will not readily be broken up.
Probably all that is worth much has been taken in hand.
With the percentage of" agriculturists somewhat less than in other par-
ganas their average holdings are large ; they amount to from three and a
half to five acres. The rents are very equitable, and, as might be expected
*By Mr, H, H. Butts, Atsistant Commissioner.
28 NIG
from the nature of the pargana, low. They vary from Rs. 4 to 5 per acre
except for -a few Muraos, who pay Ks. 8-14 per acre.
The summary revenue was ... .•• Bs. ^^'??
The revised demand is ... ... ... )> 48,^50
The revenue falls at a rate of Rs. 2-0-0 on the cultivated, Re. 1-5-0 on
the cultivated and culturable, and Re. 1-1-0 throughout.
It falls lower than any other pargana in the district.
The only two towns, with a population of more than 2,000, are the old
pargana centres of Nigohan and Sissaindi. These two towns are separated
from each other by a distance of some ten miles, and lie at the east and
west ends of the pargana. The former contains 2,306 and the latter 3,104.
Besides these there are seven other towns, with a population of over 1,000.
They are Bhadewan, Bhasanda, Bhandi, Jabrauli, Dayiilpur, Diburia,
Sherpur Lawal.
Schools are established at Nigohan and Sissaindi, at Jabrauli, Diburia,
and Lawal. Its chief bazars are held at Nigohan, Sissaindi, and Dayalpur.
The former, situated on the road to Rae Bareli, is the most important ;
its annual sales are said to amount to Rs. 17,000.
For police arrangements the pargana lies within the jurisdiction of the
station fixed at the Mohanlanganj tahsil.
The two towns of Nigohan and Sissaindi are of importance as being
the old headquarters of the two clans of Janwars and Gautams, who
colonized — the former forty-two and the latter twenty-two villages. It
seems that the latter were much the earliest comers, for their tradi-
tions connect them with' the Bais of Baiswara and the kingdom of Kanauj.
The former came with or subsequently to the Janw£rs of Mau and Khu-
jauli, at perhaps the end of the sixteenth century, and, it is said, drove
out a tribe of Bhars, whose stronghold was on the Kakoha dih on the
village of Siris. The two settlements combined form the modern pargana
of Nigohan Sissaindi.
Both were included in the Baiswara jurisdiction, and the Bais of the
Naistha house claimed to be lords of the soil. Even at as late a date as
1231 fasli, one of the houses transferred the lordship of the pargana of
Sissaindi to Raja Kashi Parsh^d, of whose estate it forms the chief part,
while Thakur Bhagwan Bakhsh, Bais of Kusmaura, successfully occupied
and still holds five villages in Nigohan.
But in the Nigohan pargana, Gautams, inheriting from the Janwdrs,
and the Janwars of Jabrauli kept the rest, though in the end the latter-
were dispossessed by the Khattri bankers of Mauranwan, who farmed
their villages.
Both the towns that formed the headquarters of these parganas are
very old, Sissaindi was founded by Shiu Singh, one of the Gautam
leaders. But to Nigohan some mythic history is attached. It is said to.
have been founded by R£ja Nahuk, of the Chandrabansi line of kings.
And near the village to the south is a large tank, in which the legend says
NIG 29
that the rfija, transformed into a snake for cursing a Brahman, was con-
demned to live. Here at length the PanJu brothers in their wanderings
after their battle with the Kurus came ; and to each as he reached the
edge of the tank to draw water were five questions, touching the vanity
of human wishes, and the advantage of abstraction from the world, put
by the serpent. Four out of the five brothers failed to find answers, and
were drawn under the water, but the riddle was solved by the fifth. The
spell was thus loosened, the raja's deliverer had come ; the P£ndu placed
his ring round the serpent's body and he was restored- to his human shape.
The raja then performed a great sacrifice, and to this day the cultivators,
digging small wells in the dry season in the centre of the tank cQme
across burnt barley and rice and betel nut. Probably the root of the
word Nigohdn, Nag, exists in this legend, which points to some former
Nag worship, and not in the name of Nahuk.
It seems not unlikely that the settlement of Janwdrs in Nigohan was
subsequent to the time of Ak|3ar, forin the A'in-i-Akbari no such pargana
is mentioned.
The tenure is largely taluqdari. ^ The total number of demarcated vil-
lages is only fifty-seven, and of these thirty-six belong to taluqdars. They
are divided between three taluqdars — Raja Chandra Shekhar ofSissaindi,
Thakur Bhagwan Bakhsh of Kusmaura, and Lala Kanhaiya Lai of Jab-
rauli ; but the latter taluqdar belongs more properly to Mauranwan in
XJnao. The remaining villages are pretty equally divided amongst
the Hindu caste, but Brahmans and Chhattris predominate. The
following account is from the settlement report. Raja Kashi Parshad
has since died, and has been succeeded by his abopted son, Chander
Shhekdr.
Raja Kfehi Parshad of Nigohan is one of the six loyal taluqdai-s
who, for their adherence, and the assistance they gave to the British
Government during the mutinies, were conspicuously rewarded by grants
of villages, and a remission of ten per cent, on their revenues.
The rise of this family is recent, and dates from the marriage of the pre-
sent taluqdar into the family of Pathak Amirt Lai, the chakladar. The
Rdja's grandfather was Ld,l Man, a Tew^ri Daman, Brahman of Misr Khera,
and of one of the most honoured Brahman houses, who only give their
daughters in marriage to the Awasthi Parbhakar the Bajpei of Hira,
and the Pande of Khor, Brahman tribes. Lai Man was a banker of
his native town, and rose to be chakladar of Baiswara in 1240 or 1442 fasli
(1833 A.D.). In the latter year he was imprisoned as a defaulter, but
was released on the security of Pathak Mohan Lai, son of Amirt Lai, who
gave him, moreover, Rs. 10,000, and arranged for the marriage of his grand-
son, Kdshi Parshad, with one of his the Pathak 's daughters.
Kashi Parshad is now a great man. He has built himself a fine house
at Sissaindi, and a handsome temple and ganj in the village of Mau, on the
road from Lucknow to Rae Bareli, which he has called Mohanlalganj after
his father-in-law, and which now has become the headquarters of the tahsil.
30 NIG
and gives its name to both the pargana and tahsil. He holds a large
ilaqa consisting of the whole of —
(1) The Sissaindi pargana, with the exception of one village.
(2) Of Mau and Dewa, and the estate of Karora in Mohanlal
ganj, eleven villages in all.
(3) Of Barauna, &c., twelve villages in pargana Bijnaur.
(4) Of Dadlaha, &c„ twenty-five in the district of Unao.
Fifty-eight villages in all, assessed at Rs. 54,989.
The Dadlaha estates he received for his services during the mutiny.
The Barauna estates he acquired by sale. Karora he got by a mortgage
transfer in 1238 fasli (1831 A.D.), the genuine nature of which transac-
tion however is strenuously denied by the old zamindars. Mau and Dewa
were only held on farm. But the Sissaindi estate was acquired through
Pathak Amirt Lai. The proprietary of this pargana is said to have vested
on the chief of the Bais family of Kurar Sidauli, and it was one of the
nine parganas that fell to the Naistha house on the partition of the
Baiswara principality. In 1231 fasli (1824 A.D.), on the occasion of the
investment of Shankar Sahae, grandson of Amirt Lai, with tl)e Brahmani-
cal cord, he induced the Rani Basant Kuuwar, the widow of Raja
Dirgpal Singh, to confer the pargana on him in shankalp.
Pathak Amirt Lai had three sons : — (1) Kundan Li^, whose son wag
Shankar Sahae, whose cord -investment occasioned the gift. The wife of
Shankar Sahae still holds her share in the estate, though subordinate to
the taluqdar. (2) Sitaram, whose share Rsija Kashi Parshad bought
up when he defaulted. (3) And Mohan Lai, father-in-law of Raja
Kashi Parshad. These three all died previous to 1248 fasli (1841 A.D.) ;
and from 1243 fasli to 1259 fasli (1836 to 1852 A.D.), the estate was
held either by the widow of Shankar Sah:'-e or Mohan Lai. This is the
pedigree : —
Bakb^hi Ram.
I
Pathak Amirt Lai.
I
Sitdram. Mohan Lil. Kundan Ldl.
A daughter married to Kaja Shankar Sahae.
Kashi Parshad.
The history of Taluqdar Thakur Bhagwan Bakhsh, of Kusmaura, lies in
the Rae Bareli district, and he only possesses in this pargana of Nigo-
h^n the small estate of Kusmaura consisting of five villages, which he
inherited from his adoptive mother, the widow of Jawahir Singh, Bais.
The Bais's title is. however questionable; there are no records of his
holding at all till 31 fasli (1847 A.D.). But it seems that Nigohdn was
one of the nine parganas of the Baiswfira principality that are said to
have fallen to the Naistha house on the division of Rdja Tilok Chand's
kingdom.
NIG 31
The Bais, however, had no real zamindari here, and the real owners of
the- soil were Gautams and Janw4rs, who were regarded and treated as
the zamindars on the annexation of the province. But the widow of
Jawdhir Singh, the Thakurain Gulab Kunwar, was settled with to their
exclusion on its re-occupation in 1858 A.D., and has been succeeded by
her adopted son, the present taluqdar, a member of another branch of the
family. His estate in this pargana is assessed at Rs. 5,300.
Taluqa of Jabrauli.— The history of L^la Kanhaiya L&l, of Jabrauli,
better known as the taluqdar of Maurdnwan, lies more properly in the
Unao district.
NIGOKAN— Pargana Nigohan SissA.mm—Tahsil Mohanlalganj— ZJzs-
trict LucKNow. — Nigohan, on the Lucknow and Rae Bareli road at the
23rd milestone from Lucknow, lies a little off the road to the right, and
is beautifully surrounded by woods. It was under the native rule, the
administrative centre .of the pargana known as Nigohan, and was included
in the Baiswara division of the province. The name of the town is said
to have been derived from Eaja Nahuk of the Surajbansi line of Ajodhya,
but the tradition is mixed up with the mythology of a snake whose
body the raja, it is said, was condemned to assume, and which dwelt in a
tank to the south of the village. A yearly festival is held to the memory
of this snake, and the origin of the name (Nigohan) probably lies in this.
It is said to have been one of the centres ofBhar rule, and the Bhars were
driven out by Janwdrs, who migrated here from Ikauna in the Bahraich dis-
trict. A generation or two after him saw his line ending in a daughter
who had been married to Luka Singh, Gautam of Kunta Naraicha, royal
dynasty, and Nigohan, with a few villages, fell to him, audit has ever since
remained in his family. It is probably that the Janwdrs did not arrive in
this part of the country till some time towards the end of the 16th cen-
tury. They are nearly connected with the Janwars of Mau, who, it is said,
were adpaitted by the Sbekhs of Rahmatnagar, of the same family as the
Salempur Chaudhris, the owners and occupiers of a great part of the
adjoining pargana of Mohanlalganj during the reign of Akbar. It was
during the reign of this emperor that a pargana was made out of two
tappas, 22 Gautam and 24 Janwfir villages, with Nigohdn as its centre.
As its history will show the population is very largely Hindu. It was an
unimportant division of a revenue circle of the Baiswara division, and
was ruled from Haidargarh maintaining here only a tahsildar and q^nlingo.
The population is 2,306 inhabiting 509 houses, and the Brahman element
in this is very strong. Their principal means of subsistence are the
numerous large groves which surround the village and which have always
been held rent-free. The few remaining inhabitants that are not agricul-
tural follow the ordinary village trades. There is a Government vernacular
school here, and the sales in the bazar amount to 17,500.
In the centre of the village is a small shrine on which offerings are
made on Sundays and Mondays to the eponymous hero of the place, Baba
Nahuk, and the Gautams light in his house a daily taper. And in the
month of Katik there is the annual snake festival at the Abhmiwara tank,
the tank where the snake was thrown off (Abhmiwara). On the bank of
32 NIH— NIM
this jMl is a picturesque grove of old trees in which is a small brick
enclosure dedicated to Mahadeo.to whom offerings are made at this festival,
and amongst other observances milk is poured into a small hole m the
ground probably to the special honour of the snake. Near the grove is a
small hamlet of Ahirs.
NIHXLGAEH CHAK JAIsGLA-^argana J XGDrsvvn— TahsU MusXfir-
KHANA — District SULTANPUE. — This village stands 86 miles west of the'
Sadr Sultanpur on both sides of the Lucknow-Sultanpur road. The vil-
lage Sathan lies six miles north of this. It was founded 150 years ago
by Raja Nihdl Khan, the ancestor of the husband of Rani Sadha Bibi, taluq-
dar of Mahona in this district, on the land of the village Ohak jangla
whence the village derived its name. The mud-built castle, built by Raja
Nihal Khan, was occupied by the tahsildar who resided here up to annex-
ation, but it has been razed since. This village has a police station, and
there is also a Government school. There are 562 mud-built houses,
and only one brick-built belonging to Balmukand, a banker of the Agar-
wala Banian caste, who has acquired the zamindari right in some villages
by mortgage and sale deeds. By the census of 1869, the population amounts
to 2,593 ; of these there are 1,292 males and ] ,301 females. There are three
small brick-built Hindu temples. The bazar of this town contains some
shops of Thatheras (braziers) besides those of the ordinary dealers in
articles of food and clothing.
NIMKHXR OB, NIMSA'R*— Par^ctTOffl Misrikh— TaS^iZ Miseikh-Dis-
trict SiTAPUE. — This town is 20miles from Sitapur, and lies on the left bank
of the Gumti at the junction of the Khairabad and Sitapur roads in
latitude 27°26'' north, longitude 80°3o' east. A third road connects itwitli
Hardoi, and there is good water communication afforded by the Gumti,
which flows down. through Lucknow, Sultanpur, and Jaunpur, to the
Ganges. It is unbridged here. The town is famous for its sacred
tanks, and the traditions connected with them, to treat of which would be
out of place here. Suffice it to say that its origin is buried in remote
antiquity, and no trace remains of the original founders, who they were
or whence they came. The name is derived either from " nawa saranga,"
the forest of holiness, or from nimas, which bears locally the meaning of
the holder of the discus : because it is said that Brahma flung a discus
into the air bidding people to deem holy the place where it fell. It is
a poor place with but 2,307 inhabitants, who are mostly Brahmans and their
dependents. A bazar is held on Tuesdays and Fridays, the annual sales
being but Rs. 18,540 in value.
The tanks and temples are numerous ; of the former those called the
Panch Parag (containing the water of five holy places), the Chakr Tirath,
wherein thousands of pet>ple attend to bathe on Sombari Amawashyds,
the God4ori, the K^shi, the Gangotri, the Gumti, &c., are very famous.
The temple of Ldlta Debi has widespread celebrity. There is but one
mosque. There are the pakka remains, bricks, and blocks of limestone, of
the old Government fort, the residence of an amil under the native regime.
By Mr, M, L. Ferrar, B.A., CS., Assistant Commissioner.
NIR— OEL 33
Here commences the pilgrimage or paikarma described in the notice of
Misrikh, where it is brought to a conclusion. The climate of Nimkh^r is
peculiarly salubrious. Cholera has never been known to appear in it. The
camping gro\md is good, and water is abundant. There are several masonry
and 610 mud built houses. The following is from Colonel Bleeman : —
"This place is held sacred from a tradition that Earn after his expedition
against Ceylon came here to bathe in a small tank near our present camp,
in order to wash away the sin of having killed a Brahmin in the person of
Rawun, the monster king of that island, who had taken away his wife (Seeta),„
Till he had done so, he could not venture to revisit his capital (Ajoodheea).
" There are many legends regarding the origin of the sanctity of this and
the many other places around, which pilgrims must visi^ to complete the
pykurma or holy circuit. The most popular seems to be this. Twenty-
eight thousand sages were deputed, with the god Indur at their head, on
a mission to present an address to Brimha, as he reposed upon the moun-
tain Kylas, praying that he would vouchsafe to point out to them the
place in Hindoostan most worthy to be consecrated to religious worship.'
He took a discus from the top-knot on his head, and whirling it in the
air directed it to proceed in search. After much search it rested at a
place near the river Gomtee, which it deemed to be most fitted for the
purification of one's faith, and which thenceforth took the name of Neem
Sarung — a place of devotion. The twenty-eight thousand sages followed,
and were accompanied by Brimha himself, attended by the deotas or
subordinate gods.
" He then summoned to the place no less than three crores and a half or
thirty millions and a half of teeruts or angels, who preside each over his
special place of religious worship. All settled down at places within ten
miles of the central point (Neem Sarung) ; but their departure does not
seem to have impaired the sanctity of the places whence they came. The
angels or spirits, who presided over them sent out these offshoots to
preside at Neemsar and the consecrated places around it, as trees send off
their grafts without impairing their own powers and virtues."*
NIR* — Pargana GoPAMAU^TaAsiZ Hakdoi — District Hardoi. — (Popu-
lation 2,481, chiefly Chamars.) A rich agricultural village, six miles
south-east from Hardoi. It was founded by Nir Singh, a Chamar-Gaur
in the service' of the Hindu kings of Kanauj, who drove the Thatheras
out of their stronghold at Besohra, and utterly destroyed it. A ruined
mound of brick remains still marks its site.
OEL Pargana Kheri — Tahsil LAKHrMPUR — District Kheri.— This large
village is situated on the road from Lakhimpui to Sitapur, eight miles
west of the former. It lies on a plain of fine clay soil, beautifully cultivated
and studded with trees, intermixed with numerous clusters of graceful
bamboos. The two villages, Oel and Dhakua, adjoin each other and form
a large town, but the dwelling-houses have a wretched appearance, con-
sisting of ruinous mud walls and thatched roofs. There is a handsome
*~" Sleeraan'a Tour through Oudh," Vol. II. pages 4-S.
fBy Mr. A. H. Hariiigton, C.S,, Assistant Commissiouer.
5
34
OEL— PAC
temple dedicated to Mahadeo in the centre of the town, and the houses
are close upon the ditch of the fort, which has its bamboo fence mside the
ditch and mud parapets. This temple was built by Bakht Singh, grand-
father of R^ja Anrudh Singh, the headquarters of whose estate Oel is.
There are two other temples, one of which was built by Ram Din, naib
of the said rija. There are four sugar manufactories, but no market.
Population, 3,003—
Hindfia ... ... 2,6i3 ■ Muhammadans ... ... 360
Male ... ... 1,387 I Male ... ... Ib2
Kemale .. ... 1,256 I Female ... ... 178
PACHHIMRXTH Pargana*—Tahsil BtKAPXj-R— District Fyzabad.— It is
said that an influential Bhar chief, of the name of Rathor, founded the
village of Rath, now known as Rahet, to which he gave his own name.
Here he had his residence, and made his revenue collections. He is also
traditionally believed to have founded another village to the eastward in
the direction of Chiran Chupra, to which he gave the same name and used
in the same way. From that day the one village was known as Pachhim
(the western) Rath, the other Purab (the eastern) R^th, This is the
qaniingo's account. The more likely tradition as to the name is that men-
tioned in the account of pargana Haweli Oudh, and which I obtained from
Mahiraja Man Singh — viz., that at a former period the territory between-
the rivers Gdgra and Gumti was known as Pachhimrath and Pdrabrath.
From the village of Pachhimrath or Rdhet the pargana takes its name.
More than 200 years ago one Bhagan Rde, Bais, whose family history
will be detailed further on, came from Baisw^ra, and founded the bazar
still known as Rampur Bhagan. A Government fort was also there
built, and the Government revenue was thereafter collected there.
This tahsil contained the four zila
subdivisions of Kul Saraon, Achhora,
Asthana, and Bhadaula. There was also
formerly the usual tappa distribution,
and the names of these subdivisions
are marginally indicated, but they have
long been set aside.
The pargana during native rule con-
sisted of 856 townships, of which 50 were
offshoots (ddkhilis). Under the opera-
tions of the demarcation department
these villages were reduced to 467 in
number. Of these 104 villages have
since been transferred to parganas Am-
sai and Mangalsi, to give convenient
jurisdictions, while 52 other villages
added from the jurisdictions marginal-
ly noted, so that pargana Pachhim-
rath, as now constituted, contains 415
townships.
No. of
No.
Name.
town-
ships.
*l
Baheb ...
84
2
Bum ...
72
3
Mehdona ...
56
4
Malahtu ...
70
6
Ankari ...
62
6
Mawal ... " ...
64
7
Kfit-sardon
100
8
Bhadauli ... ...
74
9
Farswi ...
92
10
Pendii
90
11
Ahran
Total
82
856
have, for the same reason, been
Mangalsi.
Haweli Oudh.
Majhaura.
Jagdispur.
Sultanpur.
*By Mr. P. Carnegy, CommissionBr,
PAG 35
This pargana is bounded on the east by Majhaura, on the west by Rudaul'
of Bara Banki, on the north by Haweli Oudh, and on the south by Sultanpur
Baraunsa, of the Sultanpur district. The pargana is intersected by two
unnavigable rivulets, the Madha and the Bisoi. The former stream
takes its rise in the village of Basorhi in the Bara Banki district. The
latter has its source in the Anjar jhil in pargana Sultanpur of the district
of that name. After passing through Pachhimr^th these streams unite in
the neighbourhood of the town of Majhaura, and from that point the river
is known as the Tons, on which stands the station of Azamgarh ; the
stream is rendered memorable by traditionary associations with Ram
Chandra.
There are remains of the former Bhar population in about 32 villages
of this jurisdiction, the chief of these being those
Intgaon. which are marginally mentioned.
Mehdona. ° "^
^^*^*°- The following details embrace such meagre par-
Sardi and Gandor. ticulars as have been ascertained regarding the for-
mer landed proprietors of the jurisdiction —
Chauhans of Ahran. — The family traditions set forth that one Rde
Bhan R^e of this clan, the ancestor of Tahdil Singh and Amar Singh, the
present representatives of the family, came with his followers from Main-
puri to bathe at Ajodhya, some 400 years ago, and ended in replacing
the Bhars and assuming possession of 565 villages, of which however 125
only were of this pargana, the rest being of Isauli, Sultanpur, and Khan-
dansa. Rde Bhan Rae was succeeded by his two sons, Jale Rae and
Dunia RAe, who divided the property equally between them. The estate
of the former of these brothers was swallowed up by the Bhale Sultan
tribe, a century and a half ago. The portion of the estate (62 king's
mauzas) which pertains to this pargana, and which belonged to the other
brother, remained in the proprietary possession of his descendants till
annexation ; they have since lost the Intgaon estate under settlement
decree. The offspring of Rae Bhd.n Rae are still found inhabiting 16
villages, and the revenue they pay under the revised assessment amounts
to Rs. 19,721.
The Bais of Malahtu. — The family traditions have it that some 200
years ago, one Jamuni Bhan Singh, of this clan, the ancestor of Kunjal
and Bhabut, the present representatives of the family, came from Mungi
Eatan, in the provijice of Malwa (the locality whence the Bais of Baiswara
also trace their advent), and overthrew and dispossessed the Bhars, and
increased his estate till it contained 84 villages, including the Kurawdn
and Para Malahtu properties of 42 villages in this pargana, and the Joha-
rrtmpur property of 42 villages in pargana Sultanpur. The 42 Pachhim-
rath villages are now included in 10 demarcated villages, and to these the
descendants of Jamuni Bhan have subproprietary claims; they are
residents of five of them.
The Bais of Sohwal and Burd.— Jagat Rae, of this clan, the ancestor of
Subhan Singh, Autar Singh, and others, now living, came from Baiswara
some 400 years ago, and aided in the suppression of the Bhars. He had
36 PAC
two sons, Rudr SAh and Mehndi'Sah. The former established the Buru
estate of 27 villages, the latter the Mehdona estate of a similar number
of villages. These properties are now included in the estate of Mah^rSja
Sir Man Singh, and in six of these villages only have the Bais anything
resembling a subproprietary position, in some of the others they still
cultivate the soil.
The Bais of Uchhapali.— About 300 or 400 years ago, NewSd Sdh, of this
tribe, the ancestor of Isri Singh and others, still living, came from Baiswara,
and succeeded the Bhars in the management of this estate, which he then
increased to 20 mauzas ^'villages). Newad Skh in his lifetime made over
eight of these villages to his priest, a Tiw^ri Brahman. The offspring
of Newad Sa,h are still in subordinate possession of the remaining 12
villages.
The Bais of Rampur, Bhagan—Tikri, &c., Moti Rae, and Chhote Eae,
two brothers of this tribe, the ancestors of Jaskaran Singh, Bin da Singh,
Saroman Singh, &c., who are still living, came from BaiswAia with a far-
man for 104 .villages, and the office of chaudhri, from Jahangir Shah, and
fought the Bhars, replacing them in the possession of mauza Nitwdri,
Chhatarpur, and 51 other villages of tappa Parsfimi, and 52 villages of
tappa Pindu, including Rampur Bhagan. The office of Chaudhri of tappa
Rahet was also held by the family in the person of the direct ancestor of
Jaskaran Singh, but this office they had lost long before annexation.
This family still holds most of the ancestral property in direct ejigage-
ment with the State, and it is now represented by 411 demarcated yil-
lages. Five other villages had, however, passed into taluqas before annex-
ation.
The Bais of Gandor. — One Chhatai Singh, of this tribe, the ancestor
of Dunia Singh and Dalji't Singh, now living, came irom Baiswara 300
years ago, and took service with some Bhar chief Having afterwards
invited his master to partake of his hospitality, he put him to death, and
took possession of his estate. Chhatai Singh had three sons, Chandi R^e
who succeeded to Gandor, and whose descendants in the present gene-
ration still hold the parent village in their proprietary possession. They
have been named above. Kalian Rae, who founded Kalian Bahadarsa,
pargana Haweli Oudh, and Barsingh Rae, who founded mauza Barsingh
in the same pargana.
From the above details it will be seen that there are no less than five
families of Bais alleging a separate and distinct advent and origin in this
pargana. There are four similar families in the neighbouring pargana of
Mangalsi, and one in Haweli Oudh. I request 'attention to my note on
the Bais of Mangalsi, for the observations there recorded apply equally
here. All these Bais are looked down upon and disowned by the Tilok-
chandi Bais, and I have no doubt that their ancestors were persons of low
origin, who have been admitted within the last few centuries only to a
place amongst the Rajput tribes.
Two taluqas have their centres in this pargana, Khajurahat and Meh-
dona. Of these I now "proceed to give some details.
PAC 37
The Bachgotis of Khajurahat. — Babu Abhai Datt Singh, the present
owner of this taluqa, is the younger brother of Babu Jai Datt Singh of Bhiti ;
both being offshoots of the Kurw& raj. An account of the elder of
these brothers is given ifl the Majhaura history, but some further parti-
culars of the family have since been obtained, and these may as well be
given here.
After the overthrow of Shuj^-ud-daulaatthe battle of Buxar, more than
80 years ago, he is known for a time to have abandoned the neighbour-
hood of Fyzabad, and to have spent some months in the direction of
Rohilkhand. Advantage was taken of his absence by, amongst others,
Dunidpat, the then taluqdar of Kurwar, to increase his possessions by
annexing thereto Khajurahat and numerous other estates of parganas
Paclihimrdth and Haweli Oudh, but, on the return of the Nawab,
the Babu was again deprived of all these new acquisitions. After the
death of Shuja-ud-daula, and in the days when his widow, the Bahfi Begam,
held this part of the country as jagir, B4bu Bari4r Singh a younger brother
of Duniapat, again succeeded in acquiring a property in these parganas,
which paid an annual demand of Rs. 80,000 to the State, and of this
estate he retained possession till 1232 fasli. In the following year, owing
to the Babu's default, the then Nazim Valayat Ali deprived him of his
entire property. In 1234 fasli, the n4zim returned to the Babu the Khaju-
rahat portion of the property, consisting of 26 villages, held on an annual
rent of Rs. 6,000, but of which sum Rs. 4,700 was remitted on account
of the taluqdar 's nankiir. The rest of the estate was settled village by
village with the zamindars, with whom the nazim entered into direct
engagement. This state of things ran on till 1243 fasli, when the then
Nazim, Mirza Abdiilla Beg, made the Bhiti and Khajurahat properties,
consisting of the entife estate that Babu Bari4r Singh and his predecessor
had accumulated, over to the chief of the rival clan of the neighbourhood,
Babu Harpal Singh Garagbansi, the ancestor of the taluqdar of Khapra-
dih. Babu Baridr Singh then fled to the British territories where he
soon afterwards died.
In 1245 fasli, R4ja Darshan Singh became nazim, and during his rule
the sons of Bariar Singh, Babus Jai Datt Singh and Abhai Datt Singh, were
restored to the Bhiti and Khajurahat estates, which moreover were con-
siderably added to. The two brothers divided the family property in
1259 fasli, the elder receiving the Bhiti estate, estimated at one and a
-half share, and the younger Khajurahat, of one share. The former of
these now consists of 81 villages paying Rs. 37,850-10-0 per annum to
the State, the latter of 54 J villages paying Rs. 21,472. These brothers
are highly respected, and I look upon them as amongst the best of our
smaller taluqdars.
The Sangaldipi Brahmans of Mehdona. — According to the family-
records, Sadasukh Pathak was a Sangaldipi Brahman of note in Bhoj-
pur, who held the office of chaudhri. In the general confusion that
followed the overthrow of Shuja-ud-daula by the English in that quarter,
GopaMm, the son of Saddsukh Pathak, left his home, and finally settled in
the village of Nandnagar Chori, pargana Amorha, zillah Basti, about the
38 PAO
end of the last century.' Purandar Ram Pathak, son of Gop&lram, subse-
quently crossed the river, and married mto the
Bakht/war Singh. family of Sadhai Ram, Misr, zamindar of Palia,
Ir,cwil"sh"gh7 ill tbe Fyzabad district* which latter village he
Darshan Singh. thenceforth made his home. Purandar Ram had
Debi Parshid Singh. g^^ ^^^^^ whose names are marginally detailed.
The eldest of these commenced life as a trooper in the old Bengal Regular
Cavalry. Whilst Bakhtdwar Singh was serving in this capacity at Luck-
now, his fine figure and manly bearing attracted the notice of Nawab Saddat
Ali Khan, who having obtained his discharge, appointed him a jamadar
of cavalry, and shortly afterwards made him a ris^ldar.
After the death of Saidat Ali, Bakhtawar Singh secured the favour of
Ghazi-ud-din Haidar, the first king of Oudh, which led to his further
advancement, and to the acquisition of the life-title of raja. This title
was subseqently granted in perpetuity by Muhammad Ali Shah, when he
also turned the Mehdona property into a r&j, under the following farman^
imder date the 13th Rabi-us-sani, 1253 Hijri.
" Whereas the services, intelligence, and devotion of RAja Bakhtdwar
Singh are well known to and appreciated by me, I therefore confer upon
him the proprietary title of the Mehdona estate, to be known hereafter as
a raj, of which I constitute and appoint him the raja in perpetuity. All
rights and interests pertaining thereto — such as sir, sayar j4gir, ndnkar,
abkari, transit dues, &c., as well as a revenue assignment of 42 mauzas,
and some smaller holdings, are also gifted to him for ever. He is, more-
over, considered the premier raja of Oudh, and all the other rajas are to
recognize him as such. All Government dues and revenue from the
villages alluded to are released for ever, and no other is to consider him-
self entitled to share these bounties with the raja.
" The detail of the grant is as follows : —
" 1. Cash ninkar, Rs. 74,616-8-9.
"2. Mu'ifi and jagir lands, 41 villages, and some smaller holdings.
" 3. Sir, 10 per cent. (? of the estate) to be revenue-free.
" 4. S%ar, including the bazar dues of Shahganj, Darshannagar,
and Rdeganj, and all transit duties on the estate.
" 5. Abwab faujdiri, including aU fines levied.
"6. Abwdb diwani, including periodical tribute, occasional
offerings, and fees on marriages and births.
" Bakhtawar Singh then summoned his younger brother Darshan Singh
to Court, and the latter soon received the command of a regiment. This
was followed in 1822-23 by the appointment of Darshan Singh to the
chakla of Salon and Baiswara, and in 1827 to the nizamat of Sultanpur,
including Fyzabad, &c. Shortly after this Darshan Singh obtained the
title of Rdja Bahadur for his services to the State, in apprehending and
sending in to Lucknow Shuidin Singh, Bahrela, Taluqdar of Sdrajpur, dis-
trict Bara Banki, a notorious disturber of the public peace and revenue
defaulter of those days. In 1842 A.D., Raja Darshan Singh obtained
the nizamat of Gonda Bahraich, which he had previously held for a short
time in 1836, and he then seriously embroiled himself with the Kaipal
PAO 39
authorities in the following year, by pursuing the present Maharaja of
Balr^mpur, Sir Digbijai Singh, whom he accused of being a revenue
defaulter into that territory. The circumstances connected with this
aggression of territory are fully detailed by Sleeman at page 59, Vol. I., of
his Journal. The pressure at that time put upon the king of Oudh by
Lord Ellenborough, led to the dismissal from office and imprisonment of
R4ja Darshan Singh, and to the resumption in direct management of the
Mehdona estate, which the brothers had already created. But all these
punishments were merely nominal, for in a very few months Raja Darshan
Singh was released from confinement, retiring for a time to the British terri-
tories, whUe the elder brother, Raj a Bakht^ war Singh, was allowed to resume
the management of the Mehdona estate; and this was almost immediately
followed by Raja Darshan Singh being again summoned to court, when
without having performed any new service to the State, he had the further
title of Saltanat-Bahadur conferred upon him. But the raja did not long
■D-- D- -JT,' o- 1. survive to enjoy these new honours, for within a
Ba]a Ramadhiu Singh, j, i i - j -xi ■^^ r i ■ i
Raja Raghubardayai Sinnh, *6^ weeks he was Seized With an illness from which
and Mahiija Man Singh, he never recovered, and it was with difficulty that
(originally named Haao- ]^q -^g^ Conveyed to the enchanted precincts of holy
mai ing .) Ajodhya where he speedily breathed his last,
leaving three sons whose names are marginally indicated.
" In 1845 A.D., Man Singh, the youngest of these sons, was appointed
nazim of Daryabad-Rudauli, at the early age of 24, and to this charge the
Sultanpur nizamat was also afterwards added. Man Singh soon gained
his spurs by an expedition against the then owner of the Surajpur estate
(for overthrowing whose predecessor, Shiudln Singh, his father, had also
obtained honours, in October, 1830), in the course of which that taluqdar's
fort was surrounded and assaulted, and its owner, Singhji Singh, captured
and sent to Lucknow (see Sleeman' s Journal, page 256, Vol II;. For
this service Man Sing obtained the title of Raja-Bahadur. In 1847 A. D.,
Man Singh was ordered to proceed against the stronghold of the
Gargbansi chief, Harpal Singh. The details of that affair are also to be
found in Sleeman' s Journal, Vol. I, page 144. There are two sides to the
story. The one is that Harpal finding his fort surrounded, and resistance
hopeless, surrendered at discretion and unwittingly lost his life. The other
is that he was betrayed under promises of safety into a conference, and
was beheaded in cold blood. One thing is certain, that the transaction
was looked on in different lights at Fyzabad and at Lucknow. The
local tradition of what occurred is not favourable to the chief actor
in the tragedy, while the service he had performed was thought so
important at the capital, that Qaemjang (stedfast in fight) was added
to the existing distinctions of the young rdja. As an impartial historian,
I am bound to add that I have yet to learn that any fight at all took
place, when Harpal Singh, who was at the time in wretched health, met his
death. In 1855, Raja Man Singh obtained the further honourary titles of
Saltanat-Bahddur for apprehending and sending to Lucknow, where he
was at once put to death, the notorious pioclaimed offender Jaganndth
chaprasi, whose proceedings occupy no inconsiderable space in Sleeman's
Journal.
40 PAC
" Almost simultaneously with the last recorded event, Raja Bakhtiiwar
Singh died at Luckaow. He left a widowed daughter but no son, and on
the evidence of Sleeman, who had good opportunities of knowing (and
who wrote in Februaxy, 1850, while Bakhtawar Singh still lived), he had
previously nominated as his sole heir Raja Man Singh, the youngest of the
three sons of Darshan Singh. The following is a free translation of Raja
Bakht^war Singh's last Will and Testament, now in the possession of the
family of the Maharaja ; — ' It is known to one and all that by my own
unaided exertions I obtained the favour of my sovereign who conferred on
me the title of rdja, th^ proprietary functions of which rank I have to this
time exercised in the Mehdona estate, which was also created by the royal
order into a raj ; and moreover other properties were also purchased or
acquired by mortgage by me, which are held in the name and under the
management of my brothers, Raja Darshan Singh, Inchha Singh, and Debi-
parsh;'id ; and also in the names of my nephews. It had recently hap-
pened that in my old age I had been imprisoned for arrears of revenue,
and although my brother Inchha Singh and others of my family still lived,
it fell to the lot of Man Singh alone to assist me as a son, and by the
■ payment of lacs of itipees to release me from my difficulties. Whereas
the recollection of a man is only kept alive by the presence of offspring,
and whereas I have not been blessed with a son, therefore be it known
that while still in the full exercise of my senses, I have voluntarily adopted
Rdja Man Singh as my own son and -representative, and have made over
to him, with the sanction of the Government, my entire property howsoever
acquired and wheresoever situated, and whether till lately held in my own,
name and management or in the name and management of other mem-
bers of the family. All ray possessions have now been transferred by me
to Raja Man Singh, and his name has been substituted for my own in the
Government records. No brother or nephew has any right or claim agaiast
the said Raja Man Singh, who will be my sole representative in perpetui-
ty. But whereas it is a duty incumbent on me and on RAja Man Singh
to make provision for the other members of the family, both now and
hereafter, therefore the following details are to be followed, so that they
may never suffer from want. At the same time it is incumbent on the said
relatives to treat Man Singh as their own son, taking care that they never
fail to conform to his wishes in all things. Should they fail in doing so,
he has full power to resume their allowances.
" la view to these wishes being carried out this deed of gift (Hibdnama)
has been penned : —
Detail.
!. To my widow ... ... ,., Es.
2. „ Eamadhin Singh ... ... „
3. „ Baghubar Singh and his sons ... ,
4. Inchha Singh and his sons, Ks. 500 per mensem :
and 200 to his sons.
5. To Hardatt .Singh and his brothers and his eo is Es.
6. „ Harnarain Singh
7. „ Darshan Singh's temple ... ...
The Sargaddwar Thakurdwara ,.,
TheEajghat
The Surajkund
8. Certain lands wera also assigned to different persons and objects which'need not
be detailed.' "
. 201
per
mensem
in
cash.
600
f)
11
'9
."iOO
•f
»»
thus, Ks 300 to Inchha Singh,
. 300
per
mensem
in
cash.
liiO
fi
»j
>»
3(i0
If
tt
»»
30
31
»j
91
20
J»
n
»»
10
»
«■
i«
^AC 41
\k ^^^^ Oudh was annexed Raja Mdn Singh was found in possession of
Mehdona, the family property, with a then paying iama, after deduction of
lis. 66,053 n^nkar, of Rs. 1.91,174.
He was At that time returned as a defaulter to the extent of Rs. 50,000
of revenue due to the ex-king. In consequence he was deprived at the
first summary settlement of his entire estate, and sought refuge for a time
in Calcutta. "This did not, however, prevent his offering protection and
tonvoy to such of the Fyzabad officials as chose to accept it, when they had
to flee from Fyzabad, nor did it prevent him from procuring boats for them>
and starting them safely oii their voyage down the river.
The mutiny foiind the raja a prisoner in our hands, and he was
Jfeleased in order that he might protect our women and children. Of
these proceedings the Deputy Commissioner, Captain Reid, at the time
thus wrote : —
" Without Raja Man Singh's assistance it would have be6h quite im-
possible to get. away this large number, and for his good services he well
deserves our gratitude. I was always opposed to the plan of imprisoning
Ihim. He was the only nkan who could have saved Fyzabad aided by our
treasury, and I believe he would have done it."
At a subsequent period the raja was instrumental in saving Mrs. Mill
fend other Europeans, Who certified to his uniform kindness and considera-
tion.
On these services Sir John Lawrence made the following remarks on the
Occasion of his great Lucknow Darbar :—
" You have in my estimation a special daim td honout and gratitudfe^
ihasmUch at the conimencemeut of the mutiny in 1857, you gave refuge to
taore than fifty English j)eople in your fort at Fyzabad, most of whom
Were helpless women and children, and thus, by Ood's mercy, were instru-
mental in saving all their lives."
In the eatlier days of the mutiny, Mahdraja Man Singh remained ha
constant communication with Mr. Gubbins, the former Financial Commis-
sioner, and Sir Gharlfes Wihgfieldj who Was then at Gorakhpur, and he was
an earnest advocate for an advance against EucknoW by the Gogra and
Fyzabad route. So long as there was a chance of such a movement being
carried out, he never wavered in his allegiance to the British Government,
but having previously made it distinctly known that such would of neces-
.sity be the Result if ho such movement was speedily carried out, no sooner
did he hear that the scheme of an advance by the Gogra route had been
abandoned, than he proceeded to join the rebel cause at Lucknow.
During the siege of the Residency, although the Maharaja had com-
inand of an important rebel post, he was in frequent communication with
the garrisofl, and there is little question that had his heart been in the
ret)el cause, he could bave made our position even more disagreeable than it
Was, and colour is given to this belief from the fact, that when Lucknow
fell,' MAn Singh returned to his fort of Shahganj, where he in turn was
6
42 PAC
■besieged by the rebels, and had actually to be relieved by a force imdef Si*"
H. Grant.
On the return of peace, the title of Mahdrdja was conferred on Mdfl
Singh. The estate he possessed at annexation was restored to him, and the
confiscated property of the R^ja of Gonda was made over to him in proprie-
tary title for his senrvices.
In the ^eat Oudh. controversies that have fof several years engaged so
large a share of the public attehtidn, Maharaja Man Singh was the mouth-
J)iece, as he undoubtedly also represented the intellect of the taluqdars ;
and it was for the assistance rendered in bringing these controversies to a
(satisfactory close, that he had so recently been decorated by commaild of
■Her Majesty with the Star of India. The words of the Viceroy on pre-
senting this decoration were these : — " Mahdraja Man Singh, Her Majesty
the Queen of England and India, having heard of your good services ia
various important matters connected with the administration of the pro-
vince of Oudh, has thought fit to appoint you a Knight Commander of
the Most Exalted Order of the Star of India."
It will thus be seen that the Shahganj family is but of yesterday. It
was created by a daring soldier of fortune, and it v/as enliobied by another,
who to courage of an- admittedly high order, added an intellect than
"which there were few more able oi' more subtle.
Since this biography was sketched, the subject of it has been gathered
to his fathers. He died in his 50th year after a protracted illness of
eighteen months, contracted in the over-zealous performance of Onerous
duties connected with the final settlement and cons-olidatioii of the taluq-
dari system of Oudh.
It is a remarkable circumstance that the yeaf 1870 has proved fatal to
&11 the three sons of Raja Darshan Singh. Raja Raghubardayal, the second
son, died on the second May, 1870 ; Mahdrdja Sir M^n Singh, K.C.S.I.,
the youngest, on the 11th October, 1870, and Raja Ramddhin, the eldest,
on the 13th November, 1870. Of these the first mentioned will ever be
remembered with a shudder by the readers of Sleeman's Journal, as the
cruel official devastator of the Trans-Gogra districts. The latter longdevoted
himself with Credit to the management of the family property, but in con-
sequence of a petty zanana dispute he relinquished the charge and
betook hiself for several years to a life of devotion at Benares. He, however,
returned to Oudh shortly before the province was annexed, and since then
the brothers have made Shahganj a fortified town, founded by the uncle
and father, and which is situated 14 miles south of I^yzabad, their general '
residence,
Maharaja Man Singh has left a daughter who has a son, Kunwar Partfib
!Nard,in Singh, to whom it was his intention that his fine estate, which at
present yields a revenue of Rs. 4,32,128 per annum to Government (not
including the Gonda property) should eventually descend, but the will
leaves the property to the widow who is not the lad's grandmother, and
to her is assigned the duty of finally naming the heir.
The will is in the following terms : —
"Whereas- my intentions as to the nomimatlon of any of the youths (of the
family) as my representative have not as yet been finally matured, it is
necessary in the meantime to appoint the Maharani as representative and
proprietrix, that she, until such time as she may appoint a representative,
may remain as my representative and proprietrix, but without the powes.
of transfer. No co-sharer has any concern whatever with my property,
real or personal. I have therefore written and filed this will and testa-
ment, that at the proper time it may take effect. Dated 22nd April,'
1862."
The other brothers, who were men of an- altogether inferior stamp,
have each left several sons, who are supported by the estate.
It is pQpularly averred, with what truth it is hard to say, that on one
occasion Raja Bakht^war Singh intimated his intention of leaving his estates
to R imadhin, his riches to Rughubardayal, and his army to his favourite,
Man Singh. He was asked how the army was to be supported without
property or wealth, and he is said to have replied naively, — " I am no judge
of men, if he who gets the army, does not very soon possess himself of the
estates and the treasure as well." Be the truth of this story what it may,
the Maharaja rested his right and title to the estates on Raja Bakhtawar
Singh's last will apd testament, a free translation of which hgs already,
been given.
The following letters referred to the Mahdrdja's services during the
tputiny : —
" The undersigned being about to leave the escort of Raja Miin Singh,
desire to place on record the high sense they, entertain of the services he
has rendered them.
" When the danger of the. mutiny of the troops at Fyzabad became im-
minent, he came forward of his own accord and offered an asylum to all
the. ladies and children, at his fort of ShAhganj, and his offer was gladly
aiccepted, and eight women and fourteen children of this party (besides
three athers) were sent there.
" Shortly after the emeute took plg-ce they were joined by their husbands,
and Raja Man Singh made arrangements to forward the whole by water
to Dinapore.
"Though the party lost their money and valuables en rpute (this. wa,s
owing to an untoward accident whiqh the rdja could not possibly have
foreseen), the voyage on the whole has been as satisfactory as could be
expected,' and free from the extreme misery and discomfort which other
refugees have experienced,
««■ Without the personal aid of the i-aja, it would have been quite impracti^
cable to get off such a large number of persons (29). There can be no
44 TAG
doubt that under Providence we are indebted to him for our safe passage
to this place.
(Sd). J. Reid, Capt.
„ A. P. Oer, Capt
„ F. A. v. Thuebuen, Capt.
GopAlptje, ) „ John Dawson,. Cap*.
}
The 24:th June, 1857. J „ E, 0. Beadfobd, Ev. Asst.Commr!*
". This is to certify that by the kind assistance of Raja Man Singh, I
and my three children, and also three sergeants' wives, with their familiesy
have been protected, and our lives, indeed, saved.
"When the disturbance took place at Fyzabad my husband. Major Mill
Artillery, had made, as he imagined, every careful arrangement for the
safety of myself and our children, but by some mismanagement and unto-
ward circumstances, of which I know not the cause, it appears he was
obliged to fly without me, though he gave orders for me to be sent for. As I
and the children were hidden and placed under (on the night of the 7th June)
the care of a person who had promised to do everything that was needed
but who proved false to his trust, I did not get a boat till Wednesday, the 9th,
and that was through other people's influence. I proceeded scarcely above
a mile from Guptar Ghat when my boat was stopped by order of the
sepoys of the 6th Regiment Oudh Irregular Infantry, and several came on
board and threatened to kill me and my children unless I immediately left
the boat, which I therefore was obliged to do, I was told that we should be
killed if we remained in the station, and the same fate would also await me
if I took another boat; however I determined to try if safety could be
obtained by water, and engaged a small boat, for which I had to pay 80
rupees. I was taken over to the opposite side, and there again threatened
with death from every one I met, as the Delhi Bfidshah h9,d given orders,
to that effect. We were then put on shore, hurriedly left there,, and all
my property left behind. I wandered from village to village with my
children for about a fortnight, existing on the oharityiof the villagers,
when Raja Man Singh discovered the fact, and most generously took us ^nder
his care, and has been exceedingly kind and attentive, providing us with all
we needed, food and clothing ; and he is now about to send me on towards
Gorakhpur, to the charge of Mr. Osborne, by the request of Mr. Paterson,
I most sincerely hope and trust Government will amply reward the R4ja:
for his uniform kindness to all Europeans ; had Raja M4n Singh not pro-,
tected us we must all have perished, and we are deeply indebted to him
for his great assistance,
"Oudh, | „(gj,) Maria Mill,
" Wife of Major John Mill, A
Population. — The distribution of races
]
" The 7th July, 1857. j " We of Major John Mill, Arti/."
IS«. ::: ::: lt^'\T' ^^ *^^^ p^^g^^^^ ^^ ^« p^^ ^^w^- The
Koris, Kurmis, and Ahirs 1 6 „ residents are mostly agricultural, one-half
Mueaimans „. 7 „ of which are well-to-do, the other half
Other castes ...24 „ being poor. Sixty per cent, of the houses
are tiled. --
PAO
43
Name. _
Souls
1.
Rampur Bhagau
... 550
2.
iCghaganj ...
... 225
3.
Shabganj
... 725
4.
Darabganj, ...
... 415
6.
Dharaiupur ...
... 250
6.
Jaoan
... 350
Trade. — The principal bazars are marginally indicated, and trade is in
the hands of petty dealers who appear to
have few, if any, transactions beyond the
limits of the pargana.
Fairs and shrines. — There are threa
paltry annual fairs in this pargana.
(1). Astik — In mauza Purai Birbal a fair is held for two or three days
in the month of Sawan, in connexion with the feast of snakes (Nag
Panchmi), which is attended by some hundreds of people of the neigh-
bourhood who go to make' offerings at this shrine.
(2). Sitdkund. — In mauza Taron Darabganj a fair is held in Kartik
and Chait, where those of the neighbours assemble who cannot join in the
larger half-yearly gatherings at Ajodhya for the purpose of commemorating
important events in the life of Ram Chandar. The tradition is that Sita
offered sacrifice at this place on her way back from the wilds, and dug the
tank in which the pilgrims bathe to commemorate the event.
(3.) S'Arajhund. — 'In mauza Rampur Bhagan 1,000 or 1,200 people
p,ssemble here the first Sunday after the 6th day of Bhadon to com-
memorate the birth of the sun. During the day salt in every shape is
eschewed, and a strict fast, extending even to abstaining from drinking
water, is maintained from sunset till sun rise the next morning.
PACHHOHA Pargana-^Tahsfll Shahabad — District Hardoi. — Thispar-
gana is bounded on the north by the Shahjahanpur district of the North-
Western Provinces, on the east by pargana Shahabad, on the south by
Pali pargana, and on the west by the districts of Farukhabad and Shah-
jahanpur. The area is 56,280 acres or about 88 square miles, divided as
foUows : —
Cultivated
Irrigated
TJnirrigated
Culturable
UacuUnrable
... 42,8fil
.'• 13,802
... 28,559
... 10,275
... ... 3,644
Total ... 56.280
The soil is chiefly bhiir (sandy). There are two rivers — the Garra
and the Sunsaha Ohanab. There is only one road from Thatheora to
Farukhabad. The Government revenue demand amounts to Rs. 44,284-2-6.
There are 17 schools and two post-offices. The population is 30,420 ; the
number of houses 4,980.
Pachhoha pargana was in the Nawabi, included in Pali. In 1834 the
pargana was named " Pachhoha Dehat," and a tahsildar was appointed
owing to the defalcation of the Pachhoha zamindars. This tahsildar
resided at Bilsar. Pachhoha was formed into a separate pargana after
annexation. The village of Pachhoha lies west of the fort of PaH^ and
hence the name. The zamindars are mostly Panwars,
46 PAH
PAHXRAPUE, Pargana^Tahsil GoTSDk— District Gonda.— This pargana
is bounded on the north by pargana Gonda, on the south by Guwarich, on
the west by Hisampur of the Bahraich district, and on the east by some
villages of pargana Gonda. Formerly it contained only 63,198 acres,
divided into 114 villages, but since the recent survey in 1876, 14 more
villages, with an area of 10,098 acres, have been transferred to this pargana
from Hisampur. Now therefore the pargana contains 128 villages, with
an area of 73,391 acres, or 115 square miles. The surface is level ; un-
culturable land amounts to 7,346 acres, barren laud to 15,026 acres, and
groves cover 3,880 acres. The irrigated land ia 8,095 acjes, or 19 pep
cent., and unirrigated 39,044 acres or 81 per ceiit. There are no forests
within the limits of the pargana.. There are no large rivers. The Tirhi,
which traverses the pargana from west to east, is neither used for naviga-
tion nor irrigation. It does mischief during the rains by inundating the.
villages which border it.
The only crop peculiar to this pargana is diinsi dhan, which is sown in
Baisakh (April) and cut in Sawan (July). It is never in danger of being
submerged by the flood, as it continues to grow as the water rises, so that"
its top is never covered. Water is met with at 6 to 9 feet from the sur-
face. There is no disease peciiliar to the pargana, During October and,
November fever is somewhat prevalent.
The revenue of the pargana amounts to Rs. 93,618-2-0, Rs. 91,328^
being land revenue and Rs. 2,290-2-0 cesses.
The pargana is held chiefly by the rajas of Kapurthala and Singha,
Chanda. The Bishambharpur estate belongs to the heirs of Mah raja Man
Singh.
The villages are thus held : —
Talnqdari ... ,„ .,. „i 8^
Zaraindari ... ... ... ... 55
Fattidari ... .„ ... ,,, 21
Bhayyachara ... ... „, 5
Total ... 166
Including coparcenary tnuhals. i
Th« tribal distribution of property is as follows :- —
Brahman ••• ... .., ... S.'?
Baig Chhattri ... ... ... 12
Kalhans Gbbattri ... .„ ... 9
Miisaliran ... ... ... ... 0
Nanakshabi faqir ... ... ... 8
Chauhan Chhattri ... ... ... S
Gosh&in ... ... ... ... 2
.Tanwar Chhattri ... ... ... 1
Bairagi faqfr ... ... ... 1
Kurmi ... ... .,; .,. I
Total .„ 128 villages.
The total population amounts to 46,990. The numbers of the prevailing.,
castes are as under :—
BrahmaDS „, ... ... ... 7,3I>2
Ahir ... ... ... ... 2,656 •
Kahsr ... ... ... ... 2,629
^UTRO. ... ... ... ,., ^;95^
PAH 47
I,C65
Itodh ,„ ...
Kurmi ... ... ... "; V,ta6
Gosham .„ ... ... „. ,,433
Chhatlri ... ... ... ,.. 1,39s
Vathan .„ ... ... .., 1,351
!?"""'» - ... ... ... 1,285
Gararia ... ... ... ... i,os7
Bliurji ... ... ... ... 1,057
Baniaa ... ... .,. ... 973
kayath ... ... ... \\\ 962
These live in 11,587 houses, all of which ate mud built. The only
masonry buildings are four thdkurdwaras.
As has been before said, there is no other river in this pargana than the
Tirhi which runs only during the rains. Then communication is made by
ferric at the following places :—
Clihoti Ghat.
Kakarlia.
Shah Jot.
Pura Hor).
•Balpui Ghat,
f l^awanpur Ghat.
60
pupils
71
ty
48
If
40
If
47
>t
a3
There is hafdly any traffic. There is a bazar called Katra in this
pargana, which is a cattle market of some note.
Village schools have been established at the following places : —
Muhammadpur, with
Kntra bazitr
Briuwan
Parsa
Dabnagar
Uartpiir
PahSirapUr
There is a registry office at Katra bazar.
Hhtory. — It is said that formerly the headquarters of the district were
in village Lauda, which still exists three miles west of Paharapur. The
country was then in the possession of Nule SAh, a Tharu chief. This was
at the time when Jadhishtir, the hero of the Mahabharath, feigned atHas-
tinapur. Some time after the Tharu line became extinct, and Raja Pithora
of Delhi annexed this country to his kingdom. On the fall of the Hin-
dus at Delhi, and the ascendency of the Muhammadans, Chhitan, a Brah-
man, became lord of it. Nothing further is known till the end of the l7th
century when (1692) Raja Datt Singh, of. Gonda, annexed this country to
his dominions, and gave it the name of Paharapur. Since this time it has
remained in the unihterrupiied possession of the Gonda riijas.
The only famous battle is that fought between Alawal Khan Nazim
and Raja Datt Singh of Gonda, It occurred at Balpur Ghat, cost the
life of "the Nazim himself and thousands of his followers.
♦This is crossed by the road that leads from Gonda to BaJiramghat.
fTtuB ia crossed by the road from Colonelganj to Balrampur. A wooden bridge is only
kept up in the dry weather.
43 PAH— PAI
There is no religious building in this pargana which particularly
Requires notice. The only fair is that held in Phagun on Shiurattri in
honour of Barkhandi N4th Mahddeo.
Katra bazar is the only place in the pargana which has a population at
ovfer 2,000
PAILA Parganctr^Tahsil LakhI'mpur — District Kheri. — Pargaria Paila
includes the old pargana of Karanpur which has lately been joined to it.
It now contains 119 villages covering an area of 105 square niiles. The!
general features and history of the two portions of the pargana — viz., par-
gana Paila proper and the old pargana of Karanpur, which were sepa-
rately assessed, are as foUoWs : —
Pargana Paila proper is bounded on the north by the old pargana
of Karanpur, on the east by pargana Kheri, on the south by pargana
Basara, and on the west by parganas Kasta and Sikandarabad. It contains
59 regularly demarcated villages, comprising a total area of 32,910
acres or 51'42 square miles, with a population of 345 to the square mile;
The cultivated area is 17,649 and the culturable and falloW 11,091 acres
more, or a total assessed area of 28,740 acres, out of 4,170 acres. Of the
unassessable area there are 910 acres under groves, and 32 acres still
released as rent-free grants, which latter have now been sepai'ately assessed
at Rs. 74. There are 4,243 cultivators and 3,419 ploughs, being 1'24 men
and 5'16 acres of cultivation to each plough. Again, the percentage of
the irrigated land is 32 from wells and tanks chiefly. The pargana is
almost entirely free of jungle ; it has much good average loam and clay soils,
and in certain localities a good deal of wet land producing two crops a year.
Owing to some feuds between Raja Lone Singh and Raja Anrudh Singh ot'
Oel, several of the villages, Atwa, Shankarpur, &c., to the north of the!
pargana were destroyed and thrown out of cultivation since 1248-49 fasli,
when Raja Lone Singh got these villages in his lease under the Huzur
Tahsil. Many of these villages were in possession of the R4ja of Oel at
the time. According to Colonel Sleeman's account "Raja Lone Singh got
the lease in March, 1840, and commenced his attack in May." The result
■was, a great fight occurred between him and the Oel raja on the Paila plain,
and Lone Singh is represented to have been beaten back and lost some of
his guns. The Raja of Oel eventually left the villages he held. These vil-
lages are now held by several of the grantees, and are now only beginning
to revive.
la Atwa and Shankarpui" and some others lafge areas are still waste,
but rapidly are being brought under the plough. The soil in these vil-
lages is eveiywhefe good.
The largest jhil is at the village of Kutwa; it is a long nartow deep jhil, with
high and sandy banks on both sides, which prevent the lands being in-igated
from it. After the rains another jhil is formed in the hollow of some low land
lying between the villages ef Rasfilpur and Kishanpur on one side, and
Partabpur and Sajwan on the other side. At certain seasons much of the
waste is available for irrigation, and the flooding from the jhil adds
much to the fertility of the adjoining lands. There are two streams^
PAI 49
which partly form the boundary of the pargana, the Jamwdri on the north-
east and Sarayan in the south-west, but at present very little use is made
of the water of these rivers.
Nature of tenures and number of villages.-^The following are the
varieties of the tenures in the 59 villages of this pargana : —
Taluqdari
33
Decreed to Government
6
Pattidari
2
Zamindari
18
59
These are all khdlsa villages ; of these 48 villages were formerly given over
to grantees. Subsequently Gaya Parshdd, grantee, was allowed to exchange
four villages he held in this pargana for other villages in the Unao district ;
so these and two others have been decreed to Government, the remaining
nine villages are still held by the former proprietors. Paila was formerly
a part of Nimkh^r pargana.
That portion of the Paila pargana which was formerly the Karanpur par-
gana is separated from Haidarabad on the west by a curious range of low
sand hills, with s&l jungle along both bases and a sucession of jhils ; these
at Kaimahra become a river which flows west and joins the Kathna ; for-
merly probably a branch of the Chauka passed down here. After leaving
these hUls the pargana presents the appearance of a flat plain well water-
ed with numerous jhils and large wells. Water is more abundant than in
Haidarabad, but so is usar. After passing the river Jamw^ri the soil is
lighter, but water is everywhere plentiful from rivers, jhils, or wells, which
unlike those of Haidarabad are often stable enough for using leather
buckets. Towards the north the boundary is the Ul for 14 miles, but this
is hardly available for irrigation on account of the height of the banks.
The Karanpur pargana was likewise formerly a part of the Bhiirwdra,
and one of the earliest seats of the Ahbans. The present village (Bhiir-
w4ra) lies a mUe south of the Ul, and the whole way along the banks of
this river to R^mpur Gokul ; remains of old buildings are numerous opposite
Fatehpur Karra; near the latter place there are numerous mouncfe, and
wherever the earth has been turned up large blocks of carved stone, capi-
tals of pitters, friezes, and architraves have been discovered. Silver and
gold coins of the Kanauj series have been found in considerable numbers.
The original zamindars are Ahbans. The Bhdrwara estate was divided
among the jfive sons of Muhammad Husen Khan mentioned in " Slee-
man's Tour." Siathd, with Kupia Murtehar ; belongs to a family headed
by Imdm Ali Kh^n. The Janw^rs represented by the Raja of Oel and
Thakur of Mahewa seized a number of villages between 1840 and 1850.
Simrai, an old village on the bank of the largest jhil in the district,
and several villages round it, then passed into the hands of the Thakur of
Mahewa, who had held the village of Karanpur before.
The Karanpur pargana contained 60 villages covering an area of 54
square miles, principally owned by the Janwars of Kheri, the lords of
Mahewa and Oel ; their occupation is a recent one.
7
50 PAI— PAL
VAILA—Pargana Vkihk—Tahdl LAKHrMPUE— Z)is<m« Khem.— The
town of Paila is built on some high land, looks very dilapidated now, and
is nothing beyond an ordinary-sized village ; the residents being chiefly
Brahmans, Kurmis, Pasis, and Chamars. The returns showing a popula-
tion of 1,613 in 317 houses. No trade seems to be carried on in the town.
PAINTEPUR* — Pargama Mahmudabad — Tahsil BAbi— District SlTA-
PUB. This town lies in about 3 miles west of the high road from Bahram-
ghat to Sitapur, which latter place is 42 miles south-east; latitude
27''14' north, and longitude 81°13' east.
The town is said to have been founded 300 years ago by one Paint Pal,
an Ahban Rdj a of Maholi, and to have been named after him. It is now the
residence of Kazim Husen Khan, who owns estates in the neighbourhood,
and who is cousin of the Taluqdar of Mahmudabad, four miles off. The
population is 5,127, there being about seven Hindus to every Musalman.
The only Government building in the town is the school at which the
average daily attendance is 70. Paintepur contains 1,189 mud-built and
but two masonry houses, one of which latter is the taluqdar's residence — a
substantial edifice.
The local bazar is held on Sundays and Tuesdays ; and inthe month of
December there is a fair at which all the commodities in ordinary demand
are to be purchased. The annual value of all sales is estimated at
Rs. 1,31,060. There is a large community of bankers settled here, in
addition to whom, the Banian element is strong in the town, which on the
whole is flourishing and of considerable local importance.
PALI PargaTiaf — Tahsil Shahabad — District Haedoi. — A light sandy
tract in the south-eastern comer of the Shahabad tahsil, between the
Garra and Sendha rivers. On the east the Garra separates it from par-
ganas Shahabad and Saromannagar, and on the west and south-west the
Sendha from parganas Allahganj (Farukabad) and Katidri. Barwan
adjoins it on the south and Pachhoha on the north. In an area of 73
square miles, of which 46 are cultivated, it contains 92 villages. In shape
it is irregularly square, with a maximum length and breadth of nearly 12
and 11 miles respectively. Its general aspect is thus described in Captain
Gordon Young's assessment note book : —
" The whole, as a rule, is bhiir, not necessarily of one standard, but
generally light and sandy. There are, however, strips of tarai or low-lying
moist lands all along the Garra, and by the sides of the long jhils which
intersect the pargana from north to south. Between these jhils are long
high tracts of bhur, and along the sidesof the jhils and between these ridges
are strips of tar^i. From Palito Sahjanpur all is bhur of the very sandiest,
with numerous shifting sand-hills brought into position by any stump or
scrub which arrests the eddy and thus forms the nucleus of a sand hill. If
vegetation gets a hold on the hillock it is probably stationary for ever,
otherwise the first high wind carries it away to another spot, "
* By Mr. Ferrar, C.S., Asaiatant CommisBioner.
t By Mr. A H. Hariogton, C.S., AsBistant Commissioner.
PAL 61
The villages skirting the Garra though light of soil are the best in the
pargana. In some of them the lands by percolation from the river remain
moist till March or April, so that irrigation is scarcely jrequired. In
others, where the river runs between higher banks and with a narrower
flood-basin, fine crops of opium, tobacco, and vegetables are raised along
the river bank, owing to the ease with which a never-failing supply of
water is drawn from it by lever (dhenldi) wells. To the west of these
villages, with an average breadth of about three miles, runs parallel with
the Garra a belt of high, dry, uneven, unproductive bhiir.
All the villages in this tract have been rated in the third or fourth class.
Here rents are low and wells are few. In some of the villages there is
no irrigation at all. To the west of this tract, and up to the boundary
stream, the Sendha, breadths of dh^k jungle copiously intersected by
narrow marshy jhils, along whose edges cultivation is gradually extend-
ing, alternate with treeless ridges of thinly cropped bhiir. Many of the
jungle villages are fairly productive with average soil and good water-
supply, but in some the soil is cold, stiff, and unproductive, and in almost
all cultivators are still scarce, rents low, and mischief done by forest ani-
mals considerable. In the extreme west of the pargana, as in the east
along the Garra, a narrow strip of moderately good villages fringes the
Sendha. There is not a mile of road in the whole pargana. Cart-
tracks wind deviously from village to village. Along these, except in
the rainy season, a Ught bullock cart (Shikram) can be driven without
much difficulty.
The staple products are b^jra and barley, which, in the year of survey,
occupied three-fifths of the crop area. Wheat, arhar, rice, and gram made
up the greater part of the remainder. Tobacco, opium, and kitchen vege-
tables are raised principally in Pali, Nizdmpur, Amtara, Barwara, Lak-
naur, and Bharkani. The nodular limestone (kankar) is found at Morair
and Behti.
Kent-rates vary from Rs. 10-8 and more per settlement bigha (fths
of an acre) on market gardeners' lands in Pali to nine annas on the
dry uneven bhur. Cash rents prevail ; but here and there payments are
still made in kind.
Sombansi Rajputs hold more than half the pargana; Brahmans nearly
a fifth ; Muhammadans a tenth. Three
villages have been decreed to Govern-
ment. The tenure is zamindari in 56 and
imperfect pattidari in 17 villages ; 19 be-
long to the Sewaichpur taluqa.
Sombanais
...
... 504
Misr Brahmans
.•■
I
Pande
...
... 16
Xirbedi
■•1
... H
Shekhs
...
... 5
Sayyads
...
... 3§
Fath&ns
...
I
Kiyaths (Sribistab)
... SJ
Gosbiios
.•■
1
Government
•*■
... 3
Excluding cesses, the Government
demand is Rs. 37,041, a rise of 47 per cent.
on the summary assessment. It falls at
92 only Re. 1-4-1 per cultivated acre ; Re.
— 0-12-8 per acre of total area ; Rs. 10-8-5
per plough ; Re. 1-13-2 per head of the agricultural, and Re. 1-5-1 per
head of the total population.
.32 PAL
The number of inhabitants is 28,087, or 385 to the square mile. Hin-
dus to Muhamraadans are 25,578 to 2,509, males to females 15,243 to
12,841, and agriculturists to non-agriculturists 20,298 to 7,789. More
than a fourth of the Hindus are Brahmans ; Chamte and Chhattris each
constitute a ninth ; Muraos a twelfth ; Kahars, Ahirs, and KisSns predo-
minate in the remainder.
There are no important fairs. Village schools have been established
at the following places — Pali, Sahjanpur, Babarpur, Madnapur, Sarae,
and Lakmapur.
The only market is at Pali on Sundays and Thursdays.
For some account of the past history of the pargana see Pali town.
The qamingos say that Pali has been a pargana for seven hundred years
i.e., since Shahab-ud-din's conquest. It is probable that if not so ancient
as this, its formation into a revenue subdivision dates at least from the
reign of Humayun. In the A'in-i-AJehari it is mentioned as containing
66,156 bighas, and as paying 12,061,230 dams of revenue, and 36,488
• dams are set down as jagir. No fort is mentioned, but there was a
garrison of 30 troopers, 1,000 foot-soldiers. Ananas (?) are entered as
the zamindars. Pali originally contained the whole of what are now
parganas Shahabad and Pachhoha, and a part of parganas Saroman-
nagar and Katiari.
'PALl*—Pai-gana Pali — Tahsil Skasabati— District Hardoi. — (Popula-
tion 5,122.) ^The chief -town of pargana Pali lies in latitude 27°30' north,
longitude 79° 44' east, and is pleasantly situated on the right bank of the'
river Garra on the old route from Fatehgarh to Sitapur, nine miles south-
west from Shahabad, 18 miles north from Sandi, 20 north-west from Har-
doi, 19 north-east from Farukhabad, 64 west from Sitapur and 90 north-
west from Lucknow. Its general appearance was thus described by Gene-
ral Sleeman twenty-three years ago : —
" The road for the last half way of this morning's stage (along the
Sandi road) passes over a good doomuteea soil. The whole country is well
cultivated and well studded jvith fine trees, and the approach to Palee at
this season (January) is very picturesque. The groves of mango and
other fine trees, amidst which the town stands on the right bank of the
Gurra river, appear very beautiful as one approaches, particularly now that
the surrounding country is covered by so fine a carpet of rich spring
crops. The sun's rays falling upon such rich masses of foliage produce
an infinite variety of form, colour, and tint, on which the eye delights to
repose." — Sleemmns T(mr, Vol. II., page 40.
The Garra here is fordable at Rajghat for about five months of the
year. A ferry is kept up at other times. The river has shifted a good
deal northwards away, from the town within the last forty years.
Local tradition describes the circumstances of its foundation, but does
not furnish any clue to the derivation of the name. The tract' of coun-
By Mr. A. H. Harington, C.S,, Assistant Commissioner .
PAL 53
try of wliich Pali is the centre was conquered from the Thatheras by the
Sombansis under Raja Sdtan before the Muhammadan conquest.
The name may, not improbably, be connected with the P^l dynasty of
Kanauj, from which place Pali is distant only 34 miles.
The founding of Pali is placed by local tradition at the close of the
twelfth century, shortly after the great compaign of Shahab-ud-din Ghori,
and the downfall of the Eathor dynasty of Kanauj. In those days the
country round Pali was ruled from SStannagar (Sandi) by the Sombansi
Raja Harhar, surnamed Shiusal Deo, son of R^ja Satan. The office
of mace-bearer at Raja Harhar's court belonged hereditarily to a
powerful family called variously Gabrs (fire-worshippers) and Kis5,ns.
They lived a little to the west of the present town of Pali on the new
ruined site called Sandi Khera, and enjoyed the revenues of a considera-
ble tract lying round it, known then as Sandi Pali, These Gabrs (or
Kisans) seized the opportunity of the Ghorian invasion to revolt from their
prince, and possess themselves of his dominion. Harhar strove in vain to
recover it. In his strait he despatched Gidm Pdnde, his family priest,
to his brother, a risSldar in the Musalman garrison of Kanauj. At his
request troops were sent from thence under the command of Shekh
Moin-ud-din Usm^ni, son of H^ji SaMr. The upstart Gabrs were crushed ;
Raja Harhar was restored. Shekh Moin-u'1-din, Giam Pande, and his
brother, the risaldar, were each rewarded with a rent-free grant of five
hundred bighas. Settling down on their grants they gradually cleared
away the forest along the river bank, and founded the present town
of PaU. The Brahmans established themselves to the north and
the Shekhs to the south of the site. The former became the chau-
dhris and the Shekhs the qazis of the tract. At this day Shekh
Moin-ud-din is represented in Pali by his descendants Shekhs
Nazir Ahmad, Tajammul Husen, and QSzi Niwazish Ali ; Giam Pande
by Chaudhri Hanwant Singh, and the risaldSr by Chaudhris R4e
Singh, Daride Singh, and Buddhi Singh. Mr. Carnegy (I do not know
upon what authority) assigns a much later date to the founding of
the Shekh colony at Pali under Shekh Moln-ud-din : — " There, about
" 1350, really began the Muhammadan immigration. Shekh Moin-ud-
" din, grandson of a lieutenant of AM-ud-din Khilji, Governor of Oudh,
" stationed at Kanauj, crossed over to Pali and established a colony which
" was afterwards increased by the assimilation of numerous adventurers."
(Notes on Tribes, page 66.)
In the Nawabi, from 1839 to 1854, the ndib or deputy chakladar of
the Sandi Pali chakla, or revenue circle, was stationed at Pali.
There are five muhaUas or wards — (1) the Sliekhs quarter, (2) Qazi
Sarae, (3) the Malik and Pathdns quarters, (4) the Maghrabi or western
quarter, inhabited exclusively by Pathans, and (5) the Hindu town, in
which Pande and other Brahmans preponderate. The Hindu town looks
weU to do, but the Muhammadan muhallas have, for the most part, a
decayed and impoverished appearance. The resumption of rent-free grants,
and the loss of Government service, have been felt here as elsewhere. Out
of 1 055 houses only 32 are of brick. There are two mosques and a
5i PAL
thakurdw&ra. One of the mosques is a very showy' florid structurs, built
recently by Risalddr Imtiaz Ali, the principal Muhammadan resident.
A brick school-house was built in 1865. The school is a village one,
with an average attendanee of 60 pupils. There is a small mud-built
Sarae, which is repaired annually from local funds. At the market on
Sundays and Thursdays grain, ss^lt, vegetables, tobacco, and cloth are
bought and sold. The only shops are those of two grain- sellers, two confec-
tioners and one seller of pan-leaf. A little coarse country cloth is
manufactured.
PALIA Pargana — Tdhdl Nighasan — District Kheei. — This pargana lies
between the Sarda on the south and the Suheli — an old, channel of the
Chauka — on the north ; it is bounded by Nighasan, pargana on the west, by
the Shahjahanpur district and a portion of Naipal on the east. It is 23
miles long and 11 miles broad ; its area is 139 square miles, divided into
50 townships.' Of cultivated land there are 37 square miles. Much of the
arable land recorded as barren being included in the Government forest,
there is really hardly any barren land in the pargana. The level lies gene-
rally very high, quite above the reach of inundation, still it is not so ele-
vated as that beyond the Suheli northwards, and the forest generally con-
sists therefore not of sal but of dh4k, khair, and shisham. Up till 50 years
ago the Sarda ran in the channel now indifferently called the Suheli or
Sarju. Into this fell two streams called the Buri and the Newri, with
its affluent the Nagraur. When the Sarda changed its course more to the
south past Marauncha Ghat, the rivulets above mentioned continued to supply
a scanty stream, which now does not cover a tenth of the channel formerly
belonging to the Sd.rda. The Suheli is a picturesque little stream running
under high banks, and generally fringed with extensive shisham forest; its
breadth opposite Khairigarh is not above twenty yards. In some places,
where the ancient river scoured deeply, its waters are deep, dark, and slug-
gish, but it is generally easily fordable, the depth not exceeding three feet.
It is much used for rafting timber from the Government forests to
Bahramghat on the Kauriala.
The eastern portion of the pargana from Tikaulia lies very high and quite
beyond the reach of floods, but much of it has been cut away recently
by the Chauka. Westward, however, from Tikaulia and Patihan the whole
of the land almost is the alluvial deposit left by the Sarda in its various
wanderings. There are innumerable channels, some dry and sihed up,
others containing stagnant water and treacherous quicksands, others in
which tiny streams still flow over dark quakingmud — all are generally covered
with magnificent crops of the narkul, a gigantic reed, whose waving plumes
of pure white flossy filaments cover acres of ground surrounded by the dark
green grasses and confdrvse. Crossing one of these streams at Tikaulia we
enter a large tract running, up to the north-west, which formerly belonged
to Khairigarh, where the river Sarda ran in the channel above pointed
out. Recently it has been de^narcated with Palia without much reason, as
the entire tract belongs to the R4ja of Khairigarh. It is an extensive
prairie, edged near the rivers with fine shisham woods for many miles. The
traveller on an elephant even will seldom be able to see more than a few
PAL 55
yards on each side, the grass is so dense and lofty that numerous herds of
nil-gde, spotted deer, and black buck — when the grass is shorter — range
over this primeval waste. A few villages, with narrow belt of cultivation, can
be discovered by means of a guide; for such is the density of the vegetation
that the low lands of the peasantry are quite buried in the prairie grass,
and the traveller may be within a few yards of a large village without
being aware of it.
The pargana is not a healthy one. Even villages, which are well situated
on dry and elevated spots far from marshes, seem to be affected by malaria,
as well as those of the low-lying tracts. But, indeed, only about one-fourth
of the pargana, the south-eastern portion, a belt about three miles broad
skirting the Chauka from Marauncha Ghat, really can boast of such con-
ditions of soil, elevation, and climate as conduce to health. To the west
fever and cattle-murrain are frightfully prevalent, the people seem weak
and emaciated, the cultivation is of a slovenly type, rice is the main crop,
and turmeric the only staple to which any labour or pains are devoted.
The population is 20,370, of whom only 1,794 are Musalmans, and only
8,877 are females. The singular disproportion exists in all the Tarai par-
ganas, and is quite unaccountable. It is the most thinly populated of all
the parganas in the district except Khairigarh, falling at the rate of only
146 to the square mile.
History. — The proprietors were originally Katehria Chhattris, and a
number of the villages are still in their possession, but all are deeply em-
barrassed. A number of Pahari Chhattris, relatives of the Raja of Khairi-
garh, were originally lessees under the Rd,ja of Khotdr, the head of the
Katehria clan. At the first settlement for thirty years (in 1839^ these and
others, who have occupied a similar position, were declared to be proprietors
by the British Government. Not however on any title, real or pretended,
of their own, but simply because the pargana was a waste wilderness ;
over it the R^ja of Khotar had exercised titular authority for some years.
These lessees had exerted themselves, and spent money in cutting down
the forest and inducing cultivators to settle in regions which were then
unhealthy, and still more terrible to the people's minds as the haunts of
numerous tigers and wild elephants. The Suheli river, with the swamps
on each side, and the numerous ancient river channels above described,
are still the haunts of numerous tigers. And we can judge how destruc-
tive they must have been in former times by the pertinacity with which
they cling to old haunts, now the resort of a numerous population. Near
Newalkhlr the forest department has its timber depots and saw-mills ;
some famed tiger swamps are in the vicinity ; notwithstaading the pre-
sence of armed men, the bullocks employed in carting the timber are con-
stantly killed ; numerous bands of sportsmen annually move against the
tigers, and in 1870 several were shot by the Duke of Edinburgh.
The following extracts bearing on the condition of the people are taken
from the assessment report : —
" The circumstances of this pargana are very peculiar as appears from
-the history already given.
56 PAL
" The tenure of land is zamindari ; there are no taluqas except fifteen
villages, which were formerly in Khairigarh.
" The other landowners are relatives of the Katehria RSja of Khotar, or
the descendants of the men who took farming leases from the Government
in 1838, and who now have become proprietors. The land was nearly all
waste at that time, and these men were engaged with as the representatives
of the cultivating community ; the terms of their engagement seem very
favourable, and they naturally gave similarly good terms to the tenants
whom they represented. The system of naqshi payment was introduced —
namely, that the tenant paid for each harvest, and if the crop was spoiled
by flood, or destroyed by the forest denizens, the tenant paid nothing.
" The average rate paid by the asami is four annas per bigha rising to
six in a few villages — that is, from eight annas to twelve for the year ; this
becomes Re. 1-6 to Rs. 2-7 for the jaribi bigha in dufasli land, and twelve
annas to Re. 1-3-6 for ekfasli. The local bigha varies in size ; it is in some
places 2^ to the jaribi bigha, but the average is 3 J among lo-n caste asamis.
These rents, considering the quality of the soil, situation of the pargana
between two navigable rivers, and density of the population, are absurdly
low, and are due to the nature of the relation between the landlord and
tenant, which really more resembled those between state lessee and share-
holders.
" I have repeatedly met asamis in the fields who admitted reaping a
harvest of 8-7, and never less than 5 maunds rice per bigha, and who were
paying four annas rent ; now taking the average of above 6 J kachcha
maunds of 18 serg, the whole value of the crop at 39 sers would be Rs. 3,
the lambardar's share at f-ths would be Re. 1-1-3, and the Government
share eight annas. I do not say that all land yields an average of 6^
maunds; all I say is that land which admittedly does so, and which should
pay rent of more than one rupee, pays only four annas, there being very
little dufasli. In other villages the asdmis assured me that whenever the
crop in unmanured land becomes less than five maunds of rice, they
abandoned that land and dug up new.
" It is also clear that the rents are low, because the wealth of the pargana
lies with the asamis ; their cattle, carts, jewellery, clothes, are infinitely
superior to those in the old Oudh parganas, The lambardars, on the
other hand, are very poor and embarrassed ; they receive a very small
margin, indeed, upon the Government jama: many of them have been sold
out. It is abundantly evident that these rents are wholly abnormal, and
cannot be used as a base for the rent rates of a thirty years' settlement,
during which for the first time the lambardars, who were formerly only
lessees, and fettered by Act X., will be able to treat their tenants as they
please : because they themselves are at last formally recognized as proprie-
tors, and the cultivators are now formally declared by the Oudh Rent Act
to be tenants-at-will. Indeed, the lambardars have already commenced
to exercise their new powers— not by raising the old rents upon the
old staples, but by imposing disproportionably high rates upon new
staples.
PAL— PAN 57
" Turmeric, for instance, has either been introduced, or its cultivation
largely extended since annexation ; in most villages it grows everywhere and
will on poor sandy soil. It pays one rupee to twenty annas per kachcha
bi'gha ; the as^mi grumbles ; he says that only exceptional prices make it
pay ; but he holds on, making up such losses by his gain on cereals. Now
there is absolutely no reason for this turmeric rate, five hundred per cent,
above the grain rate.
" Turmeric has only one advantage, that is, that wild animals do not eat
it, but really the danger from this to any crop is a mere trifle — nothing to
what occurs in Kukra, Mailani, Aurangabad, Srinagar, and other parganas.
During three weeks' residence I only saw five nil-gae in the pargana. In
Srinagar I have killed seven in a morning. Turmeric is a most difficult
product to prepare, the expense of boiling down the roots is great, the
value of the produce after deducting cost of preparation is by no means
more than that of fair crops of rice, and I have no doubt that this now
exceptional rate is really very little above what will prevail over the
whole area, when the relation between the landlord and tenant have
settled down. Precautions have been taken to protect any men who
had acquired a right to hereditary tenancies before the inclusion of the
pargana in Oudh, but hardly any have claimed. When I asked the land-
lords why rent was so low, I received complaints of asamis, of cattle
disease, and of unhealthiness ; but in all these matters the pargana is far
better than Khairigarh, where the tenants pay much higher rents, eight
and ten annas the kachcha bigha."
PALIA — Pargana Palia — Tahsil N1GH.4SAN — District Kheei. — A town
from which a pargana derives its name in the district of Kheri, is situated
two miles north of the Chauka river, and 112 miles north-west from Luck-
now. Latitude 28°26,' longitude 80°37'. There are two Hindu temples
in Palia. It has a market twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Articles of country consumption are sold. There is only one masonry
well, and no masonry house ; the place is very liable to fever, partly from
the bad water ; it belongs to a Kateria Chhattri. The place is of modern
foundation. Population, 4,204 —
Males f AdDlt ... .,. ... ],606
*^^'®' i Minors ... ... ... 704
P , ( Adult ... ... ... 1,268
Females ^ ^^^^^^ '^^g
PANDRI KALA'N — Pargana Harha — Tahsil Unao — District Unao. —
It is 10 miles soifth-east of the sadr station. Two miles south of it there
is an unmetalled road between Unao and Rae Bareli districts through
tahsil Purwa.
It is related regarding its foundation that two brothers, Borhii Pande
and Hari Pande, Brahmansby caste, were in the service of R^ja Jai Chand,
of Kanauj, and each of them laid the foundation of a village, naming it
after himself by the permission of the raja. It is so called because it was
founded by the elder brother. The soil is clay and sand and surface level ;
neighbouring country delightful. There is no jungle, but mango trees in
8
68 PAN
abundance. The climate good, water sweet, but some wells are brackish.
There is one temple of Sagreshwar Mahadeo here. There is now a school
here numbering 75 pupils, of whom 71 are Hindus and four Muhammadans.
There are two markets weekly, but no fair. Total population, 3,852.
Hindus 3,792, composed as follows : —
Brabmans
Chhattris
Kayaths...
Pasi ...
Ahirs ...
Other castes
1,975
Ml.
71
120
265
1,361
Muhammadans 60; temples 7, Shiwalas 4; platforms dedicated to
Mahadeo 3.
The annual sale of goods in the bazar amounts to Rs. 9,060; —
Houses ... ... ••• ... .•• '53
Mud-built ... ... ... ... ... 749
Masonry ... ... ... ... .•• 4
PANHAN Pargana* — Tahsil TuBW A— District Unao. — Pargana Pan-
han, in tahsil Purwa, district Unao, is bounded on the west and north by
pargana Purwa, on the east by pargana Mauranwan and the district of
Rae Bareli, and on the south by the river Lon. Its greatest width is three
miles and greatest length four miles, and the total area is 12,168 acres;
and population, according to census of 1869 A.D., 7,997 souls.
Hindu.? ... ... ... ... 7,769
Muhammadans ... ... ... ... 986
The cultivated area bears but a small proportion to the total area, being
only 5,281 acres ; but is well irrigated ; the irrigated area being 4,227 acres
and the unirrigated area 1,054 acres. The land devoted to cultivation of
rabi crops is about double of that devoted to kharif. The pargana com-
prises 23 mauzas (townships), of which 9 are taluqdari and, 14 mufrad. Of
the taluqdari mauzas (villages) none are held by under-proprietors. The
iiikasi kh4m (gross rental) is at present Rs. 27,629, and of this Government
takes Rs. 16,809.
The surface of the pargana presents no striking features, and is a level
plain except at the extreme south, where there is a slight inclination to
the bed of the river Lon. There are no jungles, and but few groves through-
out the pargana, but.babiil trees grow plentifully along the line of villages
near the Lon on a tract of land where formerly salt was extensively
manufactured. This trade has, however, disappeared as a private enterprise
under British rule. The Lon indicates by its name that the land through
which it passes is highly impregnated with salt. It flows from west to east
passing the villages of Kdkori, Baijuamau, Mirwan, Parsanda, Dainta,
Bhagwantpur, and Biyaspur. The stream scarcely deserves the name of
river. The flow of water is but scant when greatest, and the bed of the
stream is completely dry in many places in the hot weather. On the Rae
• By Mr, W. Hoey. C.S,, Assistant Commissioner.
PAN -PAR 59
Bareli side of the pargana and lying between the villages on the east of
this pargana, and the nearest villages of Rae Bareli, is a very large jhil,
named the Sudna Talab. The shape of this sheet of water is a horse-shoe,
the convex side being towards Panhan. This tank is one of the largest
in this and the adjoining pargana on the Rae Bareli side. It is well stocked
with saur, parhan, sahri, and other fish.
The history of this pargana is meagre. The earliest known occupants
were the Bhars, one of whose rajas is said to have borne the name of Pann,
and to have ouilt the town of Panhan, giving it his name. The remains
of an old fort are discernible in the vicinity of the village of Panhan, and
are said to be the remains of the ancient Bhar stronghold. About 1,600
years ago Silivahan came with his army to Shiurdjpur in the modem
district of Fatehpur, and halted there to bathe in the Ganges. Abhai
Chand Bais and his brother, Pirthi Chand, were with S^livdhan. The
former advanced and crossed the Ganges, attacked the Bhars, and defeated
them at Panhan. Abhai Chand added other dominions to his conquest,
and Panhan formed part of the large domain known as Baiswara.
PANHAN Village— Pargana Panhan — Tahsil PuEWA — District Unao.
— Panhan lies 24 miles south of Unao on the country road form Unao to
Rae Bareli. The river Lon runs two miles to the north. The town was
founded 2,200 years ago by the Rdja Pann, chief of the Bhars, from whom
it derived its name. It is well situated among groves, good water, and fertile
soil. A celebrated faqir named Muhammad Shah resided here. There is a
vernacular school attended by about 50 boys. Fairs are held in January
and March in honour of Muhammad Shah, each attended by about 4,000
people. Sweetmeats made at this place are remarkable. Population is
2,773, of whom 800 are Brahmans and 130 Musalmans. There are two
temples to Mahddeo and one to Debi. The sales at the fairs amount to
Rs. 24,000 annually.
Latitude ... ... ... 26°25' north.
IiODgltade ... ... ... 80°54' east.
PARXSPUR XTA* — Pargana GuwXeich — Tahsil BEGAMGXm— District
GoNDA. — A very large straggling village in the Guwdrich pargana on the
country road between Nawabganj and Colonelganj, 26 miles from the
former, and 10 from the latter market, and 15 miles south-west of Gonda.
Adjoining, and in fact making one village with it is Ata. and the joint
population is returned at 7,107. It is almost entirely Hindu, and contains
no remarkable castes or religions ; on the boundary of the two villages is
a flourishing school where rather over a hundred boys imbibe instruction
in Hindi, Urdu, arithmetic, and the elements of algebra and euclid.
The houses are almost without exception of mud, and in Paraspur itself is
a small bazar, open twice a week for the wants of the neighbouring rus-
tics, and acting as a dep6t for as much of the export produce of the sur-
rounding villages as does not find its way to one of the larger bazars. The
town was founded nearly 400 years ago by Raja Paras Ram Kalhans, the
only surviving son of the iU-starred chieftain whose destruction by the
• By Mr. W. C, Benett, C,S., Assistant Commissioner.
60 ' PAH
Gogra wave has been recounted in the district article. His descendant,
the present Eaja of Pardspur, and chief of the Kalhans of GuwArich, still
resides in a large mud-house to the east of the village. The Babu of Ata,
representative of a younger branch, and with a separate estate, lives in
A'ta, a n'ime accounted for by the following curious legend. Bdbu Lai
Sah, the first of his branch. of the family was out hunting near Paraspur,
he met a faqir eating what appeared to be carrion. The holy man
pressed him to join, and his repugnance yielded to hunger and a dread of
the curse which was promised to his refusal. To his surprise it turned out
to be excellent wheat flour (Xta), and at the faqir's bidding a pot fall of
the deceptive flesh was buried under the doorway of the fort which L^l Sah
was building.
PAEASRXMPUR.— Par^awa FATTi^Tahsil PAm— District PartAB-
GARH. This "place was founded by Parasram, a Goshain. The road from
Bela to Badsh^hpur passes a mile from this village. It is six miles from
Bela and close to the river Sai. There is alleged to have been a fort here
belonging to Madan Singh Bfiis, a subject of the great Gahilwar Raja
Manik Chand ; he revolted. Alha and IJdal were sent against him ; the
R^a seized and imprisoned them ; but their wives Sona and Blola raised
a force, conquered the Raja, and released them. There is a temple of
Chauharja Debi here, at which cocks and pigs are sacrificed. There is a
fair in honour of Chauharja Debi at which about 6,000 people assemble.
Population 329.
PARIAR Pargana. — Taksil Unao — District Unao. — Thispargana is bounded
on the north by Safipur, on the east by pargana Unao, on the south by
Sikandarpur, and on the west by the Ganges, which separates it from the
Cawnpore district of the North -Western Provinces. The pargana is nine
miles long by five broad, and its area is 36 square miles or 23,040 acres,
divided into 42 mauzas or townships. The soil is chiefly loam and clay,
and the pargana produces wheat and barley of the first quality. The prin-
cipal stream is the Kalyani, which falls into the Ganges. Water is found
32 feet from the surface. There are many acres of groves, chiefly of mahua
and mango. There are three bazars. Salt earth is to be found in small
quantities. There are two lakes in the pargana, viz., Mahna, beside the
village of Pariar, which is about two miles long and half a mile broad, and
Bhedeona, in the village of the same name, about a mile square. The
principal village is Pariar on the Ganges, which is held sacred by the
Hindus, and is separately noticed. The land revenue amounts to
Rs. 29,403, which gives an assessment of Re. 1-4-6 per acre. *
The tenure is as follows : —
Taluqdari ... .,. ... ... 1,529 acres.
Zamindan ... ... ... ,., 13,576
Piittidari ... .. ... ... 7,759 „
The population is 15,717. of whom 8,173 are males. The people are poor,
and, as a rule, involved in debt. The principal fair is that held on the
Kartiki Pliranmashi at which 100,000 people assemble.
PAR OL
Tiaditicn iVates that there was foin.erly a jurgle Ltie. In the Ticta
Yog, or second age of the world, Lachhman, by order of his brother Raja B am
Chandar, of Ajodhya, turned out Rani Sita on this land ; hence the name
of the pargana from the Sanskrit word " Parhar," to turn out, or let go —
i.e., divorce — afterwards corrupted into Pariar. .In 595 A.H. (1187 A.D.),
Hewanchal Singh, a Dikhit Thakur, came here with an army from the
north, conquered the Lonias, then zamindars of the pargana, and founded
the village of Pariar. In 1785 A. D., 28 villages were taken from Sikandar-
pxir and Safipur and formed as pargana Pariar.
PARIAR — Pargana Pariar — Tahsil Unao — District Unao. — LiesinLati-
titude 26°44!' north, longtitxide 80°22' east to the north-west of Unao, at the
distance of 14 miles. An unmetalled road connects it with Rasulabad. The
river Ganges runs past the village towards the south. There is a lake by
name Mahna near this village. The origin of the name is given in the
pargana article. Riip Singh, Bachhil, was a man of note here in the time of
Mian Almas Ali Khan. He built a fort and a ganj or walled bazar at this
place. A tahsildar resided here during the Nawabi. There is one general
market, and a cloth market twice a week in Daulatganj. There is now no
sarae, thuna, or tahsil. There is no jungle near. The climate is good. The
population amounts to 2,693, of whom Brahmans are as many as 638, and
Musalmans only 117. There is a great bathing fair on the Kartiki Puran-
mashi, attended by 100,000 souls. The market and fair realize about 1,522
rupees only. There are 589 mud-built houses and two masonry. There
are six Hindu temples.
Tradition relates, when Raja Ram Chandar was performing the sacrifice
called Ashwamed Jagg, he loosed the horse Shyambaran, and announced
that whoever caught- it would thereby signify a wish to make war with
him. Kus and Lav, the sons of the ruja himself, seized the horse in the
jungle of Pariar, and thereupon a great fight ensued. In a temple at
Pariar there are to be seen up till the present time a number of arrow heads
said to have been used by the contending parties, and they are also some-
times picked up in the bed of the river. There is a temple in honour of
Sri B^lkaneswar Nath Mahadeo on the Ganges built by Lav and Kus,
and one to Jfinkiji or Rani SIta.
PARS AND AN — Pargana Gorinda Parsandan — Talisil Mohan — District
Unao. — Parsandan is 12 miles south of Jhalotar Ajgain and 14 north-east
of Unao. In the king's time it was headquarters of the pargana of the
same name, but since the establishment of British rule Parsandan has been
joined to pargana Gorinda, and made a part of tahsil Mohdn. A
metalled road from Lucknow to Cawnpore passes through this part of the
country. There is nothing certain known about the date and circum-
stances connected with its foundation. It is said that in early days there
was a dense jungle in the vicinity, and the heroic Paras Rdm, the sixth
incarnation of the deity, performed his penances here; date unknown.
There were some traces of his place of worship left which induced Raja
Ugrasen to come from the other side of the Jumna, and he cleared the
jungle, and founded the present town. It is supposed to have taken its
G2
PAR
name from having been theVesidence of Paras Ram The soil is principally
clay There is a pleasing variety of hill and hollow round this town.
There is no iungle. Climate healthy and water good Some 500 years
ago there was a great contest between Himmat Smgh, ancestor of the
present possessors, and the Subahdar of .the king of Delhi There are still
ruins of an old fort built by Himmat Singh. The population is divided
as follows : —
Hinilua.
Musalmann,
Total.
Brahman
1
None.
l,u48
Chhattris
... 64
Koiis
... 102
Ahirs
... 178
Others
... 703
Total ... 1,048
There ar 191 mud-built houses.
Latitude ... - ... ... »6o42' north.
Longitude ... ... ... 80o46' east.
PARSHXDEPUR Pargana—Tahsil SxhOis— District Rae Bareli.— This
pargana formerly in the Partabgarh district lies north of the Sai ; its area is
fifty-four square miles or 34,691 acres. The population is 33,037 or 612 to
the square mile, almost entirely Hindu— 3,722 are Brahmans, 2,811 are
Chhattris, 5,576 are Ahirs. Chhattris hold forty-two out of the sixty
villages. The Kanhpurias are only fifty-two, showing that they have
recently spread into this pargana ; the Gautams are 2,350.
There are sixty villages now in Parshadepur held' as under : —
Gautams ... ... ■•• ••• ■•. '*
Kanhpurias ... ... ... ... ••• 28
Muhammadans ... ... ... ••. ••• 6
Brahmans ... ... ... ■•• ••• •'
Others ... ... ... ... — •■■ ?
Jungle grant villages .., ... ... •■■ 2
60 villages.
This pargana had no existence as such till about 1190 ^fasU
(A. D. 1783); it was part of the Nasirabad pargana given in Jagir to
the Bahti Begam. In her tenure Parsh^depur and Ateha were constituted
as parganas. Another account gives Sikandarpur as the old name of this
pargana, and Pars, a Bhar chief, is said to have called it Parshddepur.
The Bhars were driven from here as from other places by Muhammadans,
whose traces are found in the names of villages as Rashidpur, Mohi-ud-
dinpur, and Dil^warpur, &c. The Pathanswere ejected through the instru-
mentality of a Kurmi, named Ddsi, who it is said became a Moslem, and
gaining influence at the court of Delhi, acquired a grant of the pargana.
Dasi was himself killed and succeeded by some Gautam Rajputs, who
are still in the pargana represented by R^e Mahipal Singh, Taluqdar of
Bara, and other owners of six independent villages.
PAR 63
The place, Parshadepur, is really the mingled village sites of some four
villages— m^:., R^mpur, Ahora, Launsari, Songna, and Shahdbpur. There
is no village called Parshddepur. A force used to be quartered there
under the native government of Oudh. When the country was annexed
Salon was the name given to a district, and the headquarters were placed
at Kashwapur in this pargana on the bank of the river Sai, Upon the
mutiny breaking out the civil officers went to Rdja Hanwant Singh's fort
of Kdl&kankar, and thence to Allahabad. The Ndin taluqdars, true to
their character of pestilent marauders, signalised themselves by seizing
the earliest opportunity in the mutiny to plunder right and left.
PARSHXDEPUR — Pargana, Parshadepur — Tdhdl Salon — District
Rae Bareli. — This place was founded by a Bhar chief, Raja Pars, on the
road to Salon. The river Sai flows a mile to the south ; it is twenty miles
from Rae Bareli. It is alleged that the name of this place was Sikandar-
pur in ancient days. The population is 4,319, of whom the Hindus are
2,645 and Musalmans 1,674. There are 48 masonry houses, five temples to
Mahadeo, six mosques, three im^mbaras, and one vernacular school. There •
is a bazar called Khud^ganj ; the annual sales amount to Rs. 5,000.
PARTABGANJ Pargana — Tahsil Nawabganj — District BarA Banki. —
This pargana is botmded on the north by villages of the Fatehpur tahsil,
on the east by villages of the Ram Sanehi Ghat tahsil, on the south by
pargana Satrikh, and on the west by pargana Nawabganj. Its area is
fifty-six square miles or 35,751 acres. The cultivated soil amounts to
24,288 acres, the culturable to 3,776 acres, and the barren to 6,339
acres. The irrigated area amounts to 10,212 acres and the unirrigated to
15,296. The Kalyani skirts the pargana on the north and east. Its length
within the limits of the pargana is about six miles. This stream does
neither good nor harm. Water is met with at from six to twelve feet. The
metalled road to Fyzabad passes through this pargana. There are no
manufactures of any note. The land revenue amounts to Rs. 64,293-1-6,
falling at the rate of Rs. 2-5-1 per arable acre. The fifty-four villages of
this pargana are held under the following tenures : —
Taluqdari ... ... ... ... ... 36
Zamindari ... ... ... >.. ... IS
Pattidari ... ... ... ... ... 13
Total ... 54
The pargana is held by Rajas Sarabjit Singh and Farzand Ali Khan,
Chaudhrain Sahib-un-nisa, Hakim Karam Ali, Wdjid Husen, Ghulam
Abbas, Naipal Singh, and Amjad Husen. The population amounts to
38,556, the high castes number as many as 6,000 ; other castes number as
follows :— Ahirs 3,139, Kahars, 2,304, Naos 889. Schools have been estab-
lished at Partabganj, Safdarganj, Rasauli, Udhauli, and Malpur. There
is a post-office at Safdarganj. Police posts are at Jalalpur and Maktaura,
There is no registry office. A fair held at the end of Asadh, in honour of
Nag Deota, at mauza Machhad, is attended by about 11,000 persons ;
milk and rice are offered. The pargana takes its name from the principal
64 PAR
town. In the village of Pindra a battle was fought between the king's
men and the Mahmudabad taluqdar.
PARTABGANJ — Pargomoit, Paktabganj — Tdhsil Nawabgastj — District
Baea Banki. — This market town lies in latitude 26'°65' north, longitude
81°20' east, at a distance of five miles east of Nawabganj on the Fyzabad
road. It was founded on the land of Rasauli village by Rae Partab
Singh, a royal official, about 150 years ago. The market days are
Mondays and Fridays. This ganj was very prosperous during the Nawabi,
but now it presents the aspect of decay. There are two large jhils close
to the village which in the season are covered with ducks, &e.
Dhdn Singh, a banker, built a masonry tank and wells here during the
Nawabi, Since then MatMin, Halwdi, has constructed a masonry tank
on the road side at a cost of Es, 10,000, There is a branch school at
this place.
TAR
65
PARTABGAEH DISTRICT ARTICLE.
ABSTRACT OF CHAPTERS.
I. — Physical features. II. — Agriculture and Commerce. III. — The
PEOPLE. IV. — Administrative features. V. — History.
CHAPTER I.
PHYSICAL FEATURES.
Fosition— Boundaries— Area and population — General aspect— Soil— Fertility— Water
— Climate — Bainfall^-Natural drainage— Prevalent diseases — Vegetation — Rivers —
Watershed — Lakes — Animals.
Rsition. — The Partabgai-h district lies between 81° 24' and 82° 29'
of east longitude, and 25° 33' and 26° 10' parallels of north latitude,
having an extreme length of 70 miles, and an extreme breadth of 41 miles.
The area is 1,444 square miles, the population 7,82,681 souls. It is at
an average altitude of 300 feet above the sea. There are no moun-
tains.
Boundaries. — It is bounded on the north by the conterminous district
of Sultanpur, of which the adjoining parganas running from west to east
are Amethi, Tappa Asl, and Chdnda, on the west by the parganas of Salon
and Parshadepur of Rae Bareli. The Ganges running south-east and
dividing Oudh from the Allahabad district of the North- Western Provinces,
is the boundary of the district as far as the village of Jahanabad. This
adjoins the village of Kadwa in the Allahabad district. Here the bound-
ary line takes a north-east direction, and runs up very irregularly to the
Gumti river, conterminously with the Allahabad and the Jaunpur districts
of the North-Western Provinces. The Gumti, across which lies the Alde-
mau pargana of Sultanpur, forms the boundary for four miles only.
Thus the district adjoins the districts of Sultanpur and Rae Bareli in
Oudh, Fatehpur, AUaihabad, and Jaunpur in the North- Western Provinces;
its area, internal divisions, and population are shown in the accompanying
table. : —
Parganas.
1.1
II
= 1
635
68
AREA IK
Bextish
SQUARE
MILXS.
Population.
"a
sa
jl5
1
1^
a
as
ft
1
i
■3
I
Partabgarh
Ateha
Total
365
79
192
41
198,902
42,228
20,875
2,415
112,454
22,197
107,323
22,446
279,777
44,648
§19
565
703
434
233
241,130
23,290
134,651
129,769
264,420
609
66
PAR
Parganas.
AKEP IN
BKITISH
SQUAKB
MILES.
POPDI.ATI0V.
3,5
•i
Eh
1
i
3 a)
217
1
ii
■a
s
1
1
3
a
Patti ... ... )
Dalippur ... J
Bihdr ...
M^nikpur ...
Dhingwas
RSmpur
Total
District Total
Prisoners
Europeans
Eurasians
Grand Total
816
468
206,633
16,540
116,940
107,233
223,173
477
si
237
120
148
191
228
36
99
179
108
16
44
79
107,695
45,152
45,042
73,777
11,874
6,688
1,946
3,795,
59,913
26,466
23,510
38,931
59,666
26,383
23,478
38,641
119,469
50,849
46,988
77,572
624
1,412
475
433
696
542
247
697
271,566
23,303
147,820
147,068
294,878
643
2,216
1,444
719,329
63,133
398,411
384,060
782,471
542
...
•'■■'
•••'
;.
:;.'
137
13
15
32
5
8
169
18
23
...
2,216
1,444
697
719,329
63,133
398,576 884,105
782,681
542
This statement is taken from the census report, and does not quite agree with later
calculations, the details of which are not procurable.
The present district of Partabgarh then contains three tahsilg and
seven parganas. Up to 1869 the district contained nine parganas — namely,
Salon and Parshadepur — in addition to those in the foregoing table. The
area in acres was 11,09,072.
Correction in area. — This total of acres gives a superficial area of 1732'8,
or in round numbers 1733 square miles, showing an increase of nine square
miles over the area given by the settlement survey. The error in that
calculation being the result of the omission of the areas of the jungle grant
estates which were surveyed by the revenue surveyor, but were not mapped
by the field survey establishment. The jungle grants, as they are styled m the
records, lie in parganas Partabgarh and Salon only. They constitute
twenty-eight mauzas, of which twenty-three belong to the latter pargana
and five to the former. All these small estates were formed almost
entirely out of waste lands appertaining to certain villages confiscated
in 1859. The cultivated areas having been conferred in reward on various
loyal subjects, the uncultivated portion was stripped from the villages, and
reserved for the purpose of waste land grants.
Under the recent territorial re-distribution of the fiscal divisions of
Oudh, the Partabgarh district has been deprived of one of its four tahsils,
the two parganas of Salon and Parshadepur having been transferred to the
adjoining district of Rae Bareli, and the Ateha pargana (which with the
other two made up the Salon tahsil) having been added on to the Kunda
tahsil. By the loss of these two parganas the area of the district , is
diminished by 280 square miles and 347 mauzas ; the former population
was 936,0.53.
Present jurisdiction of the Deputy Commissioner of Partabgarh. — The
present jurisdiction, therefore, of the Deputy Commissioner of Partabgarh
PAR 67
extends over an area of 1,444 square miles, embracing 2,214 mauzas, with
a population of 782,681 souls. In point of magnitude the Partabgarh
district now stands eleventh of the twelve.
Oeneral aspect. — The general aspect of the Partabgarh district is that
of a richly wooded and fertile champaign country. The ordinary dead level
is here and there relieved by gentle undulations, and in the vicinity of the
rivers and rain streams by ravines and broken ground. The southern por-
tion of the district in the more immediate neighbourhood of the Ganges
is perhaps more densely wooded than other parts. In places may be seen
unculturable lisar and reh impregnated plains. These, however, do not
extend over any considerable area. For the most part rich and varied
cultivation, with magnificent groves of mango, mahua, and other trees comr
bine to form a pleasing landscape, into which the neatly built villages and
hamlets of the population enter with no small effect.
SoU. — The soil of the district is light, but at the same time veiy fertile.
The prevailing soil is known by the name of " dumat" — i.e., two earths.
It may be said to be argil and silica in thorough combination. Dumat
degenerates into the poor sterile stuff known as " bhtir," where the
sand too largely preponderates over the mould. Such localities, are the
uplands near the Ganges, Sai, and Gumti. The stiff and rich loamy soil,
styled " matiar," is in this district to be found, chiefly in the vicinity
of large swamps or jhils. In such places, where there is a sufficiently
rapid evaporation of the rain water, magnificent crops of wheat and
sugarcane may frequently be seen; but, unlike the ordinary soil of the
district, considerable labour and strong cattle are required to prepare the
land for the seed.
Fertility. — The soil, though fertile, bears evidence of exhaustion through
want of manure and faUow seasons. The latter condition has, I fear,
ceased to be regarded as an essential to successful farming by the agricul-
turist of this district. The root of the existing complaint, that the present
yield is not equal to that of former times, lies in the fact that, under the
native rule, a field was seldom tilled for more than two or three years in
succession. In the third or fourth year, a plot of waste was broken up
(on which a nominal rent only was assessed), while the old land was
allowed to lie fallow. A succession of rich harvests was the consequence.
Now, however, owing to the greatly increased number of the cultivators,
and the proportionately enhanced demand for land, caused by the closing
to the country of the outlets of military service, feudal retainership, and
the many other occupations incidental to the native dynasty, competition
steps in and prevents the resting of a single acre. With respect to manure,
I think a. growing appreciation of its v^lue is discernible ; at the same
time it is far more difficult to procure than formerly.
Water. — The water obtained from the wells is for the most part sweet
and good. In several villages, however, it is found to be brackish and
strongly impregnated with the saline properties of the circumjacent sali-
ferous lands. It is in these villages that the finest and most luxuriant
tobacco is grown, generally on old village sites. It is asserted, and I
believe not without truth, that in certain wells in which the water is ordin-
68 PAR
arilysweet,a change is sometimes perceptible, ^^^^ .^^Jer for a season
becoming brackish, but subsequently resuming its normal condition, ims
may pSly be attributable to subsoil percolation, after the absorption of
WeCantfties of surface moisture ; but the solution of the problem^, if
problem there be, is worthy the attention of the analyst.
Water stt«»?«.— Abundance of water, both for irrigation and domestic
purposes, existf as a rule throughout the district.^ The exceptions are
ordinarily in localities bordering on the banks of rivers and nalas where,
owing to the sandy nature of the subsoil, mud wells are found to be im-
practicable, and the building of masonry wells is attended with consider-
ably greater expense than elsewhere. There are no less than 9,947 masonry
wells in working order at the present time, of which 3,146 have been con-
structed since the annexation of the province. This represents an aver-
age of between three and four wells to each village m the district. Mud
wells are innumerable, and are sunk annually as required, the cost being
trifling. The average depth at which water trickles is 25 feet, ihe
range of distance varies from 11 to 80 feet.
Glwnate, temperatv/re.— The clim&te of the Partabgarh district is com-
paratively temperate, and is decidedly salubrious. The maximum heat in
the hottest months is less,! believe, than that experienced in the adjacent
district of Allahabad to the south of the Ganges ; while the climate of the
cold season, which ordinarily extends from the 15th October to the 15th
March, can hardly be said to be surpassed by any climate in Europe:
The readings of the thermometer in 1869 shows a mean range of 297
degrees, and for the following year, 1870, a mean range of 301 degrees.
Taking both years together, the maximum range was 43 degrees m April,
1870, and the minimum range 17 degrees in August, 1870, the same year
exhibiting both extremes.
Rainfall— The average for 1864-1868 inclusive was 36 inches; the
average of the twelve years ending with October 1st, 1875, has been 37-3
inches ; three years have shown drought, 1864, 1868, and 1873 ; three have
shown excessive rainfall ; only two have had the moderate rainfall, 35 to
46 inches, which when properly distributed generally results in a bumper;
crop.
Average fall of rain in Partabgarh district.
Years. Inches.
laet
26 0*
1865 ... ... ... - 300
1866 ... ... ... — 350
1867 ... ... ... ••• 52 I
J868 ... ... ... " — 260
1869 ... ... ... ... 441
1870 ... ... ... ... 56-8
1871 ... ... ... — 590
1872 ... ... ... ... 29M
1873 ... ... ... ... 26 0
1874 ... ... ... ... 33 2
1875 ... ... ... ... 360
Average for 12 years ... 37 3
*Ciroa.
PAR
69
The accompanying table exhibits the rainfall for the last two years of
drought, 1868 and 1873. It will be noted that the entire rainfall was
not scanty ; the distribution was capricious and unusual, and there was no
rain during the individual months, in which it is much needed for agricultu-
ral purposes. There are four rainfalls, each of which must be propitious
to secure a good harvest. First, the June riins, the former rains as they
may be called. In 1873, there was under a quarter of an inch, not enough
to moisten the earth for the plough and to water the early rice. Second,
the main monsoon, which commences in July and ends at the beginning
of October. This was sufi&cient in both years, but the fall in September,
1873, was only 6"6 inches, and it ceased too soon — viz., on September 15th.
Thirdly, the latter or October rains, which are required to water the late
rice, and moisten the land for the winter ploughings ; these were wholly
deficient in both years Fourthly, the January-February rains, which
were wholly wanting in 1869, and in 1874 were under half an inch.
Speaking broadly, then the rains commenced well in 1868, badly in 1873,
They ended with a good fall in 1868, but too soon ; in 1873 they were
scanty for the last month, and ended still earlier in September. So far
1873 was much worse than 1868 ; then there was absolutely no rain in
either year from October till January. In February, there was no rain
in 1869, and not quite half an inch in 1874 : —
1868.
1873.
liainfall from .Tune 1st to October 1st
29-4
28-7
„ from October 1st to December 3lst
0 0
00
„ in June ...
3-2
02
„ in September
9-7
6-6
„ in October
0-0
0-0
Date of rain commencing ... ... ...
June I6th.
June 21st.
,, of rain ending
September 23rd
Sept. 13 th
Rain in Janijary-Kebrnary of ensuing year
0-0
04
Natural drainage. — The large admixture of sand in the soil of this
district favours a rapid absorption of moisture. At the same time, a
large share of the superabundant water is carried off by rain-streams,
some of which, when swollen, assume formidable dimensions, and acquire
a very considerable velocity. Thus the district may be said to possess an
excellent natural drainage, which no doubt exerts a highly favourable
influence on its general salubrity.
Prevalent diseases. — Of purely endemic diseases, intermittent fever,
skin diseases, and ophthalmia are perhaps the most common. In the cold
season of 1868-1869, the district suffered from an epidemic of small-pox,
which was immediately followed by a severe and general outbreak of
cholera. These epidemics, if they did not originate in, were doubtless
rendered more virulent by, the death 'and distress, which resulted from
the total failure of the autumn harvest of 1868, and the partial failure of
the spring crops of 1869. The intermittent fever above alluded to is
most prevalent at the close of the rainy season, and generally disappears
with the thoroughly cool weather and westerly winds of November.
While attributable to malaria, the disease is doubtless kept alive by debi-
70 PAR
litating influences, such as a trying exposure to alternate cold, damp and
hot sun ; the constitutions of the poorer classes being at that season un-
aided by sufficiently stimulating nourishment.
Vegetation. — There is no lack of vegetation in this part of the country^
Trees, both large and small, low brushwood and grasses abound. The
fine umbrageous groves of the mango and mahua in this and the adjoin-,
ing districts, often the growth of centuries, cannot fail to impress the
traveller with admiration. It was at one time apprehended that these
old trees were in many places falling under the axe, without at the same
time any attempt being made to replace them by fresh plantations. This
led to the subject being taken up by district and settlement officers.
The result of my enquiries in this district, extending over nearly three
years, is highly re-assuring. The wooded area, so far from being dimin-
ished, is gradually extending.
The mango (Magnifera Indica). — Of cultivated trees the mango largely
preponderates. In the Kunda tahsil and the Ateha pargana mahua groves
are numerous ; but in the remainder of the district it is the exception to
meet with a grove of any other tree but the mango. It is largely planted
by all, and has hitherto been most religiously preserved by the Hindus.
It is one of the five trees, which they are taught to regard as sacred. They
are brought up to consider as a meritorious act the planting of a mango,
but the cutting down or destruction of it as a species of sacrilege. This
feeling is, however, losing force amongst them ; several instances having
recently come under my notice of high caste Hindus felling their mango
trees, and selling the timber. The sale of mango groves also is far more
common than it was a short time ago. Nevertheless, the propagation con-
tinues to outstrip the destructive agency ; and as the operation of the latter
is very gradual, no very appreciable difference as regards the removal of
the older trees will be apparent. The wood of the mango is of a light colour
and soft. It is largely used for building and for fuel. It is also employed for
a variety of common purposes. In building, the wood of the mahua is,
however, greatly preferred by those who can afford it, being more lasting
both in respect to the ravages of insects and the action of wet. The fruit
of the mango ripens in May, and is in season until September. It is
extensively consumed by all classes, and is so abundant as to be within
the reach of the poorest. As a further instance of the gradual change of
ideas in the Hindus of the present day, I may mention that the fruit of
the mango, the sale of which was formerly almost unknown, has now
become a regular market commodity. Zamindars and taluqdars alike, many
of them no longer entertain the slightest repugnance to turn their orchard
produce into money.
. The Tnahua (Bassia latifolia). — As previously stated, the mahua
is principally found in the western half of the district. The flower
withers in March and April and drops from the tree during the night.
It is then collected and carried away in baskets. Of this tree Mr.
King writes : — " There are found to be in the four tahsils the large
number of 434,570 mahua trees. These represent a valuable pror
PAR 71
perty, and as, save in very exceptional instances, I have not assumed
them as an asset of revenue, I look on them as a considerable
resource in bad years and other times, upon which the m%uzar can fall
back. If we assume every tree to produce twenty ' sers' of dried flower,
this, at the price at which mahua has sold for the ' last four years — viz.,
li maunds per rupee — would represent a sum of Rs. 1,44,856. It is
largely used for the distillation of spirit, and, when plentiful, is given
to cattle. As a rule, the mahua crop is not good save once in three
years. The seed of the mahua (which succeeds the flower from which
the spirit is made), is extensively used for the manufacture of oil for
burning ; and the failure of the mahua crop is usually followed by a
high price of oil throughout the year in which the failure occurs."
The tamarind {Taniarindus Indica) and other trees, — That most
graceful and beautiful tree, the tamarind, is everywhere common, toge-
ther with the shisham (Dalbergia sissoo), the tun {Cedrela toona), siras
{Acacia speciosa), j6mun (Eugenia javibolana), gular (Ficus racemosa),
and nim {Azadirachta Indica). It is dotted about throughout the groves
of the district. The wood of the tamarind is used for fuel only. The
jamun and giilar come in most usefully in the construction of the " niwar"
or wooden supports of masonry wells. The wood, of the shisham and tun
are expensive, and are only accessible to the wealthy few. The latter is
highly esteemed for furniture, and the former in the manufacture of
bullock carriages, or " batals" as they are called. The nim is prized for
its medicinal properties. Its seeds yield an oil which is used chiefly as a
therapeutic, although the poorer classes burn it in their houses. The
disagreeable odour it emits is its principal drawback. The wood of the
nim is somewhat soft, but enters largely into the manufacture of small
articles of domestic use. Who has not heard of the " nfm-ka-miswak"*
or famous native tooth-brush, which is said to exert so beneficial an effect
on the enamel of the Indian ivory 1 From the older trees there exudes
at times large quantities of sap of exceedingly bitter taste. This is care-
fully collected by the people, and is used as a tonic in cases of boils and
other skin eruptions.
The kathal or jack fruit tree (Artocarpus integrifoUa) and other fruit
trees. — The kathal or jack fruit tree occupies a high rank in the estima-
tion of the people. The fruit is much sought after, and in the season the
price varies, according to the size, from two pice to one rupee each. Other
fruit-bearing trees — such as the barhal {Artocarpus lakoochay), shahtfit or
mulberry {Morus Indica), bel (./Egle marmelos), karaunda {Canssa cara/n-
das), and dmla, or as it is commonly pronounced aonla f {Phyllanthus
emblica) — are all more or less~common; while the orange, lemon, guava,
pomegranate, and other finer fruits, find a place only in the gardens of
the wealthier zamindars and residents in large towns.
* Mr. Elliott, iu his chronicles of Oonao, mentions a curious circumstance in connection
with this subject— wii,, that the Haikwar is alone of all Rajput clans forbidden the use of
the nim tooth-brush.
t Also called i'hillanthus emblica^ of the natural order Euphorbiacese.
72 PAR
Trees of wild and indigenous growth.— Oi purely indigenous trees, the
plpal* (Ficusreligiosa), bargad {Fwus Indica), pakar {F%cm wosa) amil-
tas (Gai^siafistula), chilbil (C/Zmus vntegrifolia), kachnSr {BauhAnm),
bakAin (Meliaazedarach), sahijna or horse-radish tree {Mor%nga pterygo-
aperma), sihor, of stunted growth CTroi^/m a.9pera) are perhaps the
most conspicuous. The wood of the pipal is chiefly used as fuel m brick-
kilns The resin or gum, which exudes from the bark, is collected and
manufactured into ths "churis" or bracelets wcrn by native women
Elephants, camels, and other animals browse on the leaves ot the. pipal
and bargad. The glutinous substance found inside the seed-pod ot the
amiltds is a very old and much valued medicine in the hakims pharma-
copoea. The chilbil yields a white pretty looking wood, which is some-
times used for making plough bullock-yokes ; but it is fragile and in
consequence but little esteemed. The kachndr, when in full blossom,
affords a beautiful spectacle, while the flowers emit a fragrance which is
almost overpowering. The natives pluck the buds just before they burst
into flower, and eat them either raw or prepared as a condiment. The
bakain and sahijna call for no particular remark beyond that they are
exceedingly ornamental trees. The leaves of the sihor are consumed by
the cattle, who regularly strip ojff the smaller branches, and thus no doubt
cause the tree to bear that close-cropped stunted appearance which it does.
Dhah {Butea frondosa) and r^s (Adhatoda vasica) brushwood.-'
The small patches of jungle which are now left in this district are princi-
pally composed of dhak and r us brushwood, interspersed with the thorny
makoe (Solanum nigrum), dehra, wild karaunda, and sihor. Around most
of the old forts of the taluqdars, these thorn bushes were grown so thickly as
often to form a dense and impenetrable thicket for several hundreds of yards.
The dhak sometimes shoots up into a large tree. I recently came across one
which was not less than 40 feet high. The root of the dhd,k, or " chheol" as
it is also called, furnishes a coarse fibre, wherewith ropes are manufactured.
Buffaloes are fed on the leaves. The rlis is extensively employed in the cons-
truction of the fascine-like supports of mud wells. The smaller branches are
exceedingly pliant, and are worked round .and round in a sort of neat triple
plait. The leaf is held to possess high qualities as a manure, and is scat-
tered over the fields just before the rainy season commences. It is thea
worked into the soil with the plough, and left to decay with iJie moisture,
and form mould. As fuel it is almost exclusively used in the process
of boiling down the cane juice, and is collected into large heaps some
days prior to the Cutting down of the sugarcane.
The bamboo {Bambusa arundinacea). — The bamboo, though to be
met with in abundance in this district, can hardly I think be said to be
* In his chronicles of Oonao.Mr C. A.Elliott, C.S., writes: — "There are five saorecl trees
among the Hindus — the 'pipal,' the ' giilar,' 'bargad,' ' pakar,' and mango. Of these
the ' pipal' is far the most reverenced. A good Hiniu, who on a journey sees a ' pipal'
tree on his road, will take off his shoes and walk round it from right to left (pardaohna),
and repeat this verae —
. " Mule Bramha, tuclie Bishan, Sakha Biidr Maheshiiran, sir madhe basat Gajiga,
patre, patre DewanS,m, Brichh Raj n9nia8tnt<?.
" The roots are Bramha, the bark Vlshiin, the branches are the Mah&deos,
" In the bark lives the Ganges, the leaves are the minor deities.
" Hail to thee, king of trees I "
PAR 73
indigenous to it. In the northern parts of the province it forms, I
believe, extensive jungles. It is one of the most ornamental, as it is one
of the most highly prized natura,! products of the country. To attempt
to detail its various uses would be tedious. For thatching purposes, for
baaghy poles, in the manufacture of umbrellas and baskets, and for many
other common purposes, it possesses a special value.
Tke wild aloe (Aloe spicata) (Agave, vivipara). — The khetki or
" kathi chingar," one of the aloe tribe, is now chiefly grown as hedges to
keep out cattle. It yields a strong fibre, which was formerly much used
in the manufacture of rope and coarse matting. Where hemp (san) is
procurable, however, the aloe is at a discount, as the process of making
rope and matting from the former is far easier than from the' latter. la
the district jail many of the prisoners are employed in turning the aloe
to account in the manner abovementioned, as tolerably hard labour is
demanded to beat out a certain amount of fibre in an allotted time.
The senhur (Epicarpus orientales) and other plants. — The senhur,
a plant of the euphorbia tribe, also forms excellent hedges for the preven-
tion of cattle trespass and for the protection of young trees. It is every
where common. The madar (Galatropis Hamiltoni) is generally regarded
as an ill-favoured weed ; but it has its uses notwithstanding, for Valuable
medicinal properties akin to those of the ipecacuanha plant are ascribed
to it. That queen of poisonous plants, the dhatura (Dhatura alba),*
with its lovely bell-shaped flower, is but too common in the district.
Although it possesses so evil a reputation, it is permitted to flourish
unmolested up to the very doors of the houses. The flower of the " har-
singhdr" (Nyctanthes arbor tristis) is carefully collected and dried in the
sun, after which it is steeped in water and simmered over a slow fire,
when it produces a brilliant yellow dye. This dye is not so much
esteemed, however, as that yielded by the cultivated " kusam" or safflower.
The pahn. — There are but few palm trees left in this part of the coun-
try. They have gradually died off, or been cut down, and have not been
replaced. Some fine trees are still to be seen in the neighourhood of
Manikpur. The Khajdr or date palm (Phoenix sylvestris) and the tar
(Borassus fiabelli/ormis) are the only two varieties known to this
district.
Grasses. — Of grasses and ridges there are several varieties. Those most
esteemed are the dfib.-f- (the sweetest and best of all, and which, when
carefully tended, is equal to English lawn grass), the janewaa-, the moth4+
the senwei, the danura, and the makraili, of prostrate grasses. The
senwei and danura come up and are reaped with the rice crop. Of
standing grasses, the sarpat, the sentha, the gandar, or tin, the kILsa, and
the kus are the best known and most useful.
* The " kSla dhatura" (^Datura fastuosa) is also tp be met with, but is not so common.
It js the more powerful poison of the two.
•f Scientific name Agrastio linearis.
i Scientific name Cyperus rotundus.
10
74 PAR
The sarpat (Saccharum moowja).— The " sarpat" grass is chiefly found
along the banks of the Ganges, and to some extent by the sides of the Sal
and other streams. It delights in a light sandy soil, and attains to a
considerable height in the cold weather. When in full flower, in the
month of November, it is highly ornamental. The uses to which this
grass is put are numerous, and it forms, where grown to any extent, a
really valuable property. Each plant possesses three separate parts, each
part being known by a distinctive name, and applied to a different use.
The leaf or blade is called sarpat, and is used for thatching. The upper
and tapering portion of the stem, for about three feet or so, is incased
within three wrappers or sheaths. This goes by the name of sirkl, and
comes into use in the manufacture of winnowing fans, sieves, &c., and for
the coverings of carts in the rainy season. The wrappers or sheaths are
called " miinj,"* and of these when thoroughly dried and beaten out,
twine and matting are extensively prepared. Lastly, the- flower even
comes into play, being tied into bunches and figuring as the domestic
broom.
The gnndar or tin grass (Andropagan muricatu7n,)f and the "Kdsa"
XAndispoya murieatum). — From the root of the gandar or tin grass is
obtained the scented fibre called " khas," of which the cooling apparatus
known by the name of tatties are made. The upper joint of the culm of
this grass is styled " sink," and from it are manufactured numerous small
articles of domestic use, such as fans, grain baskets, &c. The tin or
leaf is called the sarpat, also used for thatching purposes ; but is greatly
preferred to the latter being thicker and more impervious to wet. The
kdsa is a less esteemed grass. It is, however, made into coarse string
occasionally.
The kus grass. — Thekus possesses no practical utility that I am aware
of A blade of kus grass is made the accompaniment by Hindus of any
gift offered to a Brahman. In the month of October (Kudr), when the Hindu
head of the family makes his yearly oblation of water to his ancestors, he
always makes a point of wearing on the third finger of each hand a ring
made out of kus grass ; and it is this kus grass which has given the name
to the tenure known as "kushast shankalp," the literal meaning of kushast
being through the medium ofhus.X
Rivers. — The rivers of the district are the Sai, the Ganges, and the Gumti.
The principal river is the Sai, which traverses four-fifths of the length of
the district. This river, which is never perfectly dry, rises in the Hardoi
district in Oudh, and running through that and the adjoining district of
Rae Bareli, enters Partabgarh between the Partabgarh and Kunda
tahsils, and, with innumerable sinuosities, maintains a south-easterly
course through the Partabgarh into the Patti pargana, where it leaves
the district and enters Jaunpur. It is finally united to the Gumti some
* The munj of the " khajhwa," a species of '• sarpat" peculiar to the 'banks of the
Ganges, is of no use wliatever.
t Pallaria ziraina of Linvaus. — Vide Drury's plants of India, p. 38.
j Kui grass, hast, the hand, the grass passes from one hand to another, as does the
tenure, hence the name.
PAR 75
twenty miles south-east of the town of Jaunpur. The Sai runs chiefly
between high banks at a considerable depth below the level of the
adjoining country. It seems probable that this depth was greater for-
merly, as the quantity of soil carried into the river is very great, and
must be gradually raising the bed to a level with the surrounding coun-
try. The regular working of the annual rains in the alluvial lands of
the Gangetic valley, to bring the surface irregularities of the soil to an
uniform level, must have struck every one who has been for any length
of time conversant with that part of the country. This river is navi-
gable in the rains, as is also the Gumti all the year round.
The Gumti forms the boundary of the Patti pargana for a distance
of about five miles only, quite in the north-east corner of the district,
where it abuts on the borders of the adjacent district of Sultanpur.
To the south-west again, in an entirely opposite direction, flows the
Ganges, separating the lands of parganas M6nikpur and Bihdr from the
neighbouring North- Western Provinces territory, for a distance of some
forty-four ^miles. It leaves the district at a village named Jahanabad,
in the Bihdr pargana, about eighteen miles above Allahabad. The two
rivulets — called the Chop and the Du^r — empty their contents into the
Ganges.
Watershed. — Regarding the watershed of the district, Mr. King writes: —
" Nearly the whole of the watershed of the district lies towards the
river Sai, which is thus in the rains a considerable stream. It receives
the waters of several tributary rivulets, among which the Gogra, Lon,
Sakarni, Baklahi from the south, and the Udepur and Mangapur nalas,
the Chamrowa and Puraiya, the ndlas at Diwanganj and Parhat, and
the Pili nadi from the north, are the most considerable. The district is,
in fact, the basin of the Sai river. It is not till the immediate neigh-
bourhood of the Ganges is reached that the watershed lies towards
the south."
Lakes. — There are many natural lakes, mostly small and more usually
known as jhils or tanks ; but some are of considerable area, and in the
height of the rains measure some miles in circumference, and cover large
areas with shallow water. The lakes of Behti, Nanera, and Rohenia are the
most considerable of these. The surface accumulations of water are
prettj' evenly distributed over the district, but are seldom found near the
banks of the Ganges or the Sai. The drainage afforded by these rivers
naturally causes a scouring ofthetep soil, and this, carried on through cen-
turies, has now removed much of the loamy deposit which formerly covered
with a uniform coat the surface of the Gangetic valley. The sand,
which underlies the loam at no great depth, is unable to retain the water
which is carried off through the soil into nalas and ravines whence it finds
its way into the stream. Where the clay or loam exists, the water is
retained, and, as said above, this is pretty fairly distributed over the dis-
trict in wide and shallow lakes. To attempt to deepen these considerably
would be to defeat the purpose they now serve, for if the excavation were
continued to the sand that lies below, the whole of the water would pass
76 PAR
away into the eartli and be lost ; they average aTaout three feet deep, but
are practically of no use for navigation or transport.
Wild anvmals. — It is hardly to be expected that there should be many
wild animals in a district so highly cultivated ; nevertheless wolves stiU.
exist in the ravines and grass nalas, and frequently commit depreda-.
tions on the flocks of the shepherds. Their numbers are yearly diminishing^
and, with the continuance of the imperial grant for their destruction, will
soon become a thing of the past. During the last ten years 256 wolvesi
have been destroyed, while the total sum paid in rewards has amounted to
Rs. 740. For a full-grown animal from Rs. 3 to 6 are allowed, and for a
cub Re. 1 only. Of enemies to cultivation may be mentioned the nil-gae,
wild cattle, pig, and monkeys. These last are to be seen in most large
grove's, and owing to the prejudice against killing them entertained by
the Hindus, their numbers remain constant. They are exeeedingly mis-
chievous, and their devastations extend from the time the seed is put into
the ground until it is ripe for the sickle. Nil-g^e, wild cattle, and pig
are almost entirely confined to the grass or kachhSr lands on the borders
of the Ganges. They occasion very considerable damage in those villages
which are within a distance of 5 or 6 miles from the river, and travelling
as they do in large herds, a night's work is often attended with serious
loss to the cultivator. Snakes are not numerous. From January, 1865, to
the end of 1869, only 255 appear to have been killed for the Government
rewards, which amounted to Rs. 56-13-0.
Oame. — There is a fair sprinkling of small game in the Partabgarh dis'
trict, consisting priacipally of the hare, pea-fowl (Pavo eristatus), grey-
partridge (Ortigornis pontixviana), common snipe (Gallinago gallinula))
large grey or European quail (Coturnix coromandelica)-, the bush quail
(Perdicula combryensis), together with several varieties of geese and ducks.
The black partridge (Francolinas vulgaris) is a comparatively rare bird,
and is to be found chiefly in the sarpat and kdsa grass along the banks
of the Ganges.
PAR
CHAPTER II.*
77
AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE.
Vegetable products- Cultiration and produce, fibres, indigo and cotlon, p4n gardens—
Tal and jhil produce— Harirest - Rotation of_ crops — Agricultural implements —
Enemies ot produce Agricultural operations — Irrigation — Manure — Cattle, sheep, and
gnats —Kents — l;istribution of Und — Agricultural labour- Village establishment —
Statement of prices — Fish — Bazars and marts — Fairs, bathing places, and shrines— Mana»
factttres — Trade and traffic - Ferries, roads, and bridges.
Vegetable products. — ^Under this head will be noticed more or less briefly
the ordinary cereals, millets, pulses, and oil-seeds. The only dyes which
are cultivated, with the exception of the Harsinghar referred to in the last
chapter, are the kusam (Carthamus tinctorius), which is sown with the
spring crops ; haldi or turmeric {Gv/rcwma longay, chiefly grown by
Muraos amongst other garden stuffs ; and indigo {Indigof&ra tirictoria),
sugarcane, poppy, tobacco, cotton, and the fibres ; sanai (Orotalaria jvm-
cia) and patwa {Hibiscus cannabinus) complete the list of the crops
ordinarily cultivated in this district.
Wheat. — The white and the red wheat are both grown in these parts.
There are two species of the former — the spike-eared and the awnless.
These both go by the name of " daudi,"-f- while the red wheat is called
" lalae." If there be any actual difference between these species in this
country, it appears to be but little appreciated by the native husbandman,
the selliog price being uniform for all three. I have always regarded the
white wheat as finer and heavier grain than the red.
Cultivation and produce. — Wheat requires ample irrigation, and in this
district the fields are flooded at least three times during the cold season.
In good goind lands, or lands within a certain distance of the village site,
luxuriant crops of wheat may generally be seen ; thus showing that it thrives
best in a well manured and rich soil. The seed is almost invariably sown in
drills. In the subjoined table the irrigated lands are shown under two
heads — viz., manured and unmanured ; while the unirrigated lands refer
chiefly to those low and moist khadir lands on the borders of rivers and
rain-streams, where, from the constant supply of latent moisture, the soil
never stands in need of irrigation : —
Irrigated land.
Unfrri gated
Manured.
Unmanured.
land.
Average produce per acre of wheat
M. I c.
17 2 0
M. », c.
IS 10 0
M. s. 0.
13 34 0
* This chapter is taken with a few alterations and additions from the Partabgarh
settlement report,
t Probably after the gil-e-daudi, the cumraon camomile flower.
78 PAR
These figures, calculating the maund at 82-241hs., represent—
for manured land ... ... ... ... 33-37 bushels.
,, unmanurid ditto ... ... ... I6'79 „
„ unirrigated ' khadir' ditto ... ... 18-98 „
The average on the three kinds of land being thus 19-71 bushels, and this
is believed to be a very fair average for the district.
Reference to English standard. — In his Farmer's Encyclopagdia, Johnson
has the following regarding the produce of wheat :—
" The fair produce of wheat varies so much upon different kinds of land,
and is so much governed by climate and mode of cultivation, that it is difii-
cult to form any acreable estimate of the amount on soils of average quality
in ordinary seasons, and under the common course of management : it
may, however, be fairly calculated at three quarters or perhaps twenty-
eight bushels per imperial acre. To produce the latter quantity, circum-
stances must however be favourable, and anything beyond that may be
considered large, though on some land four to five quarters are not
unusual. The weight may average 601bs. per bushel. The straw is gene-
rally reckoned to be about double the weight of the grain ; an acre produc-
ing three quarters of wheat of the ordinary quality may therefore be pre-
sume^ to yield about twenty-six cwt."
Making due allowance therefore for the two important conditions,
" climate and mode of cultivation," an outturn of 1971 bushels per acre,
over an extensive wheat growing district, is not at all a bad one.
Barley. — Barley is of all grains the most extensively cultivated in this
district. The soil is eminently adapted to it, and so would appear to be
the climate also ; for regarding this cereal the same writer, whom I have
above quoted, records that " barley is a tender plant, and easily hurt in
any stage of its growth. It is more hazardous than wheat, and is gene-
rally speaking raised at a greater expense, so that its cultivation should
not be attempted, except where the soil and climate are favourable for its
growth." Again, in another place the writer goes on to say. "The land
that produces the best barley is generally of a silicious, light, dry nature.
Cold wet soils, which are peculiarly retentive of water, are ill adapted to
the growth of this grain, both in reference to its weight and its malting
qualities. The whole matter of barley and its straw contains more sili-
cious particles than that of any other grain cultivated by the British
farmer ; and hence one reason why a sandy soil is most congenial to the
growth of this plant." Certainly in this part of India barley does not
appear to be a tender plant ; nor does it require greater expense in its
cultivation than wheat. For while the latter demands a rich soil, con-
stant moisture, and in the up lands and other dry localities at least two
waterings, barley thrives best on land but slightly manured, and will
suffer but little, if it does not get more than one watering.
Produce of barley. — The average yield per acre of barley may be safely
set down at sixteen maunds per acre, which, assuming the bushel of barley
PAR 79
to weigh 50 lbs., and tlie maund as before to be 82'24 lbs., represents
1315-84 lbs. or 26-31 bushels. The usual crop in England, it is said, is
from twenty-eight to thirty-.six or thirty-eight bushels. An average of
26-31 bushels does not therefore, in my opinion, belie the alleged fertility
of the soil of this district.
Rice. — There are four sorts of rice ordinarily grown — -viz., those distin-
guished by the names of "kuari dhdn," " jethi dlidn," " sithi dhin," and
" jarhan." The principal rice localities are the low-lj'ing lands of the Patti
tahsil, and the neighbourhood of the large jhils and swamps in the tahsil
of Kunda. But little rice is to be seen in Partabgarh. These last three
divisions of the district may be said to depend mainly on the spring or
rabi harvest ; while a failure of the kharif or autumn crops causes most
distress in Patti.
Yield, rate, <tc. — The yield of the different sorts of rice above enume-
rated varies a good deal. The outturn per acre of kuari dhan is on an
average from twelve to thirteen maunds, and the selling price at harvest
time is ordinarily one maund for the rupee. Kviiiri dhan is sown with the
first fall of rain, and is cut in Kuar (September-October), hence the name.
Jethi dh^n is sown in April in places where water is still lying, and it is
cut at the beginning of June. This kind of rice prevails chiefly in the
Kunda tahsil. The average yield per acre is from eighteen to twenty
m.aunds. This rice (which appears to be precisely similar to the kuari
rice) entails far more labour in its cultivation than any of the other kinds.
During the great period of its growth the fields are flooded. But the
■water is not allowed to lie incessantly. It is generally allowed to lie for
twelve hours, and is then drained off for twelve hours^ This latter period
is during the night. Sathi rice — so called because it is said to ripen sixty
days after sowing — is the least esteemed of the different sorts of this grain.
Sathi dhan is very little grown, and is seldom cultivated in places where
there is the least hope of a better crop. The average produce per acre
may be set down at nine or ten maunds. Jarhan is the best rice grown,
both as regards quality and quantity ; the average yield per acre is fifteen
maunds, and the selling price fifty sers for the rupee when cut : —
Kuari dhan ordinarily sells
40
sers for th
le rnpee,
.Jethi dhan „ ,,
30
»» "
3>
Satbi dhan „ „
42
»1 7F
>»
These three kinds of rice are preferred by the poorer classes to jarhan,
because they swell to a much larger bulk in process of cooking, and conse-
quently less is required for a meal. Jarhan is thici<ly sown in small plots
and is transplanted, when rather more than a foot high, in bunches of four
or five plants, into fields which have been previously carefully prepared.
Gram, peas, and other food grains. — Of other grains, gram, peas, arhar,
juar, and bajra are perhaps alone worth special notice. Gram, peas, and
arhar cover an extensive area, and are reckoned valuable crops. They
belong to the spring or rabi harvest. Gram is a crop to which water is not
indispensable, and it is often grown on poor light soil where mud wells
are impracticable, Peas and arhar are also hardy crops ; but the former,
80 PAR
to repay the cultivator, requires at least one watering. Arhar agam is
never irrigated, and may be seen anywhere and everywhere ; besides
being an important item of food, the stalks are extensively used m the
construction of the frame-work supports of the village thatch roofs,
specially where the bamboo is not, or is with difficulty procurable. Juat
and bajra aie kharff millets. The former is sown at the commencement
of the rains ; the latter about two months later. Both, however, ripen at
the same time, and are reaped early in November. The_ stalks of the
juar or jundhri constitute valuable fodder for cattle. It is chopped up
into small lengths, and about seven sers go to a feed.
Sugarcane. — The cultivation of sugarcane is rapidly extending, and has
probably increased during the last ten years, not less than twenty-five per
cent. Three kinds of cane are cultivated — viz., saroti, kuswar, and katdra,—
all varieties of the Sacoharum officinarum. The last named is used for
eating only ; four or five stalks, according to the size, being procurable
for a pice. Gur is made from the juice of the other two kinds, and is of
the best quality in pargana Patti. One bigha of good cane should, as a
rule, produce fifteen maunds of gur, the average value of which is from
thirteen to fourteen sers for the rupee. This represents a total value of
Bs 72 for the produce of an acre. Deducting the expenses according
to the following scale: —
Kp. a. p.
Rent of one acre
Seed
Herding sheep and mannring
Sowing and ploughing
Seven waterings
„ dressings
Total
12 12 9
4 0 0
3 3 3
4 12 9
22 6 6
8 12 9
66 0 0
the cultivator may reckon on a clear profit of Rs. 16, which' is a higher
return than can be looked for from an acre of wheat, barley, or other ordi-
nary crop. It is not therefore to be wondered at that the cultivation of
sugarcane should prove somewhat attractive, and long may it continue so ;
for the higher the standard of cultivation the better the prospect of a
speedy improvement in the circumstances and condition of the agricultu-
ral classes, whether owners of the soil or mere tenants-at-will. Regarding
sugarcane Mr. King has left the following remarks on record : —
" Sugarcane has been almost confined hitherto to the Patti tahsil, which
is credited with 6,930 blghas of the crop out of 9,933 bighas in the
whole district. Since the assessment, however, a great impetus has
been given to this branch of agriculture, and in the Partabgarh tahsil a
considerable quantity is now grown. In Bihar* the white-ants are said
to prevent the grain being grown, and this appears to be true ; for it is
not unusual to see in a village several fine stone sugarcane mills,
although cane has not been grown within the memory of man. Judging
from the number of these deserted evidences of a former cultivation, I
should say that " in Bihar there had been, some seventy or eighty years
• Now the Kunda tahsil.
PAE 81
ago, a far greater growth, of sugarcane than is now to be seen in any part
of the district. "
Poppy. — The cultivation of the poppy (Papaver somniferwm,) being
under the close superintendence of the opium department, the extent to
which it has increased, and the rate at which it is increasing can be
accurately ascertained. The following figures furnished by the opium
officer of this circle exhibit the area under poppy in 1860-61, as compared
with the present year. The ratio of increase is no less than 606-6 per
cent.
Acres.
Sown with poppy in 1860-61 ,„ ... ... 181
Ditto ditto 1870-71 .., ,.. ... 1,289
Notwithstanding the past increase exhibited by these figures, I am by no
means prepared to say that the cultivation of poppy is particularly popu-
lar. The last year's export of opium from the Partabgarh district has
been returned at 900 maunds, representing at four rupees a ser, the price
paid to the cultivator, the sum of Rs. 1,44,000. The extraction of the
drug is a troublesome and dirty process. When the flower falls off, and
the capsules attain a sufficient size, the opium is extracted. This is done
by means of longitudinal incisions and inspissation.
Tobacco. — Tobacco is a very fine crop in this district. It is grown
wherever the locality and water are favourable. It flourishes on high
lands, and more specially on old ruined sites, and it requires abundant
well water, which should possess saline properties; Sweet water, or water
from tanks and ponds, is held to be injurious to the growth of good tobacco.
From a return which was prepared in the settlement department last
AprU, I find that, there are about 1,177 bighas, or 736 acres, grown with
tobacco. The average outturn per standard bigha is five maunds four-
teen sers, or eight maunds twenty-two sers per acre ; and the average rent
for tobacco land is Rs. 10-13-6 per acre. At the ordinary selling price of
seven sers for the rupee, the gross value of the produce of an acre may be
set down at Rs. 48-14-4.
Deducting expenses as below : —
Bent of one acre.
Ploughing,
Manuring, ... ... ... ... „,
Eight waterings,
Weeding and loosening the earth about the roots ...
Total. Bs. ... 28 0 6
the average clear profit on the acre amounts to Rs. 20-13-10, and this
figure is, I believe, very moderate. I trust that the recent experiment
of introducing the American tobacco-seed may prove successful ; for I can-
not but think that, with moderate care, the yield will be a safe and highly
profitable source of income,
11
Rs. a.
P-
10 13
6
1 9
6
1 3
3
12. 12
9
1 9'
6
82 PAR
Fibres, indigo, and cotton. — Regarding the cultivated fibres, sanai and
patwa, indigo and cotton, Mr. King writes as follows : —
" Hemp, sanai, a tall plant, with a light yellow flower. The fibre is used
for well ropes and is called san.
" Patwa is grown in ju4r fields. It has a bell-shaped light yellow
flower, and the fibre, which is called san, is used for common pur-
poses. The above are cultivated fibres.
" Dyes. — Indigo is grown a little, and is made up in the native method.
There are indigo planters' lands to the extent of some 3,000 or 4,000
bighas in the district. The produce is sent to' Calcutta.
" Cotton is not much grown. A return made in 1866-67 showed an
estimated area of 2,693 acres, and an outturn of 2,430 maunds of
cleaned cotton, which shows that the crop is not a heavy one in this
country."*
Uncultivated fibres. — Of uncultivated fibres may be here mentioned
the silmil, one of the Leguminosce, a tall, thin looking plant, which is
found here and there in the " kachhar" lands bordering the Ganges. It
seeds in the cold season, the seeds being contained in very long narrow
pods. Mr. G. P. Gartlan, Manager of the Palmerland Estate, showed
me some of the fibre. It was very clean, and apparently of considerable
strength ; but it would, he informed me, scarcely repay cultivation, the
yield of fibre being too small. The fibre comes from the corticate casing
of the stem, after a certain period of immersion. It has been already
mentioned that the " dhak" tree furnishes a coarse fibre. There remains
the sarpat grass, producing, as Mr. King writes, " a fine fibre, which
is made up and called badh, used for stringing the commiOn native charpoy
or bed, and for making up the bamboo frame-work of roofs,"
Pun gardens. — Plantations of the succulent creeper called pan (Piper
chavica) are very common in the district. The plant thrives best in a
stiff soil, which is retentive of moisture. The site selected is generally
an elevated spot with a good slope. The Tamboli or Barai then proceeds
to plough, level, and clean the land thoroughly : this done, he encloses it
with stakes and brushwood, and he then covers it in with a roof of sentha
grass. Shallow trenches are next scooped out about two feet wide by
five or six inches deep. These trenches are about five feet apart. Water
is then let into them, and when the soil is thoroughly saturated, the
planting commences, which is performed in this wise. A full-grown
plant, after it has been sufficiently stripped, is cut down close to the root.
It is then divided into three or four portions, and these are laid horizon-
tally in the trenches and covered over with earth. In the course of a
few days, at each knot or excrescence, sprouts will appear, and each of
these sprouts becomes a separate plant, and is trained to grow up sticks
fixed in the ground for the purpose. Pan planting goes on from February
■ * There are three kinds of cotton {jrown inthia district, viz., radhia, manwa, and kuari
kapas. The first is the most productiTe and the meet highly esteemed.
PAR 83
to April, and, except when rain happens to fall, each row receives two
and sometimes three waterings daily. From about the middle of June
commences the stripping of the leaves, and continues regularly for about
a year, after which the plant becomes exhausted, and is used for stocking
a fresh plantation on another site, the old site 'being allowed to rest for
a year or two. The leaf is sold in bundles of 200 called dholis, the price
varying according to quality and age of leaf, from 1^ pies to as much
as 14 annas per dholi. The plantation usually consists of twenty rows,
or as they are styled " autar ;" and it is reckoned that one row or " autar
" should yield on an average Re. 1-8-0. Several kinds of vegetables are
also frequently cultivated within the limits |of and around pan gardens.
All produce, combihed, the yearly returns accruing to a tamboli from his
plantation may, on an average, be set down at from Rs. 25 to Rs. 30.
Rent is paid to the landlord at the rate of two annas per row, which comes
to Rs. 2-8-0 on the whole.
Tdl and jldl produce. — Under this head I shall shortly notice the
singhara, a kind of water nut ; the pasahi or passari, and the tinni,
both species of wild rice, and the kaseru, a succulent root of the gon
grass, of which matting is made, and which grows in water.
Singhara {Trapa bispinosa). — In the month of November the sin-
ghara nut ripens, and such of the fruit as remains from gathering falls
off and sinks to the bottom of the water. When the water dries up in
May or June, these nuts or bvilbs are found to have thrown out a number
of shoots. They are then carefully collected into a small hole in the deep-
est portion of the tank or pond, and covered with water : when the rains
commence and the ponds begin to fill the bulbs are taken up ; each shoot
is broken off, enveloped in a ball of clay, in order to sink it, and thrown
into the water at different distances. They at once take root and grow
rapidly, until in a short time the surface of the water is covered with the
plants. The fruit forms in October. The produce of a standard bigha
is about two and a half maunds, which, at the selling price of ten sers
for the rupee, represents a total value of Rs. 10. As an article of food
the singhara is much more extensively consumed by the Hindus than by
the Muhammadans.
Pasahi or passari and tinni (Zinania aquatica). — These are both
species of wild rice of spontaneous growth, found on the borders of certain
ponds ajid swamps. The tinni is a larger and better grain than the
other. The sale is regulated by the price current of ordinary rice or dhan,
the amount of the former procurable for one rupee being half as much
ao-ain as that of the latter ; while the pasahi or passari, as it is also called,
is somewhat cheaper still.
BaserA {Gyperus tuherosus). — The kaseru is the root of the sedge called
gon, and is dug. up after the water has dried up. It is highly esteemed
for its reputed cooling properties, and finds an extensive sale in large
towns and bazars ; the ordinary price being two annas per ser standard
v/eio-ht. The digging is a very labourious process, as the coveted root lies
very deep in the ground. Prtsis,Kahars, andKurmis are the most industrious
84
PAR
searchers, and are allowed thrfee-fourths of their findings, on condition of
yielding up the remaining share to the lord of the manor.
Harvests. — ^There are only two principal harvests as recognized in the
district of Partabgarh, known by the well known names of the rabi and
kharlf. The name henwat is unknown here. Within the kharif harvest,,
however, may be said to be included three minor harvests called after the
months in which the several crops ripen. These are styled bhadui, ku4ri,
and agahni. The subjoined table shows the division of these harvests,
with regard to the ripening of produce : —
Kharif.
Rabi.
Bhadui.
Kuari.
Agahni.
Wheat
Sanwan.
Dhan
Jarhan rice
Barley
Urd.
Kodo
Bajra
Arhar
Kakun.
Til (white)
Ju&i:-
Peas
Makra
Til (black)
Drd
Gram
Bagri dhSn.
Fatwa
Moth
Sngarcanis
*SSthi dban.
Sauai
Mung
Poppy
Maize
Patwa (seed)
Sdnwan
Cotton
Kamddna
Jethi dbaa
Lobia
Masur
Bhatoi
Sarson
Barre or kusam
Mustard
Linseed
Tobacco
Cotton (manwaj
Cotton (radhia)
Sugarcane, suwdn, and jethi dhan are to a certain extent intermediate
crops, but belong more properly to the rabi division than to the kharif.
Rotation of crops. — Fallows being in these days almost unknown, and
manure, as previously stated, by no means abundant, it follows that if a
certain rotation of crops were not observed the land would soon be utterly
exhausted. By far the greater portion of the cultivated area in these parts
is dufasli, or two-crop bearing land. The kharif crop is no sooner off the
ground than preparations are at once made for sowing the rabi. A heavy
agahni or kharif crop, like juar or bsljra, is followed by a light spring crop
such as peas or barley. This is repeated a second year, and in the third
year no autumn crop will be sown ; but the land will be well worked up,
and prepared for a crop of wheat or sugarcane. The number of plough-
ings the land requires for different crops varies very much. For instance,
wheat is held to require, on an average, eighteen or twenty ploughings ;
tobacco, sugarcane, peas, and barley fifteen or sixteen ploughings ; poppy
twelve ploughings ; cotton eight; and so forth. Three or four ploughings
* So Darned becaube it attains to maturity sixty days after sowing.
PAR 85
are sufficient for all the autumn produce. This scale is, as regards the
rabi produce, all very -well in theoiy, but is largely departed from in prac-
tice. As an example, we will suppose the cultivator has just reaped a
late kharif or agahni crop. It is manifest that he has only time left for,
at most, four or five' ploughings before it becomes necessary to put in
the seed for the rabi. This inconsistency in practice and theory is met
with the reply, that a maximiim yield is never looked for at both har-
vests. Let a good judr or such like crop be secured, and the cultivator
is satisfied with half the possible outturn of barley or peas six months
later. He is seldom, however, satisfied with the certainty of a short out-
turn of a valuable crop, as wheat, &c., and prefers to forego the kharif har-
vest entirely, so that he may bestow on the land the requisite number
of ploughings for a valuable rabi, and, indeed, it is no exaggeration, with
reference to this district, to say that such lands are tilled twenty times,
and even more, before they are sown. When the native capitalist con-
sents to experiment with prepared manures and steam ploughs, com-
bined with a proper observance of fallows, we may look forward to a
brighter future for the science of agriculture in this country. At present,
however, while labour continues so cheap, such experiments would hardly
prove remunerative.
Agricultural vmplements. — The rude implements of husbandry in vogue
in this district differ but little ; except perhaps in name from those ordina-
rily used in the upper provinces of India.
ETiemies of produce. — Of the injurious influences to which wheat and
barley are liable may be mentioned first, excessive cloud and vapour, hail,
the blight, and mildew known as dhara and girwi, and the'worm. Frost,
excessive vapour, and hail are general enemies of all the rabi crops. The
first is specially fatal to arhar, peas, and gram. Blight and mildew are
the natural consequences of a continued easterly wind with cloud and
damp. Sugarcane is liable, when the plants are still young, to the
ravages of an insect called bhungi, which eats up and destroys the leaf.
At a later stage the roots are sometimes attacked by a grub called diwar
or t4ra, while at a time when the plant has escaped these, and bids fair
to ripen well, it not unfrequently withers away under the blighting influ-
ence of a disease called kari which dries up tlie juice and causes the stock
to look black. Gram is liable, as was manifested last year, to the ravages
of a caterpillar called gadhela, which lies concealed during the day and at
night sallies forth and literally eats up the entire plant. The pods of
peas and arhar, when fully formed, are often attacked by a species of wire
worm, which pierces the shell and destroys the fruit. Rice, when nearly
ready for the sickle, is liable to the devastation of a fly called gandhi, by
which the grain is rendered useless. Rice also suffers from a blight called
khaira, which turns the ears an orange colour and destroys them. All
the oU-seeds, except the alsi or linseed, are prone to the ravages of a fly
called " maMn," which attacks the plant when a few inches high, and
covering it with a glutinous slime eff"ectually prevents it from arriving at
maturity. Owing to the " m4hun" there is little or no mustard in the dis-
trict this year.
86 PAR
Agricultural operations.— 'From the time the .spring crops are cut in
March and April until the commencement of the rains (about the end of
June) is the idle season of the year, and it is during this interval that
disputes arising out of the arrangements to be made .for the ensuing agri-
cultural year so often terminate in riots. With the first signs of rain,
however, the cultivator, if not evicted, has something else to think about,
and ploughing and sowing the early kharif seed entirely engages his time
and attention. It may not be uninteresting to record here in a calendar
form the different agricultural operations of each month of the fasli year,
which commences about the same time as the monsoon.
June-July (Asdrh). — Ploughing in preparation both for rabi and kharif
harvests, sowing kuari dhan, makra, maize, sanw^n, kakun, urd, juar
ramdana, patwa, sanai, kodo, jarhan rice, mling, til, cotton (manwa and
radhia), arhar, lobia, and bhatoi ; driving the hinga to break up the clods
and cover in the seed ; herding sheep and cattle in the fields for the pur-
pose of manuring and enriching the soil.
July-August (Sdwan). — Weeding and earthing up kuari dhan, makra,
maize, sanwan, kakun, jusir, and kodo. Ploughing for the rabi. At the
end of the month transplanting jarhan rice after fresh ploughing and level-
ing with the hinga. Herding sheep and cattle as above.
August-September (Bhddon). — Ploughing for the rabi. A second weed-
ing of the crops mentioned under the last month. Reaping and carrying
the bhadain or bhadon harvest. Herding sheep and cattle as above.
Transplanting jarhan, sowing urd, mothi, b&jra, and arhar.
September-October (Kudr). — Reaping, carrying, and threshing the kuari
harvest. Ploughing and leveling with hinga lands for rabi. Rotting the
sanai stalks by immersion in water to obtain the fibre. Sowing the follow-
ing rabi seeds — viz., gram, peas, barre, or kusam, linseed, and sehuan.
Herding sheep and cattle as before ; gathering cotton (kap4s).
October-November (Kdrtik). — Manuring for the better rabi crops, sewing
peas, gram, wheat, barley, mastir, barre, linseed, sarson, mustard, sehuan,
poppy, and tobacco, and then leveling and covering in with hinga. Mak-
ing irrigation beds or squares with pharwa.
November-December (Aghan). — Reaping, carrying, and threshing the
agahni harvest. Chopping iip the cane, and carrying it to the mill. First
watering of the rabi crops ; weeding and loosening soil around the poppy.
December-January (P'ds). — Manufacture of gur. Second watering of
rabi crops. Weeding and loosening soil round the poppy. Pruning the
tobacco plants in order to cause them to throw out leaves from the base
of the main stem.
January-February (Mdgh). — Manufacture of gur. Third watering of
the rabi. Flooding and preparing land for reception of cane. Early
sowing of the latter and irrigating about a week afterwards. Herding
sheep and cattle as in As^rh, S^wan, &c. Flooding and preparing fields for
PAR 87
sdnw^n. Sowing sanw^n and covering in with hinga. Should rain fall
in this month, the bijar or kuari dhan fields are ploughed. Early peas
cut and carried. At the end of this month, incisions are made in the
poppy heads with the pachhni towards evening, and the opium, which
exudes, is collected with the kachhni early the next morning.
Februa/ry-Maroh (Phdgun). — Fourth irrigation of rabi, whiclr water-
ing however is confined to wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, and poppy. Conti-
nuation of sugarcane planting and of sanwan sowing. Putting sickle to
the barley, peas, and here and there early sown wheat. Gathering sarson.
Manufacture of gur. Extracting opium as described in M^gh.
Chait. — Harvesting wheat, barley, peas, gram, linseed, sehud.n, mus-
tard, barre, and arhar ; cutting down poppy and tobacco ; irrigation of cotton;
continuation of sugarcane sowing, and watering of that previously sown
in Magh and Phagun ; flooding and preparing fields for the jethi dhan,
which is sown in this month of and irrigated constantly up to the time that
it is cut in this and following months. Threshing out and winnowing of
grain in the khalidn or threshing floors.
Baisdhh. — Irrigation of sugarcane, cotton, tobacco, and sanwan, gather-
ing the kapas or ordinary cotton. Storing bhiisa brought from the thresh-
ing floors.
Jeth. — Manuring the kharif fields. Irrigating the sugarcane and san-
wan second cutting down of tobacco plants. In this month, the cultiva-
tors re-thatch their huts in anticipation of the coming rains, and store
fodder, wood, and cow-dung fuel.
Irrigation. — Under district, Eae Bareli is given an elaborate account
of irrigation from masonry wells in the high land which skirts the Ganges,
the same holds true for this district. Throughout this tract, whose
breadth is from three to seven miles, water is met with at from 50 to
60 feet from the surface, but the digging is generally continued about
fifteen feet further till good springs are reached. The entire depth then
will be 75 feet or fifty cubits, the cost of digging is estimated at one
rupee a cubit, but such a well will last many years, and two large leather
buckets can be used in it.
From such a well two superior bullocks, whose labour is worth four annas
per day, will draw up in an entire day of nine hours enough water for five
biswas; three men will attend them and the distribution of the water.
They will water a bigha in four days at a cost of one rupee for cattle, and
one rupee eight annas for human labour. This will amount to four rupees
per acre for one watering.
The consequence of this costliness is that the cereals, wheat, &c., which
require three waterings, hardly ever get more then two, and generally
only one. In Patti Tahsil water is much nearer the surface averaging
about 20 feet ; there irrigation is cheaper. It is of the same nature as that
described in south Lucknow, which also lies mainly between the Sai and
88 PAR
the Gumti. The cost of well-irrigation may be set down in Partabgarh,
north of the Sai, as varying between Rs. 2-4-0 per acre and Rs. 4-0-0.
Irrigation is extensively carried on from wells both bricked and unbrick-
ed, or as they are styled " kachcha," as well as from jhi'ls, ponds, a,nd exca-
vated tanks. Some of the rivulets or rain streams are also .utilized by
damming the current.
Streams. — "Where the banks of the stream are sufficiently low, the water
is baled out with the " dogla" or bamboo basket, swung on double ropes,,
and worked by a couple of men. Four men are told off to each dogla,
and each couple works for about half an hour, and is then relieved. A day's
work continues for fourteen or fifteen hours out of the twenty-four, and
thus each man has more than seven hours of ib. Where the banks of the
stream are too high for the dogla a convenient spot is selected, and the
well apparatus of the moth (leathern bucket) and pulley is brought into
play.
JMls, -ponds, and tanks. — Irrigation from jhils, ponds, and tanks is car-
ried on by means of the " dogla" or the " dauri." The latter is a smaller and
lighter basket than the dogla, and is preferred to the latter where the
water is deep, and consequently the labour of lifting thereby enhanced.
Where the water is some little distance from the cultivation, and the dif-
ference of level considerable, a succession of two and three doglas or
dauris may be seen working simultaneoasly at successive points. These
points are called "riks," and the water is collected in more or less deep
pools at each of them. This system of irrigation is frequently carried on
by a co-operative or mutual aid society, the members whereof combine to
work together by gangs, until the lands of the whole have been watered.
This is in practice found to be more economical than the indep'endent
hiring of labourers. In the latter case the daily wage consists generally
of three sers of some one of the inferior food grains.
Wells. — The water is lifted out of wells by means of the " moth" or
" pur,"* a flexible leathern bucket, containing from two and a half to
twelve and a half gallons, which is attached by a strong rope to a
pulley. In masonry wells the number of " Idos" or runs, which can be
worked at one and the same time, varies from four to twenty. The aver-
age number may be set down at eight. As regards unbricked wells, I
have seldom seen more than two laos worked. These laos are worked in
this district by men or women, bullocks, and buffaloes. The latter are,
however, comparatively rare. Bullocks are of course preferred, and may
be said to be the rule. Where men and women are employed, six per-
sons are told off to one Mo, twelve to two laos, and so on. These are
exclusive of two persons, one of whom directs the course of the water in the
field, and the other receives and empties the bucket on its arrival at the
mouth of the well. A third man is necessary, where bullocks are used, to
drive them. Human labour irrigates more quickly than bullocks, but is
obviously more expensive, and is only had recourse to when the cultivator
* The " pur" is larger than the " moth," and is peculiar to certain parts of the district.
PAR 89
has no cattle, or wishes to work more laos than he has cattle for. The
rate of remuneration in such cases is a daily dole of a kachcha panseri
(equivalent to one ser fourteen chhat^ks) of some coarse grain such as
barley, juar, or bajra. During the irrigating season, the same set of men
or women will work from early morning before sunrise to nightfall for this
pittance. The wage of a worker at the dogla or dauri is higher, and is
generally one kachcha panseri and a half (two sers eight chhatfi.ks), as the
labour is far more severe.
CapabUitiesofirrigationfrompondsandwells. — The area of land, which
on an average may be irrigated in one day by either of the methods above
described, varies inversely according to the distance from the water supply.
It may be generally assumed, that about two standard bighas can be irri-
gated in one day by one relief of two men working one dogla or dauri.
More than one relief to the dogla is the exception in this district. Where
two reliefs are available, and the distance from the water moderate, from
two and a half to two and tliree-fourths bighas can be supplied in a day.
These results are of course affected in a diminishing ratio by the number
of riks. One lao of a masonry well, when worked by human labour, irri-
gates on an average six biswas standard measure. When bullocks are
attached, the average is about three and a half biswas. In the case of
kachcha wells these results may be slightly modified. There is, however,
very little actual difference. The quality of the soil affects the irrigated
area in proportion to its absorbent properties. A larger surface of clay
can be irrigated in a day than of loam, and similarly a larger amount
of loam than of sand.
Cost of wells. — The average cost of constructing a masonry well is
Es. 250. The cost, of course, varies in proportion to the depth of water. The
depth in the wells in the Partabgarh district ranges from eleven to eighty
feet. Water is nearer the surface in thePatti pargana; less so in parganas
Bihar and Rampur ; and is, as a rule, deepest in Partabgarh.
Kachcha and agdri weZZs.— Kachcha wells are impracticable in locali-
ties where there is a substratum of white sand, which causes the sides to
fall in. These spots are, however, exceptional, and, as a rule, the land in
the vicinity is very sandy and sterile. The kachcha well can be sunk at a
cost of from 4 to 15 rupees according to circumstances ; this latter amount
is exceptional. Should the well be required for drinking purposes only,
the cost is much less, and may be put down at about one-half. The irri-
gation well has to be dug much deeper, and in many places the sides must
be protected by rds fascines, or as they are termed by the natives, " bin "
or "rangarh." There is a well also, which is supported by large wooden
segments, or circular bricks, and which is called " agdri." The conversion
of a kachcha well into an agari entails an additional cost on the former of
from Rs. 5 to Rs. 10. "Agari" wells are not, however, very common, except
where, owing to the sandy nature of the soil, they are more the rule than
the exception.
Extended well-irrigation since annexation and since revised assessment.
— I have before recorded that 3,146 masonry wells have been constructed
12
90 PAR
in this district since annexation. Of this number 2,256 have been
built since the revised assessments were declared in 1863 tp 1866,
Very few masonry wells are built by persons possessed of any right or
title in the soil. With the exception of about 1,106, all the wells in this
district have been constructed by persons who have no proprietary or
under -proprietary rights in the'land. It will be observed that more skilled
and industrious cultivators — such asMuraos, Kurmis, andAhirs — have been
the most enterprising in this respect. Next come Brahnians, after these,
longo sed intervallo, Mahajans (bankers) and Banians. It is at first difficult
to perceive the motives, which induce the sinking of so much capital on
little or no security, and where there is an impossibility, it appears to me,
of ever obtaining such returns in the way of interest as would justify the
outlay in the light of a moderately profitable speculation. Desire for dis-
tinction and for the grateful recollection of posterity, coupled with the
feeling that the act is in accordance with the teachings of the religious
codes of both persuasions, appear to be the principal incentives.
Manure. — Animal and vegetable manures are made use of wherever
procurable. Ashes of burnt cow-dung (kanda), and less often of wood,
are also sprinkled over the fields. During the rainy season the leaves of
the dhdk and dhera trees are strewed over fields, which are to be sown
with wheat, b&-rley, poppy, and tobacco, and which are ordinarily called
" chaumas" lands.
Cultivators stack their manure in convenient places near the village ;
if possible, on a piece of waste, otherwise in a grove. These manure
heaps are a constant and fertile source of dispute, and it is a great object
to carefully record in the "wajib-ul-arz," or administration paper, such
rights in them as are clearly ascertainable. There is at present no traffic
in manure except within the limits of municipalities. If a landlord has
not enough for his own use, he has no scruple in relieving such of his
tenants as are well off in this respect of their surplus stock, and the
latter seldom demur to the demand, as it is generally regarded as a mano-
rial right.
Cattle, draught, and milch. — For agricultural purposes bullocks are
chiefly used. These are as a rule a small breed of cattle, but are capable
of undergoing .pretty hard work. If there were but a sufficiency of good
pasture, I believe they would not be by any means the inferior animals
they are generally considered. Buffaloes are used only by those of the
more impoverished cultivators, ■who are unable to afford to buy bullocks,
and who are not prevented by local caste prejudices from making use of
them. The market price of bullocks varies according to size and age from
Rs. 12 to Rs. 40 per pair ; whereas a pair of he-buffaloes may be purchased
for Rs. 10 ; more than Rs. 12 is very seldom given or demanded. There
is apparently no effort or desire to improve the present breed, and the
services of the Government stud bulls are but seldom called into requisi-
tion. Nevertheless at several of the local bazars a brisk trade in draught
and milch cattle and in buffaloes is carried on. Of milch cattle the
buffalo is the most esteemed, and yields the finest ghi. As much as
Rs. 20 is frequently paid for a really good animal of this sort. The country
cow gives but little milk, and that little of very poor quality,
PAR 61
Sh^ep and goats.— There is a fine breed of sheep in the Kunda tahsil.
They may be seen in considerable flocks, and are bred by the shepherds who
sell but few, as they prefer to keep them for their wool, out of which they
manufacture blankets at a larger profit than they could otherwise obtain.
There is little to be said regarding the breed of goats in this district.
Attempts to improve the breed by the introduction of the larger Trans-
Jumna goat have hitherto resulted in failure. The absence of proper
pasturage will probably account for this. Goat's flesh as well as goat's
milk is a universal item of food amongst all classes. Shepherds, who
keep large flocks of sheep and goats, manufacture and sell ghf made from
the mixed milk of both animals ; it is much sought after, and is mainly
consumed by the poor.
Prevalent diseases amongst stock— Since the fatal outbreak of rinder-
pest in England, attention has been more closely directed to the diseases
of cattle in this country, and there can be no doubt but that the cattle of
India are liable to many of the diseases, which have been hitherto sup-
posed to be more or less peculiar to a European climate. The complaint
known as the foot and mouth disease broke out in this district a short
time since, but not of a fatal type. While a few weeks previously there
had been great mortality in several places amongst sheep and goats by
the ravages of a disease somewhat resembling rot. It was highly infec-
tious, but in many instances yielded to segregation, with complete change
of air and water^ when all other means tried had failed.
Distribution of land. — The land is well distributed, the averages taken
on the cultivated area falling as follows : —
Acrea.
ter agricultural male adult ... •«. 3-1
Per cultivator's house ... ,„ „. 4-9
ter plough ... ... .,. ^, 6M3
With reference to the extent to which the land is distributed, and the
consequent smallness of the average holding, this district stands next to
Fyzabad. Cultivators may be broadly classified into resident and non-
resident. The resident cultivator, or " chhapparband," is so called because
he tills land situated within the limits of the village in which he resides.
The non-resident, or " pahikasht," cultivates land in one village while
residing in another. Of course there are a considerable class, who from
motives of self-interest, expediency, or other cause cultivate land in two
or more villages, and who may be said to come under both categories; that
is to say, they not only till land in their own village, but are also tenants
in a neighbouring, village. In point of fact, however, they are reducible
to one or other class, according as reference be made to either one or
other of the villages in which they cultivate. Thus A. cultivates land in
Rampur and Hisampur ; but his house is situated in the latter village.
He is a pahikasht with respect to Rampur, but a chhapparband with res-
pect to Hisampur,
Increase to cultivated and vJooded areas. — Since the declaration of the
revised assessment, very extensive clearances of jungle and Waste land
have been and are still being made. By an approximate calculation^
92 PAR
prepared as carefully as circumstances have permitted, I estimate the
increase to the cultivated area at 17,900 acres or 3-35 per cent. Much of
the land, which the wily zamindars, with rueful countenances, earnestly
assured the assessing officers was sterile and fit for nothing, has since
been worked up and cleaned, and is now in many places bearing luxuriant
crops. By the time the period of the present settlement expires, there
will be ample margin whence to correspondingly increase the imperial
demand. In cases of large tracts of jungle or waste, the taluqdar or zamin-
dar often sells the land in patches to the highest bidder. The purchaser is
generally a banker or other small capitalist, who at once sets to work
and rapidly clears the land. Where the plots of waste are small and
sparse, the landlord usually lets it out on clearing leases, charged with a
nominal rent for at least three years. These leases are almost always taken
by the more skilled cnltivators. The average cost of clearing brushwood
or thorn jungle may be set down at from E.s. 6 to E-s. 10 per acre ; while
that of grass jungle seldom exceeds from Rs. 2 to Rs. 5 the acre. When
the khasra survey was completed there were 76,008 acres under wood.
This area has since been extended to about 85,499 acres, or 12'48 per
cent., a result we may likewise hail with satisfaction.
Rents. — ^Rents have steadily risen in this district since the introduction
of British rule, and stiU have a tendency to rise. It has been asserted '
that, if the extraneous items, such as " batta," " bhent," and other such
nawabi imposts, be taken into calculation, we shall find that as a matter
of fact, rents have not risen. Now this question has been carefully gone
into by the settlement officer, and the deliberate conclusion to which he
arrived, taking each and every such regularly realized exaction into con-
sideration into account, is that rents under our rules have risen and are
rising. This was attributable, in his opinion, to the enhanced value of land,
and to competition. He took the papers of 100 villages, which were
prepared before annexation, and carefully abstracted their contents.
Comparing these contents with jamabandis drawn out since the district
came under survey, he found that against a former average rent-rate
of Re. 1-10-1 per bigha, taken on the whole 100 villages, we have now
(i.e., in 1868), an average rent-rate of Rs. 3-1-1 per bigha. But, it may be
urged, these results hardly admit of fair comparison, the bigha in the latter
case being the standard bigha of f ths of an acre, and in the former case, the
variable village bigha. This difficulty may, I think, be got over by bear-
ing in mind the following facts, viz. : —
Of the villages selected, twenty-five' pertain to each tahsil in the district.
It has been found, by actual experiment, that in three out of the four
tahsils,* the village bigha is actually larger than the standard bigha. In
the case of seventy-five villages, therefore, the nawabi rent-rate falls on a
larger bigha than the present standard bigha, while in twenty-five villages
only does it fall on a smaller one, the difference, in either case, not exceeding
four biswas. It follows then, that unquestionably rents are higher than
formerly, and that land has acquired a higher market value.
* In the old district.
PAR 93
At the same time he found, from the same set of papers, that under the
Government of the king of Oudh the total number of cultivators in these
one hundred villages was 3,653, and that the average holding of each
amounted to six bighas, thirteen biswas, thirteen bisw^nsis, while under
British rule the number of cultivators has increased to 8,536, and the
average holding of each has diminished to four bighas, nineteen biswas,
and ten biswgnsis. These results, combined with the fact of the almost
entire commutation of produce rates into cash payments, point to com-
petition.
Rents in kind versus cash payment.^-'Rents in kind largely prevailed
prior to annexation, and were chiefly, if not entirely, levied on poor and
unirrigated lands, where the produce was more or less precarious, in the
proportion of one-half Now, however, they have been almost every-
where commuted into money rents ; another result of increased numbers
and competition.
Competition. — Custom has not restricted the landlord's right in this
matter, nor as regards the enhancement of rent generally. Custom,
coupled with the fear of incurring universal odium, operated formerly in
preventing a landlord from raising the rents paid by Brahmans. Now,
however, such is no longer the case, and it is by no means unusual to find
cultivators of this class paying at even double the rates they used to pay
in days gone by, their threats of " dharna" and self-mutilation or destruc-
tion notwithstanding. Itis only to be expected thatin a densely populated
district like this competition should prevail. While custom regulated the
transactions between landlord and tenant, prior to the summary settlement
of 1858, since that date competition has been gradually displacing, and has
now, in most parts of the district, superseded custom ; the result, alike of a
radical change of government, of greater security to life and property, and
of the altered state of the fiscal relation between the landowner and the
State. This sounds very much like heresy in the face of Mr. J. S. Mill's
emphatically expressed doctrine, that " competition as a regulator of rent
has no existence." At the same time he says in another place : — " The
relations, more specially between the landowner and the cultivator, and
the payment made by the latter to the former, are, in all states of society,
but the Tnost Tnodern" (the italics are mine), " determined by the usage of
the country. Never until late times have the conditions of the occupancy
of land been (as a general rule) an affair of competition." Mr. Mill then
goes on to cite India as an example in favour of his previous argument,
but the analogy, so far as Oudh is concerned, is not established ; the
system described, although in vogue in other parts of the country, being
inapplicable to the now unquestioned tenant status of this province. It
has been noticed that the reluctance, which has hitherto been manifested
by tenants, to leave their native village with even the certain prospect of
bettering themselves elsewhere, is beginning to give way in some places ;
a fact which is a further indication of the presence of competition, but
which is at the same time a healthy sign.
Agricultural labour. — In the present day, when this country is being
rapidly opened up to civilization, and its alleged hidden wealth is daily
94
PAR
undergoing development, the progress and effects of agricultural labour,
which in the territorial division of labour has peculiar reference to this
province, must be watched with the closest interest. In this district
labour is abundant, and at the same time cheap ; too cheap in fact, having
due regard to the enhanced price of all the necessaries of life, to maintain
a just equilibrium between the values exchanged. Skilled labour has
doubtless profited by the vicinity of the railroad ; and many of the clever-
est artizans of the district have long since become almost permanent
employees under the East Indian Railway Company, where they obtain far
higher wages than local employers could or would allow them. On the ,
other hand, the condition of the unskilled labourers who form the masses
has not been ameliorated. Numbers were employed some time back on
the railroad, and many still, who live in the more immediate neighbour-
hood, earn their livelihood by the same means. These, however, compose
but a small proportion of the whole and it is proposed to notice the more
important and common subdivisions of labour, with the present rates of
remuneration accorded to each by the zamindar ; to compare these rates
with those which prevailed in the nawabi, shortly before annexation, and
lastly, to note, as far as possible, the difference between the present and
the former prices of the cheaper and lighter food grains, which form the
principal subsistence of the poorer classes : —
Men.
Women.
Children.
Desclription.
Nawabi.
Present
time.
Nawabi.
Present
time.
Nawabi.
Present
time.
Grain.
Grain.
Grain,
Grain.
Grain,
Grain.
floughman
n Ser.
I J Ser.
Sower ...
li .,
li »
ii"ser.
li'Ser.
li Ser.
li'Ser.
Manuring
n ..
H „
14 „
H „
n „
n „
Irrigation labour at
Sr. Chks.
Sr. Chks.
Sr. Chks.
Sr. Chks
Sr. Chks.
Sr. Chka.
the well
1 14
1 14
1 14
I 14
At the " dogla" ...
2 8
2 8
2 8
2 8
.'!!
.^
Wetding labour
I 0
1 0
I 0
1 0
I 0
1 0
Reaper*
3 8
3 8
3 8
3 8
...
...
Thresher
I 8
1 8
1 8
1 8
1 8
1 8
Well-siuker
Sj Annas.
24 Annas
..*
• ■•
Mud-wall builder ...
2 ,,
24 „
...
■ ••
Mud carrier
1 „
H „
I Anna.
1 ^ Anna.
2 & 3 pice.
I Anna.
Tile and brick manu-
iito2,;
24to3„
.••
facturer.
Mason or " rlj"
2i „
3&4„
...
...
Carpenter
n ,,
3 „
••■
■•*
Blacksmith ...
1 „
3 „
..*
•«•
••1
■••
less.
This is the average of the " lehna" or reaper's right. It may be more and it may be
PAR
95
Maize
22
Makra
a
40
Bajra
>i
II
30
Juar
60
Kuiiri dhan
,j
40
iVi othi
40
Peas
40
Arhar
it
60
Now as to the cheaper grains : —
Barley sold in the JSawabi at 50 sera, now sells at 32 sera.
,. 25 „
28 „
.. 25 „
30 „
20 „
» 28 „
SO „
Thus it will be seen that in some instances the rates of remuneration
have only slightly increased since the introduction of British rule. The
price of the coarser grains has, however, risen very considerably, and to
an extent which is not quite compensated by the amount of enhanced
wage. A slight advance on the latter is therefore necessary in order to
place these, who are chiefly artizans, on the same footing as they were in
the nawabi ; while it is evident that the circumstances of the farm
labourers arei certainly not more straitened than before annexation as
regards actual wage.
Relative quantities of seed to the acre, — The amount of seed, of course,
varies very much with the nature of the crop to be sown. The follow-
ing table represents the average requirements per acre for the principal
crops : — '
Per acre.
Broadoaat,
Drill.
Wheat
If to 2 maunds.
Barley
..•
.•« ...
IJto l|
maund.
If to 2 „
Peas
*••
,,. „.
32 " sers"
to 1
'f
Gram
■ •■
li
1*
Euari dhan
...
1 to li
Jethi
,, •»•
...
1 to IJ
Sathi
,, ■>.
•"
1 to IJ
Jarhan
.„ ...
1 to IJ
Maize
t«4
9J sirs
Bajra
...
...
2| to 3i
sers
Juar
■ ••
... ...
2| to 3i
)i
Urd
...
... ...
4 to 6
t>
Mothi
• ••
... ...
6 to 7
it
Makra
...
...
4 to 5
»
Kakun
...
... ...
2
fi
Sarson
...
... ...
i
It
i ser
Sanwta
.«•
... ..■
i
)*
Sanai
.••
.*• •••
1 to Iff
raaund.
Patwa
«••
•>• ...
i sera
Cotton,
Kapas...
... ...
3| to 4
sers
„
Kadhi'a
...
3f to 4
>i
*9
Manwa
...
2i
»
It is curious to observe here, with reference to barley, peas, and gram,
which are sown both broadcast and in drills, that an excess of seed is
required for the latter method. In English farming it is just the reverse,
broadcast invariably requiring more seed than drill. Wheat is never
sown broadcast in this district. It is always sown in drills. A compari-
son of the quantities of seed required for an acre of wheat and barley in
these parts and in England is appended ; —
96
PAE.
•
Partabgarh.
England.
Broadcast.
Drill.
Broadcast.
Drill.
Wheat
Barley
Bushels.
2'46 to 2-87
Bushels.
2-4 to 2-74
2-87 to 3-28
Bushels.
2 5 to 3-5
3 to 4
Bushels.
2 to 3
2-6 to 3-6
The bushel of wheat is calculated as sixty pounds and the bushel of
barley as fifty pounds. There is not much difference, it will be observed,
between the two rates.
Village establishment. — The village officials and the village servants,
ordinarily styled the " parja," will now be noticed.
The patwdri. — The patwari, or village accountant, is an important func-
tionary, whether viewed in his relations to the landed proprietor, his mas-
ter, or to Government, who demands from him the periodical submission
of the accounts of his charge. These men are entirely Kayaths or
Kayath converts to Muhammadanism, In other than taluqdari estates they
hold office during the joint pleasure of the landowner and the district officer;
that is to say, neither has the power .to remove a patw4ri independently
of the other. Nevertheless his wages are paid by the former alone, and
are usually proportioned to the extent of land under his charge.* A pat-
w^ri's charge varies from a portion of a village to a large circle of seve-
ral villages. In the latter case, he employs members of his own family
or others as assistants, he himself being responsible for their work. The
ordinary rate of remuneration is six per cenb. on the imperial revenue,
and is either paid in cash, or by an allowance of land, which again is either
rent-free or charged with a low rent according to circumstances. The
patwaris of this district are, as a rule, an intelligent body of men ; but,
as might be expected, often dishonest, untruthful, and rapacious. The
cultivators live in dread of them, and are ever ready to propitiate them
with offerings of grain, &c. Indeed, it is generally noticed that the pat-
wdri is a sleek, well conditioned man, who lives in one of the best, if not
the best house in the village, and wears clothes of a better material than
his neighbours. All this could hardly be compassed with his often slender
wage, and must be set down to the thriving trade he drives with the igno-
rant tillers of the soil, in his capacity of village accountant and referee ;
and, in fact, he does possess a considerable power for good or evil over
these unfortunates, who both in court and out of it are so often at his
mercy.
The chaukidar. — Next to the patwari, and but little his inferior in im-
portance in the eyes of the people, is the chaukidar or village watchman
The prmcipal dutj of the chaukidar is, of course, the detection and
prompt report of crime; but, from the circumstance that though morally
* In taluqdari estates the taluqdar has the power to appoint and remove a patwSti.
PAR 97
bound to the Government in this capacity, he is, in reality, the paid ser-
vant of the landlord, only so far as the latter is alive to a sense of his
public responsibilities as a landholder, will the chaukidar prove an effici-
ent servant of the State.
The grorai^.— The gorait has always differed from the chaukidar in as
much as he is entirely a private servant as it were of the zamindar. The
Government makes no demand on his services. The gorait may be des-
cribed as a kind of universal errand boy, and, when appointed by the
zamindar, is expected to make himself generally useful in the village.
In consideration of the modest fee of a ser's weight of grain at harvest
time, he undertakes to keep an eye on the cultivators' crops at night. His
remuneration from the landlord is usually from one to two bighas of land,
rent-free. Both chaukidars and goraits are chiefly of the P^si class,
although a not inconsiderable number of Muhammadans and Chamtemay
also be found among them.
The parja. — The following are the village servants which are included
in the comprehensive term " parja" :—
Lobar ... Blacksmith.
Barhai ... Carpenter.
Eumhar ... Potter.
KahSr ... Water-carrier and palanquin-bearer.
Dhobi ... Washerman.
Darzi ... Tailor.
Hajjam op Nao ... Barber.
Bari ... Torch-bearer.
Chaiufir ... Occasional labourer. The wife is the Tillage accoucheuse,
Mehtar ... Sweeper.
Manihar ... Lac baogle-maker.
Mali ... Gardener. Prorides flowers for necklaces, and offer
ings at marriages and fairs.
Tamboli ... Pan-grower and seller.
Rem/u/neration. — The first three generally receive from the zamindar
small grants of land, varying from ten bis was to three bighas, as well as
thirteen sers of grain at each harvest. This latter due is styled "lehna."
From the cultivators they are entitled to thirteen and a half sers of grain
per plough during the year. This is called " kharihaq."
The Kah&T receives from the zamindar from fivebiswas to two bighas
of land, and this is all. He gets no grain allowance, either from the land-
lord or the tenant.
The Dhobi has a jaglr from the zamindar of about the same extent as
the Kakdr ; but he receives in addition a grain allowance of seven sers
from each cultivator who employs him.
The Da/rzi enjoys a small jagir like the two preceding ; but has no
fixed allowance from the tenants on the estate.
The Hajjdm or Ndo is allowed a small plot, not exceeding one
bigha, by the landlord ; and for each beard {ji.e., man) he is entitled to
seven sers of grain annually.
13
98
PAR
The Bdrhai is uncoinmoti except in taluqdari villages, and his remunera-
tion is on no fixed scale.
The Chamdr holds up to one bigha of land irop the zamindar, \yhile
for each occasion of child birth, at which his wife attends, he receives
either one or two annas.
The Mehtar, unfortunately for sanitation, is far too rarely met witli
amongst the existing roll of village servants. Where kept, hp is favoured
with a pittance of ffom two to eight annas a month.
The Manilidr n^anufaptures lac bangles, and his wife generally sells and
fastens them on to the waists of the purchasers. For the performanpe of
this ceremony at the house of the zaminda,r she receives her food for the
day.
The MdU obtains cash presents from the zamindar on each festive occa-
sion. These gifts seldom, if ever, exceed three rupees at one time.
The Tamboli exists entirely by his trade and receives no perquisites.
All village servants comprised in the category of parja, in addition to
the jagirs, presents, and allowances recapitulated above, r^qeive on the
occasion of each marriage one suit of female apparel. The custom of
the country is that when a daughter is married, the bridegroom's family
supplies the dress to the parja of both villages, since it'rarely if ever
happens that the bride and bridegroom reside in the same village. Not
included in the parja, but nevertheless formerly a regular part of the vil-
lage establishment was the Baya or weigher. The office is nos?, however,
very nearly obsolete.
Statement showing the details, of pt^oduce and prices^.
Average.
Oescription of produce.
FH
«
CO
■*
ta
to
t-
aS
s
.=?.
SK
CD
CO
t0
to'
ca
eo
cs
!0
■ t^^
eH or
OO
OO
(S
QD
00
00
00
OO.
1^
-t
.'2
O^
Paddy
24J
244
24J
374
26
22
27^
28
26
26
264
Common rice (husked)
20
19.
23
20
M
M»
U
U
,104
1.8
,im
Best rice (husked)
IS
ID
l^i
18
8|
8
9
8
'9
,1)1-,
Wheat ■ ...
211
21i
28
26|
m
14i
21
22f
m
ll
204
Barley
41
31
36i
334
2S
m
32f
29i
134
40"
so*
BSjra
34
211
35^
20|
18
164
274
27
164
184
24/,F
,25?j
Juar
36|
39
36
264
3 If
m
3.2
3g-
'6|
: l?l
Gram ...
19i
'22i
30^
27i
23
14
25i
3t)4
16i
1,6
m
Arhar (CytisuB cajan)
23f
24i
22
22
21
114
18
32'
IS-
19i
i2lf
Drd or Mash (Phaseolus max) ...
21 i
23i
;25|
181
124
Hi
I8.i
,24.
IS,
ii.4i
184
Mothi (Phaseolus aconitifolius)-"
33
27
36
311
17i
16i
S8
17*
16
20
244
Mung (Phaseolus mungp)
2U
22
20J
IS
134
H
16
m
114
15
, m
Mnafir (Ervum lens) ' '
24
161
241
29J
20|
16
19
191
13
1,64
20
Ahsa or matra (Pisnm sativum)
...
...
• •1
- ■•■
...
...
...
' ••■
• •*
Ghuiyan (Arum colocasia)
30
40
40
50
38
40
40
2*1
21
21
36 A
Sarson, Sinapis Dichotoma (KoxV)
22
23
21
24
20
2-^4
, 22
18
14
18
,291
Lahl ( Ahra Sinapis nigra)
4
4
4
4
4
31
4
4
4
4
■ 3f,
Eaw sugar .„
4
4
4i
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
4
PAR 99
^■is^.^— The rivers and reservoirs, both natural and artificial, abound
with fish. < It. the former are principally caught the " rohu" the " anwdri"
(Indian mullet), the " chhalhwd," the « sahri," the " saur," the " hunga,"
the " terigrd," the " singhi," the " belgagra," the " manguri," the " darhi,"
the " bam," and the " parhni." The fresh water prawn called " jhingud"
is also very plentiful. With the exception of the '' anwari," all the above-
irtentiohed fish may be seen in the " jhils" and tanks of the district. In
thfe'Se the fishing season commences with the irrigation in November,
and continues till May and June. In the rivers the season is much
the same, with this difference, that during the continuance of the first
fall of the rains, or in other words, when the river is in flood for the firsi
time in the' year, larger quantities of fish are often caiight in one week
than have been taken during the course of several weeks previously.
Kah^TS are the principal fishermen, and engage in the pursuit as a
trade ; although at the same time other castes at times adopt the calling.
Nets of various shapes arid sizes of mesh are used in the different locali-
ties ; while spearing with the " pachki" or tri-furcated spear is also largely
resorted to, wherever the water is sufficiently shallow and clear to admit
of it.
The statistics concerning fish, which are given in Dr. Day's report, as
derived from the Partabgarh authorities, are as follows : — The fish-eating
populaition amounts to 97 '78 per cent, of the whole (Bihar). About
40,000 maunds of fish are caught annually (Patti). The net meshes are
so small that a grain of barley cannot pass through, the fry is therefore
destroyed in large quantifties. The markets are not fully supplied ; prices
of large fish reach two annas per ser, but small fish are sold at one anna
per ser ; mutton being two annas. The fish are caught in the fields when
the water retires from the inundation in September, and in April when
the ponds dry up.
*' The Collector of Partabgarh reports that breeding fish and very young
ones are destroyed indiscriminately and to a very great extent from April
to the end of June and from September to October, wherever they can be
captured, in rivers, jhils, tanks, and nalas, by means of nets, traps, or by hand.
The minimum size of the mesh of nets will admit of a corn of barley passing
through it, and nothing larger. There is no difficulty in regulating the
size of the mesh of nets except the unwillingness of the people to let even
the smallest fish escape them, and he proposes at first, as an experiment,
to double the size now in use. There can be no objection to prohibiting
the sale of the fry of fish in the bazars, or any other reasonable measures
being adopted to arrest the senseless destruction of breeding fish and of
the very young ones now going, on. Some restriction also should be put
on the capturing of fish in the breeding season." — Para 287, "Francis
Day's Freshwater Fish and Fisheries of India and Burma."
The Tahsildar of Partabgarh observes thett fishermen are generally
Kahars, but some are Lonias. The markets sire not fully supplied with
fish, the price of largfer sorts is seVen pie, smaller sorts four pie, and' mutton
two annas a ser. About half the populatiori are stated to eat fish. The
100 PAK
supply in the waters this year has increased. Very small ones are taken
by means of nets. " Fish are shot with guns, and caught by means of
tap, tengali, and pahra, and by hand when the water dries up in the
month of Jeth." — Para. 309, "Francis Day's Freshwater Fish and
Fisheries of India and Burma."
" The Tahsildar of Bihar observes, KahArs and others follow the occupa-
tion of fishing in addition to their regular work; besides these, there are
Kewats, Kanjars, and Pasis. The bazars are not sufficiently supplied
with fish ; the largest sort fetch one anna, the smaller three quarters of an
anna a ser ; whilst the first sort of mutton realises two annas, and the second
one anna and a half a ser. Upwards of 97 per cent. (97'78) of the popu-
lation, it is asserted, are consumers of fish, the supply of which has
increased this year. Very small ones are taken in large quantities
by means of nets with very minute meshes, the size of which is equal
to a grain of barley. Fish are not trapped during the rains in the
inundated fields. The following are the nets used — patli, pahrah, packkhi,
tilheri jil.
" In the Patti Tahsil it is observed fishing is not confined to one class, but
Kahars, Lonias, Kewats, Pasis, Kurmis, and Koris, all follow it as well as
other occupations. The markets are not fully supplied with-fish, the
larger sorts obtain two annas, the smaller one anna and a half a ser, and
mutton two annas ; about half the population are stated to be fish-eaters.
The amount in the waters is said to have increased this year. About
40,000 maunds of very small fish are annually netted, the mesh of some
of the nets being ' so small that a grain of mothi cannot pass through it.'
Boys generally trap fish in fields during the rains. Fish are destroyed
by akhsah ; the names of nets and traps are jal, kuryar, halka, chahtur,
khore, chaundhi, pahrah, tap, harya, punchkhi, pailni bissarigunj,
tameri, kantiya." — Para. 308, " Frances Day's Freshwater Fish and
Fisheries of India and Bv/rma."
Bazars and marts. — The following are the principal baaars of the dis-
trict, recorded in the order of their importance, chiefly with reference to
the aggregate value of the sales.
Lalganj. — Four miles to the south of Bihar on the road to Allahabad.
Total value of sales, Es. 3,00,000. This " is a bi-weekly mart, and is
numerously attended. Cattle, English stufifs of better qualities, country
fabrics, raw cotton and sugar are amongst the more important sales. The
sale dues are shared by the taluqdar of Bhadri and zamindars of Nimdiira,
within the limits of which village the ganj is situated.
Derwa bazar, in the village of Sabalgarh, is at the nearest point about
three miles distant from the road between Partabgarh and Bihar, and is some
twelve miles fi-om the latter place. Here again, as in fact is the case with
regard to all the larger marts, a bazar is held twice in the week. The
total value of the sales is about Rs. 1,50,000. This is principally a grain
mart, although other commodities find a readysale. The bazar dues
belong exclusively to the Bhadri estate.
PAR 101
Jalesarganj, included in the village of Dh^riipur on the road, -which
connects the latter place with Lalganj (in pargana R^rapur), and which was
constructed by Raja Hanwant Singh. English and country fabrics, sweet-
meats, grain, matting, and string figure most prominently at this mart.
A very good quality of English cloth is frequently to be met with here,
the sale being much encouraged by the abovemeationed taluqdar, who,
as lord of the manor, is sole recipient of all dues. The value of the sales
may be placed at about a lakh of rupees.
MacAndrewganj, the sadr station bazar, is a thriving and rapidly
increasing mart. Five years ago the sales were only valued at Rs. 16,000.
They have now reached the respectable figure of Rs. 60,000. Grain and
English and country cloth are the principal articles traded in. The
chungi or bazar tax is paid into the municipal funds.
Kdldkdnka/r, the residence of Raja Hanwant Singh, on the left bank
of the Ganges, is about two miles distant from the Bihar and Rae Bareli
road. A brisk trade is carried on in raw cotton, ghi, and salt. The
sales exceed in value half a lakh of rupees.
Gadwdra, a village about six miles north of the sadr station, and not
far off the road to Amethi (branching off from the imperial road near
Nawabganj). Large quantities of grain are brought here for sale, and a
not inconsiderable trade is carried on in coarse matting and fibres. The
bazar dues are paid to the Taluqdar of Ddndlkachh ; while the value of
the sales may be set down at about Rs. 50,000.
Pwthiganj, within the limits of the village of Ram^epur, in the Raepur
Bichar estate, is close to the road between Bela and the town of Badshah-
pur in the adjoining district of Jaunpur. Here grain, sugar, cotton, and
English stuffs constitute the principal sales, the value of which does not
fell short of half a lakh.
Nawabganj Bdwan Burji, situated in the village of Murassapur, on the
Bihar and Rae Bareli road, is an important thriving mart, and is noted for its
stamped cloths and chintzes. I have been unable to ascertaia correctly the
total value of the sales. I believe, however, that |in reality it does not fall
far short of a lakh of rupees. There are several other less important
markets, in which local produce is chiefly represented, which it would
serve no useful purpose to detail in this report.
Fairs. — There are several local fairs held during the year at different
places in the district. Few of these are worthy of separate mention. The
two fairs held at Manikpur in April and July in honour of Jwala Mukhi*
attract considerable numbers, many of whom come from a distance. The
gathering on each occasion lasts for two days, during which the presiding
deity is worshipped and propitiated with offerings, &c. Both at these
fairs, and during the bathing assemblies described in the next para-
graph, English cloths and articles of foreign manufacture are exposed
for sale. At Katra Mednisigh, a place about a mile from Partabgarh,
and at Nawabganj Bawan Burji, which has been already mentioned, fairs
take place during the Da&ahra festival, which are attended by between
40,000 and 50,000 people, but no trade is carried on.
* MeaoiDg flame-emitting mouths : one oi the impersaoations of the goddess 3hawaai.
102 PAR
Bathing places and shrines. — The only bathing places of any note are
the masonry ghats of Mdnikpur and Shahab-ud-dlnabad, The two towns
being contiguous form in reality but one rendezvous. Twice in the year
there is a large concourse of people at this spot for the purpose of bathing
in the Ganges. In July is the first occasion, when the four months' fasts
for the deities Jwala Mukhi and Sitla* are brought to a termination with
bathing ceremonies amd great rejoicings. The second occasion occurs early
in November, or at the end of October, when the multitudes meet to do
honour to the goddess Ganga herself. This is the larger gathering of the
two.
Manufactures. — ^With the exception of the manufacture of crystalized
sugar at Partabgarh, and of glass at Sawansa, and one or two other places
in the pargana of Patti, there are no local manufactures worthy of the
name.
The sugar manufactured at Partabgarh is of excellent quality, and is
not to be found anywhere else. The process is a peculiar though by no
means a difficult one. When completed, the sugar is turned out into
thin fla,t circular shapes of about 15 inches in diameter. It finds a ready
sale amongst the taluqdars and wealthier classes.
The glass foundry at SawSnsa is on a comparatively large scale, and
supplies most of the neighbouring fairs and markets with beads, bracelets;
and other female ornaments^ to say nothing of Ganges water phials and
cheap articles of ordinary requirements.
Trade and traffic.-^Frono. the most recent trade returns it would
appear that the total value of the exports nearly quadruples thait of the
imports, but I have reason to doubt the accuracy of the valuation of some
of the items of the former, and consequently prefer to regard the propor-
tion as in all probability nearer three to one. Partabgarh is an extensive
grain exporting district, and may be said to be, to a great extent, the
granary of the adjacent districts of the North-Western Provinces. Of
wheat and barley alone upwards of 200,000 maunds are stated to have
left the district during the last year ; while of the less valuable food grains
also a very considerable exportation has taken place. This should repre-
sent large money returns to zamindars and small farmers ; but I have
reason to believe that it is almost entirely the banian and village banker
who fatten on this trade. The former classes are, as a rule, too deep
in the books of the latter to reap any. direct advantage. Nevertheless^
we have the fact of an influx of money and a consequent increase of pri-
vate capital, which, in whomsoever's hands, subserves no doubt the pros-
perity of the district, and tends to the ultimate ber^efit of the population.
The exports of edible grains in 1872 are reported at 349,000 maundfe,
value Eis. 7,90,000 ; the other exports, such as oil-seeds, sugar, tobacco, and
country cloth, mate up the total value of. exports to Rs. 9,77,000, the
imports were valued at Rs. 4,08,000, of which cotton and salt are the
principal items ; but in these returns English piece-goods imported are
valued at Rs. 2,670 ; it should probably be Rs. 2,67,000.
* Also an incarnation of Bhawani and tutelary deity of small-pox.
PAR 103
Exports and imports. — Besides gra,in,opmm,tobacco,sugar,and molasses,
oil, and ghi, cattle, sheep, and timber are by no means unimportant
staples of export trade. On the other hand, the imports consist mainly of
salt, cotton, metals, and hardware, country cloth, and dyes. English stuffs
and piece-goods are also becoming more and more common in the local
bazars. All the above almost entirely find their way into the district
from the opposite side of the Ganges. The traffic by way of the adjoin-
ing districts of Jatmpur on the east, and of Sultanpur and Rae Bareli on
the north and -v^est respectively is, comparatively speaking, inconsiderable.
In connection with this subject, Mr. King writes as follows : —
" It may not be out of place here to suggest what new roads should
be made, and to show the direction which traffic takes in this district.
Oudh exports grain, oil-seed, sugar, and tobacco, some timber and little
beside. These mainly go in a south-east direction towards Gorakhpur,
Azamgarh, Jaunpur, and Mirzapur. Lines drawn from the north-west
to the south-east of Oudh will mainly represent the direction in which
produce moves. Of course, I am speaking in general terms. Roads will
often be diverted owing to the presence or absence of a ferry or other
cause. Imports into Oudh are chiefly salt, cotton, English cloth, and
other miscellaneous matters. Salt and cotton come in by western and
south-western routes from Cawnpore, Banda, &c.
" In the Partabgarh district, the main Ganges ferries, where this traffic
passes, are Badshahpur, Kharolf,* Kdlakdnkar, Gutni, and Jahanabad ;
and at all of these traffic- registrars are placed. The traffic from this
quarter finds a sufficiency of routes to the interior of Oudh by tolerable
roads, but the out traffic wants a channel towards Jaunpur, and a new
road should be opened out from Patti to the border of the district some-
where about Raja-ka-bazar in the Parhat estate of Raja Mahesh Narain,
and, in communication with the Jaunpur authorities, be carried on so as
to reach Jaunpur."
Mineral products. — This branch may be said to comprise salt, saltpetre,
and kankar. There is a considerable area of saliferous land in the Par-
tabgarh district.
Salt. — The ma.nufacture of salt in Oudh is, punishable under the
excise laws. The following salt statistics furnished by Mr. King are
interesting. After remarking that as an article of food it was formerly
" extensively manufactured in this district, and that the annual value of
the manufacture to the native government, or farmer, was Rs. T2,0GO,"
my predecessor writes : —
" Mr. Braddon, Superintendent of Excise and Stamps, in a pamphlet
on Oi^dh salt, gives the area of salt-producing lands in Partabgarh, thus : —
Bighas,
" Highly saliferous ... ... ... ... 3,287
"Moderately ... ... ... .■• ',^21
Total ... 4,408
* This is close to the Kandrawan or Naubasta, ferry and is of far less importance than
the latter.
104 PAR
" He gives the revenue derived from salt in 1856 as Rs. 61,496. In
1859 the revenue from salt was, as reported by the Chief Commissioner
to the Government of India, Rs. 68,022 for Partabgarh. I fancy that in
neither year was the revenue what it should have been, and there can be
no doubt that, as experience was gained, the salt department would have
been enabled to collect a considerably higher figure than Rs. 72,000, which,
under the native government, were paid by the landowners on account of
salt lands. I will not digress into the question of salt manufacture, whether
it should or should not be allowed in Oudh, nor, indeed, say more than
that I have from the first held the belief, that it is on the whole impoli-
tic to stop the trade."
Saltpetre. — The manufacture of this substance was carried on in this
district until about a year and a half ago. The manufacture was put a
stop to, because it was discovered that it afforded too many facilities for
engaging in the illicit preparation of edible salt.
Usar. — This earth is to be found principally in the Rampur pargana
of the Kunda tahsil. It has been generally regarded ss unproductive,
but in later times it has in some places been made to yield a crop of
rice by filtration of the top soil. This is effected by confining the water
in the rainy season in low-lying localities by means of an embankment.
After two or three years of this process, the earth becomes freed from the
presence of its deleterious components, and rice can be sown in it. Such
lands may be then regarded as permanently reclaimed, and in a very few
years come up to the standard of average rice lands. The analysis of
the different usar soils, which are met with in Oudh, will be found at length
in Mr. Maconochie's report on the settlement of the Unao district.
Reh. — Regarding reh, I cannot do better than transcribe Mr. King's
remarks : — " In many places that efflorescence of the earth known as reh
is to be found. I give the results of a chemical analysis of it, which
appeared in the Times oflndm in 1864 : —
" Soda ... ... ... ... „. S3 parts.
« Sulphuric acid ... ... ,.. ... 17 parts,
" Potass, lime, magnesia, carbonic acid, and silica form the rest of the
mass. It is used by dhobis in washing, and by makers of cheap lac
bangles."
Kanhar. — The conglomerate known as " kankar," and which is com-
posed principally of carbonate of lime, with a variable proportion of silica,
is common enough in this part of the country. It is mainly used for
metalling roads, and for this purpose it is extensively quarried in this
district. I have been informed by Dr. Whishaw, Officiating Sanitary
Commissioner of Oudh, that the presence of reh efflorescence on the
surface of the ground is a sure indication of the existence of. kankar
formation below.
Animial products (wool). — The animal products of the district may
be said to consist entirely of wool, hides, hpms, and ghi. There is an
excellent breed of sheep in the Kunda Tahsil, which furnishes the best wool
PAR
105
The sheep are shorn three times in the course of the year — viz,, in the
months of Asarh (June -July), Kartik (October-November), and Phdgun
(February-March). The heayiest fleece falls to the Kdrtik shearing, and
the lightest in Phagun. The annual weight of wool yielded by a single^
sheep varies from one and a half to t^vo and a half pounds. About two
pounds represents a fair average, and this quantity is consumed in the
manufacture of the small blanket "kamli" of such universal use. The
average price of these small blankets is now twelve annas. That of the
larger ones "kammal" Re. 1-10-0. Of the former, about ten years ago, two
could be purchased for the rupee; whUe a good heavy blanket of the
larger description could be had for the same sum.
In this district the shepherds themselves manufacture the wool into
blankets. It is on this account that wool is not much exported as a staple.
The " baiparis" or itinerant traders drive a brisk trade with the shepherds
of Bihdn About the month of June the shepherds receive advances of
money from the baiparis, and by the end of October or beginning of
November the blankets are ready, when the purchasers come and carry them
off. These traders chiefly come from Jaunpur, Azamgarh, and Gorakhpur.
Hides and hotms. — Hides and horns are principally exported from the
Salon tahsil.* This is probably attributable to the fact of there being a
larger Muhamadan population here than in other parts of the district,
^d in consequence a greater consumption of animal food. This trade
goes entirely across the Ganges. In return prepared skins are imported
from Cawnpore and Allahabad which are manufactured into the "moths"
or leathern buckets used for wells, and also into the coarser kinds of
native sjioes.
GM. — ^Ghi is extensively prepared and consumed in the district of Par-
tabgarh, and forms by no means an unimportant -item of trade. The
export of this article largely exceeds the import ; at the same time that
the quality of the latter is very much inferior to that of the former.
Detqil of Exports and Imports for 1873.
EXP0ET3,
Imports.
Article.
Quantity,
Value.
Article.
Quantity
Value.
Mds.
Ks
Mds.
Ks.
Sugar
2,353
23,722
Cotton ckaued
4,275
89,057
Gut •»
7,953
23;. 308
Do. imcleaued .
864
14,688
Spices
543
6 722
Sugar
1,136
8,670
Wheat
84,887
2,19,837
Spices
841
10,895
Edible grains
3,05,67 1
.6,55,] 75
Edible grains
2,599
5, .331
Ijac
330
9,0i9
Salt
22.070
1,19,263
Opium
1,720
li.aoo
Metals and hard-
...
59,376
Salt
1,122
5,748
' ware.
Oilseeds
9,886 ,
,33,896
English piece-goods,
•••
^,289
Horned cattle
1,700
10,942
European miscella-
t»
68,731
Firewood
..»
8,050
neOus goods.
Gauntry clath and'.
til
13,940
materials.
Ghi
• •■
12,390
Oil
• ••
6,475
Tolat
Total
1 05.5,620
4,05,691
* Now included in the Rae Bareli district.
14-
106 PAR
Ferries. — For about eight months of the year the Sai is in most places
easily fordable. During the rainy season, when the stream rises, the
zamindars along the banks make their own arrangements, by wKich boats
are available for the crossing of foot-passengers at no less than thirty points.
The only available crossing for, animals and wheeled traffic during the
rains is over the recently built masonry bridge at Bela. Two ferries under
the administration of the Deputy Commissioner of Partabgarh ply on that
portion of the Gumti which forms the boundary of the district, and are
farmed at an annual income of Rs. 325. Each is distant from the other
about one mile only. That known as the Birdhimpur ferry is a landing
and lading station for traffic carried along the Patti road, which meets
the imperial road between Fyzabad and Allahabad at a village called
Nawabganj, two and a half miles from the sadr bazar, also for traffic tra-
versing the Jaunpur and Sultanpur road, which intersects the former road
at the village of Sonpura, about two miles from the ferry. The other
ferry within the limits, on this side of the village Mahraura, has been for
some time past used only as a passenger ferry, and the traffic registrar has
been lately removed from the spot.
Ganges ferries. — There are several ferries on the Ganges within the
limits of this district. I shall mention the principal ones only. The
highest is the Kalak^nkar ferry, which is a considerable grain lading sta-
tion. Below this again, some four miles or so, is the Mdnikpur ferry, which
is kept for passenger traffic principally. Proceeding almost due south for
another five miles we come to Gutni, another passenger ferry. Lastly,
at a distance of some ten miles further on is the Jahdnabad ferry, which
is likewise kept more for the convenience of foot passengers than for goods
traffic. All these ferries are under the administration of the North-
western Provinces authorities.*
Roads, fridges, cmd traffic. — The district is now well opened up by roads.
Exclusive of twenty-two and a half miles of the imperial road, which con-
nects the military stations of Fyzabad and Allahabad, and which passes
through the headquarters, there are 342 miles of good second class roads.
These have been entirely bridged, save at four points only, where the Sai,
Sakrui, Pareya, and Baklahi respectively require large and solid masonry
bridges to withstand the opposing force of the current in the rains, each
of which will necessitate some amount of delay, to say nothing of money.
My predecessor's remarks on the roads and traffic of the district here find
a suitable place.
" General roads. — There is but one first-class road in this district, viz.,
that one which runs from Fyzabad to Allahabad. This was begun soon
after the re-conquest of the province, and is a military road joining the
two cantonments named above, which are ninety-six miles apart. There
are only twenty-two and a half miles of this road in the Partabgarh
district, which it traverses in its breadth, entering it at the village
of Dharodi, and leaving it at the village of Dehlupur. There are two
road bungalows, one at Bela, and one at Biknapur, some eleven miles
* The receipts are divided in the proportion of 60 per cent, to the North- Western Fro-
Tmcea and 40 per cent, to Oudh,
PAR 107
apart. The road is metalled throughout from the Ganges bank to Fyza-
bad, saving the river Sai at Bela." *
" District roads. — There is a very good network of country roads in the
district, and the principal are the following : —
" (1.) From Rae Bareli to the headquarters station at Bela. Forty-
four miles of it lie in this district, and it passes through the tahsil of
Salon, the bazar of Lalganj, and the town of Partabgarh. This road is
bridged save over the two streams of the Loni"f" and Sakarni, the former
ten and a quarter and the latter five and a quarter miles from Bela.
" (2.^ From Bela to Gutni Gh^t on the Ganges, thirty-nine miles. This
passes through Partabgarh, three miles from Bela, and through the tahsil
of Bihar, twenty-nine and a half miles from Bela, and through the bazar
of Kunda, six miles from Bihar.
" (3.) From Bela to Patti, fifteen and a half miles, crossing the Sai by
the Fyzabad and Allahabad road, which it leaves about a mile north of
the river at the Nawabganj bazar for Patti, thirteen miles distant. This
road continues through Saifabad, eight miles from Patti on the north,
to the town of Chanda (in the Sultanpur district), which is twelve miles
from Patti.
" (4.) Bela to Bddshahpur in the Jaunpur district, twenty-one miles,
some twenty miles being in this district. The road passes by the Ramganj
th^na in the village of Pachhrdo.
" (5.) A road from Rae Bareli passing through Jagatpur Tanghan enters
the Salon tahsil, and passing through Mustafabad, Nawabganj, Bdwan-
Burji,Manikpur,and Kundaleavesthedistrictat Lalganj in the Bihiir tahsil."
Allahabad. — This is the most direct road from Lucknow to Allahabad.
There are other minor roads, which do not call for particular descrip-
tion e. g., —
6. Salon to Ateha, 12 miles.
7. Salon to Dalmau Ghat in Rae Bareli district, 24 miles.
8. Salon to Naubasta Ghat on the Ganges, 16 miles.
9. Salon to Manikpur, 18 miles.
10. Salon to Lalganj on the Allahabad border, ind Bihar, 28 miles.
11. Salon to Lalganj (in pargana Rampur) to Ateha, 12 miles.
12. Bela to Amethi vid Nawabganj, 24 miles.
13. Bela to Katra, 3 miles.
14. Patti tahsil to Ramganj th^na, 14 miles.
• In August, 1868, a large and handsome masonry bridge of nine arches and forty-
five feet span was opened for traflSc over the Sai at Bela Ghat. It was built under the
immediate superintendence of the late Mr. D. Turner, Civil Engineer.
t Since Mr. King wrote the above, a fine masonry bridge has been completed over the
Loni of tfe arches, with a span of twenty-five feet.
108 PAR
The imperial road from Fyzabad to Allahabad passes through, this
district and through the chief town of Bela. It passes for 22j miles
throughout this district and the stages are —
Chera 9^ miles from Bela on Sultanpur side, then Bela itself, and
Karani, 12 miles from the latter place. There is only one mile more to the
boundary at Delupur.
The principal district roads are —
1. From Bela to Rae Bareli.
This passes for 27^ miles. The stages are Bela, Seldpur 11| miles
from the latter place, and then Lalganj 8^ miles. There are 29 nalas.
2. From Manikpur to Gopalganj.
This is 14 miles long. Manikpur, Kunda, and Gopalganj are the stages.
Kunda 6 miles from the first place, and Gopalganj is 8 miles from KUnda.
There are 9 nalas.
3. From Lalganj to Manikpur.
This is 21^ miles long. The stages are Rampur 6 miles from Lalganj,
Sangrampur 7 miles further, and then Manikpur 8^. There are 9 nalas.
4. Road from Gutni Ghat to Salon in Rae Bareli.
This passes for 14 miles throughout this district. The stages are
Gutni Ghat, first then Manikpur 5 miles from the latter place, and lastly
Sawdna Bhawaniganj 8 miles from Manikpur. There are 8 nalas.
0. From Manikpur to Rae Bareli.
This passes only for 5 miles within this district, and the only stage
within this district is that of Manikpur itself, others lie in the Rae Bareli
district. Number of nalas is 4.
6. From Lalganj to Jalesarganj.
This is only 6 miles long. The stages are only two — Lalganj and Jale-
sarganj. Number of ndlas is 4.
7. From Jethwara to Sangrampur.
This road is 16 miles long. The stages are Jalesarganj 8 miles from
Jethwara, and Sangrampur 8 miles from the former. Number of ndlas 7.
8. From Bela to Gutni Ghat.
This road is 39 miles long. The stages are Pamsanisi 2 miles 'from
Bela, Jethwdra 7 miles further, Bihfir 14 miles, Kunda 8 miles, and
Gutni Ghdt 8. Nalas 31.
9. From Gopalganj to Salon in Rae Bareli.
This roa,d is 22 miles long, an
opalganj, Bhawaniganj Opadia 8 m
There are no rivers, but 19 nalas.
This roa,d is 22 miles long, and the stages are Bih^r 5 miles from
Gopalganj, Bhawaniganj Opadia 8 miles further, aud Urr6n 9 miles.
PAR 109
10. From Lalganj to Ateha.
The length of this road is 13 miles, and the only stage between these
two places is that of Sangipur 8 miles distant from Lalganj and 5 miles
from Ateha. There is only one river but 7 ndlas.
11. From Amethi to Salon.
This is only 8 miles long. No intermediate stage. Number of
nalas 5.
12. Partabgarh to B^dshdhpur.
This road is 22 miles long. The stages are Raniganj 11 miles from
Partabgarh, and then Rausara 11 miles further. There are only 25 nalas.
13. From Patti to Raniganj.
This road is 14 miles in length, and the stage lying between these two
is that of Jamtala, 8 miles distant from'Patti and 6 from Raniganj. There
is one river and 14 n&las.
14. Road from Patti to Chanda in Sultanpur.
This is only 10 miles long within this district. The only stage within
this district is that of Saifabad. There are no rivers but 7 nalas.
15. From Patti to Sonpura.
This is 12 miles long. Sonpura itself is 12 miles distant, and the next
stage to Patti. There are 6 nalas. '
16. From Nawabganj to Patti.
, The one place is distant 12f miles from the other. There being no
intermediate stage. Number of nalas 17.
17. Road from Nawabganj to Amethi in Sultanpur district.
This runs for 13^ miles throughout this district, the only stage within
this district is that of Sahjipur. Number of nalas is 13.
18. From Kunda to Sangrdmgarh.
This road is 9 miles long. No intermediate stage between the above
two places. Number of nalas 3.
19. From Patti to Janupur.
This road runs for 10 miles within the boundaries of this district. The
only stage is that of Bazar Raja 10 miles from Patti. Number of nalas 3.
This is a village road.
20. From Patti to Dasrathpur.
The former place is distant only IJ miles from the latter. There are
no nalas.
21. From Dasrathpur to Bibipur.
The one place being 1| miles distant from the other, there are appa-
rently no stages between them,. nor are there any nalas.
22. From Patti to Pirthiganj.
This is only 6 miles long. No intermediate stage. Nala only 1,
110 PAR
23. From JethwAra to Mandhdta.
This is also 7^ miles long. No intermediate stations. Nalas 3.
24. JFrom Katra Medni Singh to Katra Gulab Singh.
This is 12J miles long.
The stages are MSndhata 7 miles from Katra Medni Singh and Katra
Gulab Singh 5| miles from the former. There are 3 ndlas.
25. From Bihar to Derwa Bazar.
This is 12 miles long. No stage intermediate. Number of n^las 5.
26. From Raniganj to Mirzapur.
This is 2 J miles long. No intermediate stage. There is no nala.
27. From Gopalganj to Jahanabad Gh^t.
This is 4 miles long, and there is no intermediate stage. Number of
nalas 2.
Carriage. — ^Wheeled carriage is scarce and difficult to procure. A few
country carts are detainable in and near the sadr station, also in places in the
Kunda tahsil. Great reluctance is everywhere manifested by the owners
to hiring out their carriage, and when it is known that troops are on
the move, and that carriage will be impressed, the carts are frequently taken
to pieces, and the latter concealed in different houses, the bullocks at the
same time being sent to a neighbouring village. Bullocks, buffaloes, and_
ponies afford the ordinary means of transport. The bullock is capable of
carrying a load of from three to three and a half maunds ; a buffalo about
five maunds ; while the usual load of the country ^ony or tatt6 seldom
exceeds one and a half maunds.
PAR 111
CHAFTERIII.
THE PEOPLE.
Population — Muhammadan Bettletnents, Sunnis, Shiaa— Hindu population, Brahmang,
Chhattris, landed proprietors, Vaishyas, Kayatha— Aboriginal tribes — Houses— Food^
Dress and ornaments— Tenures— Bural Customs— Fioprietary Bights— List of Taluq-
dars.
PopvZation. — A census of the population of the province was taken on
the 1st February, 1869, and the results have been tabulated and reported
on by Mr. J. C. Williams, Assistant Commissioner.
From the appendices to his report it will be seen, that the entire popula-
tion of this district on the night of the census amounted to 936,268 souls,
which gives a proportion of 540 to the square mile. The most densely
populated parts were parganas Partabgarh, M4nikpur,and Parshddepur ; a,nd
the population was thinnest in pargana Rampur, where it was only 433 to
the square mile.
Since the census, however, there has been a redistribution of territory
and Partabgarh has lost two of its parganas. The present population will
be found in the following tables : —
112
PAE
•qoiia saaoB Ota 1° ^II™ a^ni'BiJs
to
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Luctnow
.. 417 to
Bara Banki
.. 5-87 to
Unao
... «3-- to
Bae Bareli
.. 22-21 to
Partabgarh
... 1 1 27 to
Sul'anpur
.. 9'15 to
Fyzabad
., 9-63 to
Goiida
... 8 9 to
Baliraich
.. 6>-'9 to
Sitapnr
.. 69 to
Hardoi
.. 98 to
Kheri
... 9 02 to
Proportion of Hindus to Muhammadans. — The district may be said
to be peopled by Hindus ; the proportion of the latter to Muhammadans,
and others not Hindus (the number of the latter is insignificant) being
11'27 to 1. This large preponderance of Hindus appears to be common
to the greater portion of the province of Oudh, the exceptions being the
central districts of Lucknow, Bara Banki, and Sitapur.
I have shown in the margin the varying ratios for each district
of the province. It is a curious fact, that the
districts of Rae Bareli and Lucknow, which are
contiguous, should respectively exhibit the high-
est and lowest proportion. Looking at the map,
it would seem, that the larger preponderance is
in the border districts, that is, in those adjoining
the older provinces of the north-west,* while of
these again the preponderance is highest in the
four districts which are bovmded by the Ganges.
The remaining four districts-f- form the heart of
Oudh, and are enclosed on the north by the Naipal range : no doubt it
was this portion of the country on which the Muhammadan conquerors
established a stronger and more lasting hold, as is evident by there being
more of their large towns, "qasbas," and religious endowments than
elsewhere.
Muhamynadan settlements. — The Muha,mmadan conquerors established
seats of government at Lucknow and Fyzabad ; near the latter place, which
for many years was the capital of Oudh, is the famous shrine of Ajodhya, and
it is no doubt to be inferred that many of the vast numbers of Hindus
annually attracted thither in course of time settled in the adjacent country ;
and while thus largely increasing the population of the pargana of
Haweli Oudh J and of the district of Fyzabad§ generally, counteracted
tlie numerical influence of the rising Muhammadan settlement. After
a time, too, the capital was transferred from Fyzabad to Lucknow. Thus
the seat of government at Lucknow came to be, in a sense, the sole centre,
around and within a certain radius of which others and more or less power-
ful Muhammadan settlements sprung up. These served to keep in check
the surrounding Hindu communities, little disposed though the latter
seem to have been to offer serious molestation to the invader. As
time wore on, it would appear that those settlements and families
which were furthest removed from the influence of the reigning head,
and the benefits of court alliances, gradually decayed, were supplanted,
or removed elsewhere. Mr. J. C. Williams, C.S., in para. 126 of his census
reiDort, lays it down "as a general rule, that Muhainraadan infiuence
is strono', their lands extensive, and their numbers, among the population
great, in exactly inverse proportion to the influence, numbers and territorial
possessions of the great Rajput clans," and to this, in a general sense, I
subscribe.
* i e Kheri, Hardoi, Unao, Rae Bareli, Partabgarh, Sultanpur, Fyzabsd, and
f i'.e ', Lackiiow, Bara banki, Sitapur, and Bahraich.
J 1,042 to the square mile,
§ 616 to the square mile.
Gonda.
116
PAR
Distribution of Muhdonmadayis.—The followers of the Prophet are, m
this district, most numerous in the parganas of Mdmkpur, Partabgarb,
and Bihar; and least so in parganas Dhmgwas and Eampur. ihey
are nearly evenly divided between agricultural and non-agricultural; the
former slightly preponderating. The higher castes are- almost entirely
confined to Shekhs and Pathiins. The Muhammadan converts from higher
castes of Hindus number only 534. Of the lo^^er castes who for the most
part pursue some distinctive trade, the " juldha" or weaver, the " dhunia
or cotton corder, the "darzi" or tailor and tent maker, the "manihdr or
lac-bangle maker (who also colours but does not manufacture glass-ban-
gles), and the kunjra or fruiterer, predominate.
Sunnis and 5Mas.— No distinct enumeration was made at the last
census of the respective professors of the Sunni and Shia faiths. The
latter, however, is principally confined to families of pure descent ; while
the followers of Sunni persuasion are undoubtedly far the most-numerous
over the whole Muhammadan population. The Shia faith came no doubt
from Persia, and I caanot but believe that its importation dates from the
written promise of Humayun in the famous interview with the Qazi of
Shah Tuhmfcp. "Though the Shias and Sunnis," says Elphmstone,
" differ less than Catholics and Protestants, their mutual animosity is much
more bitter."
Hindu population. — Of the Hindu population, about 70 per cent, are
tillers of the soil, and this proportion is pretty evenly maintained iu each
pargana. Brahmans, Chhattris, Vaishyas, and Kayaths almost exclusively
compose the higher castes. Of the lower castes Ahirs, Kurmis, Ghamars,
and Pasis predominate ; at the same time there is a good sprinkling of
Muraos. Kurmis and Muraos, who may be styled cultivators of the first class,
are almost to a man agriculturists in this district ; and in regard to the
•number of the former, the Partabgarh district ranks second in the province.
The majority of the Ahirs, Ghamars,* Pasis, and Garerias, who are all
second-rate cultivators, are also wedded to the soil. There are more Lobars
and Lonias in this district than in any other in Oudh ; but very few
of the former, comparatively speaking, are engaged in agricultural pur-
suits. The latter have, as it were, embraced a new profession, and are
almost exclusively cultivators, now that their normal occupation has gone.
As agriculturists they rank high, and are much sought after.
Brahmans. — The Brahmans are chiefly composed of the subdivision
kni>wn as Sarwaria. There are a few Kanaujias proper, Gaur Brahmans,
and Sanadhs here and there. Unfortunately the census papers do not
give numerical details of these subdivisions. The Kanaujia is less of a
stickler for his dignity than the Sarwaria ; for the former may frequently
be seen driving and carrying his own plough, while the latter invariably
employs a ploughman. It may therefore be reasonably inferred that the
Kanaujia is better off, in a worldly point of view, than his prouder and
greater ease-loving brother. The Sarwaria nevertheless looks well after
•In this district a large proportion of Ghamars carry palanquins, and seem to hare
usurped the hereditary trade of the Kahac,
PAR 117
his interests, and is in general a good cultivator and solvent tenant. While
however the latter will never drive "or carry the plough, he may be fre-
quently seen mounted on and driving the " hinga " or harrow, and using
other agricultural implements.
Gradual change in their mode of life. — The shdstars forhid all active
employment and labour of every description. The Brahman is expected
to pass his life in contemplation, and tO support himself by the gleanings of
the field and grain market, and by alms-begging. In the second period of
his existence, as Elphinstone writes, " when the regular sources fail, a Brah-
man may, for a mere subsistence, glean or beg, or cultivate, or even (in case
of extreme necessity) he may trade?' Cases of " extreme necessity" must,
however, have become very frequent of late, judging from the number of
Brahman money-lenders and traders one meets with. A highly respect-
able and intelligent pandit recently informed me, that since 1857 far more
laxity in the observance of tenets has prevailed amongst Brahmans than
formerly ; and he dared not say how it would end. In Oudh, he observed,
prior to British rule the Brahman youth of the country devoted them-
selves to the reading and study of the sacred writings, and nearly every
qualified student might reasonably look forward to a post of greater or
less honour and emolument, as spiritual adviser, or private chaplain, in a
taluqdar's or other wealthy family. Latterly, however, the demand for
the article having declined, the supply has almost stopped, and it is now
the exception (my informant told me) to find any respectable young
Brahman conversant with the Vedas.* It must have become palpable to
all but the most careless observer, how great has been the progress of
late in the quiet and gradual though sure undermining of the vast edifice
of caste prejudice and superstition owing to the nearer advance of civi-
lizing influences and extended education.
Spurious Brahmans. — In the Manikpur and Bihar parganas there are
a great many families of the spurious Brahmans, whose ancestors belonged
to the lower castes of Hindus, and who were to the extent of 125,000, it
is said, invested with the sacred thread by order of Eaja Manik Chand, of
Manikpur celebrity. 28,370 acres of the soil of this district are in the
proprietorship of Brahmans, for which they pay a yearly revenue of
Es. 30,631 to the State. There i& no Brahman Taluqdar in the Partab-
garh district, but this class hold fifty-one villages and hamlets in sub-
settlement.
Chhattris. — The number of Chhattris in the district, according to the
last census, is alm,ost exactly half that of the Brahmans. The four princi-
pal classes of landed proprietors are Bachgotis, Sombansis, Bisens, and
Kanhpurias, and the possessions of these are very approximately co-
extensive with the boundaries of the four tahsil subdivisions.
It is much to be regretted, with reference to the Chhattri population
also, that so large a proportion as 307 per cent, of the whole should have
been returned in the census papers without a detail of the clans they
* Mr. P. Carnegy, in liia admirable " Notes on the Races, Tribes, and Castes of Oadh,"
recnrds that on qneationing one of the Gaur Brahmans in charge of the Jain temples at
Ajodbya about his lax religious views, the latter told him he would not take charge of a
church even If he were paid for it,
118
PAR
belonged to. Of the detailed percentage, it appears that the Sombansi is
the most numerous ; then the Bachgoti, the Bais, the Kanhpuria, and
the Bisen ; but the absence of detail in the whole, of course, renders any
calculation based on the above fractional data very liable to considerable
error. The Bais of this district are not the Tilokchandi Bais of Baiswdra,
but come of an inferior stock, and go by the name of Kaih bais._ They are
of course not recognized by the former. At the same time I entirely concur
in Mr. Carnegy's argument, that the Bais have but little to boast of in
comparison with other Rajput tribes, as regards either antiquity or purity
of religion and descent. There is another Bais family in Itaura in the
Salon pargana who call themselves Bais chaudhris.*
Ghhattri landed proprietors. — I append a statement showing the distri-
bution of zamindari rights in mauzas and hamlets,f as vested at present in
the different Rajput clans of the district : —
Clan.
Taluqdari vil-
Zamindari vil-
Villages held in
lages.
lages.
sub-settlement.
Bachgoti ...
68.3
35
14
Sombansi ... ...
360
154
&5
Bisen
532
20
54
KanJipuria
120
128
41
Dirgbansi...
16
,..
...
Bilkharia
4
21
6
Gautam ...
6
7
9
Bais (Kath Bais) ..
•■•
4
47
Bais (Chaudhri) ...
...
3
2
Kaikwir ...
...
2
•..
Chandel ...
...
9
...
Bach
...
1
...
liajkumar
...
2
.^
Amethia ...
...
1
• ■•
Gharwir ...
...
■ •■
1
Khagal ..
• ■•
• •i
r-
Kosik ...
...
■ ■•
1
Parihar ...
...
1
Miingarha
...
..".
I
Total
1,722
387
262
The most extensive proprietors are the Bachgotis, next come the Bisens,
then the Sombansis, and lastly the Kanhpurias. After these, the holdings
of the remaining Rajput tribes are comparatively insignificant, and call for
no special remarks.
Va'shyas. — The Vaishyas represent the Banian or chief trading
class of the district. The Agarwala is rarely met with ; the Baranwala
more frequently. Another subdivision, the Sardwak, also professing
the Jain religion (but not alluded to by Mr. Williams in his
census report), exists in small numbers. The most common sects are
perhaps the Agrahri and Ajodhya-hashi in tahsils Partabgarh and
* I have, I am sorry to say, been unable to discover the origin and history of these two
families of the Bais.
f In the old district,
PAR " ^ 119:
Bihar, and Omar in tahsil Patti. These sects are entirely distinct,
and neither eat and drink together, nor intermarry. I have heard
it alleged (and the story is current, I believe, in parts of the Punjab),
that once upon a time a certain rdja had two daughters, named
Chd,mu and B^mu. These married, and each gave birth to a son,
who in time grew up to be pahlwdns or prodigies of strength. An
elephant happened to die on the raja's premises, and being unwilling that
the carcass should be cut up and disposed of piece-meal within the
precincts of his abode, he sought for a man of sufficient strength to carry
it forth whole and bury it. Chamu's son undertook and successfully per-
formed this marvellous feat. The son of Bamu, stirred no doubt by jea-
lousy, professed to regard this act with righteous horror, (personal contact
with a corpse or dead animal amounting to defilement), and he thereupon
broke off all relations with his cousin, and pronounced him an outcast.
Ghamars are asserted to be descendants of the latter, and Banias of the
former, and hence the former in some parts, though admitting their moral
degradation, have been known to assert that they are in reality possessed
of a higher rank in the social scale than the latter.
Kdyaths. — The K4yaths are chiefly of the Sri'bastab and Saksena
branches, a few of the Mathur and Amisht being interspersed among them.
All the qanungos in the district are Sribastab. There are no K4yath
taluqdarsi but the large muhals of Chachamau and Salempur Bhairon
belong to this class, who own altogether sixty-five villages and hamlets. The
greater portion of the Kayath population are in service as patwaris, agents,
writers, &c., at the same time, a not inconsiderable proportion, are addict-
ed to agricultural pursuits. In his census report Mr. J. C. Williams, C.S.,
remarks that the Saksenas have two sub-castes called- Khare and Ddsre.
This favours the supposition that the Saksenas alone of the twelve sects
possess these two subdivisions, whereas the Khare and Dusre sub-sects
are common to all. The origin of these sub-sects is thus traced by the
Kayaths of this district. The twelve brothers, the founders of the twelve
branches of Kayath families, married each the daughter of a deity (deota).
Hearing this, the demons (Rachchhas) determined not to be outdone, and
persuaded each of the brothers to take to wife a Richchhas daughter also.
The descendants of the deity came to be known as Dusre and those of
the demon as Khare (Sanskrit alias for Rachchhas).
Proportion of females to males. — The percentage of females on males
as taken on the entire population is 96'9. In
Rae Bakbli. this respect the district of Partabgarh stands
Total Hindus ... 100-9 f^j-^^^ j^ t^e province : the other two districts of
wS-agricultaral ."." 106-9 the division, viz., Rae Bareli and Sultanpur, being
g respectively ^rs^ and second. The same order is
Total Hindus ... sss maintained on taking the percentage on the Hin-
Agricultural ... 95-6 du population Only, and a further analysis of the
Non-agricultural ... 103-2 agricultural and non-agricultural statistics of the
Paetibgaeh. Hindu community, as exhibited in Table I. of the
ISuHurlr ■.".'. 93-7 Oudh Census Report, affords details of adults and
Non-agricultural ... 100-4 children. The proportion is almost invariably
lowest among the .agricultural classes ; but as this
seems to be in the main the case also with regard to the Muhammadan
120
PAR
population of the province any argument based hereon, in favour of
the prevalence of infanticide amongst the Hindu agricultural classes, at
once loses force. In fact the census figures are opposed to the idea of
the existence of the crime, in the light of even a partially prevailing
custom ; and from my own enquiries in this, and the adjoining district
of Sultanpur, I incline to the belief that the practice has become all but
obsolete. Of the Rajput clans of this district, who were the principal
offenders in this respect, the Bachgoti and Sombansi may be prominently
mentioned. Unlike his more aristocratic congener of Baiswaia, the lower
Bais or Kath Bais, of the Bihdr and Salon tahsils, has never, I believe,
been addicted to the habit. The Bisen and Kanhpuria likewise deny all
former participation in infanticide, but with what truth I have been
unable to ascertain with any degree of certainty.
Houses. — The ordinary habitation of the peasantry consists of four rooms
built in this wise : — Four outer clay walls are run up in the shape of a
parallelogram, the longest sides running north and south, according to
the teaching of the Shastras.
Within these walls and parallel to them, at a distance of from seven to
ten feet, four more walls are built up to the same height. The two sets of
walls are then covered over with common thatch (khas posh), and thus they
form, with the aid of divisions, either four or eight rooms (kothrlsj, with an
inner enclosure or courtyard called "angan" or " angnai." Aground plan
will perhaps convey the best idea of the houses most commonly seen : —
„ 6 N.
W.
"A'ngan"
or
"Angndi."
E.
ZZfi Enfrance
S.
PAR 121
The spaces between the lines a a and h h represent an outlet for drain-
age purposes, which is made either on the eastern or northern face. The
main entrance at c is always constructed on the southern half of the face
E, so as to afford a screen to the inner doorway, which is in the centre of
the line e. The other principal doorways are built in the centre of the
walls, north, west, south. The doorways are merely vacant spaces which,
when required, are closed with a rough brushwood or grass screen called a
"tatti." In the Patti and Partabgarh tahsils one sees more thatch-pent
roofs than any other; but in the Bihar tahsil the flat mud roof is
principally adopted. The walls are covered with a rough frame-work
of leaves and rus brushwood, and clay is then plastered over it for a thick-
ness of about two feet. These roofs, used also as dormitories in the hot
weather, are preferred to the pent roof, as they do not leak and last for
many years ; whereas the latter require renewal every year or two, accord-
ing to the extent of the ravages made by the white-ants. Sometimes one
sees a habitation combining both styles of roof. Then again, there is the
single slope thatch roof, constructed by building up the inner wall to a
considerable height above the outer one, and then applying the hypothe-
nuse in the shape of a cumbrous thatch frame-work. Those who can afford the
luxury use tiles. This is of course exceptional, and the fashion dates from
annexation only. Within the space shown in the above figure, the
cultivator manages to house his family, to shelter his bullock (and, if a
Chamdr or Pasi, to keep his pigs like the Irishman in his cabin),* to store
his grain, and in fact to keep all his worldly possessions. The zamindars
and more opulent classes enclose their dwellings again by another outer
wall, within which cattle sheds are erected and fuel and grain stored with-
out encroaching on the inner space reserved for the privacy of the family.
Receptacles for storing grain. — Of grain storing receptacles the fol-
lowing deserve mention : — The "garh" or " khaun," a deep circular hole
generally constructed within the angan, capable of holding from 100
to 300 standard maunds of grain. The mouth of the hole is narrow,
seldom exceeding two feet in diameter, and retains this width until it
reaches some three feet below the surface of the ground when it rapidly
widens into the required dimensions. In this the different grains to be
stored are deposited in layers, with a stratum of chopped straw between
each sort. The mouth is then closed up in the following manner: — At the
bottom of the shaft or entrance hole sticks are secured cross- wise, and over
these straw is placed, mud is then applied, and lastly dry earth is filled in
up to the level of the ground. This style of storehouse is more common
to the premises of the zamindar and village banker than to the dwelling
of the ordiuary cultivator. When closed up in Jeth (May and June) the
garh is not opened until the season arrives for making advances and for
sowing.
The koth is the common granary of the cultivator, and is a curi-
ous contrivance. It consists of a solid mass of clay mixed with chopped
straw, of circular shape, about three feet in diameter, and from about
• Oiatnars and Pasis are, as a rule, only allowed to keep pigs within their dwellings when
their hauses are situated on the outskirts of the village, as indeed is generally the case.
16
122 PAR
twelve to sixteen inches in thickness. This is deposited in one of
the kothris or chambers of the habitation, and upon it are piled up some
five or six more circles of the same dimensions, but hollowed out in the
centre so as to leave a lateral thickness of about four inches. The
interstices are then carefully plastered over, and when the whole is quite
dry, the grain is poured in at the top and a cover applied. Lastly, a hole
is made below on a level with the upper svirface of the iirst or solid circle,
whence the grain is taken out as required. A wisp of straw or a wooden
bung serves as a stopper. A koth is capable of containing up to thirty-
five maunds. More than one sort of grain is not kept in the koth
at the same time. Rice is frequently stored in a primitive fashion called
" bakhar." A clear space outside the dwelling is selected, so situated as
to be within sight of the inmates by day, one of the male members of
the family sleeping close to the spot at night. The rice is then col-
tected here and covered completely with straw, over which mud is plas-
tered to a thickness of some four or five inches. When the value of rice
has risen, the bakhdr is opened and the grain sold to the highest bidder.
There is lastly the interior bakhar for the rabi grains. This is merely a
cross-wall run up at one end of a kothri or chamber to a height of about
five feet, in the space enclosed by which the different grains are kept,
separated by layers of bh6sa or chopped straw. The arrangement is
made with due regard to the immediate and ulterior requirements of the
family. Access to this store room is by means of a short ladder. In all
receptacles of grain dried mahua leaves are placed, in order to keep off
the white-ant.
Furmiture. — Of other common articles of house furniture may be men-
tioned the " chond" or cylindrical earthen vessel for holding flour, salt, &C.,
and with a varying capacity of from two to five maunds ; the " chirwi" or
earthen cooking pot with a wide mouth, of which there are at least three
or four in every house ; the '• galwa," a large coarsely made circular basket
in which the bullocks receive their feed of chopped straw or stalks ; the
" jhawwa," a similar basket but smaller, in which is carried to the field the
seed for sowing ; the " tokri" or " palri" and the " sikhaula," still smaller
baskets, with very little apparent difference between them, which are
used as refuse baskets and for a variety of common purposes, which it is
hardly necessary, to detail; the "dauri," a bamboo-made basket for holding
flour in, and which is also used as a grain measure ; the ''mauni," a small
hand basket made of "kdsa" grass, bound with "miinj" (sheath of the
" sarpat" grassj, and used in sowing. The " mauni" is filled from the
" jhawwa" and is held in one hand, while the seed is taken out and scat-
tered with the other ; the " slip " or winnowing fan, made of " sirki ;" the
" chalni," " bikna^" and " akha," different kinds of grain and flour sieves ;
the " miisal," a wooden instrument, with a iron ring at one end, used for
threshing purposes ; the " pirha" and " bUna," board and rolling pin for
kneading, (the pfrha is sometimes also a flat stone); the "sil" and
" lorha," a flat stone and round stone used for pounding spices and con-
diments, in fact a rude pestle and mortar. The " charkha," or cotton
spinning-wheel, used by women only ; the " charpai" or common bedstead,
and the " machia," a low four-cornered stool, complete the list of articles
PAR 123
of primitive furniture to be commonly seen in the interior of a Partabgarh
peasant's but. As a rale the owner is careful in observing the old maxim —
a place for everything and everything in its place ; for one seldom
sees confusion and untidiness in his internal arrangements. Filth and
rubbish may reign rampant outside and around the dwelling, but,
generally speaking, the inside will be found to be neat and clean.
Food. — As might be expected from the foregoing details, the food of
the masses is exceedingly simple, and varies with each harvest. After
the rabi harvest cakes made of wheaten flour, ground barley, peas, grain,
&c., are chiefly eaten, E,ice and other kharif grains succeed to these in
their season, and are varied with lentils (dal). As a savoury adjunct ghi
is mixed with their food by those who can afford it. " Gur" (molasses)
is also a luxury which but few comparatively can afford daily. It is
chiefly eaten with the noon-tide " chabena" or parched grain. Vegetables
and fruit are, in their seasons, largely consumed. The first meal is gene-
rally taken between 9 A.M. and noon, and the second after sunset. Sel-
dom is food taken before 9 o'clock in the morning. For those engaged in
agricultural pursuits, the women of the house always cook and prepare
their food. In fact, the hard work and general drudgery of the household
here, as elsewhere in India, falls to the lot of the weaker vessel.
Dress and ornaments. — ^Excluding the wealthier classes, who can afford
fine muslins, silks, &c., the mass of the population may be separated into
two divisions with regard to the nature of the material with which they
usually clothe themselves. The least poor of these two divisions wear, as a
rule, the English fabrics here known as " mdrkin" and " nainsukh," while
the dress of the poorest class is almost entirely composed of the coarse
country materials called " garha," " dhotar," and " gazi." The ordinary
dress of the Hindu is the " mirzai," or short jacket with sleeves, below
which is worn the " dhoti." Round the head is twisted the " dupatta,'
which is a long narrow strip of any common material. The Muhammadan
usually wears tight " paejamas," fastened round the waist and reaching
about six inches below the knee, over which he throws ^e " hurta," or
long loose garment with sleeves, which falls down as far as the knees.
The mirzfii of the Hindu is fastened in front on the right, while the similar
fastening of the Muhammadan garment is on the left. The Hindu female
peasant attire is ordinarily the dhoti and the "lahnga pharia." The
former is, as a rule, the dress of the older women, and the latter that of the
younger. The dhoti is simply a large sheet, two-thirds of which are rolled
round the body, and the remainder thrown over the head and shoulders.
The "lahnga pharia," consists of two garments; — viz., the lahnga, a
kind of petticoat, commonly made of some stripped or coloured material,
fastened at the waist, and the pharia, a simple piece of some coarse mate-
rial like garha, &c., and not unlike the dhoti. It is thrown over the head
and upper portion of the body, and the ends in front are tucked in
beneath the lahnga. A '' kurti" or short jacket, without sleeves, or with
very small sleeves, is often worn with either style of dress. The dress of
the Muhammadan women does not much differ from the above, except that
the Qureshi women often wear loose piejamas and a sheet (or as it is in
124. PAR
this instance called dupatta) thrown over the head and shoulders, thence
falling down to about the knees; under this again the kurti above
described is usually worn.
Mode of collection and, of payment of the Govern/ment demand, die. —
The . mode of collecting rents and of meeting the Government demand
differs according to the tenure of the village. In the case of zamindari
and imperfect pattidari villages, the whole proprietary body are respon-
sible for the failure of one sharer ; in pattidari estates again where the
partition is perfect and complete, and extends to the waste and uncultu-
rable lands, the defaulting pattidar is alone liable for his sins of omission.
The arrangements for the cultivation are, as a rule, made by the lambar-
dar or lambardars, or by these in conjunction with the other shareholders.
Succession and transfer. — With regard to succession to landed pro-
perty amongst the Hindus, on the death of a sharer, without male issue,
his widow is allowed to succeed. She cannot, however, alienate the pro-
perty without the consent of the community. In the case of inability to
meet the Government demand, arising from bad seasons or other causes
over which she has had, and could have had no control, mortgage or sale
is permissible. On her death, the ~ property goes to the nearest of kin
in the male line according to the Shastras. Amongst the Muhammadans,
on the death of a proprietor, the widow succeeds as in the above case.
If there be more than one wife, each shares equally, and under the same
restriction with regard to transfer as among the Hindus. Landed property
is usually distributed among Hindus according to the principle of
Jethdnsi, which secures to the eldest son or heir a larger share than
goes to the others. The measure of the Jethdnsi varies very much accord-
ing to the locality. For instance, in the taluqas of Patti Saifabad and
Raepur Bichhaur, in the Patti tahsil, the share of the eldest son is ll-20th
and that of the younger 9-20th, the calculation being based on the bigha
which consists of 20 biswas. Again, in taluqa Dariapur in the same tahsil,
the share of the eldest is twice that of each of the younger sons. In
taluqa Dhdngarh, in tahsil BihAr, the shares are 9-16th and 7-16th, based
on the rupee. In smaller estates the division on these principles is very
tedious.
Groves: Custom as regards owners of estates. — I propose first to notice
the custom prevailing in this district with regard to the planting of groves,
and to the liability of the owner or occupier to the payment of rent in
the event of the trees being felled and the land cleared. The first class
consists of those who have a full proprietary or under-proprietary right
in the lands of the entire estate, and whose responsibilities have been
once for all fixed in a lump sum, either with reference to the imperial
demand, or to the due of the superior holder in the case of sub-settlements.
The superior holder is bound by the tentative rules in force, which, with
the object of encouraging the growth of plantations, exempt from a'ssess-
ment a wooded area not exceeding 10 per cent, of the whole. Failing in
this object, grove lands, if found to be wantonly cleared of trees, will be
liable to future assessment. Similarly, and by implication, is the discre-
PAR 125
tion of the under-proprietor in sub-settled estates restricted by the same
rules.
Custom as regards ex-proprietors and tenants with a right of occu-
pancy.— The next class is composed of those persons who are ex-proprietors,
but who are possessed of an under-proprietary right in their sir and s4yar
lands ; (the latter including grove lands) ; of tenants with a right of occu-
pancy, and those who have purchased or have otherwise acquired proprie-
tary or under-proprietary rights in any portion of the village lands. These
persons pay the rent which has been assessed upon their holdings through
the superior holder or malguzSr. Now, it is obvious that they can plant
to any extent they please, so long as they continue to discharge their
liabilities. But what is the effect of cutting down their groves, and so
increasing the cultivated area of their holdings ? The custom, as ascer-
tained in this district, authorizes the superior holder in such cases to
demand rent so soon as the land thus cleared is brought under the plough,
no matter whether, as grove land, it had been held rent-free for genera-
tions. Occasionally, in the case of an ex-proprietor, the taluqdar will
refrain from exercising this power ; but, . as a rule, it is freely exercised,
and in the case of purchasers and other outsiders without mercy or com-
punction. It is a custom which, supplementing as it does the local rules
regarding the larger wooded areas, has a direct tendency to preserve
intact the smaller plantations.
CustOTTi as regards tenants-at-will. — The third and last class consists
of tenants-at-will, and as the groves occupied by these form a very con-
siderable proportion of the entire timber lands of the district, it is of the
utmost importance to carefully record in the " Wdjib-ul-arz" (administration
paper) the customs and usages which prevail with regard to their tenure of
such lands, as well as the relations which in this respect, subsist between them
and the landlord. First of all, it by no means follows that because a cultivator
has been forced through enhancement of rent, or by other circumstances, to
relinquish his holding, he is therefore obliged to abandon his grove also.
My experience in this and the adjoining district of Sultanpur, has con-
vinced me that so long as the cultivator remains in the village, he retains
a lien on his grove, even though dispossessed of his cultivated holding.
There is one general exception to this rule, however, and this I can better
describe with the aid of an illustration than in abstract terms. For in-
stance A, a cultivator, has a holding of 10 bighas for which he pays a rent
of Rs. 40. He asks B, his landlord, for two bighas more, for the pur-
pose of planting a grove. B, consents and gives A. two bighas of waste or
cultivated land for the purpose required. No rent is charged for this
two bighas, but the rent on the holding is raised from Rs. 40 to 50. A. sets
to work and plants the two bighas with trees. In the event of ouster, A.
loses trees and all. If, oh the other hand, A, content with his original
10 bighas, plants a grove in one bigha, and continues to pay Rs. 40 rent
for the remaining 9 bighas, he still retains possession of his trees if
ousted from his cultivated holding.
Usufruct and timber. — As regards the usufruct, with the exception of
the mahua tree, the right of the planter of the grove is complete. I shall
126 PAR
refer separately to mahua plantations. The custom as regards the felling
of the trees permits the cultivator to sell, or otherwise dispose of the
timber without reference to the landlord, it being however at the same
time generally understood that no fresh trees can take the place of those
out down without the sanction of the latter. Here again the mahua
tree is an exception. No such tree on which is levied a " kut"* or
" peri"f tax can be felled without the consent of the lord of the manor.
In the case of an under-proprietor who pays in a lump sum, including the
peri, he can of course fell his mahua trees, provided he continues to pay
the entire rent assessed upon his holding ; but if he pays a cash rent for
the land, and a kut or fruit tax on his mahua trees, he cannot do so ; the
latter being in a manner hypothecated for the tax assessed upon them.
Untaxed mahua is quite the exception. The kiit or share of the fruit
preponderates over the peri or money value. The proportion given to
the over-proprietor in the former case varies from one-half share to three-
fourths of the produce : as a rule, the latter is the prevailing rate as
^«gards tenants-at-will.
MahvM groves. — Mr. C. W. McMinn, C.S., who was formerly Assistant
Settlement Officer of this district, has left on record some very valuable
remarks regarding the mahua of these parts. His enquiries extended
over some weeks, and were chiefly conducted among the extensive
mahua groves of the Kunda tahsil. Mr. McMinn writes : — " The
" broadest distinction is generally found between mahua groves and all
others ; mahua, as a rule, seems just as much a village asset for revenue
purposes as wheat, and to have been so regarded in the Nawabi.
Whether zamindar, or Brahman, or as4mi planted mahua, whenever
the tree ceased to be a ' pora,' viz., in from ten to twenty years, accord-
ing to soil, the right to its produce accrued to the mdlguzar. There are
of course innumerable exceptions among the lacs of mahua trees in
this district, but I have made hundreds of enquiries beneath the trees
while the fruit was dropping and gatherers collecting, and I am pretty
certain that this was not only the general practice, but that it had quite
reached the dimensions of an unquestioned right. For one man who
disputes it in our courts twenty have quietly acquiesced. Either the
m^lguzar took peri, or he included the rent of the trees in the jamaf
land,t or he took kut. This last was as follows :— Three-fourths of the
estimated^ produce to the malguzar, one-fourth to the grove owner, who
had also to defray the expenses of gathering the mahua (one-twelfth
of the gross produce), storing and drying. The above being the case,
the question arises, — have either old proprietors or others any valuable
interest to claim in mahua groves ? Undoubtedly they have. This
fourth, which is occasionally raised to a third, and even a half, is valued
and fought for, while the perils generallyvery moderate, and the jamai
system facilitates embezzlement.
" I do not believe there is a single village in which the taluqdar did
not generally or at times, under a well recognized custom, take the
• " Kfit" is a tax paid in Mnd, being a certain fixed share of the Jruit.
t " Peri" is a cash payment, and varies from 2 to 12 annas per tree,
j Cash rent paying land.— W. E. F.
PAR 127
mass of the mahua produce, leaving one-fourth to the collector as pay-
ment for his labour. Many things complicated this enquiry, and made
the clearing up of the parties' rights difficult. Unlike cereals mahua
is an irregular crop; every fourth year there is none, or so little that
the taluqdar will not take the trouble of asserting his rights. For all
those years the zamindar can truly say that he held his trees free.
Again, by acknowledged custom, whoever plants a grove holds it free,
keeping all the produce as long as it is a pora. I have been unable to
determine even approximately the recognized age when a tree ceases to
be a pora ; at first I used to hear that it was about twelve years, but the
moment the zamindars found that the point might become of use to an
officer who was seeking out facts, then the limit of the age of a pora
rose to 20, 30, 40 years ; nor were the taluqdar's witnesses a whit
behind. Still every zamindar can point to real pora trees, or to those
which he has as yet managed to keep out of the paying register, and
say with truth ' look at my mu4fi trees !'
" I have no doubt that the zamindars had many trees mu^fi, (rent free);
many more included in their jatnai land, according to the peculiar custom
of the taluqas, but the rest are the right of the taluqdar, and his rights are
too large to be lost through any ignorance of the pargana custom, or
ill-grounded trust in oral evidence, without doing him serious damage,
and leading to a general distrust of our courts. "
Mahua in Patti. — In the Patti pargana the mahua tree is untaxed.
In one village only, viz., mauza Pipri, in the Adharganj estate, in which
there are about 50 trees, is peri paid by a family of Brahman ex-proprie-
tors at the extraordinarily high rate of Rs. 2 per large tree, and Re. 1 for
the smaller ones, not poras. In all other parts of the pargana, the planter
of the grove enjoys the entire produce without let or hindrance ; and yet
Patti is composed almost exclusively of taluqdari estates.
Cultivator's right over his grove. — ^Whilst in some portions of the dis-
trict the cultivator or tenant-at will possesses an absolute power over the
trees of his grove, so that he can mortgage and even sell without the pre-
viously obtained sanction of the landlord, there are many places where his
rights are so restricted that he can only enjoy the usufruct, but cannot
pick up the smallest twig in the shape of dried or fallen wood, much less
fell, mortgage, or otherwise alienate the trees.
Ber&ni and Idwdrsi trees. — It is usual in some estates to set apart
one or two mango groves in a village, according to its size, for the sole
benefit of the cultivators on the rent-roll. " Berfini" or " Mwdrsi" trees
(that is, trees which have sprung up of themselves, . or the former owners
of which have died without heirs, or have left the village) belong exclu-
sively to the lord of the manor. He either consumes or sells the produce
himself, or else he adds a patch of land, on which are growing some of these
trees, to a tenant's holding, and turns the deed to account by raising the
rent on the latter. This is what is sometimes called jamal holding, but
the term in this sense is restricted.
Rights of irrigation, — Rights of irrigation may be broadly classified as
natv/ral and artificial. Under the fortoer come rights of irrigation from
128 PAR
rivers, nalas, jWls, and swamps ; while under the latter are comprised all
rights in wells, excavated tanks and ponds, and embankments. With
reference to irrigation from natural sources, the custom is that should the
landholder require water he is first to be served, then the cultivators,
according to priority of sowing, on the principle that the earliest sown crop
soonest requires water. The second class ordinarily gives rise to disputes
and litigation, but in this district irrigation suits have been remarkably
few.
Artificial reservoirs. — ^Rights in wells are clear, and are seldom, if ever,
called in question. With regard to artificial reservoirs two classes may
be said to exist, viz., (1) those in the case of which the excavator or his
heir is living and in possession, and (2) those in which all rights have
lapsed. In the former case, after taking as much water as his purpose
requires, the owner usually allows the privilege of irrigation to such cultiva-
tors of the village or neighbouring village as he pleases. In the latter
case, howeyer, it is usual for the lord of the manor to first irrigate his sir
lands ; afterwards those cultivators, whose lands are situated within reach
of the water, appoint a committee to estimate the contents of the reser-
voir and the amount of land which it is proposed to irrigate. The amount
of water to which each man is entitled is then apportioned in dauris.
The dauri contains about five gallons, and the dogla rather more than
twice as much. This distribution of water by the " bachh" system exten-
sively prevails in this district, and, being regulated by a sort of standing
panchdyat (court of arbitration), tends to reconcile mal-contents who would
otherwise come into court. The patwari is ordinarily ex-ojfficio member
of the "panchayat," the remaining three or four members being either
landholders, muqaddams, or other respectable residents. It has come to my
knowledge that a practice has begun to prevail in some parts of levying
irrigation dues, or in other words of selling water. _ Pahikdsht cultivators
requiring the commodity are made to pay 8 annas per diem -for each
" rik " or raising station which they work. This is another innovation,
which characterises the age .we live in, in connection with the gradual
decay of caste prejudice.
Grazing rights. — The subject of grazing rights may be dismissed in a
few words. Unfortunately for the cultivator and his live stock, the graz-
ing area is yearly becoming more restricted. The uncultivated land of a
village is, as a rule, free for grazing purposes, not only to its own cattle,
but to the cattle of the neighbourhood. In other words, clusters of vil-
lages possess pasture lands common to all. This simple arrangement,
based on ancient custom, does away with all ground of contention. Dis-
putes when they do arise are nearly always connected with the trespass
of cattle in the cultivation, and the consequent damage to the crops. They
are not occasioned by any abstract ideas of right in this or that patch of
waste. Grazing dues are at present unknown amongst the agricultural
population, but how long they will remain so it would be hazardous to
conjecture. A system of irrigation dues may be soon followed up by the
levy of a tax on grazing.
Manure stacks. — Manure heaps are in some districts frequent cause of
contention. In this district however disputes have been rare. Since the
PAR 129
issue of the prohibition against stacking manure -^itliin the inhabited in-
closures, it is usual to collect it in a grove, or other convenient waste spot.
Not unfrequently cultivators dig a large hole in a corner of a field, and
throw into it all the manure and refuse matter they can get hold of.
There are no common manure heaps. Each zamindar and each cultiva-
tor possesses his own, quite apart from the others.
Shankalp. — The religious tenure known as " shankalp " largely pre-
vails in this district. Grants of shankalp vary in extent from one or
two blghas to entire estates of several villages, and are confined to Brah-
mans. As a rule some consideration was always given. The grantee
either gave a large entertainment, or an elephant, camel, horse, or other
valuable article such as a shawl ; less frequently a present of money or
jewels. In very rare instances was the value given a purely nominal one.
Birt, which is a tenure in some respects analogous to shankalp, finds
no existence in this district. Not a single suit founded on a birt holding
has come before the courts.
Ddr. — There is however a tenure in Patti, and strictly confined to that
pargana which goes by the name of " ddr." It is similar to the kind of
birt known as " bai birt," or purchased birt; dar, as existing in this district,
represents a purchased interest in a patch of land or chak, and is obtain-
able by all classes. It is never found to extend to entire villages. The
real and primary meaning of the word ddr is obscure. It is said to be a
corruption of zamindari. There are 403 acres at present held under this
tenure.
The following table of the tenures in the Partabgarh district is roughly
correct, assuming that column 15 does not include the owners of sir : —
17
130
PAR
o
PI
o
EH
'S3[i«caeg:
§
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en o so CO o> -^ -^
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CO CO OS lo so — W3
«-* '-0 ■« O UJ ■'fl 03
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PAR
131
List of proprietors paying more than Bs. 5,000.
si
*s«-
1
Name of owner.
Name of
.2^
Area.
Government
Remarks.
s
estate.
P
jama.
Acres.
Rs.
a.
p.
I
Rampal Singh and ESja
Hauwant Singh
Dharupur Ka-
la Kankar,
196
101,264
86,088
8
0
Bisen.
2
ESe Jagat Bahadur Singh
Bhadri
98
68,611
76,406
0
0
Do.
3
DiwanEan Bijai Baha-
dur Singh.
Patti Saifa-
bad, 1 1th
share.
170
61,663
69,352
0
0
Bachgoti.
4
Ajit Kunwar
Do. 9th do..
116
47,810
51,768
5
4
Do.
5
RSja Bijai Bahadur
Singh.
Bahlolpur ...
60
*27,OO0
29,246
12
8
Sombansi,
6
Thakurain Jfinki Kunwar
PawSnsi ..,
91
43,495
43,498
0
0
Do.
7
Eae Madho Parshad
Singh.
Adharganj ...
99
42,576
44,765
0
0
Bachgoti.
8
Thakurain Baijnath
Kunwar, Chhatarpal
Singh, Suraj Pal Singh.
Chandarpal Singh.
Kundrajit,
68
43,038
43,574
0
0
Bisen,
9
Eaja Surpal Singh
Mustafahad,
27
22,646
25,597
16
0
Kanhpuria.
10
LSI Bahadur Singh,
Nagashar Bakhsh, Ba-
nomin Singh, Chau-
harja Singh, Saltanat
Siugh, Sitla Bakhsh
Madhopur ,„
i
83
28,336
26,204
0
0
Bachgoti.
11
Singh.
Raja Ajit Singh
Tarwal ...
69
19,277
67,235
11
7
Sombansi.
12
Thakurain Sultan Kun-
war, Bae Bisheshwar
Bakhah Singh.
Babu Diu Bahadur P&l
ESepur Bi-
chhaur.
83
47,240
39,164
6
8
Bachgoti.
13
Dandi Kaehh,
31
13,063
14,849
0
0
Kalhans.
U
Singh.
Babu HauomSn Bakhsh
Domipur ,.,
47
16,835
17,313
5
9
Sombansi.
15
Singh.
Diwan Earmacgal Singh
Urayya Dih
JamtSli.
63
16,497
16,535
0
0
Bachgoti.
16
Eija Mahesh Bakhsh
Kaithaula ...
30
13,998
16,099
0
0
Kanhpuria.
17
Singh.
Lai Sitla Bakhah and Lai
Dh&Qgarh ...
45
13,829
15,549
0
0
Bisen.
IS
Shankar Singh,
Babu Bajrang Bahadur
Baispur
29
11,656
14,915
0
0
Sombansi.
19
Singh.
Babu Balbhaddalr Singh,
Sujakhar ...
62
13,630
14,466
0
0
Do.
20
Babu Hardatt Singh ...
Pirthiganj ...
34
10,570
12,660
0
0
Do,
Bachgoti.
21
Sagnnath Kunwar and
Dasrathpur,
19
7,636
8,285
0
0
Kharag Kun*ar.
22
Lai Mahesh Bakhsh
Dahiawan ...
10
6,366
7,845
0
0
Bisen.
23
Singh.
LSrSarabjit Singh
She k h p u r
Chauras,
12
4,647
6,754
0
0
Do.
24
LalShiuambar Singh ...
Eajapur
9
4,86S
6,199
0
0
Kanhpuria.
25
BSbu Mahipal Singh ...
UmrSr
6
5,003
6,066
0
0
Do.
26
Eaja Ohitpal Singh ...
Chitpalgarh,
15
4,57 5
&,980
0
0
Sombansi.
Ilrigbansi,
27
Baja Mahesh Nai'&iii
Farhat ...
15
4,729
6,800
0
0
28
Singh.
Eae Bfaagwant Singh,
Jagmohan Singh, Arat
Singh, Bisheshwar
Bakhsh Singh.
Dariapur ..,
37
13,985
12,935
0
0
Bachgoti.
•Cannot be correctly given aa he has sold some yillagcs.
132
PAR
CHAPTER IV.
ADMINISTEATIVE FEATURES.
Administration— Police— Crimes — Accidental deaths— Population of thanas— Eevenue and
Expenditure — Education— Postal statistics.
Administration. — The administration is carried ou by a deputy commissioner
with five or six assistants and extra assistants, European and native, and
four tahsildars.
All these courts have civil, criminal, and revenue powers ; in addition
Partabgarh is fortunate enough to possess seven Honorary Magistrates,
several of whom are exceptionally able and energetic men. AH of these
have civil and criminal powers, and six have revenue, one Rdja'R4mp41
Singh, has for years devoted himself laboriously to regular court work.
The courts are numerous therefore compared with the population of
the district, which is however dense and litigious. The police is shown
in the following table ; another shows the crime and its great increase dur-
ing the last five j'ears ; a third the accidental deaths and suicides.
Police Statistics in 1873.
1
1
i
c
g
•a
s
H
1=1
1
£
S
1
3
3
d
o
&
§
bo
1
1
1
1
67
6
73
i
■s
1
1
u
O
1
<
o
1
1
1
"o
p<
O
g
1
1
P.
■3
1
's
1
■s
1
o
o
1
i
1
S
■3
1
o
1
1
f
i
t
1
■s
1
s
1
■s
1
1
1
1
'S
1
i
1
KegBlar police ...
Village watch ,„
Municipal police,
Es.
56,862
66,350
4,272
1,27,484
309
2,654
39
1 to 5-60
1 to 3,033
1,716
5,543
2,413
1,921
492
...
Total
3,002
3,078
...
...
...
1,718
5,543
2,413
1,921
492
PAR
133
Crime Statistics.
Cases reported.
Cases convicted.
t^
00
•
OS
d
f-t
IM
t^
00
di
d
.
->?
r*
*>-
r-
;o
to
to
l-H
00
GO
00
00
00
£30
00
00
oo
Murders and attempts
6
13
8
6
7
5
a
B
.<!
4
2
3
Culpable homicide
6
e
6
5
1
4
5
2
6
Daooity ^
2
§•■
1
1
1
1
1
]
1
Bobbery
3
14
8
i9
24
11
9.
8
1
9
11
5
Bioting and unlawful assem-
bly.
Theft by house-breaking or
7
7
18
IS
11
5
5
7
12
10
8
4
1829
2072
2435
2242
242S
3326
105
173
235
170
141
371
house-trespass.
Theft simple
587
703
981
1163
1.S74
1645
72
147
S6I
?114
191
388
Theft of cattle
283
191
176
138
240
271
19
44
57
47
4R
78
Offences against coin and
...
3
2
4
1
2
...
1
2
1
K
Btamps.
Comparative .
Memorandum of accidental deaths.
Suicides.
By drown-
ing.
By snake
bite.
By wild
quadru-
peds.
By fall oj
buildings.
By other
causes.
Total.
.
(ii
a
OJ
»
o5
"3
100
1
120
1
20
32
5
i
2
1
14
17
S
1
S
1867 ...
60
20
189
188
1868
taa
...
93
122
31
34
3
■ ■■
3
4
58
23
188
183
1869
• *«
...
107
132
14
14
*■«
6
1
96
27
236
174
1870
6
SIO
104
133
IS
35
2
8
6
72
16
207
209
1871
7
29
96
114
37
52
4
0»*
43
34
69
26
256
265
1872
6
20
US
147
40
40
..«
2
7
2
65
16
260
200
The foUcrwing sta
tement sliows the populj
ition of thanas : —
Name of thana.
Population.
Fatti
...
107,131
BSniganj ••!
••t ••!
...
92,251
MacAndrewgau] ...
*•• •«•
...
135,468
Sangipur
•■• •■•
...
106,074
Jethwara .-•
t«a t«i
...
107,506
Sangramgatb
«•• ••<
...
106,6)3
EuDda
t«« »**
...
129,215
T
otal
• ••
784,156
These figures are from later calculations and do not quite agree with the census report.
The revenue and expenditure of the district from imperial funds are shown
in the following tables, The land revenue forms almost 90 per cent, of
134 PAR
the taxation, and of the income tax again, in 1873, landed proprietors con-
tributed Rs. 7,307 out of E,s. 8,554 or 87 per cent. The other details of
the income tax possess no interest, only 151 persons were assessed in 1872,
of whom 69 were owners of the soil. The tax is now no longer imposed.
Receipts, 1871-72.
1 Becent settlement revenue collections ... Bs. 8,62,610
2 Bents of GoTernment Tillages and lands ... „
3 Income tax ... ,„ ... „ IS,7S2
4 Tax on spirits and drugs ... ,„ „ 29,066
6 Stamp duty ... ... ... „ 66,046
6 Law and justice ... 6,563
Total
• ••
9i
9,67,046
Expenditure, 1871-72.
Eerenue refunds and drawbacks
• ■•
Ks,
1,200
Miscellaneous refunds
• ■•
»
I,36S
Land revenue, Deputy Commissioner and
establishment
a»«
»
42,910
Settlement .„
*••
tf
14,494
Excise or Abkari
•••
If
2,839
Assessed taxes ... ...
■ •*
»
425
Stamps
• M
ij
876
T ™ „„;i • ,„j.i-„ C Service of process
Law and justice, ^ criminal courts
...
It
3,314
29,893
Ecclesiastical
*•*
)t
• ■•
Medical
• ••
• ff
»
»
4,200
Total
1,01,616
The following tables contain the various items of receipts and disburse-
ments in the local fund department : —
Receipts, 1871-72.
One per cent., road cess ... ,., Bs. 10,174
,1 I, school ... ... „ 10,174
One-fourth „ district dak ,.. „ 2,544
Thr^e „ local and margin ... „ 27,72 1
Education fund ... 1,676
Dispensary ... „. ... „ 3,074
Pound ... ... ... „ 2,561
Nazul ... ... .„ „ 882
Total ... „ 57,705
Frovincial allotment ,„ „ 86,392
Grand total ,„ „ 1,44,097
Expenditure, 1871-72.
Education ...
Hospitals and dispensaries
District dak ,„
Pound ,ci
Nazul ,.,
Public works —
Communications ...
Civil Buildings, &c. ...
Establishment, &c. ...
Bs.
18,872
»
7,540
»
3,290
9>
1,218
It
267
Bs.
82,441
21,270
)i
8,496
' 1,12,206
Total ... Bs, 1,43,393
PAR 136
^Schools. — In addition to the high school at the sadr station, there
are the following schools in the interior of the district : —
Two vernacular town schools at Patti and Bihar.
One grant-in-aid school at Nawabganj (Pari&wan).
Fifty village schools.
One girls' school at Nawabganj near Bela,
This gives us exactly one school for every forty-one villages, which, con-
sidering the average small size of the latter, is an excellent distribution.
The High Sohool. — In the high school only is English taught. The high
school, in addition to preparing pupils for the Canning College at Lucknow,
and for the University classes, " must also," it has been distinctly laid down,
" play the part of an ordinary village school," and again, that the elemen-
tary education of the agricultural masses, is " one of the special though
incidental duties of the high school." The average attendance during the
year 1869-70 was 129, which was 78 per cent, of the number registered.
Two of the taluqdars of the district, Rdja Chitpdl Singh of Niirpurf and
Babu Mahesh Bakhsh of Dahiawan, have been educated at this school,
which they attended for some seven years. The senior inspector has
reported that " both have received a very fair education, and take much
interest in the village schools on their estates, as well as in the school
where they were educated." They are still anxious to improve themselves,
and devote much of their leisure time to reading English standard works.
They are good landlords, and have the respect of their tenantry.
Vernacular town schools. — With regard to the vernacular town schools,
Mr. Harington has recorded that they " are of peculiar interest and deserve
special encouragement. Their high aim is ultimately to convey in Eastern
tongues to Eastern minds the advance which has been made in Western
civilization and thought." The Patti school registers 90 students, of which
number 80, or 88'8 per cent., constitute the average attendance ; while 52
is the number borne on the rolls of the Bihar school, of which the average
attendance is 45, or 86'5 per cent. Urdu, Nagri, and Persian are the
languages in which instruction is conveyed. Of the total number of
students 116 are Hindus, principally Chhattris, Brahmans, and Kayaths,
and 26 are Muhammadans. There are five teachers on monthly salaries of
from Rs. 30 to Rs. 7.
Grant-vn-aid school. — The grant-in-aid school at Nawabganj on the
estate of Shekh Dost Muhammad, Taluqdar of Paridwan, is supported by
subscriptions and by the Government grant-in-aid. It is attended by 54
pupils, of whom 20 are Muhammadans and the remainder Hindus. Two
teachers are employed — one on Rs. 20 per mensem and the other on Rs 6.
The course is much the same as in the vernacular town school. Shekh
Dost Muhammad takes a deep interest in the welfare of this school, and
though far from well off, has contributed handsomely towards the neat
and substantial building, which is now the ahna mater of Nawabganj.
* These remarks on schools, which are taken from the Partabgarh settlemient report,
■were written some years ago. There are at present in Partabgarh 90 schools of all classes,
and the number of scholars on the rolls, nn the 31st March, 1875, was 3,194.
f The head and representative of the old family of Partabgarh.
136 !^r^ p^R"
Village schools.— With regard to village schools the district may be said
to be studded with them : —
In Tahsil Patti are 17 schools.
„ „ Partabgarh 19 ,i
„ ,, Eunda 14 „
The attendance has been falling off of late, owing chiefly to high prices
and to the impoverished circumstances of the agricultural classeis, which
furnish the largest proportion of pupils. The pressure has the effect of
causing the parents to withdraw their sons from the school, and transfer
them to the field, where their labours prove more directly remunerative.
A succession of good harvests will, I have no doubt, by and bye, put money
in the pockets of the husbandman, and restore a good attendance in the
schools. The curriculum is reading and writing, elementary arithmetic, dicta-
tion, grammar, and composition, geography, the history of India, mensura-
tion of surfaces and land surveying. There are 66 boys in this district,
who, as members of the senior class, are learning these latter subjects.
Of the sons of zamindars, actual proprietors or under-proprietors in the
soil, 316 are students in the village schools, while of others the numbers
are : —
Sons of patwaris and qanungos „. ... ... 162
„ caltiyators ... ... ..t ..■ 495
„ artizans ... ... ... ... ... 129
„ traders and bankers ... ... ... ... 75
„ professional men such as pandits, hakims, &c. ... 92
„ Government servants ,., ... ... ... 32
„ private servants ... ... ... ... 45
Total .„ 1,030
Of Hindus, the Chhattri caste as usual preponderates, next comes the
Brahman, then the Kayath, the remainder being contributed by the Sudra
classes. The proportion of Muhammadan to Hindu stixdents is 36'9
per cent., which, having regard to the relative numbers of the whole
population, would seem to indicate a greater desire to avail themselves of
the educational opportunities offered them, on the part of the former
than of the latter. Sixty-three teachers find employment in the village
schools of this district, and are in receipt of salaries ranging frofa Rs. 10
to 5. The majority receive Rs. 6 to 7. It will be a good thing for the
department when circumstances will admit of the salaries of teachers
being raised. The qualifications of several entitle them to higher emolu-
ments.
Girls' school. — Female education may be said to have made a beginning,
though a modest one in this district. A girls' school has been opened
at Nawabganj under the superintendence of the active and intelligent
deputy inspector, Munshi Muhammad Husen. The pupils at present
only number thirteen, but small beginning in a work of such vital
importance, viewed in reference to the enlightenment of the masses, are
not to be despised.
District postal arrangement. — The ddk cess in this district amounts to
Es, 2,981 and the Government grant-in-aid to Rs, 576, making a grand
PAR 137
total of Rs. 3,557. This sum provides for thirteen postmasters, thirty-
one runners, and twenty-six delivery peons, leaving a small margin for
contingencies. The following tables are from the Chief Inspector's
office : —
StateTnent shovmig the workmg of the district ddk during 1876-77,
No. of miles of dak line ... ... »• 73
No. of runuers ... ... ... ... 31*
Cost for the year ... ... ... Es. 2,565-9-10
No of covers delivered ... ... 30,087
No. of covers returned undelivered ... 2.521
Total No. of letters sent to district post-office 32,608
* Ten runners have worked for a part of the year.
18
1S8 PAR
CHAPTER V.
HISTORY.
History — Antiquities.
History. — It has not been thought necessary to give any account of
Partabgarh in the past under the district heading. There are three great
clans in the district — the Sombansi of pargana Partabgarh, the Bachgoti of
Patti Dalippur, and the Bisen of Bihar, Manikpur. The annals of each
clan are identical with those of its own peculiar parganas ; they did not
interfere with each other ; their interests ,did not clash, nor did they
conquer or expel each other. The history of each can be given consecu-
tively without diverging into the annals of others, and without digressions
which weaken the narrative and weary the reader ; it has not been thought
desirable therefore to mix them up in a forced and unnatural connexion,
and to give a retrospective unity to the district of Partabgarh, which in
fact did not exist till after the reconquest of Oudh in 1858.
The history of the people of Partabgarh will be found under the par-
gana headings Patti, Partabgarh, and M4nikpur. The more remarkable
ancient sites and forts will be also there mentioned. As to antiquities
there are none which can properly lay claim to the title " Kdkar Deora."
Here and there in the Kunda tahsil are to be seen strange looking brick-
built erections called Kukar Deora, resembling cupolas and pyramids.
The former are nine feet in diameter at the base, and the latter seven and
a half and eight feet ; while the average height of both descriptions is
about twelve feet. These curious buildings are by some ascribed to the
Bhars, by others to the aboriginal Banjaras, others again affirm that they
were built by bankers of old as treasure vaults. As a fact it is well
known that from some of these treasure has been abstracted both before
and since the rebellion. Whatever be their origin, their antiquity is
undoubted. They go by the name of " Kukar Deora," which means in
Hindi " dog's dwelling." This has reference to a curious superstition in
connection with these buildings to the effect that a walk seven times
round any one of them, and a peep in at the door, is a certain cure for the
bite of a mad dog. I iave been unable, in any tangible way to connect
these quaint relics of the past with the Bhars. They are all situated at
some distance, from the existing and known sites of old Bhar towns and
villages. Near Bilkhar there is a mound which is believed to be an
ancient Buddhist tope.
PARTABGARH Pargana— Tahsil Partabgarh — District Partabgarh.
— This large pargana lies to the south-east of the district, extending for
many miles on both sides of the river Sai. Its area is 3-55 square miles,
of which 192 are cultivated. The population is 219,777 or 619 to the
square mile: of this number 31,230 are Brahmans, 20,595 are Chhattris,
32,787, are Kurmis, 20,875 are Musalmans. Of the Chhattris above
mentioned 13,000 are Sombansis, and the pargana presents an instance
of a large area of country being owned by a numerous and powerful
clan with its various chiefs, rajas, babus, and thakurs.
PAR 139
The following history of the Sombansis is taken from the Partabgarh
settlement report : —
As in the case of Patti Dalippur, the pargana of Partabgarh is
co-extensive with the tahsil. It contains 634 villages, which are held as
follows : —
Talugdari.
Mufrad.
Total.
Sotnbansl ..
... 3u0
148
538
Bilkharia
4
13
17
Braliman
... *10
37
47
Bais
... *n
0
11
Kayath ...
... *2
12
U
Khattris ...
... *1
0
1
Bhat
0
3
3
Raikwar ...
... *2
0
2
Kaghubansi
... *l
0
1
Chandwaria
... *1
0
I
Shekh
0
12
13
Path an ...
... *9
2
11
Faqir (Musalman)
0
1
1
Christians
0
5
5
Total ... 401 2S3 634
The taluqas comprised under the 360 Sombansi villages are :—
Bablolpar.
Snjakhar.
Tirwal.
Paispur.
Dandikachh.
PirtbigaD]
Domipur.
Nurpur.
while the four Bilkharia villages constitute the miniature taluqa of Ant6,
paying a revenue of Rs. 3,546-8.
The Sombansis. — Partabgarh is the Sombansis' country. Beyond its
limits they are rarely met with. Of course I except the other colony in
the Hardoi district. Mr. Carnegy states that "the Sombans of these days
give their daughters to the Gautam, Baghel, Gharwar, and Mainpuri
Chauhan clans, and this indicates a higher status than is enjoyed by the
local Bais, Bisen, and RajkumAr tribes." Mr. W. C. Benett, C.S., in his
report on the chief clans of the Rae Bareli district, has some interesting
remarks about the Sombansi clans, more especially in connection with the
Tiloi raj of Siirat Singh (between 1670 and 1680 A.D.), and as they may
serve to render more complete the history of the pargana as given by Mr.
King, I shall offer no apology for transcribing them in this place.
Mr. W. C. Benetfs account of the Sombansis of Partabgarh. — " This
tribe are found at the beginning of connected history at the fort of Jhiisi,
near Allahabad. They have no further traces of an immigration, and
their tradition connects them for an indefinite period with their present
dominions. The family worship is paid to five saints — four of them princes
of the Sombansi blood, and the fifth a Gharwar Raja of Benares, who
* These are all loyal grantees, having been rewarded oat of the portion of the Sujakhar
estate, which was coufiscated by the British Government owing to the discovery of a
concealed gun in 1859. These grantees are entered in the lists appended to Act I, of 1869
and ars therefore stjrled talugdari in contradistiactiou to tnufrad,
140 PAR
successfully abstracted themselves into nonentity during the Dwdparyug,
The principal of these, AM Rikh, gave his nam 3 to the town andpargana
Alarikhpur, contracted into Aror and since named Partabgarh, and is per-
haps identical with the Xlap Rikh of Dalmau tradition, who resided in the
Ganges forests, and whose teaching enabled D41 and Bdl to attain their
wide dominion. Two remarks may be made here, — first, that the worship of
the Manes of their ancestors is common to the Sombansis and several low
castes in their neighbourhood. Bare Purukh is one of the favourite local
peaates, and shares with Sid'A, the jackal, and Kdre Deo, the snake, the chief
offerings of home devotion. Another is that the most ancient tradition
discovers the Sombansis on the northern, and the dawn of history on the
southern banks of the Ganges. An intermediate tradition, attested by the
numerous remains of their peculiar forts, points to the existence of aBhar
raj in the territory occupied before and after by the Chhattris. The com-
mencement of the pedigree is, as usual, marked by some historical con-
vulsion. Sakr^ma Singh had three sons, — one of whom went to Naipal,
the second to Hardoi, while the third remained at Jhtisi. The son of the
latter was cursed by a Musalman faqir, Shekh Taqi, and lost his kingdom.
The usual posthumous son was born in exile, and, with the name of
Lakhan Sen, founded the kingdom of Aror. One of his sons was a con-
vert to Islam, and in the eighth generation some subordinate centres of
power began to branch off from the main raj. No prince of this race
attained any extraordinary distinction before Partab Singh, who, in the
last quarter of the seventeenth century, consolidated the power of his
clan, built a huge new fort at Aror, which has since been known by his
name, and assumed all the characteristics of independent sovereignty
between the territories of the Bachgotis, the rajas of Manikpur and the
Kanhpurias. He maintained an organized army composed chiefly of the
militia levies of his clan, and furnished with a corps of sappers and
miners enrolled from the Lunias of his pargana, and he provided for the
population and tillage of his dominions by liberal grants of waste land to
Brabmans and others,"
" Conflict between the Sombansis and Kanhpurias. — A prince of Stirat
Singh's energy was not likely to remain long at peace with his neigh-
bours, and a friendly interview afforded him the desired pretext for
invading the * contiguous domains of the Sombansis. Partab Singh was
lame, and on asking after Siirat Singh's health received the ordinary
polite reply, ' ap ke qadam dekhne se,' to which he angrily retorted with
reference to Siirat Singh's blindness, 'I too am well', ' ap ke chashm
dekhne se.' The personal insult was eagerly welcomed, and Stirat Singh
marched at the head of his clansmen against Partabgarh. He was met
at Hiudaur, and an. obstinate battle resulted in the defeat of the Kanh-
purias. As their chieftain was being carried from the field, he felt the
*" Tte present territories of the Kanhpurias and Sombansis are separated by the wide
estates of the Bisen, but it d-.es not appear that, at the time of Siirat Singh the leaders of
that tribe h.d attained the dignity of independent sovereigns. A very lirge nart ofthe^r
present property was onder the rule of the Musalmans of Manikpur, and o£ iheir three
principal houses we find Rampur ranged with the Kanhpurias and Dehra and Dhinn-wM
with Spmbansi. It is probable that they respectively owned the nomioal sunremapv of
the chieftain in whose armv thty fought," " ■' ' '' iiumioai supremacy ot
PAR 141
wind strike on his sightless eyes, and asked from which quarter it came,
and the answer, from the west, conveyed the first information of his
defeat. His retreating forces were covered by a zamindar of Nain, who
commanded the then unusual arm of a hundred matchlock men, and who
for this received the grant of thirteen villages in the Salon pargana,
which formed the root of the present large Nain taluqas."
We may now pass on to the more detailed history of the pargana as given
by Mr. King," — In this pargana the Bhars are said to have been the
first inhabitants of whom there is no knowledge. The Raikwar Rajputs
are said to have effected a footing in about one-third of the pargana as
early as 554 fasli (A.D. 1147), and they were thus prior to the
Sombansis, who hold now undisputed sway in the pargana. These
are a very high caste of Chhattris, and give the following account
of themselves. It may be known to the curious in such matters
that Chhattris are said to have two primary classes, Bansik and Jaggik.
The latter are those whose original stock can be traced to the creative
power of some saint, as in the case of the Bachgotis of Patti. The
Bansiks are those, whose origin defies research. They are in fact a kind
of Melchisidees, without father without mother, &c., &c. To this highly
ancient race the Sombansi clan belongs. In the eighth generation from
Brahma was the Raja Jujat who had one son called Pur and one called
Jad, by different wives. Pur is the ancestor of the Sombansis and Jad
of the Jadubansis. Ninety generations from Pur came Ramdeo, father
of Bai Sen, and here we come to what may be history. Bai Sen had his
castle at Jhdsi * near Allahabad on the north bank of the Ganges. This
castle can be still pointed out I am told.
"Birthplace of Lakhan Sen. — To relapse into fable. Raja Bai Sen one
day was visited by a Musalman saint, Shekh Naqi, who very unreasonably
requested him to clear out of the castle and leave it to the saint. The
rSja naturally refused, and was not prevailed on by the entreaties of his
rani, who took part with the Shekh. The saint of course killed the rnja,
and consoled the rani (who was pregnant), with the assurance that she
should have a son of great renown. She went off north-ward as directed
by the saint, and arriving at the ancient shrine ' Panchosiddh' near the
town of Partabgarh, gave birth to a son, Lakhan Sen.
"The pargana of Aror. — The pargana now called Partabgarh was then
known as Aror, and was held by Bhars and Raikwdr Chhattris. Lakhan
Sen, grown up, got from the king the raj of the Aror pargana in lieu of
Jhiisi, and subdued or expelled the proprietors. This was about 666
fasli (1258 A.D.). The village of Hindaur, some twelve miles from Bela,
and lying on the main road to Rae Bareli, was the residence of Lakhan
Sen. A high commanding mound is now clearly visible from a great
distance, and is pointed out as the site of his castle.
" MaUlt Sinph. — He had three sons, Gohanwar Deo, Maltik Singh, and
Jait Singh. Gohanwar begot Udhran Deo, and wished to transfer his
• Tor an account of Jhusi and the Baja Harbong who dwelt there, see Elliott's Glos-
sary under " Harbong-ka-raj."
142 PAR
power to him while he himself yet lived. Maluk Singh objected, and
went to Delhi to get help, which he purchased by becoming a Musalman,-
He was appointed Subahdar of Allahabad, and married a princess of the
imperial family. Thence he invaded his brother's dominions, and expel-
ling the chief, desired to convert the whole clan of Sombansis to the
Muhammadan faith. This was too much for the mild Hindu, and Maliik
was proscribed. Gohanw^r Deo agreed with his brother, Jait Singh, that
the title and estates should be the prize of him who should kill the apos-
tate invader. Hereon Jait Singh affected to desert to Maliik's side, and
being taken into his confidence, assassinated him and his wife at a place
called Phulwari near Partabgarh. Their tomb is now to be seen in the
village called Teonga at a place called Phulwari. Thus the younger
brother became nija, and the elder took the title of bdbu, and an estate of
twenty-four villages. His son, Udhran Deo, is the ancestor of the
now existing families of Sujakhar, Ghilbila, Gauradand, Chhatarpur,, and
Gonda.
" Rdrn Singh. — Jait Singh Deo left a son, Kanh Deo, who had four sons —
Ram Singh, Knnh Singh, Gy£n Singh, and Pirthmi Singh. Bam Singh
had five sons, whose descendants hold the estates Baniamau, Chatmau,
(lately decreed to one Rae Nand Kumar, an ex-chakladar, and who seems
likely to have but a bad bargain in his estate), Mahri Sipah, and Barista.
Ram Singh's four sons are now represented by the owners of Kamaipur,
Achalpur, Sahodrpur, Karanpur, and Ajgara.
" Rdja Pvrthmi Singh. — Gyan Singh's progeny are in Ankodhia and
Lakhapur. The youngest son, Pirthmi, succeeded to the raj. His grand-
son. Sultan Sah, led a force in aid of the Dehli emperor, then warring in
the south of India. His exertions were crowned with success, and in
return he acquired from the emperor a • grant of the parganas Soraon,
Sikandra, Nahwai, and Kiwai in the Allahabad district. His paternal estate
of Aror was made over to him in jagir tenure, and the title of Rahbardar
Khan conferred on him. A service was at the same time imposed on him
which explains the title. He was required to escort the annual tribute
of Bengal to Delhi.
" Rdja Qhdtam Deo. — His youngest son succeeded him, and was the last
younger son who did so. In the next generation Ghatam Deo, the eldest
of six sons, became raja. A younger brother. Moral Singh, is noteworthy
as having been the husband of five wives and father of fifteen sons — all of
whom are still traceable in various villages.
"Rdja Sangrdm Sdh and Rdm Chand. — " Sangram Sah, the next raja,
is noticeable for transferring the family residence from Hindaur to Awd,r
in the Pirthlganj ilaqa. Raja- Ram Chand succeeded his father Sangrdm
Sah, and was succeeded by Lachhmi Narain, who was followed by Tej
Singh, noticeable for a second transfer of his residence to Tejgarh, now in
the Dandikachh Ilaqa.
"Rdja Partdb Singh (change of name from Avor to Partabgai h). — He had
one son, Partdb Singh, who fixing his residence at a place till then known
as Ramapur, built a great fort; and giving it his own name changed the
PAE 143
name of the pargana from Aror to that of Partabgarh ; he was murdered
by the subahdar of Allahabad.
" R&ja Jai Singh. — Jai Singh svicceeded Partab Singh his father. He
had a ' chela,' Bakht Bali Singh, who was deputed to represent him at
the court of Delhi. There he was fortunate enough to defeat and capture
a Bundela rebel, Chatur Sd.1, and the emperor conferred on his master the
privilege of wearing a ' topi' in darb^r (in lieu of the usual ' pagri'),
which brought the title of ' Kul4hnares'* to the Partabgarh raja. A
more substantial reward was the grant of the parganas Mungra and Gar-
wara-f- in Jaunpur. He proceeded to Benares to confer the title of rdja on
the Gautam lord of that city.
"Raja Chhatardhdri Singh. — Jai Singh reigned for seventy-five .years
and added much to the fort of Partabgarh. His son, Chhatardhari, suc-
ceeded him, and his sons may be traced in various villages. One, Medni
Singh, is identified with the large bazar of Katra Medni Singh close by
Partabgarh. In Chhatardhari's time, the parganas which, it would ap-
pear, had been immediately under the Allahabad authorities, were trans-
ferred to the Oudh Government, and the new ruler wrested from him the
parganas of Nahwai, Kiwai, Mungra, and Garwara, leaving Partabgarh,
Soraon, and Sikandra.
" Rdja PirtMpat.- — Pirthipat, second son of Chhatardhari, was the next
raja. He cruelly murdered the son of a Manikpur banker, who refused (pro-
bably with good reason) to send him money. The banker had influence
enough with the Delhi Court to get an order issued to Mansur Ali Khan,
Subahdar of Oudh (otherwise known as Safdar Janj and successor of
Saadat Khan, Burhan-ul-Mulk, the founder of the Oudh dynasty), to
punish the murderer. This was accomplished by treachery near Gutni on
the Ganges in this district, the raja being assassinated in darbdr. The
vast estates were then confiscated, and revenue engagements were made
with the villagers. Duniapat, son of Pirthipat, recovered the Partabgarh
pargana, but Soraon and Sikandra have never since been in the hands of
this family. He proved intractable, and two Government officials, Ismail
Beg Khan and Taqi Beg Khan, were deputed to chastise him. They
drove him from his estate, and pursuing him hotly killed him at Badwal
in the Sikandra pargana. This was the end of the Partabgarh raj as
co-extensive with the pargana; and the history which has hitherto been
confined to the fortunes of one leading family will, if pursued, be found
to embrace those of several families who are now the taluqdars of the
pargana.
• " From ' kulah ' cap (in Persian) and ' nares ' a, king (in Sanskrit). A similar
distinction, but of a far inferior degree in consequence of the rank of the donor, was con-
ferred by the king of Oudh on the raja of Amethi. The raja of Partabgarh is still known
in the pargana as the Knlaira Raja, and it is said that the indentical cap (kalah) is or was in
the possession of Eaja Chhatarpal Singh, of Nfirpur, who is the true descendant of the old
Partabgarh stuck."
t " The story is told that the Eaja of Garwara opposing the transfer of his property
to a stranger fought the Partabgarh Baja and was beaten. To express contempt for his
foe the victor got a jackal, named it Shiudas, and put it on the gaddi, and kept tho unfor-
tunate animal there for twelve years, when I suppose the beast died,"
144 PAR
" The Estate of Bahlolpur. — Duni^at left no issue, but he had two ille-
gitimate brothers, Bahadur Singh and Mohkam Singh. His widow, Kusal
Kunwar, survived him. Bahadur Singh ingratiated himself with the nazim
and got something allowed for his maintenance. In 1205 fasli, he got
the village of Bahlolpur, and, having a nucleus, he aggregated other vil-
lages. He had no issue, and covenanted with Kusal Kunwar that she
should adopt some suitable person. Shiuratan Singh of Karoin and
Tarwal was selected, and Bahadur Singh wrote a deed of agreement
to bequeath the estate to Shiuratan. Shortly after Bahadur Singh fell
ill, and while he was in a state of collapse, his wife, Sagund Kunwar,
adopted her sister's son, Shamsher Bah4dur Singh, of the Sarde
Anadeo family, descended from Morai Singh ; Bahadur Singh disap-
proved of his wife's act. Kusal Kunwar adopted Shiuratan in all
due form and got him acknowledged a raja, and a cash allowance sanctioned
for his maintenance ; nevertheless Shamsher Bahadur succeeded to Baha-
dur Singh's estate. Dhir Singh, son of Shiuratan Singh, got the cash
allowance of his father converted into a grant of twenty villages, now
known as the Nlirpur iMqa. These are settled with his grandson. Chit-
pal Singh, in whom the British Government has admitted the right to
assume the hereditary title of raja.
" The Sawdansa estate. — To complete the annals of the Partabgarh, or
rather of the Bahlolpur family, as it had now become, it may be as well to
relate that Pirthlpat had a younger brother, Hindlipat, who after Dunia-
pat's death became a convert to Muhammadanism, and took the name of
Sarfaraz Ali Khan. Before this he had begotten an illegitimate son, Udit
Singh, who was father of Bhairon Bakhsh and Sital, and they are still to
be found in the Saw^nsa estate, in the Patti tahsil. This estate, which
had been acquired by the Partabgarh family from the Dalippur family by
marriage, was conferred by the authorities on Hindfipat as the reward of
his apostacy from the Hindu faith.
"Revenue of pargana Partabgarh. — In 1262 fasli, or just before
annexation, the pargana of Partabgarh included 983f villages, eight chaks,
and two ' mazras ' (hamlets), and 1,263 bighas, which were not included in
any village on the rent-roll. I have not been able to find out the revenue
demand of this pargana in the day of Todar Mai, but report fixes the
amount at one lac of rupees. It was formerly included in the Allahabad
Subah, but when that province passed into British hands in 1800, Partab-
garh became a part of Oudh as chakla Partabgarh, and was subsequently
included in the nizamat of Sultanpur. It was heavily assessed in the
following years : —
Bs.
a.
P-
1210 fasli
1793 A.D.
2,66,436
0
0
1226 „
1818 „
2,77,000
0
0
1228 „
1820 „
3,16,426
0
0
1240 „
1832 „
2,77,086
0
0
1252 „
1844 „
3,05,772
0
0
1255 „
1847 „
2,11,935
0
0
It is uow assessed at
2,64,457
6
0
At annexation it was
assessed at
1,72,944
6
Q
PAR U.5
" Ther6 used to be a revenue of nearly Rs. 40,000 realised from salt
works.
" Other landed castes. — There are very few Musalman landowners ;
some of these are circumcised Kayaths, who in the days of Xlamgfr em-
braced the Moslem faith. They are now known as Shekhs. There are a
few Pathan families, as in Bahlolpur and Purai Mustafa Kh;in. They
acquired their properties in service either of the Sombansis or the Govern-
ment. The Brahman zamindars owe their land to grants from the Chhat-
tris. The Bilkharia Chhattris beaten out of Patti are still to be found in
Partabgark Ten villages paying a revenue of Rs. 6,970 form the two
estates of the Raja of Umri and the Babu of Antu.
" Chnhladar's Oamp.—1\\e Chaktadar's camp usfed to be pitched at
Hihdaur and Nawabganj on the north of the Sai (on the Allahabad and
Fj zabad road), at Sandwa Chandiisa, and a kind of stahding camp was at
Partabgarh, in -the fort of which place 1,000 men, two guns, and some
cavalry were the usual garrison."
Places of note. — Of places of antiquarian interest in this pargana I pro-
ceed to notice Partabgarh, Hindaur, and the old shrine of " Panchosiddh,"
which is situated within the limits of mauza Banbirkachhi.
Fartabgarh-^To begin with the town of Partabgarh. It is said that in
or about the year 1617 A.D., Raja Partab Singh, when at the zenith of his
power, founded the town and gave it his own name. During the rule of
his son. Raja Jai Singh (A.D. 1682 to 1718), and after the establishment
of a permanent fort, the Governor Piru, of the Allahabad Subah, arrived
in the neighbourhood, and encamping on the land of mauza Mahkini, laid
siege to the fort. Though details are wanting in this respect, there can
be little doubt but that this was one of those frequent raids made by Gov-
ernment officials against the taluqdars of Oudh, which were prompted by
the growing wealth, power, and independence of the latter. Contumeli-
ous behaviour in not paying up the Government revenue demand was
the ordinary and plausible pretext for these not unfrequently wantoii
attacks on the part of the local Government. To return to our tale, the
siege is asserted to have dragged on its weary length for no leSs a period
than twelve years, and still the rfija and his gallant band held out. His
patience becoming exhausted, the Governor commenced to run an
underground gallery from his camp to the fort as a means of effecting
his object. These operations were discovered by the besieged, and no
time was lost in countermining, A shaft was sunk on the north
side of the beaegers' gallery, and in it were deposited several cases of
gunpowder. Just as the: attacking force arrived at this spot the match
was applied. The results may be imagined. Disappointed in this
Ms last hcJpe, the governor raised the siege and removed his camp to
the neighboiuring village of Teonga. Here the rdja flushed with
his late success determined to give the enemy battle, and fortune still
befrieiiding him in the engagement which ensued, his opponent was killed
and his forces dispersed. Vestiges of the gallery above alluded to are
still to be seen.
Xt)
U6 3'AIl
Decay of the town. — From the time of the defeat and death of K^ja
ibuni^pat described above, the town of Partabgarh lost its former prestige
and gradually became less populous : and soon afterwards Nawab Mans6r
Ali Khan alias Safdaf Jang commanded an "Ahalkdr" to take possession
of the fort in his name. Two years afterwards, Sikandar S^h, brother of
Raja Pirthipat, came down with a considerable force and Wrested the fort
from the Nawab's troops. He only occupied it however for six months,
as in a second engagement he was defeated and driven out of the pargana.
After the lapse of another five years, Raja Balbhaddar Singh, son of ESja
Pirthipat, who had taken up his residence in Rewah, came down and
recovered the fort after a severe contest. Subsequently he took part with
Ldl Balwant Singh, Taluqdar of R^mpur, in a dispute between the latter
and the nazim, at which the nazim was so incensed that he marched
against Partabgarh and overthrew the raja in battle. The fort fell into
the nazim's hands, and from that time up to 1263 fasli (18.56 A.D.) it
remained in possession of the Government officials, Chakladars were per-
mitted to reside in it.
Hindaur. — Hindaur is fifteen miles from the civil station on the Eae
Bareli road. The name of this place is popularly ascribed to a "Rdchchhas"
or demon named Handavi, who is believed to have founded the old qasba
in the pre-historic period. The legend, as currently believed a,nd narrat-
ed, is that Bhim Sen, one of the sons of the marvellous Raja Pdndu,* once
came to Hindaur and fought with Handavi. The latter was defeated, and
thereupon bestowed his daughter in marriage on the conqueror. The
issue of this union is asserted to be that section of the Sombansi clan
known as " Chawana," a remnant of which tribe is still to be seen in'
mauza Kusphara, a "mufrad" village some fourteen or fifteen miles to the
east of Hindaur. They are mere cultivators, however, without any rights
in the soil. Hindaur is remarkable as having been the battle-field of the
Kanhpurias Under Slirat Singh, and the Sombansis under Partab Singh,
when the former were defeated; and as the alleged residence of Lakhan
Sen, the conqueror of the Bhars and Raikwars (A.D. 1258). Hindaur was
a large and populous place until about a century ago when it began to
fall into decay. The main cause of its decline appears to have been the
removal of its trade to Phiilpur in the Allahabad district, occasioned by
the excessive exactions in the way of imposts levied under the later rulers
• Ftom the "Khuias-tut-tawarikh," a Persian tr.anslaiion of the "Mahabharat," I find the
foUowiog account of Raja Pandu. There was once upon a timea certain Eaja Mahip of Has-
tanapur (one of the lunar race of Pandu). He had two sons — Bidur, who was blind and the
ofispring of a slave girl, and Pandu. The latter succeeded his father as ruler. One day he
went out shooting and saw a buck and doe antelope together. He put an arrow to his bow
and shot the buck, which on closer examination -was found to be not a deer but a faqir J
The latter in dying cursed the raja, and warned him that he would meet with a Tiolent
death, if found under similar circumstances. Alarmed beyond measure, the raja left
his dominions and fled with his four wives to the hills, and there took up his residence.
Bemembering the faqit's curse he lived to old age without children. He then directed his
wives to go forth and raise up seed to him, as otherwise he would die without issue, and thui
perish everlastingly. Tbey refused to do as he wished, so he then shut each up separately in
ft certain chamber or "kothri," and prayed heaven to assist him. The first wife who went
Sn, named Kunti, came out pregnant, and bore three sons, named Bhim, Arjun, and Judhistir.
A second named, Maddri, was likewise favoured and bore two sons, named S4h Deo and Nakul.
Judhistir married Duropadi, daughter of Eaja Kajsfi, of Hindu celebrity, aucl BWm defeated
the Racliclihas Handavi, and married his daughtei as described above.
PAR 147
of the Partabgarh rdj. It is now but a village with an average popula-
tion ; nevertheless the remains still extant sufficiently attest its former
greatness. The ruins of the old fort (said to have been built by the
Rdchchhas Handavi) are still traceable. Hindaur was one of the regular
encamping grounds of the ndzims.
Pdnclwsiddh. — This shrine is situated at the junction of the waters of
the Sakarni and Sai about a mile and a half from the town of Partabgarh.
It has attained its celebrity from the following fabulous narrative. Many
years ago five Sombansis, of different villages, used to meet and perform
their devotions at this spot. One day they agreed to cut of their heads
(how the last man managed to decapitate himself and arrange all the
heads is not stated, and perhaps it would not be wise to enquire), and
piling them together to offer them to Durga Debi. No sooner said than
done. The heads in course of time turned to stone, and these stones were
to be seen until four years ago when they suddenly disappeared The
. place was named " P4nchosiddh" or the " vow of the five fulfilled." Every
Tuesday the shrine is visited by a few persons from the neighbourhood ;
a goat is usually sacrificed, and offerings made of cakes, grain, pice, &c.
There is also a celebrated shrine in the village of Sandwa Chandika, known
as Chandika Debi.
Detailed account of the death of Raja Pirthipat. — I cannot pass on
without noting an error (though a popular one), by which Mr. King
has been misled, in connection with the death of Raja Pirthipat of
Partabgarh. According to the " Tawarikh Zahur Qutubi," Vol. II,, the
following is, I believe, the correct and historical account of the occur-
rence; It appears that in A.D. 1750-51, during the Rohilla ' invasion,
Ahmad Khan, Bangash,* of , Farukhabad, in revenge for the seizure
of his brother's property by Nawab Safdar Jang, the Wazir, directed Kale
Khan, whom he hadnominated as Naib Subahdar of Allahabad, to proceed
at once with an army and attack Muhammad Quli Khan, the Wazir's
nephew, who was in charge of the fort at Allahabad. Accordingly K^le
Khan, and Usman Khan, his nephew, proceeded to invest the fort of Alla-
habad. Raja Pirthipat, whose disposition towards Safdar Jang was any-
thing but friendly, went and allied his forces to those of the Nawab of
Farukhabad. Kale Khan succeeded in securing a footing in the city, but
failed to obtain possession of the fort. Meanwhile the forces of the Wazir
and of Ahmad Khan Bangash had come into collision at Farukhabad, on
which occasion the latter had sustained a signal defeat. Hearing this
Raja Pirthipat withdrew with his men from Allahabad and returned to
Partabgarh.
Nawab Safdiar Jang, greatly enraged at the overt act of hostility on the
part of his subject, resolved to be revenged. Accordingly when encamped
at Gutni on the banks of the Ganges, he sent word to Raja Pirthipat to
come and visit him. Suspecting the Nawab's designs, Pirthipat refused to
obey; Thereupon Safdar Jang wrote and declared on oath, that he inten-
ded the raja no evil, and at the same time promised, in the event of
compliance, to give him the Faujdarsbip of Manikpur, a post which
* The Bangash are an Afghfin tribe.
148 PAR
had been long coveted by Pirth^pat. Deluded with these specious
promises, and by the more substantial bait held out to him, R4ja Pir-
thipat, acconipanied by 1,000 sabres, started for Gwtni. Nawab Safdar
Jang received him with every appearance of cordiality, presented
him with a sanad for the coveted ppst, and, directing a "khilat" tp
be given him, requested him tp go into an adjoining tent and robe
himself. At the same time he secretly directed AU Beg Khan, Char-
ehin, to follow and assassinate him. Accordingly Ali Beg Khan followed
the raja' into the tent, and on pretenc'e of congratulating him on his good
fortune, sprang upon him and endeavoured to throw him down. Pirthipat
was the more powerful man of the two, and in the struggle which ensued
fell uppermost, whereupon Ali Beg Khan, quick as thought, snatched a
dagger from the raja's girdle and stabbed him with it mortally. The
Raja, after inflicting a severe wound in his adversary's face with his teeth,
fell back a corpse.
The annals of the clan are remarkable and instructive. They have
always disregarded two maxims supposed to be of primary force, purity
of blood and indivisibility of estate. It is mentioned in the family annals
as an exceptional incident that the line of Mallapur is of pure descent ; its
scions being all the sons of wives. It does not appear, however, that any
division took place in the way of partition of the inheritance. The
younger brothers were provided with a village or twg, which small, patri-
monies they proceeded to enlarge by eyexy means in their power, and
specially by picking up stray villages after their raja was murdered. Thus
the Suj^khar lord commencing with 24 villages in 1778, add;ed twelve
mor^, and from 1828 to 1855 forty more,, finally acquiring- an. estate of
HO villages, and losing half of it for concealing cannon in 1859*., The
Sombansi have 360 taluqdari, 154 zamindari, and. 85 sub-tenures.. No
other clan can boast such a fair distribution pf property, and such a
good basis for future prosperity. Most of its phiefa are kind and liberal
men.
PARTABGARH — Pargana Partabgaeh — Tahsil Partabgarh— i?isHc4
Partabgarh. — Partabgarh lies in latitude 25°53' north, and longitude
81°59' east. It was founded in 1618 A.D. by Raja Partab Singh; it is on
the metalled road to Allahabad, 36 mUes distant, 56 from Rae Bareli, and
24 from Sultanpur. The general history of the town is given under that of
the pargana. There is a fine old fort here built by the raja, but seized
90 years ago by the Government. The British Government has now sold
it to Raja Ajit Singh, a relative of the ancient owner. It was of consi-
derable size, but its outer wall and flanking works were knocked down
after the mutiny ; an inner keep and little walled garden still remain. It
is a favourable specimen of Hindu architecture. The population is 3,743.
There are six mosques, and four temples to Mahddeo, which in addition
to the fort are the only masonry buildings. The annual sales in the
bazar are about Rs. 5,000; very good sugar is made here. This place gives
its name to the district, tabsil, and pargana, and is four miles from Bela, the
civil station. There is a Government high school, the registry, and other
usual district offices.
PAS— PAT 149
PASGAWAN Pargma*—Tahail M.\svLAM.m— District Kherl— The
modern pargana Pasgawan was formed in 1869 A.D. by the amalgamation of
the two older parganas, Pasgawan and Barwfir. It is bounded on the
north by the Muhamdi pargana, on the east by the river Gumti, on the
south by the Hardoi district., and is separated from the Shdhjah6npur
district on the west by the Sukheta nadi. Besides the last mentioned
channel and the Gumti river, which is here a well conducted stream, with
an undulating sandy margin, Pasgawan is drained by two high banked
water courses, each of which bears the name of Chuha, and by a string of
jhlls, whose waste waters, commingled during the rains, flow from the north-
west comer through the pargana into the Hardoi district.
The soil is generally of the better kind ; yet much uncleared jungle
remains, specially in the south-west ; and of a total area of 118 square
miles, only 35,479 acres were found cultivated at survey (1866 A.D).
The population is 40,741, a rate of 336 to the square mile. Chamars,
Pasis, Ahirs, and Bxahmans, whose occupation is chiefly agricultural
Or pastoral, contributed the largest numbers to the census. There are no
large towns or important bazars. The local trade is on a petty scale, yet
the military road affords facilities for such traffic as there is with Sitapur
and Shahjahanpur.
After the dissolution of the great Barwar estate, settlement was made
with independent zamindari bodies, who escaping the fate of the small
proprietors of the neighbouring pargana, Atwa Piparia, have for the most
part retained their villages. Thus the number of demarcated mauzas
being 163, the small proprietors hold 142, while 21 are taluqdari.
The present revenue demand is Rs. 60,523.
PASGAWAN — Pargana FASGAWAN—Talml Muhamdi — District Kheri.
— This village is situated on alevel plain of fine soil, having its sides studded
with groves, tanks, and Hindu temples. It lies in latitude 27°50' north,
longitude 80°13' east. There are four temples, one mosque, one mud-built
fort, and a sarae. The fort and sarae were built by Hakim Mehndi Ali
during his chakladarship of Muhamdi (1799 — 1820). They are now in
ruins. It has a sugar manufactory and a market (on Wednesdays and
Saturdays). The average annual sales amount to Rs, 1,625. Population,
1,125,—
Hind a
•••
946
Muhammadjias
••■
179
Males
...
621
Mules
•i«
104
Females
•••
425
Females
■••
76
PXTAN Pargana— Tahsit PuRWA — District Unao. — This pargana is
bounded on the north by Magrayar, Purwa, and Panhan, on the east by
Panhan and Bihar, on the west by Magrayar, and on the south by
Bhagwantnagar. Its area is 11 square miles or 6,910 acres divided into 15
mauzas (villages). In shape it is a parallelogram, 4 miles in breadth from
east to west, and 3 in length from north to south. The soil is principally
loam. The river Gurdhoi, a tributary of the Ganges, passing through
,1 y I ,-i...... .-.-Ill -—I. . .. ,, I . .. I. -- ■ , I , ... I. .1 ^ "
* By Mr. T. B. ReUfern, C.S., Assistant Commissiouer.
150 PAT
villages Birha, Satanpur, and Ralipur, and other villages of this pargana,
of Bhagwantnagar and Daundia Khera, falls into the river Ganges at a
spot in village Duroli Khera in pargana Daundia Khera. The irrigation
is, as a rule, effected from wells ; the water is found at an average depth
of 50 feet. The climate of the pargana is salubrious and suited to the
constitutions of the residents who are generally healthy. In the village
of Patau a market is held on Saturdays and Wednesdays. An unmetalled
road from Bihar to Cawnpore passes through this pargana and through
that of Magrayar. The Government revenue is Rs. 16,252 ; the rate per
acre being Rs. 2-5-8. The tenure is as follows : —
Taluqdari ... ... ... ... 12 villages.
Zftinindari ... ... .>• ••• 3 »
15 „
The population consists of almost all castes, but Brahmans and Bais of
the higher, and Kurmis of the lower caste, are the chief proprietary body,
and form the most numerous class. Of Muhammadans there are very few.
The total population is 5,842, comprising 5,671 Hindus and 171 Musal-
mans, composed as follows : —
Brabmana ... ...
Chhattris ...
Kayatha ... ...
Banians ... ... ■
Ahirs ... ...
Other castes ... ... '
Musalmans
Two fairs are held annually ; one is held in the month of Pas (Decem-
ber-January) and the other in Jeth (May- June) on the first Thursday of
the month in honour of and near the tomb of Muhabbat Shah. This
darvesh lived in the time of Shuj4-ud-daula, and died in that of Xsif-ud-
daula. He is said to have come to this place on pilgrimage. It is related
that Muhabbat Shah had a disciple or " Murld" known as Niamat Shah,,
whom he was very partial to. NiAmat Shah died and was buried in this
" takia"* (grave-yard), afid therefore, in commemoration of his name,
Muhabbat ordered a fair to be held over his tomb, which is still kept up.
The majority of the people, whether Hindus or Muhammadans, have faith in
him ; and the cause of Niamat's death is related by the neighbours as
follows : — One day a Kurmi on his way home from the fields fell accident-
ally into a dry well, called out Muhabbat's name for help to take him out-
of the well, as he had faith in him and considered him present everywhere,
but without any result ; he then called Niamat, who instantly appeared,
took him by the hand, and drew him out of the well. The next day the-
* The fair is well known in the ficinity, and is generally called " Takia-ka-mela."
■ ••
■ •■
2,004
383
...
■••
164
■•*
M
39
••«
• ■■
344
<•*
...
2,837
Total
...
5,671
• *•
•••
171
Grand Total
6,842
PAT 151
same Kurmi attended the darvesh's lodging, but saluted Ni^mat Shah
only, and on being asked why, he related the matter in full ; then
Muhabbat getting enraged with his disciple, Niamat, ordered him to die
which command he directly fulfilled.
The second fair or mela in (May- June) was established by Muhabbat's
disciple, Shafqat Shah, in honour of his religious master.
This pargana was, prior to its being held by the Bais Chhattris, in the
possession of Bhars, though it was considered as forming part of the
Kanauj kingdom. In the Nawabi the site of the tahsil was on the western
side of this town, where a tahsildar resided, who had also the charge of the
thdna or police station. It was formed into a pargana by Akbar Shah,
deriving its name from the town Patan.
PXTAN — Pargana PatAN — Tahsil PuRWA — District UnAO. — The principal
village of pargana Patan, district Unao. The river Lon flows past the
little town which has a population of 2,373, a temple dedicated to Ma-
hSdeo, and a school attended by forty-two pupils. The tomb of a faqfr,.
Muhabbat Shah, whose spirit is supposed to exercise those into whom
satan has entered, attracts two annual fairs. One a little one in March,
at which about 3,000 people congregate, the other is held ia September,
and sometimes 70,000 persons assemble including many taluqdars. The
insane are tied in hundreds to trees opposite the tomb, left all night, and it
is said benefit thereby.
PATTI — Pargana PatTI — Tahsil T?Am— District Pahtabgarh. — This vil-
lage, which is also the seat of a tahsil, is on the road from Bela to Chanda,
in the district of Sultanpur. The place is called so from the division
which took place between the Bachgotis. It is thirteen miles from Par-
tabgarh and thirty-six from Allahabad. The population amounts to 1,584.
There are two mosques and one school. There are a thana and tahsil.
PATTI DALIPPUR Pargamt— Tahsil TATri— District Partabgarh.—
This large pargana at the south-eastern extremity of Oudh, bordering
on the Jaunpur district, is conterminous with the tahsil of the same
name ; it was originally called Jalalpur Bilkhar. It covers 468 square
miles, of which 217 are cultivated ; its population is 223,173 or 477 to the
square mile ; of these 36,517 are Brahmans, 16,237 are Chhattris, 29,222
are Ahlrs, 26,390 are Chamars, 25,380 are Kurmis. Of these Chhattris
6,605 are Bachgotis, but a very large number of them are alleged to be of
impure blood, and have no share on the property of the clan.
There are ten Bachgoti taluqdars having among them 683 villages, and
a numerous "body of shareholders, with thirty-five villages and only 14.
copyholds among them.
There are 900 ,Bilkharias, but all the eight villages belong "to one man.
Therfe are 406 Dirgbansis,' but the fourteen Dirgbansi villages belong to
one gmall taluqdar; the rest of the Chhattris have no proprietary rights.
152
PAT
The following extracts are taken from the settlement report :—
Mangil Chhattris are the original zamindars of Patti Dalippur, a fatnily
still exists in Adharganj.
Landed caste.-!.— Pargana Patti Dalippur, as it now exists, includes
816 virages. 1 give the detail of ownership according to castes :—
Taluqdar. Mufrad. Total.
Bachgoti ...
*••
... 683
S6
718
I)irgb)iitsi...
f
IS
0
• 6
Sombansi
»
6
6
Brahman
*•*
0
E4
S4
Kiyath ...
>•*
0
4
4
Gasliain ...
...
0
I
1
Kaikwar ...
• ••
0
2
2
Rajkumar
• ••
0
2
2
Bach ...
.•»
0
I
1
Bhat
„,
0
1
1
BUkharia ...
• •■
0
8
8
Shekh ...
...
0
1
1
Fathiin ...
i.i
0
3
2
Total
... 698
117
81S
Government village
■ •*
1
Grand Total
0
0
816
^—
Bachgoti taluqdari villages constitute the following (
3state
II
Fatti Saifabad ...
... share 20
Fatti Saifabad ...
,., share
9
SO
Adhfirganj.
Dariapur.
Baepnr Bichbaur.
Dasratfapur.
Madhopur.
Isfaanpnr.
U'rayyadih.
Atgawan.
The remaining fifletm taluqdari villages compose the Dirgbansi estate of
Parhat on the Jaunpur border. There are less Mmhammadans in this
taiisil than in any one of the other three tahsils of the district.
The Bilkkarias.— At the time of the Eajput colonization, after the fall
of Kanauj, and the dispersion of the Dilihit colony of Samoni, Ghaibar
SAh,* foxtrth son, of Jaswant, and great grandson of Balbhaddar Dikhit,
migrated into Oudb, took posse'ssion of the fort known as "Kot Bilkhar"
in mauza Bilkhar (now included within th« limits of mauza , Ayy^pur on
the left bank of the Sai), and settled there, flis descendants came to be
known as Bilkkarias. Whether this name was assumed from the place
itself or from a- famous. Mahadeo (stilL to be , seen at the spot), called
" Bilkharn^th," whict waa ensbrinei therein, must flor ever remain do.ubfc- -
ful. At this point I shall allow Mi:. King to take up the history of the
pargana.
"ITke- Baehgotis. — Imperial hostility, which caused the de'Strtrctrbil of
the Bhars, indirectly led to the next scene of the draana. Ala-ud-din
* Mr. C. A. Elliott, in hi» chronicles of OonaiOi gives the name as Khyrij, but this I
believe to be iocorrect.
PAT 153
Khilji's wrath was kindled against the Chauhsin Chhattris of Mainpuri,.
aiid he vowed their destruction. These Chauh^ns were formerly known,
as ' Batsgotis," a name derived from a saint named 'Bats,' the founder
01 their race. To <this old name the devoted clan recurred to conceal
their prescribed name of Chauhan; and hence came a clan of Chhattris
now known as ' Bachgotis.' Two members of this clan migrated east-
ward; and native history records that in the month of Sawan 1252
Sambat (about 1200 A.D.) Bariar Singh, Bachgoti, came with bis
brother Kanh Singh from Delhi, two adventurers apparently, in search
of service or of plunder. Kanh Singh proceeded to Bengal, and I am
not aware whether his fortunes can be traced; but Bariar Singh entered
the service of Raja Ramdeo, the Bilkharia lord of not only Patti but
much other land in the neighbourhood. Bariar Singh rose to be the
chief military officer under his master ; and his ambition was encouraged
by his marriage to Raja Ramdeo's daughter. It is said that the rtija,
on the approach of death, advised his son, Dalpat Sah, to rid himself of
so formidable a subject; but the letter containing this advice fell into
Bariar Singh's hand, and he anticipated the treacherous counsel by put-
ting Dalpat Sah to death, and seizing the estate for himself. Another
account is that he was peaceably married to Rimdeo's daughter and
heiress, and thus succeeded his father-in-law. This story sounds tame
in comparison with the other, which should in the interests of history
be preferred.
" Baridr Singh and his descendants. — Bariar Singh being thus master
of the vast estates of the Bilkharia, becomes the starting point in our
history, which will be occupied in following the fortunes of one part of his
descendants. Before however doing this, I will give a brief account of his
immediate issue with their present positions. Bariar Singh had four
sons
" First. — Asal Singh, from whom is named a pargana in Sultanpur.
" Second. — Gajr^j, or Gunge, whose descendants are called Rajwars, and
live in the Chanda pargana of Sultanpur, in taluqas Rampur and GSra-
pur, &c.
" Thi/rd. — Ghatam Rae, whose few descendants can now only be found
in the Kamipur, Sikri, and Barha villages of Dalippur, and Mahrupur df
pargana Patti.
" Fourth.— ^it,i Singh, who inherited such portions of the estate as were
not disposed of among the above. Though the youngest, he succeeded
to the title.
" Bdj Singh and his descendants. — The descendants of Raj Singh
deserve a passing notice, as they are now to be identified as the taluq-
dars of some important estates.
"First. — Chakrpati, the youngest, succeeded his father in Patti, &c.
" Second. — Rfip Singh, whose descendants are now taluqdars of Hasan-
pur in Sultanpur, and having become Musalmans are known as Kh^n-
20
154 PAT
2&das. * The story of their conversion to Moslem faith is variously told,
and I will not trespass on a domain of fable which strictly belongs to my
contemporary, the Settlement Officer of Sultanpur.
" Third. — Asneh Singh, whose descendants, under the name of R^j-
kumar, are iu the estates of Dera and Meopur in Fyzabad. The younger
son having succeeded to his father's estate becomes a fresh starting point.
Chakrpati had two sons ; Bahubar, whose descendants are to be found in
the Ateksaii ilaqa of twelve villages, which however has not maintained its
independence, part having been absorbed into an estate in the Sultanpur
district, and part having been re-united to the Patti Saifabad estates by
mortgage some sixty years ago.
" Qoshdin Singh. — Chakrpati Singh's second son was Goshain Singh, who
had four sons.
"First. — Harbans Rae, the youngest, succeeded to the title and
estates.
" Second. — Hamir Deo or Haram Deo Singh, whose descendants are in
an independent village called Sirsi, and in Sar4e Jamwari in the ilaqa of
Madhopur,
" Third. — Karan Pal Singh, whose descendants are in Ujla and Mahdi
of pargana Dalippur.
" Fourth. — Lakhan Sen Rae, whose posterity are in Sheosat and Phen-
han; the former an independent village, and the latter in the Adharganj
estate. Harbans Rae, the younger son, had two sons, Dingur Singh and
Ndhar Singh. Up to this time the estate had gone by the name of Jalal-
pur Bilkhar; but on the death of their father the brothers divided the
estate, and it is observable that if the chronicles are true, which say that
up to this time the youngest son had been the usual successor of his father,
they may be credited here in the reverse, and henceforth we shall find that
the course of nature was followed, and the elder son succeeded to his
father's estate and title. Dingur, elder son of Harbans, got ll-20ths in
the division of the paternal estate, and Nahar Singh got 9-20ths. The
former estate was called Dalippur, the latter Patti, and from the division
the two parganas so named begin a sepdrrate existence.
" Chilbila. — Dalippur has been lessened by the transfer of an estate
called Chilbila to the estates and pargana of the Sombansi Chhattris in
Partabgarh."
" Sonpura (Baia). — Patti was increased by the annexation of thirty-
six villages known as Muhal Sonpura on the extreme east of the
district. This was effected by Diwan Sumer Singh in 122i2 fasli; about
fifteen other villages of Baijalpur were acquired by him from Bais Chhat-
tris, and the estates of Saifabad, fifty-two villages, were wrested from the
Maliks (a Muhammadan family) by the same taluqdar. Both Patti and
* The Raja of Kutwar is the present Hindu representative of Rnp Singh,
PAT 155
Dalippur have been divided iato several estates now held by their several
owners.
" A few details will be given of the. eldest branch of the family, which
demands the first notice.
" Pargana DaUppur.—FiSth in descent from Dingur R^e, taluqdar
of the pargana of Dalippur, was Sujan R^e^ who was succeeded by
his son Gaj Singh. This taluqdar had two sons who survived him, Rke
Buddh Singh and Bdz Bahddur. The latter procured a division of the
paternal estate, and was the founder of the Dariapur iMqa, the second in
importance in this pargana.
" History of the Adhdrganj family. — 'The history of the Dalippur
(or as it is now called the.Adharganj) family presents a succession
of violent deaths.
" Sujdn Rae and his son, Gaj Singh, were killed by a Shekh family of
the Machlishahr pargana in Jaunpur, which borders on the Dalippur
pargana. Rae Buddh Singh (the chief of this house, who received the
title of Rae from the Hasanpur R&ja of Sultanpur) joined Nawab Shuj^-
ud-daula in his war with the British, which ended with his defeat at
Buxar in 1764 A.D. Adhering to the fortunes of the Nawab, he is said
to have been killed at the subsequent battle of Mahoka.
" Rde Mekerbdn Singh. — He was succeeded by Rde Bhawani Singh,
who was followed by his son, Rae Meherban 'Singh, who was the last
of the family who held the pargana of Dalippur by a single revenue
engagement. About 1780 A.D., this taluqdar fell into arrears, and
adopting the usual policy fled beyond the Oudh border to Bindhachal,
south of the Ganges, in the Mirzapur district. He died very shortly after
this, leaving three sons.
1. Rae Bindeehuri Bakhsh.
2. „ Cliauharja Bakhsh.
3. „ Sitla Bakhsh.
" The three sons of Mekerbdn Singh. — True to their instinct, these
brothers kept up such a reign of terror and disturbance, by plundering
and murdering those who submitted to the officers of Government and
made terms for the payment of the revenue, that they were soon permit-
ted to return to their homes, and by degrees to acquire some considerable
portions of their ancestral estate. R^eBindeshuri Bakhsh acquired the
following sections of the estate: —
Adharganj, containing 36 villages.
Baweli, ditto 13 do,
Eharhar, dittp S2 do.
Wari, ditto 2J do.
SI
" He died about 1824 A.D., being killed by the Taluqdar of Patti Sai-
fabad of 9-20th&; and, being childless, was succeeded by his brother
Chauharja Bakhsh, who recovered sixteen villages of the pargana, which
156 PAT
had been since Rae Melierbaa Singh's flight settled with the villagers.
He died in 1844 and left no issue, save an illegitimate son and daughter
by two women. The son, Bisheshwar, is provided for in the village of
Mehdeori. The younger son of Rae Meherbdn then succeeded to the
estate and died in 1852, but not before he had added four more villages
Jo the estate by revenue engagement for them. He also got the village
of Phenhan by fighting the Madhopur taluqdar for it. He was succeeded
by his son, Kdlka, who died, as some say, by an accidental discharge of a
pistol, but, as others say, by his own hand, in consequence of discovering
his mother in an intrigue with a servant. He was followed in 1858 by
his brother, the present taluqdar, Rd.e Mddho Parshad. The residence of
the taluqdar is in the village of Dalippur, some six miles from the head-
quarters station, in a south-east direction."
" The Bachgoti dans. — It will not be necessary here to recount the
family annals of each of the houses of the Bachgoti clan. They would
be found more fitly in a history of the landed families of the district.
My object in the aboye sketch has been to give a clue connecting the
chief house of the clan with the days of old, and to show how the other
families have sprung from the parent stock.
" Kishna Pdnde. — I will devote a short space to the history of the Patti
families in matters which, being of comparatively recent occurrence, may
be of value to those whose duties require a knowledge of such annals.
Sumer Singh, eighth in descent from Nahar Singh (whence Patti as a
separate property dates) was a minor when his father, Dhir Singh, died.
His factotum was one Kishna Pdnde, whose family fortress is still to be
found in Purai Shiu Parshad, in the village of Kohraon in the Dasrathpur
estate. He proved faithless. Instead of paying the revenue he embez-
zled it, and then got the engagement in his own hand, and ejected the
hereditary master, who fled to Rewah. For twelve years Kishna reigned ;
but Sumer Singh, grown up, allied himself with the powerful RAja of
Partabgarh, and overthrew and slew the treacherous Brahman, whose pos-
terity have acquired an under-proprietary title in Pflrai Shiu Parshad
from our settlement courts.
" The Dirgbansi. — The pargana of Patti, as constituted till its recent
consolidation with Dalippur, was a most remarkable instance of the con-
terminousness of the property of a clan with the limits of a pargana.
There was not a single village in Patti which did not belong to a Bach-
goti iMqa till recent arrangements included the Parhat estate of Rtija
Mahesh Narain Dirgbansi* (fifteen villages) in the pargana. Neither was
there one independent village. In Dalippur there are zamindars not
Bachgotis, nor even Rajputs^
" The old Bilkharia clan has a few specimens still in Patti, chiefly in the
northern portion in and about the now extinct Aurangabad taluqa, where
they hold eight villages. The only two Bilkharia taluqas, those of the
Raja of Umri and the Babu of Antd, are and have been for many years
included in the Partabgarh pargana, of which we shall speak presently,
* « The Dirgbansi is said to be really an offshoot of the Bilkharia clan, descended from
Dai'gadas, second son of Raja Bimdeo, aboyemeatioaed."
PAT 157
" Brahman zamindars, Our&s of Bachgotis. — There are some Brahman
zamindars in fifty-four villages, who, however, owe their lands to grants
from the Bachgotis. They are Sarwaria Brahmans. The Pande family is
the hereditary Gurti family of the Bachgotis. The Patti family Gurfis will
be found in Asogpur. Those of Dalippur are in Padiapur, now part of the
village of Ratanmai.
" Three villages belong to Musalmans, who acquired them by service
rendered to the Dalippur family."
" Position of Patti Dalippur under native rule. — The tahsil of Patti
was subordinate to the Nazim ofSultanpur. A chakladar used to be
posted to the three parganas of Patti Dalippur and Partabgarh. His head-
quarters were at Partabgarh, and his usual camping grounds on his tours
were in Bibipur close to Patti, Tarda, Sarabjitpur, Wari, and Jogipur.
It is not worth while to give details Of each nizim ; I will notice only
those whose administration or mal-administration produced results which
are worth knowing.
"Battle of Jaisingarh. — Raja Hulns Rae (from 1201 to 1203 fasli)
endeavoured to arrest Diwan Zabar 8ingh of Patti taluqa in 1203 fasli, and
an encounter took place in Jaisingarh, where the chieftain's fort was.
Zabar^ingh fled,and a P4nde Brahman, named Deoman of Asapur, engaged
for the payment of the revenue of the whole pargana for 1204-5 fasli.
In 120G, Zabar Singh recovered his position. Riija Bhawani Parshad, who
was nazim for one year (1204 fasli), proceeded to coerce the Bais villages
of Sonpura, and seized Ishri Bakhsh and PargAsh Singh (both now alive)
as a material guarantee. The Bais rose as one man, and attacking the
nazim, effected the release of their leaders before they were taken far.
They then withdrew across the border into the Jaunpur district, but the
removal of the nazim from office enabled them to return to their homes
very shortly.
"Battle of DdiMpur. — Mir Ghulam Husen (nazim from 1226 to 1230
fasli), to punish Rae Pirthipal Singh, Taluqdar of Raepur Bichhaur * for
the murder of one Bahadur Lai, a qanungo (father of present qaniingo
Sital Parshad), invested the fort of Datidpur, and for nineteen days the
battle raged. On the 20th, Pirthipal Singh fled, and for three years the
estate was held ' khdm.' Then the taluqdar's elder son, Jagmohan Singh,
took the engagement for the estate for two years. In 1232 fasli, Pirthipal
Singh recovered it. Jagmohan is still alive ; but from that time he has
been an imbecile,
"Battle ofLohdr Tdra. — In Taj-ud-dm Husen Khan's (ndzim from 1231
to 1234 fasli) term of office, a notable fight took place between Rae Bin-
deshuri Bakhsh of Dalippur and Diwan Pirthipal Singh of Urayyddfh and
JamtSli, for the possession of some border land in Lohdr T^ra. The Dalip-
pur taluqdar was killed, and bis tomb is to be seen in Loh4r Tara. Hence
there is ' hdr' (grudge or feud) betwixt the present Dalippur taluqdar,
E5e M4dho Parshdd, nephew of Bindeshuri, and some of the Patti families,
• Died in 1866.
158 PAT
who are closely connected with the Urayyidih taluqdar, and they neither
eat nor drink, nor halt in each other's villages,
" Darshan Singh (ndsim). — In 1235 fasli, Raja Darshan Singh (a
Sangaldipi Brahman of no high caste), invested the fort of Chauharja
Bakhsh, taluqddr of Dalippur (successor to the slain Bindeshuri). The
taluqdar as usual escaped, and shortly afterwards reinstated himself in ofifi-
cial favour. Darshan Singh was twice nazim — once froin 1235 to 1241, and
again in 1245-46 fasli.
" Mdn 8incfh (ndzvm). — This man, who has achieved notoriety since,
was nazim from 1252 to 1254 fasli. His term of office was not remark-
able. In 1255 fasli, Wajid Ali Khan, for some private grudge (people
say concerning an elephant, which R^e Pirthipal Singh of PSudpur had
refused to give him), allied himself with that taluqdar's two sons, Digbijai
Singh and Randhir Singh (the latter had by adoption acquired an inde-
pendent estate now known as the hissa half or 9-20ths of Patti Saifabad),
and invested the fort of Da^idpur. After eighteen days fighting, the
taluqdar was obliged to evacuate tbe place, and escape into British terri-
tory. The son, Digbijai .Singh, obtained the estate, but matters were
accommodated in two months, and the father returned to power.
" The zamindars of Phenhdn and HorUpur. — As an instance of taluq-
dars tenure and method, it may be worth while to recount how the zamin-
dar of PhenhAn and Horilpur, which villages are and were in the Dalippur
estate, took on himself to mortgage his lands to Debi Singh of Madhopur,
Sitla Bakhsh of Dalippur at once resented the liberty, and the bands were
mustered on each sid!e. They met in Phenhan. The fight was determin-
ed by the capture of a Madhopur cannon by Sitla Bakhsh's meji, and the
villages remained as they were. Another illustration of taluqdari manners
is the story of Randhir Singh (late husband of Thakurain Ajjt Kunwar of
9-20th Patti taluqa, and son as aforesaid of Rue Pirthipal of R^epur) and
Mangal Parshad. The former, bearing ancient hostility to the latter,
seized him one day in Kishunganj in the Sultanpur district when ofi' his
guard, ar<i tortured him to extort money. After a month of this work he
let him go. Mangal Parshad applied to the nazim, Aghk Ali Khan, for
redress, which Randhir Singh did not wait to see administered ; but fled the
country and remained under the guise of a merchant for many months
travelling from place to place. At last spies tracked him to Kasota in
Allahalbad, where the magistrate of the district arrested him. He was made
over to the nS^im who went to Allahabad to take him. He was very pro-
perly kept in painful confinement at Lucknow, and was released only
when the British Government was established in Oudh,"
Places of note. — I now propose to record a few notes in connection with
the old fort of Bilkhar, the temple of Chauharja at ParasvSmpur, the vil-
lages of Daddpur, Patti, and Dalippur, which, are the only places of any
archaeological interest in pargana Patti Dalippur.
" Kot Bilkhar. — With regard to the old fort of Bilkhar, the qiv&ngo
gives the following account, which is currently believed in these parts.
Many hundreds of years ago Ghaibar Sah, ancestor of Rdja Rgmdeo Bil-
PAT 150
kharia, camo from hfeadquarters with Xsajit, ancestor of the Patti qr.niingos,
armed with instructions to exterminate the Bhars, and provided with a
title deed bestowing on him the zamindari of the entire pargana. Having
successfully performed the former part of his mission, Ghaibar Sdh took
possession of the broad lands of the pargana, and, establishing himself in
mauza Bilkhar, built therein the famous fort known as ' Kot Bilkhar,' the
ruins of which remain to this day. This fort may be said to have been the
historical rallying point of the Bilkharias. A Mahadeo or representation
of the deity, which is still to be seen within the ruins, is, and has been
from time immemorial, known as Bilkharndtk. A fair is annually held
here on this account, which takes place on the ISth of the month of Pha-
gun (February-March), andattracts about 2,500people from the more imme-
diate neighbourhood. If procurable, Ganges water is poured on the idol,
otherwise water from the Sai ; while offerings of flowers, fruit, and pice
complete the ceremony. The fort of Bilkhar was successively occupied by
the descendants of Ghaibar Siih down to RiVja Ramdeo Singh, with whose
rule the supremacy of the Bilkharias terminated. It is further
assertedthat some 600 years or, more ago, Bari^r Singh, ancestor of the
Bachgotis, slew Raja Ri'imdeo, and took possession of the fort, and his des-
cendants to the time of Harbans Rae occupied it. When the paternal acres
were divided between Dingur and Nahar Singh, the two sons of Harbans
Rae, ' Kot Bilkhar' fell to the lot of the former, who is ancestor in a
direct line of the present Taluqdar of Dalippur, Rae Madho Parshad Singh.
Dingur Singh and his heirs continued to occupy the fort down to the year
JLISO fasli (A. D., 1773), when the last owner, Rae Meherbi'm Singh, came
into collision with the nazim, who razed the fort and left it in ruins. The
spot is on the left bank of the Sai, some seven miles from the headquar-
ters of the district. The ruins of the old fort may be seen on an elevated
platean surrounded on three sides by ravines and broken ground covered
with scrub jungle, and on the fourth side by the river. The fosse is clearly
distinguishable all round."
The temple of Chauhdrja. — Concerning the temple of Chauharja, my
predecessor has placed the following on record: — •
" In the village of Parasrampur, in the Daridpur ilaqa, is situated a
noted fane of the goddess. Debi, who is worshipped under the name of
Chauharja. It is said to be of superlative antiquity, and, in proof of it) the
priests assert that the hero Alha, whose praises and deeds form the subject
of minstrels' songs to this day, and whose tomb is shown at Chundr, wor-
shipped Bebi here, and made a well at this place, which is still visible.
Indeed, Alha is said to have continued his visits to the shrine long after he
disappeared from mortal life ; and stories of his apparitions are told, but
I need not relate them."
Two fairs take place here annually : one on the 8th Ku^r (September-
October), and the other on the 9th Chait (March-April). On each occa-
sion some 6,000 people, within a radius of about 20 miles or so, collect at
the spot. In addition to the observances recorded above with reference
to Bilkhamdth, extensive sacrificial offerings of goats and sucking pigs are
made at this shrine of ChauhSrja.
160 PIH
Ddtiidpur. — Daudpur — in the RaepurBichhaurtaJuqa, hissa9-20th — was
formerly a place of some note. It is traditionally asserted that the founder
of the town and fort, Daud Khan, was in the first instance a Bhar, hut
that alarmed for his safety at the Muhammadan invasion, he embraced the
faith of Islam, and returned as an adherent with the conquering Ala-ud-
din Khilji to the Sultan's court. He was then rewarded with a grant
of twelve villages in this part of the country and dubbed a Kumed^n
within the Subah of Allahabad. His two brothers, Ibrahim Khan and Saif
Khan, founded about the same time the two adjacent villages of Ibrahfm-
pur and Sarae Saif. After a lapse of some time, the property of D4dd
Khan and his posterity passed into the hands of a family of BisrAha Chhat-
tris* (an offshoot of the Bachgoti clan), and was by them held until 1182
fasli (A.D. 1795), when it became incorporated in the taluqa of Patti Saif-
abad. On partition of the latter estate in 1217 fasli (A.D. 1809), Daud-
pur went into the taluqa of RaipurBichhaxir. The two sieges, which have
rendered the fort of Daudpur famous, have already been narrated in Mr.
King's account of the pargana. It was only levelled in A.D. 1858, when
orders were issued to destroy all native standing forts. Ddud'pur itself
has now dwindled down into a small and insignificant village.
The Bachgoti clan deserves a more general notice ; it numbers, including
the Rdjkumars, above 40,000 in Oudh besides many in Jaunpur ; it extends
over three districts — Partabgarh, Sultanpur, and Fyzabad — having started
originally from Tappa Asl in Sultanpur, to which one of its early scions gave
its name. It was exceptionally fortunate during the mutinies ; none of
its chiefs lost even a portion of their estates through persistence in rebel-
lion, or concealment of cannon ; none of their estates are of unwieldy size,
the largest, that generally known as Nissa-igara, covering only 60,000 acres.
Several of its leading men are of considerable intelligence and education.
The clan originally possessed a very perfect feudal organization; its raja
of Hisampur turned Musalman, and since then its titular terminology
has become confused. It has several rajas, several diwans, several babus,
and several rSos. For a further history of the Rdjkumdr branch, see
pargana Aldemau.
It only remains to be added that the pargana is a fertile and well
watered one. There are numerous jhils, and water is found at about 24
feet from the surface.
FlKA^If— Pargana Piha'ni Pindarwa— TaAsiZ Shxhasad— District
Hardol— (Latitude 27°38' north, longitude 80°14' east.) A town of
7,582 inhabitants on the unmetalled road between Sitapur and ShShja-
hanpur ; 3,088 of the residents are Muhammadans, and 4,494 are Hindus.
They are lodged in 327 brick and 1,493 mud houses. Its public build-
ings are a police station and a Government school. Its chief interest lies
in its association with Akbar's celebrated chancellor, Sadr Jahan.
* These Bisrahas were a degradtd offshoot of the Bachgotis, owing, it is said, to a
misalliance. The term is derived from " Bisar," a Sanskrit work, signifying seed which haa
been borrowed in advance from a Mahajan in contradiction to saved seed, and is used to
denote impurity, or rather what is improper.
t By Mr. A, O. Harington, C.S , Assistant Commissioner,
PIH 161
Two accounts are given of the founding of PihSni. The Hindus trace
it to a settlement of Dub^ Brahmans invited from Kanauj by Edja
Lakhan Sen, the Gaur conqueror of the Thathera fort at Simaurgarh.
The Muhammadan history, as collected by Mr. McMinn, is this : — • .
" At the date of the battle of Bilgram (A.D. 1540), Abdul Ghafiir,
Sayyad, was qdzi of Kanauj. He had a younger brother, Abdul Muqtadi.
After Humaytin was expelled by Sher Sh4h, and took refuge with Shah
Tuhmfep of Persia, it is alleged that the latter called on Sher ShSh to
state why he usurped the throne which belonged properly to the Mughal.
Sher Shah in return collected various statements from nobles of India,
proving that Humayun was not a true believer. Abdul Ghafur was
required to send a similar statement. He refused to do so, and to escape
Sher Shah's vengeance, he left Kanauj, and concealed himself in the jungle
on the opposite side of the Ganges where Pihani now stands.
"In 1555 Humdytin returned, and Abdul Ghafur from his hiding place
sent a letter of congratulation. Humdyfin gave him five villages rent-
free in parganas Pasgawan and Pindarwa; also five thousand bighas of the
jungle in which he had found shelter. This spot was therefore called
Pihani ; Pinhani meaning concealment, and a town founded in the forest-
clearing.
" Ghaffir Alani was the son of Abdul Muqtadi. He was sent to the
Q^zi-ul-Quzzat at Delhi as a pupil. He made great progress, and was
brought before the Emperor Akbar, who made him tutor to Jahangir ; and
was so pleased with the latter's success in his studies, that he entitled his
preceptor Nawab Sadr Jahan, and made him sadr or chief mufti of the
empire. It is possible, however, that this promotion was due to Sadr
Jah^n's conversion to the new religion of which Akbar was the high
priest, and into which Sadr Jah&n led his two sons. The sadr was the
fourth officer in the empire. He was the highest law officer. He was
administrator general and inquisitor into religious opinion. Sadr Jahan
continued to serve under Jahdngir — a proof, if any was needed, that the
latter emperor shared the free-thinking views of his father, or he would
never have allowed the official guardianship of the purity of the faith to
be held by a pervert Sadr Jahan's tomb is at Pihani. It was
completed in 1068 Hijri (A.D. 1657). His descendants held high office
under the Mughal emperors. Like his masters, Akbar and Jahangir, •
he had married Hindu wives, by one of whom, a Brahmani, Parbati, he
had Murtaza Khan and Irtiza Khan. Murtaza Khan was Faujdar of
Gopamau, and Irtiza Khan held the more important charge of the Ran-
tambhaur fort. Badr Jahan, another son, held both Barwdr and Kheri
in rent-free tenure."
Mr. Blochmann gives some further particulars about Sadr Jahan and
his descendants : —
" MIran Sadr Jah^n was born at Pihani, a village near Kanauj. Through
the influence of Sheikh Abd-un-nabi he was made mufti. When Abdul-
lah Khdn Uzbak, King of Turan, wrote ta Akbar regarding his apostacy
21
162 PIH
from Islam, Mlrdn Sadr and Hakim Hum^un were selected as ambassadors.
The answer which they took to Abdullah contained a few Arabic verses
which Abdullah could construe into a denial of the alleged apostacy —
' Of God, people have said that he had a son ; of the prophet, some
have said that he was a sorcerer. Neither God nor the prophet has
escaped the slander of men. Then how should I ?' ' Miran returned in
the 34th year and was made Sadr. Up to the 40th year he had risen to
the diginity of a commander of 700 ; but later he was made an amil,
and got a mansab of 2,000. During the reign of Jah^ngir, who was very
fond of him, he was promoted to a command of 4,000, and received Kanauj
as tuydl. As Sadr under Jahangir he is said to have given away more
lands in five years than under Akbar in fifty. He died in 1020 at the
age, it is believed, of 120 years. His faculties remained unimpaired to
the last. There is no doubt that he temporized, and few people got more
for it than he. He also composed poems, though in the end of his life,
like Budaoni, he repented and gave up poetry, as against the spirit of the
Muhammadan law. He had two sons : —
" (1.) Mir Badr-i-Alam.' He lived a retired life. (2.) Sayyid Nizam
Murtaza Khan. His mother was a Brahman woman, of whom his
father had been so enamoured that he married her; hence Nizam
was his favourite son. He was early introduced at court, and at the
death of his father was made a commander of 2,500, 2,000 horse. In
the first year of Shah Jah^n's reign he was promoted to a command of
3,000, and received on the death of Murtaza Kh4n Suja the title of Murtaza
Khan. He served a long time in the Dakhin. His injuy&l was the par-
gana of Dalmau, where he on several occasions successfully quelled
disturbances. He was also Faujdar of Lucknow. In the 24th year of
Shah Jah^n's reign he was pensioned off, and received twenty lacs of dams
per annum out of the revenue of Pihani, which was one kror. He enjoyed
his pension for a long time. His sons died before \\mi. On his death his
grandsons, Abdul Muqtadi and Abdullah, were appointed to mansabs, and
received as tuydl the remaining portion of the revenue of Pihani. Abdul
Muqtadi rose to a command of 1,000, 600 horse, and was Faujdar of
Khairabad." (Translation of Ain-i^Akbari, Vol. I., Farci V., p. 468.)
In the Kheri history will be found a detailed account (by Mr.
McMinn) of the steps by which, in the beginning of the eighteenth
century, the Sombansi pervert raja, Ibddulla Khan, possessed himself of
the j%ir of these Pihani Sayyads.
The decay of Pihani is attributed to Ib^dulla Khan's encroachment, to
the resumption of the jagir by Saddat Ali Khan, and the loss of service
since annexation.
The oldest portion of the town is called Bari Pihani ; dirt and decay
abound m it. Its chief ward or muhalla is Mir-ki-Sarde. The oldest
buildmg m it is the tomb of Abdul Ghafur. The date stone has been
removed from it. It stands close to the Khera or deserted site, which
marks the residence of the early founders of chak Pihdni, the Dubes from
Kanauj, and the first Sayyad settlement during the reign of Akbar. The
PIH 163
Sayyad seem to have obliterated all traces of the earlier occupants. No
ruiDed shrine is to be seen, only the remains of a huge masonry well.
Bari Pihani was deserted when Niz^m Murtaza Khan founded the nearer
adjacent town of Nizampur, or Chhoti Pihani. Chhoti Pihani presents
an agreeable contrast to the older town. It is altogether clearer, brisker,
more populous ; viewed from the outside it seems to be buried in trees.
The soil is good ; the water near the surface. The western gateway, with
its huge shafts of red sandstone, the bastions of the high enclosing wall,
brick-faced, with blocks of kankar. The remains of Murtaza Khan's fort
show many a scene of picturesque ruin. But the gem of the whole place
is the grand old mosque and tomb of Sadr Jah^n and Badr Jahan in Bari
Pihani.
*
It is a building of much beauty. A double dome, poised on red sand-
stone pillars, rises from a pavement of brick, cased with carved slab of
stone, and shaded by tamarinds of enormous girth. Lightness, symmetry,
and grace, delicate colour, and rich but not florid ornamentation, are its
characteristics.
In the nawabi, Pihani was the Damascus of Oudh, noted for the temper
of its sword blades. But these and its woven turbans (dast^r) are things
of the past.
PIHXNI PINDARWA Pargama — Tahsil Shahabad — District Hardoi. —
This pargana is bounded on the north by the district of Kheri, on the east
by Kheri and Sitapur, on the west by pargana Alamnagar and Mansur-
nagar, and on the south by Gopamau and Mansurnagar. Its area is
45,544 acres, or 71 square miles, divided as follows : —
Cultivated
Irrigated
Unirrigated
Culturable ..
Unculturable
... 27,399
9,333
16,066
... 12,741
... 5,404
Total ... 45,544
The soil is loam; the river Gumti passes through the pargana. There
are four roads, viz. : —
From PihSni to Shahabad, from Pihani to Kulhabar Ghat, from Pihani
to Hardoi, and from Pihani to Aurangabad.
Pihani and Pindarwa are the principal villages. The Government
revenue is Rs. 40,861. The population amounts to 36,979, and the
number of houses is 6,607. There are 12 schools within the pargana ; the
town of Pihani has post and registry offices, and a police station.
Formerly Pihani was not a pargana, but was merely known by the
name of " Jaglr of Sadat." Since the Sayyads of Pihdni lost their jagirs,
the land revenue of Pihani itself was collected along with that of pargana
Pindarwa. In the time of Hakim Mehndi, Chakladar of Muhamdi
(1819-1820), some of the villages of Pindarwa pargana were amalgant ated
164 PIR
with Pihdni ; since then Pihani was selected as the headquarters of the
ziladar, and consequently Pihani was converted into a pargana. Some 100
years ago a combat took place at village Zamdr between the Sayyads of
Pihdni and the Gaurs. The zamindars of Pihdni are of various castes —
Rajputs, Brahmans, Kayaths, and Muhammadans.
PIRN AGAR Pargama* — Tahsil Sitapue — District Sitapub.— Pargana
Pirnagar is bounded on the north and north-east by pargana Bisw^n, on
the north-west by pargana Khairabad, on the west by pargana Machh*
rehta, on the east by pargana Bari, and on the south by pargana Gund-
lamau. It is separated from Machhrehta and Gundlamau by the river
Sarayan and from Khairabad by the Gon, which flows into the Sarayan
at the town of Pirnagar, the Sarayan flowing into the Gumti at Hindaura
Gh^t.
The Sarayan is a very winding river, and the lands on either side of it
are high and barren and cut up by ravines. The jungle here is consider-
able; there is a deal of usar land; water is found, where found at all, at
a great depth, 49 feet from the surface ; wells cannot be dug at all in the
neighbourhood of the ravines.
But in the centre of the district the character of the soil is quite
different; there wells are dug with ease. The productive powers of the
soil are good ; the land is level. There are no hills or forests.
The pargana is a small one being only 44 square miles in extent, of
which 28 are cultivated. The detail is as follows : —
Acres 17,770 cultivated.
„ 4,224 culturable.
„ 21,994 asaessed.
„ 15 rent-free.
„ 5,947 barren.
„ 5,962
Total „ 27,956
The population numbers 15,295, and is distributed thus : —
Hindus agricultural ... 8.841 Musalmans agricultural ... 370
„ non-agricultural ... 5,379 „ non-agricultural ,.. 705
14,220 1,075
These live in 2,935 houses, each of which thus is occupied by 5*2 indivi-
duals. The Musalmans are 7 per cent, of the whole population ; and to
each head of the entire agricultural population there are 1'9 acres of cuj.--
tivated land, and 2'4 of malguz&ri.
This proportion agrees with what obtains in parganas Khairabad and
Sitapur. The incidence of the revised jama is as follows : —
On cnltivated area
...13 8 per acre.
On m^lguzari
,.. 0 15 4 „ „
On total area
... 0 la 1 „ „
* By Mr. M. L. Ferrar, B.A., C.Si, Assistant CommissioDer.
PIR
165
The principal castes of the Hindus are — Brahmans 2,374, Rajputs 1,139,
Ahirs 1,422, Pjisis 2,034, Chamars 2,394.
The pargana contains 64 demarcated villages, which are thus distribut-
ed,—15 taluqdari, 39 zemindari, Bais Chhattris own 48, Brahmans 3,
Kayaths own 2, Musalmans own 1 ; these Musalmans being descendants of a
converted Rajput, a Pur ana or ancient Bais, to distinguish the caste
from the modern Tilokchandi Bais, who now possess the greater part of
the paxgana.
These villages are all small, none of them having a population exceed-
ing 1,000. Pirnagar itself boasts of but 790. There is not a single
masonry house in the pargana, the people having a superstition against
using burnt bricks or tiles for their residences. This superstition is not
peculiar to Pirnagar, but exists in many other parts of the district (vide
Towns Seota and Tambaur).
The fairs are six in number as follows : —
Name of fair.
Village.
Date.
Average
attendance.
Bausibat ...
Hatila Fir ka
Mahothe Hani
Husenia Dih
Katki
Dhanuk Jagg ...
Jairampur
Bhanpur
Mabothepur near Saida-
pur.
Muhamniadpur alias
Mabotbepur.
Phulpur
Bbitauli
Aghan
Jetb
Chait
Jeth
Kartik
Aghan
12,000
600
3,000
6,000
1,000
3,000
and at these, a good trade is carried on by the dealers in the ordinary
necessaries of life.
The Jairampur fair was founded by Bausibat, a follower of the great R^m
Chandar, in honour of whose espousals with Sita the mela is held.
The fair called Hatila Pir-ka-mela is a Musalman festival, and comme-
morates the death of Hatfla Pfr, a martyr to Islam, who fell fighting
for his faith, in the ranks of his maternal uncle, Masaiid of Ghazni, the
Sayyad Salar, who invaded Oudh, and whose tomb is at Bahraich.
The Mahothepur fair is a local Bais festival, held in honour of Queen
Mahothe, an ancient princess of that clan, whose life was pure and noble,
and who on her consort's death became a sati.
The Bhitauli feast is to commemorate the breaking of the bow (dhanuk)
by R&ma before his marriage with Sita.
Husenia Dih is an unimportant local gathering requiring no particular
notice.
Besides the metalled road between Lucknow and Sitapur which divides
the pargana, there are no other roads in it, and the only water communi-
166 PIR
cation is afforded by the Sar^yan, which bears country boats down to the
Gumti at Hindaura Ghat, and thence to Lucknow.
The only sarae in the whole pargana is at Kamalpur. There are five
shiwalas or Hindu temples, the most famous being that in honour of
D'Adh Ndth in Pimagar. This town also possesses a mosque built
by a Hindu, Rae Gansur Das ; masonry tanks are unknown throughout
the pargana, and the masonry wells, which are only 15 iu number, are not
used for irrigation, but for domestic purposes. The absence of all which
things is to be accounted for by the impecuniosity of the zamindars.
The only public (Government) structures in the pargana are the metal-
led road and caravan-serai already mentioned, a masonry bridge at Pirnagar
over the Sarayan, and an Engineer's bungalow on the high road at Daud-
pur, close to Pirnagar.
The pargana is not at all historically famous; no great heroes lived here;
no great battles were fought ; no Hindu hero or Delhi Badshdh or Luck-
now Nawab ever tarried in it for the pleasures of the chase, or in exile,
as' has happened in some of the other parganas. In fact, its history may
be given in a few words, and runs thus : —
In the beginning, the country, now known as the pargana, was held by
Bais Chhattris, not by Tilokchandi Bais, whose origin dates from only
400 years back, but by ancient Bais, and was part of their dominions, which
went under the name of Chapangarh. They gradually became extinct,
and were succeeded by Kacheras and Oujars, and Jdts also, according to
the qanungos, who held sway under king Akbar's time, or 300 years ago,
when Bhikhamdeo, a Tilokchandi Bais, and Than Singh, were granted
the lands by that monarch, as a reward for having saved the life of the
Rdni of Baundi (in Bahraich), who on her way to bathe in the sacred
water of Prag (the modern Allahabad) had been seized by certain Moslem
ravishers. So Tilok Chand Bais got the lands, which had just then been
formed into a pargana by Todar Mai, and their descendants hold the
greater part or nine-tenths of it to the present day ; one village only out
of the 54 is held by a descendant of the ancient Bais, and he is a Musal-
man, as already mentioned.
The pargana was known at first as Bahrimau, which name it retained until
Jahangir's reign, when it was changed to Pimagar, from the name of the
town. The founder of this latter was Rae Gansiir Das, the Diwan of
Pir Muhammad, then Subahdar of Oudh, and he named it after his master,
and built the mosque abovementioned to calm the indignation which the
subahdar felt on being informed that in the town founded in his honour
a Hindu temple had been erected.
The place is not mentioned in any of the older epics or histories of
India, and the only remains of antiquity to be met with are 9 of those
nameless barrows, called by the country folk dihs. These are mounds of
earth varying in area from 20 to 50 acres, and raised from the surfe,ce of
the ground by from 20 to 100 feet. They are covered with the remains
PIT— PUR 167
of broken tiles and bricks, and are apparently the sites of old towns or
strongholds, built before the memory of man. The villages can tell nothing
of their origin. At Unasia (see pargana Khairabad), at Manwan vide
town history), at Rdmkot, at Hargdm, &c., the dih is connected with
the name of some mythical or historical character. They are met with
all over the province of Oudh, and they bear evidence that the people
who erected them had advanced to a higher degree of civilization than
the present inhabitants of the country. It is strange that up to the
present time nothing in the way of inscriptions has been discovered in
any of these dibs. They were probably, as stated above, strongholds ;
they were certainly not tombs, so that perhaps they should not have been
called above nameless barrows.
PITXRI — Pargana Sikandarpur — Tahsil Unao — District Unao.— A
village about tour miles north-west of the sadr station. No river flows
near it, or road passes through it. It is an old village dating from the time
of Raja Unwant Singh, the reputed founder of Unao. Kunwar Singh, the
grandfather of Gajraj Singh, the present lambardar, was a man of local
celebrity. The people are mostly Hindus. The average annual sales at
bazar amount to Rs. 3,000. The population is 3,589, as follows : —
Brahmans
Chhattri ...
Musalmans
Pasi ...
Ahir ...
Others
Total ... 3,589
PUKHRA — Pargana Haidargarh — Tahsil Haidargarh — District Bara
Banki. — This village is situated on the Rae Bareli and Haidargarh
road, five miles east of the Gumti. The country around is fairly wooded
and fertUe. The population is 3,383, of whom 1,005 are Brahmans.
There is a very fine temple in honour of Mahddeo, and a tank, with
masonry bathing ghats, erected by Beni Dube, late Suba in a native state,
at a cost of Rs. 89-,000. This temple is much larger than the ordinary
ones. There is also a Thakurdwara, but nothing else of note in the town.
This place is the headquarters of the estate of Pukhra Ansdri of the
chief Amethia Chhattris, one of which clan R4ja Sahajr4m Bakhsh was
a notorious insurgent in the nawabi.
PURWA Pargana — Tahsil Pttrwa — District Unao. — This pargana is
bounded on the north by Gorinda Parsandan, on the east by Maur^nwan,
on the south by Panhan, Patau, and Magrayar, and on the west by Harha.
Its area is 111 square miles or 71,032 acres, comprising 123 villages. It
is twelve miles long by ten broad. The soil is chiefly loam and clay, and
the principal crops are wheat, bajra, and sugarcane. The Lon river winds
its way through a portion of the lands of this pargana during the rainy
and cold seasons, but dries up in the hot weather. Water is found at '
from 52 in the south to 15 feet in the east. There are six bazdrs.
168 PUR
The Government revenue is Rs. 84,367, and the asaessment falls at Re. 1-3-0
per acre. The tenure is as follows : —
Tslnqdari ... ... ... .,. ... 18,980 acres
Zamindari ... ... ... ... ••• 39,640 „
Pattidari ... ... ... ... ..• 15>*1' ,.
The population amounts to 64,758. There is an old temple in Purwa
to Billeswar Mah4deo.
The pargana was formed in Akbar's time ; for a history of the name see
town article. This was the most westerly portion of the Bais dominions.
It was ruled by Achal Singh, thus referred to by Elliot : —
" There is nothing to notice in the history of the family till we come to
Oogursen. His younger son, Dhara, was in the service of R4ja Achul
Singh of Poorwah, and was the chief of his armed retainers. His valour is
conspicuously mentioned in the ballad which details the fight between Achul
andDewanbux, whoheaded the houses of the combined families of Symbussie
and Nyhesta. In that fight a pair of kettle-drums were taken from
Dewanbux and were kept by the head of Achul's family at Doonea Khera.
The disgrace was keenly felt by the other party, and quite lately Rana
Rughonath Singh sent to Rao Rambux to offer terms on which he might
get the drums back, a message to which the Rae politely answered that
he would be most happy if Rughonath could recover them in the same
way in which Achul Singh had taken them. Oogursen stood security for
a friend who defaulted, and he was unable to pay up the default. Achul
Singh, unmindful of the services of his son, seized and bound him, and
had one of his sons, named Dheer Singh, murdered before his eyes. Next
morning Oogursen was found dead at the bottom of a well, and it was
darkly whispered that it was not grief or despair which brought him to
that end. Dhara at once threw up the raja's service, and took to plunder-
ing his estates, and lived the life of an outlaw. In order to keep him in
check, the tahsil and fort were removed from Asoha to Kantha, and the
forces allotted to the pargana were stationed in that town. In 1184
fesli Achul Singh was succeeded in the Nizamut by Bhowani Singh,
and soon after took poison and died, on which Dhara Singh came back
to his home, and became a peaceable subject again," (pp. 48-49, " Elliot's
Chronicles of Oonao.")
PURWA — Pargana Pdrwa — Tahsil PuRWA — District Unao. — The town
of Purwa lies in latitude 26°32' north, longitude 80°52' east, and is
situated twenty miles south-east of Unao. There is a lake called Basha
close to this town on the north. Four unmetalled roads lead to it — one
from Unao to Rae Bareli, another from Purwa to Cawnpore, a third from
Purwa to Lucknow, and a fourth from Purwa to Bih6r, Baksar, and Rae
Bareli. The town is locally noted for good shoe-makers. Two bazdrs are
held weekly, attended by about 1,000 visitors. There are three large fairs
-here during the year. Two are held in honour of Sri Billeswar Mahadeo,
about one mile east of the town, one on the day of Shiurdttri, and the other
on the 1st and 2nd days of Aghan, about November ; each of these fairs is
PUR— QUT 169
attended by about seven or eight thousand people. The annual amount
ot sales at these fairs and the bazars is about Rs. 31,000. The population
amounts to 10,880, the Hindus number 8,355, and Moslems 2,525, of the
Mmdu^Brahmans (2,267), Banidns (2,000), and Kdyaths (1,000) predomin-
ate. Ihere is a tahsil, a thana, and a school where more than a hundred
boys are taught. Purwa was formerly the headquarters of the chakladar
ot the Harha Purwa, chakla or collectorate of the nawabi. At annexation
aisotbe headquarters of the disi riot were at Purwa. A tahsildar only
resides there now.
The town is said to have been founded about 500 years ago. Primarily
one Raja Newan, a Raghubansi resident of Ajodhya, came and settled at a
place four miles west of this town, which is qow known as Newaf an
After some time the river Lon washed that village away. R4ja Ranbir
bmgh a descendant of the abovenamed rdja, who ruled Newayan at that
time laid the foundation of this town, which stands on the land of the
villages Bhawampur, Sokipur, and Kalianpur. It was then caUed Ranbir-
pur. Now the word " Ranjit" is put (erroneously) instead of Ranbir, and
the town is called " Ranjitpurwa" or " Purwa."
Raja Achal Singh Bais, a resident and taluqdar of Daundia Khera, was
chakladar, as also the liege lord of the toAvn of Purwa, and had taken up his
residence at this place from 1123 fasli (A.D. 1716) to 1183 fasli (A.D. 1776 ).
The other Thakurs of Baiswara and of the Bais tribe, who had a great
dislike to the rule of the chakladar, waged war against Achal Singh, in
which they were totally defeated. Rdja Achal Singh then had a garden
laid out on the very plain where the battle was fought which is still there.
R^ja Achal Singh, Rdja Sital Parshid, Tirbedi, Nazim, and Fateh Ali, a
favourite slave of Almas Ali, Khw4ja Sara, have been remarkable persons in
the history of this town. Raja Achal Singh is said to have been the founder
of Achalganj in the pargana Harha, district Unao, Achal Khera, &c., in
pargana and tahsil Purwa, as also of the following villages in this district,
Purwa, Unchgaon, Naigaon, Banthar, Jhalotor.
Rija Sital Parshad founded Sitalganj in this place, embellishing it with
a temple and a tank. Another place of this name was founded by the
same nazim in Rasiilabad.
Fateh Ali was the founder of Fatehganj which lies near Purwa, and he
planted the road from Purwa to Basha, and from Jalalabad to the
entrance gate of the city of Lucknow, with trees forthe convenience and com-
fort of travellers. He also had laid out and planted a garden, with a masonry
tank, in the city of Lucknow. Buildings of former times now remaining are
the temple of Billeswar Mahadeo and the tomb of one Mina Sahib— both
regarded as sacred by Hindus and Muhammadans respectively; a shrine
of Niamat Shah, and a burial-place of one Hira Shah, both famous hermits,
are also worthy of note here.
QUTUBNAGAR* — Pargana Mi&m-KS.— Tahsil Misrikh— Z)isiric^ Sita-
PUR. — Is 18 miles west from Sitapur on the high road to Hardoi.
* By Mr. M. L. Ferrar, C.S., Assistant Commissioner.
22
170
QUT— RAE
Three miles to the south-west runs the Gumti, which is navigable at
all times of the year, and within two miles to the north-west runs a small
stream called the Kathna which is not navigable.
The population numbers 2,256 of all castes ; at the school attend 70
boys ; the bazar is held on Tuesdays and Fridays ; but the sales are incon-
siderable, not exceeding Es. 5,000 in the year. The climate is good. The
only masonry house in the place is the residence of the taluqdar, and is
built on some rising ground, the site of an old dih called " Kunj Bihari-
pur," which had been owned by a community of faqlrs. Within the
enclosure is an ancient Hindu well called " Biswa Mitra," and the remains
of what once is said to have been a masonry tank called " Jambii Dip."
There are 421 mud-built houses.
Hard by in Deog4on is a mud tank, which is visited in phlgun by the
Nimkhar pilgrims when going on their " paikarma."
The taluqdar of Qutubnagar belongs to the same family as the taluqdar
of Aurangabad, both being descended from that Bahadur Beg who 200,
years ago, in the reign of iilamgir, got a j^gir of this part of the country.
Another account has it that it was in Shah Jahan's reign the present
taluqdar's ancestor, Mirza Muhammad Atk, acquired the property.
There are no manufactures of any sort in Qutubnagar, and the place is
altogether devoid of any interest, historical or otherwise.
EAE BARELI DIVISION.— Rae Bareli is a division of British territory
in Oudh comprising three districts, whose names, areas, and population
are given in the accompanying table : —
Area and population.
6J Q)
SI.
&
m
•s-g
B
bD
e S S
v
S.&^
'A
District.
^■a s
E3
&
rd
s
a
c
•3
"S
>
■a
C3
a
to
a.
a
«
'tn
ta
S
-i
to
a
3
^
a
s
1
s
H
3
■3
1^
1
«89,O08
5
. f
Bae Bareli...
1,768
1,747
667
909,930
68,706
47
35
493,320
496,688
J48
Sultanpur ...
2,526
1,706
890
911,441
84,495
43
40
605,644
490,932
996,576
684
Psrtabgarh
2,200
1,445
696
719,329
63,133
18
28
898,576
884,105
782,681
512
Total ..
6,494
4,898
2,443
2,540,700
216,334
108
98
1,397,540
1,370,726
2,768,265
566
• The areas in the abOTe statement are obtained from »ettlement returns. The popular
tiou from the census report.
RAE 171
RAE BARELI DISTRICT ARTICLE.
ABSTRACT OF CHAPTERS
I. — Physical fkatures. II. — Agriculture and commerce. III. — The
PEOPLE. IV. — Administration. V. — History.
CHAPTER I.
NATURAL FEATURES.
General description — Change of territory— Superficial confignration— General aspect-
Rivers— Natural products— Wild cattle— Fauna— Rainfall— Medical aspects— Fairs.
GeTieral description. — The district of Rae Bareli has undergone many
alterations of boundaries and extent. At present it lies between 25°49'
and 26°35' north latitude, and 80°45' and 81°40' east longitude. Its
area is 1,739* square miles, and its population QSQ.OOS.f It now consists
of four tahsils — Rae Bareli, Digbijaiganj, Lalganj, and Salon. These are
subdivided into the following parganas : —
Bae Bareli.
Dalmau.
Sareni.
Khiron.
Salon.
Parshidepur.
Bokha Jais.
Inhauna.
Simranta.
MohanffanJ.
Kumhr&wan.
Bachbranan,
Hardoi.
Boundaries. — The present district has no natural boundaries except
the Ganges to the south-west and south ; on the east it is bounded by tah-
sil Bihar (Kunda) of Partabgarh, on the north-east by Bara Banki, on the
north-west by Lucknow district, and on the west by Unao. The general
shape of the country is a rough truncated ovoid, withits basetothe south-west
on the Ganges, and its extremity reaching to within seven miles of the Gumti.
This segment of the Gangetic plain is divided into two nearly equal por-
tions by the river Sai. It is flat, with no mountains; its elevation varies
from about 395 feet above the sea on the north-west to 285 the level of the
Ganges when it leaves the district, The slope is good therefore ; it is from
north-west to south-east ; and all the rivers take that course. Particular
points are recorded in the revenue survey map as attaining a higher
elevation, but these are on artificial elevations selected or erected by the
surveyors themselves. Such are the present territorial limits of the Rae
Bareli district.
• By Settlement Returns, 1,747 square miles,
f This is the total of the pargana population as given in the census report, and it differs
somewhat fronn later calculations which make the population of tlie district 988,719.
172 RAE
Change of territory. — But the administrative arrangement has only been
arrived at after several steps. There were at first four tahsils— Bihdr, Dal-
mau, Bareli, and Haidargarh. These were reduced to three — Bihdr, Bareli,
and Haidargarh. Then the Bihar tahsil containing seven parganas — Daun-
dia Khera, Ghatampur, Bhagwantnagar, Bihar, Panhan, Pdtan, and Magra-
yar — was transferred to the Unao district; Haidargarh at the extreme north
was placed in Bara Banki; while Simrauta, Mohanganj, Inhauna, Rokha
Jais have been transferred to Rae Bareli from Sultanpur ; Salon and Par-
shidepur from Partabgarh.
The area, population, and administrative divisions of the district are
given in Chapter III. Those of the old district were as follows : — Area 1,350
square miles, number of villages 1,482, population 782,874.
Rae Bareli has been more changed by the re-distribution of 1869 than
any other district. In fact, it received so to speak a fresh tahsil to the south-
east : its parganas were transferred to Unao and Bara Banki ; and it was
compensated by additions from Partabgarh and Sultanpur to the east.
Still the map of the old district remains incorporated, and forms the chief
portion of the new. The former is thus described by the settlement officer.
It must be remembered that the north-east extremity towards the Gumti,
the shank of the shoulder of mutton afterwards mentioned, has been cut
off and transferred to Bara Banki.
Superficial configuration. — The district of Rae Bareli may be said to
resemble in shape a shoulder of mutton, with the shar.k broken and bent
backwards. The shank forms the tahsil of Haidargarh; the remainder forms
the three tahsils, which last year from motives of economy were doubled
up into two.
The river Ganges forms the south-west boundary of the district. On
the north-east, at the extremity of the Haidargarh tahsil, the Gumti is the
boundary. Between them the Sai runs through the very centre of the
district, and between the Sai and the Ganges, the Loni nala coming out
of the Unao district, and running generally parallel to the course of the
rivers, falls into the Ganges near Dalmau. About midway between the
rivers is a kind of elevated hollow in which there is a string of jhils which
on the map follow the course of the rivers, and are a striking feature of
the country. From these jhils lateral nalas lead into the rivers, and carry
off the superfluous water. This conformation is to be found between the
Gumti and the Sai, the Sai and the Loni, and the Sai and the Ganges,
after the confluence of the Loni with the Ganges, while it also is to be found
in a limited degree between the Loni and the Ganges. But the high
bank of ihe Ganges and the Loni approach so near to each other at the
western extremity of the district, that the space left for the jhils is very
small, and they become almost nothing.
The effect of this is to make the country topographically lie in belts or
zones. Beginning with the Ganges, we have the villages on the high bank
of the river much broken and sandy, with the water a good distance from
the surface, These villages are generally among the poorest in the
RAE 173
district. Within this belt lies a strip of villages, which, taken all in all, are
perhaps the finest in the district, as they are wholly cultivated, and are
irrigated nearly altogether from wells, though they get assistance from
small ponds. Within these again come the villages among the large jhils,
showing many of them the finest land of all, but intermixed with large
waste tracts, of which it is some times very hard to say whether they are
barren or culturable. These villages are irrigated mainly from the jhils,
whence the water is thrown up upon the fields by manual labour. Pro-
ceeding still in a north-easterly direction, we come again to the belt of
five villages irrigated from wells, and further on to the sandy, poorer, and
broken villages on the banks of the Sai, where irrigation is less resorted
to. The like description will suffice for the surface of the country, still
pursuing a north-east line, up to the Gumti.
General aspect. — The general aspect of the district is undulating in a
slight degree, which, as the country is beautifully wooded, chiefly with
mango and mahua groves, gives it a variety which is not often to be
observed in the valley of the Ganges. The fertility of the soil is remark-
able, and the cultivatioij being of a high class, the beauty of the country is
not to be surpassed by any part of the real plain of Hindustan. Scattered
here and there, all over the district and more specially towards the
Ganges, are noble trees, generally bargad or pipal. Trees are not how-
ever grown for timber. The babdl is not plentiful, and the bamboo is
very scarce, while tne shisham and the tlln, both of which thrive well, and
would be a certain revenue from the lands which are too broken for culti-
vation, are ntjt to be found in the district, save where planted as orna-
mental trees since our occupation of the country.
The general appearance of the Rae Bareli district conveys the
impression of its being a highly favoured and richly productive tract
of country, and as a rule the crops, where there has been careful
cultivation, are heavy and probably up to the average of production
in the province, but the absence in any quantity of the heavy black,
loamy, bog-like soil, found in large quantities in the south-eastern
portion of Oudh, is a remarkable feature of this district. Not that
this want affects the general fertility of the country, and the reason
is obvious, the agricultural implements in local use are few in number,
light, quickly worn out, and easily broken, the lighter therefore the mate-
rial to be worked upon, the less is the expenditure ; nor are the returns
less in light than on heavy soils, the successful cultivation of which
requires the possession of capital. The chief growth on the heavy clay
soils of the south-eastern part of Oudh is of rice which is first sown thickly
in small beds, and after it has attained a height of about a foot, the tops
of the plants are cut off, and they are planted out in fields which are sur-
rounded by mud walls to retain the water, with 'which they are flooded
soon after the rains commence till long after they have ceased, but efforts
are seldom made to cultivate these lands for the spring crops ; because
the clay on them, after a short exposure to even a November sun,
becomes as hard as a rock and as dry as a bone, and it is only when
thoroughly saturated with water, as during the rainy season, that they
174 RAE
can be even roughly worked. The chief advantages of clays over light
soils are that they require but little manure, as they contain large quan-
tities of the substances required by plants, and that they retain these
substances which in lighter soils would be washed down by heavy rain
into the substratum; and the disadvantages of light soils are that water
washes out the valuable portions of manures before the roots of plants
have had time to take them up, and that consequently they have to be.
frequently manured.
In a country blessed, as this portion of British India is for the
greater part of the year, with the nearly vertical rays of an almost
tropical sun, and still raised sufficiently above the water level to
escape remaining a perpetual swamp, the advantages above described
as appertaining to clay soils are nullified, whilst their disadvantages are
intensified. No amount of clay in a soil will do away with the necessity
for irrigation, except during the rainy season, when the more valuable
kinds of crops cannot be grown, and when the lightest description of
soil becomes fertile, owing to the water level over the whole country
remaining for some months high ; on the other hand, light soils are adapted
to the means at the disposal of and the mode of agriculture familiar to
the people.
The rivers. — The principal rivers are the Ganges and the Sai. The
Ganges skirts the district for 54 miles separating it from Fatehpur; the
Sai runs through it for 55 miles. The former is everywhere navigable for
boats of 1,200 maunds or 40 tons ; the latter is navigated during the rains
only ; it is about two feet deep in the dry weather, and might be used by
barges. The banks of both are high and generally precipitous, and the level
of the water is seventy or eighty feet below the surface of the country.
They are not therefore of much value for irrigation except for the alluvial
bottoms in the immediate neighboirrhood. The bottoms are sandy.
There are no large towns on their banks, and no centres of trade or com-
merce. Very little fishing is carried on except in the jhils. These
rivers both flow from the north-west to south-east as do the smaller
streams afterwards mentioned. The Sai is spanned by a fine bridge at
Rae Bareli, erected since annexation in 1864 by the taluqdar ; the ferries
are so numerous and so changeable that it is not worth while to detail
them here. The extreme flood discharge of the Sai is about 6,000 cubic
feet per second ; the average discharge during the five rainy months is
about 1,000 cubic feet per second ; the minimum discharge in the dry wea-
ther is about 25 feet per second. The Loni stream issues from a marsh
known as the Moti jhil in the Unao district entering this district at a
village named Utwalj pargana Magrayar, and leaving it at village Khajiir-
gaon, pargana Dalmau, where it falls into the Ganges. It runs a course of
about thirty miles in this district, and dries up in the hot weather.
The Ghirdhoi. — The Gurdhoi is a water-course dry in the hot weather,
and fed from the Ganges during the rains.
The Basha. — The Basha is also a water-course dry during the hot wea-
ther, but a rather formidable stream during heavy rains. It enters this
RAE 175
district from Una,o and after traversing the Khiron, and a portion of the
Bareli parganas, it falls into the Sai river, a few miles west of Rae Bareli.
It is apparently to the discharge of water from this stream that the heavy
floods in the river Sai about and below Bareli are attributable,
M'img Tdl, — ^Isa shallow lake occupying the greater portion of a village
in pargana Simrauta about 1,500 acres in extent, to which it gives its name.
Its margin only is usually cultivated, but when its contents are not
exhausted by irrigation (for which purpose it is extensively used by the
villages in its proximity), it bears a crop of summer rice. The piscary is
valuable. It is famous also for its wild fowl; and this was the consi-
deration, perhaps, which induced Nasir-ud-dm Haidar to build a house
upon its banks, but scandal, with its busy tongue, asserts that some fair
Rosamond was the game of which he came in quest. The village long
since ceased to be a royal residence, and nothing but the ruins of Naslr-
ud-din's house now exist to show that it formerly enjoyed that honour.
The Naiya. — The Naiya is also a water-course dry during the hot wea-
ther. It enters this from the Lucknow district, and flows in three channels
during the rains ; two streams running into the Sultanpur district, and
one finding its way into the river Sai near village Undobar.
The Swr. — A water-course dry during the hot weather, named the Sur,
brings the surplus waters of a tank in the Unao district into the river Sai
at a village named Bard^r during the rains.
Drainage and irrigation. — Besides the above there are a great number
of marshes and water-courses, which are all dry during the hot weather,
and which all contribute towards causing floods during heavy rainy seasons.
It is more than probable that by utilizing the natural advantages pre-
sented by these escapes and reservoirs, agreeably to some sensible and com-
prehensive system of drainage, heavy floods might be avoided throughout
the. district at a small expense, and that in deficient rainy seasons the
water now wasted might be economically stored. As it is, the people never
have one-tenth of the water they could utilize in the dry weather, and in
occasional rainy seasons like the one just past (1871 A.D.) they are homeless
and houseless wanderers owing to heavy floods. Here and there occasion-
ally a dam is to be seen across some very small stream, and once or twice
since annexation a dam has been made across the river Sai by private
enterprise, but any combined or general efforts in this direction cannot
be expected from the people.
The following notes on the natural products of the district are taken
from Major Ouseley's settlement report : —
Indigenous products of the district. — Tun(Cedrela toona),* a magnificent
tree, with beautiful foliage, and a rather fine-grained wood, which takes a
very good polish. The furniture made of it is much esteemed. The
flowers are used for dyeing a yellow colour which the natives say is fast.
"' Tbe botanical naiues baveljeen taken from Sbakespear's Hiadustani dictionary.
176 RAE
SMsham (Dalbergia sissoo), a magnificent tree, with beautiful foliage,
and a very fine-grained wood, which takes a very good dark, polish. It is
rather heavy for furniture, but is used extensively in gun and other
carriage manufacture.
JDhdk (Butea frondosa), a tree much used for firewood, and with the
roots the natives make rope.
Babul (Acacia arabica), a tree of fast growth, with graceful foliage, and
a very hard wood, universally used in the manufacture of country carts,
agricultural implements, tent pegs, and mallets.
Grazing grasses. — The most esteemed species being "diih" (Agiostis
linearis). It does not burn up so fast as other kinds in the hot
weather.
Tin (Andropogon muricatum), a grass in universal use for thatching
purposes, the reeds being made into brooms. The roots of it supply the
' khas,' with which our hot weather tatties are made. It grows on the
banks of rivers and marshes, and is generally strictly preserved, as it
takes time to spread. Proprietors are averse to its being dug up for the
khas.
Patdwaror sarpat. — (Saccharum munja, saccharum procerum, saccha-
rum sara.) With the upper part of the stem are made " sirki," a kind of
mat which keeps off rain. The upper leaves are used for thatching.
With the coarser leaves below these a string called "mlinj" is made, and
the natives use the stalks or strong reeds which they call "sentha" for
the groundwork of their thatches.
Kdsa (Saccharum spontaneum) is used for thatching and making a
kind of string called " ban."
Kus. — A kind of grass used for thatching, and of which blacksmiths
make charcoal for their forges.
Pasdhi. — A kind of rice which grows in many tanks and marshes.
Lakh. — The product* of an insect " coccus lacca," which is found on the
branches of different trees. From it is produced, after it has been steeped
in water to carry off the colouring matter, the " chapra," or shell lac of com-
merce, the manufacture of which is carried on at Cawnpore, where the
colouring matter is made into cakes of a deep red colour. The raw produce
is sold to Pasis, Khatiks, and other low caste tribes, who break off the twigs
on which it is deposited in the months of May and June.
In this state it is known as " stick lac." After separating the deposit
from the twigs, when it is known as seed lac, they sell it to Manihfe, who
make it into " ch6ris" or bangles. ,
Silkworm. — Kuswari. The cocoon of a silkworm, "Phaloena paphia,"
which spins on the beri, a kind of yellow plum tree. The thread is like
• Drury's Useful Plants of India, Page 5.
RAE 177
very fine tasar silk. The cocoon when cut spiMly into a thin long strip
was used during the native rule by matchlock-men to fasten the barrel to
the stock of their matchlocks, and was esteemed by them better for that
purpose than iron. The thread is used sometimes now for the end of the
line employed in fishing.
Whether certain trees are indigenous or not, — ^Exception may perhaps
be taken to the tun tree being enumerated as among the indigenous
products of the district. It is very seldom seen, and is never cultivated
as the mangb, th,e mahua, and other trees are, so it is but natural to suppose
that those which exist were self-sown. It never attains in this district
the same size or height which it reaches in the forests of Oudh, and the
same may be said of theshishamtree;,but for this there are probably very
good reasons independent of the prevalent idea that forest trees will not
grow outside certain tracts of country. It will be generally admitted that
these trees are essentially forest trees, and it would be well worth
the while of Government to baVe plantations of them; made on true
fijrest principles, to see whether, when grown close together and subse-
quently thinned, they would not attain the same height and growth as
their fellows of the forest.. No tree will attain the same height when
grown far from other trees that it will when closely surrounded, and it is
natural to suppose that, owing to the clearance, consequent on increasing
population, the shisham and tun trees in this district grew gradually
smaller till th« species has deteriorai}ed to the size of the specimens now
extanti and probably in a few years if left to thenaselves they will become
extinct. The same reasoning applies most probably to most so called
forest trees, but there was a special reason for the extinction of the sal,
" Shorea robusta," which is called by the natives the " sakhu" tree. Sdl
trees axe to be found to the south of the Dudbi, pargana Singrauli, south
Mirzapur, probably not more than one hundred miles from Benares, but
though covering vast tracts of waste land, it is seldom tbat a full-grown
tree can be found, because the saplings are tapped by the lessees or con-
tractors before they are eight years old for a juice which is then called
"'dhti'p," and for which they get a ready sale in the bazars. The process
kills the saplings in a month or two when the villagers cut down, stack,
and just before the rains, set fire to them windward of a patch of ground
which they want to break up; the people declaring all the time that
although the seed of the sal tree germinates the tree cannot attain
to any age or size in those parts. N"o clearer proof could be product
that it is the increase of population that destroys the indigenous pro-
ducts of' districts, and that it is not the climate, nor the soil, but the
destructive element in man that disagrees with these giants of the
forest.
The seed' of the sdl free germvaafes in^ this district. — Bdbu Ajit
Singh, a taluqdar in the Partabgarh district, and other Europeans and
natives, have made efforts to raise the sdl tree by seed in that and other
districts, but till this year hitherto without any recorded success; up to
the time of Nasir-ud-din Haidar there were s^l trees near Ch^r Bagh in
23
178 RAE
Lticknow, and some ground near goes by the name of Sakhu-ka-B4gh to
this day. There are now in this station over one hundred young plants
raised from sal seed sown last June. Many of which will doubtless attain
to maturity if not forcibly uprooted or villainously tapped, or subjected to
some other destractive treatment. A small plantation of tun and shi'sham
trees was made at Government expense in this district in the rainy
season of 1868, and several of the trees had attained to a height of
over twenty feet within three years, and the general result has made it
evident that it rests witli us to show why the next generation should
not have better timber growing at their doors than we get now from the
forest.
Wild cattle. — ^Herds of wild cattle are to be found in the pargana of
Daundia Khera* near the river Ganges, also in Salon near the Sai. They
are generally very poor small animals, but occasionally a fine bull is to be
seen among them. The natives catch the male calves, and they grow into
tolerable bullocks. There is no difficulty in domesticating the cattle if
caught young, but the females give little, almost no milk beyond what is
necessary for rearing their offspring. The herds devastate the crops by
night, and think nothing of clearing the low walls and small ditches by
which the cultivators endeavour to check their depredations.
The fauna. — The Feros natufcB are the same in Eae Bareli as in other
parts of Oudh, but black buck are not found, except a very few near Bachh-
rawan ; they are entirely absent from the southern portions of the district,
although they have recently become numerous in Fatehpur across the
river Ganges.
Nll-gae are common near the Ganges ; wolves are occasionally met with
in the jungles. There are no tigers, leopards, spotted deer, gond (swamp
deer), but with the exception of the above; which are confined to the
Himalayan Tarai in Oudh, the fauna is the same as that described undeB
Kheri.
Climate and rainfall, — These are treated under their medical aspects a
little further on. In this general sketch it may be remarked that the
rainfall has averaged 37 inches during the last eleven years. There is a
considerable difference in the returns of the tahsils.
The following are the returns for 1874 : —
Kae Bareli ... ,., ... ,,. ,_
Salon ... ... ... ,,, „
Digbijaiganj ... ... ,.. ... ..; gfa
Lalganj .„ ... ... ... .„ 27-7
37'7
47-S
The two former tahsils both adjoin the river Sai, the other two lie north
and south of them. Whatever the reason, the central tahsils have steadily
exhibited a fair rainfall, and the other two a scanty, one. Any rainfall less
than 35 inched as a rule results in very inferior crops.
Now in the Unao district,
RAE
179
Average fall of rain in Eae Bareli district : —
Years.
Inches.
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1873
1874
1876
27-0
:!6'0
60-3
194
38-5
49 4
4D-5
.34-6
41 0
360
330
Average for eleven years ...
87-7
The rainfall is however very capricious, and caprice is the ruin of
agriculture. A table is subjoined showing the rainfalls of that portion of
agricultural years, viz.,' from June to February (during which alone
rain falls) for the last two droughts, those of 1868 and 1873. These years,
although differing much in the amount of rainfall, agree in that the rain
was deficient in the critical jnonth when the kharif is sown, viz., June ;
and stopped almost entirely during the five months, October, November,
December, January, February, when the cold-weather crops are springing
up and ripening. During this latter period in 1868 not a tenth of an inch
fell, and in 1873 only one-third of an inch. But in 1873, there was a
further misfortune, the rains did not commence till July 6th, consequently
the ploughs, which cannot be worked till the ground is moistened, were
idle, the ground was not broken up, and much of the land was left uncul-
tivated owing to the pressure and hurry at last.
If favourable, the rains commence about June 6th ; the fall in that month
is about five inches ; about nine inches fall in each of the next three months;
there are four inches in October, ending about October 16th, and two
inches in January or February; such a combination has not occurred since
annexation.
Rae Bareli.
1868.
1873.
Total saini'ai.l.
Rainfall from Jane 1st to October 1st
26-65
42-2
From October 1st to December 3 1 St.,
O'O
00
In June .,, ... ...
3-4
00
In September
in
13-2
In October ... ... ...
00
00
Date of rain commencing
June l£th,
July 6th.
Of rain ending ...
September 2Ist,
September I5th.
Bain in January-February of ensuing
00
OS
year.
180
RAE
The following memorandum has been furnished by the civil surgeon : —
Medical Aspects.
■Statistics of births were only taken in 1868 and 1869, and yielded insuffi-
cient averages. The birth-rate per thousand of population for the former
period was only 28'01, and for the latter period 29'20.
Statistics of deaths have been obtained through the agency of village
chaukidars since 1868. The mortality of the last six years is exhibited
in the following table : —
Year.
Population.
Mortality from all
causes.
Bate per thousand of
population.
1868
7,83,246
12,346
15-J7
1869
7,82,874
27,914
3S'6S
187')
7,82,874
22,862
29-20
1871
9,89,008
22,263
22-51
1872
9,89,008
18,406
18-61
1873
9,89,008
' 17,815
18-01
Endemic diseases. — The endemic diseases of the district are cholera,
small-pox, and malarial fevers.
Cholera. — The following table gives the annual mortality frpm cholera
of the last six years : —
Year.
Humber of deaths from
cholera.
Bate per thousand of
population.
1868
163
•21
1869
4,779
610
1870
619
0-79
1871
2,S75
2-60
1872
2,583
261
1873
1,927
1-94
Cholera in sporadic or epidemic form has only been absent from parts
of the Rae Bareli district for short periods since 1868. Seasons of sum-
mer heat have been marked by increased prevalence of the disease. Every
quarter of the district has within the last three years bBen visited by the
malady in epidemic form. After commencing and remaining (from two
to five weeks) in one or two villages, the disease has visually spread by
RAE
181
successive implication of othei? localities in their Immediate or more
remote neighbourhood. The cause of cholera has not been determined.
Endeavours to connect outbreaks in particular places, with concurrent and
exceptional insanitary influences in the surroundings and mode of life of
affected communities, have resulted in failure. I am impressed with the
belief that cases of the disease were greatly multiplied by the close asso-
ciation of the healthy with the sick in ill-ventilated and overcrowded dwell-
ings.
Small-pox. — The deaths from small-pox of the last six years are given
in the following table : —
Year.
Number of deaths from
Bmall-pox.
Bate per thousand of
population.
1868
669
■84
1869
3,026
8-86
1870
2,473
3"15
1871
697
0-70
1872
211
0'81
1873
703
0-71
Except when epidemic in 1869 and 1870 this disease has not been extra-
ordinarily destructive. Vaccination is being gradually extended outwards
from the sadr station, and a notable decrease in the prevalence of small-
pox within protected areas must ensue. This result will bring conviction
of the efficacy of vaccination to the minds of the people, and the number
who annually consent to the operation may increase in consequence.
Fevers. — The deaths reported in the last six years as due to fevers are
included in the following table : —
Year.
Number of reported deaths
from fevers.
Bate per thousand of
population.
1368
6,637
847
1869
10,820
13-82
1870
14,330
18-30
1871
16,664
16-83
1873
14,970
1613
1873
14,716
14'87
As it is a well known fact that natives of this country ascribe all deaths
from primary ailments of special organs to fever (vernacular " bukhr^"),
182 KAE
the malarious character of the country, included in the Rae Bareli district,
is not established by the large figures of mortality exhibited under this
heading.
The nature of the soil of the district (which is sand and alluvium on
kankar beds) does not favour the production of malaria by retention of
moisture, and there exist only small and isolated patches of jungle lands
which have not yet been cleared and brought under cultivation.
The elevation of the district above the sea is about 430 feet, and surface
drainage is effected by channels leading to the river Ganges and to the
Sai, Naiya, and Loni rivers. Water-bearing strata are reached at an average
depth of about 30 feet below the ground level in hot and dry seasons,
and at about 12 or 14 feet after wet seasons.
Temporary and abundant sources of malaria are in existence annually
while rice swamps in the district are drying after the rains, when periodic
fevers prevail very generally for two or three months, and prove speedily
fatal when of remittent type. During other periods of the year the
suffering from such -ailments is comparatively inconsiderable. Organic
and constitutional derangements, resulting from recurring -attacks of fever,
come frequently under observation at the dispensary, and often prove
intractable.
Cattle epidemics. — I learn from the people that extraordinary mortality
from disease has now and then within some years back occurred amongst
herds of cattle in particular parganas of the Rae Bareli district. Agricul-
turists are familiar with the symptoms of foot and mouth disease which
they designate " khanj," " khurha," and " ghurkha." They also speak of
another and more formidable contagious ailment of very fatal character to
which cattle have at times been subject. This latter disease is known by
the names "hulka," " dhumsa," "hijab," "bura-azar," and is most probably
identical in nature with rinderpest. Jt does not appear that cattle in the
district have yet suffered from the extension of cultivation at the expense
of the pasture lands.
Fairs and religious gatherings. — Bathing fairs at Dalmau and Gokuna,
both places with ghdts on the banks of the Ganges, are held at every full
moon. Usually three or four thousand people collect together on such
occasions, but in November when the "Kd,rtik ka nalian mela" is celebrated,
about one hundred and fifty thousand people assemble at each of the
two ghats. No commercial object is fulfilled by these gatherings. The
stream of the Ganges is held sacred, and bathing therein with religious
ceremonials the only object of the multitudes. No connection has yet
been traced between these assemblages and epidemic attacks in the
district.
Native system of medical treatment. — The physicians of the country are
ignorant of surgery. Their practice is founded on obsolete humoral
doctrines of patholog}^ In the treatment of disease they employ remedies
which produce effects that are opposite in nature to the symptoms.
RAE
CHAPTER II.
183
AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE.
Agriculture — Eenta^A gricultural statistics from the settlement report — Irrigation— Ad-
vances and land improvements — prices and femines— Food of the pebple — Fish— Manu-
factures and trades — Means of communication— Extracts from the route book —Weights
and measures.
Agriculture. — The principal occupation of the people is agriculture. It
is not necessary here to detail the different processes and crops which are
much the same as in the adjoining district of Partabgarh and are there
described. The rotation of crops, the crops sown, the implements, the out-
turn, are much the same. Irrigation depends not so much upon the agri-
culturist's habits, which are monotonous and uniform as upon natural fea-
tures which differ in each district. The following remarks are from the
settlement report, and other sources severally indicated. It may be pre-
mised that speaking generally the agricultural features of Rae Bareli are —
a great deal of rice, wheat, arhar, gram, opium, and comparatively little
maize, sugarcane, and tobacco. The accompanying table shows the opium
area and outturn ; it will appear that the produce is much greater than that
of the two adjoining districts, Sultanpur and Partabgarh taken, together : —
Abba.
ODITtTEW.
Districts.
1872-73.
1873-74.
1872-73,
1873-74.
Average of
both years.
Bae Bareli ,„
Sultanpur
Partabgarh
Areas.
7,622
4,1(3
1,638
Areas,
7,816
3,842
2,079
Maunds
1,178
470
367
Sers
8
4
8
20
603
Maunds.
1,768
759
574
Sers
34
26
3
13,363
13.737
2,0 IS
3,102
21
9 02
Average produce per acre,
...
...
...
...
7-52
Rents. — Rents in Rae Bareli are much above the average of the pro-
vince. This is owing to the density of the population, and to the irriga-
tion facilities afforded by numerous masonry wells. The following are
those prevalent according to the most recent official returns.
per'aore.
Rent of land suitable
for
Eb.
a.
P-
Bice
... 4
4
0
Wheat
,.. 6
8
0
Inferior grain
... 4
4
0
Opium ...
... 9
9
0
Oil seeds ...
... 4
8
0
Sugar
... 9
6
0
Tobacco
... 11
4
0
Cotton
... 9
9
0
184. RAE
The highest rents are for opium lands in the vicinity of the towns, such
pay up to Rs. 13 the bfgha, or Rs. 20-12-0 per acre. Ordinary wheat
lands, irrigated by the tenants' own wells, let up to Rs. 7 the bigha, or
Rs. 11-3-0 per acre, and unirrigated lands, in which nothing can be grown
but gram, barley, and arhar, let at Rs. 5 ihe bigha, or Rs. 8 the acre, if the
soil is not very sandy.
When the land is very sandy, and, very remote from the village aite, so
that it is impossible to manure it except at a prohibitive cost,, rents fall as
low as one rupee an acre. The above figures are not meant to embrace
the cases of tenures granted on favourable terms to tenants of high caste
or recently settled. The rents have been much raised of late years.
The; following is from the settlement report : —
" Ovitum. — The following are approximate statistics. One man with
one pair of bullocks can cultivate fairly about four acres per annum, from
which he may calculate on an average annual yield of twelve maunds of
grain per acre, or forty-eight maunds of grain per annum. The present
average value of this, together with the straw, is about ninety-six rupees,
and taking the landlord's share at one-third, the rental of the holding
should be about Rs. 32, or Rs. 8 per acre.
"Seed per acre. — The amount of seeds for a crop of wheat averages
about a maund and a half per acre.
" Hired labour. — Labourers are paid chiefly in grain, and so are village
servants.
" Village servants. — Under this denomination come —
Watchers.
Astrologers.
Blacksmiths,
Carpenters.
PrtestB,
Floughmen.
Herdsmen.
Barbers.
Washermen.
EahSrs (palki-bearers).
Potters.
" Some of these get sometimes grants of lands. The Kahdrs are employed
to draw water and for other purposes. Besides the above many Brahmans
and mendicants, are entitled to what is. called "anjuri," or both hands filled
with grain before its removal from the threshing floon,
" Agricultural seasons. — The a^icultural operations are conducted
according to certain astronomical divisions of time into which the; rainy
season is divided.
"Thusin 1871^
Mirgisra commenced on the 6tb June,
, Ardra
ditto
20th „
Punarbas
ditto
4th July.
Pukkh
ditto
1 8th „
Ashlekha
ditto
1st Aiigust.
Magha
ditto
15th
I'urba
ditto
29th „
TJttra
ditto
12th September.
Hast
ditto
25th
Chittra
ditto
9th October.
RAE 185
" The dates on which these divisions commence are ascertained from
pandits, and the different kinds of seeds are sown accordingly. For
instance, early sowings of rice commence in Ardra, and the latest can be
made in Pukkh; juar, makdi, (Indian corn), arhar can be sown at the
same time; mdng, riioth, urd are sown later till Magha. Reaping of the
rain crops commences from Uttra, or about the middle of September, and
continues for two months or more.
" F^tivals, and superstitions. — On the occasion of the Guria festival,
which takes place on 5th Sawan Sudi, 23rd July, 1871, no one ploughs or
weeds, On 6th Bhadon Badi, 6th August, 1871, occurs " Harchhath, a fast
day in this district for -vvomen, on which no ploughing or weeding is done
here. On the last day of Ashlekha and the 1st Magha it is in some places
considered unlucky to plough or weed.
" Lessened fertility of the la/nd. — People say that the land is not as fertile
as it used to be twenty years ago. Doubtless since annexation it has had
less rest than it used to have during the native rule.
" Local methods of irrigation from wells. — Everybody is familiar with
the sight of the long rope passed over a pulley, to the former of which are
attached a leathern bag at one end and a pair of bullocks _ at the other.
The bags used in this district are small because the bullocks are
small ; they contain about twelve gallons of water, and if worked well
are capable of bringing between 600 and 700 gallons to the surface
per hour. Some of this falls back into the well in the effort to Hand the
bag, and much of it is lost by soakage and evaporation before it reaches
the crop. Hence it often takes as many as eight days to irrigate an acre
in this way.
" Cost of irrigation from wells. — A man and a pair of bullocks can be
hired in the station of Rae Bareli for five annas per diem, which makes
the cost of irrigating one acre once Rs. 2-8-0, or from Rs. 15 to Rs. 20 per
season ; but this is hired labour, and the cost to cultivators, who have
their own bullocks, cannot be calculated at this rate.
"From marshes and ponds. — The ' beri' or ' dugla' is a basket with
strings fastened to each end ; it is worked by two men standing on either
side of a narrow cut open towards the water supply and dammed at the
other end. By a succession of easy and graceful movements one side of the
basket is swept just below the surface of the water in the cut ; it is lifted
brimfiil over the level of the dam, there upset by a dexterous action of
the wrist, and returned to its original position in very much less time than
it takes to' describe the process. Two baskets are frequently worked at one
cut, the men being relieved regularly at intervals of from ten to twenty
minutes. The labour is really hard, and generally persevered in from
early dawn to sunset, with the intermission of about one hour at noon.
The water has often to be taken far and lifted high. In November, 1868,
fifty-one men were employed irrigating some fields near Katghar in the
Dalmau pargana in the above manner ; supposing that there were with
reliefs eight men at each lift, and giving a raise of three feet and a half
for each, the water must have been raised about twenty feet.
24
186 RAE
" Cost of irrigation from ponds and marshes. — This gang managed to
irrigate 2^ acres per diem, and calculating their wages at one anna and a
half per man per diem, the cost of irrigation was about Es. 2-0-0 per
acre. About seven gallons of water are raised about three feet and
a half at each delivery of a common sized basket, and the process can
be repeated by men working easily at least six hundred times, which
gives over four thousand gallons in the hour.
" Artificial reservoirs. — Rights in wells are clear, and are seldom, if ever,
called in question. With regard to artificial reservoirs, two classes may be
said to exist — (1) those in the case of which the excavator. or his heir is
living and in possession, and (2) those in which all rights have lapsed.
In the former case, after taking as much water as his purpose requires,
the owner usually allows the privilege of irrigation to such cultivators of
the village or neighbouring villages as he pleases. In the latter case,
however, it is usual for the lord of the manor to first irrigate his sir lands,
afterwards those cultivators, whose lands are situated within reach of the
water, appoint a committee to estimate the contents of the reservoir, and
the amount of land which it is proposed to irrigate. The amount of water
to which each man is entitled is then apportioned in ' dauris. ' The dauri
contains about five gallons, and the 'dugla' rather more than twice as
much.
" Depth of water. — The maximum depth of water in this district is 78
feet, and to be found in village Bigahpur Kalan, pargana Magrayar, the
minimum is eight feet in village Para Khurd, pargana Hardoi. During the
heavy rains of 1868, the river Sai rose to within twelve feet of the general
ground level of the station, whilst the water in wells not far from the banks,
remained at their normal level of about twenty feet from the surface. On
the 21st September, 1871, the river rose to within twelve feet of the ground
level of a compound three hundred yards distant, in which is a well, the
water in which on the same date was twenty-five feet below the same
level.
" Pakka wells. — The assessment returns show 11,-560 kachcha to 10,501
pakka wells ; pakka wells are properly those of which the chambers are
made of kiln-burnt bricks and mortar ; but wells of which the chambers
are made of kiln-burnt bricks, joined with clay, are also so called. The
cost of construction of pakka wells varies from Rs. 50 to Rs. 200.
" Kachcha wells. — Kachcha wells are properly those which have no interior
supporting walls or chambers below the water level, but wells are also called
kachcha in which there are such chambers made of potters bricks, wood, or
twig fascines. The cost of making a kachcha well varies from two or three to
thirty rupees and over. Potter's bricks differ from common bricks, only in
being of such a shape that a certain number put together will form a circle ;
some are- made in wooden frames, but the larger ones are made by drawing
concentric circles on prepared earth when it becomes consistent, and then
cutting the bricks of an uniform size and burning them in a kiln. It is said
that these bricks are generally made by ' kwmhdrs' or potters, hence their
name.
RAE 187
" Distribution of water by the ' bachh' system extensively prevails in
this district, and, being regulated by a sort of standing panchdyat, tends
to reconcile malcontents who would otherwise come into court. The pat-
wari is ordinarily ex-offi,cio member of the panchayat, the remaining three
or four members being either zamindars, muqaddams, or other respectable
residents. It has come to my knowledge that a practice has begun to
prevail in some parts of levying irrigation dues, or in other words of selling
water. Pdhikast (non-resident) cultivators requiring the commodity are
made to pay 8 annas per diem for each ' rik,' or raising station, which
they work.
" Wells lately made in this district. — One hundred and four pakka wells,
at a total cost of Rs. 19,760, were constructed in this district during the
year ending 30th September, 1870. The details are as follows : —
By Chhattris
„ Brahmans ... ,„
„ Bh&ts
„ Musalmana ... .„
„ Kurmis ... ...
„ baqqal
„ Lodhs ... ...
„ Eayaths ... ...
„ Ahirs ...
„ Pasis ... ...
„ Muraos ... „,
„ Barhis
„ Telis ... ...
„ European (Captain Bunbury)
Total „. ... 101 19,760
This return has been obtained from the district records which do not show
how many of these men are proprietors."
The following memorandum on irrigation in Rae Bareli has been con-
tributed by Mr. P. Gartlan, a resident of the district : —
" As regards wells in my part of Oudh, that is, in the tahsil of Salon in
the Rae Bareli district, circumstances change from village to village. In
some places water is met at 40 feet, at others at 24 and 30 feet, and at
others at 12 and 15 feet below the surface. The spring is found now at
65 or 70 feet, now at 45 feet, and now at 30 feet below the surface. Wells
are often sunk below 65 feet from surface, without a spring being met
with. I have myself constructed wells under the foregoing circumstances,
and have seen many such constructed by neighbouring zamindars (few)
and asamis. Success in sinking a well does not depend so much on the
depth to which the wooden foundation has to be sunk as on the quality
of soil through which it has to go. Where pure sand is met above the
water level it is walled up from the firm clay, and the actual well is sunk
inside of this circular wall ; but where the sand is met below the water
level, it is next to impossible to succeed in constructing a well fit for irri-
gation, except by improved scientific means which do not always succeed,
and which owing to expense are beyond the reach of zamindars or asdmis.
I have tried Bull's patent dredger with sand, through which I managed to
Wella.
Cost.
27
5,806
21
4,400
S
300
10
2,140
3
876
S
960
3
300
i
1,000
19
2,980
a
850
6
950
1
100
1
160
I
250
188 RAE
sink a pakka chima cylinder about 16 feet below water level, without
reaching clay, and owing to the sand bursting through the sides of the
cylinder, I failed in procuring a successful sinking. The asami with his
linaited means is helpless where sand is to be found under water level.
" I cannot say how long pakka wells will last, but I would say, that if pro-
perly built, and of good bricks, no well should give way before 60 or 70 yea.rs.
In speaking of pakka wells, I mean wells built of pakka (burnt) bricks
with mud mortar, not lime; for wells built with lime mortar are too expe%>
sive for the cultivator. Wells built with small bricks are stronger, and last
better than wells built with block bricks or with phaura-shaped bricks.
" Block bricks are not now used, but the phaura-shaped bricks are gtene-
ral ; a well can be constructed much cheaper with the latter than with
small brick. Rs. 300 would on an average be a fair price for a well, of
ordinary size on which eight purs could be worked ; but such wells, under
ordinary circumstances, can be built by asamis for sums varying from
Rs, 80 to Rs. 150 each according to depth of well and quality of soil. Zamin-
dars and asamis for their brick-kiln get their timber free, their manure
free, their kanda free; for the well itself, the bamboos are seldom paid for,
the necessary timber is free, no new purs or well ropes are made for the
sinking operations, and the labourers are paid cheaply and have much
work got out of them. Where land is of first quality, a well, such as des-
cribed by Mr. Chapman for irrigating 30 bighas, would enable the landlord
to enhance the rent by one rupee per bigha without oppressing the tenant,
and, where the land was formerly not irrigated, should enable him to put
on a greater enhancement, especially where brackish water is obtainable,
when the rent can be doubled and trebled.
" Wells do very often give way after a few years, but it is generally owing
to faulty construction, such as insuflScient filling in behind the wall, or
leaving the wooden foundation on unsafe clay, or digging a kachcha well
inside, which after a time falls in, and brings the pakka superstructure
down with it. Trees such as fig, g^lar, pakar, bargad, or pipal growing in
the interstices of the bricks do much damage to pakka wells. No repairs
ought to be necessary to a well within ten years of its construction, and if
an unfailing spring has been reached, there will be no necessity of even
clearing out the well. A well on which the full complement of purs is
worked is less liable to deteriorate than a well which is seldom used.
Generally speaking the natives execute no repairs to their pakka wells,
but allow them to crumble to ruins when a slight expenditure on repairs
would save them.
" Except in known localities there is no certainty of reaching an unfail-
ing spring, and of late years, owing to excessive rains, the water level has
risen, and the filtration of the subsoil has become 'so abundant, that it has
been veiy difficult to sink the cylinder far enough to reach the genuine
spring. The ordinary filtration of the subsoil would not suffice to irrigate
30 bighas of spring crops, though it may suffice to keep a couple i>f purs at
work all day. The fact of the water getting low in a well could not put a
stop to irrigation, so long as there is sufficient water in the well for the
pur to sink in, Many wells, pakka and kachcha, are exhausted before noon
RAE 189
with only one pur working. No as^mis would rely on such a well for irri-
gation though he -might reserve alongside such a well a biswa or two for
carrots and perhaps ten biswas or so for wheat, barley, or peas. The con-
ditions of soil are seldom so favourable as to allow kachcha wells being
dug with any certainty of permanence, but where practicable they are dug
and sometimes last for many, years; generally speaking only one pur is
worked on a kachcha well owing to its limited diameter. The fact of a
kachcha well being in a given locality not feasible is no reason why the con-
struction of a pakka well in the same locality should be expensive.
" Under no circumstances could one pair of bullocks or six men workr
ing a pur irrigate a pakka bigha per day. Under favourable circumstances,
with water at 12 to 15 feet below the surface, and land not sandy, three to
four purs would water a bigha in a day ; where water is far from the surface,
and land sandy, six to eight purs would water a bigha per day ; a second
watering can be done in less time.
" With a dhenkli or a ghara a pakka bigha can be watered in from six
to nine days. In this part of the country bullock labour only is used to
work purs for irrigation. The cost of irrigation from wells, including
labourers, bullocks and gear, varies from Re. 1 to Rs. 2-4-0 per bigha.
The ordinary cultivator having gear, &c., at his disposal merely pays in
grain his hired labourers.
" Generally several as4mis work their purs in common, each man's holding
being watered by turn, thus effecting a saving ; the pur, not the land irri-
gated, forms the basis of their calculations.
" Wages. — ^Wages are not paid in cash but in grain, which varies in
quantity according to kind of grain ; dhan, barley, peas, chana, or mindwa;
the latter would not be accepted alone ; the quantity also varies according
to the work to be executed. The weeder and ploughman generally get from
If to 2 sers, while the labourer at the lift in jhil irrigation gets as much
as 3 sers per day, if at work before dawn. When cash wages are given, I
believe four pice and five pice per day are given for ordinary work. For
other than ordinary work slightly higher wages are given. Men digging
inside a well sometimes get two annas per day. I pay women and boys as
weeders, earth carriers, irrigation coolies, or threshing-floor coolies at the
rate of one anna per day ; able-bodied coolies from one anna eight pies to
two annas each per day. At these rates labourers are procurable in any
numbers all the year round. Carpenters, blacksmiths, masons, &c., get
from three to four annas each per day.
"With reference to the interest which capital expended on wells will
pay, I refrain from giving any opinion, for the land under my charge is
peculiarly unfavourable for experiments in this line. Our land is either
the uneven naJas bordering the Ganges and the Sai, or fisar lands in which
dhan is sown, with but patches here and there of good soil fit for winter
crops. However, the many wells which we have constructed have not
only enabled us to keep up the rents of lands once rich but now exhaust-
ed, but have also allowed our enhancing the former rent where the land
was of first quality. There is an indirect as well as direct profit from con-
190 RAE
struction of wells ; in a village with wells watering say one-third of the
cultivated area, you are always able to let out the other two-thirds at
fair rents to the cultivators of the former.
" My part of the district is, as you are probably aware, densely populated,
and there is a steady competition for land in most villages. A pakka
well, in which the water supply is insufficient to keep at work the full
complement of purs, would scarcely pay any interest on the capital
expended. In speaking of pakka wells, I consider an ordinary well ought
to be about 7| or 8 feet in diameter, and on such a well eight purs could
be worked. In 1869 I built a pakka well 13J feet in diameter, and on this
well, in the November of same year, I worked 18 purs daily for three days
consecutively without being able to exhaust the water supply, the depth
of water each evening varying from 9 to 10 feet. This well is sixty-six
feet deep, the water levels being 36 feet from surface. Except on speci-
fied cases, it would be difficult to give you any precise details about wells,
for circumstances so change the aspects of the subject, that what is com-
mon in one locality is impossible in another. Again, the water found in
some wells possesses peculiar properties. Brackish water, suitable for
tobacco, poppy, s4nwan, &c., is invaluable, and enables the cultivator to
pay excessively high rents for the land irrigated therewith."
Additionalnote by Mr. Gartlan. — "As I mentioned in my former letter
on the subject, purs are not worked in my neighbourhood with coolies at
the pull, when water is drawn for irrigation purposes. Men are only used
to work the pur or baskets when a well cylinder is being sunk. The pakka
bigha to which I refer equals 3,025 square yards, and the purs worked in
my part of the country contain from 10 to 12 gallons of water. The
pur which I use, and which is extensively used, contains when new about
3,400 cubic inches of water.
" I think, however, that a pur worked by men will water one and a half
times as much land as a pur worked by bullocks will do in the same time.
You calculate that a pur worked by six men will cost nine annas, your
calculation strikes me as moderate. The cost per pur worked by bullocks
is something varying from five to six annas per day. As an ast'imi has
not to pay ready cash in his irrigation operations, he does not realize to
himself what the irrigation per bigha has cost him.
" Were canal water to have no evil effects on the soil, we should cer-
tainly be glad to get the water as often as required during the season at
the small cost of Rs. 2 per acre per annum. A permanent water rate
would be disliked, the cultivator preferring of course to pay only for
the water he might take ; for in many seasons one watering is all that
the crop requires.
"In my former letter, when I stated that irrigation cost*from Re. 1 to
Rs. 2-4-0 per bigha, I meant that each irrigation cost about those amounts,
and that consequently threfe irrigations for wheat would cost Rs. 3 per bfgha
at the least. I consider this latter estimate moderate. At the present
day, one well rope and one pur cost Rs. 3, and they only last one year ; no
other cash expenditure is incurred in well irrigation by the as4mi who
employs no hired labour, and has not to dig his own well. Irrigation
RAE 191
from jhils costs about the same thing as well irrigation ; here again, the
quality of soil, the number of lifts, and the distance of the fields cause
the cost per bigha to vary. Crops watered with well water thrive better
than crops watered with jhfl water."
The following note describes the cost of irrigation in northern Rae
Bareli, as the preceding account is of the southern part of the district : —
" Near Rae Bareli itself water is 21 feet from the surface when nearest
and 27 feet in some places, but the springs are met with at 45 to 60 feet.
A well for three or four purs cost 400 if of a strong and permanent cha-
racter. Here a system of half reliefs is adopted for the bullocks, two pairs
are employed, and a third pair as a relief every second hour, each pair thus
works six hours, and two pairs are constantly at work during a nine-hour
day. The three pairs water ten biswas a day if the field is at an average
distance, but more if it is close at hand. The leather bags are of different
sizes — from seven to twelve spans round the mouth is the popular mode
of estimation.
" The diameter of the water skin ranges from 5 J to 7 J balisht. The
village people reckon one balisht as equal to a ghara of water of the
ordinary size, and the ghara they consider capable of holding six sers of
water. A skin of the average size (6| balishts) will be found to hold about
40 sers or a maund of water."*
In the portion of Rae Bareli which lies between the Sai and the Gumti
the facilities and modes of irrigation resemble those already described
under Lucknow, except that the features of irrigation common to eastern
Oudh, show themselves markedly, viz., masonry wells are very numerous,
and the labour is generally that of cattle.
Through the centre of the tract water is near the surface, being met
with sometimes at 15 feet ; the spring, however, is not reached till a
depth of 30 feet has been attained. A cylinder of bricks without mor-
tar for such a depth will cost Rs. 60 if broad enough for only one bucket, if
for two Rs. 90 ; the addition of mortar will make the cost about Rs. 90 and
Rs. 130 respectively. From these wells the crops will be irrigated at the
rate of ten biswas a day with the aid of two pairs of bullocks, changed at
noon, and three men who work all day — one driving the cattle, one empty-
ing the bucket, one distributing the water in the field.
Allowing one anna for each bullock, and two annas for each man, the- cost
will be ten annas per day. Re, 1-4-0 for a bfgha, and Rs. 2 for an acre,
for one watering. Interest on Rs. 60, the cost of a single bucket well,
at Re. 1-8-0 per cent, per month, the ordinary rate will be Rs. 10 per
annum. The area which such a well will supply with water during the
year is 10 acres, the cost then of irrigating an acre twice will be Rs. 4
for labour and Re. 1 for interest. But this must be taken as below
the average cost of well irrigation ; water is more often about nineteen
feet distant, and the quantity of land irrigated in a day is only seven
biswas. Then the cost will be Rs. 2-13-0 for one watering, Rs. 5-11-0
for two, besides Re. 1 per acre for interest. These figures certainly are
• EinlocK's Statistics of Fatebpur, page 18.
192 RAB
rather striking at first sight ; not only does the cost of irrigation appear
extravagant, double and treble what canal water costs, but it seems impos-
sible that it would pay to irrigate wheat or barley three times as is com-
monly the case in this district.
It is impossible to value either the human or cattle labour at a lower
rate than is here estimated. Mr. Halsey, of Cawnpore, values bullock labour
in a similar calculation at three annas a head, and one anna per day is
rather less than the sum which will feed a bullock, pay the interest on its
value, and the required quota to a sinking fund to replace it when dead or
decrepid. Two annas is the rate actually paid to men who work at the wells
all day; those who only labour half the day get 1|-. The labour rates
then seem unimpeachable ; it seems impossible that it can pay to give three
waterings. Wheat watered once will give 900 lbs to the acre, watered
three times it will not exceed 1,250 lbs. — a difference of 350 lbs., worth
on the average Rs. 8 for an increased expenditure of Rs. 6-11-0. This
would pay, but in many fields the crop is never more than l.OOOlbs., even
after three waterings ; its value then will be about Rs. 25 for grain and
Rs. 5 for straw. Rent will be Rs. 8, ploughing Rs. 8, seed Rs. 2, weeding
Rs. 2, manure Rs. 3, reaping and thrashing Rs. 2 — in a.11 Rs. 25. It is
apparent then that watering even twice will not pay.
The people of Rae Bareli are industrious, and apparently would rather
work in their own fields even when they might obtain more by hiring
themselves out. Further, when as is generally the case the cattle are their
own, it is better to employ them even if the result will only pay he^lf
their keep than that they should be idle. The people, however, quite
understand that watering is very expensive, and they abstain in this traqt
from the cultivation of sugarcane, tobacco, and other crops requiring mych
water. If canal water were introduced, the cattle thus partially deprived
of employ would be profitably used in pressing sugarcane, carting fuel
and manure, ploughing more land. At present hardly any sugarcane
and little tobacco are grown in the district, the main reason being appa-
rently the scarcity of water.
No permanent embankments of the riyers have been made, and the
tanks made by the Bhars are not so numerous as in Partabgarh. The
estates of the different land owners are a good deal intermixed, and the
more intelligent of them give this as a reason for their inactivity. The
Sai and Naiya rivers have high steep banks, and in many places might be
embanked with great advantage to the surrounding crops. The Oudh
Government in 1858 issued a circular containing advice and instructions
on the subject.
Some very interesting statistics on the subject of wells are given Ijy
Major Orr of Rae Bareli. Since annexation he had constructed 20
wells for irrigation purposes up till September, 1873; theif average
width was 8^ feet, the average depth to which they were sunk 44
feet, of which 19 J feet were filled with water ; the average cost was
Rs. 277, and six leather buckets could be used at once from each
well. Of these wells seven were not sunk to the spring, and would not
probably irrigate more than six acres of ground each, the other 13
would irrigate 15 acres each — in all 237 acres, or say 200 acres The rent
RAE 193
of this land might in the course of some years be raised from Rs. 5 to
Rs. 8 per acre in consideration of the supply of watei-, the receipts then
would be Rs. 600 per annum or 11 per cent. ; but making allowance for
the proportion of failures of wells which fell in, and for the accumula-
tion of interest before the rents are raised, the landlord would consider
himself fortunate if he got 7 per cent. These wells are made without
mortar, and at least 2 per cent, would have to be deducted from this sum
for repairs and replacing fallen wells by new ones. On the other hand,
this deduction should be more than counterbalanced by the increased
security from bad debts which the landlord attains. A masonry well
saves the crop from drought, and the rents are paid up even in dry
seasons. On the whole, a prudent and careful investor in irrigation wells
should expect 7 per cent, for his money, and as he can get 10 or 1-5 per
cent, by loans to agriculturists, we need not wonder at mere capitalists
not bemg tempted into this speculation. Other points of interest may
be noted. In no less than six of these wells water was reached at an
average depth of 14 feet. The greatest depth at which water was met
was 42 feet, the greatest depth to which the well was sunk before reaching
the spring was 67 feet. The average cost of a six pur well would appear
to be Rs. 9 per cubit of masonry, being cheaper than in Lucknow.
Construction of masonry wells. — " A site having been chosen, a circular
excavation or ' dahal' is commenced of a diameter considerably larger (for
convenience of working) than that of the intended well. This excavation
is carried on until the moist nature of the earth reached, shows signs of
water being near. The ' niwdr' or circular rim of wood of the proper
size is then lowered down and placed on the ground, and on this as a
foundation is commenced the brick-work or ' girgaz' of the well which in
the first instance is only raised to a certain height, so as to weight the
niwar and cause it to descend as afterwards explained. The excavation is
then proceeded with, but now within the cylinder or girgaz just constructed,
and'the niwar, with the brickwork resting on it having no longer a support,
sinks to the extent of the depth excavated; at the same time the water,
which generally at this stage of the work oozes out plentifully, has to be
constantly drawn away. The excavation continues and again the niwdr
sinks, and thus the operation is repeated until at last the spring or musla
is reached, when it only remains to complete the brickwork resting on
the niwar, raising it to the level of the upper soil.
" From the above description, it will, I hope, be easily seen how much
the cost of construction of wells depends on the nature of the soil to be
traversed before reaching the spring. We will suppose that two wells of
equal dimensions have been biiilt, either in the same village or in different
localities. We will also suppose that the spring in each was found at an
equal depth, and that the bricks employed in the construction of these two
wells were of the same dimensions and cemented with mud. Still under
conditions so similar the cost of construction may widely differ. In the
one instance the soil excavated may have been of clay nearly throughout,
and the brick cylinder may have, been made to sink without any difficulty ;
in the other instance, the soil may have been excavated under very great
difficulties for sand, or sand partaking more or less of the nature of quick-
25
194
RAE
Lev eh
ofSoiL
sand may have been encbuntered, thus rendering the sinking of the brick-
work a difficult and, in many cases, a dangerous operation, necessitatiag
great precautions and of course additional expense. In one of my villages,
' Jahowa Sherki,' in a well under construction, the girgaz had been
lowered to a considerable depth, when suddenly it sank into quicksand,
and was thrown so much out of the perpendicular that it was damaged
beyond remedy, and the work could not be continued. Again, in another
village, ' Umri,' a large well was being constructed, the girgaz had nearly
reached the spring when its further progress was arrested by the niwdr
resting on one side on a projection of kankar rock. Fortunately in this
case the brick cylinder remained in a vertical position, but it was with
the utmost difficulty that this obstacle was removed, and the work brought
to a successful termination, but of course under great additional cost.
" In some cases it happens when sand prevails to a great extent, that
before the spring is reached, and
consequently before the brick
cylinder has been completed to
the surface of the upper soil, that
the earth above the cylinder
shows large cracks, indicating a
tendency to fall inwards; to avert
this danger, all attempts to sink
the girgaz down to the spring
are abandoned, and the brick-
work to the upper level of the
ground is completed with all
despatch. This done, a second
'niwar' is laid down, smaller
of course than the one first em-
ployed, and on it another girgaz
is erected and sunk, as before
explained, to the spring ; such
a well is styled a 'do-band' or
double-walled one. Here the
cost is nearly double to what it
would have been had there been
only a single cylinder, whilst at
the same time the capacity of
the well for yielding water in
a given time is lessened from
the fact of its diameter being
Spring decreased through a great por-
tion of its depth, for of course
fewer purs can be employed,
"Besides the above there are other though minor circumstances which
aiiect the cost of wells. For instance, the mud suitable for making bricks
may be at a greater or less distance from the site of the well, neceSitating
a greater or less amount of cost in the transit of the bricks; the same may
be said of the wood for feeding the brick-kiln ; it may be obtainable at a
RAE 195
distance from the latter or in its immediate vicinity. Finally the costs
will differ according to the bricks employed ; cceteris paribw, a well con-
structed with the common thin brick, will cost more than one built with
the thick or ' furohi ' brick. One point, it seems to me, it is most import-
ant to consider in the valuation of wells, and that is whether they have
been sunk down to the spring or ' mlisld ' or not. For it is evident, that
whatever may have been the respective costs of (say) two wells of equal
dimensions, the one fed by a spring will be more valuable than the other,
which only holds water by filtration; for the latter will be quickly exhausted
when worked for purposes of irrigation, so that the actual cost of con-
struction of a well does not always represent its real agricultural value."
Taqdvi advances and land improvements. — Taqdvi advances are made
by Government at a low rate of interest, 6 per cent., to defray the cost of
agricultural improvements. During the seven years (1868-74,) 127 wells
and 16 embankments were constructed at a cost of lis. 29,250, an average
expenditure of Rs. 4,170 per annum, and an increase to the irrigating
facilities of the district of 18 wells. In addition to these, however, 65
wells at a cost of Rs. 11,825 were made during the years 1873-74 at the
private expense of the owners.
We may say, then, that 50 wells per annum are made, watering perhaps
600 acres, and at a cost of Rs. 10,000. The rent-roll of the district amounts
to about Rs. 27,00,000 ; it does not seem sufficient that the people only
invest ^^^ of the incomes drawn from the land upon its permanent
improvement.
Prices and famine prices. — The general subject of prices need hardly
be touched upon. They have risen, but there are no exact statistics exhibi-
ting to what extent. The return of prices called for by the Secretary of
State from 1861 to 1870 is subjoined. It is however very incorrect.
Paddy is entered at 31| sers in Sultanpur for the ten years, it cannot
therefore have averaged 21|- sers per rupee in Rae Bareli, the adjoin-
ing district. Wheat is entered at 17-5- sers per rupee, and in Sultanpur at
2I-1I0; the latter seems correct. On further testing the return by individual
years, there seems still more reason to doubt its accuracy. In 1869, the
year of scarcity, the average price of wheat is fintered at 10|^ sers per rupee;
but on taking the monthly returns from the official Gazette, the average
from July to November, the season of highest prices, comes to 11^ sers per
rupee, and the year's average would be nearly 13 sers. Another and
more trustworthy table prepared for the settlement department gives the
price of wheat for the seven years (1856-1862) as averaging 26 sers per
rupee, gram 29^, rice 23^. According to this return arhar, peas, and
barley — being 25, 26, and 22 sers per rupee respectively — are>the cheapest
grains ; the maizes are not as abundant or so cheap as in northern Oudh.
Annual averages are however very deceptive. In 1873 for instance, the
average price of arhar was 20 J sers for the rupee, but during the last four
months of the year it was about 15 sers, and there was considerable scarcity.
This return does not include the cheapest grains — ^kodo, mindwa, and
sdnwdn, — the latter of which at any rate is very extensively grown in the
district. The earliest fields of sanwAn ripen about the 5th April, and from
196
RAE
that date the price unhusked averages about 43 sers. Kodo and mindwa
average similar prices, and the poorer classes can generally get them
from the middle of October to the middle of January ; after that date they
are not to be had in quantity, and the official quotations are merely
nominal.
There is in fact a succession of harvests during the greater part of the
year, and during the two months after being reaped each staple in its turn is
very cheap — kodo and mindwa are reaped about Octoberlst,Indian corn froni
September 15th to October 15th, the deorha rice about October 1st, bajra
about November 1st, jarhan rice, and atthe same time juar, aboutNovember
10th ; these are cheap till the end of the year. In January and February
there is no new grain in the market, and supplies are not eked out as in
other districts by large crops of sugarcane which is then being cut. Peas
come in by the 25th February being much earlier than in northern Oudh,
barley by the 10th March, wheat by the 15th, arhar by the 25th, sanws'in
about the 5th April to 1st May. Prices are thus kept low till July, and it
is only in July, August, and September, that there is any considerable
pressure upon the people.
Statement showing the details of produce and prices in Rae Bareli district
for the following years.
O ^
Description of
produce.
bo
cu
60
CI 03
bo
to u
fan
07
SO
in rt
•J3 U
ta cS
bo
r- eg
22
c5
OS s
to t4
oi
bo ta
Keuabss.
00 <u
B a
00 0)
00 p
00 (U
00 (U
oo cu
00 (U
QO 0)
GO IS>
« o
'- >
^ >■
— >
— >
f^ >
F-i >
s >
-• c-
*^ >
-• >
>■ —
CS
si
t9
e6
s
tA
s
ci
a
CS
93
Paddy
26i
SI
32
19
"J
17
191
174
16
161
21*
The price of
pad d y is
about 40 per
cent too high.
Common rice Qhusked)
17
20
21
HI
135
11
17i
10
13
13
U/o
The price of
rice is simi-
iarly too
high.
Best rice „
I2J
Hi
10
8i
8
8
7
H
81
9
9iV
Wheat
191
261
231
23i
15
111
17J
>'}
10}
13}
17*
Barley
24J
30
3U
22
201
201
234
14
U
18
2lf
Bajra
2'4
231
24i
17
17
24
161
•3}
15
19|
181
Juar
23i
28|
294
19
J6i
19J
23}
2U
134
20
214
Gram
2Ii
26|
28f
20f
141
13i
23J
14
12
154
18*
Arhar, Cylisus cajan
m
334
32}
27|
26}
211
241
22
19
83
25tV
Urd or mash, Phase-
20,i
20|
191
m
lU
Hi
17
"i
"f
14}
ISA
olus max.
Mothf, Phaseolas aco-
20 J
24|
231
18
16
17
22
18
15}
16i
194
nitif alius.
Mung, Pkaseolns
16i
20
131
101
15
80
121
91
94
24
is=V
mungo.
Masur, Ervum lens.
16f
201
14
'41
111
"4
20}
1 41
124
14}
15
Ahsa or Matra, Pi-
25J
281
291
251
261
271
27
221
20f
24
25i^
sum sativum.
Gliuijan, Arum colo-
40
39
381
46
411
401
39
414
41
424
40i^
casia.
Sarson, Sinapis di-
19
171
20
m
16}
16|
18
14
U
84
15 A
vhofoma roxbl.
"1 0
Ldhi, sinapis nigra,
25
26J
231
23|
22
221
22
19
16
114
21*
Eaw sugar
H
31
31
31
31
31
H
34
34
34
34
RAE
197
Famines. — This subject is treated at length under other district head-
ings, particularly that of Kheri, Bahraich, Lucknow. There is nothing
noteworthy about Rae Bareli in this respect. Its communications are not
sogood as those of some other districts, having no railway and only 56
miles of water communication along its outer border. On the other hand,
its masonry wells afford it a greater insurance against famine, its drainage
is superior to that of other districts, it suffers comparatively less from floods,
and its area of artificial irrigation being it is alleged so much as three-
fourths of the whole, absolute famiue ought to be almost unknown. Great
scarcity from a deficiency of rainfall in October for the rice, and in
January for the spring crops, is common enough. On the average in five
years out of ten the rains in October and January are so scanty as to be of
no practical value. The average rainfall is as we have seen 38 inches, about
the same as Lucknow; therains were specially deficient in 1864, 1868, and
1873. In these years the rainfall was respectively 22, 19, and 41 inches,
but the distribution was bad, the September October rains were deficient,
and the consequence was that in 1865, 1869, and 1874 there was very con-
siderable scarcity, approaching to famine, in 1869. No special measures
were called for, and the people were employed on the district roads. A
brief abstract of the Rae Bareli famine and scarcities viewed historically
is given compiled from official records : —
All agree that there was a very severe drought and famine in 1784-85
A.D. In Partabgarh coarse grain sold at seven sers for the rupee ; it lasted
for nine months. Dr. Young says that this famine is often alluded to as
the "akal chdlfsa" in allusion to its recurring every forty years. None of
the reports show that any scarcity occurred in 1824, and so it can only be
considered an odd coincidence that the- saying is countenanced by the scar-
city of 1864-65, when wheat flour sold in Partabgarh for eight, seven, and
six sers for the rupee. There seem to have been seasons of scarcity in
other years, as for instance in 1770 A.D. and in 1810 A.D., but no actual
famine occurred comparable with that of 1784. In 1797 and 1816 frost
greatly injured the crops. Tlhe rains were average in 1837, when famine
attacked the North- Western Provinces. The Rae Bareli report states that
there was a severe drought and famine in 1769-1770. The Sultanpur
authorities mentioned the following prices as ruling in 1784, differing from
those quoted above in Partabgarh.
Wheat
Gram
Bice
13
10
13
Sera.
The following have been the prices current in sers for rupee : —
Articles
Year.
I8S6.
1867.
1868.
1889.
1860.
1861.
1862.
Average,
Wheat
Gram
Rice
28
36
26
24
30
22
26
21
22i
25
30i
23
28
30J
26
26}
30
24
26
29
21
26
29i
23|
198 RAE
It appears from the above that the famine of 1861 did not affect Eae
Bareli.
Food.— The food of the people is the same as that consumed throughout
the rest of Oudh. Moth, or peas pottage, and barley bread, or cakes made
of barley and gram mixed, form the ordinary bill of fare. There are gene-
rally two meals in the day, at noon and at sunset ; but if the people are
very poor, they content themselves with one meal atsunsetand a little of
what is left served up cold the next morning and called basi. Sanw4n and
kodo are largely consumed in the rainy season. Rice and the maizes are
less used than in northern and western Oudh. Three quarters of a ser is
reckoned a meagre allowance, and arhai pao or ten chhataks a famine
allowance of the grains above alluded to. This subject is dwelt upon at
length in the Sitapur and Kheri articles.
The following are the average prices of food grains in Fatehpur, the
adjoining district from 1830 to 1850, a period of 21 years : —
Wheat ... .■■ ..• 23 sers per rupee.
Gram >•. ••• ••. 32 „ „
Barley ... ••• ~. 30 „ „
Peas ... ,•• *■* S3 t, „
In 1837, the year of famine, the average price of barley was 24 sers.*
Fisheries. — " The Collector of Rae Bareli considers the destruction of
all sorts of fish as considerable, the principal seasons for fishing being in
the hot weather and during the rains. In the former the big fish are
mostly trapped ; during the latter the smaller fish are more extensively
caught than at other seasons of the year. The smallest size of the mesh of
nets employed is from a quarter to one-third of an inch. The difiiculties
in regulating the size of the mesh of nets consists in the natural dislike
and prejudice of the rustic population against any innovation whatever
in the implements for carrying on their craft, so he deprecates such and
gives no opinion as to what size he considers advisable. The fry of fish,
he observes, are not sold separately from the fish in this district, and
therefore the prohibition of the sale of the fry would be superfluous.
Large fish are. sold at from three-fourths to one aima, small ones at one
quarter to half an anna per ser." — Para. 285, Francis Day's Fresh Water
Fish and Fisheries of India and Burma.
The following is from the settlement report : —
" Manufacture. — Some years ago the idea that salt manufacture in
Oudh could compete with the imported article prevailed sufficiently to
induce the Imperial Government to sanction the experiment of opening
legalized local works. The following' statistics show how erroneous was
the idea, how complete has been the failure. The manufacture of salt
was commenced in this district in pargana Panhan-j- in March, 1870, and
* " Kinock's Statistics of District Fatehpur."
f Now in Unao,
RAE 199
continued to the end of the rainy season. The total quantity manufac-
tured was maunds 24,983, of which were sold 23,666, destroyed by inunda-
tion 1,817. The sale of this salt took no less than sixteen months, i.e.,
from April, 1870, to July, 1871, and it sold for very much less than its
cost, — in fact, a large quantity could only be cleared by letting it go on
payment of the Government dues only, which here are Rs. 3-2-0 per
maund, viz. : —
Duty ... .„ ... ... Bs.
Cesses for cost of estate ... ... „
Landlord's royalt; ... ... ... „
3
0
0
0
1
0
0
1
0
3
2
0
3
2
0
Rs.
a.
p.
13
S
4
8
14
3
8
0
0
6
2
6
S
0
0
5
11
6
Total Government dues per maund
"Its cost. — Salt cannot be manufactured in this district at less than 12
annas per maund. In some part of the Delhi division superior salt can
be produced for from two to three annas per maund ; the cost of carriage
and other incidental charges to Cawnpore being nine annas per maund.
In the Rae Bareli bazars the following are at present the prevailing
retail prices of salt per maund : —
Kala (black)
Sambhar ,., ••. ... .••
Lahauri ••• ... ... ... ,..
Katila ... ... ... ... ...
Kuh (salambha) ... ... ...
Gurari from 5 to ... ... ... ..•
" The fact that the local product did not fetch on the spot what its
manufacture cost, over and above Rs. 3-2-0, and in some cases only
Rs. 3-2-0 per maund, with such prices for the imported article prevail-
ing in the bazars, shows how mistaken was the idea that occasioned this
profitless endeavour ; but it is to be hoped that this failure will put an end
to lamentations about the destruction of a flourishing manufacture and
the serious loss entailed thereby on landed proprietors.
" Trade. — Of trade there is not much, of manufactures there are none,
with the exception of the making of brass and copper utensils at Bhag-
wantnagar.*
Weaving for local consumption is also carried on. A statement is given
of the amount of the sales at the different bazars and fairs in the district,
and further on a return of the amounts of salt and saltpetre said to
have been manufactured during the native rule. Both these returns,
however, must be received with caution, as they have been conipiled from
the statements of chaudhris and patwaris, and not from any systematically
prepared returns."
Coarse globular glass bottles usedior holding Ganges water are made near Dalmau.
200
RAE
Statement showinff the number and quantity of articles sold in tlie Rae Bareli
district for one year.
Daily Bazab.
f3)
Bi-wBEKLY Bazars.
(62)
FAIRS.
(17)
Total.
Articles.
f
til
S
1
s
1
£
•43
3
Mds.
551,740
8,213
7,133
■ 8,893
Pieces.
173,233
60,473
12,127
3,014
2,742
4,301
36,690
§
s
Grain
Vegetables
Spices
Sweetmeats
Country cloth
European cloth
Salt
Ghf
Oil
Brass vessels
Cotton
Oxen
Pedlars' wares
Sillc and woolen
pieces.
Fireworks
3B3arthen ware „,
Leathern articles ...
Mds.
246,146
4,051
4,197
4,927
Pieces.
28,105
16,060
6,694
2,380
2,080
3,896
15,316
Es. a, p.
6,16,367 0 0
8,328 0 0
67,080 0 0
28,365 0 0
48,225 0 0
96,360 0 0
28,470 0 0
47,632 0 0
20,805 0 0
2,34,200 0 0
2,73,861 0 0
14,120 0 0
**■
Uds.
302,094
3,887
2,887
3,736
Pieces.
144,473
31,008
6,421
613
616
384
21,361
Es. a. p.
7,55,248 0 0
8,892 0 0
47,209 0 0
21,381 0 0
2,06,531 0 0
2,01,048 0 0
33,363 0 0
12,272 0 0
6,162 0 0
17,836 0 0
3,51,780 0 0
35,360 0 0
4,205 0 0
728 0 0
Mds.
3,500
275
48
239
Pieces.
660
405
22
20
45
20
Ks. a. p.
8,750 0 0
620 0 0
768 0 0
2,496 0 0
894 0 0
2,430 0 0
110 0 0
400 0 0
565 0 0
949 0 0
2,0oo' 0 0
2,592 0 0
1,000 0 0
200 0 0
60 0 0
Es. a. p.
13,79,365 0 0
17,840 0 0
1,15,117 0 0
55,233 0 0
2,51,651 0 b
3,02,838 0 0
60,943 0 0
60,304 0' 0
27,432 0 0
2,63,986 0 0
6,26,641 0 0
87,360 0 0
20,918 0 0
1,000 0 0
200 0 0
50 0 0
728 0 0
Grand Total ...
14,82,807 13 0
...
17,07,076 12 6
...
23,725 2 0
...
32,13,609 11 0
Statement showing the quantity of salt and saltpetre said to have been
produced in the Rae Bareli district during the native rule as relates
to the old district.
Pargana.
Qnantity
of salt.
Value of
salt.
Quantity
of salt-
petre.
Value of
saltpetre.
Remarks.
Daundia Khera ...
Ghatampur „,
Bhagwantnagar
Bihar ,.,
Panhan
Patan
Magrayar ...
Ehfron ,., .„
Sareni ,„
Dalmau
Bareli
Haidargarh
Enmhrawan
Bardoi ,„
Mds,
6,118
48,842
49,042
12,275
38,906
65,648
97,883
16,573
6,354
960
225
260
Ks.
4^84 1
18,618
39,028
9,682
29,046
67,675
77,457
13,260
1,635
600
171
ISO
Mds.
21,239
14,704
13,069
1,633
3,901
3,268
6,635
60,648
"634
1,331
300
1,058
300
Rs.
42,478
19,408
26,141
3,268
9,803
6,535
13,070
1,01,296
"l',268
£68
625
613
176
Total
3,61,361
2,62,423
1,18,762
2,26,381
RAE
201
The value of exports and imports in the year 1873 in district Rae
Bareli is exhibited as follows : —
Exports.
Imports,
Article.
Quantity.
Value.
Article,
Quantity.
Value.
Bs.
Ks.
Gur
17,619
52.922
Cotton cleaned ...
22,871
.3,34,952
Tobacco prepared ...
2.04^
8,890
Edible grains
2,963
7,861
Do. in leaf ...
fi61,820
84,534
Salt
1,164,520
60.967
Wheat
17.384
42,860
Horned cattle.
6,282
39,810
Edible grains ...
35,925
49,983
Country silk in
20,425
Opium ...
119,435
1,95,000
pieces
Ull-seeds ...
2,875
9,004
Horned cattle
3,266
23,266
Bides
...
9,746
Gl.I
...
7,790
Metals and hardTrare,
...
6,608
Native miBcellaneous
goods.
...
24,074
Totaf
Total
...
4,66,171
>••
6,02,633
Detail of Roads.
s
From,
To.
10
IS
17
Rae Bareli vid Oalmau
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto ...
Ditto
Ditto via Lalganj ,
Lalganj vi& Bacbhraw&n ,
Dalmau ... ...
Digbijaigaoj vid Bacbhrawaa .
Bibar
Ditto
Chandatikur ... ...
Ditto ... ...
Lucknow via Haidargarh
Fatehpur
Unao ...
Allahabad
Partabgarh
Sultanpur
Fyzabad
Luck now
Haidargarh
Kalepur
Haidargarh
Bihar ...
Piirwa
Purwa
Baksar
Unao ...
Salon ...
Saltaopur
26
5
Metalled or
.S^
unmetalled.
■55
ftt tn
a'-S
hJ
Miles,
Metalled ...
17
Unmetalled
38
Ditto ...
14
Ditto ...
10
Ditto ...
8
Ditto ...
12
Ditto ...
21
Ditto ...
28
Ditto ...
28
Ditto ...
40
Ditto ...
IS
Ditto ...
18
Ditto ...
6
Ditto ...
12
Ditto ...
36
Ditto ...
10
Ditto ...
Total miles,
13
332
Z02 hab
The following is an extract from the official route-book :—
Roads.
A. — Road from Fatehpur on East Indian Railway, to Fyeabad.-^-The part
of this road lying within the Kae Bareli district is from Rdlpur on
left bank of the Ganges to Haidargarh, district Bara Banki, by Lal-
ganj and Bachhrdwan — all in Rae Bareli district. This part of the
principal road above named is 45 miles in length, and the stages
are Lalganj, 12 miles from Ralpur, Gurbakhshganj 10 miles further,
and Bachhrawan 1 4s miles. The rivers are M&tra and Sai, both
unbridged. There are four ndlas on this road.
B. — Barhdmpur station, East Indian Railway, to Fyzabad. — The part of
this road lying within the Rae Bareli district is from Naubasta Gh4t,
left bank of the Ganges to Haidargarh, district Bara Banki, by Salon,
Jais, and Inhauna — all in Rae Bareli district. Total length of this
part of the road is 59 miles. The stages are Mustafabad in Par-
tabgarh, 3 miles from Naubasta Ghat, Umrawan 6 miles further.
Salon 10 miles, Bichhwari 9 miles, Jais 11 miles, Mohanganj 9
miles, and Inhauna 11 miles. The Sai is the only river, and it is
unbridged. There are five n^las.
C. — From Dusii,ti, Rae Bareli, and Mohamganj road to Bachhrdwdn by
Digbijaiganj, district Rae Bareli. — This road is 21 miles long, and
the stages are Digbijaiganj, 9 miles from Dusiiti, and Bachhrawan
32 miles further; rivers there are none, and nala only one.
D. — From, Allahahnd to Cawnpore, North-Western Provinces, by Lalganj,
Salon, and Bihar. — This road passes for 48 miles throughout this
district, and the stages are Jagatpur, 12 miles from Allahabad,
Dilawar 13 miles further, Lalganj 8 miles, and Bihar in Partab-
garh 15 miles. There is no river, but one nala.
E. — From Fatehpur, East Indian Railway, to Fyzabad by Dalmau, Rae
Bareli, and Haidargarh, district Bara Banki. — This road passes for
50 miles throughout this district; the stages are Katgarh 9 miles
from Dalmau, Rae Bareli 9 miles further, and Digbijaiganj. The
rivers are the Ganges; the Sai, and Naiya, — all of which except the
first are bridged. Communication is made over the first by a ferry.
F. — From Allahabad to Luchnow by Salon and Rae Bareli. — This road
passes for 52 miles throughout this district; the stages are Salon, 13
miles from last stage in Partabgarh district, Newada, Karauli 10
miles further, Rae Bareli 9 miles, Harchandpur 10 miles, and
Bachhrawan 10 miles. The Sai is the only river, and it is bridged.
There are six nalas on this road.
G. — From Fatehpur, East Indian Railway, to Fyzabad by Lalganj, Rae
Bareli, and Mohanganj. — This road passes for 38 miles throughout
this district and the following are the stages — Itaura 10 miles from
Lalganj, Rae Bareli 9 miles further, Dustiti 10 miles, and Mohan-
gan} 9 miles. The Sai is the only river, and it is. bridged. There
is only one nala.
RAE 203
H. — From, Rae Bareli to SuUanpw. — This passes for 20 miles throughout
this district, and the stages are Fursatganj 11 miles, and Jdis 9
miles.
K. — From Allahabad to Rae Bareli by Manikpur, Mustafabad, and Jagat-
pur. — This road passes for 34 miles throughout this district.
The stages are Jagatpur, 11 miles from Mustafabad, last stage in
Partabgarh district, and Rae Bareli 11 miles further. The river
is the Sai here (bridged.)
L. — From Rae Bareli to Cawnpore [by Gurbakhshganj and Bihar. — This
road passes for 30 miles throughout this district, and the stage is
only Gurbakhshganj, 15 miles from Rae Bareli.
Local measures. — There is nothing worthy of note about these. The
local paseri of five for two sers is current in this district. In Dalmau
a local ser larger than the imperial ser has been current for generations.
This consists of sixteen gandas, each ganda being four Maddu Sahi pice;
each of these weighs 270 grains, and the weight of the ser will be conse-
quently 17,280 grains, the Government ser being 14,400 grains. Since
annexation, however, the banians in some places have reduced the weight of
the ser to fourteen gandas; this wUl come to 15,120 grains, or exactly one
British Indian ser and four tolas. The Shahjahdnpur bigha of 4,025
square yards is everywhere used, but local bighas bearing no proportion to
it, supposed to be based on the same unit of measurement, are also used
collaterally. The measures of length and capacity are common to Oudh.
204
RAE
CHAPTER III.
THE PEOPLE.
The people, their castes— Table of area and population — ^Religion — Fairs— Urban
population— Condition of the people— Tenures— List of taluqdars- Table exhibiting tribal
distribution of property— Extracts from the settlement report regarding proprietary
possessions.
The people : their castes. — Rae Bareli is essentially a rural and a Hindu
district. The population is mainly agricultural ; there are hardly any
manufactures except a little glass at Dalmau, coarse cloth at Jais, and
such matters. The culture of the earth is the main stay of the people.
The Brahmans are the most numerous caste ; they number 128,575.
Then come the Ahi'rs 115,534, the Chamars 81,853, the Chhattris 73,320.
Compared to the averagfe of Oudh districts the proportion of high caste
is larger than usual. Nor is this unaccountable. Rae Bareli has been for
centuries the seat of a Hindu authority, but little controlled by the
Musalman Lord Paramount. The peculiarities of its land tenure thence
arising will be afterwards considered, here it may only be remarked that
Chhattris and Brahmans naturally crowded to a country practically
governed by their co-religionists.
The following table shows the population and area of the district in
detail : —
District Rae Bareli, Area and Population.
Area in
o
square
u_2
T
Bri-tish
Population
.
D9 Q
N
statute
Pargana.
«s
mites.
S 3
.a
J.
• D9
m
01
1
29S!
253
,2
121
a
s a
00
.2
o
S
i
o
H
Dalmau
138,757
6,331
72,186
72,963
145,088
573
2 >
Sareni
169
114
61
64,021
1,208
32,027
33,202
66,229
672
^j
Khiron
Total
Rae Bareli
123
584
363
102
"469
371
56
338
201
66,366
1,918
29,091
29,198
68,284
571
259,144
9,457
133,253
135,848
268,601
672
m
199,664
12,969
106,117
106,416
212,633
674
» 1
•Total
Inhauna ...
363
77
371
100
201
44
199,564
12,969
106,117
106,416
212,533
fig
ir
48,841
8,678
28,282
29,237
67,619
575
^ 1
Bachhraw£n ,„
68
94
49
48,090
2,777
25,507
26,860
60,867
641
i<
Kumhr^wau
68
70
32
38,474
859
19,993
19,340
39,333
562
Hardoi
23
24
11
14,963
743
7,808
7,898
15,706
654
Simrauta ,„
78
97
44
66,841
1,980
29,611
89,260
68,771
606
Mohanganj ...
Total
75
364
80
466
39
219
12,950
4,331
28,476
23,806
47,281
691
260,159
19,318
134,576
134,901
269,477
679
RAE
205
Area and Population (concluded).
Fargana.
3
6°
287
60
110
457
1768
/Irea in
square
British
statute
mites.
Population.
5_2
•a
.a
03
1
226
64
154
434
1739
■ •<
*•<
1
O
110
28
71
S09
867
1
1
i|
1
i
1
2i
II
Salon ...
PaTsbadepur
Rokba J&is
Total
Grand Total ...
Europeans ,
Eurasians
Prisoners and
employees in
jail
109,630
30,861
70,682
10,916
2,186
13,861
26,962
68,706
60.220
16,625
42,239
60,325
16,412
42,204
120,646
33,037
84,443
533
613
648
211,063
119,084
118,941
238,025
548
919,930
493,030
495,606
988,636
548
tft
24
20
S46
23
16
44
47
35
290
• •«
■ ••
493,320
495,688
989,008
' NoTB. — This is taken from the census report and differs but slightly from later calcu*
lations which make the total population 988,719, and the total area 1,747 square miles.
The Hindu religion has no special developments in Rae Bareli. The
prinicipal shrines of the old district were in the Bihar tahsil transferred
to Unao, at Baksar, Patau, Bihar. A table is given showing the principal
festivals and fairs — all of which have a religious origin. The number
attending them are very much understated, as far more than ten per
cent, of the population appear at these festivals which occur somewhere
within a day's journey of every one sometime during the year.
Detail of Favrs.
Number of
Name of place.
persons by
whom at-
tended.
Amount sold
Name of month
in which held.
Bemarks.
Sudamanpur (Kakoran)
40,000
7,117 0 0
July
7
Bareli (Mnharram)
10,000
650 0 0
Muharram ...
6
Ditt6 (Dasahra)
10,000
240 0 0
October ...
4
Dalmau (Darg4h Makhdiim;
300
36 4 0
May
3
Ditto (Dasahra JethJ
5,000
240 0 0
Ditto
4
Ditto (Ditto Kuar)
6,000
180 0 0
October
6
Ditto (Muharram,)
6,000
226 0 0
Muharram ...
6
Ditto (Kartki)
6,000
8,296 10 0
November ,.,
3
Thulendi (Suhbat Sayad SSlar)
3,000
S86 0 0
May
1 night.
Bhitargdon (Anandi Debi) ...
6,000
20 0 0
Ditto
3 hours.
HardSspur Samadh Chhedi
2,000
10 0 0
March ...
3 „
Lai).
12 fairs, Total
91,300
23,726 2 0
206 RAE
The only interesting one is that of Kakori or Kakoran at Sud&mdn-
pur in the Dalmau* pargana. Kakor was it is alleged the brother of
D41, the Bhar king of Dalmau, who incurred the wrath of the Sharqi
sovereign of Jaunpur by demanding the daughter of a Musalman m
marriage. It is worthy of inquiry whether this festival is a mere
instance of hero worship, or whether Kakor represents some aborigmal
divinity. According to the table this Bhar prince is the only eponymous
personage whose celebration attract any crowds. A clan called Bharotia,
said to be a sept of the Ahi'r, continues to pour oblations of milk on the
tombs of the Bhar chiefs, Bal and Dal, at Bareli and Dalmau, and the
women of the clan in mourning for these ancient chiefs still refuse to
wear the common lac bracelets which are the usual ornaments of the sex.
Urban population. — The Urban population is very small; there are only
four towns, with a population of above 5,000.
Eae Bareli 7,092 ) ^^^^^ adioining each other, 13,094.
Ikhtiyarpur 6,002 J
Dalmau 6,654
Salon 8,190
Jiia 11,689
34,627
A town called Kunsa entered in the census tables as having a population
of 5,864 is merely a collection of separate villages thrown together in the
Government revenue records. The urban population is therefore 3 5 per
cent. Besides the above there are 58 large villages, with a population of
from 2,000 to 5,000.
The following is from the settlement report : —
Condition of the people. — The low caste cultivators are very poorly off.
They live almost entirely on the inferior grains of the kharif crop, the more
valuable rabi going to pay the mahdjan, for nearly the whole of this class
come under advances to the village mahajan both for their food and their
seed, and makte over the crop to him. They enjoy only a bare subsistence,
for the usual rate of interest demanded is 50 per cent, at the harvest.
Last year, 1870, grain being exceptionally high at the time of rabi sowing
as the year before had been one of short crop, the mahdjans refused to
advance seed on the usual terms, and they were arranged on the basis
that the cultivator was to pay back at the harvest one and a half times as
much grain as the then market price of the seed furnished would buy
when the harvest was reaped.
With all this these people are as improvident as their betters, and when
a plentiful harvest puts something in their pockets, they spend it at once
in a marriage or something of the kind.
Since 1871 in the spring of which year the hail caused so much damage,
the seasons have been most indifferent for the small cultivator,who is now
more or less reduced to poverty. This year's spring crops, however, have
somewhat strengthened his position, and owing to the good prices realized
at the harvest time have improved his condition. To the above cause
must also be added a fair mahua crop and an abundant mango crop.
* See article Palma.u
RAE 207
Besides bad seasons the cultivator has for the past five years suffered
much from cattle disease, which annually visits some part or other of the
district. Cattle disease is just now raging in the villages on the Sai. No
precautions are taken against the disease ; about a third of the cattle
attacked escaped. In 1874, land which had been fallow for two or three
years has been again brought under cultivation. Sugarcane and garden
crops are on the increase, but wheat does not seem to be ousting barley or
peas ; jarhan dhan is more extensively grown of late years. Poppy and
jethwa sawan are much more extensively cultivated, and the custom is
spreading of transplanting the makra or mindwa crop instead of sowing
it. This custom ensures a more plentiful and a much earlier crop, but it
is dependent on well irrigation till the rains commence.
The rate of interest in the district is nominally 24 percent, per annum,
but the poorer cultivators pay considerably more. Mortgages of groves,
sir lands, and of shares in pattidari villages are very common, but sales
are not so. Interest I think had a tendency to fall some years agO; but
the hard times have caused it to rise again.
I regret to be obliged to state that nearly every asami, who within the
last six years has constructed a pakka well in my neighbourhood, has been
ruined or next to ruined.
With reference to weaving, I am informed that the weaving of finer
cloths, which were formerly in great demand, has almost entirely stopped,
but the coarser cloths are still manufactured as generally as formerly, not
only for the local markets but also for exports. This industry, however,
is I think, doomed, especially now that English cloths are becoming so
common and so cheap, and are being so generally used at the dye
factories.
Within the last four or five years the price of plough-bullocks has risen
about 75 per cent., there is however no scarcity of bullocks, for the cattle
bazars continue well supplied, but owing to the high prices, the mah^jans
ruinous interest, and the frequent recurrence of the cattle disease, cultiva-
tors possess very inferior draught animals, which, with hard work and
insufficient fodder, are not likely to improve in their hands.
Tenures. — It is impossible to do more than to indicate the features of
property in this district, for the settlement and census report, which are
the main sources of information, concerned themselves solely with the old
district which differs entirely from the new one. Of the 1,350 square
miles in the old district 422 have been taken away, and 711 square miles
of new territory have been added. Still the main features of the tenures
have not been much altered, the district remains taluqdari, although the
Kanhpuria clan owns a much larger portion of the new than of the old
territory. There are altogether about 1,198 villages covering 1,279 square
milesi the property of 100 large owners, and 537 villages covering 460
square miles, the property of about 11,000 small proprietors, mostly Bais
and Kanhpurias.
The proprietary rights in the district of Rae Bareli are very interesting
from a historical as well as economical point of view. Out of 1,735
208
RAE
villages in the present district, no less than 1,719 are owned by
Tilokchandi Bais, viz., those of the Bais clan who are descended from the
great chief Tilok Chand, who died shortly before Bdbar ascended the throne^
of Delhi. As an historical and social fact it is strange to a degree. The
immobility and stability of the Hindu system is remarkably proved by the
fact that for hundreds of years this Bais and other Chhattri clans who
number 75,000 in Rae Bareli, men of the sword, too, have contentedly
submitted to be ruled by about forty chiefs whose position was in itself
a usurpation upon the throne, and against whom at any time the masses
would have been aided to rebel by royal officers. The position of these
chiefs was so assured that they have throughout treated their brethren with
contumely, refusing to eat with them: because they could not boast of an
ancestor who had once exercised regal or semi-regal authority.
The great proprietary clans now are the Bais in the west holding par-
ganas Dalmau, Rae Bareli, Sareni, Khiron, Hardoi and others, and the
Kanhpuria to the east who hold Salon, Rokha Jais, Parshadepur, Mohan-
ganj, Simrauta.
Further, the proprietors are mostly taluqdars ; 1,198 villages belong to
taluqdars and 537 to smaller proprietors. Among the latter there is an
extreme subdivision ; great numbers of them, even two-thirds of the entire
number possess on the average only ten acres of land each. On the other
hand, eleven men have among them 350,000 acres, and 816,000 acres, or
two-thirds of the district, are held in 62 great estates owned by 100 chiefs.
Alistof the great estates is given. The circumstances which have led
to this absorption of land by one class, and to its distribution in minute
portions among others, have been detailed elsewhere.
List of Taluqdars in district Roe Bareli paying more than Rs. 5,000
revcTi/iie.
OS
1
«5
3
>
0)
.•3
1
^
Remarks.
Name of Taluqdar.
Name of estate.
■3
133
a
a
3
.H
a
(U
a
A.
Bs.
Baja Shlupal Singh
Murirmau ...
104
40,873
44,364
Baja Surpal Singh
Tiloi
72
63,086
65,207
Bana Shankar Bakhsh
Thoiri
1S9
92,260
1,13,426
Baja Bishnath Singh
Eathgar
It
6,042
7,156
Baja Jagmohao Siagh
Baisinghpur ...
23
17,638
19,269
Kaja Kampal Singh
Eori Sidhauli...
22
27,703
28,164
Baja Jagmohan Singh, Kanh-
Chandapur
29
31,789
33,158
puria.
Thakurain Shiupal Kunwar
Simri
24
18,202
23,619
widow of Jagan Nath
Bakhsh.
Thakur&in Dariao Eunwar ...
Samarpha
44
28,787
87,962
Chandarpal Singh
Eorhar Sata-
wan
31
24,196
28,412
RAE
List of Taluqdars (concluded).
209
Name of Taluqdar.
Thakurain Achal Eunwar „
Shankar Bakhsh
Bishn&th Bakhsh
Babu Sarabjit Singh
Biehnith Singh, and Ajudhia
Bakhsh.
Saidar Singh
Bhagw^n Bakhsh
Balbhaddax Singh
Jagmohan Singh
Anand Kunwar, widow of Samr
bhar Singh.
Sukh Man gal Singh
Shiaratan Singh
Thakurain Qadam Eunwar
Mahlp£I Singh
Eudr Partab Singh
Mir I'akhr-ul-Haaan
Zulflqar Eban and Earam Ali
Ehan Mahabat Ehan and
Asad Ali.
Ahdnl Hakim Ehan and Mu»
hammad Zaman Ehan.
Fateh Bahadur Ehan „
Subhiln Ahmad
Baja Dakhina Niranjau Mu
karji.
Ummaid Rae, son of Gauri
Shankar.
Prince Shahdeo Singh
Name of caste.
Gaura Easthi
Pahu
Hasnan .
BatkSri .
Narindrpur
Charhar.
Hamirpur Eola
Udrehra
Bharauli
Eiratpur Char-
bar ati'as Deo-
gana.
Utah
Shabmau
Pinhauna
NCruddfnpur
Bara
Siwan
Binbaura
Bahrimau
Amawan
Bahwa
Azizabad
Shankarpur
Hard^spur
Badri Ganesh-
pur.
Captain Gulab Singh, Sardar Bela Bhela
Autar Singh, Sardar NarSin
Singh.
Major A. P. Orr ... Ledhwari
(0
o
1
a
<
1
s«
o
A.
Es,
49
8
23
31
36
30,168
8,064
10,416
18,779
17,387
31,383
10,166
8,044
20,569
18,830
34
16,833
21,416
13
22
12
8,386
12,521
4,837
9,959
17,017
•6,631
6
S,000
6,439
28
7
21
27,796
7,921
10,618
36,800
4,4fi0
12,103
8
3,848
4,707
16
10
17
16,961
5,269
9,385
15,117
6,499
7,271
23
12,894
13,768
11
8,918
8,386
19
16
6,149
5,310
7,010
7,522
9
6,742
9,372
16
8,448
9,226
32
24,551
28,474
12
17,102
20,163
Remarks.
Owing to his death
the title has been
transferred to his
widow Ude Nath.
She having diefl, the
proprietorship has
been transferred to
Beni Madho Baksh.
This taluqdar pays
less than JSs. 6,000,
but as he holds a
sanad bis name has
been recorded.
This taluqdar having
died, the proprietary
title has been trans-
ferred to his widow
Jograj Eunwar.
27
210
RAE
Statement shovnng the number of mauzas held by different castes with the
area and Qovernment demand.
Caste.
Chhattri .„
Musalman ,„,
Brahtnaa ,.,
Kayath
Bhit
Sikh
Chusar ...
Kurrai ...
Murao ...
Kalwar ,.,
Kahar
Ahir
Pasi
Kindu Faqirs
Government
No. of mauzas
Total
194
147
65
88
2
4
2
U
I
3
1
I
9
9
Area in acres.
537
116,356
87.812
34,690
31,273
645
1,447
2,314
11,780
1,606
3,179
381
600
225
2,312
4,643
298,566
Government
jama.
1,41,491
99,855
88,764
35,527
791
1,847
2,678
15,106
S,224
3,376
308
812
290
3,144
4.182
3,50,401
This does not include the taluqdari villages.
The ensuing remarks and tables are borrowed from the settlement
report of the old district, and are not correct to the letter if applied to
the present district, for which it has not been possible to prepare
returns.
Nwmher of 'proprietors in the district. — A consideration of the statis-
tics given' below, shows that in eight parganas of this district there are
1,152* proprietors of 5,281 acres of land, of which 3,270 only are cultivated,
and 2,646 are irrigated. They pay as revenue on this land Rs. 8,289 which
gives per acre, —
Total area
Cultivated
Irrigated
Es. a. p.
19 2
2 8 7
3 2 2
The statistics of the seven parganas made over to Unao could not be
compiled in time for this report, but it is believed that in them the num-
ber of proprietors of very small estates is very large indeed. The above
number of 1,152 are men w;hohold engagements direct from the State, and
it does not include under-proprietors-f- of any shade or denomination. On
the other hand, sixteen persons own between them 311,000 acres, one
owns over 40,000 and another is proprietor pf over 92,000 acres. In the
* These have shareholders also.
tOf whom there are 3,823*
RAE
211
latter estate nearly 4Y,060 acres are cultivated and 33,000 irrigated
■whilst the Government demand is Rs, 1,18,727, giving per acre —
On total area
„ cultivation
II irrigated area
Es. a. p.
1 i 7
2 8 6
3 9 8
Statement showing the number of proprietors and the area of their estates
in the parganas Bareli, I)alm,au, Khiron, Sareni, Haidargarh,
Kumhrdwdn, Bachhrdwan, and Hardoi.
Proprietors
Number
Eate per
of less
of pro-
Area.
Revenue.
acre on
Bemaiks .
than
prietors.
total are*
Acres.
Es. a. p.
Bb. a, p.
10
1,16S
6,281
8,289 4 0
I 9 2
20
464
6,859
10,250 2 0
1 7 11
30
257
6,441
8,747 12 0
1 6 9
40
152
5,275
7,361 15 0
I 6 4
50
101
4,584
6,167 11 0
1 5 8
60
103
5,694
7,669 6 0
1 5 7,
70
53
3,447
4,641 12 0
1 6 7
80
55
4,140
5,682 11 0
1 6 7
90
29
2,442
3,037 6 0
1 3 10,
100
39
3,697
4,626 I 0
1 4 0
200
166
22,569
27,623 9 0
1 8 7
300
62
14,945
18,874 9 0
1 4 3
400
28
9,597
12,038 6 0
1 4 1
600
18
8,156
9,429 1 0
1 3 6
600
11
6,253
8,812 1 0
1 5 0
700
9
5,788 '
6,896 13 0
1 3 1
800
13
9,781
12,906 8 0
1 6 1
900
7
6,028
8,796 0 0
1 7 4
1,000
4
8,912
6,310 0 0
1 6 9
2,000
21
27,908
33,939 10 0
I 3 6
3,000
8
20,813
26,383 10 0
1 4 3
4,000
4
13,236
13,829 8 0
1 9 0
6,000
2
8,985
13,131 G 0
1 7 5
6,000
4
21,348
29,835 8 0
1 6 4
7,000
3
19,222
26,434 12 0
16 0
8,000
(•«
*..
...
...
9,000
3
24,898
30,382 12 0
1 3 6
10,000
I
9,386
6,160, 0 0
0 10 6
20,000,
10
154,402
1,99,200 0 0
1 4 8
30,Q00
6
166,432
1,93,456 0 0
1 3 9
40|00d
!••
«••
...
*.i
60,000
1
40,457
62,025 0 0
1 4 7
60,000
ft.
••■
...
...
70,000
*«.
•t>
...
...
80,000
■ •«
<••
.*•
...
90,000,
...
•ti
.•*
...
1,00,000
1
92,260
1,18,726 14 0
1 4 7
Total ...
2,787
724.192
9,19,944 14 0
1 4 4
212
RAE
according to castes :—
-
J.
Caste of proprietors.
r3
o
Is
If
Area.
Bevenue.
Bemarks.
Ks. a. p.
Bais, Tilokchandi
779J
4,48,938
6,71,148 1 0
Amethia
US
78,594
1,09,018 0 0
Kanhpuria
11
7,230
9,586 9 0
Brahman
109
58,153
36,330 4 0
Musalman ...
152
79,482
92,841 0 0
Bengali
16
5,310
8,211 0 0
Kayath
69
28,955
36,0!i9 4 0
Janwar
37
24,516
32,418 7 0
Khattri
821
24,347
31,544 0 0
Sikh
484
.33,294
39,380 12 0
European
SO
25,681
34,264 0 0
GoTernment property „,
6
3,427
2,602 0 0
Panwar
3
2,200
2,904 0 0
Baqqal and Dhusar ...
2
2,314
2,678 0 0
Agarwala
2
599
725 0 0
Eath Bais
1
260
455 0 0
Chauhan ...
2
1,043
1,801 0 0
Kachhwaba .„
4
1,377
1,848 0 0
Kurmi
19
14,960
20,870 0 0
KalTtar
3
3,179
3,376 0 0
Teli
3
1,072
1,321 11 0
Pasi
1
225
290 0 0
Bisen
10
6,091
7.529 0 0
Ahir
s
1,638
2,042 0 0
Goshaia ...
3
1,001
J, 390 0 0
Lodh
1
686
834 0 0
Sombansi ...
6
6,817
7,262 0 0
Faqir Nfinak Shahi ...
1
166
283 0 0
Raghubansi ...
...
77
170 0 0
Bbat
1
248
360 0 0
Murao
7U
1,482
6,319
6,994 0 0
Total
8,64,389
10,95,506 0 0
" Proportion of entire district held hy taluqdwrs. — Out of the total num-
ber of villages of this district amounting to 1,482, there belong to
taluqdars 1,029.
" Of these latter there have been decreed in sub-settlement —
Entire villages ... ... ... ... ... ... 66(
Portions o! villages ... ... ... ... ,„ s
" And there have been given on a farming tenure 12, viz. : —
3 at a ten per cent, and less share of the gross assets.
6 at fourteen to twenty per cent, and less share of the gross assets.
4 at oyer twenty per cent, and less sbate of the gross assets.
RAE 213
" The gross assets of the estates of taluqdars have been estimated at
Rs. 15,71,191, and of the portion decreed away from them as above
Es. 1,09,417.
Of which sum Government takes ... ,„ ... ... 55,393
The taluqdars take ... ... ,.( ,., ... 26,477
The old proprietors take ... „. .„ ... ... 27,547
Total ... 109,417
" Eleven hundred and fortyrfour persons are recorded as holding shares
in these assets, which gives an average of Rs. 24 per annum for each
recorded shareholder. In other words, the share of the assumed profits
of their own villages absorbed by the old proprietors holding on a sub-
settlement tenure and on farming leases is 50'41 per cent, to a share of
49'59 per cent, awarded to taluqdars.
" Altogether 10,623 claims to subordinate rights, excluding sub-settle-
ment of all kinds in taluqas, have been preferred in this district, of which
4,673 related to sir and nankar.
331 „ to shankalp.
6,619 „ to all other claims.
"Of these three hundred and thirty-one claims to shankalp, 161 were
decreed.
"Shankalp kushast is a pure mudfi tenure given by taluqdars, and
therefore liable to resumption by them at regular settlement. Grants by
shankalp were probably in existence long before the word taluqdar was
invented.
" Original shanhalp. — They were originally grants of land, money or
property of any kind, made to Brahmans of esteemed holiness by pious
or superstitious persons. A ceremony has to be gone through which is
called kushast, from the fact of grass being placed on the grantee's hand
during it, and a formula was repeated from which the grant took its
name of shankalp.
" Enormity of resmmAng a shankalp. — To resume a grant of shankalp
is by the Hindu religion, the deadliest of sins ; and is visited by trans-
formation in a future state into a worm in the nethermost Hindu hell,
the nearest approach to which state of existence is in this world, the life of
a maggot in an unclean place whatever that may be like. The natives
have a story of a r4ja who in knocking down some mud buildings, to
clear a site on which to build a place, was on the point of destroying the
nest of a bird, which was endeavouring to rear some young ones, and who
in the agony of her despair, threatened to drop one grain from out of
some grant of shankalp made by the r4ja into his food, to the end, that
by eating it he might commit the unpardonable sin. It is to be hoped
that the raja spared the nest, and escaped the punishment.
" Of the 5,619 other claims, which include claims to groves, grazing
lands, jungles, waste, wells, village sites and proprietary dues, 3,466 were
admitted and 2,153 were dismissed or withdrawn."
214.
RAE
CHAPTER iV.
ADMINISTRATION.
Administratioii—Th^naa— Police— Crimes— Accidental deaths— Revenue and expeuaiture—
education — Post-offloes.
Administration. — The administration is in the hands of a deputy
commissioner, aided by one or more assistant commissioners, three or four
Native or European extra assistant commissioners, four tahsildars, and
seven honorary magistrates. The arrangements of the police stations,
the strength and cost of- the police are given in the following tables,
— another exhibits the increase of crime and of their duties during the
last five years, and a third shows the accidental deaths and suicides.
The number of both these in 1871 is unusually large, the season was
one of heavy rain and consequent floods, many people were drowned,
others crushed by falling walls.
Statement showing the population of thdnas.
Name of tMna.
Population.
Rae Bareli
•■•
107,178
Bachhrawan
■•* •■■
•••
.■•
•■•
94,926
Mohanganj
.•• •••
■•t
■••
■•■
110,674
Digbijaiganj
•■• *•■
••f
•ii
...
123,382
Gurbakhshganj
..• ■•■
.••
!••
!•»
86,043
Lalganj
■••
«■■
...
»••
160,061
Mau
... <f*
■■•
• •«
».
89,193
Jagatpur
■■•
>•■
...
97,518
Salon
t.«
Total
;
120,871
988,636
Statistics of the Police
for 1873.
•a
■R
s
>iw
a
Oe .
Pi ,
s
.o <v
.n-
§2
rn
to
Si
a
si.
CO
s
o
s
m
CO
o
a
1
0.53
Pi
g
1'
■s
rfi n
fH
o
■2 a
§a
d.o<
h
.§ ■
a
o
o
a M
.2'<H'
.« o
OS
- d
■s
P
an.
as
o
■ss-
■8.1
O
,^-
• 4
79
' 380
^^«
£1^-
!l'
9,071
1,6)1
d S
O
Regular police ,..
71,7S8
1 to
1 to
1,004
1,236
374
S'68
3, 1 68
Village watch ...
85,567
•«•
•■
3,247
...
...
■ •«
;...
...
...
• •■
...
Municipal police.
3,636
...
5
31
• **
...
"■
...
...
• •■
• •■
...
Total ...
1,60,991
4
84
3,668
8,746
—
1 *••
1,004
9,071
1,6 1 1
1,236
374
RAE
Crime Statistics.
215
Cases reported.
Cases convicted.
r*
00
d
d
__.
G^
t^
00
oa
o
•
d
00
6
00
5
00
16
00
6
7
6
00
4
00
S
00
7
00
i-i
00
3
00
Murders and attempts
4
Culpable homicide ...
6
7
6
8
7
8
4
4
1
2
3
6
Dacoity ... ...
1
1
2
8
• •■
...
1
>■•
2
1
>■«
• ••
Bobbery ...
£
10
14
25
21
21
S
4
6
9
3
2
Biotingand unlawful assembly,
31
17
25
44
36
10
26
13
17
38
24
9
Theft by house "breaking or
house-trespass.
2672
3414
4383
5066
5185
7064
61
118
225
147
141
220
Theft simple ... ...
828
tl75
1696
1328
1530
2219
148
181
273
2-J5
24S
822
Theft of cattle
34
53
97
102
186
243]
e
17
34
18
iS
47
Offences against coin and
stamps.
4
11
6
10
n
4
!••
6
S
2
4
4
Memo, of accidental deaths.
Suicides.
. ^^
By snake
By
wild
By fall of
fi'y otter
Total
drowning
bite.
quadrupeds.
buildings.
causes.
o5
«
m
»•
-3
a
a
J"
to
"3
S
a
1
•3
a5
1
-3
1
■3
■3
a
Ptl
oj
1
•3
1
1867
■ ••
••■
96
90
23
33
■•«
...
30
27
65
16
204
166
1868
...
ta«
73
96
21
31
...
2
4
7
62
13
160
149
1869
...
• ••
no
111
12
26
3
1
4
6
78
23
216
190
1870
6
S3
l^'S
132
22
25
7
2
24
16
67
17
261
214
1871
66
27
88
87
25
41
...
2
93
91
89
33
361
281
1872
24
65
143
157
50
66
1
I
16
8
76
21
282
243
Revenue and expenditure. — The revenue of 1872-1873 is shown in the
following table ; it will appear that the land revenue constitutes 89 per
cent, of the whole, and the landowners pay four-fifths of the income-tax
besides. The income tax is no longer collected. I in 1873 it was assessed
upon 306 persons and yielded Rs. 15,452 ; of these 163 were landowners, and
paid 12,517 or above four-fifths. Eleven lawyers paid income-tax and 118
money-lenders, while nine persons paying Rs. 105 represented the wealth
acquired by trade andmanufactures among nearly a million of people. The
expenditure does not call for comment ; it amounts to Rs, 1,61,038 or 12 per
216 RAE
cent, of the revenue, but both sums leave out of account large receipts and
expenditure on account of police, education, and local works : —
Revenue.
1871.
1872.
Rs.
Rs.
I.
Recent Settlement Revenue collection ,..
12,22;622
12,24,112
3.
Rents of Government villages and lands,..
*•■
6,940
3.
Income-tax .„ ,.,
...
18,733
4.
Tax on spirits .. ... „•
,49,797
41,279
B.
Tax on opium and drugs ,.,
S,912
6,614
6.
Stamp doty-
74,714
63,386
7.
Law and justice ... ..•
...
7,282
Total
13,68,346
Expenditure.
187 1
Revenue refunds and drawbacks ... >.. 3,639
Miscellaneous refunds ... ... ... 4,364
Land revenue ... ... ... ... > 64 564
Deputy Commissioner and establishment ... ... i
Settlement, ... ... ... ... 44,236
Excise or Xbkari ... ... ... 4,195
Assessed taxes ,„ ... ... ••• 2^9
Stamps ... ... ... ... 1|036
T „,„ „„A ,-„=t,v. ( Service of process ... 2,897
Law and justice [ Criminal courts ... 36,606
Ecclesiastical ... „, ... ... 253
Medical ... ... ... ... 9,000
Total „, ... 1,61,038
The following tables give receipts and charges of the local funds
Receipts.
One per cent, road cess ... ... ... l.t.lSS
„ „ School cess ... ... ... 13,062
i „ District Dak ... ... ... 32,66
3 „ Local and margin ... ... 36,400
Education fund ... ... ... 9,487
Dispensary fund ... ... ■•• 2,727
Found fund ... ... ... ... 4,126
Nazul fund ... ... ... ... 72
Total ... ... 74,964
Provincial allotment ... 60,451
Grand total ... ... 1,24,715
Charges.
Education ...
Hospitals and Dispensaries
District Dak
Pound ...
Nazvi 1 ...
Public Works ...
Communications
Civil Buildings, &c.
Establishment, &c.
••i
28,687
• •■
4,693
..'•
8,321
*••
620
...
6,726
38i591
• ••
32,76*
«■•
9,608
80,053
Total ... ... 1,24,939
RAE
217
Education. — The progress of education in this district is a question of
such vital interest to the people generally, and to the Government in par-
ticular, that the statistics given on the following page will not be out of
place. The average of pupils to population could not well be lower than
it is at present in this district.* •
Return showing number of hoys learning English, Hindi, Persian, and
Urdu languages.
Number
of Gov-
ercment
school-
houses.
Fargaoa.
Bae Bareli high school
Fort branch No. 1
Bazar branch No. 2
Kaepur branch No. 3
Total
Daundia Khera ,.,
Ghatampur ... ,.,
Bbagwantnagar ,.,
Bihar
Patan
Fanhan ... ...
Magrfiyar
Kbiron ...
Sjreni
Bareli ... .„
Oalmaa ...
Haidargarh ... „,
Kumhrawan ...
Bachhrawan ... „.
Hardoi ... „.
Total
Grand Total
Percentage on grand total
of sonls.
Percentage on grand total
of boys.
Grand total of souls
Total of boys
n
3 —
-rt
s
a
<u
CQ
Ui
&
be
Ht
bo
s
a
a
=
eS
a
u
u
t.*
o
A
.a a
■a
a
a.s
a
s
S m
a
!zi
fzi
!3
Anglo-vernaeuldr Schools
103
36
85
25
48
• •■
,,,
.30
7
...
26
16
1S8
134
108
103
48
64
SO
25S
Village Schools,
48
48
176
002
O'll
31
20
14
'i3
17
9i
56
ISO
III
257
196
3
141
25
1,120
1,264
4S
S4
26
"'27
S3
37
I6J
174
346
283
28.3
23
89
6
108
782,874
I S3,
0 16
0-81
0-01
007
1,553
1,808
0-28
IJ7
§
103
48
54
50
265
79
54
40
"*50
40
136
209
304
457
640
626
26
230
31
2,721
2,927
0-33
1-93
874 1
i'541 I ** ^^^ statement of 1869.
■a
"'^ a
73 Zi
« a
" s
3
O
O w
o a
« g
o ?
I"
■2 a
3 2
3-a
* Settlement Report. This table and the paragraph refer to the old district.
28
218
flAE
The returns for 1874 show S7 schools attended by 3,837 boys. The
population of the now enlarged district is 989,008; the percentage of child-
ren iattending school is still 0*38, there has been no progress in education.
In western Oudh the percentage of children reaches almost 0"7 or nearly
double the percentage in Eae Bareli, whose backward education apparently
resembles what is found in all the neighbouring districts of eastern Oudh.
Post-office. — The district is well supplied, there are sixteen offices besides
the central one at Rae Bareli, the system works very well.
The following tables show the working of the district d4k for the year
1876-77:—
Statement showing the nwwher of articles received for delivery and those
returned undelivered during 1876-77.
Letters.
Papers.
Packets.
Parcels.
Given out for delivery
Beturned undelivered „.
31,876
2,922
414
20
76
1
1,446
53
Statement showi/ng the working of the district ddk during 1876-77.
Number of miles of dak Uae „.
„ of runners ... ,„
Cost for the year ... ...
Number of covers delivered ...
„ ,1 returned undelivered
Total number of letters sent to district post o63ce
99*
28
Bs, 3,031-9-2
30,246
2,996
33242
* Seven runners have worked for a part of the year.
RAE 219
CHAPTER v.*
HISTORY.
History.— Kghts during the mutiny — Antiquities.
The earliest glimpse of authentic history in this district is afforded by
Major Orr's discovery in the neighbouring district of Sultanpur of an
earthen pot containing several hundred coins of the Indo-Scythic dynasty,
■which reigned in Kabul before and contemporaneously with the commence-
ment of our era. The fact that aU the coins belong to the same series
makes it nearly certain that the date of their consignment to the receptacle
from which they have just been delivered was between 17 and 18 centuries
ago. The names Kadphises and Kanerki, the title Rao Nana R^o, and
the Mithraic words "Okro" and "Athro" are distinctly legible; there are
other inscriptions which might be explained by an experienced numisma-
tologist,
Mr. Capper discovered some very fine gold coins of the Skanda Gupta
series at Baksar; and besides these the irregularly shaped bits of silver
with devices stamped one over the other, and apparently at different
times, which were the coin of an unknown period of antiquity, are not un-
common.
From this it may be inferred that some kind of civilization existed in
this district from very early times down to at least the end of the third
century A.D., and it is. no wild conjecture that the desolation which we
discover when its modern history commences was due to the exterminating
wars which marked the revival of Brahmanism,
The first piece of local history is connected with Dalmau which appears
to have been a flourishing town from early times. On a hill to the north-
west of the fort is still shown the tomb of a Muhammadan martyr Badr-
Tid-din, whose traditional date is 646 H., (1248 A.D.) From an old Hindi
story-book which professes to have been copied in 1043 H., from an original
composed in 779 H. (1587 A,D.), we learn that Jauna Shah,t the lieute-
nant of the Emperor Firoz, had stopped at Dalmau on his way to what was
to become Jaunpur, and had beautified the city. It is further stated that
Malik Mubarak was the Governor, and that there was a considerable colony
of Musalmans, besides a settlement of Chauhans and Sunars, Malik
Mubarak's name is still held in great reverence at Dalmau, and his tomlj
is shown in the fort, The kings of Oudh used to allow a small monthly
stipend for the purpose of keeping a light burning on it, and the govern-
ment ofi&cials when they arrived at the town were expected to pay it a
visit before they proceeded to their work. From this it may be inferred
that be was the founder of the Musalman settlement, and that before the
time of Jauna Shah the town had been entirely Hindu.
Towards the end of the fourteenth century the town was in danger
from the neighbouring Bhars, who, under the rule of four brothers, , had
* The greater part of the historical portion of this chapter is from Mr. Benett's " Clans
of Eae Bareli."
f Jauna Shah preceded Firoz on the throne of Delhi.
220 KAE
established something like an organized government over the Bareli and
Dalmau parganas.
Ddl and B^l had forts at Dalmau and Rae Bareli, while two less famous
brothers, Kapur and Bhawan, were settled at SudSm^npur. It is said that
DAI offered violence to the daughter of a Dalmau Sayyad, and the com-
plaints of the insulted father brought Ibrahim Sharqi from Jaunpur to
avenge the indignity. It is at any rate certain that this king fought a
great battle with the Bhars at Sud^manpur, and drove them before him
into the Dalmau fort, where after a stubborn defence their whole army
was destroyed. The tomb of the Bhar chieftains is still shown at Pakrauli,
rather more than a mile from Dalmau, and is celebrated by a fair in the
autumn, at which great numbers of Ahirs collect, and offer milk to the
souls of the departed heroes. The women of the Bharotia Gotr of Ahirs
do not wear anklets, saying that they are still mourning for their kings.
This success at Dalmau was only part of a regular Musalman conquest
of the whole district. In 796 H. (1394 A.D.), KhwAja Jahan, the- Subah-
dar of Kanauj, Oudh, Karra and Jaunpur had asserted his independence,
and his successor on the throne of Jaunpur, Shams-ud-din Ibrdhim Shah
Sharqi, applied himself to consolidate his power over the subject provinces.
Already he had established his rule at Salon, Parshadepur, Jdis, Manikpur,
and other places, building, says tradition, 52 forts in one day.
Salon is said to derive its name from Sal B^han, who relieved the country
from the presence of a demon called Sahasr Bahan, and founded the town.
Parshadepur is said to be called after Paras Ram, the Oudli incar-
nation of Vishnu, but etymologically it is much more likely that Raja
Parshad Singh, the great Kanhpuria, who subdued this neighbourhood in
Tilok Chand's time, gave his name to an older town. Near it is the village
of Ranki, the traditional seat of the Government of * Raja Bhartari, elder
brother of Bikramaj it. This unfortunate prince was cheated by his brother
out of a magic fish, the digestion of which gave the knowledge of all things
that occurred in the three worlds. He dissembled his disappointment, and
retired to the distant solitudes of Oudh where he founded the city of Ranki.
The present inhabitants say that Ranki is the Bhar name for a wine-
seller, and that they have occasionally found in their village gold coins,
chains, and articles of domestic use, which have been exposed by the rainy
season ; they were, however, unable or unwilling to show me any of these
relics. The ruins themselves are sufficiently remarkable. A sea of bricks
represents what must have once been a large town, in the midst of which
high grass-grown mounds preserve the sites of lofty mansions. To the
south-west of the town there is a large oblong fortress measuring about
250 yards in one_ direction, by 150 in the other, and surrounded by a moat
some SO yards wide.
The old name of J^is was Uj41iknagar, and it was the seat of a Bhar
kingdom. The irregular appearance of the town is attributed to the caprice
of its Bhar monarch, who in constantly recurring fits of drunkenness had a
* Thia raja is also connected -with the Bhitari Lit on the Gumli, and the traditioa in
the test is peculiarly yaluable.
RAE 221
inethodical madness for raising fortifications. Manikpur was named after
Manik Chand,* the great Gahrwdr rdja, who reigned from that town. It is
said that he fell at the hands of Shahah-ud-din Gardezi,t the lieutenant
of Ibrahim Sharqi. A part of the remnants of his family iled to Salon, of
which town their descendants are at present part proprietors.
After his success at Dalmau the Shah marched on Eae Bareli, which
like the towns just mentioned was at that time a Bhar village clustered
round a large fort. The traditions of the Tar Bir demon, and the mons-
trous well whose overflowing threatened to swamp the town have already
been told. It is singular that traces of buffalo sacrifice, which must have
descended from the Bhar times existed in connection with this fort up to
annexation. When a Muhammadan nazim came he sacrificed the buffalo ;
a Hindu contented himself with slitting its ear.
The next enemy met by the Muhammadans was the Bais colony in the
south-west of the district, and it is necessary that I should stop to give an
account of that remarkable family.
Their early history is involved in much obscurity, and for the sake of
clearness I will here leave all other families than the Tildkchandi Bais
out of consideration. The story of the birth and life of Sal Bdhan, the son of
the world serpent, and their first ancestor, has all the appearance of being
a genuine tradition, in spite of the monstrous and indecent Brahmanical
traditions with which it has been overlaid ; and it agrees well with pro-
bable historical conjecture that this prince was one of the Takshak or
Scythian dynasty, who were known as nAgas or snakes by their Arian
subjects — a conjecture which is further confirmed by the fact that the
serpent is the tribe deity of his descendants at the present day.
The original tradition, as far as I have been able to extract it from the
various accounts which I have heard, is as follows : — A son of the great
world serpent was brought up under the roof of a potter of Mlingi Patau
on the Nerbudda, and early showed by his wit and strength that he was
destined to be a king. As a judge among his youthful companions, by
what would now be considered a simple process of cross examination, he
excited the wonder of a people unaccustomed to law courts ; and deserved
and received the same kind of honour as was accorded to Daniel by the
Jews of the captivity after his successful investigation of the case of Su-
sanna and the elders. His amusement was to make clay figures of
elephants, horses, and men at arms, and before he had well reached man-
hood he led his fictile army to do battle with the great king Bikramajit.
When the hosts met, the clay of the young hero became living brass,
and the weapons of his enemies fell harmless on the hard material.
* Manik Cliand ag well as 1)S1 and Bal, the Bhar chieftains, are constantly
appearing at any time within the years 1000 and 1400 A.D., and have successfully eluded
all my efforts to saddle them with a date. I think it probable that Manila Chand and possi-
ble that Dfil and Bal lived near the beginning of the thirteenth century.
t In Shekh Ahmad's history of the Sayyads of India, it is stated that ShahSb-
ud-din Gardezi settled at Manikpur in the reign of Qutb-ud-d£n-hin-AItamsh. At
Manikpur they suppose two Shahab-ud-dins, one of the 13th century, and anotljer, father
of Sharf-ud-din, Qazi-ul-Quzziit in Ibrahim Sultan's time. Like all the Muhammadan
families of Rae Bareli and Partabgarh, they have no trustworthy pedigree.
222 RA-E
Bikramajit fled, and took refuge in a large shiwala whither he was pursued
by S41 B4han. At the mere sound of the boy's voice the ponderous gates
of the temple rolled back, and Bikramajit acknowledged his conqueror
with appropriate homage. A reasonable arrangement was made on the
spot for the partition of the royal power, and on the elder king's death,
&al Bahan became undisputed Raja of India. Later in life he conquered
the Punjab, and died and was buried at Sialkot.
Of the history of his descendants till the time of the invasion of Oudh
by Abhai Chand nothing is positively known. The Raj Tarangini relates
that a Bais general usurped the throne of Delhi at the beginning of the
seventh century, A.D.
Two dififerent pedigrees connect Tilok Chand with SdlB^han, — one giving
42 generations with Abhai Chand at the fourteenth, the other 31, with
Abhai Chand at the twenty-second. Twenty names are common to both
lists which are sufficiently unlike to prove separate sources, and sufficiently
like to show a common historical ground^work. Both where they corrobo-!
rate and where they contradict one another they are equally interesting
and unintelligible.
The supporters of the longer list state that in Bhagwant R4e's time the
kingdom was divided between his three sons, one of whom got Oudh. I
may hazard a conjecture that this is a historical tradition on the follow-^
ing grounds : — The first name common to the two lists is Ghuk Kumdr,
who in the longer list is represented as the father of the above named
Bhagwant R^e, and below him the number of generations and the names,
though in a different order, are almost identical in both lists. This ia
sufficient to make it very probable that Ghuk Kumar's reign was an epoch
in Bais history, and the division of the kingdom in his son's reign affords
an excellent explanation. It is likely that the story refers to a forced
change of abode before a victorious enemy, or a ver sacru7n,hj which an
overcrowded home was relieved of some of the yoimger and more vigorous
offshoots.
The coincidence of the pedigrees makes it reasonable to suppose that this
took place thirty generations before the time of Tilok Chand, in the eighth
century, A.D. Between Abhai Chand and Tilok Chand the shorter list ia
undoubtedly in the main correct ; and the extraordinary divergences
between the two are amply accoimted for by the violent vicissitudes of
fortune which marked Bais history in the reigns of R^e Ttia and his two
. successors.
Twelve centuries after the death of SAl B&han two gallant youths who
boasted that they were of his race found themselves and their followers
at a bathing place on the Ganges when an affray arose between some
soldiers of the Gautam raja of ^rgal and the forces of the Subahdar. The
Hindus were defending the honour of their queen and her daughter from
the lust of the Musalmans, and no Rajput could turn a deaf ear to the
agonized appeals for help that issued from the lady's bullock cart. So
the Bais joined the losing side of their countrymen, rallied the fugitives,
and beat off the Muhammadans, but left one of their princes dead on th^
RAE 223
field. The survivor, Abhai Chand, escorted the rescued queen back to
Argal. It was only natural that the young princess should fall in love
with the soldier who had been wounded in her defence, and the king of
Argal was himself in a position which made him very glad to secure the
services of such a son-in-law. In the eastern part of his, dominions was a
large tract of country over which he exercised only a nominal authority,
and which was thinly populated by a fierce intractable people called
the Bhars, who paid him neither tribute nor respect. So he gave his
daughter to Abhai Chand, and with her the vice-royalty of this unprofit-
able province.*
Whatever may be the value of this story, there can be no doubt that at
about this time there was a very general advance of Hindus into this dis-
trict. The Kanhpurias^]- at the eastern, and the Bais at the south-western
comer, as well as several old zamindari families, such as the Pandes of
Shiun4m, are proved by the coincidence of their pedigrees to have settled
nearly contemporaneously in the seats where they are now fmind; and it
is clear that they were portions of one wave of Hindu emigration.
The greater part of this distridrwas then covered with extensive forest,
and in the clear spaces the few brick huts and scattered hamlets of the
Bhars were the only evidences of human life. The nationality and reli-
gion of this people is a favourite topic for disquisition, and my truncated
investigations have just so far enlightened me as to make me refrain from
forming any opinion as to who or whence they were.
A bad time was beginning for them now. Abhai Chand lost no time
in proceeding to his newly gained dominions, and crossing the Ganges
built a fort at Baksar as a basis of operations. His enemy was, however,
too powerful for him, and he had to give up his position and retire to
Abhaipur, the village he had founded in the Antarbed, where he died.
His successor, Karan Rde, prosecuted his enterprise and again occupied Bak-
sar, but the first real success was obtained by his grandson Siddhii Rae,
who utterly routed the Bhars in a great battle, the memory of which is
preserved in the name of the village Sangrampur, which he founded on the
scene of his victory. Pushing on through the wooded ravines, and driv-
ing his enemy before him, he took possession of Murdrmau and Daundia
Khera, since famous as the seats of the two greatest of the Bais families,
and was the first to establish his clan in the new country. His descend-
ants continued to extend their dominion, and when in the fifth generation
from him, and at the time of the Jaunpur invasion, Rde T^s succeeded to
the chieftainship, he was the acknowledged ruler of the seven and a half
small parganas which form the kernel of Baiswara.J
Whether this chieftain resisted and was defeated, or yielded without
striking a blow to the vastly superior forces of the Muhammadans, I have
been unable to discover ; but we find him with his family and retainers
• At the present day a Bais considers a marriage with a Gautam peculiarly lucky.
t If, indeed, the^Kanhpurias immigrated at all
J These were XJnohgaon, Siddhupur, now Daundia Khern.
Bara, Eambhi, half lihagwantnagar, now Bhagwantnagar.
GhSlampur, Magayar, Panhau.
224 EAE
shortly afterwards at tte Court of the Chauhin Raja of Mainpuri. Many
stories are connected with their exile, of which perhaps the most striking
is that which accounts for the assumption of the title of rdja by Rae Tds.
It is said that Sumer Sah,* the Chauhdn, ridiculed the lately established
family of the Bais, and refused their chief the honours paid to an equal.
On this Rde Tas challenged him to a pitched battle. On the morning of
the fight all the Bais youths less than 20 years old, to the number of about
500, were directed to return to their home, and in the event of the defeat
of their elders preserve their family from extinction. With a modified
obedience, and a happy compromise between prudence and valour, they with-
drew to an eminence at such a distance from the engagement that they
would be able to participate in the success or get a good start in case of
the defeat of their relations. They watched an indecisive conflict from
morning till evening, and then, taking advantage of the fatigue of both
parties, swooped down on the Chauhans and secured the victory. la
consequence of this Sumer Sah formally invested R^e Tas with the raja's
tilak, and gave him his daughter in marriage. The Bais is said to have
entered the army of the Delhi emperor, and to have served with distinction,
and most accounts represent that he died fighting under his standard
against some rebellious chieftain.
His son, R^ja Satna, successfully invaded the territories of the Sharqi
Sultan. Having re-occupied his ancestral dominions, and acquired the new
territory of Khiron from the Bhars, he pushed his conquests to the north,
and taking advantage of the unsettled state of the Jaunpur empire, occu-
pied the strong fort of Kdkori after a severe contest with the Musalman
colonists. His success was the signal for a general rising against the hated
conquerors.
From Safipur and Kdkori to Salon and Manikpur, the Azan and the
slaughter of kine were proscribed, and in most of the larger towns the new
Muhammadan judges and tax collectors were murdered or driven away.
At Salon, Sayyad Maud, the ancestor of the present qazis of that town,
was cut down at his prayers by the neighbouring raja, who was most pro-
bably an ancestor of the Kanhpurias. His younger son was taken alive
and kept in captivity by the Bhars. After a few years' imprisonment he
made his escape to the court of the Jaunpur emperor. Even at Manikpur,
Aziz-ud-dln and Sharf-ud-din Gardezi,-f- who had been left in charge of the
town, were obliged to fly to the opposite stronghold of Karra. Husen Shah
on his accession to the throne immediately sent a force from Karra to
retrieve these losses. He had no difficulty in restoring the qdzis to the
principal towns from which they had been ejected, but met with a stout
resistance from Raja Satna before the fortress at Kdkori. It was taken at
length by force or by fraud, and the rdja was killed. Some accounts say
that he was bricked up in the wall alive, and others that he was decapita-
ted, and his head buried where the Shekhan DarwAza now stands at Luck-
now. The brave Rana Beni Mddho Bakhsh, whose estate was confiscated
for mutiny, swore to recover the head of his ancestor, but his oath was
unfulfilled.
* It is not however probabla that Sumer Sah was thea the reigniug rSji.
t The IS9I1S of Shabab-ud-din, th« founder of the family.
RAE 225
The rini escaped, and on her flight to the Ganges was delivered of a
son at the small village of Kotbhar on the confines of the Rae Bai^li and
Unao districts. This posthumous son was afterwards famous as Tilok Chand,
the eponymous hero of the greatest of the Bais clans, the father or the
founder of many castes of Eajputs, and to the present day no Bais passes
the place of his birth without showing his respect by dismounting from his
horse and going by barefooted. His mother arrived safely at Mainpuri,
and the young chieftain passed the first twenty years of his life at the
refuge which had sheltered his father and grandfather. In 1478 A.D., the
opportunity arrived which was to enable him to humble his ancestral
enemies and to put him in possession of far more than his ancestral property.
Bahlol Lodi had sent an expedition against Husen Shah of Jaunpur,
which resulted in the defeat of the latter, and his exile to the Court of AM-
ud-din of Bengal, and Tilok Chand took this opportunity to lead a, large
force of Eajputs from Mainpuri into Oudh.* Following the steps of his
father, he crossed the Ganges near Baksar, and marching northwards
defeated the Musalmans who garrisoned Kdkori. His further advance in
that direction was checked by the Pathans of Malihabad, and he had to be
contented with Kdkori as the northern limit of his raj.
As his rule is the commencement of a new chapter in the history of the
district, its consideration must be postponed for a short sketch of what had
occurred in the northern and north-western parganas.
As has been already mentioned, several families of Hindu zamindars
settled in these parts when Abhai Chand made his first attempt at occupa-
tion in the south. Of these by far the most important were the Pandes
of Shiunam, the founder of whose family, Baram Datt Pande, like Abhai
Chand, fought under the auspices of Gautam government, and like him, too,
lived 24 generations ago. The next settlers, the Muhammadans of Bbilwal
and Amawan, were brought in by the invasions of Ibrahim Sharqi and his
grandson Husen Shah, and are the ancestors of the present Chaudhri of
Bhilwal, and the taluqdars of Pahremau and Am4wdn.
The Amethias, afterwards destined to be the most important family in
the neighbourhood, were already hovering on the confines of Haidargarh.
I will now briefly review the general aspect of the country before its con-
quest by Tilok Chand. The element of a regular Government had been
established by Ibrahim Sultan of Jaunpur whose lieutenant ruled from Dal-
mau, and is still remembered by his tomb composed of vast bricks and slabs
of kankar in a fine grove on the banks of the Ganges. The principal
Bhar forts were rebuilt and garrisoned and the surrounding country divided
into tappas for the administration of justice and the collection of a preca-
rious revenue. Makhdiim Bakhsh and his two sons, Jahanglr and Eukn-
ud-din, were left as qdzis at Eae Bareli^ and the most important of the
present Musalmans of Dalmau and Salon, Parshddepur and Manikpur, are
descended from judges appointed under the same rule and reinstated at
the second conquest by Husen Shah.
* He eave help to Bahlol Lodi by storing food.— See Ferishta.
29
226 RAE
The whole country was still mainly occupied by the Bhars, but in the
south the Shekh zamindars of Jalalpur, Dehi and Bhdi, had been set-
tled for two generations, the Kanhpurias were present at the north-east,
in the north were the colonies of the six or seven tribes of Hindus and the
Path^ns of Am^wan, while on the borders of the Eae Bareli and Luck-
now districts, the Amethias and the Shekhs of Bhilwal were face to face,
and had already laid the foundations of a family feud. The Bais parga-
nas of the south-west were empty of their legitimate owners and pro-
bably abandoned to the Bhars. In a few years a complete change was to
be effected, and the commencement of the sixteenth century may be
regarded as the beginning of our modem history.
The reign of Tilok Chand is probably the most interesting and impor-
tant epoch in the history of Oudh, and it is here that I particularly
deplore the scantiness of my information. The traditions connected with it
are at once extravagant and meagre, but through the mists of time we
can still discern the figure of a conqueror and a statesman. Of the
details of his conquests little is known, and it is probable that as he led a
considerable force into a country which had been distracted for two hun-
dred years by the constant wars of the Hindus, the Muhammadans, and
the old inhabitants, in the course of which struggle every party had been
weakened ; and succeeded to the comparatively strong government of Jaun-
pur, which must have greatly reduced the chances of a successful opposi-
tion, he found little difficulty in asserting his supremacy over the whole
of eastern Oudh from the Gogra to the Ganges, and from the gates of
Lucknow to Partabgarh, of the Sombansis. The only defeat which is
recorded of him is when his pretensions were successfully resisted by the
Pathans of Malihabad; and, indeed, his conciliatory policy was not likely to
provoke opposition except in the case of a proud and powerful Musalman
family who could not endure even the nominal superiority of a Hindu
chieftain.
The Brahmans of Sultanpur relate that in his old age, like another
king of distinguished wisdom, he supported the prodigious responsibility of
an establishment of three hundred wives, and by them became the father
of a family countless as the sands of the sea.* The princesses of Rewa and
Mainpuri to whom he had originally been married, disgusted by an assoclT
ation in which the dignity of castes had not been respected, fled from his
castle and gave rise to a distinction between the Bais from within
(Bhitaria) and the Bais from without (Baharia), those from without being
the offspring of the genuine Rajput blood, while those from within were
of contaminated lineage, and occupied a doubtful position in the class
system. The Kayaths of Rae Bareli are never weary of repeating and
embellishing the tale of their adoption, and the fact, that to the present
day their leading families receive the title of Thakur, shows that it is Hot
a pure invention. A probable tradition connects the final establishment
of the Kanhpurias in Tiloi and Simrauta with this chiefs reign, and the
story of his creation of new castes is too well attested and too much
opposed to the spirit of Hindu invention to admit of doubt. More than
» The same story ia told of Sal Bahan, but the application to Tilok Chand is yaluable.
EAE 227
one caste of Brahmans are grateful to him for their cord and their privi-
leges, while it is indisputable that he largely increased the number of
Ohhattri clans. The Ahir Bhale SuMns, the Kah^r Mahrors, and the
Pargdhis directly ascribe their elevation to him ; and numerous castes in
the Eyzabad and Gonda districts, such as the Gandharias, the Naipurias,
the Barw&rs, and the Chdhus claim to have been originally Bais, while
the equal length of their pedigrees shows that they were established in
those districts at about the commencement of the sixteenth century.
There are besides numerous families of small zamindars in the east of
this district who call themselves Bharadhi Bais, and whose want of any
tradition of immigration and peculiar religion distinguish them from the
pure Bais of the west.
Two traditions connected with the Bais colonies on the Gogra deserve
to be recorded. One is that as Achal Singh was going to bathe at Fyza-
bad, a Bais zamindar offered him tribute, and the r£ja gratefully ordered
him to assume the new name of Naipuria. Naipuria is not a more honour-
able name than Bais, and the literal tradition is obviously improbable,
but the times to which the story refers make it significant.
Achal Singh was the last of eight Kalhans rdjas, and was succeeded in
Gonda by fifteen Bisen rajas, the last of which was the celebrated Debi
Bakhsh Singh who lost his estates in the mutiny. The numbers of the
generations show that Achal Singh was contemporaneous with Tilok
Chand, and the creation of the Naipurias is also referred to that raja,'s
reign.
A second tradition tells how Eae Amba, the son of Tilok Chand, and
his younger brother, Kae Mardan, were sent with 5,000 cavalry to Janak-
pur Tirhoot in the Naipal tarai. On their way -back a Sangaldipi Brah- '
man living on the banks of the Gumti complained to him that the Bhar
King of Hastinaghat had made an offer of marriage to his daughter.
The r^e represented that he could not take a fort with his cavalry, and
advised the Brahman to pretend to submit to the desires of the Bhar.
He consequently went to Hastinaghat, professed himself delighted at the
prospect of so illustrious an alliance, and invited the raja to come at an
early date and bear away his bride. The unsuspecting monarch imme-
diately set forth with his servants and people in holiday costume, and on
retiring to their encampment after a day spent in revelry, fell an easy and
perhaps inglorious prey to the arms of the Ohhattri chieftain.
This service was rewarded by the grant of the zamindari of the Bhar
kingdom. Eae Amba had a son called Rae Biddd, who lived at Gajanpur,
and was succeeded by his son E^e Dlidhieh who turned Muhammadan, and
was the ancestor of all the present Musalman Bhale Sultans, a name
derived from the bhala or light javelin with which this cavalry was armed.
Tilok Chand established a series of forts at Khiron (Sathanpur), Sang-
rampur, and Eae Bareli, the latter of which he entrusted to his favourite
Diwdnand half Rajput Lai Nabh Eae. The whole of the traditions connected
with this remarkable man lead us to suppose that he embraced the project
228 RAE
of erecting a kingdom on the union of the hitherto discordant elements
■which he found in Oudh. With a singular absence of superstition he
selected the class system as an admirable instrument for this end, and
enrolled the principal families of his own army and of the conquered
country in his own clan, fully comprehending that unity of name is almost
as powerful as unity of interest.*
The boundaries of his rule do not now admit of being defined with
absolute certainty, but it is possible that he was undisputed king in the
twenty-two Bais parganas, while his influence must have extended far
beyond those limits.
On his death the whole structure fell to pieces. Pirthi Chand, one of his
sons, took the western provincef with the ancestral castle of Sangrdmpur,
the other, Harhardeo, ruled over the east from S4thanpur, which his
grandfather had built when he conquered the Bhars of the Khiron pa,rgana.
The Kayaths of Rae Bareli may or may not have acquired a limited
dominion in the neighbourhood of that town. The Kanhpurias on the death
of Parshdd Singh fell into three branches, Janga Singh taking Tilpi,
Madan Singh Simrauta, and Man Singh Ateha.
Even the small clan of the Amethias in Haidargarh divided their posses-
sions, Dingur taking Kumhrdwdn, Ram Singh Ansari, and Lohang Rae
Akhaipur, with the pretentious titles of r^ja, rao, and rana.
Nothing further of importance is recorded till we come to' the reign of
Humdyfin, which was marked by a general conversion to the imperial
religion without parallel in the annals of the district. The Bhdle Sultans, •
the Bisens of Usmdnpur, and the zamindari families of Bais of Gareu and
of Sehen, the Chauhans of Ashanjagatpur and the Raghubansis of Hardoi,
each contributed a convert. The Shekhs of Bhilwal made use of the
opportunity presented by the improved condition of their co-religionists to
recover their villages from the Amethias. . The defeated Hindus submitted
gracefully, and one of their number, Jai Singh, received the then fashion-
able distinguishing mark of Isldm. In the general confusion the Bhars
left in that neighbourhood rose against the Hindus of Rae Bareli, and suc-
ceeded in killing Bhagwati D4s, the representative of the Ndbh Rae, who
had been adopted and established there by Tilok Chand. His five sons fled
to Allahabad, whence they procured assistance, and their hearty vengeance
closes the last appearance of the Bhars in this history.
* It sbould be rememliered that what I have written of the Tilokchandi Bais does not
necessarily apply to the innumerable clans of Bais scattered over eastern Oudh from Sing-
ramau in Jauupiir to the heart of the Bara Banki district, and from the Gogra to the
Ganges. These, instead of the very highest, occupy nearly the lowest position among Oudh
Chhattris. They differ from each other and f rorn the real Bais in their family traditions;
and while some can boast pedigrees of 26 generations, connecting them with the 13th cen-
tury and Abhai Chand's invasion, lists of from 14 to 17 generations refer the great majo-
rity to the epoch of Tilok Chand. It seems most probable that about 400 years ago numbers
of the agricultural and military aristocracy of all castes assumed the title of BaiSj in much
the same way as the leading families of Orissa and parts of Central India are now claiming
to be Chhattris.
t Worth U lakhs.
RAE
229
The complete extinction of this people has occasioned much surprise, but
it is not difficult to understand. Both the Musalmans and the Hindus
were conquering nations, and the hand of each was turned against the old
inhabitants whom they wished to dispossess. Against one enemy the
Bhars might have stood and retained, even when defeated, a portion of
their former rights, but in the wars between the invaders, each victory, to
whichever side it inclined, was to them a new defeat, and entailed another
onslaught on their possessions. As the balance swayed from side to side in
the long and doubtful struggle between the Rajputs and the eastern empire,
they suffered with every change of fortune, and were conquered not once
but many times. It was not one war of extermination, but the harassing
attacks of two centuries, often repeated, each time with new vigour, before
which they fell. Their customs, their position, and we may conjecture
their language and nationality prevented anything like a perfect union
with either of their enemies. And yet there can be no doubt that while
many were slain, and many fled to the north and to the east, many still
survive in their old territory under modern names. The statesmanship
of Tilok Chand elevated not a few of their principal families to the rank of
Chhattris, and the Tirgunait Brahmans, the Kharibind Kurmis, the Bha-
rotia and Bhattia Ahirs, and many families of the Gujars, are connected
with their race by hardly doubtful tradition. A careful enquiry into the
private worship and peculiar customs of the present castes of the district
would probably still further disprove the tale of their utter extinction, but
it can hardly be a matter for surprise that the more obvious evidences of
their kingdom have been swept away.
Hitherto I have followed Mr. Benett, but must now adventure indepen-
dently in order to make clearer the succession and distribution of property
among the sons of Tilok Chand. The first remarkable thing is that nei-
ther of the legitimate sons assumed the title of r£ja, which therefore it is not
likely that Tilok Chand himself had claimed. Pirthi Chand, the eldest, took
the southern province, ruling from Daundia Khera or Sangr^mpur ; his
heritage was worth 14! lakhs ; he was called rao ; the second, Harhardeo,
without any title ; his grandson afterwards became rana, took the northern,
Khiron and P^tan, ruling from Sathanpur ; his estate was worth seven
lakhs, and the illegitimate son, the Rawat of Harha, got one of five lakhs
in that pargana. Now what were the dominions of which this division
was made ?
The following list is given by Mr. Elliot. I have corrected it freely : —
District Bae Bareli ... •
Daandia Khera.
l^nchgaon.
Kumhi.
Bachhrawdn.
Kahanjar.
Ghatampur.
Sareni.
Magrayar.
Dalmaa.
Bateli.
Bih&r.
Fatao.
Panban.
Sathanpur.
Unao
Harha.
Purwa.
Mauranw&n.
Sarwan.
A soha.
Gorinda.
Parsandan.
District Lucknow « Bijnaur.
230 RA.E
Why the owner of extensive property like this should not have taken
the title of raja is not quite clear. But then it is| not in the least certain
that all these parganas ever did belong to Tilok Chand. Rae Bareli, for
instance, is mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari as the property of the Eanh-
purias, Dalmau of Musalmans ; if further, the southern parganas belonged
to the Sangrampur or Murarmau houses — how did Harhardeo's son come
down from Sathanpur in Khiron and take possession of an estate at
Khajurgdon in Daundia Khera ? It is also alleged (see Rae Bareli article)
that the Bais did not obtain possession of that pargana till about the
reign of Jahdngir. It is not impossible that Tilok Chand, who joined the
army of Bahlol Lodi in its last invasion of the Jaunpur kingdom* and
rendered material services, may have been appointed Governor under the
new dynasty of all the parganas which are recited as his property. His
connexion with the Delhi monarch would account for his eldest son and
probably himself only boasting the title of rao, the supreme monarch
would not have allowed him to use the prouder title, the symbol of an
equal sovereignty.
Mr. Elliot's, account of the successors of Tilok Chand is as follows :^-
" Pirthie Chund's son was Deorai, in whose time, according to the Bais
tradition, the worst disgrace which they had yet known befel the Rajpoots
of Oudh. The head of the Buchgotie tribe, who till Tilok Chund's time
had been premier Raja in Oudh, and in whom had been vested the right
of confirming the title of each new raja affixing the Tilok to his brow,
left the faith of his ancestors and became a Mahomedan. Deorai swore that
on no descendant of his should the Tilok be placed by the tainted hands
of the pervert, and, with the consent of the brotherhood, his second son
assumed the title of Raja, that he might in future place the Tilok on the
head of his elder brother's family. From the eldest son, Bhyrudas, descend
the Raos of Doondeea Khera ; from the second son, the Rajas of Morar
Mow ; and the descendants of the third, Kulian Mul, are known as
chhotbhyas or cadets.
" Hurhiurdeo, the brother of Pirthie Chund, in the meanwhile went to
Behar, and his two sons settled in the villages of Symbussie and Nyhest*
in that pargana.
"These two inconsiderable villages gave their names to the branches of
the house which sprang from these two brothers, and hence it is populariy
said that the Tilokchundi Bais is divided into four branches, Rao, Raja,
Symbussi, Nyhesta; the two former being from Tilok Chund's eldest, the
two latter from his younger son."
Now then we have a distinct and remarkable contradiction between the
Unao and the Rae Bareli traditions. The Unao tale contains internal
evidence of its truth ; it admits that after Tilok Chand's death none of the
heads of the family assumed the title of r^ja. It admits that the family
* Ferishta.
RAE 231
was still in the position of feofifer to the Diwan of Hasanpur. And here
again we come upon a puzzling feudal custom of eastern Oudh. A very
clear and widespread tradition represents all rijas in those early days as
taking investiture from the Raja of Hasanpur also called diwan. It is
my own impression that he was the Hindu diwan or naib of the Jaunpur
kingdom, and that this investiture by him was just the act of homage to
the delegate of the Jaunpur suzerain. At any rate, after the Jaunpur
kingdom passed away, this exclusive right or rather hegemony passed
away also from Hasanpur; the Bais had a raja of their own, so also had the
Kanhpurias and the Sombansis, and the latter chief in the 18th century
was called to Benares to place the sacred oil or rather clay upon the fore-
head of the great Bhuihh4r* r^ja. The difference between the two tradi-
tions is not serious. The Rae Bareli bards declare that the eldest son of
Tilok Chand's grandson became Raja of Murarmau, the Cawnpore bards
relate that he was a younger son; that the Daundia Khera raos, who after-
wards divided their property into the Purwa and Daundia Khera estates,
were the elder as they were the more powerful branch. The following is
the Rae Bareli tale as related by Mr. Benett.
For some time nothing of note occurred except a division in the Bais
raja's house. Either Deo Rae or his son, Bhairon Das, separated from the
main stock, and receiving Daundia Khera and four other villages as their
share of the family property, founded the subsequently powerful house of
the Babus or Raos of Baisw&a. It is probable that their propinquity to
the throne, and the personal character of their chiefs from the first gave
them great influence, as we find them very Shortly afterwards contending
on equal terms with the rajas of Murarmau. The division probably took
place shortly after the general conversion just described.
The end of Akbar's reign was a season of great vitality among the Raj-
put families, which showed itself after the usual fashion by the prosecution
of the old, and the successful establishment of new family feuds. It is
probable that the dearth of history during this reign may b^e ascribed to
the firm and enlightened rule of the great emperor. When the ruins
became relaxed, the whole district was thrown into confusion. In Bais-
wara itself the most remarkable event was the spread of the Simbasi family.
Shakt Singh, the fourth in descent from Harhardeo, invaded the Dalmau
pargana, which, though nominally in Baisw^ra, contained too many power-
ful Muhammadan families to yield a ready obedience to Bais rule. The
expedition was successful, and his sons, Domandeg and Rudr Sdh, succeeded
him in the government. Of these the first was celebrated for the large-
ness of his family, the second for the number of his conquests.
Domandeo, in his fort at Chiloli, added eight sons to the strength of his
race, and Rudr Sdh founded Sdhpur and dispossessed his first cousins, the
sons of the brothers of Shakt Singh, of the villages which had been assigned
for their support. It appears that the achievements of the two brothers
were regarded as equally brilliant, and they divided the estate they had
* Oldham's Ghazipar.
232 RAE
acquired in equal shares, giving rise to the title Adhidri, which, whilst it
has been discarded by the proud house of Khajfirgaon, is retained with
complacency by the less fortunate Thdkurs of Samarpha, the descendants
of Rudr Sah.
Of Domandeo's eight sons, three deserve especial notice. The eldest,
Ajit Singh, succeeded to the Khajfirgaon chieftainship, and his brothers,
Pahdr Singh and Mitarjit, attended the brilliant court of Sh4h Jahan, where
their yeoman manners seem to have excited some amusement. The sarcasms
of the courtiers were repelled by retorts which are fondly preserved by the
family, but whose effect must have depended rather on their rudeness than
on their wit. They accompanied Prince Aurangzeb on his ill-starred expe-
dition to Candahar, and in the retreat in 1647 A.D., were overwhelmed by
an avalanche.* Their present representatives are the Taluqdars of Pahu
and Kurihar Satawan.
Shortly after the time of Shakt Singh's invasion of Dalmau, his first
cousins, Har Singh Rde and Bir Singh Rae, founded the present house of
Naistha by establishing themselves in the Bihar pargana. The Raja of
Murarmau appears to have regarded their emigration as an invasion of his
own dominions, and Bir Singh R^e was killed by his hand or his forceSj
The Rao of Daundia Khera took the part of the Naihestas against the head
of his family, and their combined efforts resulted in the death of Bhiipat
Singh, and the flight of his widow and son to Rudr Sdh, the warlike chief
of the Simbasis. He readily embraced the opportunity, and succeeded at
least in re-establishing the youthful Chhatarpat Singh in Murarmau,
though it does not appear that the rajas ever regained their old position.
The Naisthas at any rate retained their new conquests. Bir Singh's sons
remained in Patan Bihar, while Ram Singh, the son of Harsingh R&e,
removed into the Bachhraw^n pargana, and founded the house of Kurihar
Sidhauli.
It must be remembered, therefore, that there was first the elder branch
with its Raja of Murdrmau, its R£o or Babu of Daundia Khera, and its Raja
of Purwa; this by the way was a man of personal distinction, for Raja Achal
Singh's descendants were simple babus. Then there was the younger
branch divided into Simbasi with its two Ranas of Khajurg^on and Shan-
karpur and the Naistha, with numerous small taluqdars.
This rapid summary brings our history down to the end of the reign of
Shah Jahan. The first years of his successor saw the continued depres-
sion of the house of Murarmau. Amar Singh was engaged in an incessant
petty warfare with Rao Purandar Singh of Daundia Khera, in which he
was invariably the loser, and his death was followed by the ruin of his
family. The infant, Rija Debi Singh, was left in the charge of his uncle,
Gopdl Singh, who betrayed his trust, and assuming in his own name the
property of his orphan nephew and ward gave rise to the Rdjkumdri branch
• Their date is further proved by a tradition whieh describea a duel between Mitarjit and
the jEamous Bustam Khan.
EAE 233
which retained almost all the raja's villages till it was reduced by Raja
Digbijai Singh in the present century. Debi Singh, when he came of age,
sought and obtained the sympathy of the Delhi emperor, but the farm^ns
by which Muhammad Shah reinstated him in his ancestral dignity were
mere waste paper to the practically independent chieftains of Baiswdra.
In the two long reigns of Purandar Singh and Mardan Singh, the babus
reached the zenith of their fortunes, and acquired the supremacy of the
whole of Baiswara, with the exception of the territories of the powerful
Simbasis of Dalmau and the Naisthas of Sidhauli.
The reaction against the encroachments of the rdos in Bihar Was headed
by the young Chet Rae, an illegitimate son of Ban Singh of Sidhauli. He
collected the forces of his house and effectually deterred the aggressor from
making any attempt in that direction. His services do not appear to have
commanded the gratitude of the reigning chief, who was only compelled
by force to recognize his independent position in the pargana of Mau-
ranwan.
Alone among the Bais he ventured to offer any serious opposition to
Nawab Saadat Khan. The story of his siege in his fort at Pachhimgaoh
is mentioned further on, but some doubt is thrown on the accounts which
represent it as merely a sham fight, by the fact that he remained for some
time an exile at the court of Panna, and did not return till after the death
of the great Nawab.
es*
The Simbasis in the meanwhile continued to increase and spread in
peace, only perhaps occasionally interrupted by boundary disputes with
their Kanhpuria neighbours. Rdna Ajit Mai's younger son, Gulab Sah,
separated, and was the founder of the Gaura house, second in importance
to that of Khajurgaon. R4na Kharag Singh, who succeeded Ajit Mai, had
two sons, the younger of which built a fort at Shankarpur, since famous as
the home of Shiu Parshdd Singh and his still greater son, Rana Beni Madho
Bakhsh.
At the beginning of the eighteenth century, Chhabile R^m, an official
in the Allahabad district, was one of the numerous leaders, who, throwing
off the semblance of subordination, endeavoured to erect an independent
kingdom on the ruins of the Mughal empire. Having occupied the fort
at Allahabad, and collected for his own use the revenues of the surro-
unding country, he crossed the Ganges at Dalmau, and was met by the
Simbasi clans under the chieftains of Gaura and Khajurgaon. After an
obstinate resistance the Rajputs were defeated ; Chhabile R£m possessed
himself of the western parganas of the district. On the accession of
Muhammad Shah, he was recalled to Allahabad, and after successfully
repulsing two imperial armies, was converted, not conquered, by being re-
cognized as Subahdar of Allahabad. Amar Singh never recovered his
position, and it was not till some twenty years later that his grandson,
Pahar Skh, was admitted to engage for the four villages of Khajurgaon,
Sareli, Bajpaipur, and Hdjipur, and resumed the lead of his clan levies. . It
is possible that if their r4na had been present, Saadat Khan's assessment
of the Dalmau parganas would not have been without its romance."
30
234 RAE
Pahar Singh, the rana, emerged from the cloud which had concealed his
family since the defeat of his grandfather by Chhabile R4m at about the
same time as Chet Rae returned from his exile at Panna, With the
exception of the name, Mr. Elliot has given a correct account of his disputes
with the Raos of Daundia Khera. After his defeat there he was besieged
in his fort at Khajurgaon by Chet R4e, who drove him out, and symbol-
ized the destruction of the place by throwing five of its bricks into the
Ganges. His descendants were generally in arms either against Govern-
ment or their own relations, and their old prestige rendered the acquisition
of a taluqa in their case exceptionally rapid. R^na Raghun^th Singh was
engaged in continual wars with his cousin, Beni Madho Bakbsh, whose
genius threatened to eclipse the leading house and transfer the title of
Rana to Shaiikarpur. A ten years' war was ended by the usual compro-
mise by which both competitors were awarded the title. In 1843 A.D.,
Haidar Hearsey on his way to Partabgarh had left a small detachment at
Bhitargaon. The rdna considered this an unwarrantable interference and
burnt the station down. Haidar Hearsey was furiously angry at hearing
of this act of impertinence, and was not appeased by the ill-success of the
artillery he sent to chastise the aggressor. He soon arrived in person,
and defeating the rana before his new fort at Hajipur, drove him into the
old stronghold of Khajiirgaon. Here the besiegers were worthily resisted,
and their commander himself pointed the gun which he had slung in the
branch of a tree overlooking the fortress. Eventually Raghun4th Singh
escaped to the dense jungles of Nain, and returned to the enjoyment of
his estates when the danger had passed. He lived to engage under the
English for the largest estates in Baiswara, and was succeeded by his
grandson, Rana Shankar Bakhsh.
Gaura presents the same picture of continual opposition to the Lucknow
Government, of which some details will be given further on. Din S^h,
on one of the rare occasions when he condescended to appear in the Dal-
mau kaohahri, drew his sword on the tahsildar and was himself promptly
cut down.^ On the death of his brother, Lai Sah possessed himself of his
villages and rapidly acquired an estate. His usurpation of course led to a
continual dispute between his descendants and those of his brother, and in
1830 A.D., Inchha Singh, the nazim, divided the estate,giving three-fifths
to Lai Sah's representative, and the remainder to Bajrangbali with the name
of Narindpur CharhSr. From this division it is possible that Lai S£h was
really the elder brother, but Din Sah was up to the time of his death cer-
tainly the most prominent of the two.
Bikramajit, a younger son of Lai Sah, got the small estate of Khajuri.
The character of his clan is illustrated by a story told of him in which he
rivals Mucins Scsevola. Being informed by the n^zim in kachahri that
his assessment was to be raised, he replied by holding up his thumb a
coarse gesture with the same meaning as is expressed in English by
extending the fingers from the nose. The incensed official directed that
the thumb should be cut off, on which Bikramajit turned to his servant,
■and taking his betel scissors himself cut off the last joint, threw it iii
the nazim's face, and walked out of the tent.
RAE 235
Another story is told of a Bais zamindar who, when he was brought
from prison to kachahri, made a dart at the sword which was lying before
the nizim's masnad and struck at his tyrant's head. The discomposed
official rolled backward off his pile of cushions, the sword passed through
his clothes, and the Bais immediately plunged it into his own body and
fell down dead. We may perhaps congratulate ourselves that such scenes
do not occur in our own kachahris.
The taluqa of Girdhapur was got together by mortgage by a younger
branch of the rana's house, who were originally zamindars of Kiratpur
Charh&r.
Of Kurihar Satawan little remains to he said. When Gur Bakhsh
Singh died childless, Rana Raghunath Singh managed to get his ilaqa,
and kept it till 1832 A.D. Fateh Bahadur, the adopted son, recovered
it in the succeeding year with the help of Rana Beni Mddho, who stood
his security, and in his turn possessed himself of the estate. General
Sleeman interfered, and Fateh Bahadur recovered it on the payment of
Rs. 40,000 arrears. His son, Chandrapal Singh, him, succeeded and died
immediately on emerging from the tutelage of the Court of Wards.
Of Domandeo's descendants, Pilkha and Pahu remain. The original
village of the first family was Jagatpur Kota, and their attempts to form a
taluqa were not successful. Two small collections of villages were made,
but both were almost immediately absorbed by the rfinas, and they now
possess little more than their zamindari inheritance. The latter house
does not fall within this district, and when I was transferred to another, I
had as yet made no enquiries into their history.
Of Rudr Sah's descendants, Daulat Singh of Samarpha engaged for only
one village. His son, Lalji, began the foundation of a taluqa, and maintained
it in two fights with the ISTazims, Jai Ram P£nde in 1820, and Qutb-ud-din
Hasan Khan in 1827 A.D. His wealth is proved by the fact that he
built the great bazar of Lalganj, the central mart of Baiswara. The
widow of his son adopted Basant Singh who himself died childless during
the mutiny, and was succeeded by his widow Dariio Kunwar.
Almost the same story might be told with altered names for Chandania.
Dalpat Singh, the ally of Din Sah of Gaura, was temporarily driven out,
and separate engagements taken for all the neighbouring villages. On
the return of Lai Sah, he too returned, and he and his son put together
the estate now held by Sardar Singh.
At the time of Saadat Khan's invasion, Sadak Singh, the half brother
of Chet Rae, held the gaddi of Kurihar Sidhauli. His importance may be
conjectured from his marriage with a sister of the celebrated rebel Bhag-
want R4e Khichar, and both he and his father ruled an extensive tract
stretching from Bachhrdwan into the heart of the Lucknow district,-
embracing, at any rate nominally, nine parganas.
The direct line became extinct on the death of the brothers Bikramajit
and Sikandar Singh, and a cousin who had been converted to Kuham-
236 RAE
madanism was adopted as successor. His son found no difficulty in return-
ing to the religion of his forefathers, but the family still fasten their clothes
in the Muhammadan fashion. A son of Rahmat Ali Singh acquired the
small estate of Udhrera, a great portion of which was almost immediately
lost to the Banians of Mauranwan.
The r4ja's house remained in the obscurity into which it had fallen on
the death of Amar Singh. Digbijai Singh was, like Tilok Chand, brought
up in his mother's house at Patti Saifabad, and on reaching manhood suc-
ceeded in regaining some of the villages which had been usurped by his
cousins of the Rajkumdri branch. Up till annexation he never engaged
for more than Es. .5,000 or 6,000, and the present estates of his son, Eija
Shiupal Singh, were mostly confiscated from Babu Ram Bakhsh and Rana
Beni Madho, and granted to the raja in reward for his saving European
lives during the mutiny.
A careful look at the genealogical tree of the Bais will show, more
clearly than any description could, the ramification of their different fami-
lies. Of these only three besides the Rdo of Daundia Khera possess estates
in the Unao district. They are the Simbasi family of Pahu, the Naihesta
house of Pachhimgaon, and the Chhotbhaiya of Sandana. Of two of these
very little mention need be made. The Sandana family are much im-
poverished, and now possess only two villages where they once had sixty.
The Pdhu taluqa is also much fallen away from what it was when Mitarjlt
first founded it, but Bhup Singh has still some 20 villages in his estate.
Mitarjlt is a favourite hero with the bards, who tell many stories of his
prowess and of the amusement which his rustic plainness occasioned at the
Delhi court. When he first went to Delhi he attended the darMr, but
stood outside the entrance, expecting some one to invite him in. He
waited till it was all over, and when the R4jas of Jaipur and M4rw4r were
passing out they noticed his country manner, and thinking to make fun
of him asked who he was ? They were told " a R4ja of Baisw4ra." One
asked " what he wore two swords for f " To fight any two men who dare to
meet me" said he. The other asked " why did he not enter the darbdr,
but stood without at the door ?." He replied " that in his conntry it was
customary to invite the stranger, not to leave him to push his way in unin-
vited, but that as they had given their daughters and sisters to the king,
of course they could not be looked on as strangers ; so they were quite
right to go in." Incensed at this insult, they challenged him to single
combat.
Mitarjlt came to the field mounted on a mare, who on the first onset
became uncontrollable and ran away with him ; with great trouble he
stopped her and dismounted, pronouncing a curse on any member of his
race who should ever cross a mare's back ; and to this day no Bais of the
house of Pahu can be induced to mount a mare. Mitarjit returned to the
field on foot, and wounded both his antagonists.
A more corrected account may now be given of the rdo, or Daundia
Khera branch of the family, which up till the end of the eighteenth century
RAE 237
was much the most powerful. These scattered sketches of the scions of
this great family will, it is hoped, afford an idea of the utter historical con-
fusion and actual anarchy which the rule of a Hindu clan exemplifies.
Although so nearly connected, the rdo and raja were soon at deadly feud
with one another. Kao Kanak Singh killed the raja of the time being, who
had previously killed his brother Barsinghdeo. The blood feud was never
stanched, and the r^ja was the chief suiferer, for though the rao in later
days was highly unpopular, and the sympathies of every Bais except his
own branch of the family were against him, he kept up a constant pres-
sure on the raja, till he reduced him almost to a nonentity, his estate having
fallen away to Es. 6,000 in 1856.
In the ninth generation from Tilok Ghand, about 1,700 A.D., R4o Mar-
dan Singh was beginning to be famous. Hitherto the rdos had been
content with the seven and a half parganas which form the Daundia
Khera estate, but Mardan Singh recovered the seven parganas in the
Unao district, which had been lost to Baiswara since Tilok Chand's time,
and he also took from the Simbasis by force of arms, the greater part of
Patau and Bihar. About the same time, Chaitrdj, an illegitimate son of
Sidhauli, separated from his father's house, and built a fort at Pachhimgaon
(pargana Mauranwan), where he acquired a considerable estate. He was
a skilful and daring warrior, and though none of them would have
admitted him to sit or eat on equal terms with them, the whole Naihesta
branch recognised his superiority in warlike matters ; so that he was
looked on as the military leader of that portion of the Bais. Many
ballads are extant extolling his gallant deeds, and one of them narrates
the following story, which is interesting, not only as an example of
Rajput pride, but as illustrating the nature of a revenue settlement in
those days. When Saadat Khan was appointed Governor of Oudh, he
found that the revenue system of the province had fallen into great dis-
order under his predecessor. Raja Girdhar Bahadur, and he resolved to
repair this by a personal progress through the country and examination
into the state of things. When he reached Mauranwan he summoned all
the qaniingos of Baiswara, and called on them to produce the " daul" or
rent-roll of their respective parganas. They said what daul will you
have, and on being asked the meaning of their answer, they explained
that there were two dauls which a qanungo could give in — the " coward's
daul " and the " man's daul." In the " coward's daul " against every land-
owners name was written only the same sum which had been fixed on him
at the last assessment, but in the " man's daul" every one's rent was raised
in proportion to the improvement that had taken place in his land,
Saadat Khan called for the " man's daul," and the assessment of Baiswara
was doubled.
Then having summoned the agents of all the rajas and landowners in
full darbdr, he placed before him on one side a heap of pan leaves, on the
other a heap of bullets, and bade the agents, if their masters accepted the
terms offered them, to take up the p^n, if not, the bullets. One after another
they came forward and every one took up a pan leaf. SaMat Khan turned
round to one of his courtiers, and said in a sneering aside — " I had heard
238 RAE
great things of the fighting men of Baiswara, but they seem readier to
pay than to fight." By this time the pdn had been accepted by every one
except the agent of Chet Rae, who as being illegitimate held the lowest
rank, and therefore came last in order. He stepped forward and said —
" Nawab, my master was ready to accept your terms, but if you wish to see
how a Bais can fight, he will not refuse to gratify you. Give him but a
day to prepare himself, and then lead your forces against his fort." Next
day Saddat Khan attacked Pachhimg^on, and the battle raged all that
day with no success to the besiegers. In the evening the Nawab admir-
ing the gallant bearing of the man, sent to say he was quite satisfied
Avith that specimen of the bravery of Baiswara, and if Chet R^e would
come in now, he should be assessed at only half the sum that had been
fixed on his estate. Chet Rae accepted the terms and was received by
the Government with great distinction. From Baiswara Saadat went on,
past Tiloi and Amethi (in both of which places the rdjas resisted him and
were defeated) to Fatehpur where, after a sanguinary battle, he defeated
and killed Bhagwant Singh Khichar, who had rebelled against the Delhi
Government, and had already defeated the wazir's forces in a pitched
battle. Returning thence to Delhi, the king asked him if he had found
the people in those parts as turbulent as he had expected. " No " he said.
" No one gave me any serious trouble except the half sword of Chet Rae,
and the whole sword of Bhagwant Khfchar." Saddat Khan's assessment was
very heavy ( he is said to have raised the revenue of Oudh from seventy
lakhs to two crores), and when (in 1740) Mansiir Ali Khan succeeded his
uncle, and began a similar progress through thfe country, a panic seized all
Baiswara lest he should demand a similar increase on the former taxation,
which was more than the land could afford to pay. Many of the land-
owners fled across the Ganges in anticipation of his arrival, and there was
a general uneasiness. Rao Mardan Singh was now grown old, and desired
to end his days in quiet and to divide his estates among his sons ; so he
called them to him, and asked their advice in the present emergency.
The eldest, Raghunath Singh, advised instant flight to Daundia Khera,
from whence if necessary they could cross the Ganges in a moment. The
second, Udat Singh, could not see the use of flying ;" the Nawab had not
come yet ; perhaps he would not come at all ; perhaps he would not im-
pose hard terms ; and if he did, they had the fort there in which to fight
him ; and if they found themselves getting the worst of it, then as a last
resource they could fly." The third son, Achal Singh, said " the Nawab
has not yet crossed the Sai. Let me go to him at once, and he will be
pleased at our coming in so early to proffer allegiance, and we shall secure
good terms."
Rao Mardan then told them that he had spoken to try them, and that
he should divide his estate among them according to their answers. To
Raghunath Singh he gave Daundia Khera with its seven and a half par-
ganas, saying that he would now be as far off as possible from the seat of
Government, and could always gratify his propensity for running away.
To Udat Singh he gave the recently annexed parganas of Patan Bihar,
saying that he was brave and daring, and would have plenty to do to
maintain himself there against his antagonists. To Achal he gave the
RAE 239
six parganas attached to Purwa {i.e., all the Baisw^ra parganas in Unao
except Mauranw&n), as he would then be nearest the seat of Government,
and be best able to keep on good terms with the Governor.
Achal Singh was received into high favour by Mansiir Ali Khan, who
entrusted to him the collection of revenue throughout all Baisw^ra.
Udat Singh was less fortunate. The Simbasi and Naihesta branches
combined to recover their former possessions in Patau Bih4r. Amar
Singh (Simbasi), ancestor of the present Rdna Raghunath, and Chet
Rae of Pachhimgaon, were their leaders, and defeated the force of Udat
and Achal Singh in a battle in which Udat lost his life.
Achal Singh retired to his fort at Purwa greatly dispirited, and when
his enemies determined to attack him there, it was with great difficulty
that he was persuaded to try the chance of a second battle. But in the
meantime something had re-opened the old quarrel between the Simbassis
and Naihesta, and Chet Rae withdrew his forces in the middle of the fight.
Amar Singh in consequence was totally defeated, and lost even those attend-
ants of victory in which a Rajput's pride is so much wrapped up, his
nagaras or kettle-drums. Achal Singh sent them to Da^mdia Khera to
be carefully kept by the head of the house, and they were there till the
rebellion broke out, and probably were destroyed when the fort of Daundia
Khera was taken by Sir H. Grant in April, 1858. Not long before the
annexation R^na Raghunath Singh sent to Rao Ram Bakhsh Singh to
negotiate about their restoration, to which the R^o replied that the only
way in which they could be recovered was the same as the way in which
they had been lost. This challenge the rdna did not care to take up.
In 1655, when Shuja-ud-daula had been defeated by the Company's
troops at Buxar, he fled along the banks of the Ganges to Farukhabad.
As he passed Daundia Khera, Rdo Raghunath Singh shut his gates on
him, and refused not only to admit him, but also to assist him with pro-
visions and men. He then pursued his way till he reached Harha where
Achal Singh was at the time, and was received by him with every mark
of sympatiiy and respect.
Achalgave him both supplies and men, and. as he was travelling too
lightly to carry a large treasury with him, sent a quarter's revenue, which
was due from Baiswdra, to him at Farukhabad. The province was so
much disturbed that he had to conceal the money in fagots of wood,
which he put on men's heads, who thus passed through the country
unmolested. When peace was restored, Shuja-ud-daula marked his grati-
tude by showing him the highest favour and remitting three lakhs from
the revenue assessment of BaiswSra, and also by conferring the title of
raja an honour which strange to say has been acknowledged and confirmed
by the people.
This is perhaps the only case in which a title conferred by Government
on a Rajput Taluqdar has met with the sanction of the brotherhood, and
has taken root in popular parlance.
240 RAE
While Shujd-ud-daula lived Achal Singh prospered, but ^the favourite
of the father could hardly be popular with the son, and on Asif-ud-daula'a
accession in 1776 A.D., his accounts were examined, he was declared _ a
defaulter, and deposed from his position. A Sarwaria Brahman, Raja
Bhaw4ni Singh, was made nazim in his place. Achal Singh deeply resented
this. One day when he was attending the ndzim's darbar, he received some
slight insult, on which he instantly took poison and died on the spot. _ The
pacific character of Achal Singh descended to his progeny, but did not
serve them as well, for the family have been getting poorer in every
generation. They had no party in the country to support them ; for, as
before remarked, the Bais has not colonised at all in these parga-
nas, and Rao Mardan conquered them merely by force of arms.
Achal's descendants threw away the sword with which the estate had
been won, and remained dependent on the complaisance of the nazim,
who, if their friend, would sometimes make over to them a large estate,
or sometimes refuse them a single village. Thus the present repre-
sentative of the family, B^bu Debi Bakhsh, has had at one time an estate
worth Rs. 50,000 given him, but in most years his possessions have been
only one or two small rent-free villages. But for the accidental finding
of a large treasure in the fort of Purwa, the family could not have kept
up their dignity and position so long, and when Debi Bakhsh forfeited
everything by his obstinate persistence in passive rebellion, the glory
of the house departed.
There are many most interesting points connected with the Tilok-
chandi Bais, if space would permit of dealing with them. The direct des-
cendants of Tilok Chand in the legitimate line have sixteen taluqas and
779 villages, paying a revenue of Rs. 5,71,143 in the Rae Bareli district
alone. The extraordinary thing is that, notwithstanding the vicissitudes
of families, notwithstanding the internal wars and external pressure of an
almost always hostile Government, this family has kept firm hold of such
vast property.
While the much more numerous Kath Bais, who allege an equally lofty
royal lineage, have only as yet been able to acquire one village, the Tilok-
chandi Bais kept 900. Wars and intestine quarrels have weakened the
Tilokchandis, around them the other clans have always been hovering,
watching for an unguarded moment to break within their fence and
appropriate some of the rich lands which are always the first aspiration of
a Hindu. Apparently landed property then distributed among a few must
have been in a state of unstable equilibrium, yet till the mutiny of 1857
tempted the*' lords of Daundia Khera and Shankarpur to measure swords
with the British, the power of the Tilokchandi seems to have been
almost unbroken. This partly seems due to the liberal way in which the
younger branches of the family were always provided for. The eldest son
seems generally to have got only a larger portion than the others, innumera-
ble divisions of the property took place, the head of the family only had
property worth six thousand rupees out of the six hundred thousand
owned by the clan.
The very same thing is to be noted with the Kanhpurias and Som-
bansis ; the most powerful and prosperous Hindu clans were those who
RAE 241
neglected in practice the principle of primogeniture, and regarded their
raja not as the lord of the clan's property but as the ceremonial chief, the
social leader, and nothing more ; who were prepared to follow the military
guidance of any able scion of the family in despite of, or even in opposi-
tion to the nominal head to whom their allegiance was due. At the same
time there is no doubt that the name of Tilok Chand and the credit of a
lofty lineage have had a wonderfully conservative effect upon the minds of
the Hindus, constraining naturally dissonent elements into harmony.
Their estates are occupied by more than hal^ a million of inhabitants,
whom their internal wars have made miserable for three hundred years,
yet, as Mr. Benett points out, not so miserable as they would have been
without them. There is no longer now a necessity for them, and there is
little doubt that if the fostering hand of Government were withdrawn,
the whole Tilokchandi clan in the space of a hundred years would give
place to men more in accord with the spirit of the time. That their sub-
jects are beginning to question that divinity whose potency was rudely
assailed in 1857 is evident from the following anecdote related by Colonel
Macandrew. ; —
" These caU themselves Tilokchandi Bais to distinguish them from the
Kath Bais, who are supposed to be the offspring of the real Bais by women
of inferior caste. The Tilokchandi Bais will neither eat nor intermarry
with them. An instance of this was exemplified the other day when the
proposal was made that the Bais should erect a biidge over the Sai at
Kae Bareli. The Tilokchandis proposed that the Kath Bais should sub-
scribe. The latter at once professed their willingness to do so provided
the Tilokchandis would acknowledge them to be Bais by eating with
them. Nothing more was heard of the proposal that they should sub-
scribe. The Kath Bais are scattered over the district, generally in consider-
able communities, holding their villages both from Government and from
the taluqdars ; there are no Kath Bais taluqdars."
As a general rule family trees are not given in this work, but an excep-
tion must be made in honour of this heroic clan, nearly every name in
whose roll has a place in the annals of Oudh chivalry.
31
242
RAE
BAIS PEDIGREES UP TO
TILOK CHAND.
I
I
Budra Sab.
I
Batan Sah.
I
Kirpal Sah.
I
Bikramaji't.
Santokh Bae,
Clihatarpati
Kae.
I
Kans Rae.
Bbabhu Chand.
Earan Rae,
I
Jagat Rae.
I
SiddhQ Rae.
I
— ^ Ghatam
I Deo.
J Five others. |
Abhai Chand. Jajan Deo.
Sfil Bahan.
Sundar Kirt.
I
Baddri Kirt.
I
Siirat Bhan.
Earan Bhiin.
TTdai Bbaa.
Jagjai Bhan.
Ba] Deo.
I
Shankar Deo.
Asni Eiimar.
I
Ghuk Eumfir.
Bhagwant Rae.
Gumal Chand.
I
Eatoli Chand.
Tiparara Sah.
Farkhotam Sab.
I
Jagat Singh.
„ I
Pramal Deo,
Mdl Deo.
„ I
Hural Deo.
I
Jai Sakh Rae.
I
Bindiipat Rie,
Partap Sah.
TiLOK Cband.
Bir Bal.
E&e Taa.
I
Raja Satna.
I,
Sal Bahan.
I
Vajra Kumar.
Ghuk Eumar,
I
Puran Mai.
Jagau Mai.
Pramal Deo.
Mfinik Chand.
1
Bal Deo.
I
iTasdhar,
I
Hural Deo.
I
Eirpal Sah.
I
Ratan S&h.
I
Hindupat.
Raj Sah,
I
Partap Sah.
Eudra Sah.
I
Bikramaiit.
I
Santokh
R^e.
I
Chhatarpati.
I
Jagat R£e.
I
Abhai Chand.
Earan Rae.
Siddhu B&e.
Puran R&e.
I
Ghatam
Deo.
BXJA and bABTJ'8 HOUSE
OF BAIS.
I
TiLOK Chand.
PiRTHt Chand.
Ajai Chand.
I
, «. ,
I
Deo Rae.
Bhairon Dag,
T&ra Ghana.
SangrSm Singh,
I
Eanak Singh.
Pirthi Singh.
I,
Furandar.
Mairdan Singh.
I
Bhikham
Peo.
Bhoj RSj.
Nai^siogh
Deo.
Bh(ipat
Sah.
Chhatar-
pati.
I Amar Singh.
Jajan Deo. |
I Debi Singh
Banbir |
Deo. Ranjit
I Singh.
Rae Tas. |
(Harhar
Singh.
Raja Satna. |
iBashan
Singh.
TiLOK Chjnd. I
Zalim Singbi
1
I 1 I
Baghuntith Udat Acfaal
Singh. Singh. Singh.
Bhbpal j . I _ —
Sah. Bairi Sal. Hindii Ajit
I I Singh. Singh.
I Hari Singh. | |
Chandar- Basant Amar
man. SiAgh. Singh.
BS,m Debi
-— — « Bakhsh. Bakbsh.
I I >
I Daundia Furwa
Gopal Singh Ehera. Banbir-
pur.
Him Singh.
Aulad Singh.
Ehushal
Singh.
Ealian Singh.
I
Ban Singh.
Sobha Singh.
I
Digbijai Singh, Indarjit Singh.
I The B&jkumari
Shidpal Singh, Braach.
Rajas of Muiarmau.
RAE 243
PEDIGREE OF RKNAS AND OTHER SIMBASI BAIS HOUSES.
I
BSja Pirthi Chand.
TiLOE CUAND.
I
Bana Harhardeo,
I
Bam Chandar.
I
Khem Earan,
I
Shakt Singh.
I
Earan Bae.
I
Kaihegtha.
I
Bana Domandeo.
I
I
Ajit Mai.
Budra Sah.
I
Makund Bae.
I
Pahar Singh. Mitar Jit Singh. Enber Singh,
Eharag Singh.
1
Amar
Singh.
I
Sangr^m
Singh.
I
Pher S4h.
I
Chain
Singh.
I
Buddh
Singh.
Narind
Sah.
Gulal Sfih.
I
Dula Bae.
Nihal Sah.
I
Pal Singh Bhupat
I Singh.
Audhnt Singh.
Durga Bakhsh.
I
Shiu Farghad
Singh.
Aman Singh. Beni Madho.
I Shankar r-
Chunni Singh.
L
Hindupat.
I
Udat Singh.
I
PSnwar Singh.
I
Eirat Singh.
I
Ban Singh,
I
Chhatardharl.
Duni&pat.
I
Ealian Sah.
I
I
Indar Jit. Pirthi Bag. Hindupat.
Fateh Singh. Maha
I Singh.
Jai Singh. I
I Shiu Singh.
Mardan {
Singh. Daulao Singh.
I
Hindupat
Singh.
Lai Ji.
Achal
Singh.
I
Mohan
Singh.
I
Dalpat
Singh.
I
I
Gur Bakhah.
Achal
Singh,
Fateh Bahadur. Mihrban
Singh.
I
Sardar
Singh.
Chan-
dania.
Baghun£th
Singh.
I
Jadnnath
Singh.
1
Shankar
Bakhsh.
Banas of Eha-
jfirgaon,
pur.
Pirthi
Singh.
Barjor
Singh.
Basant Singh.
I
I Bhiip Singh. Widow
Fateh Bahadur. , Dariao Kunwar.
I Bishnath Satuarpha
Chandarpal Singh.
——\ Singh. I
I Eurihar Satfi- Shankar
Ahlad wan. Bakhsh.
Singh. Piihu Ehaa.
I
Eisal Singh.
Niwal Singh.
I
— ^ Mardan Singh.
Din Sah. Lai Sah. Jang Bahadur.
I I \
Sher Bahadur. Bam Bakhsh. Jaamohan Singh
I 1 Girdhapur.
Bajrang Bali. Indarjit.
Ajudhia Bakhsh. Bhopal Singh.
Nariudpur Charh- I
war. Widow Aehal Kunwar,
Gaura Easehli.
244
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RAE 245
Mr. Beuett's account of the district generally may now be reverted to.
The qanungos and qazis of Rae Bareli were naturally anxious to take
a place- in the taluqdari system, but their attempts were always foiled by
their too powerful neighbours, and they were only able to acquire the small
estates of Hardaspur and Binohra.
Each family of Musalmans was vexed by its special enemy among the
Hindus. Those of Bareli by the Kayaths, of Bhilwal by the Amethias, and
of Pahremau by the Kanhpurias. Up to annexation the first two were
tolerably evenly matched, but the Pathans of Pahremau had long been
overpowered. Subdued by Mohan Singh of Tiloi, they afterwards enjoyed
a brief respite during the vigourous period of Mughal ascendancy, and were
again utterly ruined by Tiloi and Simrauta on the revival of Hindu power.
For thirty years they supplicated the courts for their ancestral villageSj
and were reinstated at the fortunate moment when the wicked ceased to
have the power of troubling. During the mutiny they wore again burnt
out, and that they now hold a small estate is to be ascribed only to the
restoration of English Government.
The Chaudhris of Khiron were more successful, and Raghunath Singh,
the descendant of a Janwdr soldier, who had settled there in Aurangzeb's
reign, supplied by his money his want of family interest. He held his
villages however on a very precarious tenure, and was constantly being
ousted by one or another of the Bais competitors, nor is it likely that his
possession would have been long maintained if annexation had not frozen
the waves.
Though not falling directly within the scope of this report, it may not
be out of place to mention that the once illustrious rajas never succeeded
in acquiring any large estates. In about 1750 A.D., a Mahratta force
under a leader known on the spot as Bargi Rdo occupied Manikpur, and
found ten months amply long enough to ruin the local chieftains, and
impress a lasting memory of their sojourn. A Muhammadan family is not
supported by that living organization which preserves the Hindu clan and
its rdja, and when it falls it rarely recovers itself Thus the Gardezis
retained little but their title and the ruins of their palaces,' and when the
game of taluqa-making commenced were unable to take a hand. The
Bisens and the Kanhpurias filled the void they had left, and absorbedinto
their estates the villages of their old parganas. The three prominent cha-
racters just before annexation were Babu Ram Bakhsh, Rana Raghunath
Singh, and Rana Beni Madho Bakhsh, the two former supported by great
wealth and the prestige of an illustrious pedigree ; the latter celebrated
for his undaunted bravery and extraordinary bodily vigour.
Hitherto it has been my endeavour to state clearly the hare facts through
which the present social order has been developed, but my report would be
incomplete, if not unintelligible, without a short commentary describing
the stages and manner of the development. This divides itself naturally
into three periods, the first extending from the invasion of Shahab-ud-din
Ghori to the downfall of Jaunpur, the second beginning with the kingdom
246 RAE
of Tilok Chand and endiag with the reconquest by Saadat Khan, and the
last reaching down to annexation, during which the whole social fabric
•was changed by the Lucknow Government. Throughout, the main fact
has been the living growth of Hinduism, beside which the Muhammadan
empires, with their elaborate revenue systems and network of officials, have
been merely secondary causes, like artificial dams, temporarily impeding
and distorting the course of a strong river.
Of the first period little remains to be said. The Hindu clans were
slowly and painfully acquiring their hold on the soil which was never to
be permanently loosened. Their opponents were the Muhammadans, who
like them were invaders, and a Government already established in the
country. There are good grounds for believing that they found congenial
elements on the spot in the remains of older Hindu clans, who were living
in a state of subjection to the Bhars, but this subject is enveloped in much
obscurity, and I have not the information whioh would enable me to speak
with clearness and certainty.
All account of Ala-ud-din's connection with Oudh has been omitted.
There can be no doubt that he sent frequent expeditions into the country,
and his name is still dimly remembered ; but the fact that Chhattri pedi-
grees are silent on the point, proves that at that time the great clans of the
present day were not in the position of rulers; and the not unfreqaent dis-
covery of old Muhammadan coins in Bhar remains countenances the con-
jecture that the kingdom of that people was still flourishing. He yet lives
vividly in Mdnikpur tradition, which represents that Jalal-ud-din's head
was cut off as he was crossing the river from Karra, and carried by the
waves of the Ganges to the opposite shore, confusing with the more famous
story some circumstances of a Jaunpur sedition more than a hundred and
fifty years later. A bluff promontory overlooking Karra may have been
the site of the fatal pavilion, and three small tombs are pointed out as
covering the bodies of the old emperor and two of his relations. Amidst
a tangled underwood of briers, the remains of an ancient mosque and a
small stone slab before which villagers worship the impress of the feet of
Buddha, under the name of the Bhumia Rani (earth queen) carry the
imagination past a series of fallen empires.
Everything leads me to believe that up to the end of the first chapter
the invading Hindus had acquired no prominent position. Their most
powerful clan do not pretend to have spread beyond the very limited tract
now known as the seven and a half parganas, and the names Siddhijpur and
Ghdtampur, with their separate families of Siddhupuri and Gh^tampuri
Bais, probably mark the encroachments of successive rajas. After having
been driven back by the Jaunpur empire the returning wave found no-
thing to oppose it, and spread far and wide over the whole of the country.
The kingdom of Tilok Chand probably resembled in every way tha* of
the great Hindu rajas of the west, and it is not likely that he was more
than nominally dependent on the distant and distracted empire of Pelhi.
It has been seen the kingdom broke up immediately on the death of its
founder ; but it was unquestionably at this time that the country was -firsts
RAE 247
roughly distributed among the clans according to their position on th«
map of the present day. The accounts of the half century which elapsed
between the death of Tilokchand and the accession of Akbar are very
meagre, but no important new houses were thrown off, and it may be
surmised that the Raja of Murarmau, and the Rdna of Khiron, and the
Kanhpuria chieftains of Tiloi, Ateha and Simrauta, each exercised on a
smaller scale the sovereign powers of the 'first great r^ja. Some light is
thrown on the influence of Tilok Chand by the thorough insignificance of
the older Kaithola raja, when compared with the descendants of Parshdd
Singb, a cadet of the same house, whose greatness dates from this period.
Under the vigourous administration of Akbar and his successors, the
Hindu clans were naturally much depressed, and driven, so to speak, nearer
to the soil. Their connection with the villages in their domain became
much closer, new villages were founded, and the increasing numbers of
each family led to the establishment of the non-cultivating village proprie-
tors who are now known in our courts as old zamindars. The intervention
of a foreign rule, and the diminished danger of invasion from without,
deprived the rajas of half their attributes; the principle of unity was lost
sight of, and each member of a leading house was able when he separated
to assume in his new home almost all the privileges retained by the head
of his family. The ties of kinsmanship were however still vividly recog-
nized, and at the end of this period instead of a few unconnected rajas,
we find hierarchies of powerful zamindars, each immediate proprietor and
landlord of a few villages from which he drew his subsistence, and acknow-
ledged head of a larger circle from which he collected the militia levies of
his clansmen and their dependents for the prosecution of his private
disputes, or at the summons of the chieftain of his tribe.
When the Mahratta wars distracted the forces of the empire, and the
province of Oudh was no longer regarded at the Mughal court, the clan
system at once reassumed its old form as far as it was compatible with
the modifications which had been introduced during the preceding cen-
tury. The flames of war broke out over the whole district, and the sub-
ordinate centres of power united themselves for conquest or defence under
the banners of a leading raja, who again exercised the royal authority
which had fallen into abeyance. In his mud fort surrounded by the mud
hovels of his servants and the few handi craftsmen needful for the ordinary
wants of himself and his household, he received in council the heads of
the infeudated families, or held a court of justice to dispose of the prin-
cipal disputes of his subjects ; and when he went to war he was followed
by an enthusiastic army attached to himself and to each other by the
closest ties of common origin and common interests. Within his
rSj he exercised every degree of authority from the absolute pro-
prietorship of his private villages to the receipt of a feudal allegiance
from the great zamindars; and isolated in the midst stood the large
Muhammadan towns where the qdzi still dispensed the Koran, and the
kotwal preserved order and collected a few unimportant transit dues.
Two direct acts of ownership were exercised by the rAja over the soil.
The first was the appropriation of villages for the support of the younger
248 RAE
branches of his family and his principal retainers. When the head fort
became over-crowded, one or more communities of cultivators were
assigned to each of the offshoots which could not be accommodated at home,
the assignees went to reside in the villages granted to them, and instead
of being an inconvenience and possible source of danger, contributed to
the power of their chieftain. These idle and warlike bodies of zamindars
were found so useful in times of disturbance that their number was con-
tinually being increased by Rajputs from the DuSb, who came to reside
at the direct invitation of the lord paramount, or by members of wedding
processions who were induced to make their visit permanent.
The second direct proprietary act was the allotment of small patches
of uncultivated -land chiefly to Brahmans. Such grants were sanctioned
by all the solemnity of religious formalities, and the grantor had the
satisfaction of knowing that he secured the peace of his soul in the next
world, while the presentation of a handsome tribute or the remission of a
troublesome debt facilitated the conduct of the wars of this, and relieved
him of the necessity, always so hateful to a Chhattri, of making a regular
sale of his land. Similar grants were often made from purely supersti-
tious motives, to reward a successful astrologer, pension the family priest,
or secure the services of a celebrated pandit. Generally it may be said
that while the right to pay, as well as exemption from, the revenue was
conferred by the Delhi government, the proprietary right in the soil was
derived from the Hindu r&ja. Imperial grants though occasionally fre-
quent ia the neighbourhood of Muhammadan colonies, bear a very small
proportion, indeed, to the mass of proprietary rights derived from the
latter source.
Two other rights may be enumerated as invariable attributes of Hindu
chieftainship. The first was the calling out of the clan levies. The prin-
cipal subordinates held their lands on the condition of military service ;
and the regular enforcement of this condition by the raja against the larger
zamindars, and by them over the villages within the circle of their influence,
IS one of the most striking points of resemblance between the social system
of India, and the feudalism of Europe. The exercise of this right was
strongly approved of by public opinion, and the man who refused to attend
when the "gohar" was sent round, was sure at least of having his house
burnt about his head.
The second was the receipt of tribute which his subjects never withheld
even m the worst days of his struggle with the central authority, and sent
to him with almost equal regularity when he was ruling with despotic
power from his fort, and when he was a proscribed rebel hiding for his life
m the jungles. Twice at least in every year— at the Holi in spring, and at
the festival which ■ commeiriorates Ram's victory over Rawan in the
autumn, the villagers flocked to offer their tribute to their hereditary
ruler ; and it is probably from this source that his never overfull treasury
received its principal supplies.
j'^T^^^,'^^^ *^® Kanhpuria had carried his conquests from Rae Bareli
and Manikpur far into the Fyzabad and Bara Banki districts ; the Sombansi
RAE 249
was the bead of another considerable principabty containing the present
seat of his clan, and stretching across the Ganges to the east of Allahabad;
the rana led a number of almost equal chieftains in Rae Bareli, Dalmau,
Khi'ron, and Sareni. The R o of Daundia Khera ruled from Bihar to the
centre of Unao; and the Naihesta at Sidhauli held Bachhrawan and several
parganas in the present district of Lucknow.
No very clear record is preserved of the relations which existed between
the Hindu and Mughal governments ; generally the chiefs seem to have
held aloof, and looked on at a system of officials they were not strong
enough to interfere with. Occasionally they contributed a quota of men
to the imperial forces, and every now and then a troublesome chief was
conciliated by jaglr of territories already practically his own. The grants
of mansabs became especially common in the period of weakness which
succeeded the outbreak of the Mahratta wars, when the emperors were
glad to attach to themselves powerful elements which they could not sub-
due. But we never find any great house taking a place in the regular
ra,nks of local officials, and the fact that the office of chaudhri was never
held by one of the leading clans of the district, throws some light on their
position. The nature of this office is accurately described by Mr. Elliot
in his chronicles of Oonao. It was generally held by respectable but
thoroughly second rate families, such as the Janwars of Khiron, Kath Bais
of Jagdispur, the Shekhs of Bhilwal, and the Kayaths of Rae Bareli. The
Bais, the Kanhpurias, Sombansis, and even the Amethias never contributed
a single member to this order. The Bisens of Rampur might be quoted
as an exception, but the universal tradition of the neighbourhood asserts
that they rose on the ruins of the raje family of Manikpur after its destruc-
tion by the Mahratta ; and its truth is, in my opinion, strongly confirmed by
the fact that they and not the r^jes were the pargana chaudhris.
Saadat Khan's invasion of this district was particularly well timed.
Mardan Singh was past the prime of life, and the expiring embers of the
opposition to the aggressive policy of Daundia Khera had been resuscitated
by Chet Rae : where one chieftain might have been successful two were
certain to fail. The Ranas of Khajurgaon had shortly before been hum-
bled by Chhabile Ram of Allahabad; and the R ja of Tiloi, after having
reduced all other elements of resistance, was too old and feeble to assert
his independence, as he certainly would have ten years earlier.
The first problem which presented itself to the conqueror was the union
of the elements he found existing in Oudh, under his own central authority;
and a promising solution was arrived at when he acknowledged the chiefs
in their respective parganas, and entrusted to them the collection of the
Government revenue. The arrangement was in every way a good one, as
the pargana boundaries very generally corresponded with the limits of the
chieftain's authority and the distribution of his clan, and each was already
furnished with a body of hereditary revenue officials.
The chieftain was allowed to retain rent-free the_ villages which he had
previously kept for his own maintenance, and as neither he nor Delhi had
probably drawn much revenue for many years from the remainder, it, was
not to be anticipated that he would feel much repugnance to the collection
32
230 RAE
of an impost which did not affect himself. His old tribute was sanctioned
and defined by the permission to levy for his own use two rupees per
annum from each village in his pargana, and he could hardly have incurred
much danger by exceeding this moderate limit. In one case I noticed a
curious order providing for the senior but less important Kumhrawan house
by the grant of one anna on the cultivated bigha throughout the four par-
ganas which had been assigned in the usual form to the Pukhra Ansari
Amethia.
The power of disposing of the waste lands was never interfered with,
and in many cases* the deed of the local chieftain was sanctioned by a
sanad from Lucknow. He was not however permitted to assign whole
villages as before, and his position is forcibly illustrated by the permission
occasionally given him to purchase the right of engaging for the Govern-
ment demand as proprietor in particular villages in which he already col-
letted the revenue as head of the pargana. In these pargana grants he is
usually described as the zamindar, but I have seen the word taluqdar
applied as early as 1760 A.D. to Diwan Bakhsh, who collected the revenue
of the Maurauwan pargana, holding three villages as his private property,
and receiving one rupee at each harvest from each of the rest. This
compromise seems to have been very usual, and except in the case
of an obstinate rebel like Balbhaddar Singh, to have been attended by toler-
able success down to near the end of the eighteenth century.
At that time the heavy demands of the English and the extravagance
of the Nawabs had brought the country to the verge of bankruptcy, and
every nerve was stretched to realize as much revenue as could possibly be
extorted from the people. The pargana tenure was found clumsy and un-
profitable, and separate engagements were taken from the village pro-
prietors. This proceeding, which reduced the chieftain to the level of one
of his own subordinate zamindars, met with the most strenuous opposition,
and it was found impossible to continue governing on this principle.
Sometimes by favour, but more often by force, the chieftains repossessed
themselves of single villages, and adding one or two each year to their
engagements, for the first time began to hold small estates exactly corres-
ponding to the taluqas of to-day.
A report from the tahsildar of Dalmau, dated 1809 A.D., gives a lively
picture of the difiiculties under which the revenue was collected. Din
SAh, the zamindar of Gaura, had covered fifteen acres with a fort which he
defended with two guns and a hundred matchlockmen. At his call
Shiu ParshM Singh brought three hundred stout villagers from Shankar-
pur. Dalpat Sah of Chandania, and Fateh Singh of Samarpha, could
between them raise a thousand men, and at the prospect of a fight the
Kanhpuria zamindars trooped in from the Nain jungles ; so that a levy
01 two thousand men could be raised at a moment's notice. By royal ■■
command the fort at Gaura was burnt, but the army had hardly turned.
ts back when another rose from the smoking ruins, and the baffled official
represents that the diabolical ingenuity of a wandering Englishman sug-
have seen cstances in Gosda where the Lucknow sanad has been coufirmed in royal
style by the Bisen r&j.
RAE 251
gested the p]ati of the new gateway. Not only did this chief generally
refuse to pay any revenue himself, but he rendered it impossible to collect
in the neighbouring villages, by destroying the crops of zamindars who
were more inclined to acquiesce. At one time he was caught and shut up
in the Dalmau fprt in consequence of a quarrel with the merchant who
stood security for his villages, but he soon made his escape to the jungles,
and it was found that he wa.s a more intolerable nuisance as a proclaimed
outlaw than he ever had been before, and he was brought back by the bribe
of a village rent-free. To this he soon added eleven more, and after he
had been cut down in the Dalmau kachahri in 1795 A.D., his brother, Lai
Sah, and nephew, R&m Bakhsh, continued the same policy, and in 1810
A.D. engaged for 29 villages, 21 of which belonged to other zamindars,
" who," writes the tahsildar, " still attend my kachahri in person, though
I am obliged to let their villages remain in the Gaura engagement."
This report gives a tolerably faithful picture of the state of affairs
throughout the district, officials attempting to collect direct, and resisted
by chieftains who would not tolerate interference in their neighbourhood,
and acquired by force an estate reckoned by single villages instead
of their old general superintendence of a pargana, as their still older
and still more vague supremacy within the limits of their raj. The
last twenty years of the eighteenth century saw the taluqa proper in its
infancy ; and it is not probable that it would ever have attained its pre-
sent enormous development, but for the introduction of the contract sys-
tem. The immediate effects of this both in enlarging the taluqas held by
the ancient local chieftains, and in introducing strangers who were attract-
ed by the position of landed proprietor, have already been described
minutely and clearly in the chronicles of Oonao, and I need not go over
the same ground again.
It is easier to discern the various revolutions which have taken place in
their internal polity than to ascribe a beginning to the village communi-
ties. They seem to have originally consisted of a society of labourers,
each in the possession of the lauds in his immediate cultivation, and pre-
sided over by a leading member who collected and apportioned the inci-
dence of the Government revenue. For these services he was remunerated
by a light assessment on his peculiar holding, and the right to a due
known in royal farmdns as muqaddami, which has perhaps survived in a
number of forms to the present day. Within the reach of history there
was probably no village in which more land had not accumulated in the
hands of two or three influential families than they could till themselves
without the help of tenants or hired labourers, still I am induced to believe
that for some time after Akbar, villages in the exclusive proprietary pos-
session of one non-cultivating family were the exception and not the rule.
Where villages were assigned to Chhattri zamindars, all the rights of the
former cultivating proprietors rapidly disappeared. Even in villages not
thus appropriated, the common and unrestrained right of sale favoured
accumulation of property, and, on the principle that wealth gathers wealth,
we often find that one rich family had become the sole proprietors, and, in
imitation of their Rajput neighbours in the sanie position, assumed the title
252 RAE
of zamindar. A third case was when the village was included in the taluqa
before its acquisition of a zamindari body, and these are the villages in
which we are told that the taluqdar is the sole zamindar.
For the first class of villages I take an instance from the Haidargarh
pargana. About two hundred years ago the cadets of the Kumhra-
wA,n rdj had to be provided for, and Mdn Singh was assigned the village
of Bhawanigarh. He found it occupied by a mixed community of
Kurmis and Brahmans, whose rights he speedily extinguished, and his
descendant, Qalandar Singh, is now in full proprietary possession of the
village. The descendants of the heads of old society still retain the name
of muqaddam, though it has ceased to have much meaning. A fair
example of the second class is Katra Bahadurganj near Salon, a village
famous under the king's rule for its panch^yats. The litigants were
summoned before a board and stated their case ; if it was not perfectly
clear witnesses were dispensed with, and the parties separately consigned
to solitary confinement and a meagre diet. It was seldom that many
months elapsed before a deed of compromise released the prisoners, and
rewarded the patience of the judges by a satisfactory settlement of the
dispute. This village was sold in numerous small parcels by people of
every caste, on deeds extending over fifty years, to the Sayyads of Saloa.
In the third case the muqaddams retained their title and collected the
rents for their landlord instead of the Government. The retention of their
rights depended chiefly on the proximity of the landlord, and in ordinary
zamindari villages they had long altogether disappeared.
Generally the muqaddam had yielded to the zamindar, and again in
most instances the zamindar to the taluqdar, but the village remained an
integral unit in society, and the old rights left their traces on the mOst
recent constitution.
The foUSwing is from the sepoy war touching the fights during the
mutiny, 1857-S8: — " On the morning of the 12th May I went to Kagar,
and hearing that the enemy had taken up a position in force at Simri,
five miles in an easterly direction, I started for that place the sjime
afternoon. The weather was becoming fearfully hot ; and to add to our
discomfort, a duststorm was raging, accompanied by a hot wind. Never-
theless we caine up to the position at 5 o'clock p. iff., and found a strong
force of the enemy, estimated at 1,500 infantry and 1,600 cavalry, with
two guns posted along a nullah, with broken ground around, and a large
jungle in their rear.
" Their cavalry was on our right flank, ready to pounce down on our
baggagfi; bixt my mind was easy on this point, as I had left it some
distance behind in a secure position, protected by 200 infantry, two gunsj
and a squadron of cavalry. The ball opened on our part with a shower
of shot and shell. The Rifles and Sikhs were extended in skirmishing order,
with the 38th and 9th in reserve, and covering the heavy guns. We soon'
cleared the nullah of the rebels, killing Amrathan Singh, a wealthy and
influential taluqdar or landholder, and his brother, and takiiig two guns.
The enemy werew in full retreat, and as it was becoming dark, I threW
out my pickets, and ordered the troops to bivouac,
RAE 253
" tn the Iniddle of the night we were suddenly awakened by a scream,
followed by the thiid of the hoofs of horses galloping about. We all
supposed that the enemy's cavalry had broken in upon us favoured by the
darkness, and a general commotion took place. A buUock-diiver was
killed, and Captain Gibbon * of the artillery was twice knocked down,
finally wounding himself accidentally with his revolver. The Rifles also
set to work in grim earnest, eVery one fighting against his neighbour, and
breaking each others heads with the butt-ends of their rifles. Fortunately
at the time none happened to be loaded, or the loss would have been serious.
As it turned out, ten or twelve men were sent to hospital. The alarm
had been caused by a snake creeping over the face of a Madras sepoy,
who, terror-stricken, started up with a scream. The confusion was then
increased by several of our horses breaking loose and galloping about.
" The discomfort of having entire horses on a campaign is not to be told ;
and yet the Government of India have never had strength of mind to
alter the system, though it has been denounced over and over again by
evei^ one competent to judge." — Pages 273-275, " The Sepoy War."
Antiquities — This district, as will be gathered from the historical sketch,
presents many objects of interest to the antiquarian. The principal are
found in the towns of Rae Bareli, Dalmau, and Jais. The forts of Rae
Bareli and Dalmau are supposed to have belonged to the ancient Bhar
chiefs, Dal and Bal, after whom they are named. The former is a vast
quadrangular structure consisting of a high earthen mound which has
been faced with brick. The gate is composed of huge bricks eighteen
inches long by twelve thick ; in one comer is a hdoli, a vast well about
35 feet in diameter, the sides have fallen in, but a good portion is still
perfect, and it still contains water. In the interior are various buildings
of no interest. The only local superstition appears to be the adoration of
the manes of a poor Teli and his wife, who it is alleged were bricked up
in the wall by the cruel barbarian Bhar chief who , found his foundation
giving way, and was told that they would not stand firm till a couple of
Hindus were sacrificed. The legend is interesting as evidencing the popular
belief that the Bhars were not of Arian descent.
There are no distinct traces of Buddhist origin abotit the fort except the
bricks which probably belonged to some local shrine. Unlike the Dalmau
fort, there is no elevated plateau inside.
There is a ditch outside, and the original design of the work is
obviously for military purposes, of course it is possible that some prior
•structure may have been embraced in the circumvallation,
JhIs is separately described.
The fort at Dalmau is an object of much more interest from several
points of view. It is an irregular, quadrangle with its base on the
river forming one of the long sides ; it might be more correctly described
perhaps as shaped like a javelin head, with its point to the south-east, one
' How Colouel Gibbon, C.B.
254 RAE
edge along the river, another to the east facing the ruins of the old town,
and two short sides forming an advancing angle at the back. The two
north-eastern sides are respectively 163 and 315 yards long, the other two
are of nearly equal dimensions, and the entire circumference may be esti-
mated at 900 yards or above half a mile. The corners however are
advanced considerably, and the space is therefore circumscribed within by
the retreating ramparts. The land sides particularly are almost cresent
shaped, and good flanking fire could be kept up from the advancing angles
on every part of the rampart. The defences consist of vast earthen
mounds from 40 to 60 feet high and some hundreds of feet thick, for- in
point of fact, except at one break in the middle where a deep hollow
extends right through from the river face, the fort consists of one immense
artificial mound covering about eight acres, which was originally crowned
with a wall, and appears to have been partially fenced with masonry all
round.
At the south-east corner of the nver face the masonry is still standing,
the earth is cased with brickwork about fcur feet thick, and sloping at an
angle of about 30 degrees to the ground; from this at a perpendicular
height of about 40 feet the battlements'rise wall within wall, each outer
one acting as a buttress for that on the inside — and the whole is crowned
by a hdrahdari, or the place of twelve doors — an open pavilion about one
hundred feet above the river, to which at this point the descent is a sheer
perpendicular.
The entire river face is scarped either by nature or the action of the
water, to the land sides the slopes are more gradual, but still would be
very difficult to escalade.
It does not appear as if this work was originally designed for military
purposes ; there is no ditch on the land side and never has been; it further
appears on examination that the steep scarp in many places was replaced
originally by terraced steps, some of which with their brick casings are still
to be seen. The remains of wells, too, are found outside the defences, only
one small and modern well is within the enclosure ; the mass of earthwork
also is quite beyond what would be required even to resist modern artillery,
and for defence against the engines of mediaeval India exhibits an unac-
countable prodigality of labour. It is apparent on inspection that the
work is one of different ages; in several places the torrents of rain
from the high plateau within have forced their way out, forming yawning
rifts or ravines, on entering which it appears that considerably within the
present outer line of circumvallation, there exists a brick wall of excellent
material and fine work laid without lime resembling in all respects the
early Buddhist work to be seen at Samdth.
This wall appears to have been formerly all round the place; in some
places it has been removed, on others the upper wall, which was formerly
much higher than it appears at present, has tumbled down in vast masses
forming a glacis of mixed materials and concealing the ancient wall; the
wall in fact has doubled over, and the inner casing of earth alone is visible.
The interior is studded here and there with houses, mosques, and tombs of
RAE 255
masonry of very inferior workmanship ; a fine gateway to tlie east is also of
modem date, and largely composed of carved slabs square and column
shaped, which formed a portion of some more ancient building. The
carvings are partly buried in the brickwork, and architraves have been
worked in upside down.
It would appear that this fort consists really of two of those great
Buddhist vikdrs on mounds which are still found at Sanchi, Amritapur,
and on the Haz£ra frontier. These mounds were generally circular, and
had a perpendicular casing of masonry which rose in terraces, while the
top was shaped into a solid dome. They were accessible by stairs, sup-
plied with balustrades, and used for the open, air ceremonies of the Bud-
dhist faith.
Apparently two of these adjoined as was often the case ; the original
height was probably not less than 150 feet, a very mediocre elevation for
these edifices. After the peaceful Buddhist period witnessed by Hwen
Thsang expired, some military leader, Raja Dal or his ancestor, seeing the
advantage of the position connected the two mounds, probably lowering
their height and forming the whole into a vast plateau with a hollow in
the centre, which was not filled up to the original level.
This of course is mere conjecture; what seems certain is that the entire
structure is an artificial one ; the floods have laid low the very foundation,
ajid at a depth of 60 feet from the surface, bricks and pottery pared away
by the river, attest that the entire mass has been placed there by the hand of
man. If so, this huge mound would have served no known purpose but that
for which the Buddhist raised his tope, while the terraces, the brick plinth,
and wall, the ancient carving, and numerous stone pillars, lintels, and
balustrades, of types well known in Buddhist architecture, attest the same
fact.
This mound, with its tottering pavilions and crumbling battlements, is
perhaps the most picturesque object on the banks of the Ganges in Oudh.
Nor is it without interest from a military point of view. The deep stream
of the Ganges, the only navigable branch, flows under the overhanging
battlement from which yearly it cuts a portion away. In the face of the
cliff so formed are seen walls, floors, arches, and vaults, strangely carved
blocks of stone protrude themselves, here and there appear large earthen
jars, the latter probably used for some funeral purpose — all seem thrown
together in one chaotic compost. These fragments of the ancient buildings
Been in vertical section are embedded in the clay, and present a strange
medley of relics of the past ; each year some structure probably 2,000 years
old is unearthed by the river, is seen for a few months by the boatmen
•whose vessels pass underneath, and with the floods of the next moonsoon is
again swept away or tumbles into the torrent.
RAE BARELI Pargana—Tahsil Rae Baeeli — District Rae Baeeli. —
This large pargana lies on both sides of the river Sai ; it is bounded on the
south by Dalmau,' on the east by Salon and Rokha Jais. It is twenty-
five miles from north to south, and twenty-one from east to west. Its area
256 RAE
is S71 square miles, divided into 363 villages, of which 283 are taluq-
dari, 60 are zamindari, and 20 pattidari. The Government revenue is
Rs. 5,34,925, which falls at the rate of Rs. 2-4-0 per acre.
The pargana is said to have been called after Rae Bdl, a Bhar chieftain,
brother of Dal, who founded Dalmau ; others state that it was named so
because it was the capital of the Bhars. The headquarters of the pargana is
Rahi, a place about three miles north of Rae Bareli, which was originally
called Bharauli or Barauli. The grea.t Bais R^ja, Tilok Chand, having no
children of his own adopted his diwin's son, Nabh Rae, a Kayath ; he had
some time afterwards several natural children ; he then provided for Nabh
Rae by giving him 178 villages-rent free. , This happened in 1350 Sambat
(A.D., 1293). Nabh Rae founded the village Harchandpur calling it after his
son, and fixed his residence there. His descendants divided into twenty-eight
branches who live in as many separate villages ; these are therefore called
the " Atthaisa" Kdyaths.
The Bhars are said to have risen again to power after the death of Tilok
Chand, and the Bais and Kayaths united several times contended with
them in battle. The Bhars were finally overthrown by Ibrdhim Sharqi of
Jaunpur. Such is the tradition given in this pargana, which differs how-
ever from those current elsewhere.
The Jaunpur sovereign divided the present pargana into four muhals or
tappas — Rahi, Bhdwan, Bachewan, Anguri. Akbai constituted the par-
gana of Rae Bareli in Sarkar Manikpur, and Saadat Ali Khan made the
chakla of Bareli in the nizamat of Baiswara.
The Kayath family already mentioned served the Bais chiefs for six
generations as diwdns, from the time of Abhai Chand to that of Tilok
Chand. Akbar made them chaudhris and qantingos of the pargana. Tha-
kur Bijai Singh, Aurangzeb's diwan, belonged to this family, and got the
title of khwaja from his master. These Kayaths are still called Thakurs,
because they are descended from Raja Tilok Chand's adopted son, an
instructive fact ; they style the Bais gentlemen of the pargana in familiar
correspondence " Bhayya S^hib," and are styled by them " Thakur
Sahib." The present representatives of the family are the Qanfingo,
Majlis R^e, of Bareli, and Thakurain Jogr^j Kunwar, Taluqdar of Har-
dSspur.
The entire population is 212,533, of whom 12,969 or six per cent, are
Muhammadans. The Sai passes through the pargana, but is useless for
irrigation as its channel is very deep. The river Naiya also passes through
it to Jais. The Isoi, the Bas-ha, the Kharhi, the Baita, are all rivulets
of this pargana and affluents of the Sai. The Baita rises in a lake near
the village Thulendi.
The land towards the east lies low, that to north-west and south is high;
to the south the soil is sandy, elsewhere it is a good loam ; towards the
south irrigation is effected from tanks, the wells are not lasting ; the
climate is tolerably good.
RAE
257
Markets are held every day in the principal town — Bareli, Capperganj,
Jahdnabad, Darwaza Qila alias Purana bazar. The names and days on
which the other bazars are held are tabulated thus :—
Names of markets.
Days on which held.
Sahdeoganj
Sunday and Wednesday.
Sarayyan in village Sarae Dfimu
Ditio
Sbamsherganj in village Khatwara
Ditto.
Bishnatbganj in village Bahwa
Sunday and Thursdiy
Oauriganj in Haidaspur ... ... ,;.
Saturday and Tuesday.
Gurbakhshganj in Ulush
Ditto.
Aseha
Ditto.
B&hi
Ditto.
BelaJJnki
Monday and Friday.
Husengarj in Kasur
Sunday and Wednesday.
Hanomanganj in Bela Bhela
Ditto.
Bamganj in Indohar
Ditto.
Ropfimau
Tuesday and Friday.
Bela Khar
Saturday and Wednesday.
Ganesbganj in Biharpur
Tuesday and Friday.
Munabiganj in Garhi Mitauli ...
Sunday and TbutBday.
Of all these markets that of Capperganj and of Munshiganj only need
mention. Capperganj was built by Mr. W. C. Capper, C.S., while he was
the Deputy Commissioner of this place. The market is four-sided and
stands on the roadside, and contains about a hundred masonry built shops.
Almost every kind of commodity is bought there ; English articles are for
the most part imported from Cawnpore and Fatehpur vid the Ganges near
the Dalmau Ghat. Metal plates, goblets, and drinking cups are brought
in from Hasanpur Bandhua, a place famous for them in district Sultan-
pur, country cloth from Jais, vegetables and fruit from Lucknow.
The second Munshiganj, or more properly Diwanganj, was built by
Diwim Chandi Sahae, brother to Munshi Gur Sah^e, Kdyath, noblemen of
Lucknow. These two brothers were the assistants to the prime minister,
Nawab Ali Naqi Khan of Oudh. The ganj stands on the metalled road
from Bareli to Dalmau about two miles south of the former.
Hanomdnganj and Husenganj are the principal cattle markets; at the
latter fifty or sixty head are sold generally every market day ; the price of
a good pair is Rs. 100. The cattle merchants give long credit ; if the
purchaser does not meet his engagement at the appointed date, the seller
and all his brother dealers assemble and demand to be fed by the
defaulter till he makes good the price.
There are two fairs held in the town of Bareli, each attended by ten or
twelve thousand people. One termed the Ramlila about the middle of
October, the other in the Muharram. A fair is held on the Queen's birth-
day at the village Chaul4mau near the tank of Diw^n Kewti Ram.
Saltpetre and salt were formerly manufactured in above 50 villages, and
the annual outturn was 6,000 maunds of salt and 1,300 saltpetre ; this has
been stopped since annexation. The principal landholders of this district
33
258 RAE
are Bais Chhattris, but the principal of them, Rana Beni Madho, lost all
his estates in the mutiny. The Bais are not however very ancient land-
holders; they came to this pargana about 1090 A. H., just at the close of
Alamgir's reign.
Rae Bareli is mentioned in the Xin-i-Akbari as belonging to the Kanh-
puria who spread hither from the adjoining pargans of Jais and Salon. The
original habitat of the Bais was Daundia Kheri now in Unao.
EAE BARELI — Pargana Rab Babeli — Tahsil Rae Barbli — District
Rae Rareli. — This town lies in latitude 26°H'' north, longitude 81°17'
east, forty-eight miles south-east of Lucknow, thirty miles north of Fateh-
pur, North- Western Provinces, 52 miles north-west of Partabgarh, and
56 miles due west of Sultanpur. It was founded by Bhars, and after them
called Bharauli, altered afterwards to Bareli. Some say that it is called
Rae Bareli from. Eahi, a town three miles from Bareli, the original head-
quarters of the pargana.
A third account attributes the name to its having long been in possession
of Kayaths generally called rae.* Husen Shah, the king of Jaunpur,
changed the name to Husenabad" but the novelty was not lasting. It is
the headquarters of the pargana, tahsil, district, and division, bearing the
same name.
It is pleasantly situated on the river Sai, here spanned by a fine bridge ;
the picturesque temples and minarets of the old town are now rather in
decay, but the huge crenelated battlements and gateways still rise grandly
above the rich crops.
The town was handed over to Shekhs and Sayyads in 820 Hijri by
Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi after he had killed Bdl, the Bhar chief, said to be
the eponymous hero of the place. In 1040 Hijri, during the reign of Shdh
Jahan, Subahdar Nawab Jahan Khan, Pathan, founded Jahanabad in the
village of Ikhtiyarpur; this has always been considered a muhalla or ward
of Bareli.
_ The town flourished, as it was always reckoned the healthiest spot in the
district or the neighbourhood. Different muhallas or wards were founded
at different times, and the descendants of the founders still are proprietors.
Muhallas Qasbana, Neza Andaz, Sayyad Rajan, Bans Tola, Pirai H4mid,
were founded by Musalmans; Jaunpuri, Khali Sahat, Surjipur by Brahmans;
Khatrauni Khurd and Kaldn by Khattri treasurers of the Jaunpur kings;
Shah Tola by the king's purveyor. The sovereign erected in 820 Hijri
(A.D. 1403), a very spacious and strong fort ; this was probably made with
bricks belonging to still more ancient buildings ; they are two feet long, one
foot thick, one and a half wide.
An ancient bAoli yawns in the centre; this is a huge circular tank or
weU dug down to the springs and then lined with brick walls, supporting
balconies and containing chambers on a level with the water. This one
is 108 yards in circumference, and when in'good repair must have been a
pleasant retirement in the hot weather.
* Pag« 69, « Elliott's Chronicles of Oonao."
RAE 259
Tradition relates that when the fort was building, whatever was erected
during the day fell down in the ensuing night. After some days of such
futile labour, the king called for the holy saint Makhdum Sayyad Jdfri
from Jaunpur ; his holy footsteps trod the precincts, and no more interrup-
tion was given to the work. The saint's tomb is beside the gate of the
fort.
The magnificent tomb and palace, Rang Mahal of Nawab Jahan Khan,
adorn the suburb of Jahanabad. During the reign of Shuja-ud-daula,
when the Mahrattas were hovering round trying to invade Oudh, a number
of the degenerate nobles were so terrified that they took up their residence
inside the fort, and built themselves houses in which descendants still reside.
Since annexation a fine masonry bridge of five arches, twenty-eight feet
broad, has been constructed over the Sai; the work was inaugurated by Mr.
W. Glynn, the late Deputy Commissioner ; the expense (Rs, 36,000) was
defrayed by a subscription of the taluqdars. A fine idgah or assembly
room for the Id festival was built by Shekh Najaf Ali Khan, the money
being subscribed by the Musalmans of the neighbourhood.
Several tanks also have been made since annexation ; so although the
residents may not be so wealthy as they were in former times, they put
their means to better use.
The population is 11,544, of whom Bareli proper contains 6,542 and
Jahanabad 5,002. The Muhammadan -population consists of 2,446 Sunnis,
and 40 Shias. Notwithstanding, an order had to be passed forbidding the
latter to bring their tazias in procession past the houses of the much more
numerous Sunnis. Most of the Hindus are low castes, there being only
372 Brahmans.
Sahdeo Singh and Gulab Singh, Sikhs, have a number of followers who
reside in the town. The former is the grandson of Maharaja Ranjit Singh,
the ruler of the Punjab ; the latter was one of his generals ; they are in
honourable banishment and have got estates here.
There are four fine mosques, besides others of less note, and 337 masonry
houses. The Jama Masjid was built by Sultan Ibrahim Sharqi of Jaun-
pur, and repaired in 1089 A.H. i>j the emperor Alamgir. The second great
mosque was built in 1040 A.H. by Nawab Jahdn Khan. The third by
Shah Alam-ulla ; it has no domes, but three spacious halls, and is a copy
of the Kaba at Mecca. The fourth mosque is in the sjiburb Daira, and
was built by a son of Shah Alam-ulla. Two Hindu temples, one to
Mahadeo and one to Mah^bir, suffice for the less fervent devotions of the
Hindus.
There are two schools, one with 150 pupils, the other a Christian Mission
school with 70. A dispensary and a caravan-serai, built since annexation
by RAja Digbijai Singh, are also features of the place ; the former stands
on the site of another mosque built by Ibrahim Shah at the gate of the fort ;
thus the ancient king intimated that he trusted for the defence of his
realm to the God without whom his walls were vain. This evidence of
his devotion has now given place to drugs.
260
RAE
There are three market places — one built by Ibr&him Sharqi known as
" Qile-ki-bazar," one Jah^nabad, and the third Capperganj, erected by Mr.
W. C. Capper, C.S., the late Deputy Commissioner. The market in the
latter is a daily one.
There are two fairs — one the Dasahra of the Hindus, the other, the
Muharram for the Musalmans; each is attended by about twelve thousand
people. It will be observed from the following table that the sales in the
daily and weekly markets reach the amount of Rs. 1,181 daily. This will
be above Rs. 4,00,000 annually. English cloth commands, it appears, a
larger sale than native : —
Name of articles.
Quantity.
Value.
Town dailt Mabkbts.
Mds. sr. eh.
Es.
a.
p.
1.
Corn of every kind
tM
•••
164 15 0
410
16
0
2.
Vegetables
!••
• •fl
6 15 0
10
\?.
0
3.
Groceries
1 IS 0
22
0
n
4.
Sweetmeats of every kind ...
■ >«
8 10 0
25
S
0
6.
Salt
.*.
• ■1
5 16 0
27
0
0
6.
ITteoBils of brass and other metals
t*i
0 22 0
33
0
0
7.
Ghl
-•••
•»i
2 15 0
47
R
0
U.
Oil
• •1
1 SO 0
IS
n
0
9.
Articles sold by pedlars
• •«
33
II
n
10.
Cotton
«••
• ••
21 36 0
350
6
0
11.
Country cloth
•■•
• at
22 tbdns or pieces
44
n
n
12.
English cloth
Total
MUHABEAM FAIB.
...
• ••
27 „
162
0
0
• ••
1,181
7
0
1.
2.
S.
4.
Groceries
Sweetmeats „
Oil
Articles sold by pedlars
Total
Dasahba and BiMLtLA Faies,
• ••
• •■
10 0 0
25 0 0
160
260
0
0
0
0
it*
...
10 0 0
• ••
100
40
0
0
0
0
• •t
550
0
0
1.
2.
3.
Sweetmeats
Oil
Vegetables
...
.••
IS 0 0
160
0
0
•a«
M«
3 0 0
SO
20
40
0
0
0
0
0
0
4.
Articles sold by pedlars
Total
Grand Total
•••
• *•
tffl
•i.
.••
240
0
0
••I
1,971
7
0
KAE— RAM 261
. RXeGARH.— Pargrama DnisGWAS—Tahail Kvs-dx— District Partab-
GARH. — This village is two miles off the road from Partabgarh to Bihdr,
and six miles from the latter place. There was a great fight here between
the taluqdars of Dhingwas and Bhadri ; 100 men were killed. The popu-
lation consists of 4,008 Hindus and 315 Musalmans. There is one mosque
and three temples to Mahadeo, and a small bazar.
RAHIMNAGAR PANDIXwXN— Par^cwia BiSNAVBr—Tahsil Lxjcknow
— District Lxjcknow. — ^Rahimnagar PandiAwan is the chief of a group
of 12 villages belonging to Pdnde Brahmans, situated on the right bank
of the Sai on the southern boundary of the Bijnaur pargana. The
village is purely agricultural and chiefly inhabited by Hindus. But as its
name imports, has some pretensions to be called a Muhammadan settlement.
There is a family of Pathans living in a hamlet of the village called Bal-
lochgarhi, who assert their original right to the soil, which had been con-
ferred on them in jagir by the emperors of Delhi, but which when the
right was confiscated by Saadat Ali Khan, 7th Nawab of Oudh, was con-
ferred on the Brahmans.
Brahmans are known to have colonized parts of this pargana, and it is
more likely that kept under for a time, they were at length able success-
fully to assert their right. The population is 2,500, and there are 407
houses, all of which are mud-built. A small Government school has been
established here, but is not at present much appreciated by the people.
The cultivation in this and the neighbouring villages is very fine.
RAMiX BIHAR — Pargana Dhaurahra — Tahsil 'Nigb.iLsas— District
KHERi.^-This village is beautifully situated on the north side of an ancient
diannel of the Kauriala (this is now closed up and forms a lake). There
are splendid groves to the east and west.
Ramia Bihar has a market in which articles of country consumption are
sold. The average annual sale of cotton fabrics is estimated at Rs. 200.
It belongs to Raja Indra Bikram S4h, Taluqdar of Khairigarh.
Fopulation ..• ...
Eindas ... ...
Muhanimadaii ... .»•
R jCMKOT Pargana* — Tahsil Sitapur — District SiTAPUR. — Ramkot is a
very small pargana, lying close to Sitapur on the south-west ; on the south
it is bounded by pargana Machhrehta, in the west by Misrikh, and on the
east by Khairabad, from which it is separated by the Sarayan stream.
Its area is 20 square miles, of which 11 only are cultivated. The average
is as follows : —
...
1,486
Males.
Females.
741
611= 1,362
Males.
Females.
76
68= 134
7,336 cultirated ... ] Assessed.
3,600 culturable ... j "="""»="="•
66 rent-free ...] Unassessed.
1,681 barren ... ) ''"'*°°"°'="*
'By Mr.M. L. Fenar, C.S.| Aesistaat CommissioDer,
262 RAM
The population of 8,791 is thus distributed : —
Hindus, agricultural .•• ..■ ..• >.< 5,068
„ noa-agricultural ... ... ••. ... 3|632
8,600
Musalmans, agricultural ... ... ... ••■ ^^
„ non-agricuUural ... ... »• ••• 153
191
against 1-4 of an acre of cultivated land per head of agricultural population
there are 2-1 acres of culturable land.
The pargana is, indeed, in a very backward condition; its present pro-
prietors, Janw^r Rajputs, having done nothing for it since annexation,
and in this they contrast very unfavourably with their predecessor Hardeo
Bakhsh (see town R£mkot), who did so much for the property. The pre-
sent proprietors are his two sons, Kalka Bakhsh and Ganga Bakhsh, and
they own the entire pargana (R^mkot), which consists of 12 demarcated
villages.
With the exception of the very fine tanks in R^mkot itself, there is no
structure in the whole pargana deserving of notice.
The Hindus are distributed thus : Brahmans 1,367, Rajputs 361, Banians
337, Ahi'rs 899, Basis 665, Chamars 1,157, and the whole population lives
in 1,343 houses, each of which thus contains on average 5^ individuals. ,
There are 439 to the square mile. The Musalmans are only 2'2 per cent.
of the entire population, and are all of a humble rank in life, Jul4has
principally.
The incidence of the revised revenue falls as follows : —
Bs. a. p.
On uncultivated area ... ... ... ... 1 10 9
On assessed area ... ... ... ... 1 2 0
On total ... ... ... ,., ... 0 16 7
The history as given by the oldest inhabitants is as follows : — When R^m
Chandar was on his pilgrimage, he sojourned on the spot where now stands
Ramkot. Here he founded a fort, the remains of which are extant in the
form of a dih (mound) to the present day. But Ram went on in his
pilgrimage, and the place decayed. Subsequently a tribe of Kachheras
acquired the district, and held it down to 1707 A.D., when they were
dispossessed by the ancestor of the present taluqdars, and his descendants
have held it ever since. The history of the pargana is the history of the
town, to which the reader is referred.
Hardeo Bakhsh abovementioned did a good deal for the pargana. He
made roads, planted avenues, dug wells, and caused the increase of culti-
vation. On his death in 1842 A.D. his widow succeeded him, and she
managed the estate for her two infant sons, Kdlka Bakhsh and Ganga
Bakhsh, with prudence and success down to her death in 1^53. After that
RAM 263
the chakladar oppressed her sons, and for the three years preceding
annexation they were quite unable to do anything for the property, which
accordingly was found in a very poor condition in 1856. The taluqdars
behaved loyally in the mutiny, for which good conduct they received
a reward.
The physical features of the pargana resemble those of its neighbour
Sitapur. A dead level, well wooded and producing good crops. There are
no mines, quarries, or manufactures beyond the ordinary coarse country
cloth, which is made in every chief town of a pargana. Tho only mela
celebrated is that described in town Ramkot. The rents are entirely
paid in kind, the exceptions being the rent of the lands which produce
tobacco, sugar, &c. Water is found at a maximum depth of 26 feet from
the surface of the earth.
R^MKOT* — Pargana Ra'mkot — Tahsil Sitapjjb,— District Sitapue.
Edmkot is seven miles south-west of Sitapur, the highroad from which place
to Hardoi passes through it. It is said to have been founded by the great
Ram Chandar during his pilgrimage, and to have derived its name, " The
castle of Ram," from him. The present town is a poor place, consisting
entirely of mud-built houses. The census of 1869 puts the number of
inhabitants down at 1,977. Its present owners are Chhattris of the clan
Janwar, whose ancestors acquired it vi et armis in the civil wars of 1707
A.D., the former proprietors, who were Kachheras, having been expelled
by them.
The town as it at present exists, though entirely mud-built, is erected
on an ancient dih (mound), the remains of a former town in which the houses
were mostly of burnt bricks. The only notable structure in the place is a very
handsome masonry tank with a Shiwdla, &c., built 70 years ago by Hardeo
Bakhsh, father of the present taluqdar, which is not only deemed holy by
the Hindus of the locality, but is also a place of favourite resort of the
Europeans of Sitapur. The only public building in the town is the school
attended by 55 scholars.
There is a bazar held twice a week, and at the Diwali festival a mela
or fair, of no great magnitude, takes place at the tanks abovementioned.
Besides the road to Sitapur, Rdmkot is connected by good unmetalled
roads with Hardoi through Qutubnagar, and with Misrikh and Nimkhar.
The annual value of the bazar sales is Rs. 14,400. There are no
manufactures of any kind. The camping ground is good; and in the neigh-
bourhood of the place are several avenues of trees planted by the same
Hardeo Bakhsh who built the tank and temple above described.
rXMNAGAR Pargana — Tahsil Fatehptjr — District Baea Banki. — This
pargana is bounded on the north by the Chauka, on the east by pargana
Bado Sarai, on the south by the Kalyani, and on the west by Fatehpur.
Its area is 112 square miles or 71,716 acres, of which 50,732 are cultivated.
The irrigated land amounts to 11,080 acres, and the unirrigated to 39,652.
• By Mr. M, L, Ferrar, C. S,, Assistant Commissioner.
264. RAM
The Chauka flows on the north, and the Kaly&ni on the south ; the latter
has a course of 9, and the former of 8 miles within this pargana. The
metalled road to Bahramghat and that from Fyzabad to Sitapur and Kheri
pass through it. Bahramghat is a great timber market. Schools have
been established at R^mnagar, Mahadewa, Ganeshpur, Tilokpur, Siiratganj,
and Amoti Kalka. The post-offices are at Ganeshpur and Ramnagar.
There is also a police station and a registry office at Ramnagar. Two
considerable fairs are held at Lodhaura in Aghan and Phagun in honour
of Sri Lodheswar Mah4deo. The land revenue amounts to Rs. 68,505-12-8,
falling at the rate of Re. 1-10-8 per arable acre ; the number of villages
in this pargana is 168. They are held under the following tenures : —
Taluqdari ... ,., ... ... ... 138 Tillages.
ZamindRii ... ... ... ... ... 2 „
Fattidari ... „, ... ... ... 38 „
168
The population amounts to 80,686, of which higher castes number
25,000. Some of the lower castes— e.gr., Ahirs (6,726), Lodhs (3,729)^are
very numerous. The pargana was in the Nawabi called Sailuk. The
town of Ramnagar was founded on the land of Keshwamau by Ram
Singh, ancestor of Raja Sarabjit Singh, the present taluqdar. For the
history of Ramnagar Dhameri, which is the same as that of the pargana,
see article Bhitauli pargana. The principal landlord is R&ja Sarabjit
Singh of Ramnagar Dhameri.
RAMNAGAR — Eirgana Ramnagae — Tahsil Fatehpur — District Baea
Banki. — This town is situated about 19 miles from Nawabganj and four
from Bahramghat on the Gogra, and is the seat of .a. thSna and branch
dispensary. There was a tahsil, but it has lately been removed to Fateh-
pur ; the surrounding country is rich and well wooded, and forms part of
the Ramnagar Dhameri taluqa.
The present proprietor is Raja Sarabjit Singh, a Raikw^r Chhattri.
His father, Rija Gur Bakhsh Singh, is still alive and dwells at Ramnagar.
In the Nawabi Gur Bakhsh was a man of some importance, and lived in
a chronic state of war with the Government. He had a strong fort at
Bhitauli at the apex of the Duab of the Gogra and Chauka rivers to which
he retired when pressed for Government revenue. Sleeman says that he
used to pay Rs. 2,00,000 a year for his estate. See a/rtiole Bhitauli.
The total population amounts to 5,717, of which the Musalmans are
909 and the Hindus 4,808, higher castes 1,469, houses 1,308.
Latitude 27°5' north, longitude 81°28' east.
rXMPUR Pargana — Tahsil Kunda — District Partabgaeh. — This large
pargana extends from the river Sai on the north almost to the Ganges on
the south ; its area is 179 square miles, of which 79 are cultivated ; the
population is 77,572, which is 433 to the square mile, Of this population
4,223 are Chattris, of which body two individuals, the Rdjas of Rdmpur,
Bisen, and Kaithaula, Kanhpuria, hold the entire pargana besides many
RAM 265
villages in others. Brahmans who number 12,597 are the most numerous
and intelligent. The account of the Bisens told by themselves may be
given. It is evident, however, that it contains only the element of truth.
Unlike the Dikhits, the Sombansi of Partabgarh, and the Bais, the Bisens,
at least as a ruling family, are of very modern origin ; as a clan they were
powerful. The qaniingo's relation is that they were merely chaudhris.
Government officers drawing fees from this jurisdiction till the general
break up of the Musalman empire after the death of Aurangzeb, then
they gave up office and acquired an estate. But it is quite evident that,
whatever may have been the case with the present great family, the Bisen
clan held this pargana and others, for they are mentioned as the owners
in the Xin-i-Akbari. The fact that they had no rdja, till 20 years ago,
and that a younger scion of the family, that of Badri, was made a rao
about 1800 A.D., is a proof that the feudal lordship claimed by the
E^mpur family never existed save in the fertile imagination of the bards.
It is alleged that the head of the family was called rde till Khushal Singh,
grandfather of the present incumbent, got the title of rke from Rdja
Bahadur Singh of Partabgarh, a sufficient proof of the subordinate posi-
tion of the family.
But the title of lal is much lower than that of rie, so the Rdmpur chief
can never have exchanged the latter for the former. In point of fact lal
was the first title, possibly, as the qdniingos say, the head of the family was
formerly called chaudhri.
The present head of the family is one of the most chivalrous and liberal-
minded gentlemen in Oudh ; he has been generally in opposition to the
Government of the day, and has only found peace since annexation. He
built his great fort of K^lakankar in 1246 fasli (A.D. 1839) thirty-four
years ago. He surrounded it with a canal from the Ganges, that the
waters of the sacred stream might be round about him by day and by
night. In 1247 he defended his fort at Dh&rlipur for nine days against
the great Nazim Darshan Singh. In 1256, during a short glimpse of court
sunshine, the title of raja was conferred upon him by W4jid Ali Shah.
In 1260 he again fought the N4zim; was beseiged in Kdlakankar for 57
days ; meanwhile he escaped from the fort, and, disguised it is said as a
female of rank, he fled to Lucknow to get help from the resident ; finding
no resource there, he abandoned the fort and fled to the Suj4khar jungles
in Partabgarh north of the Sai. The family history is thus given in
settlement report : —
34
266
RAM
" The present taluqdari families of the Bisen clan all trace their origiu
to Hfim, whose posterity are shown in the subjoined table : —
rAe HtJM.
PCBANDR BXB.
1
Rae Gopal,
I
BUe Rsgho.
(Purbara village )
(Gopalpura.)
(Eaghopur and Raepur )
I I
Rae Askaran, Eashi,
(Eampur) ilaqa. (Dhingwas.)
The tenth in descent
from Askaran is Rfija
Hanwant Singh who
holds the estate of
Eampur.
Villages Ba.
309 ... 98,031.
Khem Karan, Babu Rae,
(Derwa.) (Kindhauli.)
Rae Eanjit,
Purmai.
Lai Sah.
9th generation from whom
is the present taluqdar of
Bhadri.
Villages Rs. ,
93 ... 73,267. I
In the 6th generation was Chain Singh. Jughar Rae,
Kalian Sah.
I
Darshan Sah,
7 th in descent from 6th in descent from
^ Jt ^ whom is the taluq- whom is the taluqdar of
I I dar of Kundrajit, Shekhpur ChaurSs.
Austo. Eisal. Villages Rs. Villages Bs.
I I 69 43,577. 14 ... 6,280
. , Jhan. Himmat Sah,
I I Villages Rs. 6th in descent from whom
JagannSth- I 10 7,845. is the taluqdar of
, ->■ -.^ Dahiawan.
Debi.
Raghundth.
I
I I
BhawSni. Bam.
I
I
I
I
Mihr-
b»n.
I
Mahipil,
whose widow,
KablSs Kunwar,
holds the estate
of Pawansi.
Villages Rs.
94 ... 43,498.
Pirtbi- Shin- Shan- Sitla,
pil. pil. kar. Who share the
estate of Dhan-
garh.
Villages Es.
4S ... 16,649.
" Bisen exploit. — There is not much noteable history to relate of these
Bisens. I may narrate however their uprising against Jiu Rdm N4gar,
a nazim of the Banian caste, whose headquarters were at M^nikpur. This
official attempted to introduce a settlement of the land revenue with
villagers (as did our Government in 1856), but this so incensed the
Bisens that they rose as one man, attacked the ndzim at Manikpur and
killed him. This was 1155 fasli or 1748 A.D., in the time of Safdar
Jang. A trophy of the fight is still preserved in the Kundrajit family
in the shape of a pair of drums which belonged to the nazim, and which
are now called ' Ranjit' or ' won in battle.'*
" The Rd/mpur estate. — The Rdmpur family assert that their ancestor,
Bhao Singh, held the parganas of Salon, Manikpur, Dhera-cum-Dhingwas,
* This is the story currently reported ; but there is no historical foundation for it,
asd moreoTer in the year 1748 A.D., the Sarkar of Manikpur was not included in Oudh,
and certainly was under no Hindu Governor until after A.D. 1762.
RAM 267
and the Kaithaula estate. In the time of Manslir Ali Khan (Safdar
J^g) they lost this after a siege of their fort of Edmpur, There is an
old feud between them and the Kaithaula estate, which lies in the R^m-
pur pargana, and has been at various times the object of their cupidity.
Several fights occurred, and the Kanhpurias of Kaithaula have had hard
work to maintain themselves in the vicinity of their powerful and not
over-scrupulous neighbours.
" Rdja Hanwant Singh. — The present Rdja Hanwant Singh has fought
both with and against the nazims at various times. His estate was held
'kham' inl242, 1243-4, and again in 1248 fasli, owing to his unruly
opposition to the authorities. In 1260 fasli, the N6zim, Khan Ali Khan,
beat him out of his two forts of Kalakankar and Dhdrdpur, and his estate
was not only 'khdm' but laid waste. From his fort of KaMkdnkar,
which is on the banks of the Ganges, a British steamer proceeding to
Cawnpore during the mutiny was fired on. His son, Partab Singh, took
an active part in opposing the re-occupation of Oudh, and was killed at
Chanda in Sultanpur in an action with Coloiiel Wroughton's force. An
account of this taluqdar and his tactics may be found in the book called
' Dacoitee in Excelsis,' pages 124-5-6. He is a very good specimen of
the Nawabi taluqdar, and perhaps too good a one to be taken as an
average, or as a representative of his order, being a most courteous and
kind hearted man, intelligent, frank, and honest. The old Adam of the
taluqdar pur et simple is however distinguishable in the manner in which
he likes to have his own way in his estate and resents opposition. We
cannot expect it to be otherwise, and may be well content if we get many
taluqdars like him. He has had the chronicles of his family done into
Urdu verse by a domestic poet, Muhammad Asghar, familiarly known
as ' Ustadji.' This work called ' Risen Sabha,' or the ' Court of the
Bisens,' has been printed, and a copy may be got by the curious in such
matters."
Further account of the Bisens. — In his chronicles of Unao, Mr. C. A.
Elliott mentions the Bisen as having, with the Gahrwdr and Bhandel,
settled in that district in the pre-historic period. In another place he
records that " the Bisens came from Salempur Majhauli in the Gorakhpur
district, and pushed westward to Manikpur, and that the Unao branch
is an offshoot from Mdnikpur." Mr. P. Camegy places this clan amongst
those of the Rajputs, "who are avowedly descended from deified Brahmafls,
who are styled Rikhs, and their offspring as Rikhbans, literally the children
of the saint." Mr. Camegy's further remarks regarding this Bisen clan
may with advantage be here introduced.*
" These people have already been mentioned as descended from a
devotee Mewar Bhdt. What their claim may be to being placed under
the Sombans line is not quite clear. Their avowed chief is the Raja of
Majhauli in Gorakhpur. In Oudh we have no less than thirteen chiefs of
this clan, and their colonies are principally to be found in the Partabgarh
district, but also in Bahraich, Gonda, Dariabad, and Sultanpur. The local
heads of the family are Raja Hanwant Singh of Kal4kankar, as fine a
* Notes on the Races, Tribes, and Castes of Oudh, bj Mr. P. Carnegy, page 49.
268 RAM
specimen of the oriental yeoman as is to be found anywhere, iand one who
will ever be respected by our countrymen fer the asylum he offered to
the officers of his district in the rebellion ; and also the R^jas of Manika-
pur and Bhinga. Sir Henry Elliot affirms that the present Raja of
Majhauli is in the hundred and fifteenth generation from Mewar Bhii,
the devotee. The Oudh branch state that they broke off from the parent
stem in the person of Rde Hiim, and settled in the province under the
wing of Manik Chand, the then powerful Gahrw^r Rdja of M^ikpur ;
he who so happily picked tip the foundling mother of all the Kanhpuria
clan. Within the last three years the present R^ja of Majhauli took to
himself a wife from the Raj kum^r house of Dera, a sure indication that the
Bisens (indigenous devotee Chhattris of Gorakhpur though they be) are
higher in the social scale than the Rajkumar offshoot of the Mainpuri
ex-convert Chauhans."
Earliest Bisens settlement in the PaHabgarh district.-^The Bisens first
settled in this district in the time of M^nik Chand, some few years prioi;
to 590 Hiiri (A.D. 1193). Their earliest settlement was Badgawan in
pargana Dhingwas. Tor three generations they do not seem to have made
much way, or to have m.ach enlarged their possessions. In the fourth
generation from R4e Hum, their pioneer settler, Rde Ragho, appears to
have made friends with the Gardezis of Mfcikpur, and from them to have
obtained twelve villages, with headquarters at Derwa. The place was
selected on a jungle site, as being on the borders of the Sombansi terri-
tory, and a convenient and suitable spot for repelling those raids to which
the Sombansis were formerly so much addicted, and which were so
frequently the cause of embroiling them with the Government officials.
These twelve villages were the nucleus of the subsequent extended
possessions of the Bisen clan. The Rampur family has always been
th« most powerful of the Bisen taluqdars, amongst whom may be
prominently mentioned Dhdrd Sah, R&e Shidm Singh, R&e Sangram
Singh, Rae Bhao Singh, Rae Khushil Singh, Rde Balwant Singh, Lai
Bairisdl Siijgh, and Lll Hanwant Singh (now known as Edja Hanwant
Singh).
The Bisen clan in the district of Partabgarh numbers three thousand
(fiide census); but of these only a portion belong to the blood of Rae Nam;
the larger number belong to another line; they claim to be descended from
a brother of R4e Nam's ;tTietaluqdar's line declares that they are bastards;
there is no commensality or friendship even between the two, and the
inferior order has been rather severely treated in the matter of its landed
tenures.
Of the pure Bisen nine men hold between them six taluqas embracing
682 villages ; 20 zamindari villages and 54 sub-settlements are divided
among the rest of the brotherhood, at least among its heads.
The Bisen clan is a very weak one compared to the Sombansi, the
Kanhpuria, or the Bachgoti ; the connexion of Rampur with Kaithaula,
and the ancient position of the Bisen clan towards the Mdnikpur lords, are
points for inquiry in future.
RAM 269
The following extract from Sleeman* refers more properly to Bihdr, but
is given here as shedding light upon the position of the Bisen : —
" Tne Bhuderee family give their daughters in marriage to the Bugheela
Rajas of Rewa and the Powar Rajas of Ocheyra, who are considered to be
a shade higher in caste than they are among the Rajpoots. Not long ago
they gave one hundred thousand rupees, with one daughter, to the only
son of the Rewa Raja, as the only condition on which he would take her,
Golab Sing, the brother of Seoruttun Sing, of Pertabghur, by caste a
Sombunsee, is said to have given lately fifty thousand rupees, with another
daughter, to the same person ; Raja Hunmunt Sing, of Dharoopoor, who
is by caste a Beseyn Rajpoot, the year before last went to Rewa accom-
panied by some fifty Brahmins, to propose an union between his daughter
and the same son of the Rewa R4ja. A large sum was demanded, but he
pleaded poverty, and at last got the R^ja to consent to take fifty thousand
rupees down, and seventy-five thousand at the last ceremony of the barat
or fetching home of the bride. "When all had been prepared for this last
ceremony, the Raja of Rewa pleaded the heat of the weather, and his
son would not come to complete it, and take away his bride. Hunmunt
Sing collected one hundred resolute Brahmins, and proceeded with them
to Rewa, where they sat dhurna at the raja's door, without tasting food, and
declared that they would all die there unless the marriage was completed.
" The Raja did all he could, or could make his people do, to get rid of
them; but at last, afraid that some of the Brahmins would really die, he
consented that his son should go and fetch his bride if Hunmunt Sing
would pay down twenty-five thousand rupees more, to defray the cost of
the procession, in addition to the seventy-five thousand. He did so, and
his daughter was taken off in due form. He has another daughter to
dispose of in the same way. The Rewa Rdja has thus taken five or six
■wives for his son from families a shade lower in caste ; but the whole that
he has got with them will not be enough to pay one of the Rajpoot families,
a shade higher in caste than he is in Rajpootana, to take one daughter
from him. It costs him ten or twelve lacs of rupees to induce the Rdja
of Oudeepoor, Joudhpoor, or Jypoor, to take away as his bride a daughter of
Rewa. AH is a matter of bargain and sale. Those who have money must
pay, in proportion to their means, to marry their daughters into families
a shade higher in caste or dignity, or to get daughters from them when
such families are reduced to the necessity of selling their daughters to
families of a, lower grade."
rAMPUR MATBJJnA-f—Pargana Kundei (South)— Ta^siZ Baei—
District Sitapub. — R^mpur Mathura is 44 miles across country from Sita-
pur to the south-east, and is but one mile to the east of the river Chauka,
and three miles west of theGogra, both of which livers are navigable through-
out the year, ahd afford good water communication to the inhabitants of
the surrounding district. There is no high road near the place. Rdmpur
Mathura contains a population of 2,217 souls living in 425 mud-built
houses. The only public building is the school. There is the usual
bi-weekly bazar, at which commodities to the value of Rs. 13,000 are sold
* Tour in Oudh, Vol. I , page 237.
t By Mr. M. L. Ferrar, B.A., C.S., Assietant Commissioner.
270 RAN
every year. The place is not remarkable in any way, and is only locally
notable as being the residence of the Raikwar taluqdar, Thfikur Gumdn
Singh.
B.ANJITPTJR— Pargrawa Partabgarh — Tahsil Partabgarh — District
Partabgarh. — This village was originally called Hallla, and tbe name was
altered because one Ranjit Singh re-settled the village. It is on the road
from Allahabad to Fyzabad, and an unmetalled road leads to Amethi. It
is two miles from Partabgarh and thirty-eight from Allahabad.
There have been many boundary disputes in this village.
Nawab Shuj^-ud-daula founded a bazar in this village in 1175 fasli
(A.D. 1768).
The population consists of 1,993 Hindus.
139 Musalmans.
2,132
There are two mosques.
The bazar sales come to about Rs. 6,000 per annum.
There is a religious fair here annually in Aghan ; about 1,500 people
assemble.
a KVTI— District Bahraich.— The R^pti, whose valley lies on the
northern side of the plateau (described in district Bahraich), enters British
territory from Naipal about midway between the two extremities of the
frontier line of the district, and has a course of 81 miles (from point to
point 42 miles). from Gulariha in Charda to Qalandarpur in Gedrahiydn
ilaqa. It is a very sinuous stream, and it is continually changing its course ;
but it flows in a deep channel confined by high banks, and only in more
than ordinarily wet seasons overflows its banks to any great extent.
These overflows, however, are sufficiently frequent to keep the alluvial
soil of the villages within their range fresh and productive.
The dry weather discharge of this river .is 900 feet* per second.
The following very correct extract from Thornton is given here for con-
venience of reference : —
" Rapti, called also Airawati, after the white elephant of the god Indra,
a considerable river rising in Naipal. It does not issue from the main
range of the Himalaya covered with perpetual snow, but takes its rise in
the Sub-Himalaya in latitude 29°10," longitude 82°45," whence, flowing
first in a southerly direction for 40 miles, and then north-westerly for 55
miles, it enters the plains of Oudh in latitude 28°3," longitude 81°55,"
which it traverses in a south-easterly direction for 90 miles, and in latitude
27°17," longitude 82°32," forms for about 20 miles the western boundary of
the British district of Gorakhpur, which it then enters, and, continuing a
south-easterly and tortuous course for 70 miles, it receives on the left side
the Dhumela or Burha Rapti, draining an extensive tract extending south-
wards from the Sub-Himalaya. Below this junction, the Rapti turns
southward for the distance of 30 miles, communicating in this part of
its course with the Moti Jhil, called also the Lake of Bakhira, and thence
* Forbes' Report on the Sards Canal.
RAS 271
turns westward for 10 miles to the town of Gorakhpur. From this place
it continues its course in a circuitous but generally south-easterly direction
for 85 miles to its junction with the Ghoghra, on the left side of the latter
in latitude 26° 13," longitude 83°46;" its total length of course being from
its remotest source 400 miles, for 85 of which, downward frorn the town of
Gorakhpur, 'it is navigable for large boats, and for those of smaller size a
considerable distance higher."
RASAULI — Pargana Paetabganj — Tahsil Nawabganj— DisMc« Bara
Banki — Four miles east of the civil station on the Fyzabad road, and is a
Musalman village of some antiquity. The proprietors are Qidwai Shekhs.
There is an im^mbara of some pretensions built by Ghuldm Masatid.
The population amounts to 3,431 ; Hindus being 1,704 and Musalmans
1,727.
EASULABAD — Pargana AsrwAN — Tahsil Moh^n — District Unao — Is
12 miles south-west of the tahsil, and 14 miles north of the civil station
of XJnao. The town (Asiwan ) lies 6 miles north-West of this place. Three
unmetalled roads pass through the town, — one from Unao, another from
Lucknow to Pariar Ghat on the Ganges, and the third from Rasulabad to
Safipur.
Muhammad AH Khan and Muzaffar Khan, risaldars of the Delhi
force, had the jungle cut, and founded this town on the lands of village
Bharipur, and called it Rasulabad in honour of their prophet fRastil or
Muhammad). The soil is loam. The surface is uneven. There is a little
jungle about a mile from it in a south-westerly direction. The appearance
of the village is pleasing ; climate healthy ; vater fresh and good.
Chaudhri Musaheb Ali, a descendant of Muhammad Khan, was a noted
man here ; he held the office of chakladar, &c., from the Government of
Oudh.
This town was the seat of a tahsildar and a chakladar. There are still
the remains of an old fort and a mosque here. There are two small
markets weekly for grain and coarse cloth principally. The usual village
products may be obtained here as also good pen-cases. Goldsmiths work
weU, and some lapidaries also reside here.
There are 776 mud-built houses, four mosques, five temples; two of the
temples are dedicated to MahMeo and three to Debiji.
Annual amount of sales at bazar about Rs. 8,500.
The population is divided as follows : —
Hindus, Muhammadana. Total.
Brahman's ... fiOS 7u9 3,443
Chhattris ... 22
E&yaths ... ISO
F&sis ... ... 96
Ahirs ... ... 182
Banians ... ••• 160
Other tribes ... 1,626
Total, ... 2,740
Latitude ... ... 26°60' north.
Longitude ... ... 80°30' east.
272 RAS— RAU
RAStJLPUR — Pargdna BinnxR—Tahsil T&svik.— District Fyzabad.—
Raslilpur, a small town, borders on Ashrafpur Kachhauchha where the
maniacs, fair is held. The tomb of the great seer Makhdiim Ashraf is in
Rasulpur. As might be expected this is a noted place of Moslem worship.
There are four masonry mosques and one temple in honour of Vishnu. The
population is 3,691, of whom 1,457 areSunnis, 9 are Shias, and 2,225 are
Hindus of various castes and sects.
RASULPUR OR MUBXRAKPUR— Par</a%a Tanda— TaAsiZ Ta'nda
— District Ftzabad. — This town was founded by Mubd,rak Khan, the
Khanz4da Taluqdar of Hasanpur. It is on the bank of the great river
Gogra ; its history is given in that of Tanda.
The population is 3,691, of whom 1,457 are Musalman Sunnis, 9 are
Shias, 2,225 are Hindus.
There are eight places of Moslem worship; there are three Hindu tem-
ples— two to Bhawani and one Th^kurdwara. It is four miles from T^nda.
RAU KARNA*— Par^awa JJsMi—Tahsil JJnao— District Unao.— Rau
Kama, a village in the pargana and tahsil of Unao, lies about seven miles
from the civil station, on the road running north to Safipur. The road is
unmetalled, with the exception of a few spots, where the extreme softness
of the soil and the natural drainage have rendered culverts and metalling
necessary. The Tinai, a tiny stream which dries up in the hot weather,
runs near the village on the east.
Rawan Singh, son of Unwant Singh, a Bisen Thakur, agent of the
Kanauj rajas, settled in this place about 775 years ago, cut down the jungle,
and founded the village which bears his name to this day in the modified
form Rau. Bhawal Sah and Narbir Sdh, two brothers, ancestors of
Jawdhir Singh and Newal Singh, the zamindars of Rau Karna, Bisen
Thakurs, and lineal descendants of Unwant Singh, were Solars in the
army of Alamgir.
The present population of this village are chiefly Hindus, and among
them Pasis predominate, constituting one-fourth of the entire population.
There are only 78 Muhammadans. The total population is 2,273.
The village and the mounds in its immediate neighbourhood mark the
site of the fort originally built by Rawan Singh, and near the border of the
village on the north side is a large bargad tree under which is a Mahadeo
of great antiquity.
The land around the village is level, and the soil is chiefly a productive
loam. There is no jungle near. There are some mahua and mango
groves which yield abundantly.
There are two market days in each week, but the bazar is not a place of
much resort. There is no school in the village, but the children attend the
village school at Thana, which is not quite two miles off.
* By Mr. Hoey, C,S., Assistant Commissioner.
RAW— RUD 273
RXWATPUR — Pargana Daundia Kheba — Tahsil TvB.v/A.— District
Unao. — Lies 16 miles south of the tahsil, and 28 miles south-east from
the ciril station of Unao.
It was founded by Rawat Singh, Bais, about 400 years ago. This R4wat
Singh was a distinct individual from the ancestor of B^bu R^m Bakhsh.
It takes its name from its founder. The soil is loam and clay. It pre-
sents a pleasing prospect. The water is fresh. Site on level ground.
Climate healthy. No jungle. Groves here and there, but rather more scanty
than usual. Goldsmiths, carpenters, and potters work in the village. The
population is composed of 1,352 Hindus and only of 17 Moslems. Total
1,369.
There are 352 mud-built houses and two temples, both dedicated to Debi.
The amount of sales at the bazar annually is about Rs. 2,000.
ROKHA JXIS.— See Jais Rokha.
RONXHI — Pargana Mangalsi — Tahsil Fyzabad — District Ftzabad.
— This place was founded by the Bhars close to the bank of the river
Gogra, here a broad and deep river. The road and railway from Fyzabad,
which is ten miles distant, pass through it. R^e Gobardhan Das, K^yath,
received it from the Bhars on service tenure. The Bais and Bisen after-
wards acquired it. An ancient government fort is still here. It was a
station for troops under the former government.
The population amounts to 5,193 — Hindus being 3,664 and Musalmans
1,529. There are five temples, of which three are Thakurdwaras, eleven
mosques, and three Jain temples. There is a masonry sard,e and a Gov-
ernment school.
RUDAULI Pargana — Tahsil Ram Sanehi Ghat — District Bara Banki.
— This pargana is bounded on the north by the Gogra, on the east by the
Mangalsi pargana, of the Fyzabad district, on the west by Basorhi and
Daryabad, and on the south by Mawai Maholara. It is 17 miles from east
to west, and 16 from north to south. Its area is 173 square miles or
111,102 acres, divided into 196 villages. The cultivated land amounts
to 73,316 and the uncultivated to 32,786 acres. The irrigated area
is 21,252 acres. The soil is for the most part loam. The river
Sarju or Gogra flows along the north, separating Gonda from Bara
Banki; it takes an easterly course skirting only three villages which
are often damaged by its floods and are left uninhabited. In tiie interior
of the pargana there is a river (the Janori) which contains much water
during the rains, but- is in other seasons almost empty. There are six
villages on the border of this river ; it is neither useful nor injurious. The
average rainfall for the last three years 1281-1283 fasli fA.D. 1874-76)-^
amounted to 40 inches. Wells are generally 10 feet deep. Silior Ghat
in Fyzabad is 14 miles from Rudauli, and Kaithi Ghat on the Gogra is
8 miles ; by these routes grain is exported to the Gonda district or Simaria
in times of scarcity. The bazars are at Shujaganj, Lokipur, Chara, Barind-
pur, Aliabad Barai, Jakhauli (Sultanganj and Akbarganj in the town of
Rudauli). The population of the pargana is 134,050 ; the houses number
35
274 RUD
27,670. Rudauli Bhilsar, Kaithi, Kheta Sarie are villages possessing
more than 2,000 inhabitants. Schools have been established at nine places.
The post and registry offices are at Rudauli. The police station is at
Bhilsar, and there are police posts at Shah Lai and Bhalsanda.
The fair at Rahlmganj, which is held on the 27th Safar (February), and
lasts for three days, is ,held in honour of one Molvi Amir Ali of Atoethi,
who led a crescentade against Ajodhya in 1856. He started from
Amethi and passed through Daryabad, where the chakladar endeavoured
to persuade him to stop. Finding his efforts of no avail, he despatched
Captain Boileau of the king's army in pursuit, who overtook him at
Rahlmganj. Raja Sher Bahiidur Singh was at the same time advancing
from Kamyar to arrest the progress of the Molvi, who was caught between
the two forces, defeated, and killed. His head was sent to Lucknow
by Captain Boileau. His body was interred here, and since annexation
the fair has been held, but it is now declining in popularity.
The Zohra fair is held in honour of Zohra Bibi, the daughter of Sayyad
Rani of Rudauli, on the 1st Sunday in Jeth. Zohra is said to have been
cured of blindness by Sayyad 8alar, of Bahraich, whom she afterwards
married. She was buried at Bahraich, but a brick of her tomb was
brought by her votaries, and a tomb erected to her at Rudauli where this
fair is held. The head sweeper presents a bed as his offerings to the
shrine, and the lower classes go through an imitation of the marriage
ceremonies.
Other fairs held in the pargana are those at Kaithi held on Puranm&hi
of Pus for bathing Sangam, at Kalwa or Siirajkund held on Kiirtiki
Piiranmashi in honour of the sun, and at Rudauli Khas on 13th, 15th
Jamadi-us-sani in honour of Abdul Haq or Shah Ahmad, a local saint.
The Government revenue amounts to Rs. 1,47,908; the villages are held
under the following tenures : —
Taluqdari ... ... „, ... ... ... 86
Zaniindari Bhayyachara ... ... ... ... 70
Patlidari ... ... ... ... ... ... 40
The pargana was formed in Akbar's time, and it takes its. name from
the chief town, whose foundation is ascribed to Rudr Mai Bhar. There
was a fort and a tahsildari at Rudauli during the Nawabi. The only
event of note was the fight which occurred in 845 A. H. between Muham-
mad Saleh, the ancestor of the present taluqdars, and Hasan Raza, &c.,
of the Salar Muhalla of Rudauli; the governor of the place at that time
was Tatar Khan, who lived at Sarkatia near Rudauli. He was a desciple
of Muhammad Saleh, took part with him, and the'r combined forces gained
the victory. The tombs of those who fell still .exist in the Sdlar Muhalla.
The chief landholders are Chaudhris Ihsan Rasul of Amirpur, Raza
Husen of Narauli, Sayyad Husen of Piirai, heirs of Mah raja Man Singh
of Abhar, Chaudhri Mahbub-ur-Rahman, &c.
BUBAULl—Fargana RvDAVLi—Talisil Ram Sanehi Ghat— Bisti ict
Bara Banki, — This is alarge Musalmantown about 37 miles east south-east
SAA— SAD 275
of the civil station lying in latitude 26°45' north, longitude 81°46'20" east.
The principal market places are Akbarganj and Sultanganj. The latter was
established in the time of Nasir-ud-din Haidar by Sarfardz Ahmad, an
Micestor of ahulam Farid, the present taluqdar, and the former by Akbar AH
Khan, the son of Haidar Beg Khan, a Nawab of Lucknow. Daily markets
are held and a brisk trade carried on in grain, vegetables, cotton, and
cloth. There is a Shrine of Shah Ahmad alias Shekh Abdul Haq, who is
alleged to have remained entombed for six months, and a tomb of Zohra
Bibi. Fairs are annually held at both these places. (See pargana
article-) Population,— Hindus 4,847, Musalmans 6,770,— total 11,617.
^AABATGAN J~Pargana R/iunfAGAn—Tahsil Fatesfvr— District Bara '
Banki alias Padshahganj, 14 miles north-east from the civil station,
was founded by Eaja Siirat Singh, ancestor of Raja Sarabjit Singh of
R^mnagar, and called after Saadat Ali Khan in whose reign it was built.
The town is clean and nicely built. Grain is brought liere in large
quantities from Purana Ghdt on the Gogra. Population 2,789.
Hindus ... ... ... .,. ___ 1 530
Musalman ,., ... ... I'lJig
Males ... ... ... ... ... 1^500
Females ... ,,, .,, ... ... j 289
SABALGARH — Pargana Bihab — TaJisLl Kunda — Disfricf Partabgarh. —
Sabal Sen, the ancestor of tlie Bisen clan, is said to have founded this
town five hundred years ago ; it is two miles from the Bihar road, one mile
from the Loni river, and sixteen miles from Partabgarh.
Population consists of ... ... 840 Hindus.
641 Musalmans.
Total ... ... 1,481
There is one bazar at which the annualsa les amount to Rs. 1,50,000 ; it
is called the Derwa bazar.
SADRPXJR Pargana* — Tahsil Bari — District Sitapur. — Pargana Sadrpur,
so called from the town of the same name; is bounded on the north
by tahsil Biswan, on the east by pargana Kundri south, on the south by
district Bara Banki, and on the west by pargana Mahmudabad, and covers
108 square miles.
The acreage is thus given : —
Cultivated land ... ... ... ... fio,268 acres.
Culturable „ ... ••• ... ... 9,743 „
Rent-free „ ... ... ... ... 133 „
Barren , ... ... ... 8,943 „
Total ... ... ... 69,087 acres.
The incidence of the revised assessment is as follows : —
Bs. a. p.
On cultivation ... ... ... ... 14 7
On assessed land ... ... ... ... 10 7
On total area ... ... ... ... 0 14 S
which is considerably lighter than in any of the three parganas of the
Bari tahsil.
By Mr. M. Ferrar, C.S.
276 SAI)
The population numbers 54,477, and is thus distributed : —
Hindus, agricultnral ... ... ... ••• 30,375
„ aon-agricultural ... „. ... ... 16,730
47,095
Musalmans, agricultural ... ... ... ... 3,061
„ non-agricultural ... ... ... 4,321
7,382
which shows that the Musalmans are 13 percent, of the entire population.
There are 504 souls to the square mile, and 5"1 to each house. And each
head of the agricultural population has on an average 1'5 acres of culti-
vated against 1'8 acres of assessed land.
Well irrigation is badly wanting, because the tenantry cannot afford to
build masonry wells, and the mud ones are comparatively expensive and
easily fall in. But the country is cut up by numerous small streams, and if
these were utilized as much as they might be, irrigation would be largely
increased.
On the east is the navigable river Chauka which flows into the Gogra
at Bahramghat, some twenty miles from the southern extremity of the
pargana ; on the west, and separating it from Mahmudabad, flows the
Sowbe, unnavigable ; in the centre are the Kewani and Chauriari
streams. The old bed of the Chauka described in the notice of pargana
Mahmudabad is also one of the eastern boundaries.
The pargana is a poor one. There are only two towns in it with a popu-
lation exceeding 2,000, namely, Sadrpur and Bansura. There are no roads
—no mines nor quarries. No crops nor manufactures peculiar to the place;
no melas or fairs, no remains of antiquity, no great bazars.
The name is derived from that of the chief town Sadrpur, for the derivation
and origin of which name the reader is referred to the town article, and
the history (if the traditions of the people deserve such a title) is as
follows : — In the beginning the tribe of Bhars possessed the land; K4yaths
drove them out and held the country for 150 years, when certain Sourikya
(Solankhi) Ghhattris overran and occupied it for half a century. But the
K£yaths at the end of that time rose against the descendants of the
invaders and overcame them, and recovered their ancient dominions in 979
fasli (A.D. 1572). This was 305 years ago : and the Kdyaths dwelt in the
land unmolested for 100 years, when again they were attacked. This time
the invaders were of many castes.
In 1058 Muhammad Qazi got five villages, and Shekh Ahmad
AUami 22. In 1065 certain Janwar Ghhattris from Biswdn possessed
themselves of 108 villages, and a clan of Bisens got ten. The Kayaths
succeeded in keeping only 29.
The pargana was formed by Todar Mai, and consisted of 212 villages.
At Survey 52 were put into the neighbouring parganas, and out of the
160 which remained, 114 demarcated villages were constituted. These
are tield as follows : — Taluqdari 81, zamindari 33.
SAD 277
• Fifty-six of the former are held by the Mahmudabad taluqdar, and 11
by Th^kur Guman Singh of' the neighbouring Kundri pargana. The pro-
prietary title to the 160 villages is distributed thus — 119^ Musalmans;
11 Raikwars ; 5 Seths ; 4 Janwar Chhattris ; 4 Panwars, 4 Kashmiri Brah-
mans. The remainder are held by K^yaths, bankers, and a Goshain.
The account which makes the Kayaths once powerful over the whole
pargana is no doubt incorrect, and no one but the q^nungos believe it,
if even they do. But it has been recorded here as being the only history
of the place which I have been able to procure.
In the Ain-i-Akbari the pargana of Sadrpur is included in Sarkar
Khairabad.
SADRPUR*— Par^rawa Sadrpur— Ta^a BiRi— District Sitapue.— Sadr-
pur is 30 miles south-east from Sitapur, the route from which place to it is
the high road to Biswan, 21 miles, whence the traveller must go across coun-
try still in the same direction, 9 miles ; neither high road, river, canal, nor
rail road connect it with any place. The town was founded in the year
974 fasli (1567 A.D.) by one Sadr Jahanwho gave his name to the place;
subsequently a Kayath family acquired it.
It is an insignificant place, with a population of only 2,109, which includes
982 of Kherwal, both towns having been demarcated as one. The mud-
built houses are 280 in number, and there are some masonry buildings.
At the school the average daily attendance is 57. At the usual bi-weekly
bazar the ordinary necessaries of life are sold, the value of the sales for
last year being Rs. 4,200.
The situation of the town is good ; the climate favourable ; Mahmudabad
is 10 miles to the south across country ; and the chauka, a navigable river,
is four miles to the north-west. No fair is held here.
SADULLAHNAGAR Parganaf — Tahsil Utraula — District GoNDA.
This pargana is bounded on the north by the Utraula pargana, from which it
is divided by the Kuw4na, on the west by Gonda, on the east by Biirha-
para, and on the south the Bisiihi, running along its whole frontier, sepa-
rates it from Manikapur. Its total area is 103 square miles, and the
greatest length in a straight line from east to west 13; its greatest breadth,
which is at its eastern boundary nine miles. Both of the bounding rivers
are fordable after the rains by men and cattle at short intervals of one or
two miles, and the more important tracks are furnished with faggot
bridges for the easier transit of carts. The Utraula and Nawabganj road
cuts through its western corner, passing under the police station at Rahra,
and taking off the greater part of the local grain trafiic. Rough cart
tracks, crossing the Bisuhi at the Maddo and Singhar ghats, converge on
the same bazar, and tap the eastern half of the pargana. To the north
and the south along the banks of both streams is a fringe of forest vary-
ing in depth from three miles to a few hundred yards, but containing little
good timber. The sal trees, stunted by excessive crowding, never attain
sufficient size to make them of any great value, and except the Jamun,
which is plentiful, and attains a fair growth at the very brink of the water,
* By Mr. M. Fcrrar, C.S.
f By Mr. W. C. Benett, C.S., Aasiatant Commisaioner.
278 SAD
and is of use both for building and burning, the only tree of any conse-
quence is the niahua, whose flowers and fruit are leased out at consider- .
able sums for the manufacture of spirits and oil, and whose wood is largely
employed in roofing the mud huts of the neighbouring villages. Game is
not particularly plentiful, though spotted deer and nll-gae, andeven an occa-
sional panther, may be found in the remoter thickets, and the jungle clear-
ings swarm in places with hares and grey partridge. The centre of the
pargana is a flat ugly plain, underwooded and covered with fair cultivation
alternating with tracts of the long khar grass, the home here and there of
an unfrequent black buck. The soil is of a light dry loam, and, as the
whole is included in the central table-land of the district, the constant
moisture of the southern tarhar and the stiff clay of the Sub-Himalayan
tarai are equally unknown. Water may be struck almost anywhere at a -
depth of from fifteen to twenty feet from the surface, and irrigation is
very common both from wells and from the small tanks which stud the
whole pargana, and form natural storage reservoirs for the rain water.
Brick wells cemented with mud are most usual; but in the jungle clearing
they are often square holes walled with planks of sal wood dovetailed at
the corners. There are practically only two crops, the winter harvest being
as elsewhere on the uparhar hardly known. The cultivated area is 37,406
acres, or rather more than 56 per cent, of the whole. In this 12,025 acres
are under both crops, and 22,040 under kharif, and 24,675 under rabi ; the
small balance having been fallow at the time of survey. The only impor-
tant autumn products are rice and kodo, covering respectively 15,545 and
1,890 acres. In the spring wheat takes the lead with 8,060, and is closely
followed by gram which grows most luxuriantly on the land lately reclaimed
from jungle with 6,670 acres. The remaining crops of any consequence
are arhar, peas, and linseed. Cultivation is nowhere, except in a very few
villages in the centre of the pargana, of a high class, and the settlement
returns give an average area of nine cultivated acres to each plough.
After the mutiny the larger tracts of jungle were declared Government
property, and sold in six separate parcels aggregating an area of 8,489
acres. The remaining 57,387 acres have been demarcated in 106 villages,
and there are 401 hamlets and outlying houses. Floods being unknown,
there is no necessity for selecting high spots, and habitations are scattered
closely all over the cultivated area. The only bazars are at Rahra and
SaduUahnagar, and they are merely small collections of mud huts, where
it is often difficult to get even grain for a moderately sized encampment.
Owing to the extent of jungle the population is for Oudh thin, being
only 35,152 or 341 to the square mile ; of these 6,931 are Muhammadans,
and the high proportion of nearly a fifth of the inhabitants is due to the
religion of the ruling Musalman house of Utraula. Many are Pathans, but
the majority are either low-caste weavers, or new converts to the creed
of the prophet from among the agricultural Hindus. Kurmis and Muraos
are the most numerous castes of Hindus with a total of 5,146, and next
to them come the Koris with 3,349 and Ahirs with 3,442 souls ; Brahmans
number 2,219, and there are 1,048 Chhattris, mostly Bisens and Bandhal-
gotis, of the large coparcenary communities of Itua and Khera Dib. The
most active classes in subduing to the plough the fever-stricken jungles
SAD 279
are Bhars and Lunias, who occur in small colonies at the extreme verge
of the cultivation.
_ Until quite lately the greater part of the pargana was under a dense
jungle, the home of predatory bands of Siyar Khawwas (jackal eaters),
Qalandars, and Banjaras, and others of the singular nomadic tribes, whose
ethnological position it is so difficult to determine, and most of the present
tilth commenced with the puichase of parcels of land in birt from the later
Rajas of Utraula. Some idea of the scantiness of the agricultural population
at the commencement of the present century, when the practice of selling
birt rights became for the first time common, may be gathered from the
fact that in 1815 A.D., the government revenue was only Rs. 6,925.
From that time the advance becomes rapid and steady. In 1819 the
demand had risen to Rs. 13,312, and ten years later it reached Rs. 24,067.
With a few trifling variations, it remained at this amount till Raja Darshan
Singh in 1838 raised It to Rs. 35,107, a figure which was never again
attained under the native government. Shortly before annexation it had
fallen to little over Rs. 20,000, and when wo took over the district,
SaduUahnagar was assessed on the principle of half profits at Rs. 24,048.
The progress of population and agriculture since that period has been
incredibly rapid, and in 1872 A.D., at revised assessment, the govern-
ment land revenue was raised to Rs. 56,075, with Rs. 1,522 on account
of cesses. In consideration of the largeness of the enhancement, and in
view of the fact that raucli of the recentlj' broken land was held on long
leases at progressive rents, the rise has been distributed over a period of
ten years, and it is not proposed to take the full demand till 1883 A.D.
Anything worth noting in the history of the pargana and its agricultural
customs will be found under the article on TJtraula, of which it was till
annexation a tappa, or revenue subdivision, under the same Pathan raja.
For more than a century the local chiefs have had but little power, and
though they sold almost all the villages to birtias, they were hardly ever
allowed by the Lucknow government to engage for the revenue, and had
lost all direct proprietary rights except the precarious collection of a few
unimportant transit dues, and the receipt of nazarana, or the feudal tribute
of two or three rupees in each year from each of the village heads. In
1849 and 1850, the great revenue speculator Pande Ram Datt Ram held
the pargana in security for money advanced by him to the nazim, and
succeeded in purchasing a number of the hitherto independent villages,
which after the mutiny were included in the sanad granted to his brother
Raja Krishn Datt Ram. - But for this circumstance only three villages,
the property of the R4ja of Utraula, would have been held in taluqdari
tenure. As it is, the proportion of zamindari holdings is larger than it is
in most parts of the district, and 62 villages, with a revenue of Rs. 28,356,
have been settled with independent proprietors, while the taluqdars have
50 villages with a revenue of Rs. 29,241.
Beyond the mahua and timber of the fast disappearing forests, and an
occasional quarry of kankar, there are no natural products of value, and no
manufactures except the universal one of coarse cotton cloth for the apparel
of the lower classes.
280 SAD— SAF
SADULLAHNAGAR— PargrciTia Sadullahnagar— Ta/isii Utraula—
District GoNDA. — This village of 706 inhabitants is 28 miles north-east
of Gonda, 64 from Bahramghat, and 40 from the hills. The climate is
damp, but there is no malady peculiar to the place. Water is sweet, and
is met with at 18 feet from the surface. It was founded in 1193 fasli
(A.D. 1786) by Raja Sadullah Khan of the Utraula family. It gives its
name to the pargana.
SAFDARGANJ — Pargana Partabganj — Tahsil Nawabganj — District
Bara Banki. — Ten miles east of the civil station has a th^na, a barrack,
and a masonry bridge over the Kalyani, built by Shuja-ud-daula.
At this place there is a railway station.
SAFIPUR Pargana — Tahsil Safipur District Unao — This pargana
is bounded on the north by the river Sai, which separates it from the
pargana (Sandila) of the Hardoi district, on the east by Asiwan Rasiilabad,
on the south by Pariar, and on the west by Fatehpur of the Unao
district. It is 16 miles long and 16 broad. Its area is 132 square miles
or 84,530 acres, divided into 137 townships. The soil is chiefly loam and
clay. The staple crop is barley. The pargana is well wooded ; some 4,408
acres being under groves. Black buck and nil-gae are occasionally met
with. Saline earth is to be found in considerable quantity throughout
the pargana. Water is found at 30 feet. There are six bazars, and
four fairs held during the year ; the largest being held at Patti Amaura in
September where some 15,000 persons congregate; the fair lasts three days.
The other fairs are two at Safipur and one at Siah (in honour of Sayyad
Salar). The Government revenue amounts to Rs. 1,08,368, and falls at
Re. 1-4-5 per acre. The tenure is as follows : —
Zamindari .„ ... 36,181 acres
Bhayyachara ... ... 5,531 „
Government villages ... 1,158
The population amounts to 72,319. The cultivators of the soil are of
all castes, and are said to be poor and involved in debt.
The first mention of the pargana is made in the Ain-i-Akbari. Before
the conquest of the country by the Moslems, the Bhars, Kd,yaths, Ahirs,
Lodhs, and Lunias were the proprietors, but they gave way to the
Chauhans of Mainpuri, the Gautams, the Raikwars, the Janwars, and the
Muhammadans. For the origin of the name see Safipur town.
Tradition connects this pargana with the events recorded in the
R^mayan, when it relates that the country now known as parganas Pariar,
Harha, and Safipur was the scene of the battle of Raja Ram Chandar with
his sons Lava and Kus. The lake Mahna is shown as exhibiting proof in
its still containing the stone arrows * that were used then by the contest-
ing parties. On the bank of this lake there is a temple in honour of Sri
Someswar Mah^deo, built just after the event abovementioned.
Of the Hindu places of antiquity two only need mention ; the temple
of Ram Sw^mi Mahadeo, in the village of Vakarma, and of Debi at
Baliriij Ataha. For the Muhammadan tombs and shrines see Safipur
town, where they are principally situated.
* See Faiiar.
Talnqdari
••■
4,249 acres
Pukhtadari
•••
240 „
Pattidari
...
... 37,168 „
SAF— SAH 281
The pargana during the king's reign formed part of the Midnganj
Safipur coUectorate.
SAFIPUR — Pargana Safipue — Tahsil Safipue — District TJnao. — This
town lies in latitude 26°50' north, longitude 80°24' east, and is situated 17
miles north-west of XJnao on the country road leading from Unao to Hardoi.
There is a daily market in which articles to the value of Rs. 55,000 are
sold annually. It is a flourishing well built town, containing 89 masonry
houses, 14! mosques and 6 Hindu temples. The population amounts to
.7,286, of whom 2,950 are Musalmans. There is a flourishing school here.
The town is also the headquarters of the tahsildar of the Safipur tahsil
and of an Inspector of Police. Diwan TJmmaid Rae, Kayath, and Molvi
Fazl Azim, who were in high position under the Oudh Government, were
natives of this town ; the former built a bazar and caravan-sarae, the latter
constructed many wells, mosques, and an imambnra.
The town is said to have been originally founded by one Sai Sukul, a
Brahman, and is generally called after him " Saipur." A religious mendi-
cant named Safi afterwards came to this place, established himself there,
and was buried, so in commemoration of his name the name was chang-
ed to Safipur, though in the district throughout the epithet of Saipur is
still more common. The fate of Sai Sukul is thus related, that in 1389
A.D. Ibrahim of Jaunpur marched with a large army against him, and his
master. Raja Ugarsen of Ugu, fought and killed them, ruined the whole
Hindu family, and put his lieutenants in possession of the town. These
were Molvi Akram, the ancestor of the Darvesh Safi, Rao Mahesh Rao,
paymaster to the force, the ancestor of Bihari Lai, Kayath, the present
qamingo, Sayyad Mir Ris^ldAr, the ancestor of the present zamindars, Zain-
Til-abidm and others, and Sayyad Hasan Raza, from whom are descended the
present taluqdars, Sarfar&z Haidar, Valayat Ahmad, and other zamindars.
Of the remains of antiquity there are several tombs of noted darveshes,
viz.. Shahs Safi, Qudrat-uUa, Fami-ulla, Hafiz-ulla, Abdulla, to the former
of which a king of Delhi is said to have paid a visit in 1534 A.D.
SAHET MAHET* — or the ancient ^B.LYAS,n— Pargana Balrampur —
Tahsil Utraula — District Gonda.— A vast collection of ruins on the
south bank of the Rdpti, ten miles from Balrampur, and six from Ikauna,
was identified a few years ago by General Cunningham as the remains of
the ancient city Sravasti, whose site had already been conjecturally fixed
by Lasfeen within a few miles of the place, but to the north of the river.
The foundation of the city is attributed to Sravasta, an old king of the
Solar race, the ninth in descent from Manu, at a time beside which the
most ancient myths are comparatively modem. From him was derived
the name Srdvasti, which appears in the Pr4krit forms Sawattha, S^wanta,
and Shravanta, and has since been corrupted into Sahet. Though the
words do not at first look alike, it is probable that the names of the river
and the town, Sahet Mahet and Rapti, were once the same, viz., Sharavati,
and derived from Savitri, the sun god; at the disputed era of the Ramayana,
Shr^vasti was the capital of Uttara Kus^la, the northern province of Rama's
empire, which on the division of the kingdom at the death of that hero
» By Mr. W. C. Benett, C.S. Assistant Commiasioner.
36
282 SAH
fell to the share of his son Lava. At the commencement of the historical
age, in the sixth century before Christ, we find it still one of the six princi-
pal kingdoms of Madhyadesa or Central Hindustan. It was then bounded
on the south by Saketa, or Ajodhya, and on the east by Vaishali, the modem
Behar and Benares; so it probably contained at least the present districts
of Bahraich, Gonda, Basti, and Gorakhpur. The king Parasenajit, who is
given in the Vishnu Purana as great grandson of Buddha, and who was
very probably connected in race with the princely prophet was an early
convert to the new faith, and invited its founder to the Kalandaka Vihara
in the Venuvana at Srdvasti. Here or in Ajodhya Buddha spent the
greater number of the rainy seasons during which he used to rest from
his missionary labours, nor did he finally leave the place till he started on
that journey to Bengal which ended in his attainment of perfection.
During his lifetime Sudatta, the prime minister, built the Jetavana, a mag-
nificent monastery whose ruins lie to the south-west of the capital. On
the death of Parasenajit his son Virudhaka succeeded, and showed himself
a bitter enemy to the faith ; he crowned many acts ■ of oppression by
including 500 Buddhist virgins in his harem. For this it was predicted
that on the seventh day he should be consumed by fire. To falsify the
prophecy, he and his court spent the day on boats on the pond to the south
of the city, but the waters fled back, the earth yawned, and the guilty
monarch disappeared in a supernatural flame.
From this time Sravasti remained one of the principal seats of Buddhist
learning, and twelve centuries afterwards the Chinese pilgrim collected with
reverence the traditions of his faith which lingered round the sacred city.
At the end of the second century, B.C., Rahulata, the sixteenth of the
Buddhist patriarchs, died here after having imparted his secret lore to the
king's son Sanghanandi, and at the fourth Buddhist Synod convened by
the Scythian Emperor Kanishka, the Jetavana, furnished one of the three
principal sects of Sthaviras or Buddhist doctors.
The greatest political importance ever reached by this state was in the
reign of Bikramajit, who, in the middle of the second century A.D., over-
threw the mightiest king in India, the Ghavdhana of Kashmir, and as ruler
of a vast dominion stretching from Peshawar to Malva, and from Malva to
Bengal, assumed with some show of right the title of emperor of Jambudirpa
or the Indian continent. Contrary to the traditions of his capital, he was
a bigoted adherent of the Brahmanical religion, and the legends connected
witb his rebuilding of the sacred places at Ajodhya and Debi Patan show
how low the fortunes of that creed had fallen in these parts when he lent
it his powerful support. Both were a complete jungle, and he restored
the localities of the birth of Rama and of his passage to heaven by measure-
ments from the Rdmdyana. His identifications probably are the base of
the topography of the present day, and it is to be hoped that they have
not been a source of error to the pious pilgrim. The remains of this
monarch's tank and temple still exist at X)ebi Patan. His death
appears to have been followed by open disputes between the rival
faiths, and the story that a distinguished Buddhist Vasubandhu worsted
the Brahmans in argument may refer to a more material victory especially
as we find that his still more distinguished predecessor Man or Nita had
SAH- 283
been worsted in argument by the Brahmans under the Brahman Bikramajit.
Here as elsewhere royal faiths seem to have been irrefutable.
The Ajodhya tradition undoubtedly preserves the correct story of the
fall of this dynasty. It relates that after a glorious reign of eighty years
Bikramajit was visited by a Jogi Samudra P41, who, after exhibiting seve-
ral remarkable miracles, induced the monarch to allow his spirit to be tem-
porarily transferred to a corpse. The royal body was no sooner vacant
than Samudra Pal projected his own spirit into it,, and refused to evacuate.
By this disreputable trick he obtained the throne of Ajodhya- and Srdvasti,
which he and his descendants retained for seventeen generations.
The fact contained in this singular legend is that Samudra Gupta, who
reigned for the first forty years of the third century A.D., overthrew the
local dynasty and himself reigned in their stead. The period of eighty
years, as the duration of the rule of Bikramajit and his descendants, is
exceedingly probable, and it is singular, though not much weight can be
attached to the coincidence, that from Samudra Gupta to Gayaditya, the
last of the Aditya Monarchs of Kanauj, there are exactly seventeen names
of the great Vaishya emperors who governed northern India.
The Chinese pilgrims did not, of course, omit to visit so sacred a city.
Fabian in the commencement of the fifth century found it inhabited by
200 poor families, and the grand building in decay; and 150 years later,
when Hvven Thsang arrived, the desolation was complete, and only a few
monks haunted the ruins.
It was destined, however, to recover for a while before it finally disap-
peared from history, and it is here that 1 must refer to its connection
with the origin of a third religion, that of the Jains. The third of their
Tirthank^ras, Shambhu Nath, was born at Sawatthi, both his immediate
predecessors, and both successors were born at the neighbouring city of
Ajodhya. There is still a small Jain temple dedicated by the accounts
of the neighbouring villagers to Sobha Nath. I have no doubt that Sobha
Nath and Shambhu Nath, Sawatthi and Sravasti, are the same, and that
this was the birth place of the third Tirthankara. The eighth of these super-
natural beings was born at Chandripur, and this place is always identified
in local tradition with Sahet Mahet, as I shall have occasion to remark
when I come to the Mahdbhdrata legend. Since the best authorities differ
about 1,500 years as to the probable date of these patriarchs, and their
very existence is a fair subject for doubt, I shall not venture to conjecture
on their connection with the rise of a strong Jain kingdom in the ninth
and tenth centuries. Of this dynasty little more is known than of that of
Bikramajit; one great victory throws them into the full light of history,
and an interesting legend accounts for their downfall. Local tradi-
tion gives the following list of names: —
Mayura dhwaja,
Hansa dhwaja,
Makara dhwaja,
Sudhanya dhwaja,
Suhiral or Suhel Deo or Dal.
These are diversely reputed to have been either Tharus, or of some
Rajput house. Considering the almost certain origin of the modern Rajputs,
the two accounts may both be true ; but, as they were Jains, some confusion
284 SAH
about their caste is easily intelligible. What is utterly baffling is that the
second and fourth are the heroes of one of the episodes of the Drigyijaya
section of the Mahabharata. The only one who is really historical is the
last, whose capital was at Sravasti, and who had a fort at Asokpur or Hatlla
or Raza, about half way on the road between Gonda and Fyzabad. The
tradition connecting him with Dumhria Dih is clearly transferred from the
recollections of the subsequent Dom Raj. When Salar Masaud crossed the
Gogra, he met Suhel Dal* at Hatila, and the Jains were apparently defeat-
ed though the place still is reverenced as the scene of the martyrdom of
a distinguished Muhammauan officer. The invaders pushed to the north,
and if tradition is to be believed, fought another great battle under the
walls of Sahet Mahet, which contains the tomb of another martyr. Finally,
after a long occupation of the country, the decisive battle was fought
at Bahraich, where the Moslem were completely exterminated. In the
undecisive conflicts, and prolonged encampment in a hostile country, in all
in fact but its denouement, the story bears a strong resemblance to that of
the Pathdn conquest of Utraula in the time of Sultan Sher Shah Sfir.
It is said that only about forty years after this victory the Jain house
fell. The king,")" whose name is not given, was passionately devoted to
the chase, and returned one evening just as the sun was setting. It
would have been a sin to eat after sunset, and the queen, in order to
secure the royal supper, sent up to the roof the exceedingly beautiful wife
of his younger brother. The experiment succeeded, and the sun stayed to
enjoy the sight as long as she stood there. When the feast was over she
descended ; the sun at once disappeared and the clocks struck' nine. The
astonished king enquired the cause, and was determined to see with his
own eyes the wonder-working beauty. His incestuous passion was punished
by the ruin of his state, and amidst a terrific storm the whole city was
turned bottom upwards. The modern name Sahet Mahet, says the legend
is descriptive of this inversion. This story is valuable as putting beyond,
reasonable doubt the first religion to which these kings belonged, the
inability to eat after sunset which is the point on which the whole turns
being derived from the Jain reluctance to sacrifice insect life.
The chronology is also not without its value, and I have no doubt points
to the conquest of the country by the first of the great Rathor kings, of
Kanauj, Sri Chandradeva. In the last half of the eleventh century he
made a pilgrimage to Ajodhya, and Kusala (i.e., Gonda) ; and with a
Chhattri prince pilgrimage is often another word for military expedition —
" na Chhattri ka bhagat na mlisal ka dhanuk ;" " you cannot make a saint
of a Chhattri or a bow of a rice pestle;" an inscription of his descendant,
the ill-starred Jai Chandra, has been found at Ajodhya.
Witli the Ghori conquest of India the history of Sahet Mahet comes
absolutely to an end, and it only remains for me to notice one more local
legend. Everywhere in the neighbourhood it is told that the real name
of the city before its bouleversement was Chandrikapuri or Chandripur,
and that it was here that Hansa Dhwaja reigned, and Arjuna gained his
very unheroic victory over the brave and beautiful Sudhania. It is added
* In other places Suhel Deo, the murderer of Musafid.
t A similiar story Is given of a prince in Guwarich pargana.
SAH 285
that from here the demigod marched south to Manikpur on the Ganges,
^here he fought with his unknown son by the daughter of Chitrangada,
Babruvahana. The whole story completely baffles me, and I only remark
that it has also been localized at Chhattisgarh {vide Central Provinces
Gazetteer, page 159).
_ There can be little doubt that this city was the Sribiistam, which has
given its name to the principal division of the K^yaths of upper India.
All that now remains of this once famous city is the great fortress on
the banks of the Rapti, with a smaller ruin to the south-west, a lofty mound
due south on the Balrampur and Bahraich roads, and numerous small
piles of bricks, probably the remains of ancient stupas scattered here and
there within a distance of two miles of the main city. The fortress is in
shape a semi-circular crescent with the concave side facing the river, and
is completely surrounded by solid brick walls, the highest remains being
to the west, where the ruins of the river bastion are still 60 feet in height.
The ordinary walls vary from a greatest elevation of 40 feet on the western
front to a lowest of 20 feet along the east and south-east. The interior is
covered with a dense jungle,so thick in parts as hardly to admit of the pas-
sage of an elephant, which is broken into a wavy surface by the remains of
temples and palaces underneath. All the principal buildings were in the
western half, and it is there that the undergrowth is the thickest, only
ceasing along two orthree broad streets which have been left bare, and indi-
cate the chief features of the old city. The main street runs right through
the centre, and is built so as to command a view of the great mound Ord
Jhar from one end to the other. To the south it debouches by one of the
principal gateways, and at the north it ends in a small square, containing
among other lofty remains the two principal mounds, which may be identi-
fied with the Sudattas house and the Angulimati a stupa mentioned by
Hwen Thsang. The dense brushwood, and the possibility that the city
which he saw may have been considerably altered by the later Jain dynasty,
renders the application of that traveller's descriptions a difficult and
hazardous task, but I am inclined to conjecture that his palace of Para-
senajit was situated among the mounds of the south-eastern corner where
there is now the small Jain temple. The next principal building mentioned
by him, both in his life and in the Siguki, is the hall of the law built by
that m.onarch for Buddha, which would have been situated between the
palace and the main street,whilePrajapatis Vihara would have formed the
whole or part of the long and even line of buildings which face the west
of the street. The north-west corner of the ruin contains a large open
space with a small pond in its centre, and a nearly straight road running
from it to another southern gateway and converging with the main street
on the Ord Jhar. The eastern half has no very important remains, though
the surface is broken everywhere with the debris of houses, and it
was here probably that the common people had their quarters. The
walls are pierced with numerous gateways, the principal being at
either end of the main street and the north eastern bastion, and in the
middle and southern corner of the west wall. At a distance of half a
mile from the south-west gate, and separated from the main town by
swamps, which probably mark the course of the old moat, is another
286 SAH— SAL
considerable ruin identified by Hwen Thsang with the old Jetavana, once
one of the most famous monasteries in India. It is a singular fact that this
feature is exactly reproduced in the remains of Eangi in the Rae Bareli
district, where a similar oblong ruin lies at the same distance and direc-
tion from the main town. The remainder of the Chinese pilgrims mea-
surements seem to have been taken from this point ; but it is difficult to
select among the numerous mounds the remains of the great Vihara and
its rival the idol temple. Nearly a mile to the east of the Jetdvana is the
high congeries of bricks known, as is the Mani Parbat at Ajodhya, by the
name Ora Jhar or basket shakings, and supposed to be the place where
llama's labourers emptied out their baskets of earth. This is identified
with some probability by General Cunningham as the Purvavarama built by
the lady Vaisakha in honour of Buddha. The top is protected by the
tombs of two Muhammadan saints, but General Cunningham cleared
one of the sides, and found four pUasters of an exceedingly ancient style
of architecture. From the fact that two of the cliief thoroughfares of
the city so converge as to command a view of this mound, I should
conjecture that it was more ancient than the plan of the present
remains, and consequently one of the oldest monuments left in the neigh-
bourhood. As yet very little is known of this very interesting ruin
which must contain relics which would do much to elucidate some of the
darkest and most interesting periods of Indian history. I was once able
to spend a few days in excavations, and dug more than 20 feet deep into
the crown of the Angulimatia stupa, but beyond disclosing a square
building of 24 feet each way, with a partition wall down the centre, and
a second wall running all round the building at a distance of four feet, I
discovered nothing of interest. It is somewhat difficult to get labourers,
as the neighbouring villagers have a superstitious dread of interfering with
the old city, and will not even enter it after sunset. A storm of thunder
and lightning, which came on when I encamped there on a second occasion,
was interpreted as a manifest token of the demons' displeasure with the
man who had violated their haunts.
Note.— Sines the above was written, the learned Suraj Naiain Acharya, of Lachhman-
pur, in the district of Sultanpur, favoured me with the following information, the sources
of which I was unable to ascertain : —
After the time of Asota (Siladitya of Eanauj), the Tharus descended from the
hills and occupied Ajodhya. The dispossessed Buddhisis called iu Raja Sri Chandra, of
Srinagra, who drove back the Tharus, and marching north founded Chandraratipura, now
known as Sahet Mahet. His grandson was ths celebrated Suhel Dal or Deo who defeated
the Muhammadans. Shortly afterwards Chandradeva, Sombanai of Kanauj, took Sahet
Mahet, and the Suraj Bansib of Suhel Hal's family fled to Simla, where their descendants
are still in existence.
I am inclined to consider this legpud as unusually Valuable, illustrating as it docs the
religious wars which ensued on the fall of the great Aditya dynasty of Kanauj, and con-
firming the account of the refounding o£ Sravaati after centuries of desolation by a
powerful Jain monarch, and the destruction of the Jain kingdom by Chandradeva of
Eanauj.
SAUKPJIR—Pargana MoHANLALGANJ— TaAsii Mohanlalganj— Dis-
trict LtrCKNOW. — This is a small town at the 20th milestone from Lucknow
on the road to Sultanpur. It is itself of not much consequence, but
as the residence of the Shekh Chaudhris of Salimpur, who at one time
claimed the whole pargana by right of conquest, it has played a conspi-
cuous part in the history of the pargana.
SAL 287
This town was founded by Shekh Salim, son of Shekh Abul Hasan Sunni,
the descendant of SLekh Abul Hasan, Ansari, who drove out the
Amethia Rajputs from the old pargana town Amethi Dingur. It was
founded probably in the time of Akbar, for the family is said to have held
a farman appointing Shekh Salim the chaudhri of the pargana. The
town is picturesquely situated in some broken and high ground overlook-
ing the Gumti river, and the approach to it lies over a ravine spanned by
a long bridge built since the establishment of the present Government, two
or three scattered mosques, and thetaluqdar's house in the distance, built
with some attempt at magnificence, add to the picturesqueness of the scene.
But the country is otherwise wild looking and scantily wooded.
The population is 2,365 and chiefly Hindu and agricultural and labour-
ing. Very little trade is carried on, and the annual sales in the bazars do not
amount to more than Rs. 3,700. A small Government vernacular school is
maintained at which some 30 pupils attend. The population gives a
somewhat illusory idea of the size of the place, for it includes that of some
hamlets that have been included within the village boundary.
SALON Pargana — Tahsil Salon — District Rae Babeli. — This large
pargana was formerly in the Partabgarh district, but is now in that of Rae
Bareli ; it extends from the Ganges to the south, and is bounded on the
north by Parsh£depur. Its area is 226 square miles, of which 110 are cul-
tivated; its population is 120,545 or 533 to the square mile. Of these 12,252
are Brahmans, 6,137 are Chhattris, 15,940 are Ahirs, 9,554 Pasis, 12,150
Chamars, 12,118 Kurmis, 10,915 are Musalmans. Of the Chhattris, 4,099
are Kanhpurias, nearly all of whom eat together and form a powerful and
valiant body. The following remarks are taken from the settlement
report : —
" In Salon there were 305 villages, of which 20 have been included
in the pargana of Manikpur. These form the estates of Pari^wan and
Lowana. Two villages were transferred from the Rampur pargana to
Salon, so that the whole present number is 287. Of these 287 villages
twenty-one are newly founded by a grantee under Lord Canning's rules.
The grant was made just after the munity to Mr. Thomas Palmer of Cawn-
pore, and is now held by trustees for his wife and children. Deducting
these villages 266 are left. They are held as follows : —
Kanhparia ... ... ...
Bais Chaadhri ...
Chandel ... ... ...
Baikwdr
Bisen ... ... ...
Brahman ...
E&yath ... ... ...
Eurmi ... ... ...
l^^nrao ... ...
Shekh
Sayyad ... ...
Pathan (Qandhari Gharwar)
Faqir Nanak Shahi, ... ...
GoTernmcnt villages, ... ...
Total
Taluqdari,
Mufrad.
S-2
98
0
3
0
9
0
1
2
0
0
1
0
18
0
I
0
1
19
23
0
44
0
11
0
1
0
2
288 SAL
There are three taluqas in this pargana, visi. : —
1. Nuruddinpur ... ... ... — Kanhpuria.
2. Azizabad ... ... ■•• ■•• Shekh.
3. Bhagipur NewSda ... ... ... ... Kanhpuria.
The Numddmpur estate comprises twenty-one villages, and the Bhagi-
pur Newada estate eleven only. The name of the former is the old name
by which the estate was known by its former proprietors, the Pathans,
who were conquered and driven ouc by the Kanhpurias.
" The Bhars of Salon. — Here as elsewhere tradition goes back to the
Bhars as the earliest occupants of the country. In Salon the traces of a
masonry fort ascribed to them may be still found. The Bhars of Salon
appear to have been no better than their brethren elsewhere : unjust,
illiterate, and violent, they were a kind of Phillistines, whom the
enlightened rulers at Delhi had to exterminate. Three Musalmans are
said to have been commissioned to finish off the Bhars, and having done so
they settled at Mustafabad on the banks of the Sai in pargana Ateha,
where the remains of a large brick fort in fair preservation attest their
residence. Many of the names of the villages are traced to them and
their descendants.
" The Kanhpurias.— These worthies trace their origin to the famous
Rfija Manik Chand (Gharwar), who once on a time gave a daughter in
' shankalp ' to a Brahman who lived on the banks of the Sai. She bore a
son named Kanh, who from infancy was marked for a wonderful destiny.
His name is found in Kanhpur in the Nuruddinpur ilaqa. Grown up, he
drove out the Pathans, and his four sons occupied their estates. These sons
were Rahas, Sahas, Uran, and Parsed. From Rahas the Kaithaula family
and Raja trace their descent, and the other sons have their descendants in
various places. The Raja of Tiloi in Sultanpur, adjoining this district,
finds his ancestor in Sahas, Kanh's second son. This family acquired great
power, and their estates are said to have embraced fourteen parganas,
including Salon.
" The elder son, Rahas, is the ancestor of the Nain families, and it is
said that originally they had fifteen villages only, but they have been a
pushing and aggressive family, and being not over scrupulous, they have
gone on annexing till they have got fifty-two villages. They have of course
separated from one another and hold distinct properties, but this is only as
regards the acquired villages. The original fifteen villages are still com-
mox! property, and each branch has its share in the parent stock of the
Pachmad estate. "
From Mr. Camegy's " Notes on the Races, Tribes, and Castes of Oudh,"
I extract the following regarding the Kanhpurias, which Mr. Oamegy
records as " the officially accepted version of the history of the origin " of
this clan : —
" This clan is said to have sprung from one Chtichu Pande, a Brahman
devotee of Bhdrat Dwaj in Allahabad. He is said to have been a man of
great learning, and was held in high esteem by Hindu chieftains of every
SAL 289
class. The great Gharwar E^ja, M^nik Chand, whose descendants now
possess the r&j of Kantit in Mirzapur, had no sons ; he had given the
daughters of thousands of indigent Brahmans in marriage, hoping thereby
to propitiate the gods and obtain male issue, but all his lavish gifts proved
useless.^ . •^^.^ ^^^* resource he gave his adopted daughter (a girl whom
his r£ni is said to have picked up at the Manikpur ghat on the Ganges,
and for whom various offers of marriage by other Chhattri chiefs had been
made) to the devotee, not in marriage, but as a living offering pi'esented
at his shrine. The pandit accepted his votive offering, and in due time,
the damsel gave birth to a male child which the Pandit named Kdnh ;"
and so on.
" A very pretty piece of word-painting no doubt," remarks Mr. Carnegy,
" and from this Kanh are said to descend the Kanhpuria clan, with its
fifteen rajas and chiefs. "
From Mr. W. C. Benett's very able little work on the " Family History
of the chief clans of the Rae Bareli district, " I extract the following
regarding this clan : —
" These trace their descent from the celebrated Rishi Bharat Dwaj and
their blood is enriched by the piety of eighty-three generations of saints
and anchorites. The birth of Kdnh, their first Chhattri ancestor, is involv-
ed in much obscurity.
" The common tradition is shortly as follows : — Suchh, a saint of distinc-
tion, lived at Manikpur in the reign of the great Mfinik Chand. A fable
, of Brahmanical invention describes and accounts for his marriage with the
daughter of the r^ja.*
" From this marriage two sons were born, one of whom turned Brahman
and the other Chhattri. The Chhattri was K5,nh, the eponymous hero
of his tribe, who married into a Bais family, abandoned Mdnikpur, where
he had succeeded as his mother's heir to the throne of Manik Chand, to
his wife's relations, and founded the village of Kdnhpur on the road from
Salon to Partabgarh. The present tribe deity of the Kanhpurias is the
Mahesha Rakshasa (buffalo demon), to whom they offer one buffalo at every
third Bijai Dasami, and another for every wedding or birth which has oc-
curred in their chief's family since the last sacrifice. I regard this tradition
as extremely important. All the leading tribes, of whose immigration their
can be no doubt, retain distinct legends of their former homes. Here it
is admitted that the founder of the tribe in these parts was also the first
of his people who was admitted into the Hindu caste system, as his father,
the Rishi, and his ancestors, the eighty-three preceding anchorites, were of
course of no caste at all. The connection with the Bais is more important
than that with Manik Chand, as the latter is introduced into legends of
every date from Mahmtid Ghazna,vi down to Husen Shah Sharqi.
"Kanh's sons, Sahas and Rahas, completed the conquest of the territory
to the north-west of Kdnhpur by inflicting a decisive defeat on the Bhars,
* "This princess, the only daughter of Manik Chand, seems to hare contracted several
alliances, and to have transmitted the raj and the Ghatwar blood hy each."
37
290 SAL
whose kings the brothers, Tiloki and Biloki, were left dead on the hattle-
field. Their names are preserved in the neighbouring villages of Tiloi
and Biloi."
The seniority of the Kcdthaula family over that of Tiloi. — R^has was the
eldest son of Kanh, the assertions of the Tiloi family notwithstanding,
and his immediate descendants find their representative in RAja Maheshwar
Bakhsh, taluqdar of Kaithaula. The R4ja of Tiloi is descended from Sahas,
the second son, whose posterity in the race for wealth and power very
soon outstripped that of the eldest son, Rahas, and so came to be the
dominant family. Whilst the head of the houses of Tiloi has always
figured prominently in the history of these parts; the family of Kaithaula
have remained in comparative obscurity.
MuhammMdan settlements. — The Shekh, Sayyad, and Pathan settle-
ments are all ofi'shoots from Manikpur, established at various periods
between A.D. 1030 and 1762. They present no particular features of
interest apart from the history of the parent colony. Mr. King continues : —
" Jdgir of BaM Begam. — The Salon pargana was part of the vast
estates held as 'jagir' by the Bahli Begam; wife of Shuja-ud-daula, and
mother of Xsif-ud-daula. She died on the 23rd Muharram 1223 fasli,
(1816 A.D.). Salon was conferred on the queen of the reigning sovereign,
Ghazi-ud-din Haidar. She was Padshdh Begam, who, espousing the
cause of her grandson, Munna J'in, in his attempt to secure the succession
to the ihrone, after Nasir-ud-din Haidar's death, was defeated by the
firmness of the resident. Colonel Low, as is related in Sleeman's tour
through Oudh, Vol. II., Chapter IV., and departed to the Fort of Chunar
with Munna Jan, where both were kept prisoners of State. The Begam
and her grandson both died there.
" Religious endowment at Salon. — There is a Muhammadan religious
endowment. at Salon which rose thus : —
" Shah PIr Muhammad, inhabitant of muhalla Adhan, of the city of
Jaunpur, went to study at the feet of the Manikpur saint, Pir Karim, who
made him his chela or spiritual son, and sent him to Salon to the dargah
and tomb of the martyr (Shahid), Piran Paront4, a companion, it is said, of
the renowned Sayyad Saldr of Bahraich fame. At Salon the chaudhris
allotted him a post under a red tamarind tree, and his name and fames
spread. The Emperor Xlamgir (Aurangzeb) gave him revenue-free lands,
and the grants have been not only respected and confirmed by subsequent
rulers (such as Sa4dat Khan, Asif-ud-daula, and the P4dshah Begam) but
increased. They are confirmed by the British Government and are repre-
sented by eleven villages and some chaks or hamlets, of which the annual
value may be estimated at Rs. 16,000 at least. It is probably not less
thanRs. 18,000. The grants extend into the Kunda Tahsil of the Partab-
garh district, where they consist of thirteen villages and hamlets, of which
the annual revenue is about Rs. 7,000, so that this endowment is worth
about Rs. 25,000 per annum.
" Former official divisions. — Salon gave its name to a Chakla of which
the extent varied at different times. Either the arrangements regarding
SAL— SAN. 291
the mutual inter-dependence of the administrative powers were very unde-
fined, or the actual limits of jurisdictions were vague ; but it is most diffi-
cult to get any reliable information regarding the various executive officers
and jurisdiction under the native government. " Everybody in power seems
to have been loosely called a nazim, and it is not uncommon for a qanungo
even, who should know better, to speak of the same person as ndzim and
chaklad^r in the same breath."
Salon is a very picturesque and interesting pargana ; it lies rather low
towards the bank of the Sai ; it is covered with the jungle in which the
Nain taluqdars and other free-booters built their forts. Wild cattle are
stiU found here in large numbers ; the banks of the river are bluff and
covered with brushwood through which ravines and many bosky dells
radiate far into the country. Water is near the surface but mud wells do
not last. The Government revenue falls at the rate of Re. 1-10-10 on. the
arable area, and was raised 49 per cent, above the summary settlement.
SALON — Pargana Salon — Tahsil Salon— District Rae Bareli. — Eaja
Sahasra Bhar is said to have founded this village ; it is on the road from
Partabgarh to Rae Bareli; it is three miles from the Sai, thirty-six from
Partabgarh, and twenty from Bareli.
The Bhars held this town originally; two Sayyads were killed here
because they sounded the azdn when saying their prayers, the consequence
was the destruction of the Bhars. This town is much reduced now ; seventy
years ago it was a flourishing place ; the population is as follows : —
2,184 Hindus
2,97 1 Musalmans.
5,155
There are 85 masonry houses and 1,025 with mud walls ; there is one
temple to Mah&deo and ten mosques, with other religious buildings. There
is a thana, a tahsil, and school. There is also a bazar whose annual sales
amount to Rs 10,000.
This town is pleasantly situated, with many groves and palm trees
round it, also a large jhil.
SAMARPHA — Pargana Dalmau — Tahsil Lalganj — District Rae
Babeli. — This town is situated on the road from Lalganj in pargana
Dalmau, and is the residence of a lady taluqdar Thakurain Darido
Kunwar. It is pleasantly situated among numerous groves. The popula-
tion is 2,352, mostly Hindus. There is a vernacular school and a temple
to Mah^deo.
SANDANA — Pargana Jhalotae Ajgain — Tahsil Mohj£n — District
Unao. — ^Lies 7 miles south-west of Mohan, and 14 miles north of Unao.
It Was peopled some 400 years ago by one Sadhan Singh Dikhit, son of
Rde Rdm Singh, ancestor of the present holders. The soil is principally
loam. It is on level ground; the site of the village is pleasing ; climate
good and water fresh. About one mile to the north is a jungle of dhfik
wood. Nothing manufactured here, excepting earthenware for the use of
the inhabitants.
292 SAN
The population is divided as follows : —
Hindus.
Mubammadans,
BrahmnDS
... 125
Chhattris
... J9I
Kayaths
..• 26
Pasis
65
Ahirs
... 97
Othera
... 421
Total.
926 196 1,121
There are 217 mud-built houses and three temples, two shiwalas, and
one temple to Debi.
SXNDI Pargana* — Tahsil BiLGRA'M — District Hardoi. — The chief sub-
division of talisil Bilgram in the Hardoi district. It consists of 141
villages; on the north and west it is bounded by parganas B4wan, Barwan,
and Katiari; on the south-west and south by the Ganges and by pargana
Bilgram; on the east by pargana Bangar. The Garra flows right through
it from north to south and the Ramganga flows irregularly along or near
its western and south-western border. Its extreme length and breadth are
13| and 17^ miles. Its area is 168 square miles, of which 107 or three-
fifths (61'62 per cent.) are cultivated, a fifth (19'91per cent.) is culturable,
and less than a fifth (17'52) barren. The proportion of the cultivated area
returned as third class, that is, light and sandy is 15*65 per cent, only a
sixth of it (16'37 per cent.) is irrigated, the area watered from tanks and
ponds (11 ■40 per cent.) being more than twice as large as that watered
from wells (4'97 per cent.}. The number of wells and ponds are returned
at 1757 and 1157 respectively. The percentage under groves is unusually
low, only '95. The average area of cultivation per plough is 6-jV acres.
The pargana is divided into two distinct portions by the irregular
sandy ridge, which running down through it from north to south imme-
diately to the east of S^ndi marks the edge of an ancient channel of, as I
believe, the Ganges, long since abandoned in its gradual westward recession.
All the villages on and to the east of this ridge are poor, uneven, and sandy.
Irrigation is scanty and difiicult. In some villages wells cannot be made,
at all, in others only the small pot and lever (dhenkli) wells can be made
and these have constantly to be renewed. On the other hand, all of the
country to the west of this ridge, that is to say, four-fifths or more of the
pargana is a distinctly alluvial tract, levelled and enriched by the floods
of three Himalayan rivers, the Garra, Ramganga, and Ganges, and by minor
streams such as the Sendba. All this tract is tarai, that is to say, it
has been scooped by fluvial action out of the adjacent bangar or original
plateau, and in it the water level is always so near the surface that in the
dry months percolation largely supplies the want of irrigation, while in
the rainy season it is more or less completely flooded. It constitutes in
fact the flood basin of the three rivers named above. In heavy floods such
as those of 1871, a sea of waters spreads from Sandi, 20 miles west
to Fa'tehgarh. The rivers bring down a rich alluvial deposit locally called
seo, which greatly fertilizes the submerged fields and makes manure
" By Mr. A. H Harington, C, S., Assistant Commissioner.
SAN 293
unnecessary. The deposit brought down by the R^mganga is considered
the richest. In heavy floods it is sometimes spread two feet thick over
tbe fields. Besides its richness it has this further advantage, that its pre-
paration for seed involves only a quarter of the labour required for
ordinary land.
The autumn crops in this part of the district cannot be depended on,
and if the floods are late in running off, the spring sowings suffer. Along
the Garra, which flows between well defined banks of from fifteeli to twenty
feet bigh, irrigation is carried on by the pot and lever (dhenkli) or by the
lift (beri). Opposite Sandi I have seen five lifts at work to fetch the water
up to the fields. Wheat and even opium are grown up to the very edge of
tbe bank. Watering from tbe Sendha is very difficult and expensive
owing to the depth of the stream below its banks. Much of the soil in this
rivered tract is a hard stifi" cold clay requiring large and powerful bullocks
to force the plough through it and heavy rains to soften it. A natural
consequence of the moisture of the surface and slight need of artificial
irrigation is that irrigated and unirrgated lands in many villages fetch
much the same rent.
Away from the Garra the country is poorly wooded. There is little
jungle except a patch full of nil-gde at Jeori on the Sendha. In some vil-
lages, especially those along the Rdmganga, a rank deep rooted grass called
sarai is very baneful. Every flood brings down fresh seeds of it, and not
improbably it wiU in time be as bad a pest as the "kans" of Bundelkand.
In this low river swept tract the soil of the hangar has here and there
withstood the fluvial action, and has left a high isolated bluff overlooking
the surrounding champaign. The views from these " coigns of vantage" is
very striking. Thus from Malanthu Khera the eye can range from the
Christian spire of Fatehgarh Church, twelve miles away across the Ganges ;
on the west, to the pagan pinnacle of Biwan Shiwdla, fourteen miles to the
east, or from Sundi fort on one hand to the groves of Siwaichpur on the
other. Another grand view is to be had from Sdndi fort.
The Sandi lake, called ' Dd,har,' has been formed, I suppose, by the silting
up of the channel of the great river which must have flowed close up to
the sandy ridge on the east of it, much in the same way as the snipe-famed
Baghar Tkl near Bahramghat has been formed by the silting of the Sarju.
It is two miles long, with abreadth of from four to six furlongs, and abounds
in fish and water-fowl.
The beauty of the groves round S^ndi attracted Sir W. Sleeman's atten-
tion. Writing in 1850, he says* : — "I observed very fine groves of mango
trees close to Sandee planted by merchants and shopkeepers of the place.
The oldest are still held by descendants of those by whom they were first
planted more than a century ago ; and no tax whatever is imposed upon
the trees of any kind, or upon the lands on which they stand. Many young,
groves are growing up around to replace the old ones as they decay ; and
the greatest possible security is felt in the tenure by which they are held
* Vol. II., pages 31-32, Tour through 0 dh,
294 SAN
by the planter, or his descendants, though they hold no written lease or
deed of gift, and have neither law nor court of justice to secure it to them.
Groves and solitary mango, semul, tamarind, mhowa, and other trees,
whose leaves and branches are not required for the food of elephants and
camels, are more secure in Oude than in our own territories ; and the
country is, in consequence, much better provided with them. While they
give beauty to the landscape they alleviate the effects of droughts to the
poorer classes from the fruit they supply; and droughts are less frequently
and less severely felt in a country so intersected by fine streams, flowing
from the tarae forest or down from the perpetual snows of neighbour-
ing hills ; and keeping the water always near the surface, these trees tend
also to render the air healthy by given out oxygen in large quantities
during the day and absorbing carbonic acid gas."
The taluqdari tenure obtains in 30^ villages, 61^ are zamindari, and
49 imperfect pattidari.
The Government demand, excluding cesses is Rs. 1,27,218 — a rise of
23-13 per cent, over the summary assessment. It falls at Re. 1-14-7 on
the cultivated acre ; 1-2-10 per acre of total area ; 11-10-7 per plough ;
Rs. 2-9-4 per head of agricultural and 1-13-2 per head of total popu-
lation.
The incidence of population is 415 to the square mile. The leading
statistics are —
Total 69,751 ; Hindus to Muhammadans 64,252 to 5,499 ; males to
females 37,734 to 32,017, agriculturists to non-agriculturists 49,289 to-
20,462. Brahmans (8,756) and Ahirs (8,240) head the list. Then come
Kisans and Ohamirs, Chhattris (5,984) and Murdos (4,853).
There is an aided school at S^ndi and village schools have been esta-
blished at Palia and Chamarsar. The opium department has a weighing,
station at Sandi.
The Xm-i-Akbari contains the following mention of the pargana : —
Cultivated area, 2,1 1,814 bighas.
KeTenue, mal, 3I,5S,339 dams,
SSyar ghal ... 1,95,108 „
Zamindars, SombaDsi.
Garrison, 20 sawars and 3,000 foot soldiers.
The chief products are wheat, barley, bajra, gram, juara, arhar and
paddy. At survey wheat covered a third of the cultivated area ; barley
between a fifth and fourth ; bajra and gram together a fourth. The areas
under sugarcane, cotton, tobacco, indigo, and poppy were respectively
only 353, 18,979, 50, and 1 acres.
The climate of Sandi itself is considered very good, but the wells are
brackish.
SAN 295
The 141 villages are held thus : —
Eatiars ,„
... ...
36
Sombansis
... •»•
16
3anwars ...
... •*.
10
Bxmtilas .„
... •••
H
Nikumbhs
... ..*
2
Chauh&ns ...
...
1
Gaurs ...
... <••
6i
Kaikwars ...
... ...
4
BaiB
... ...
2
Rathors ...
... ■••
1
Gahalwfira
...
1
Eateriaa ...
••• ...
1
BSchiUs ...
...
1
Total Chbattris
••« (••
80i
Sayyads ...
...
m
Pathans ...
•■• **•
6
Shekhs
••• ••■
2
Mughals ...
...
4
Total MuhammadanB
...
26
Brahmans
...
... •••
•Mi
A hire
... ...
... >..
H
Government
... ...
... ...
12
Kayaths ...
...
... •••
4
Lodlis
...
...
54
* Misrs, Dikhits, Agranhotris, Tiwaris, and Pdthaks, one each ; Dubes fi)ur, Pandes two ;
Chaubes a bait.
It is believed traditionally that Arakhs preceded Thatheras in
holding tlie country round Sandi. The displacement of the Thatheras
was effected by Sombansi Chhattris who had migrated from Jhiisi. At
the time of the Muhammadan conquest the domains of the Sombansis are
said to have extended over Sandi, Katidri, Barwan, Saromannagar, Patti,
Pachhoha, Shahabad, Bangar, and Bdwan. The headquarters of the clan
was at Santan Khera or Santannagar, a fort named after Raja San tan
Singh, lying at a short distance to the north of the present town of Sandi
to which it has given its name. The Sombansis were driven out at the
Muhammadan invasion and retired to the Kumaun hills.
This retreat, and their complete subjugation, did not take place till
about 1398 A.D. Traditions still linger on the country side of the
stubbornness of the defence of Santan Khera, the depth of the moat, the
failure of the siege till a channel was cut from the moat to the Garra. The
conquerors abandoned Santan Khera, and founded a new town about a
mile and a half to the south-east, and named it Fatehpur Islamabad.
But pestilence broke out twenty-two years later and caused the abandonment
of the new town. The village of Chandiapur stands near the deserted
site which is now known as Fatihan Khera. In compliance with the wishes
of the inhabitants the old town was re-peopled, and the Muhammad ans
gave it the name of Ashrafabad. But the new title did not go down.
Santan Dlh or Sandi became its name. The proprietary connection of
the Sayyads with the pargana began with Sayyad Husen Tirmuzi, who
was a leading man in the conquering post, and was rewarded for hia
296 SAN
services with several villages in jagir. In 1061 Hijri (1650 A.D.) his des-
cendant, Sayyad Sad-uUa, was killed in an affray with certain Srib4s:ab
Kayaths of the pargana, arising out of a dispute as to the ownership of
the Manjhua.
On the petition of the slain man's famUy Shah Jahan deputed Bahman
Yar Khan to chastise the Kayaths. The task was very thoroughly done,
and none of this family of Kayaths are to be found in Sdndi. The same
emperor bestowed the whole pargana, then consisting of 332 villages, on
Khalil-uUa Khan injagir; but later on in 1093 Hijri (A.I). 1681),Aurangzeb
conferred the proprietorship of the town and of forty villages which had
belonged to the Kayaths on Sayyad Fateh Muhammad and Sayyad Mu-
hammad, the heirs of the slain Sayyad Sdd-ulla. Sayyad Muhammad was
the elder son and heads the bari taraf or senior line, while the junior or
chhoti taraf (br saikai) traces its descent from Sayyad Fateh Muhammad.
Since then the town, and the post of chaudhri and qaniingo have been
held by this family. I learn from the Bhamapur proprietary rights record
that the whole of (pargana) S^ndi was at one time held by the chaudhris
on a pargana grant from the throne. This ceased in 1194 fasli (A.D.
18433 or thereabouts. Then every village fell into the direct tenures of
the old inhabitants. The pargana had been held by the chaudhris for
nearly 180 years.
The Oudh treaty of 1772 was ratified at "Camp Saundee." Vide Aitchi-
son's Treaties II., pp. 83-84.
SXNDI* — Pargana SXndi — Tahsil BilgRaM — District Haedoi. — (Lati-
tude 27°17' north, longitude 80°0' east.) An interesting town of
11,123 inhabitants, on the left bank of the Garra on the old route from
Shahjahanpur vid Shahabad to Lucknow. For its history the pargana
article may be referred to. Tennant, visiting it in 1799, complained of
" the bleak, desolate, and dreary aspect of the country, where you are
constantly sinking at every step in loose sand and blinded by showers, of
dust." Heber, in 1824, gives a more cheerful account, but under-rated
the size of the place. " The country, " he writes, "through which we passed
to-day was extremely pretty, undulating with scattered groves of tall trees
and some extensive lakes which still (4th November) showed a good deal
of water. The greater part of the space between the wood was in
green wheat, but there were round the margin of the lakes some sm all
tracts of brushwood, and beautiful silky jungle-grass, eight or ten feet
high, with its long pendant beards glistening with hoar-frost — a sight
enough in itself to act as a tonic to a convalescent European. Sandee
is a poor little village shaded by some fine trees, with a large jheel in the
neighbourhood swarming with water-fowl. It was described to me as a
very dangerous place for travellers without my present advantages, and
I was told that from thence to the company's frontier the country bore
an extremely bad character, and several robberies and murders had taken
place lately. The lake was half dry already, and would, they said, in three
months time be quite so. As it recedes it leaves a fine bed of grass and
aquatic plants on which a large herd of cattle was now eagerly grazing."
• By Mr. A.H. Harington, C.S., Assistaat Commissioner.
SAN 297
Twenty-six years later Sir W. Sleeman noted his impressions of Sdndi
(Vol. II., p. 31, Sleeman's' Tour in Oudh) :—
" The river Garra flows under the town to the north. The place is said
to be healthy, but could hardly be so were this lake to the west or east
instead of to the south whence the wind seldom blows. This lake must
give out more or less of malaria that would be taken over the village
for the greater portion of the year by the prevailing easterly and westerly
winds. I do not think the place so eligible for a cantonment as Tandee-
awun in point either of salubrity, position, or soil. The lake on the south
side abounds in fish, and is covered with wild fowl, but the fish we got
from it was not good of its kind."
The best market is that held on Sundays and Thursdays in muhalla
Nawabganj, but smaller bazars are held on Tuesdays in muhalla Khalisa,
on Mondays in muhalla Auladganj, on Fridays in muhalla Munshiganj,
and on Wednesdays in SaMmullaganj. The Sdndi market has a local fame
for its small cotton carpets or qdlins.
The principal wards or muhallas are called Sayyadwdra, Salamullaganj,
Munshiganj, Khalisa, Auladganj, Nawabganj, and Unchatila. Unchatila
has been built on one of those isolated bluffs where soil harder than usual
has withstood the river-floods of ages, and has left a sort of natural for-
tress commanding the adjacent river basin. Here, layer upon layer,
are piled the vestiges of the Xrakhs, Thatheras, Sombansis, and Sayyads
of the past, crowned with the successive remains of an earthwork thrown
up during the reign of ShujS-ud-daula, a factory built by European enter-
prize at a rather later date, a chakladar's tahsil and fort, an English
tahsil and police station established at annexation, and now a Govern-
ment opium godown or weighing house and office. A gloomy associa-
tion clings to this building, for it was here, in 1870, that the opium ofiicer
Mr. MacMuUen was atrociously murdered by his bearer, who in revenge
for a trifling punishment by the kindest and most indulgent of masters,
blew out his brains as he lay asleep, and then gave out that his master
had committed suicide. A moment's glance at the poor victim's body,
refuted the lie ; the murderer confessed his crime, and was hanged for it.
In Sayyadwara the chief buildings are a mosque and mansion built by
Sayyad Qutb-ud-din Husen Khan, chakladar at annexation of Bangarmau
and B:indi. In this house is located the Government aided school,
averaging 102 pupils. To the south of it is an imambdra and mosque
built in 184'4. Two other mosques adorn the quarter raised by Munshi
Mubarak Ali and Najabat Ali, reader of the khutba or prayer for the
king. Salamullaganj, named after one of the Sayyad chaudhris of the
pargana, boasts its rauza built in 1738 by Sayyad Muhammad Amjad,
father of chaudhri Salam-ulla, and a mosque built by the same Sayyad
three years later.
To the east of the town are the dargahs and graves of Sh4h Allah
Bakhsh Darwesh, called also zinda Pir and of MaulAna Khilis, faqirs of
great local renown, and claimed by tradition as companions in arms of
Sayyad Sal4r Masatid.
38
298 SAN
These tombs seem to have been constructed about the end of the four-
teenth century. One of them has evidently been chiefly built out of
the ruins of a Hindu temple, being made almost entirely of large blocks
of kankar of different sizes. At the edge and in front of the raised plat-
form are two large blocks, of which the upper surface has been hewn into
the segment of a large circle. In their present position these stones are
without iise or meaning. They have apparently been originally a part of
the doorway of a Hindu shrine. Other fragments of pillars and bas-reliefs,
belonging probably to the same building, are collected at the shrines of the
Mangla and Gobardhani Debis.
In Munshiganj there is a masonry well of great age, said to be of a date
prior to the Sombansis under Raja Santan, ^nd called Mitha kuiin or the
well of sweet waters. It was repaired during the reign of Sa^dat Ali
Khan by Muhammad Ali Naqi Khan, uncle of Sayyad Qutb-ud-din
Husen Khan,
The Khalisa and Aul4dga,nj wards contain many good masonry houses
built by wealthy Raezdda Kayaths such as the Lalas Gopnl R4ej Ganga
Parshad, and Shadi Lai. Here, too, are two Thakurdwaras, erected in
recent times by Beni Datt Misir and Ohhote Lai P^nde.
To the east of Muratganj lies the sacred shrine of the Mangla Debi.
Here, in addition to the usual fragments of stone bas-relief, are two small
white marble images, of which the feet and hands have bee a broken off, a
huge block of hewn kankar, and a fragment of a red sandstone capital.
Close by is the Phul Mati dher, a bas-relief representing a pagoda-like
structure, rising oyer a seated central figure with attendants, of apparently
Buddhist type.
In Nawabganj there is a fine sar.4e. This ganj was built by one Sabadh
Gir Goshain, a military officer in the Nawabi. In this quarter used
to be cantoned some of the ex-kings troops, with guns. The road to Bil-
grapa and Hardoi passes through Nawabganj, which is by far the most
thriving mart in Sandi.
A mile from the town in Admapur at the edge of the lake a little spring
wells up and trickles into it. The spot is called " BrahmSvart," and is
regarded with peculiar veneration by the Hindus of the neighbourhood.
Here a grove has been planted, and in it over the sacred spring is a little
shrine tended by a few priests.
SANDILA Pargana* — Tahsil SANDtLA — District Habdoi. The princi-
pal subdivision of tahsil Sandila in the Hardoi district. It consists of
213 villages. On the north it is bounded by pargana Gopamau, on the
west by parganas Bdlamau and Mallanwan, on the south-west and south
by parganans Bangarmau, Safipur, and Mohdn Auras of Lucknow, on the
east by parganas Gundwa and Kalyan Mai, and across the Gumti'by par-
gana Aurangabad of Sitapur. The Sai flows along the greater part of its
south-western and southern border.
By Mr. A. H. flarington, C.S.
SAN 299
In shape it is an irregular rhombus, with an extreme length and
breadth of 31 and 22 miles. Its area is 329 square miles, of which
170 or 51-14! per cent, are cultivated. Rather more than a fifth (22'56 per
cent.) is culturable ; a fourth (247 per cent.) is returned as barren. More
than a fourth (27'65 per cent.) is rated as third class, that is, sandy, light,
and uneven. Rather less than a third (31-05 per cent.) of the cultivated
area is irrigated in the proportion of about four parts from tanks and ponds
to one from wells. The percentage under groves is only 1'6 ; 71 acres is
the average area of cultivation per plough.
There is nothing very striking or interesting about its physical fea-
tures. The statistics already given show that it is poorly wooded, that the
area of barren and sandy soil is very large, and that wells are scarce. This
last circumstance is owing to the sandiness of the subsoil — a feature always
met with in the vicinity of Indian rivers. The worst and sandiest tract
is to the north near Beniganj and Manjhgaon. Here the neighbourhood
of the Gumti, which forms the north-eastern border, is plainly visible for
miles inland from it, in the great irregularity of the surface, scantiness
of wells and jhils, and the lightness of the sandy undulating soil. This
region abounds in extensive herds of deer, whose depredations add seriously
to the cultivator's difficulties. Southwards, as the scene shifts towards
the centre of the pargana, a more even surface and a firmer soil is reach-
ed, abouuding in jhils of no great size, of which the largest is at Rai-
son. It is notable for the number of grebe on it, and the advantages for
duck shooting presented by the embankments across it. The Baita ndla
rises among the jhils in the east centre of the pargana and drains its
south-eastern side.
Large traets of dhdk jungle and barren waste follow its course, and it
is not much used for irrigation. Towards the Sai on the west the soil
again deteriorates.
It becomes sandy and unable to retain water. Jhils disappear. The
urface becomes uneven. But the slope into the basin of the Sai is
sneither steep nor deep, so that there is comparatively little of the scour
which so disastrously affects the Gumti side of the district.
For the same reason the land on this side is less sandy, that is, less
denuded of its loamy particles. A few spotted deer (chital) still linger
in the TJtar Guidn jungle near Kachhona.
The main road is the unmetalled one from Lucknow to Sh^hjahanpur,
passing through Sandila, from Malihabad, and Kachhona, on its way to
Hardoi. Parallel to it now runs the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway with
stations at Sandila and Kachhona. From Sandila other unmetalled dis-
trict roads branch off south-westward to Bangarmau, westward to Ghaus-
ganj and Mallanw^n, and northward to Beniganj and Nimkhar.
The chief products are barley, wheat, b^jra, gram, arhar, m4sh, paddy,
and juar. Of these at survey barley covered a fourth of the cultivated
area ; wheat a fifth ; bajra and gi-am together rather more than a fifth ;
rather more than another fifth was cropped with arhar, m^sh, paddj-, and
juar. The areas returned as under cotton, cane, poppy, tabacco, and
indigo were respectively 2,618, 1,789, 276, 267, and 9 acres,.
300 ■ SAN
The climate is considered average, but damp makes it unhealthy at
and near Sandila.
The 213 villages are held thus : —
Nikumbhs
...
•■• .•■ •••
...
60
Janwara ...
...
• •• ■"
aat
13
Eaikwars
!••
-« ,.i ...
...
2
Bais
...
.a. !•• •••
•••
I
Ahbans ...
...
... .■«
1.*
3
Kachhwahaa
.««
i.t
6
Sakarwars
...
... •••
■ ■a
2
Gharwara
«•«
.•I .■■ •••
...
I
Chauh&na
• •t
••• ••• •••
Total Chhattris
• ••
6
82
Tiwari Brahmana
,.
*•« *!• .at
a.*
1
Dube
n
• <l
.•• ta« .••
...
1
Suknl
•••
... *••
.M
1
Bilwar
1}
• ••
.a* «•»
■ •*
I
Sarasswat
n
•"
t«. ••• *••
, Total Brahmana
• *■
1
5
Shekhs ,-
.•« ••• •••
a*.
63
Sayyads ...
.•«
...
.t«
17
PathSna ...
M«
... ••• .a.
•M
1
Total Muhammadans
>••
81
Kayaths ..,
• ••
... la* ..•
•••
41
Kurmis
,,,
.•• ... .^.
.'•*
3
Kalwara •••
...
... .a. (•■
.••
1
Lodhs
...
..a **• ■••
...
1
Total Miscellaneous
t*t
45
The taluqdari tenure obtains in 114 of the villages ; 70 are zamindari ;
26 imperfect pattidari ; 3 are bhayyachara.
The Government demand, excluding cesses, is Rs. 1,92,553, a rise of 42
percent, on the summary assessment. It falls at Re. 1-12-7 on the cul-
tivated acre. Re. 0-14-7 per acre of total area, Rs. 12-14-6 per plough,
Rs. 2-11-1 per head of agricultural, and 1-6-5 per head of total popu-
lation.
The incidence of population is 417 to the square mile. The leading
statistics are : total 1,37,275 ; Hindus to Muhammadans 1,17,371 to 19J904 ;
males to females 72,175 to 65,080 ; agriculturists to non-agriculturists
71,569 to 65,275. Among the Hindus Chamars, Pasis, Brahmans, and
Muraos predominate. Chamars are more than a sixth of the entire popu-
lation ; Pasis are nearly a tenth. Brahmans rather less than an eleventh ;
Murdos about a fifteenth. Among the rest Chhattris (7,054), Ahirs, Vaish-
yas, and Xrakhs (4,215) (the earliest children of the soil according to
tradition) are most numerous. Among the Muhammadans Shekhs are
strongest (5,076), then Ghosis and Julahas 5 Sayyads are only 1,610.
There is an Anglo-vernacular tahsil school at Sandila, and there are
village schools at Beniganj, Assa, Ghausganj, Bainkdar, and Behsar,
SAN 301
The pajgana is mentioned in the Xin-i-Akbari as having a cultivated
area of 3,93,700 bighas.
Revenue, m&l ... ... ... ... 26,33,398 dams.
Sayargbal ... ... ... ... 1,567 „
Zamindars, Chandels.
Garrison, 20 sawars and 1,000 foot soldiers.
* In the early history of this pargana Arakhs occupy the place which is
filled elsewhere in the Hardoi district by Thatheras. Two brothers of the
tribe, Salhia and Malhia, are said to have founded the one Salhia Purwa
now Sandfia, the chief town of the pargana; the other Malihabad, in the
adjacent pargana of that name in the Lucknow district. The Arakhs held
the tract till towards the end of the 14th century, Sayyad Makhdtim
Alaud-dfn, the fighting apostle of Nasir-ud-din, the " lamp of Delhi," under-
took to drive out the infidels, and to carry the faith and arms of Isldm a
stage farther to the south. The pijpmise of a royal revenue-free grant
made the prospect of success as tempting to the soldier as was the expul-
sion of the infidel to the saint. How long or how fiercely the Arakhs
resisted we know not. Onlj' the issue of the contest has been remembered.
To this day the Arakhs of Utraula, on the Rapti, 120 miles away to the
east in Gonda, recall their lost domains in Sandila. A century and a half
earlier in the reign of Shams-ud-din Altamsh, the Sayyad had driven out
the Hindu lords of Bilgram and settled themselves there.
Sandfla was their next acquisition of importance in this part of the
country. The process of consolidation is thus described in the Tdrikh-i-
Mubarak Shahi (EUiot's History IV., p. 13). " The frontiers of the empire
were secured (1375 A.D.) by placing them under the charge of great and
trusty amirs. Thus on the side of Hindustan, on the Bengal frontier, the
fief (ekta) of Karra and Mahoba, and the 8hikk of Dalmau, were placed under
the charge of Malikas Shark (prince of the east) Marddn Daulat, who
received the title of NasIr-ul-Mulk. The fief of Oudh and Sandila and the
Shikk of Kol were placed under Malik His4m-ul-Mulk and Hisdm -ud-din
Nawa. The fief of Jaunpur and Zafarabad was given to Malik Bahroz
Sultani. The fief of Bihdr to Malik BIr Afghan. These nobles showed
no laxity in putting down the plots of the infidels, and in making their
territories secure" (1394 A.D.). " Through the turbulence of the base
infidels the affairs of the fiefs of Hindustan had fallen into confusion, so
Khw^ja-i-Jahan received the title of Malika-ul-Shark (king of the east),
and the administration of all Hindustan, from Kanauj to Bihar, was placed
in his charge. In the month of Rajab, 796 Hijri (1394 A.D.), he proceeded
to Hindustan with twenty elephants; and after chastising the rebels of
Etawah, Kol, Kahara-Kamil, and the environs of Kanauj, he went to
Jaunpur. By degrees he got the fiefs of Kanauj, Karra, Oudh, Shadidah
(Sandila), Dalmau, Bahraich, Bihar, and Tirhut into his own possession. He
put down many of the infidels, and restored the forts which they had des-
troyed. God Almighty blessed the arms of Isldm with power and victory.
The Rai of J&jnagar and the king of Lakhnauti now began to send to Khwd-
ja-i-Jah&n the elephants which they used to send (as tribute) to Delhi."
*******
(1399 A.D.) " The fiefs of Kanauj, Oudh, Karra, Dalmau, Sandila,
Bahraich, Bihar, and Jaunpur were held by Khwaja-i-Jahfe. In the same
302 SAN
year (1399) Khw&ja-i-Jah^n died at Jaunpur, and his adopted son, Malik
Mubarak, became king in his stead, assuming the title of Mubarak
Shah, and taking possession of all the fiefs."
The inventive piety of the Muhammadans dispenses with the traditional
clue to the derivation of the name, and asserts that it is traceable to an
exclamation of Sayyad M;akhdum Ald-ud-din who when on his way thither
■from Delhi cast into the Jumna the grant or charter received by him from
his imperial master saying, Sanad Allah, God be my charter.
Accordingly he named his first conquest Sanad-illa or Sandila, though
till then it had been known as SItal Purwa. Taking as his own share a
rent-free grant of 360 bighas he built and settled upon it, and it is called
to this day Makhdiimpura in remembrance of him ; and his darg'ih stands
upon it. The tyranny and exactions of Muhammad Shah Tughlaq at
Delhi are said to have contributed to the development of Sandila whither
fled many a refugee, chiefly of the Brahman and Chhattri castes. In the
time of Sher Shah the settlement had become so crowded that Sayyad
Husen founded a new town adjacent to it and styled it Ashraftola. Up
to this time no Government officer had been posted at Sandila; so that,
like the cave of AduUam, it was a convenient refuge for all who wished
to keep out of the way of the imperial writs ; but about the time of Akbar
the qazi was transferred hither from Mahona, and the other pargana officials
came in time to be posted here. Firoz Shah twice visited Sandila in
754 Hijri (A.D. 1353) on his march to Lucknow, and in 776 Hijri (A.D,
1374) on the way to Bahraich. A mosque bearing the date 769 Hijri (A.D.
1367) was built by his order.
The restoration of Humiytin brought trouble upon Sayyad Husen, who
had been faithful to the fortunes of Sher Shah. The town was plundered
by Humayun's troops; Sayyad Husen was dispossessed of his grant, and
a force was quartered here. The lands which for three centuries had been
held by Sayyads were made over to Chandels. But the tenure of the
Chandels did not last long. The Sayyads regained court favour and a
portion of their lost possessions. Molvi Muhammad Moia ingratiated
himself with Alamgir, who conferred upon him in jaglr for military ser-
vice Ibrahimpur, TUoi, and ten other villages, and, when he died in Behar,
sent his corpse to Sandila to be buried with his forefathers. Most of the
Sayyad's grants were resumed and charged with revenue after ShujA-ud-
daula's defeat at Buxar, and the remainder were resumed by Saadat All
Khan.
In our own time nineteen villages were conferred on Molvi Fazl Rasdl
of Jaldlpur of this family for distinguished services during the mutiny.
Two severe actions were fought at Sandila on 6th and 7th October,
1858.
SANDILA* — Pargema SANDtLA— TafeiJ Sandila — District Hardoi. —
(Latitude 27°4' north, longitude 80°34' east). Sandfla ranks sixth in
* By Mr. A, H, Harington, C.S., Assistant Commissioner,
SAN 303
population among the towns of Oudh, and second among those of the
Hardoi district. It lies nearly midway between Lucknow and Hardoi,
at a distance of 32 miles north-west from Lucknow and 34 miles south-
east from Hardoi. It is 31 miles east from Bilgr^m. There is a station of
the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway at it.
For an account of its foundation and political history the pargana arti-
cle should be referred to. Its four muhallas are named Ashraftola,
Mahetwana, Mandai, and Malkana.
The population is 1.5,786, of whom 7,629 are Hindus and 8,157 are
Muhammadans. They are lodged in 1,114 brick and 3,986 mud-built
houses.
Being the headquarters of a revenue subdivision, the town has the
usual Government offices, tahsil, police station, dispensary, and Anglo-
vernacular school.
Markets are held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Pan and ghi are sold for
export in considerable quantities.
There are no buildings of special interest or antiquity. The Bdra
Kambha, a hall of the twelve pillars, was built of stone a century and half
ago by an ancestor of Farzand Ali and Musharraf Ali.
Sir W. Sleeman's notes on the place are worth quoting, written as they
were six years before annexation (Volume II., p. 2, Volume I., pp.
336-337) :—
" Halted at Sundeela. To the north of the town there is a large uncul-
tivated plain of oosur lands that would answer for cantonments, but the
water lies, for some time after rain, in many places. The drainage is
defective, but might be made good towards a rivulet to the north and west.
There is another open plain to the west of the town, between the suburbs
and the small village of Ausoo Serae, where the trigonometrical survey
has one of its towers. It is about a mile from east to west, and more from
north to south, and well adapted for the location of troops and civil esta-
blishments. The climate is said to be very good. The town is large and
still populous, but the best families seem to be going to decay or leaving
the place. Many educated persons from Sundeela in our civil establishments
used to leave their families here ; but life and property have become so
very insecure that they now always take them with them to the districts
in which they are employed, or send them to others. I observed many
good houses of burnt brick and cement, but they are going fast to decay,
and are all surrounded by numerous mud houses without coverings, or
with coverings of the saine material, which are hidden from view by low
parapets. These houses have a wretched appearance.
" Several of the villages of Sundeela are held by Syud zumeendars, who
are peaceable and industrious subjects, and were generally better protected
than others under the influence of Chowdhree Sheik Husbmut AUee, of
Sundeela, an agricultural capitalist and landholder, whom no local authority
could offend with impunity. His proper trade was to aid landholders of
high and low degree, by becoming surety for their punctual payment of
304 SAN
the Government demand, and advancing the instalments of that demand
himself when they had not the means, and thereby saving them from
the visits of the local authorities and their rapacious and disorderly
troops : but in an evil hour he ventured to extend his protection a little
further, and, to save them from the oppressions of an unscrupulous con-
tractor, he undertook to manalge the district himself, and make good all
the Government demand upon it. He was unable to pay all that he had
bound himself to pay. His brother was first seized by the troops and
taken to Lucknow. He languished under the discipline to which he was
there subjected, and when on the point of death from what his friends
call a broken heaH, and the Government authorities cholera inorhus, he
was released. He died immediately after his return home, and Hushmut
Allee was then seized and taken to Lucknow, where he is now confined.
"The people here lamenthis absence as a great misfortune to the district,
as he was the only one among them who ever had authority and influence,
united with a fellow-feeling for the people, and a disposition to promote
their welfare and happiness."
SANDWA CHAN])IKA — Pargana Partabgarh — Tahsil Partabgarh
— District Partabgarh. — This town was founded by the Bhars ; it
gets its second name from the temple of Chandika; it is near the road
from Partabgarh to Amethi, eleven miles from the former. The tradition
is that Chandika Debi here killed certain Rakshases or demons. The
population consists of 1,960 Hindus and 27 Musalmans. There is a tem-
ple of Debi, and great fairs are held in her honour — one in March, the other
in October. Each Tuesday about 1,000 people assemble ; at the annual
fairs about 5,000.
SANGRXMGARH— Par^raTia Rj(mpur — Tahsil Kxtsda— District Par-
tabgarh.— This village was founded by Sangram Singh, the ancestor of
the taluqdar of Rampur, about 150 years ago.
It is on the unmetalled road to Manikpur 30 miles from Partabgarh,
Brahmans reside here who are great dealers in iron.
Population, Hindu ,„ ,., ,.. S,096
„ Musalman .., ,,, .„ 64
8,163
It possesses a temple to Mahadeo and one vernacular school with 30
pupils ; there is a bazar also at which the annual sales are Rs. 20,000. The
Dasahra is celebrated here by a festive meeting at which 6,000 people
assemble.
SANGRXMPUR — Pargana Daundia Khera — Tahml Puewa — Dis-
trict Unao. — This village was founded 1,900 years ago by Rdja Abhai
Chand Bais, who called it Sangrdmpur (city of the fight) : because he had
to fight a fierce battle here on entering this country. The place is also
called Daundia Khera, the original Bhar name. Babu Ram Bakhsh Singh,
a descendant of Abhai Chand's, lived here, and was hanged after the mutiny
for abetment of murder. There is a vernacular school attended by about 35
pupils, none of whom are Musalmans, Population is 1,190, of whom 106
SAR 305
are Musalmans. There is one mosque, four temples in honour of Debi,
and one to Mahadeo.
SARA Parg(ma*—Tahsil Baedoi— District Haedoi.— A subdivision of
tahsil Hardoi consisting of 85 villages, Pargana Alamnagar bounds it on
the north, pargana Shahabad on the west, parganas Bawan and Gopamau
on the south and south-east, pargana Mansurnagar on the east. The Sai,
here called Bhainsta, flows along part of its eastern border. It is eleven
and a half miles and thirteen miles in extreme length and breadth, and
its area is 90 square miles.
Rather more than half (52-92 per cent.) is cultivated ; a third (34-09) is
culturable. About an eighth (11-56) is returned as barren. Not quite
a seventh (14-82 per cent.) is rated as third class, that is, sandy. Half of
the cultivated area (49-41) is watered from wells (34-19) and tanks (15-22).
The percentage under groves is 1-43. Seven acres is the average area of
cultivation per plough.
There is little to notice in its physical features except the excellence of
the soil and the great quantites of jhils and marshes. Some of them are
embanked, but the facilities offered for rice cultivation are not taken
advantage of. " There are," notes Mr. McMinn, " thousands of bighas of
splendid rice ground which lie utterly unproductive. I have no doubt the
lambardars object, because the pasdhi (wild rice), which is their manorial
right, and which grows spontaneously, would be superseded. They say
they do not sow rice, but in some places Kachhis have raised very fine
crops. The country is rather bare of groves. Single pipal and banyan
and pdkar trees are common, but no groves have been planted for years.
All in existence are clearly old and mostly barren."
The number of forest trees still standing in the fields is an indication that
the pressure of population has not yet become overpowering. The banks
of the Bhainsta near Hariaon, fringed wiA low jungles and shaded by
stately beech-like "arjan" trees, presents a scene of quiet beauty. A fine
prospect may be enjoyed from the ruined fort of Sa&datnagar, on the top
of Sohawan Khera. The closeness of the water to the surface — it has
rarely to be dug for for more than fifteen feet — makes irrigation easy. The
sub-soil is so firm that in most of the villages wells worked with the
leathern bucket (pur) and oxen can be dug. They cost from two to four or
five rupees, and last generally for four years, and some times up to 10 and 12
years. The pargana is pretty well off for roads.
The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway runs through its western side,
and one of the stations is at Chandpur. The north is traversed by
the unmetalled road from Pihani to Shahabad ; the Hardoi and Shahabad
road skirts the west, while the east side is crossed by the road from Hardoi
to Pihani. But cross-roads are wanted to connect the heart of the pargana
with the Pihani and Shahabad road on the north. There are no markets
of any importance.
* By Mr. A. H. Harington, C.S.
39
306 SAR
The main products are wheat and barley which occupied at survey nearly
half the cultivated area, more than a fifth was cropped with bajra and judr,
the rest was chiefly covered with cotton, sugarcane, gram, arhar, paddy,
mash, and moth. The areas returned as under cotton, cane, tobacco,
poppy, and indigo were respectively 1,785, 1,586, 2,518, and 8 acres.
The climate is not exceptionally bad, but with so many marshes the
pargana cannot be salubrious. Kankar is found in Kursoli, Basoha, Bari,
and Kutla Sarde.
The eighty-five villages are thus distributed : —
Gaurs
Janvv4rs ,„
Sombansis ...
Eathorg
Brabmang ...
Muh.immadan*
Kayaths ,„
Ahirs ,.,
Government
69
1
2
1
S
6
6
1
1
85
Only one of these villages is taluqdari ; 40 are zamindari ; 43 imperfect
pattidari ; one is bhayyachara.
The Government demand excluding cesses is Rs. 60,132, a rise of 31"30
per cent, over the summary assessment. It falls at Re. 1-15-5 on the culti-
vated acre, Re. 1-0-8 per acre of total area, Rs. 14-1-2 per plough, Rs.
2-6-0 per head of agricultural, and Re. 1-11-6 per head of total population.
Population is 389 to the square mile, or a total of 34,972 ; Hindus to
Muhammadans are 33,375 to 1,597; males to females 19,052 to 15,920;
agriculturists to non-agriculturists 25,069 to 9,903 ; Chamars are a sixth of
the whole ; Pasis a seventh ; Brahmans an eighth ; Chhattris only an
eleventh; Ahirs, Vaishyas, and Garerias predominate among the remainder.
There are village schools at Hariaon, Baholia, Ant, Amrauli, Dhanw^r,
Todarpur, and Safidatnagar,
There are no religious fairs ; the pargana is thus mentioned in the Xi'n-i-
Akbari.
Pargana Sara, Dastur Pali, Sarkar Khairabad ; zamindars Cbauhans.
Area ... .,. 68,832 bighas.
Garrison .„ ... SOO Infantry ; 60 Sawars;
Revenue, mal,., ... 20,91,983 dams.
Siwae ,., ... 8,666 dams,
I am indebted to Mr. McMinn for the following historical notes :— ,-
" The pargana was formerly occupied by Thatheras, who may or may
not be identical with the Bhars of Sultanpur, who afterwards spread to the
Chambal and the Ganges. Then Chamar Gaurs came in from about ten
miles north of Bijnaur in Jai Chand's time. They came in under two
chiefs, bringing with them Dichhit Brahmans, who up to date are their
SAE 307
recognized priests. They first settled at Basowa in this pargana about
six miles south-east of Pihani, on the border of a large jhil. From thence
they scattered to all quarters, colonizing and conquering. They establish-
ed, according to their own account, 370 "villages in the parganas principally
of Sara, Bawau, Bangar, and Gopamau. They differ entirely from the
Chamar Gaurs who came from near Cawnpore, whose hereditary priests
are Tiwari Brahmans. The Thakurs having established military stations
rather than colonies, I do not think that they oyer condescended to touch
a plough. They have held their villages with a tight hand ever since.
Up to the establishment of the Oudh Government they were dc facto and
dejure lords of the soil. They were subject to the Mitauli rdja, an Ahban
Thdkur, but he does not seem to have interfered with their possession.
Shah Alam of Delhi granted a few villages rent-free to the Qazi of Bari,
which were afterwards resumed by the Oudh Government, but with that
exception I can find no traces of disturbance in the holding of the terri-
tory till the reign of Asif-ud-daula. In his reign, Saadat Khan, the ancestor
of the Nawab Dost Ali Khan, being tahsildar of the pargana, and a man of
great ability, managed through mortgages, purchases, and other well
kno-,vn means, to become master of about forty villages in the north and
east of the pargana, and shortly afterwards Jagannath, a qanungo,
violent and unscrupulous, mastered some more. The Thakurs took to the
jungles, followed by their as^mis. The new Kayaths and Musalman
proprietors found their conquest barren, and after having got sanads
they gradually abandoned their gains. Saddat Ali Khan, with his well
known exactitude, finding the revenue falling, farmed the four parganas
to a family of Kashmiri Brahmans, who had entered India with Zaman
Shah or rather Ahmad Shah Daurani, and entered the service of the
king of Oudh. Their farm lasted with brief interruptions from 1210
fasli (A.D. 1803) up to 1264 fasli (A.D. 1857). The taluqdars were driven
out, many villages were settled kham, or the collections made through
resident Kachhis. The exactions grew heavier and heavier, and the Thakurs
abandoned village after village. There was no room for village lambardars,
and no margin of profit for taluqdars. The settlements were always largely
in excess of those now holding. In every village there are desolate quarr
ters of bare rain-washed walls, which represent the old cots of the peasan-
try that fled from Kidarnath and his Kashmiri brethren. The Thakurs
are, I should think, declidng in numbers. They have very few children;
many not married, and plead poverty. They were much oppressed in the
times of Kidarnath, whom, however, they always mention with respect.
His mode of adjusting balances was peculiar. Being a Brahman, though
of low caste, and a smoker of the huqqa, he used to visit villages which
had not paid up, and place himself at the lambardar's door in dharna,
vowing neither to eat nor drink till the rupees were forthcoming. The
thakurs never ventured to be contumacious, and hurried their buffaloes to
the nearest bazar. He sometimes devolved the execution of this religious
terrorism upon Brahman chaprasis. He was a man of conscience, however,
and refused bribes and presents."
T have little to add to these interesting notes. The only derivation
that the qaniiugos, can offer for the nam6 is, that of old the pargana was a
308 SAR
wild bandit-haunted tract, and that when by degrees it was cleared and
settled, it acquired the epithet of Sdra (clear). The traditional account
of the expulsion of the Thatheras from parganas Sara and Bawan by
Kuber Sah, and of the origin of the Kana and Onai branches of the Cha-
mar Gaurs will be found under heading Bdwan (pargana). The Onai or
Rae branch became the more powerful of the two and obtained the
chaudhriship of the pargana. Their chief seats were at Todarpur and
Sara. The leading men -of this stock are Nay^z Singh of Pipri and
Mohan Singh of Todarpur, while the head of the Kana branch is Padam
Singh of Simmaur and Chandeli. The Gaurs had things pretty much
their own way till the reign of Saddat Ali Khan when the Nazim of
Khairabad, Raja Sital Parshdd Tirbedi, of evil memory, was set over them.
Among the cruelties practised by him was the hacking off of men's noses
and women's breasts. The qawingo, Jagannath Parshad, assured me that
he had seen one Manbhawan Sombansi of Begaon, an aged man of ninety
who died in 1867, whose nose had been cut off by Sital Parshad's orders.
The pargana officials used to be thus posted : the qazi at BSri, the
qanflngo at Umrauli, the tahsildar of amil at Saadatnagar, the chaudhri
at Todarpur.
The successive steps by which the taluqa of Mustafabad was broken up
are thus described by Mr. Bradford in his Aiari judgment. "The mush-
room taluqa of SaSdatnagar or Mustafabad in 1235 fasli (A.D. 1828), after
dwindling down from 39 to 23 villages, was suddenly and completely broken
up. In 1163 fasli it had consisted of 34 villages ; in 1192 fasli of 37 ; from
1202 fasli to 1211 fasli of 39, and called the Mustafabad taluqa."
The antiquarian will not find much to interest him in this pargana. I give
the names of the twelve villages which contain dihs or deserted sites of
Thathera and more recent settlements. They are Ruhi, Haridon, Kurseli,
Bijgaon, XJttar, Aidri, Bargaon, Todarpur, Dhanwar, Rampur, Saadatnagar
and Kamalpur.
SARXYAN RiveT. — A small river which rises in the Kheri district,
having its source in the village of Ahmadnagar, pargana Haidarabad,
in latitude 27°46' north, longitude 80°32' east. In a south-easterly
direction it flows through that district, and enters into Sitapur at
about 49 miles from its source ; it receives on its left side the Jamw^ri,
in latitude 27°32' north, longitude 80°47' east. Thence it flows for
about 3 miles in a north-westerly direction, and then resuming its previous
north-easterly course it joins the Gumti in latitude 27°9' north, longitude
80°65' east. Its total length may be estimated at about 95 miles. It
flows past Sitapur, Bari, Pirnagar, and other places. It causes extensive
and destructive floods in some years, as it drains a very considerable area
of country with its numerous affluents.
SXRDA River. — An account of the river from the point of its junction
with the ancient channel of the Chauka comes more properly under the
latter name.
It is described in Thornton's Gazetteer under the incorrect name of
Ghdgra or Gogra, which name properly belongs to the Kauriala after it has
SAR 309
received the waters of the S^rda at Katai Gh4t. The course of the river, as
described in that work, is that taken by it up to about 1010, but not since
that date. The Sarda enters the plain at Barmdeo in latitude 29°6',
longitude 80°13', 148 miles from its source, which is 18,000 feet above the
sea in the mountains which separate Kumaun from Thibet. Barmdeo is
847 feet above the sea, 798 according to Thornton. This river is there 4-50
feet broad, the minimum discharge is about 5,600 feet on an average of
four years, but in the unusually dry season of 1869 it sank to 3,818 in
February. Shortly after leaving Barmdeo it divides into several channels
which reunite nine milesf urther down at Banbasa, but again separate,
and finally join at Mandia Ghat, thirteen miles further south, where the
last rapids occur, and the bed ceases to be composed of large boulders and
shingle. About half way between Banbasa and Mandia Ghat at Nagla,
on the most westerly branch of the river, it was proposed to erect the
weir which was to divert the water into the Sarda canal. This scheme,
for which the preliminary surveys were taken in 1869, and for which the
complete plan and measurement were prepared in 1868-1872, was finally
disallowed in the latter year.
The Sarda after a course of 168 miles becomes at Mandia Ghat an ordi-
nary plain river ; eleven miles further down it touches the territory of
Oudh in the pargana of Khairigarh, and 22 miles from Mandia Ghat or
190 from its source it joins the Chauka, near Mothia Ghat. At Banbasa
the river is 500 feet broad, with an average depth of nearly five feet; at
Mothia Ghat the breadth is about 700 feet, and the deepest channel about
10 feet, but the velocity is not above 2J miles an hour.
The following particulars of the discharge are taken _ from the Sarda
Canal Report by Major Forbes:-^
" From the 15th February to 6th March, 1869, when the river was
extraordinarily low, and the levels of springs in the Bangar lands four to five
feet lower than in ordinary seasons, the loss was 23'7 per cent, between
Burm Deo and Bunbassa; the discharge at the former place being 4,747
cubic feet, and at the latter 3,619 cubic feet, or a loss of 1,128 cubic feet
per second
"From the discharges taken this year, between Bunbassa and Chuknath-
pore (20 miles below Delaha), it appears that the volume in the river
steadily decreases until it arrives about 20 miles below where the shingly
bed ceases and the sand commences. At this point there is a slight incre-
ment which goes on increasing for about 40 miles, when the discharge is
again diminished
'^For instance, when the discharge at Bunbassa was 6,022 cubic feet per
second; at Moondeea Ghat, 13 miles lower down, where the shingly bed
ceases, the discharge was 5,448 cubic feet ; at Chunpoora Ghat, 9 miles
lower, the supply was 5,162 cubic feet ; and again, 7 miles lower, at Bylah,
it was 5,124 cubic feet, or practically the same.
"Below this point, however, there was an increase ; for, at Mooteea Ghdt,
6 miles below Bylah, the discharge was 5,502 cubic feet, of which only 40
310 SAR
cubic feet were due to affluents. At Narowsa Ghat, 8 miles lower, the dis-
charge was 5,6-51 cubic feet ; at Marowcha Ghat, 10 miles below Narowsa,
the supply was 6,220 cubic feet ; and at Bulwari Ghat, 5 miles below
Marowcha, it had increased to 6,890 cubic feet ; at Sirsee Ghat, 14 miles
lower, and close to Delaha, the amount in the river had decreased again
to 6,718 cubic feet. Two other discharges were also measured, at 10 and
30 miles below the above ghat, viz., at Burragaon and Chuknathpore,
giving amounts of 5,581 and 5,592 cubic feet per second respectively ; but
when these were measured, the supply in the river at Bunbassa was 200
cubic feet per second less than when the above discharges were taken.
" Deducting this quantity, there still remains a loss of 1,000 cubic feet
per second to account for in the distance of 30 miles between Sirsee Ghat
and Chuknathpore ; but looking at Map No. 3, it will be seen that below
Sirsee Ghat the numerous nullahs on either side of the river drain away
from it instead of emptying themselves into it, as they do above the ghat ;
there are also many old and deserted beds of the river in close proximity
to and below the level of the present stream, each of which, as well as the
above nullahs, are undoubtedly fed by percolation from the river ; for
although dry at their heads, they .quickly become running channels, with
a considerable amount of water passing down."*
The Sdrda as already stated now enters the Chauka at Mothia Ghat,
but formerly at some distance above that river it kept a separate course
whose ancient channel is still apparent, and which is the boundary between
pargana Khairigarh and Naipal; in this channel, after a few miles, percola-
tion supplies running water ; two more small streams flow in from the
forest of Khairigarh, and under Newalkhar they become the river Suheli
or Sarju. This is a placid stream, in many places very deep, but not more
than two feet deep at the ford ; it runs under the fort of Newalkhar,
and thence east into the Kauridla at Shitabi Ghat, keeping the whole
time within the ancient broad channel of the Sarda, now covered with
weeds, jhau jungle, or shisham trees. Through this bottom land, a most
picturesque wilderness, the Suheli now winds a mere riband of water. The
north bank rises, high and steep, crowned with sal trees, above the
evergreen tops of the shisham trees which grow below, and beneath them
again stagnate broad morasses, which the narkul covers with acres of
feathery plumes. The whole of this ancient channel is the haunt of timers.
Considerable pains were taken to render the Suheli navigable, so that sdl
wood might be floated down it to the dep6t at Bahramghat.
The nomenclature of this river has been always uncertain. In the treaty
with Naipal it is styled the K41if in March 1816; in May 1816, in the
treaty with Oudh, it was called Gogra.J Both names were incorrect.
Tiffenthaler, in 1767, found the Sdrda " riviere qui n'est pas mediocre"
joined the Kauriala at Shitibi Ghat.§ The broad features of the changes
which have occurred are clear enough ; there were formerly numerous
* "Oudh Report on the Sarda Canal Project," pp. 14-15.
t Aitchiaon'a Treaties, Volume II., page 206.
j Aitchison's Treaties, Volume II., page 164.
§ Volume I,, page 266. Map. Volume III., page 278.
SAR 311
confluents of the Kauridla on the west, the Suheli, the Sdrda, the Dah-aura,
the Chauka, the Ul ; they joined it at intervals from Shit^bi GhSt down tb
Fyzabad. The tendency has been to select one main channel, and now the
Sarda and the Chauka uniting into one pour nine-tenths of the drainage
into the Kauridla at one central spot. The back water of the Chauka and
the Ul still form a languid stream uniting at Bahramghat, but the ancient
channel of the Ul and Gh4ghi which joined the Kauriala near Fyzabad is
quite dry. The same slow process has been at work in the Kauriala, the
lateral streams have shrunk down to rivulets or have quite dried up, and the
central channel has attracted the waters of all. As the name Sarda is still
sometimes applied to the Chauka, and as the waters are still undoubtedly
those of the Sarda, although the bottom and banks may be those of the
Chauka, I now proceed to give an account af the latter river.
" River Chauka — A tributary of the great river Gogra, rises in the
district of Bareilly, North-Western Provinces, about latitude 28°59,' longi-
tude 80°4.' It takes a south-easterly direction, and passing through the
districts of Bareilly and Shahjahdnpur, enters into the Kheri district in
latitude 28° 21/ longitude 80°31'. At the distance of forty miles from the
source and in latitude 28°43,' longitude 89°15,' it, on the left side, is joined by
an offset from the river Gogra (Sdrda). It passes on in the same direction
dividing the pargana of Palia from that of Bhdr, and then continuing the
same course, and having traversed throughout the latter pargana forms
the boundary of the parganas of Srinagar and Dhaftrahra, having the for-
mer on its right and the latter on its left side. Lower down, in latitude
27°42,' longitude 81°13,' it receives on the right side the Ul, and continuing
a south-easterly course for about forty miles further, falls into the Gogra
on the right side, in latitude 27''9,' longitude 81°30'."
The above extract from Thornton's Gazetteer accurately describes the
Chauka river as it flowed forty years ago. It was then one of the four
rivers which running tolerably parallel in a south-east direction drained
Northern Oudh, commencing with the most southerly, their names were
the Ul, the Chauka, the Sfoda, the Suheli. Details of the various changes
which they underwent come more fitly under the name S£rda, that is,
the proper name of the great river which bursting through the mountains at
Barmdeo beyond the boundaries of Oudh occupied sometimes one, some-
times several at a time of these channels, all of which probably it scooped for
itself in the deltaic soil, together they take the drainage east of the water
shed which is marked by Mina Koth* The point where the river seems
to have diverged into one or other is near the present Mothia Ghdt, twenty
four miles north-west of Marauncha Ghat, a little north of this are two
lateral channels ; one breaks off to the north and can be still traced, though
silted up, as far as the Suheli in whose new course the Sarda's waters
flowed probably till 1810 ; to the south a channel now almost effaced leads
south-east, and after a few miles drainage or percolation again creates a
stream called the Ul. Midway between the two is the now Chauka or
Sarda. A comparison of the maps, even of such recent charts as that of
the country bordering the grand trunk road published by the Surveyor
* Sarda Canal Report, para. 3.
312 SAR
General in 1857, and republished in 1862, will show how variable was the
course of these rivers. It must be borne in mind that the Chauka
was as is described by Thornton up to 1810, and that since it has been the
most frequent channel of the waters of the Sdrda.
The Chauka proper, indeed, is a mere plain stream ; its highest flood
discharge is 1,161 feet, its lowest about 50, which now falls into what is
called the Sdrda near Mothia Gh£t near the north-western extremity of
pargana Palia, and from that point the joint streams are called the Chauka.
It would be more correct to say perhaps that the Sarda falls into the
Chauka, but it is usual to term the sjnaller stream the tributary, and the
larger the main river. Nor will historical accuracy be wholly violated ; a
river in ordinary parlance consists both of its waters and of the channel
in which they run ; the former remain the same even if they cut a new
channel or resume that of some other stream. Here, therefore, may be
indicated one cause of the double or treble, nomenclature which renders
the chartography of this river system ambiguous, and its historical aspects
uncertain. When a great river has changed its course and entered another
channel formerly known by a name of its own, the greater part of the
world, notably the navigators on its waters, will continue to give the
new channel the name of the river whose waters now fill it. On the
other hand, the old residents in the neighbourhood of the new channel,
who were familiar with the ancient land marks, see no reason to abandon
the familiar name, the banks, the groves, the villages, which they recog-
nise are still there, and the mere increase in the volume of the water
seems no suflScient reason for a new name.
Thus "the Sdrda which flowed past Newalkhar and Khairigarh forced
a new course south and joined the Chauka at Mothia Gh&t. The channel
of the latter has been in the main the same from immemorial time ;
it was only amplified by an addition to its waters, yet in course of
time it has become the Sarda, although the people of the adjoining parganas
still call it the Chauka, and with greater unanimity as they live on the
banks further down from the point of union.
That the Chauka has not changed its course materially at any rate
since 1767, is evident from the valuable itinerary of Tieffenthaler. That
traveller in 1767 described a number of villages and towns as upon or
near the banks of this river. Aliapur and Mahrajnagar in Dhaurahra,*
Srinagar in the pargana of that name, Tambaur in Sitapur, Ratanpur
near Bahramghat, Bhitauli at the confluence with the Kauriala, towns
still existing are all described as situated at the same distance and direc-
tion from the river as they now are. Its channel then is unchanged, but
its waters and its names have altered greatly. Briefly then the present
Chauka on being joined by the Sarda, about fifty miles from its source,
takes the name of that river with the majority of people. It flows on and
eighty-five miles further on it bifurcates. The eastern channel, which
retains the name of Chauka, was the only one till 1862 ; the western one
called indiscriminately the Chauka and Sarda, and carrying five-sixths of
the waters, joins the Dah-aura, and occupying its channel after a course of
* Tieffenthaler. Description de I'lnde, Volume I., pp. 285-288,
SAR 313
thirfy mileff, flows into bke KauriAla at Malldpur near Katai Gliat. Wg
may follow its tother changes for moment — the joint stream becomes the
Gogra a few mSes beyond Bahramghat ; it then flows south-east dividing
Bara Banki and Fyzabad-on the west, from Gonda and Basti on the east;
it is or was formerly called the Dewa and sometimes the Gandak;* indeed
the changes are perplexing.
The course then has geaorally been the same, but there have been
several minor changes, or rather what is more likely there were at several
places two or more (jhaSineiS, which sometimes together sometimes sepa-
I'ately colivej^ed th« viratet, t^e river has now gradually settled down into
one course, the thte^ principal of these are mentioned in detail, as very
important questions connected- with property arise when the river alters its
(Jhanael. Th6' dtfstbin of the country is that the deepest point in the
deepest channel shall be considered the demarcating line between the
coiitiigubus estaites on either hanks; sometimes for instance in Daryabadin
the Sa¥aha' estate there are ti'acts of country covering ten or twenty
square miles insulated between channels of the river ; sometimes the main
body of water would- take the eastern channel for ten years, then the
island will belong to the western bank proprietor, and after ten years
perhaps- with- a change of the current caused by a snag or sunken boat, the
vast property would be transferred to the proprietors on the western bank.
Since anhexation- this^ custom has been invalidated, and masonry pillars
which are sometimes buried' in- the vyater, sometimes high and dry, form a
fixed- boundary. The first change in the channel of the Chauka is described
as follows in the settlement reportj pargana Bhfir: —
"Butthereareiiiany persona still living in the pargana who can remem-
ber tiie last^^at chaiige; Up to about 35 years ago the river flowed
under the high bank from the ruins of the old fort of Kamp close to Ali-
ganj; down- to the villages of Bhtir, Burahia Khera, and Jagdispur, the
headquarters; of the great taluqa- Bhur. The ruins of the fort of Jagdis-
pur, destroyed- after the rebellion, are now five miles from the river, but
the foit was built at a time- when it commanded the stream. At the last
settlement of- pargana Palia, 52r years ago, the whole of the pargana was to
the north of the- stream-, whereas now there are parts of seven villages to
the south.- At a distance varying from 12 to 20 miles to the north of the
high bank or ridge which I have been describing, and to the north of the
Chauka there is in pargana Khairigarh another high bank which runs
nearly parallel to and at a short distance from the north bank of the river
Sarju, in the" same manner as the Bhiir ridge is parallel to and at a short
distance from the south baihk of the river Chauka."
The next change which- took place was further down the course. The
description- given is as follows : —
" lu the- rfepoi^t on pargana Bh6r it has been mentioned, that at
Bueeha in Bhur^ which lies to the- north of the village of Srinagar in
the pargana/ of that name, there- ocouired many years ago a great and
important change" in the rivfer'ff course* This has now to be described.
• II faut observer que dans ce canton le Ghagra s' appelle-Qaadak et qu' on rionne'
Ischuka le nom de Gbiigra : ce changemetit dfe nom po'ilWoit' iadUire en erieiir.— I'ieffen-
thftlei* I,, Pi 895.
40
314 SAR
" Up to about forty years ago the Chauka seems to have flowed from
Buseha to Pachperi ; and so on in its present channel along the frontier
of Srinagar and Dhaurahra. In those days a small back-water of the
river left it at Buseha, and passed under Srinagar to the south, and after
a winding course of about 12 miles, it was joined by the river Kundwa
under the old village of Mahewa, the headquarters of the Mahewa taluqa.
Those two villages were large, populous, and prosperous places, both had
bazars and temples and mango groves ; the former had a large brick fort,
built at a time when Srinagar gave its name to a taluqa of Muham-
madan Bisens of which it was the headquarters, about forty years ago au
unusually heavy rainfall caused the Chauka to rise about Buseha beyond
its bauks. It swept over into the back-water communicating with the
Kundwa, rushed up it, and covered the surrounding low country with deep
floods over an extent of about 60 square miles. These floods caused wide-
spread ruin ; Mahewa and Srinagar and several intervening villages were
completely destroyed, and a large tract of country was depopulated, and
remained for many years a desolate waste.
" After the autumn rains had ceased, the main body of water continued
to flow down the bed of the back-water, partially deserting the old chan-
nel on the north. The Kundwa, which flowed into the back-water at
Mahewa, had up to this time given its own name to the united streams
from that point, and they had flowed on till they rejoined the Chauka at
Rohria, 16 miles east of Mahewa. But from this time the little Kundwa
lost its identity by its connexion with its big neighbour, and for the last
16 miles of its coiirse, the united streams became known as the Chauka,
and by way of distinction I will now call it the southern Chauka. It is
generally called the Chauka in this pargana while the name Sarda-is
reserved for the more northerly stream.
"After this for about thirty yea^s the Chauka flowed in two large streams,
its own channel to the north and that of the Kundwa or south Chauka to
the south which channels now average about six miles apart. About ten
years ago the fickle waters again completely returned into their old bed
and left the back-water communicating with the Kundwa quite dry. The-
great change which occurred, when the waters of the Sarda- cum- Chauka
abandoned their westerly channel and bursting into the Dah-aura with it
joined the Kauriala at Mallapur, has already been referred to. This was-
in pargana Firozabad."
The next change was in pargana Dhaurahra. At the south-west corner
the river up to 1866 ran three miles south of village Aira past the temple
of Marwa and the fort of Umarnagar, taking a very circuitous course ; but
about 1869 it abandoned that channel after having, it is said, cat away
a part of the Marwa temple wall and been propitiated by the priests into
diverting its waters. It cut a more direct channel for itself about three
miles to the north, sweeping away several villages ; the river is in fact
slowly selecting for itself a permanent channel. The Chauka has a very
considerable slope, and its current is consequently rapid. Rising near Mina
Koth in Pilibhit, at an elevation of about 630 feet above the sea, at Mothia
Ghat, where the Sarda joins its channel and it enters Oudh, the water level
is 54(0 feet above the sea ; from this point to Mallapur, a distance of about
SAR. 316
110 miles, the level falls at 165 feet or exactly eighteen Inches per mile ; the
length in a straight line is 78 miles, so that the slope of the country is
more than two feet per mile.
The current averages about three miles per hour but there are places
when during the rains it exceeds five. It is nowhere fordable after its
junction with the Sarda, before that it is a mere stream. The river channel
is considerably beneath the watershed. The high lands of southern Kheri,
for instance, run parallel to the river at a distance of about 15 miles.
MaiMni is 550 feet above the sea, the river at Srinagar Ghat 500, Gola
-Gokarannath is 503 feet, the river at Delaha 467, Lakhimpur 484, the river
at Chaknathpur 427, Laharpur 453, the river at Aira 398 ; it thus appears
that the channel is from 36 to 55 feet beneath the level of the high lands.
It is thus useless for irrigation, except through a high level canal. The
deltaic lands on its banks do not require irrigation except for
certain crops.
The quantity of water discharge varies with the season. It is at its
lowest in March. The averages of 1866-67-68-70 were—
January 6,300 cubic feet per secoud,
February 6,471 „
March 6,068 „
April 6,673 „
May 7,935 „
June 10,618
It may here be noted that the Ganges at Cawnpore only discharges
5,000 feet.
In 1869 the river being low beyond all precedent, the discharge in Feb-
ruary was only 3,818.
The river itself is not a picturesque one ; its banks are sandy, and the
variations of its current are so uncertain and frequent that groves are not
planted near it, or if they are, are generally soon carried off. At a distance
from the channel, where the great river now sweeps along, there are many
noble lagunes formed of old by its waters and now deserted ; these present
grand sweeps of still- water, with high sloping banks, cro wned by magnifi-
' cent groves. The fish are the mahsir and the rohli ; the latter everywhere,
the former are met with as far as Pachperi Ghat. Large boats, capable of
carrying 1,200 maunds, or 45 tons, ascend to Marauncha Ghat, and smaller
of 500 maunds almost to Mandia Ghat. The unpublished maps prepared
for the Sarda canal scheme exhibit the most recent changes of the river
• channel. That in Tieffenthaler, Vol. III., page 278, gives a fair chart of the
river as it was about 1770 A.D. As to the previous aspect, in Akbar's time
it did not join the Gogra till close to, about four miles above Fyzabad.
There are no contemporary maps to my knowledge,
SARENI Pargana — Tahsil Lalganj — District Rae Bareli. — This par-
■ gana takes its name from the chief town (Sareni), which was founded by
Strang Sah of the Bais clan. It is asserted that all these parganas belonged '
to Bhars, but Abhai Chand of the Bais tribe drove them away, and
acquired possession ; all these were imder one chief, with Daundia Khera
the capital. The disunion, however, among the sons of Pirthi Chand
resulted in the separation of the estate, and then Daundia Khera remained
316 SAE
in the possession of the descendants of Deo Rae, one of whom, Babu RiJm
Bakhsh, was hanged for rebellion in 1858 ; the ildqa jSareni fell into the
hands of the next brother, Aji Chand, whose descendant, Shiupfil Singh
of Mur^iTtnau, is the present chief.
The pargana was formerly called Bhojpur, and under the arrangements
of Akbar Shah was named Khanjar ; but Nawab Sa^dat Ali Khan called
it Sareni, and fixed the tahsil and principal headquarters of the pargana
in the village of the same name. The village Sareni is principally inha3>i-
ted by qaniingos, and perhaps it was at their request that the seat of the
tahsil was transferred from Khanjar to this village. The pargana com-
prises 169 villages ; it is 11 miles in length from east to west, and 9 miles
in breadth from north to south. It is bounded on the east by pargana
Dalmau, on the west by pargana Daundia Khera, on the south by the
Ganges, and on the north by pargana Khrron.
The Bais are the chief proprietary body. Raja ShiupSl Siiigh of Munr&-
mau is the head taluqdars, and his taluqa is now midch larger than in tbe
kings, reign. It comprises his own hereditary one and those confiscated
from the mutineers, Babu Earn Bakhsh and Rana Beni M^dho Bakhsh.
Rfija Shiupal received these ildqas as a reward from the British Govern-
ment for the good will shown and assistance rendered to the British soldiers
and Major Thompson, who were found floating on the Ganges, and took
refuge with the rdja of Murdrmau.
The proprietary system runs thus : —
Talaqdari ... ... ... ,,, j§7
Grant in reward ... ... „, .,, |0
Zamindari .., ,., ... ... i
Pattidari ... „. „, ,., i
169 Tillages.
The area is 72,976 acres. The revenue assessed is Rs. 1,91,003-0-10,
and the rate per acre on an average Rs. 2-9-11.
The population consists of all castes almost, But of the Hindu higher
.pastes Brahmans and the Bais are numerous ; the creed of the Hindus js
principally Shaivi, and the Muhammadans are solely of the Suojai
sect. The whole population amounts to 60,825, of whom Hindus are
59,471 and Musalmans 1,354.
There are two rivers in this pargana— one the river Ganges which passes
through it to the eastern boundary of pargana Dalmau 5 the other is the
river Lon, which passes through the northern part of the pargana, and
falls into the Ganges in pargana Dalmau.
There is also a stream which commences from a tank in village Bhadia,
pargana Bhagwantnagar, and passing through this pargana joins the river
Lon. These, however, do not aid materially in the inigation of the soil.
The soil is of three kinds— loam, clay, and sand. Irrigation is chiefly
carried on by wells. The products are— in kharif harvest— juar, mash,
paddy, moth, kodo, makra, bajra, oil-seeds ; 'in rabi harvest— barley, gram,
wheat, birra, sugarcane, peas, sarson, alsi, tobacco. There are four marts—
SAR 317
Sareni held on Monday and Friday, Bhojpur and Chaula on Sunday
and Thursday and Beni Mddhoganj on Saturday and Wednesday.
There is nb fair held in this pargana ; climate is on the whole salubrious.
Puring the king's reign in 16 villages salt was manufactured to the extent
of 97,884 maunds and the value of Rs. 77,457, hut it has now been put a
stop to. Mango and mahua are the principal trees. No others need be
mentioned.
SAROMANNA.GAR Pargana* — Tahsil Shahabad — District Hardoi.-^
A level and well watered tract of forty-two villages lying midway
between Shahabad and Sandi along the south-eastern corner of the
Shahabad tahsil, district Hardoi.
The Garra flows along its western side separating it from pargana Pali;
on the south and south-east the Sukheta divides it from Barwan; on the
east it is bounded by Bawan, and on the north by Shahabad. The
greatest length is 8 J and breadth 6 miles. Its area is 35 square miles, of
which 21 are cultivated. It is intersected by numerous streams ; of these
the Sukheta is the largest and most valuable. It runs in a loop round
the north-eastern corner of the pargana, and then stretches southwards
through the heart of it till, after being joined by its principal affluents,
the Gauria and the Kasrua, it flows along the south-eastern boundary for
about four miles, approaching to within half a mile of the Garra at the
southernmost extremity of the pargana. In the dry season the Sukheta
is easily fordable except where it has been dammed up for irrigation. It
is crossed by an old stone bridge at Saromannagar ; and at Dalelnagar, an
encamping ground on the route from Sh^hjahdnpur to Unao, there is a
ferry during the rains. In the hot season these streams dry up, but by a
system of dams water is kept in them till March, after which month irriga-
tion is not required.
The Garra, rising in the Himalayas, never fails. Along its bank lies a
belt of rich Tarai villages, whose land always remains moist, so that wells
are scarcely required. These villages are subject to floods, and after heavy
rains the autumn harvest suffers, but the loss is in such seasons made good
by the increased outturn of the spring crops. To the east of these villages,
about a mile away from the river, on either side of the Sukheta and its
affluents, but mainly along the western bank of that stream, stretches a
belt of jungle villages two miles broad. In these the soil is generally
firm and good, and almost entirely free from sand, but in some places
it is very stiff and hard to work.
The tillage in this tract is backward. The jungle is full of nil-gae and
wild hogs which do infinite damage to the crops. Rents are low and cul-
tivators somewhat scarce. Though backward this tract is highly impro-
vable, but its villages can never become so rich as those which lie along
the Garra.
To the east of this belt lies a strip of sandy, light villages, above and
away from flie network of streams that covers the rest of the pargana, but
* B/ Mr. A. H. HariDgtOD, C.S., Assistant Commissioner.
318 SAR
irrigable for the most part by wells. Here the small lever-wells (dhenkli)
are used. They cost from one to two rupees, and last one and sometimes
two seasons. In the jungle villages these wells are also used, but the
large wells worked by bullocks can be also made for from three to five
rupees, and last for three years. The lever and pitcher system (dhenkli)
is used all along the Garra for irrigation, and on the Sukheta, wherever
the banks are too high to allow of the "lift" method being employed.
Tanks and jhils too, of which there are 230, contribute considerably to
the irrigation of the pargana. Only two-sevenths of the irrigation is from
wells ; 36 per cent, of the cultivated area is irrigated from wells, rivers, and
ponds.
Only two roads cross the pargana, the unmetalled road from Sandi to
Shahabad, a part of the old Shah-Rah, or king's highway to Delhi from
the south, and an unfinished road from Hardoi to Fatehgarh, which stops
short half-way at the Garra, and is not kept in repair. No ferry is kept
up over the Garra in this pargana. The nearest ferries are at Pali and
Barwan. In the dry season it is fordable in most places.
The staple products are wheat, barley, and bajra, covering about two-
thirds of the crop area. On the remainder rice, gram, and arhar are most
largely cultivated. The climate is not so good as in drier tracts.
The Sombansis are the oldest and largest land owners. They hold
twenty villages. Next to them come the Chamar Gaurs with fifteen. Three
have been decreed to Government. Brahmans and Kayaths each own
two. In thirty villages the tenure is imperfect pattidari, in the remain-
ing twelve it is zamindari. The Government demand, excluding cesses, is
Es. 22,298, being a rise of 35 per cent, over the summary assessment. The
rate is Re. 1-10-5 per acre of cultivation and Re. 0-15-10 per acre of total
area; Rs. 9-11-2 per plough; Rs. 2-0-11 per head of agricultural, and
Re. 1-6-10 per head of total population.
The pargana is well popiilated witTi a total of 15,624 or 446 to the
square mile. Thereareonly 293 Muhammadans to 15,331 Hindus. Males
to females are 8,651 to 6,973, and agriculturists to non-agriculturists
10,827 (69 per cent.) to 4,797. Rajputs, Brahmans, Chamars, and Muraos
head the list, together making up half of the Hindu population. In the
other half Ahirs, Kahars, Basis, and Kis4ns predominate.
No fairs are held. The only market is at Saromannagar on Sundays
and Thursdays. Schools are more numerous than in many other parts
of the district. There are village schools at Saromannagar, Shahpur,
Nayagaon, Sakrauli, and Nasauli.
The pargana is named from its only town, which was founded by Rae
Saroman Das in 1708 A.D. In 1803 Raja Bhawani Parshad, Chak-
ladar of Muhamdi, took villages out of th§ adjacent parganas of Pali
and Sara, and made them into pargana Saromannagar. Like all this
part of the country, it was originally occupied by Thatheras. About
the middle of the twelfth century, and perhaps much earlier, the Thatheras
seem to have been driven out of many of their possessions by a body of
SAR 319
Gaur Rajputs under the command of Kuber Sdh. A little later, and
about a generation before the fall of Kanauj, their expulsion was completed
by the Sombansis under the following circumstances.
A strong body of Sombansis headed by Raja Sdtan migrated southwards
from Delhi and established themselves at Satan Khera (Sflndij. Thence
they spread over the whole of the Barwan pargana and into the Pali and
fwhat is now) the Saromannagar country, gradually driving out the
Thatheras. The local tradition is that Mawan Sah, a Sombansi chief
resident at Barwan, went out one day in search of game towards Shiupuri,
a Thathera town, seven miles north of Barwan. The Thatheras resented
his intrusion within their borders ; there was a quarrel, and Mawan Sah
summoned his clansmen from Barwan. They drove out the Thatheras
from Shiupuri, and settling there themselves renamed it Bhaiangaon, since
corrupted into Behgaon. The name (Shiupuri) is perhaps worth noting
as a possible indication that the Thatheras were worshippers of Shiva,
Since then no important change seems to have taken place in the owner-
ship of the parga.na.
SAROMANNAGAR* — Pargana Saromannagar — Tahsil Shahabad —
District Hardoi. — Saromannagar, the chief village in the pargana of
the same name, district Hardoi, lies 15 miles north-west from Hardoi, 6
south of Shahabad, and 18 north of Sandi, at the point where the old
Shah-Rah, or king's high road from Sandi to Shahjahanpur crosses the
Sukheta nala.
It was founded in 1708 A.D. by Rae Saroman Das, a Sribastab Kayath
of Sandi, in the employ of Nawab Abdulla Khan, the celebrated Barha
Sayyad, Governor of Allahabad, and afterwards Farukh Siari's wazir, who,
with his brother Hasan Ali, " made four Timdrides emperors, dethroned
and killed two, and blinded and imprisoned three" (Blochman's translation
of the Xin-i-Akbari, page 391).
In those days a dangerous jungle surrounded Gaeghat, as the crossing
of the Sukheta was then called, and the spot was of evil repute among
travellers. Rae Saroman Das bought this wild bandit-haunted tract from
its owners, the Sombansis of Bhadauna, cleared it, bridged the Sukheta,
and built in his own name a small fortified town. Saromannagar has a
population of only 1,4.52, of whom 1,303 are Hindus, mostly Brabmans.
It contains two brick and 140 mud houses. A Government village school
accommodating 100 pupils was built in 1868. The sarae, wall, and bastions
built by Rae Saroman Das are in ruins. Market days are Sundays and
Thursdays.
Reginald Heber visited Saromannagar in 1824, and has thus described
itf:-
" A large village with an old fortress. The country improved in beauty,
becomino- more and more woody and undulating, but was neither so well
• By Mr. A. H. Harington, C. S,, Assisttint Commissioner,
t Heber's Journey II., page 3.
S20 SAR
inhabited nor so well cultivated as that which we had gone through before
(S^ndi and Bilgram).
" The fortress is pretty much like a large sarae, surrounded by a high
brick wall, with round towers at the flanks, and two gothic gate's' ays oppo-
site to each other.
" That by which I entered had a tall iron-studded door like a college,
with a small wicket in one leaf; within on each side of the passage waS
a large arched recess about three feet from the ground where were seated
twelve or fifteen men, armed as usual, with one or two guns, and matches
lighted, but mostly having bows and arrows ; all had swords and shieldsi
I passed on through a narrow street of mud houses, some looking like
warehouses, and the whole having moi-e the air of a place where the
peasantry of a small district were accustomed to secure their stores, tban-
the usual residence of any considerable number of people. I went on to
the opposite gate, which was supplied with warders in the same way as
the previous one, and then entered a little straggling bazar, which, with
some scattered huts, completed the hamlet.
"A pretty stream winds under the walls of Saromannagar through a
beautiful carpet of green wheat interspersed with noble trees."
The quiet beauty of the spot moved the pious Bishop to note: —
" It is strange, indeed, how much God has done to bless this land," and
how perversely man has seemed bent to render his bounties unavailing;"
SARWAN — Far ff ana Matjra'nwan — Tahsil PuRWA — District XJnao. —
This village lies in latitude 26° 36' north, longitude 80°56' east, at
a distance of six miles north-east of Purwa, and 26 miles due east of
XJnao. It is a very old village, and the date of foundation is unkriown.
The site is good. There is a school here. The climate is agreCEtble, and
water good. The population amounts to 2,183, of which Hindus amount
to 2,067, and Musalinans to 116.
Referring to the foundation of the village and the temple of Billesur
Mahadeo, Mr. C. A. Elliott gives the following (pp. S-6, " Chronicles of
Oonao) : —
" To worship at this temple and to shoot and hunt in the wild forest
country around came Raja Duseruth from Ajoodhia, the father of Ram-
chundur, the fifty-seventh Raja of Ajoodhia, in direct descent from its
great founder Icshwaca. He was encamped at Sarwara on the edge of a
tank.
" By night came Surwun, a holy Rishi, from Chounsa (near AjoOdhi's);
by caste a Bunniah. He was going on pilgrimage, and was carrying his
blind father and cdother in a Kanwar,* slung over his shoulders. Reach-
ing the tank he put his burden down and stopped to drink. Rttja Duse-
A pair of baskets hung on a bamboo, carried on the shoulder by ail pilgrims io India.
SAT 321
ruth heard a rustling noise, and thinking it was some wild beast, took up
his bow and shot an arrow which struck Surwun and he died. Then his
blind parents in their misery lifted up their voices and cursed the man
who had done that thing. They prayed that as he had slain the son who
was the light of their hearts, so he might have trouble and sorrow from
his own children, and might die of grief even as they were dying. Having
so said they gave up the ghost, and from that day to this no ' Chhattri '
has lived in the town which is founded on the spot and is called Surwun.
Many Rajpoots have tried it, but evil has overtaken them in one way or
another. The tank remains to this day, and by it lies under a tree the
body of Surwan, a figure of stone ; and as he died with his thirst
unquenched, so if water is poured into the navel of the stone figure, the
hole can never be filled up, but is inexhaustible in its demand."
SXTAN — Pargana Harha — Tahsil Ukao — District Unao. — This vil-
lage is about 14 miles from the sadr station to the south-east. A river
called Gurdhoi runs about a mile north of this place. Some 500 years ago,
when there was jungle all over the place, a Muhammadan mendicant
named Satan lived here. A Brahman of the Pathak class was his des-
ciple, and succeeded him after his death ; having all the jungle cleared
away, he founded this village and called it after his late master (Satan.)
That Brahman's descendant is still the lambardar of the village. The
soil is clay and sand mixed. It is situated on a plain with scarcely any jungle
in its vicinity. The appearance of the village is pleasant, climate healthy,
and water good. There are many mango, babul, and nim trees in the
vicinity. There is a well and temple to Si'tla Debi of very ancient date.
There are two markets weekly, and one fair annually in honour of Sates-
war Mahadeo lasting for one day, at which about 4,000 people assemble.
Population : —
f Brahmans ... ... 573
Chhattris ... ... 6
I Fasi3 ... ... 87
Hindus ...■{ Ahirs ... ••• 305
I Other castes ... 613
L Total ... ... 1,684
Muhammadans ... 69
Grand Total ... 1,653
There are 340 mud-built hotises and one masonry house. Two temples,
one Shiwala and one to Debi. The average annual amount of sales at bazar
Satan is Rs. 4,800.
SATXWAN — Pargana RaeBareli — Tahsil Rae Bareli — District Rae
Bakeli. — This town was founded by one Sathu ; it is on the road from
Bareli to Bibdr ; the river Sai flows past to the east. The population is
2,952. The soil is good, and the place is surrounded by numerous groves.
SATHAN — Pargana Inhauna— TaZisi^ Digbijaiganj — District Rae
Bakeli. — This little town is pleasantly situated on high ground overlooking
the Gumti, six miles north of the police station (Jagdispur), and forty miles
41
322 SAT
north-west of Sultanpur. It was founded by Sathan, a Bliar, and called
after him, but the date of its foimdation is unknown. The Moslems
under Sayyad SaMr are said to have expelled the Bhars. Shekhs and
Sayyads now reside here. One Shah Abdul Latif came after the mutiny,
settled here as a missionary of pure religion ; he built a mosque on high
ground near the Gumti, and hundreds of the Sunnis assemble every Friday
to hear his harangues. The idgah of this town is a place of considerable
resort for the faithful when the Id festival comes round. Tlie population
is 2,253, of whom only 1,028 are males. There are no temples, but one brick
imiimbara erected in 1256A.H.
SATRIKH Pargana—Tahsil Nawabganj — District Bara BANKi.—This
pargana is bounded on the north by parganas Nawabganj and Partab-
ganj, on the east by Siddhaur, on the west by Dewa, and on the south by
Haidargarh. Its area is 46 square miles or 29,404 acres; the cultivated
land amounts to 19,318 acres, and the culturable to 10,086. Of the
former only 5,207 acres are irrigated. The number of villages in the par-
gana is 42. The prevaiKng soil is clay. The Gumti forms part of the
western boundary ; it frequently damages the kharif crops by overflowing
its banks. The river takes a southerly course ; its length being about 16
miles. There are 12 villages on its banks. Water is met with at six to
twelve feet. The only road is an unmetalled one from Nawabganj to
Satrikh town. There are three ghats in this pargana — viz., Tikra, Tirgaon,
and Ibrahlmabad. The first two lead to Amethi, Goshainganj, &o., and
the third is the route to the tahsil station Haidargarh. There is no trade
save that in salt. Schools are established at Ibrdhimabad and • Satrikh,
also a branch at Lachhmanpur. There are post and registry ofiBces at
Satrikh. The Government revenue amounts to Rs. 47,986. The tenure
is as follows: —
Taluqdari .., ,i. ... ... 17 villages.
ZamindaTi ... ... ... ,., 20 „
Fattldarl ... „. ... ... 5 „
42 „
The population of the pargana amounts to 24,157, being at the rate of
525 to the square mile. Satrikh, Ibrahimabad, and Sethmau are villages
possessing a population of more than 2,000.
For the origin of the name see Satrikh town. The taluqdars of the
pargana are Raja Nawab Ali, Rani Rukmin Kunwar, Mir Buniad Husen,
and Amjad Husen, Sahib-un-nisa, and Qazi Ikram Ahmad.
SATRIKH — Pargcma Satmich — Tahsil Nawabganj — District Bara
Banki.— This town lies 5 miles south-east of the civil station and 28 miles
south of Bahramghat, in latitude 26°51'20" north, and longitixde 81°14'40"
east It was founded by a Hindu Raja, Sabtrikh, but was taken by the
Musalmans in the days of Mahmiid of Ghazni. SdMr SAhu, alias Birdha
Baba, married the sister of Mahmud, and led the invaders against the town ;
here he died and a shrine was built in his honour. The dargah has a
rent-free grant of 54 local bighas of land for its expenses. A fair lasting
^wo days is held here in March at which 17 to 18,000 people assemble.
SAT— SHA 323
There is a market at which the trade is chiefly in salt. There is a
school, and a registry and post-office. The population amounts to 3,584 ;
Hindus number 2,177 and Moslems 1,407.
SEOTA — Pargana Kundri (NoRTii^ — Tahsil Bmy/AN.— District SiTA-
PUR — Is 32 miles due east from Sitapur, and lies four miles north of the
road from that place to Chahlari and Bahraich. It is four miles to the
east of the Chauka, and five miles west of the Gogra, both navigable
rivers, and between it and the latter are several smaller streams fordable
in the dry season. It was founded by Alha, a Chandel Thakur, the story
of whose expedition is generally sung in this part of the country and is
styled " Alba." This chieftain was a proteg^ of Raja Jai Chand of Ka-
nauj, and was granted possession of all the surrounding district known as
Ganjar. He with his patron was killed by Rde Pithaura, King of Delhi
and Ajmer, who in turn was slain by Shahab-ud-din Ghori in 1193 A.D.
There is a superstition against building a masonry house or growing
sugarcane. Besides a school, there are good bazars at which the value of
annual sales is Rs. 2,000. There are the ruins of a mosque, and of an
ancient taluqdar's fort. On every PuranmAshi a fair is held in honour of
Sonari consort to Alha. The population numbers 3,428.
SH ADIPUR. — ParganaBA'NGAKM.AV. — Tahsil Safipur — District Unao —
Lies about nine miles north-west from the tahsil station and 26 miles
from Unao.
There is no river or large town near ; the date of its foundation is not
known, but it is said that some three-hundred years ago there was one
JParshadi Gujar living here, when the place was inhabited by Gdjars. The
ildjputs came afterwards from Shiurajpur of Cawnpore district and brought
ruin for the Gujars, but the name of the place was retained.
The soil is principally clay. It is on a level, and there is some jungle
towards the south about one mile from the site. The appearance of the
place is very agreeable. Climate healthy, and water good. Hindus and
Muhammadans live amicably. There is no sarae, thana, tahsil, or school
here. There is no bazar but three fairs jn the year — one in Harch, one in
October, and one in August — on account of th&8th incarnation of the deity,
the great Krishna. These fairs last one day each where some 2,000
people assemble. Sweetmeats and toys are brought for sale.
There are no manufactures excepting earthenware and shoes.
Latitude ... ... ... 26*58' north.
Longitude ... ... ... 80°] 2' east.
SHAHABAD Pargana* — Tahsil ShaHabad — District Hardoi.— ^A sub-
division of tahsil Shahabad in the district of Hardoi comprising 143 vil-
lages. It is bounded on the north by the Shahjahanpur district; on the
west the river Garra divides it from parganas Pachhoha, and Pali ; on the
south it is bounded by pargana Soromannagar ; on the east the Siikheta
nala divides it from parganas Alamnagar and Sara.
» By Mr. A. H, Harington, C.S.
324 SHA
Its extreme length and breadth are 14 and 11^ miles, and its area 131
square miles.
Three-fifths (61-71 per cent.) is cultivated ; more than a fifth (22-1 per
cent.) is culturable. About an eighth (12-2 per cent.) is returned as
barren.
Eather more than an eighth (13'47) is rated as third class, i.e., sandy
and light. Two-fifths of the cultivated area (41-73) is irrigated in the
proportion of two-thirds from wells and a third from tanks and ponds.
The percentage under groves is 3-99 ; 6| acres is the average area of cul-
tivation per plough.
As the rivers and streams of the pargana all flow from north to south
the physical features will be most conveniently observed by crossing it
from west to east or vice versa. Beginning with the Garra on the west,
and the villages along its left bank, the following characteristics will be
noticed. The Garra, rising in the Kumaun tarai, flows past Pilibhit and
Shahjahanpur across the Oudh border into pargana Shahabad. Fed with
Himalayan snows it never dries up. As remarked of the Saromannagar
villages which it fertilizes after leaving this pargana, " along its bank
lies a rich belt of tarai (or khd,dir) villages, whose land always remains-
moist, so that wells are scarcely required. These villages are subject
to floods, and after heavy rains the autumn harvest suffers, but the loss is
in such seasons made good by the increased outturn of the spring crops."
In the dry season it is generally fordable. The lever and pot (dhenkli)
system of irrigation is used all along it ; wherever the bank is too high to
admit of the use of the ordinary 'lift' method. Though the soil in these
villages is light, they are the best in the pargana.
East of them there is the usual strip of uneven sandy villages marking
the edge of the ' bangar' and the ' tarai.' Further east is a considerable
tract of good but backward land, watered by the Narbh6 and Gauria
nalas holding one or two large jhlls, and thickly interspersed, in the
southern half of the pargana, with dhak jungle and brushwood.
The soil here is firm and good and retentive of water, and bears fine rice
crops, but wild animals do much damage in the jungle parts, and rents are
low and cultivators rather scarce. This tract will gradually improve.
Large wells Worked by bullocks can be cheaply dug in it for from three to
five rupees, and last about three years. Further to the east the quality
of the soil falls off, becoming light and poor. Towards the Sukheta, which
forms the eastern boundary, a quantity of ' dh4k' and thorn jungle is met
with, full of nil-gde, wild hog, hare, pea-fowl, partridge, and bush quail.
The cost of protecting the crop from the depredation of jungle animals is
a heavy drag on the cultivator.
The Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway runs through the pargana, with a
station near Shahabad, The road (unmetalled) from Shd,hjahanpur to
Hardoi also runs through it, parallel with and about two miles west of
the railway. From Shahabad other unmetalled roads branch off from it
SHA 325
to Pali, Sandi, and PiMni. The road from Sitapur to ShahjaMnpur wc2
Pihani crosses the north-eastern corner.
The chief products are wheat, barley, bdjra, gram, judr, paddy, arhar
and sugarcane. Of these at survey wheat occupied nearly a third of the
acreage under cultivation; barley covered a tenth; bajra nearly a tenth;
gram, juar and paddy together, nearly a fourth. The areas returned as
under cane, cotton, poppy, tobacco, and indigo were respectively, 2,928,
1,292, 129, 36, and 5 acres. The nearness of the Rosa Factory at Shdh-
jah&npur accounts for the large breadth of sugarcane.
The climate is considered good.
The 143 villages are thus held —
Sombansis
Chamar-Gaurs
Nikumbhs
••• ... ...
••• .•• ...
•••
•••
*•■
4
144
3
Total Chhattris
•I*
214
Tiwari Brahmans
Misrs
Fathaks ...
Pandes ...
Tirbedis ...
Aguhotris
Barmhcbaris
Upaddhias ...
••• ••< •••
••• ••> •••
••• M3
••• *•• •■•
•■• ••• ••(
•••
•■•
3
3
8
5
3
i
2
I
Tota^l Brahmans ...
•••
26i
Shekhs ...
Sayyads ...
PathSns ...
•M ••« It*
•«• ••• ■*■
.«. ... •••
...
4
4
64
Total Muhammadans
■•t
72
Kayaths ...
Goshain ... ... ... ...
European (Messrs. Carew)
GoTernment ... ... ...
•••
>••
•••
•••
0
1
13
Total Miscellaneous
...
21
26 of the villages are taluqdari, 82 are zamindari, 35 pattidari.
The Government demand, excluding cesses, is Rs. 93,426 — a rise of 30
per cent, over the summary assessment. It fells at Re. 1-12-11 on the
cultivated ' acre. Re. 1-1-10 per acre of total area, Rs. 11-8-4 per plough,
Rs. 2-3-4 per head of agricultural, and Re. 1-6-1 per head of total popula-
tion.
Population is extremely dense — 516 tot he square mile. The leading
statistics are total 67,646 ; Hindus to Muhammadans, 56,187 to 11,459;
males to females, 35,894 to 31,752; agriculturists to non-agriculturists
42,297 to 25,349.
Brahmans are most numerous, and are an eighth of the whole ; Cham^rs
are rather less than an eighth ; Lodhs a tenth ; Mur£os a twentieth ; Ahirs-
Chhattris 2,523 ; Kahars, Telis, and P4sis make up most of the remaiod^r.
326 SHA
There is an Anglo-vernacular tahsil school at Shahabad, and village
schools at Udranpur Parial, Fatehpur Goiad, B^sitnagar, Puraili, and B6ri,
and female schools have been established at Udranpur and Parial.
The pargana is not mentioned in the Ain-i-Akbari, not having been con-
stituted till about 1745 A.D, when the villages to the -east of the Garra
in what was then pargana Pali were made into a new pargana (Shahabad).
The leading events have been the expulsion of the Thatheras, the
growth and spread of their Chhattri successors, the successful campaign of
Diler Khan, and the foundation of Shahabad and of the Pathan taluqa of
Basitnagar.
The chief Thathera settlement seepas to have been at and round Angni
Khera, the nucleus of the present town of Shahabad. It consisted of
twenty-six villages surrounding a fort named Shabazpur, Todarpur, Nizam-
pur, Sorapur, Jangpur, Muhiuddinpur, Chaudhripur, Dalawalpur, Mahesh-
pur, Chandpur Khokar, Niamatpur, H^labpur Hans, Bibipur Gautar, Bibi-
pur XJdhaukal, Bahadurpur, Malikpur, Nahok Bara, Jamalpur, Kautaia,
Chand Thok, Muhammadpur alias Jamalpur, Thok Dalu, Khandi, Momin-
pur, Yusufpur, and Malhaia. These names are obviously modern.
The conquest of this settlement is attributed to a pilgrim band of
Pande Parwar Brahmans, who on their way from Kashi (Benares) to
Hardw^r halted here, noticed the weakness of the Thatheras, and on their
way back fell upon and disposessed them ; who these P^nde Parw^rs were
is a mystery. The tradition gives only the name of their leader Angad,
and traces their origin to a Kori, who, from the accident of his being found
with a thread (tdga) on his body, when Brahmans were in great request
for a royal "jagg," got irregularly enrolled among the Pande Brahmans, and
was dubbed Pande Parwar. The date of this displacement of the Tha-
theras may be presumed to have been synchronous with the great Brah-
manical revival which set in with the sacking of Sarndth, and the expul-
sion of the Buddhist monks from India in the eighth century.
To the Pande leader Angad is traced Angni Khera, the name whereby
the ruined site of their town is called, and Angad Khera, a spot which, it
is said, was the " akhara" or " campus martius," where the Pande youths
used to hold their athletic sports.
The only surviving Thathera name is to be found in the Tank Ratauka,
derived from Rde Than, or the seat of Rde, a Thathera prince.
The Pathdn, Ghoris of Jamra, claim to be converted Sombansis. Their
tradition goes to show that the Muhammadan conquest took place before the
Thatheras by Chhattris had been completed, Rdja Santan Sombansi they
say, of Santan Khera (Sandi), had four sons who ruled at Barwan, at Siwa-
ichpur, at Semar Jhala, and at Raigawan. Dalip Singh, of Raigaw^n,
fought against Ald,-ud-din Ghori for twelve years.
At last while out in search of game he was taken captive and carried
to the Muhammadan. Sultan, and imprisoned at Delhi for twelve years.
SHA 327
Then liis brother ransomed him. On his return home his kinsmen treated
him as an outcast till he should propitiate the Brahman s.
In spite of his protestations that he had not become a pervert during
his captivity his brethren held aloof from him, and when at last prevailed
upon to eat with him, drew a line of demarcation on the floor. Stung deeply
with the affront, he renounced the faith of his fathers before them all, took
horse for Delhi, sought the Sultan, told the tale, and announced his desire
to become a Muhammadan, "Whereupon he was admitted as a convert,
was named Mi&n Dilpasand Khan, and honoured with a grant of eighty-four
villages, among the chief of which were Fatehpur Goind, Aigawan, Adran-
pur, Maujhala, and Loni.
And in those days two and twenty" Thathera chieftains still ruled from
Angni Khera to the Sarju, against whom he warred with great renown.
And he died leaving four sons, of whom Mustafa Khan dwelt at Loni,
and there his descendants are to this day ; and Daulat Khan lived at
Piani, and Jajhar Khan at Raigawan, and Mahmud Khan at Jamra.
The Bais under-proprietors of Bhairaia relate a third displacement of
Thatheras in this pargana from Pairas and Deoras and the adjacent forest
by their ancestor Pahalwan Singh, who, married to the sister of Raja Sat-
mor, left Baisw^ra, and sought distinction in his wife's country.
The Pande Parwdrs retained possession of Angni Khera and the
neighbourhood till the reign of Aurangzeb. In an evil moment they
plundered a convoy of treasure on its way from Khairabad to Delhi.
The Sultan despatched Diler Khan Afghan, a distinguished officer, to
repress the bandits arriving at Shahjahanpur, recently founded, and then,
commanded by his brother Bahadur Khan, Diler Khan rode out alone
towards Angni Khera to reconnoitre. Smitten with thirst he begged
water of an ancient crone. The gift of two gold mohars loosened a garu-
lous tongue, and he learned from her the strength and ways of the P^nde
Parwars. In particular he heard that on a certain date the whole tribe
mustered at the old Thathera tank Ratauha to bathe. Returning to.
Shahjahanpur he mustered a strong force, marched secretly to Angni
Khera on the night of the bathing, and surrounded and slew the unsus-
pecting Brahmans. In reward for his skill and daring he was granted
the whole of their possessions in pargana Shahabad and Sara in jagir,
and became Nawab Diler Khan Bahadur Haft Hazari, or commander of
seven thousand. His descendants held the grant rent-free till Saadat
Ali Khan resumed it. In 1677 A. D., he founded the city of Shahabad
on Angni Khera, filled it with his Afghan kinsmen and troops, assigning
them jungle -grants in the neighbourhood : and in the midst raised the
spacious mansion known as the Bari Deorhi. Fifty-two wards or muhallas
trace their present names to the followers who then built in the places
on which they stand.
The further progress of the family has been thus described by Captain
Gordon Young in his settlement decision regarding the village of Dariapur.
328 SHA
" These Nawabs acquired either by purchase, mortgage, fraud, or force
every village in the pargana, and held as proprietors till fifty or sixty years
ago, when the family began to decay and the taluqa to fall to bits^ the
old proprietors in a few instances getting back, mostly by purchase from
the Nawab's family. The sales made by the Nawabs were generally fol-
lowed by possession. There was no question at that time as to whether
they had the right to sell. They sold, and the vendees got in and held
and the title was respected. In dealing with the transactions of those days
one is reminded of the stanza —
' Tlie good old rule sufflceth them, —
The simple plan,
That those should take who have the power,
And those should keep who can.' "
Elsewhere the same officer writes : —
" The sons of Nawab Diler Khan were four^-namely, Kam&lud-din
Khan, Chand Khan, Dildar Khan, and Fateh Muhammad Khan.
" The eldest son and his sons have always been known as the " Bari
Deorhi Wdlas' from the large fort he built, and this appellation still apper-
tains to this branch of the family, which is now represented by Sarfrdz
Husen Khan and Ahmad Husen Khan. The descendants of Ch^nd Khan
are known as the ' Khera Deorhi Wdlas.' Dildar Kham's branch is repre-
sented by the present taluqdar (of Basitnagar) Nawab Husen Ali Khan."
SHAHABAD* — Fargana Shahabad — Tahsil Shahabad — District Ka-r-
3501. — Latitude 27°38' north, longitude 79°59'. The chief town of the
pargana of the same name in the Hardoi district. Thornton's account of
it is: — "A town on the route from Lucknow to Shahjehanpur, 15 miles
south of the latter and 80 miles north-east of Futtehgurh." Tieffenthaler
describes it, about A.D. 1770, " of considerable circuit, and nearly in the
middle is a palace of brick, strengthened with towers like a fortress, with
a vestibule and spacious covered colonnade. Most of the houses are of
brick, and there is a fine mosque built of the same material, and inclosed
by a wall The town extends a mile from north to south ; its breadth is
something less, but of its flourishing state little remains." When visited
by Tennant, A.D. 1799, it was an expanse of ruins " that appeared in the
form of hills and broken swells crumbling to dust." Heber found it, in
1824, " a considerable town or almost city, with the remains of fortifica-
tions and many large houses." According to Tieffenthaler, " it was found-
ed by Angad, the nephew of Rama, king of Oudh , and if so ; must be of
high antiquity, as Rama is considered to have reigned 1600 years B.C.;
hence it is sometimes called Angadpur. It was renovated by Dilawar
Khan, an Afghan chief, contemporary with Aurangzeb. At present it
has a bazar and encamping ground, close to which are two tanks lined with
brick. The road to the north or tosfards ShAhjahdnpur is good ; to the
south-east, or towards Lucknow, very bad. Latitude 27°39', longitude
80°1.' "
Shahabad, with its population of 18,254, is fourth in the list of Oudh
towns and first among the Hardoi ones. The proportion of Muhammadans
• By Mr. A. H, Harington, C.S., Assistant Commissioner.
SHA 329
is very large, being 7,540 to 10,714 Hindus. There are 985 brick and
3,668 kachcha houses, grouped in numerous wards or muhallas. Named for
the most part after the followers and companions in arms of the founder
Diler Khan (see pargana article), they are called : —
Sidi Khalil, Pirzadagan, Ibanzai, Shekhpur, Malkapur, Jangalia, Khalil
Nabi Basti, Wall Yeman, Shamsher Khan, Ghilzi, Hakim Moinuddin,
Mirdn-ki-Basti, Jafar Khan alias Kairgarh, Bankuri, Bazid Khalil,
Haji Hayat Khan alias Maulaganj, Mahmud, Sulaimani, Garhi Kaldn,
Garhi Baghia, Bdqarzai, Tajpur, Sidi Khalil Sani, Bhuron, Dilawalpur,
Ikhtiyarpur, Inayatpur, Yunas Khalil, Bibi zai,j Khera Azmat Khan,
Gagiani, Mahi Bagh, Baira Zainab, Kot Arobian, Bazid Khalil, Niam.at
Khan, Kanauli Khanz4da, Ibnazai, Nalband&n, Sayyadwara, Bdzid Khalil,
Sani Mahmiid Khan, Talwa Wiran, Talia Wiran, Kanhaia, Binoria,
Bdrapur Wiran, Maruf Ismiil, Kot Bachhil, Sajjan Khan,
The brick fortress-like palace in the centre, described by Tieffenthaler,
is the Bari Deorhi of ^iawab Diler Khan.
The inhabitants date the decline of the town from the decay of the
Delhi empire and growth of the Nawabi into power. Its present popula-
tion is said to be only a third of its former size. It is connected with
Shihjahanpur, Pali, Sandi, Hardoi, and Pihdni by unmetalled roads, and
the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway passes close to it, and has a station
here.
The subdivisional office (tahsil) and police station (thdna) are located
in the enclosure of the Jama Masjid — a mosque built by Diler Khan.
Among other buildings are an Anglo-vernacular tahsil school, a dis-
pensary, and a sanie built originally by Rde Mangli Lai, Chakladar, and
repaired by the present Government.
Bathing fairs ai-e held at the old Thathera pool, Raitanha, and at a
masonry tank built by Diler Khan and called Narbada, because water from
that river was poured into it when it was opened, but they are not attend-
ed by pilgrims from any distance.
There is no trade or manufacture of importance ; for sugar, the most
valuable product of the neighbourhood, is worked up at the Rosa Factory
at Shahjah5,npur. Bazars are held in Sarddrganj, Jamal Khan's Ganj,
Namak Mandi, Roshan Bazar, Nihalganj, Dilerganj, Saddatganj, called
also Katra, the Chauk, Maulaganj, and Mahmudgani. Mahmtidganj has
been opened since annexation, and a daily grain market is held in it. The
town is noted for its excellent mangoes, and grafts are exported to a dis-
tance. A native cloth called ' Mahmtidi' ■ used to be manufactured here
and was much prized.
Sir W. Sleeman's account of Shahabad (1850) is worth extracting, as it
gives the origin of the chronic ill-feeling between Muhamniadans and
Hindus which has smouldered ever since, and broke out into active dis-
order at the Muharram of 1868 : —
" Palee is a good place for a cantonment, or seat of public civil estab-
lishments, and Shahabad is no less so. The approach to both, from the
42
3 so SHA
south-east, is equally beautiful, from the rich crops which cover the ground
up to the houses, and the fine groves and majestic single trees which
surround them.
" Shahabad is a very ancient and large town, occupied chiefly by Pathan
Mussulmans, who are a very turbulent and fanatical set of fellows. Sub-
sookh Rae, a Hindu, and the most respectable merchant in the district,
r'^sided here, and for some time consented to officiate, as the deputy of
poor old Hafiz Abdoollah, for the management of the town where his
influence was great. He had lent a good deal of money to the heads of some
of the Pathan families of the town, but finding few of them disposed to
repay, he was last year obliged to refuse further loans. They determined
to take advantage of the coming mohurrum festival to revenge the affront
as men commonly do who live among such a fanatical community. The
tazeeas are commonly taken up and carried in procession ten days after
the new moon is first seen at any place where they are made ; but in Oudh
all go-by the day in which the moon is seen from the capital of Lucknow.
As soon as she is seen at Lucknow, the king issues an order throughout
his dominions for the tazeeas to be taken in procession ten days after. The
moon was this year in November first seen on the 30th of the month at
Lucknow, but at Shahabad where the sky is generally clearer she had
been seen on the 29th. The men to whom Subsookh Rde had refused fur-
ther loans detei'mined to take advantage of this incident to wreak their
vengeance ; and when the deputy promulgated the king's order for
the tazeeas to be taken in procession ten days after the 30th, they insti-
gated all the Mahommedans of the town to insist upon taking them out
ten days after the 29th, and persuaded them that the order had been
fabricated, or altered, by the malice of their Hindoo deputy to insult their
reiigious feelings. They were taken out accordingly, and having to pass
the house of Subsookh Rae, when their excitement, or spirit of religious
fervour had reached the highest pitch, they there put them down, broke
open the doors, entered in a crowd, and plundered it of all the property they
could find, amounting to about seventy thousand rupees. Subsookh Rae
was obliged to get out, with his family, at a back door, and run for his life.
He went to Shajehanpoor, in our territory, and put himself under the pro-
tection of the magistrate. Not content with all this, they built a small
miniature mosque at the door with some loose bricks, so that no one could
go either out or in without the risk of knocking it down, or so injuring
this mode mosque as to rouse, or enable the evil-minded to rouse, the
whole Mahommedan population against the offender. Poor Subsookh
Rae has been utterly ruined, and ever since seeking in vain for redress.
The Government is neither disposed nor able to afford it, and the poor boy
who has now succeeded his learned father in the contract is helpless, The
little mock mosque, of uncemented bricks, still stands as a monument of
the insolence of the Mahommedan population, and the weakness and
appathyof the Oudh Government."— (p.p. 46— 47, Tour through Ovidh,
Volume II.)
SHAHXB-UD-DIN-ABAD— Rxiycxna Manikpur— Ta^siZ Kunda— Dis-
trict Paktabgarh. — This place was founded on the bank of the Ganges by
RAja Sayyad Abdul Qadir Mir Xdil. See the history of pargana Mdnikpur.
SHA— SID 331
It IS 36 miles from Partabgarh. A magnificent palace was greeted here ;
part of It has fallen down, part been carried away by the river, bub
enough remains to attest the magnificence and taste of the founder. A
long stately front of red stone from Fatehpur Sikri is varied by several
buildings, the hall of forty columns, the hall of colours and others ; these
have balconies boldly projecting over the river with finely carved columns
and delicate tracing. Population,— 1,106 Hindus ; 153 Musalmans; total
1,259.
There are 103 masonry houses, two temples to Mah4deo, and four
mosques. There is a bathing fair here in Kdrtik attended by about 30,000
people.
SHAHGANJ OR MUQIMPUR— Pargta-na PxcnnmRATR—Tahsil BfKA-
PVH— District Fyzabad.— The town was founded by a Mughal on the land
of the village Muqimpur ; but seized by Raja Darshan Singh, who built
here his fort and residence of Shahganj, celebrated during the mutiny. It
is about ten miles from Fyzabad.
The popiilation consists of 3,077 Hindus and 667 Musalmans, of whom
113 are Shias. There is one mosque, one temple to Hanomdn, one to
Mahadeo, and one vernacular school.
SB. AE^PJJR— Pargana BiH^E — Tahsil KujuDA.— District Partabgarh.—
This town was founded by a royal prince ; it is on the bank of the Ganges,
thirty-seven miles from Partabgarh and eight from Manikpur. The
population amounts to 1,031 Hindus, 100 Musalmans ; total 1,131. There
is a fine old tomb and a mosque with its southern wall in the water of
the river. There is a fair here.
SHEKHPUR SAMOBA—Pargana BAcnuRiLyrAN—TaMl Digbijaiganj
— District Rae Bareli. — The town lies six miles west of the Gumti on the
road from Rae Bareli to Bachhrawan. The soil is good, and the climate
healthy, but the country is rather bare of trees. The population is 2,672,
of whom 428 are Brahmans, 351 Chhattris. There is a weekly market ;
the sales average about 400 rupees.
SIDDHAUR Pargana* — Tahsil Nawabganj and Haidargarh — Dis-
trict Bara Banki. — This pargana is bounded on the north by Partab-
ganj, on the east by Surajpur pargana, on the south by Haidargarh and
Subeha, and on the west by Satrikh. Its area is 141 square miles, or
64,474 acres. Of cultivated land thereare 44,225, and of uncultivated 20,249
acres. The irrigated area is 26,263, and the unirrigated 37,049 acres.
The villages lying close to the Gumti are uneven ; the land is also cut up
by ravines. The soil is qhiefly loam. The climate is good. The Gumti
borders the pargana on the south ; it flows from east to west, having a course
of 30 miles. There is a stream fthe Rari) also in the interior of the par-
gana flowing for 12 miles through it. There are about 30 villages lying
along the banks of the Gumti. The road from Nawabganj to Debiganj
and Haidargarh passes through this pargana, and another from the chief
town to the Daryabad and Safdarganj stations. There are seven ferries
* Half in Nawabganj and half in Haidargarh tahsils,
332 SID
on the Gumti ; country cloth is the only item of export. There are seven
schools ; the post and registry offices are at Siddhaur. There are fairs
purely local in honour of Siddheshwar Mahadeo on the day of Shiurattri,
and in honour of Qdzi Qutab on the Td and Baqarid. The temple of Durga
Debi at Bibipur is visited on Mondays and Fridays. The Government
revenue amounts to Rs. 119,860. The tenure is as follows : —
Taluqdari ... ... ... ... 66 villages.
Zamindari ... ... ... ... Hi „
Pattidari ... ••■ ... ... 4S „
168
The population amounts to 59,0H.5. Siddhaur. and Bibipur are the only
villages possessing a population of above 2,000 souls.
This pargana had its origin in the time of Akbar Shah. The Bhars
were the original occupants ; they were expelled by the Moslems at the
time of the invasion of Masaud. The Sayyads form a great part of the
population. The taluqdars of the pargana are Pande Sarabjit 3ingh,
Wajid Husen, and Ahmad Husen, Amjad Husen, Raja Farzand Ali Khan,
Hakim Karam Ali, Bfbi Bech-un-nisa, Thakur Shiu Sahae, Rani Lekhrdj
Kunwar, and Ghulam Qasim Khan.
Sleeman writes as follows : —
"February26th,1850,Sidhore,sixteen miles west south-west. The country
a plain, covered as usual with spring crops and fine foliage ; but intersected
midway by the little river Kuleeanee, which causes undulations on each
side. The soil chiefly dumatand light, but fertile. It abounds more in white
ants than such light soil generally does. We passed through the estate of
Soorujpoor Behreylee, in which so many of the baronial robbers above
described reside, and through many villages beyond it, which they had lately
robbed and burnt down, as far as such villages can be burnt. The mud-
Walls and coverings are as good as bomb-proofs against the fire, to which
they are always exposed from these robbers. Only twenty days ago,
Chundee Behraleea and his party attacked the village of Siswae, through
which we passed a few miles from this plundered it, and killed three per-
sons, and six others perished in the flames. They served several others
in the neighbourhood in the same manner ; and have within the same time
attacked and plundered the town of Sidhore itself several times.
" The boundary which separates the Dureeabad from the Sidhore district
we passed some four miles back ; and the greater part of the villages lately
attacked are situated in the latter, which is under a separate Amil, Aga
Ahmud, who is in consequence unable to collect his revenue. The Amil
of Dureeabad, Girdhara Sing*on the contrary acquiesces in all the atrocities
committed by these robbers, and is in consequence able to collect his reve-
nue and secure the favour of the court. Some of the villages of the estate
held by the widow of Singjoo, late Raja of Soorujpoor,are under the jurisdic-
* Girdhara Sing's patron is Cliundee Sahaee, the miuiote's deputy, whose influence is
jiramonnt at present.
SID— SIK 333
tion of the Sidhore Amil ; and, as she would pay no revenue, the Amil took
a force a few days ago to her twelve villages of Sonowlee, within tho
J)ureeabad district, and seized and carried off some three hundred of her
tenants, men, women, and children, as hostages for the payment of the
balance due, and confined them pell-mell in a fort. The clamour of the
rest of the population as I passed was terrible ; all declaring that they had
paid their rents to the Ranee, and that she alone ought to be held responsi-
ble. She, however, resided at Soorujpoor within the jurisdiction and under
the protection of the Amil of Dureeabad.
" The Behraleea gangs have lately plundered the five villages of Sadut-
poor, Luloopoor,,Bilkhundee, and Subahpoor, belonging to Soorujbulee, the
head canoongo, or chowdheree of Dureeabad, who had never offended them.
Both the Amils were with me for the latter part of the road ; and the dispute
between them ran very high. It was clear, however, that Girdhara Sing
was strong in his league with the robbers, and conscious of his being able
to maintain his ground at court ; and Aga Ahmud was weak in his efforts
to put them down, and conscious of his being unable much longer to pay
what was required, and keep his post. He has with him two companies of
Najeebs and two of Telingas and eight guns. The guns are useless, and
without ammunition or stores of any kind ; and the Najeebs and Telingas
cannot be depended upon. The best paymaster has certainly the best
chance. It is humiliating and distressing to see a whole people suffering
such wrongs as are every day inflicted upon the village communities and
towns people of Dureeabad, Rodowlee, Sidhore, and Dewa, by these merci-
less freebooters ; and impossible not to feel indignant at a Government that
regards them with so much indifference."— (" SJeeman's tour through.
Oudh," Vol. II., pages 316—318.)
SIDDHAUR — Fargana Siddhaue — Tahsil HArjOARGAEH — District Baea
Banki. — This town lies 16 miles west of the civil Station and 24 from
Bahramghat in latitude 26°46' north, longitude 81°26'10" east. The
original name is said to have been Siddhpura (the residence of a holy man
or siddh), but it is now corrupted into Siddhaur. There is an old temple
of Siddheshwar Mahddeo and a dargdh of Q&zi Qutub, where fairs are
held respectively on Shiurattri and Id and Baqarfd. It is connected by
an un metalled road with the sadr station and Zaidpur, and by another
with Daryabad. A good deal of fever prevails in the town at the com-
mencement of the cold season. There is a school, a registry office, and a
post office here. The population amounts to 2,203.
SIKANDARPUR Pargana — Tahsil Vsxo— District Unao.— This par-
gana is bounded on the north by Pariar, on the east by Unao, on the
south by Harha, and on the west by the district of Cawnpore. It is about
10 miles long from east to west, and 8 miles broad from north to south.
It has an area of 37,023 acres or about 58 square miles comprising 61
villages, of which 48 are the zamindari of the Parihdr Chhattris. Thp
soil is chiefly loam and clay. The chief products are barley and sugar-
cane, 1,013 acres are under groves. There are three lakes in the pargana.
The climate is healthy. There are five markets. The land revenue amounts
334 SIK
to Rs. 60,876, and the assessment falls at Re. 1-10-3 per acre. The
landed property is held under the following tenures : —
Taluqdari 1I,52S acres. Fukhtadari 46!t acres, ^
Fattidari !S,Sii4 „ Zamindari 9,642 „
The population amounts to 34,544.
This pargana was formed in the reign of Akbar (A.D. 1565). The
original name of it was Burhanpur, but in A.D. 1297 Sikandar Khan, an
agent of Ala-ud-din. altered the name to Sikandarpur. In 1535 A.D. this
pargana was held by Harju Mai Dhobi (washerman;, but in the reign of
Sher Shah in 1540 he was killed by Medni Mai, Parihar Thdkur of Jigni,
from whom the present taluqdar, Gopal Singh, descends. The Parihar
Thdkurs of this pargana are thus described by Mr. Elliott : —
"The present Purihars in the Unao district inhabit the pargana of Suro-
see, or as it has recently become habitual to call it Secunderpore, and
possess the mystic number of 84 villages — a tract of land which is called a
Chowrassie. According to their local traditions they came from a place
called Jiginie (which is not to be found on the map), or Sarinagur, ie.,
Cashmere.
"From that high hill country they were driven, we know not by what cause
to inhabit the sandy plains of Marwar; expelled thence, they were broken
into innumerable little principalities, which found no abiding place, and
have undergone continual changes, till we meet with a small portion of
the clan who settled comparatively a short time ago in a little corner of
Oudh, and even here the name of the beautiful valley from which they
came ten centuries ago is still common in the mouths of men.
"The story of the settling of the ancestors of the clan in Surosee is thus
told. About three hundred years ago, in the time of Humaydn, king of
Delhi, a Dikhit girl from Purenda was married to the son of the Purihar
Raja, who lived in Jiginie across the Jumna. The bridegroom came with
a large escort of his friends and brotherhood to celebrate the marriage,
and the party on their journey passed through Surosee.
"As they sat down around a well (the localty of which is still shown
though the well has fallen in), they asked who were the lords of the fort
which stood not far off. They were told that the fort was held by Dhobies
(washermen) and other Soodurs who owned the neighbouring country.
The procession then went on to Purenda, and returning conducted the
bride to her home. Just before the Holie festival a party headed by Bhage
Singh returned, waited for the evening of that riotous feast, and then,
when the guards of the fort were heavy with wine, and no danger was
looked for, suddenly attacked and slaughtered them, and made themselves
masters of the fort and the surrounding country.
"Bhagd Singh had four sous, and they divided the eighty-four villages he
had conquered at his death. Asees and Salhu, the two eldest sons, took
the largest portion of the estate ; twenty villages falling to the former and
to the latter forty-two.
SIK 335
"The third son, Manik, was a devotee, and refused to be troubled with
worldly affairs. All he asked for was one village on the banks of the
Ganges, where he might spend his life in worship, and wash away his sins
three times a day in the holy stream. The youngest son, Bhooledhan,
was quite a boy at the time of his father's death, and took what share his
brothers chose to give him, and they do not seem to have treated him
badly.
"The law of primogeniture did not exist among the family, and every
son, as he grew up and married, claimed his right to a separate share of
his father's inheritance, a.nd thus the ancestral estate constantly dwindled
as fresh slices were cut off it, till at last the whole family were a set of
impoverished gentlemen, who kept up none of the dignity which had
belonged to the first conquerors, Bhagd Singh and his sons. For six
generations they stagnated thus, no important event marking their his-
tory till the time of Heera Singh.
"The family property in his time had grown very small, and he had five
sons to divide it amongst ; and to add to his misfortunes he was accused
of some crime, thrown into prison at Fyzabad, and loaded with chains.
With the chains on his legs he escaped, arrived safely at Surosee, and lay
In hiding there. His pride being thus broken, he resolved to send bis
third son, Kulunder Singh, to take service in the Company's army. He
rose to be Soobadar Major in the 49th Regiment of Native Infantry, and
in this position, through his supposed influence with the Resident, be-
came a very considerable man. He knew that as long as he was at hand,
no chukladar would venture to treat the Purihar zemindars with injustice;
but on his death they would be again at the mercy of the local authorities.
"He therefore collected all the members of the brotherhood who were
descended from Asees, and persuaded them to mass their divided holdings
nominally into one large estate, of which his nephew, Golab Singh, should
be the representative talookdar ; so that while in reality each small share-
holder retained sole possession of his own share, they should present the
appearance of a powerful and united talooka making Golab Singh their
nominal head. Thus the chukladars would be afraid to touch a man, who
seemed to hold so large an estate, though in reality he only enjoyed a
small portion of it. The brotherhood consented to this, and from 1840 till
annexation the estate was held in the name of Golab Singh alone, and
they had no further trouble from the oppressions of the chukladars."
" Elliott's Chronicles of Oonao " pages 58-60.
Golab Singh is now the recognized Taluqdar of Sarausi.
SIKANDARPTJR — Pargana Sikandaepue — Tahsil Unao — District
Uifxo. This village, which has a population of 1,679 gives name to the
patgana. It is situated six miles west from tJnao, and close to a lake called
Barkota. No road passes through or near it. There is no jungle, but groves
of mango and mahua are to the west. The water is sweet and climate
healthy! Their is a Government school here. There is no market held
or fair celebrated in this village. There is one temple to Mahddeo. For
336 SIK— SIN
the origin of name see pargana Sikandarpur. Near this village the Prince
of Wales went out pig sticking in 1876.
SIMRAUTA Pargana — Tahsil Digbijaiganj — District Ra.e Babeli. —
This pargana is bounded on the north by Haidargarh of the Bara Banki
district, on the east by Inhauna, on the south by pargana Rae Bareli,
and on the west by Kumhrawan and Hardoi. Its area is 97 square miles,
and population 58,771 being at the rate of 606 per square mile. Of the
soil 28,302 acres are cultivated, 7,457 acres culburable, and 26,518 barren.
The irrigated land amounts to 22,612 acres, and unirrigated to 5,722
acres. The surface is level, climate good, soil chiefly loam. The only
river running through this pargana is the Naiya, and the only road is that
which leads from Rae Bareli to Bara Banki. There are no ghats (fords).
The tiaflfic is carried on by means of bullock carts, buffaloes, and ponies.
The manufactures are garha and gazi cloths and blankets. The principal
import is cotton from Cawnpore, and export grain.
The Government revenue amounts to Rs. 63,355, being at the rate of
Re. 1-12-4 per arable acre.
The distribution of landed property is as follows : —
Taluqdari villaget. Zamindari villages
Kanhpuria ,„ ... ,„ 35 0
Bachgoti ... ... ,,. 7 0
MuBalmans ... ... ... 7 14
Other castea ... ,„ ... 0 lu
■19 , 24
The pargana taluqdars are Raja Jagmohan Singh of Chandapur, Rudr
Partab Singh of Siwan, Murtaza Husen of Sikandarpur, Riija Shankari
Bakhsh of Parisi, Raja Mahesh Nariiin of Tok, and Ilahi Bakhsh of
Baridrpur.
The only village worthy of mention in this pargana is Mungtal ; in it is
a tank in the centre of which Raja Daljit Singh built a masonry house,
and king Nasir-ud-dm Haidar lived in this house for a short time. The
prevailing caste is that of the Kanhpuria Chhattris. There are six schools,
in which are taught Nagri and Urdu, a post-office, a registry office, and a
police station in the pargana.
History. — The country was at first held by the Bhars. Raja Madan
Singh of M^nikpur came and after a fight took possession from them.
Two fairs are held — one at Janai in the month of November on the
Kartiki Ptiranm^shi, and the other in Mahrajganj bazar called Ramlila in
October. There is a temple of Debi called Anharwa-ki-BhawSni.
SINGXHI — Pargana Khairigarh — Tahsil Nighasan — DistrictKnEBi,—
Is situated north of the Suheli, 101 miles north from Lucknow, lying in
latitude 28°19'^ north, longitude 80°57' east. It belongs to Rdja Indra
Bikram Sdh, taluqdar of Khairigarh. It has a good market, in which
articles of country consumption are sold. The average annual sale of cotton
SIN— SIS 337
fabrics is estimated at Rs. 2,000. The place is reckoned unhealthy. Popula-
tion, 1,995. The Hindus amount to 1,577 and the Moslems 418.
SINJHAULI SHAHZXDPUR.— Par^ma Akbaepue.— TaAsii Akbar-
PUR — District Fyzabad. — For the history of this town see pargana Akbar-
pur.
It was founded by Sujhawal, a Bhar chief, called from him Sujhawalgarh,
and this shortened to Sujhauli. Khattris got this place rent-free from Akbar.
Prior to this one Sayyad Taj settled here and dug a tank ; a tomb in an
island within this tank still bears an inscription dated 1365 A.D., one of
the oldest in Oudh.
It is a picturesque spot on the high bank of the Tons, opposite Akbarpur,
36 miles from Fyzabad on the road to Jaunpur, here crossed by the road
from Sultanpur to Gorakhpur.
There an numerous groves here. A great family of Khattri bankers, head-
ed by Gaji'idhar Mai and Shiubans Rae, formerly flourished here.
The population is 5,069, of whom 2,021 are Sunnis, 84 are Shias, 2,964
are Hindus.
There are 91 6 houses, of which 24 are of masonry. There are four mosques,
three temples to Mahiideo, and one to Bhaw4ni.
SISSAINDI — Pargana NigohXn Sissaindi — Tahsil Mohanlalganj —
District LucKNOW. — Sissaindi is the chief village of a small pargana
known in former times as the pargana of Sissaindi on the bank of the
river Sai, about six miles to the south-east of the tahsil station of Mohanlal-
ganj, and connected with it by a cross country road made bj the taluqdar
Raja KSshi Parshad, whose principal residence was in this village, and from
which his taluqa takes its name. The rise of the raja's family is recent,
and the village once, together with the 27 villages that formed the'pargana,
are said to have belonged to a clan of Gautams, an offshoot of the .^rgal
raj, who must have established a colony here in very early times ; for their
ancestor, Bhuraj Singh, is said to have led an expedition, as a servant of
the Raja of Kanauj, against the Bhars of a neighbouring village, who had the
presumption to propose an alliance with the daughter of a Janwar chief.
The Janwar appealed to Bhiiraj Singh, who was leading a marriage pro-
cession through the neighbourhood, for help, and it resulted in the invasion
and conquest of the pargana by the Gautams. In the village there is a
small heap of stones worshipped under the name of Bhura Baba, probably
the same as Bhuraj Singh; but the name of the village seems to have been
given to it by Shiu Singh, his son, if it be not due to some more mythic
orio-in for the worship of Shiva under his emblem seems to prevail very
extensively in the village.
The population is chiefly Hindu in which there are a great many Bvah-
mans. The Musalman element is very small. The total population is 3,140
the and number of houses is 723, of which a very few are masonry. But in
the centre of the village the raja has built an imposing edifice. Notwith-
standing that it was known as the headquarters of a pargana, it never
attained to any importance. There are the usual trades carried on in the
village, and a good deal of traffic passes through it direct for Unao, to which
338
SIS— SIT
place a road, with a bridge over the Sai, has been made, and by a rough
country road that meets the Mohaulalganj and Bani road at about six miles
to the west of Sissaindi. The annual sales in bazfe amount to Rs. 9,587-8-0.
SITAPUR DIVISION. — A division of Oudh governed by a Commissioner
who resides in Sitapur. It contains three districts whose names, areas,
and population are given in the following table : —
Area and population.
Area in sta.
a
J^
tute Briiisli
s
District.
sguaremiUs.
Division.
c
3
cS
13
i
1
3
"a
s
1
a
•5:
g
CO
a
J
J
p
a
H
o
2
g
w
H
s
ta
H
<
Sitai-ur ..
Sitapnr
2,359
2,2 Id
1,428
fil3,331
117,807
7M
40
497,241
435,718
932,959
417
Havdoi
1,961
2,295
1,319
845,29'i
S5,68i
39
9
500,954
430,423
931,3771 406
Kheri
Total
1,777
3,91.7
1,206
3,953
671,686
74,3'.I7
73
1»
403,827
342,513
746,360
249
6,097
7,298
2,330,310
277,798
886
67
1,402,022|1,208,6S4
2,610,686
357
It corre^onds with the old administrative division Or sarkar under the
Delhi emperors called Khairabad. This embraces the whole of the pre-
sent division of Sitapur, including the three districts Kheri, Sitapur,
Hardoi, with the exception of a row of parganas on the extreme south.
Kachhandan, Bilgram, Mallanwan, Sandila, Gorinda, and Gundwa, are
now in Hardoi; Bari, and Bilahra, now Mahmudabad are in Sitapur. They
were formerly ■ in the Sarkar Lucknow. The following table shows the
parganas in Akbar's tin.e, their proprietors, and gives similar information
for the present time.
Statement showing the revenue owners, &c., of parganas according to
" A'in-i-Akbari" throughout the province of Khairabad.
Bevenne de-
Parganas.
Area in
bfgbas.
mand ac-
cording to
Ain-i-Ak-
bari.
Proprietors in Ain-i-
Akbari.
Present proprietors.
Big. bis.
Bs.
Kliairigarh
43,050 7
45,233
Bais, Bisen, Bdolihil,
Kurmi.
PahSria Chhattris.
Klieri
260,168
81,504
Bisen, Janw^r
Janwiir, ChanhAns.
Blirtfwdra
21,740
6,152
Various tribes ..,
Musalmans.
Biswiin
144,321
48,732
B4chliils
Mupalmans, &c.
Gttrh Qiia Nawa Khaa-
15,811 16
12,246
Ahir
Jangre, Sikhs, &c.
rahra.
Barwfir
136,319
8R,634
Eajputs and Brahmans...
Various tribes.
Khairabad
159,072
64,031
Brabmans
Ditto.
LShai-pur
208,288
75,612
Ditto
Gaurs.
Sara
68,832
52,209
Cliauh£n
Ditto.
Gopamau
120,698
20,779
Cliawar, Kanwar, (Ah-
ban), BachMl.
Janw.4r, Bdchhil
Various tribes.
Sadrpur
107,308
1,40,612
Ralkwjir, &c.
OhatiSpur (Sitapur)
Gaur, Rajpnts
Galir.
Sandi
211,714
78,883
Sombansi
Sombansi.
Falia
64,706
44,134
Bichhil
Janw&r, Chauhto.
BiisAra
8,971
10,888
Ditto
Ditto.
Paila
68,156
31,531
Alilr, Asas
Various.
Ninikliir
58,770
89,151
Alilrs
Ditto.
>I:iclihrphta
...
BSehhIls
Ditto,
Hargim
...
...
Bralitnaiis .,,
Gaur.
SIT . S3D
The comparison of the proprietary possession in the two periods reveals
some interesting facts. In only two parganas the old owners are still found ;^
in that of Gopamau the then proprietary body, the ChAwar or Ahban'
Chhattris, still retain a portion of their possessions ; the Sombansis also now
hold part of Sandi. TheBachhil Chhattris who held Bastira, Sandila, Biswan,
Sadrpur, Machhrehta, and part of Khairigarh now do not possess any
lands in those parganas. Similaiiy the Bisens have disappeared from
Khairigarh and Kheri. Ahirs no longer hold Nimkhar or Garh Qila Nawaf
It is not that these tribes have gone elsewhere ; they have died out, or
become mere tenants-at-will.
One or two Chhattri tribes have prospered mightily ; of such are the
Gaurs who then had only Sitapur, but now have Sitapur, Ldharpur, Chan-
dra, Hargam, Bawan, Barwan, Sara, in main part; the Chauhan Janwars
of Oel, who then had no villages and now have over 300 ; the Nikumbh,
Katidr, and J^ngre, who now have several parganas and formerly had none.
It is, however, the Musalmans who have made the greatest progress. They
now hold 1,445 villages in this division. In Akbar's time only Bilgrdm is
mentioned as being partly the property of the Sayyads. They probably
had not more than 50 villages. In fact, as elsewhere remarked, the Musal-
mans never aimed at acquiring property in land till the latter end of
Akbar's time ; and this is the reason that no deeds of mortgage or sale can
be found bearing a date prior to his reign. Musalmans then aimed at
getting rent-free land panted them for life only. Since Akbar's time,
and above all during Alamgir's reign, Musalmans have been gradually
acquiring large estates over Khairabad and eveiywhere in Oudh except in
BaiSwara. They have spread out from each town — from Sandila, Sandi,
Shahabad, Bilgram, Mahmudabad, Aurangabad, Kheri ; during Shuja-ud-
daula's reign Musalrrians held probably two-thirds of the whole country.
The reaction which took place since Saadat Ali Khan's time deprived them
of much of their property, but they still hold estates far beyond the pro-
portion which might be expected from their numbers and influence.
Another remarkable matter in Khairabad is the fixity of the internal
divisions. In a few cases ancient parganas have been broken up into
several small ones, butthere has been no wholesale uprooting of ancient land
marks and redistribution of the lands. The reason is not far to seek. The
great taluqdars who acquired possession of eastern Oudh, and who in many
cases paid tribute and allegiance to the central Government just when it
suited them, considered each man's property as a separate estate, in which
the owner was to exercise authority civil and criminal, and for which the
Government revenue was to be paid separately. In fact, local government
superseded central, and consequently the territorial jurisdictions of local
magnates superseded the ancient divisions. The former were very gene-
rally called after their owner's name or after his favourite fortalice ; he was
never satisfied till he had rebaptized ^jne territory and got the new name
entered in the Government records. So Partabgarh, Parshadepur, Gha-
tampur, DaKppur, Mohanganj, Bhagwantnagar, Mohanlalganj, were called
after various chiefs of south-east Oudh; and Dhingwas, Rampur, Ateha,
Daundia Khera, Haidargarh after their forts; in each case displacing, split-
sm SIT
ting up, and blending in new combinations the older subdivisions. No-
thing of the kind took place in Khairabad, at least not to such an extent.
No great Hindu barons rose tO power and remade the map of Hardoi or
Kheri. Laharpur and Mahmudabad are instances in Sitapur of how
powerful Gaurs and Musalmans did break up ancient divisions, supersed-
ing in fact the . pargana or country by the muhal or estate. Khairabad
was afterwards broken up under the Oudh kings into the chakladaris of
Sandi, Pali, Tandiaon, Muhamdi, Khairabad.
SIT 341
SITAPUR DISTRICT ARTICLE.
ABSTRACT OF CHAPTERS.
I. — General aspects. II. — AaRicuLTtrRE and commerce. III. — The
PEOPLE. IV. — Administration. V. — History.
CHAPTER I.
PHYSICAL FEATURES.
Boundaries, area— General aspect— Soil —Subdiviaions— Rivera— Groves— Jhils— Jungles-
Vegetable products — Wild animals — Mineral products — Fauna — Game birds — Tempera.'
ture — Winds — Climate— Rainfall — Medical aspects.
Boundaries and area. — The district of Sitapur which takes its name
from the country town of the same name, lies between the parallels of
27°53' and 27°7' north latitude, and 80° 21' and 81°26' east longitude.
Situated in the interior of Oudh, it is bounded on the north by the Kheri
district on the east by that of Bahraioh, from which it is separated by
the great river Gogra ; on the south by districts Bara Banki and Luck-
now ; and on the west by Hardoi ; the river Gumti being the common
boundary of both.
In shape like an ellipse, its greatest length from south-east to north-
west is 70 miles, and its extreme breadth from north-east to south-west
55 ; its area is 2,250* square miles. Its population is 932,959, being at
the rate of 414 to the square mile. There have been no changes in the
area of the district ; its capital bears the same name.
Physical features and characteristics of the soil. — Without hills or val-
leys, devoid of forests and lakes, properly so called, the district presents
the appearance of a vast plain ; well wooded through the numerous groves
and scattered trees with which it is covered ; well cultivated save in those
parts where the soil is barren and cut up by ravines; intersected by
numerous streams, and possessing many of those shallow ponds and natural
reservoirs of water which in the rains are full to overflowing, but in the
hot season become dry, and which are called jhils in the vernacular tongue.
A plain, it slopes imperceptibly from an elevation of 505 feet above the
level of the sea in the north-west to 400 feet above the level, in the south-
east, the fall being just 1^ foot in each mile.
Soil. — With the exception of the eastern parganas, which lie in the
duab of the Gogra and Chauka, the soil of the district is as a rule dry.
In many parts, especially in the neighbourhood of the larger rivers, we
meet with tracts of sand ; barren land " lisar" is found all over the district ;
the lands close to the smaller streams are much cut up by the ravines
* By census report ;. by settlement returns the area is 2,314,
342 SIT
which form the natural drainage of the contiguous country ; and in tho
eastern parganas specially there are numerous patches of land covered
with that white mineral efflorescence called " reh," a combination of
sulphate of soda and other salts, which is deadly to vegetation, but which
recent experiments have demonstrated can be decomposed and got rid of
by an improved system of tillage.
Inundations. — The eastern parganas are flooded more or less entirely
every year(v'id!e"descriptions of Tambaur, Kundri north and Kundri south);
the inundations often ruining entire villages and always causing loss to
the inhabitants by the destruction of their houses and cattle. At the
present time (September, 1871) all that part of the country is under
water, and for the past six weeks it has been with the greatest difficulty
that the zamindars have been got to come into Sitapur, or that the process-
servers have been able to execute the orders of the courts. And it is
said the greater part of the autumn harvest has failed.
Subdivisions. — The collection of the demand is entrusted to the
collector of the district, who is assisted in the duty by four nativesub-
coUectors or tahsUdars, having their headquarters at the four tahsils into
which the district is divided. These tahsils with their component par-
ganas are as follows : —
Tahiil. Parganas,
I.— Sitapur
f Sitapur.
I Ehairabad.
' Pirnagar.
! Kamkot.
j Uargam.
LLaharpur.
)Bari.
Manwan.
Mahmudabad.
Sadrpur.
Kundri south.
fMisrikh.
IAurangabad.
Gundlaman.
III.— Misrikh ... ^ Machhrehta.
I Chandra.
I Malioli,
l^Kurauna.
f Biswin.
IV.— Biswan ... J Tambaur.
(, Kundri north.
Rivers, water communication, SOO miles. — Sitapur is well provided with
rivers and streams — from the Gogra in the east to the Gumti in the west.
The former is a very large river indeed, fordable nowhere during any
part of the year, and in the rains having a width of from four to six miles.
The Chauka. — Eight miles to the west is the Chauka, the second
largest river in the district, and running into the Gogra at Bahramghat
in the Bara Banki district. This ghdt is connected with Lucknow by a
railway, and thus a ready outlet to the west is provided for the grain from
the east of Sitapur which borders on the Gogra.
SIT 343
Smaller streams. — Between these two rivers the country is cut up by
numerous smaller streams, which are all fordable in the dry weather, and
the chief of which are the Bahai, the Gubraiya, the Yaha, the Ghagghar,
and the Sukni ; this part of the district is known as the Gogra Chauka
Duab, and is subject to frequent and heavy floods as mentioned above.
Ul, Kewdni, Sumli. — West again of the Chauka is the Ul flowing into the
Kew^ni, and the Sumli, all three fordable during the dry season, but
navigable for country boats during the rest of the year.
Old bed of the Chauka. — We then meet with a narrow strip of moist
land overlooked by a ridge of earth of from 20 to 40 feet in height, and
running down from Kheri through Sitapur to the Bara Banki district ; this
strip of land was apparently once the bed of the Chauka (now 9 miles to
the east), and the ridge of earth its right bank. The river is said to have
changed its course about 150 years ago.
Gon. — Twelve miles further west we meet with the Gon, an inconsider- .
able stream, and not used as means of communication.
Sardyan. — It flows into the Sarayan at Pimagar 14 miles south of
Sitapur through which town that river passes ; and the united stream goes
on in a south-easterly ditection until it meets the Gumti at Hindaura
Ghat. West of the Sardyan, and flowing into it, is a small stream, the
Ketha, and still further west is the Retia, also a small stream, joining the
Gumti at Dddhanmau.
Gum,ti. — Last of all comes the Gumti, a good sized navigable river, and
at the same time fordable here and there in the dry season. It flows
down through Lucknow, Sultanpur, and Jaunpur until it meets the Ganges
at Benares.
Of the above rivers the Chauka, the Gogra, and the Gumti. described at
length under their proper headings, are navigable for boats of from five to
twelve hundred maunds ; the Kewani, and the Sarayan are navigable by
boats of one hundred maunds. Their beds are' aU sandy. There are no
towns upon their banks,nor is there any trading population. Formerly only
the feudal lords resided near the rivers in order to command the passage by
their cannon, and compel trading vessels to pay for permission to proceed.
The Goora is fordable nowhere ; all the others are fordable in innumerable
places ; the Chauka about five years ago changed its course, and the main
stream' now joins the Kauriala or Gogra at MaUdpur. The trafiic on them
is detailed under that heading.
Details of the area of the district as shown by the khasra swrvey. —
The khasra survey of the district was commenced in the cold weather
(1863-64,) and was completed inl866-67. This survey was superintended
by the settlement officer, and is not to be confounded with the survey con-
ducted by the revenue surveyor which preceded it. The former goes
much more carefully into details than the latter, but both correspond
pretty exactly in their results for the whole district.
344
SIT
The kliasra survey then shows as follows for the years in which it was
accomplished : —
Cultivated a
Culturable
Kevenue-free
Barren,
Acres
Total
943,863
253,698
30,339
212,309
1,440,209
Groves, jktts, jungles. — 'The detail of the jhils, groves, and jungles is
given thus : —
Groves
Jungle
JhiU
Acres 46,841
„ 18P,8li6
57,713
The above figures are given by the settlement officer. But the follow-
ing .table is an abstract of the statistics given in the final settlement report^
and they differ materially from the preceding. It omits the grants of
waste lands, for the reason that they pay no land revenue ; in other respects
the table is generally correct.
General statement explanatory of the revised assessment.
Bari.
laisrikh.
Sitapur.
Biswan,
Grand
tutal.
No.
No.
No.
No
No.
Number of muhals
5l8
657
660
510
2,365
acres.
acres.
acres.
acres.
acres.
Total area o£ muhals
318,469
378,V85
353,673
367,127
1,117.554
Barren ... .«
48,415
37,749
44,600
. 44,938
175,752
Gloves less than 10 per cent, ...
6,784
6,923
11,967
10,531
35,794
Totj.1 nun-asaessable
56,796
45,518
62,857
63,682
219,853
Irrigated by wells
10604
S',716
15,957
7,109
65,285
Ditto by ponds
38^410
12.669
30,467
8,209
89,765
Unirrigated
159,849
222,908
173,010
233 734
759,001
Total cultivation
208,263
237,298
219,434
249,152
914,041
Total assessable
262,673
332,767
290,316
311,445
1,. 97,701
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
Resident cultivators
26,h39
2'3,932
24,234
30,955
104,760
Non-resident cultivators
11,218
9,581
U,i93
18,333
53,7JS
Total number of cultivators ...
37,867
32.5 3
.'<8,827
49,288
15«,485
Number of ploughs
26,639
27,097
2?, 07 9
27,221
108,036
Ditto cattle
188,570
177,810
178,261
217,652
774,793
acres.
acres.
acres.
acres.
acres,
Sir ...
18,S97
17,918
24,686
17,724
78,622
Other cultivation of proprie-
2,257
14,677
6,462
1,843
25,539
tors.
Of resident cultivators
147,060
168,976
116,493
164,029
585.662
Of non-resident cultivators ...
40,348
46,822
57.476
49,889
19.1,434
Rs. a. p.
Ks. a, p.
Ks. a. p.
Bs. a. p,
Rs. a. p.
Kent-iate on cultivation
1 10 7
1 6 4
1 7 7
1 4 8
1 7 3
Ditto culturable
1 5 1
0 16 11
1 1 JO
10 4
1 1 »
Total
1 1 4
0 14 0
0 14 8
0 13 10
0 14 10
SIT 345
Tl^ere are a number of lakes in Sitapur, but most of tbem are mere}y
large poi^ds_ witb stretcbes gf njarsljy laud all roupcl. Tliere q,re four 'i^
A^^lu'** B^ri) — pne borders 'on tbe villages Babirwa, Gbh^jan, Jalalgjir,
Andbna, a second on Haraiya, Ram'dana, Bhandia, Ajai, and a tbird on
Chauriya, Cbandiy4, Uncha iCbera, Semra, Kaima, Rampur, and otbers^ a
fourth on Surjanpur, Shankarpur, Sair. In Mahmudabad there is a fifth
smalllake bordering the villages Kaurdr, Madarpur.'Bh^npur, Lodhaura,
and others. In Tambaur pargana there are two jhils at Harharpur and
Rudrapur. In Kundri at Ajaipur and Rijpur. All of them are naviga-
ble by small boats of shallow draught, but they are only useful for irriga-
tion. '
Vegetable products. — To come to the vegetable products they may be
divided into A cultivated produce, B uncultivated produce-
Taking the latter first we have that derived from trees under the form
of timber, fruit, fibres, dyes, gum, and lac, and the trees yielding these are
as follows : —
Mango (Mangifera indica).
Pipal (Ficus Tel|giQsa).
Gular'(Fions glomerata).
Pakar (Ficus venosa).
Bargad or Banyan tree (Ficus indica).
Nim (Azadiirachta indica).
Sisaoo (Dalbergia Sisso). •
Tun (Cedi-ela itoona)'.
Phalenda (Syzyginm jambolanum).
Jamun (Eugenia jamlbolana).
Bel (,Mg\e marmerosy
Kathal (Artocarpus integrifolia).
Babfil (Acacia Arabica).
Khair ( A cacia catechu).
Dhak (Butea frondosa;.
Rhfijiit (Fhcenix sylrestris).
Aonia (Fhyljanthiis emblica).
Siraa (&|emosa serissa)
Taiaaribd (I'amarindus indica).
Kacbn&r (Baahinia variegata).
Common Bamlipo (^^ambu^a).
Semal (.Bombax heptapbylla).
Of these the oiily tree grown in groves is the mango, and it, and many
of the others notably the pipal and bel are considered by Ijhe Hindus
to be sacred trees, and no devout member of that body will destroy them
with the ase or by fire or in any other way. The bel, for instance, is a
representative of Shiva, and the pipal and banyan represent Vishnu ;
the person who plants one of the latter does so expecting that just as he
has set apart a tree to afford shade to his fellow-creatures in this world
so after death he will not be scorched by excessive heat in his journey to
the kingdom of Yama, the regent of death.
These two with the gular and pakar are of the fig genus ; the fruit of
the gfilar being of a better and larger description than that of the pakar.
Lac is yielded by the pipal. The leaves of the nim possess medicinal
properties, as does also the fruit of the bel tree.
The semal is the " cotton tree" growing to an iminepse si?e m^ bright
with crimson flowers ; the phalenda is a larger species of the jamun, both
having a purple fruit as large as a damson ; and |the kathal is the well
known "jack finiit tree." The babiil, khair, and dhak are smaller trees
than any of the others, and grow in the most barren soil ; the first yields
both a dye and a gum, the ordinary " gum araJbic," the last the guin known
as " dragon's bipod or kinp," and the khair produces the "caiech^u" fapjiliar
to doctoirs. All three are comibined'to form the khdki colour used in Ayeing
th,e jjniliprinis pf map.y of ;tbe native regiments an4 of t]be well kpovirii Oudh
cofl»tawila-ry. A red dye is obtaine4 "PPi t^e scarlet ^pwers of tjiie dhak,
■'"'■'- 44
346 SIT
and is used at the Holi and at weddings for smearing the clothes of those
who take part in those joyous festivals. A red dye is also obtained from a
gum which the pipal yields, and from it the country red ink is made.
The khajur is the common date palm, and is useful in this part of India
rather for its leaves than for its fruit, the former making good matting ;
its fruit is very small, and it yields a juice or tari just like that of the
properly so called tari tree.
The kachnfir in the month of February is exceedingly pretty being one
mass of lilac-coloured flowers; and these are not only pretty to the eye, but
Avhen cooked form a delicate vegetable for the table. The fruit of the
aonla is about the size of a small orange. The siras, of the genus acacia,
is a small but graceful tree,, with pretty leaves, and covered in the season
with yellow flowers. The tamarind and bamboo are two well known to
require any description here. The dhak mentioned above is known in
other parts of India as the palas or paras, and from this word the village
of Plassey, the scene of Olive's famous victory, takes its name.
These are the trees of Sitapur. There are no forests to be met with as
has already been stated : nor do we find the mahua tree which is so com-
mon in the. other parts of Oudh. This is very much to be regretted, as
the profits arising from it are very considerably, and in bad seasons the
zamindars and grove-holders would have something to' fall back upon.
In one district (Partabgarh), the area of which is only two -thirds that of
Sitapur, the settlement ofiicer has estimated the yearly value of the mahua
crop at one lakh and a half of rupees, the flower being used in the distil-
lation of spirit, the fruit as food for man, and when plentiful for beast;
and the seed for oil.
Uncultivated products. — The other uncultivated vegetable products of
this district are the fibres obtained from the roots of the dhak, from the
munj and sarpat grass, and from the date palm already mentioned. From
the miinj and sarpat a string is twisted which is woven into matting, and
a coarse rope is made from the other two which is used for tying up cattle
and such like purposes. Mud wells are often lined with a sort of cable
made from the rus, a wild shrub, growing to the height of four or five feet.
Wild animals. — The wild animals resemble those of Upper India gene-
rally, and are the nil-gae, the black buck, p^rha, gond, and other kinds of
deer, the wild pig, fox, jackal, wolf, and hare. We meet with none of the
larger carnivora, nor are wild elephants, rhiuo.ceroses, or wild buffaloes found
anywhere within the district. There are a few wolves ; no rewards are
paid for killing snakes.
In the river itself there are the different varieties of the Indian crocodile
and river porpoise, and of course fish of many descriptions, but the hilsa,
the Cekti, and the mahsir are not among them.
" The following sporting particulars are given by Major Tweedie : —
As a rule, on the plains in India game of all descriptions will generally
be found most abundantly in the neighbourhood of large rivers. The
sit 347
reason of this is apparent. The inundations caused by the overflow of
nvers during the rains cause tracts of land to be covered with grass, where
a great deal of sand is deposited by the floods a very coarse description of
grass springs up, and on low lying lands where inundated by rivers whose
source is in the plains, the grass is generally the kind used for thatching
purposes by the natives. In the Sitapur district, therefore, nil-gde, pig,
parha, and antelope will be found in the greatest numbers in the waste lands
lying along the banks" of the rivers Gumti, Chauka, and Gogra. A few
swamp deer are also to be found in the eastern parts of the district. The
antelope being the most numerous of all the fauna in this district, is
deserving of mention first. The black buck, the male of an antelope, is so
well known in India that any lengthy description of him would be out of
place here. Antelope are found more or less all over the district, but in
greatest numbers on high and low ground running along the banks of the
river Gumti, where they may be seen in herds of some 20 and 30 does to
one black buck. The young bucks are not allowed to remain in the company
of the does, and generally herd together in small parties. Directly the
black buck of a herd is shot, another takes his place. Should an outsider
approach a herd before the master buck has been shot a fight instantly
takes place, and at this time they can be easily approached and shot. At
other times the does keep a watchful look out, one in a herd always
remaining standing, and on the first approach of danger a grunt or two is
given and all begin to stand up ; at this time the only way to kill the
buck is to circle him ; if the circling is properly performed the buck
will be under the delusion that you are walking away from him. This
plan is however only followed by European sportsmen, the exertion being
usually too great for natives. A shot can then be generally got at about 120
or 150 yards, and the shot should always be delivered standing. Natives
shoot and kill them in a variety of ways, the most common being that
of shooting with a trained bullock. The bullock is driven with a rope
passed through his nostrils, and the shikari walks alongside of the bul-
lock. When near enough, say some 50 yards, the bullock is checked and
the shikari shoots either behind or underneath the stomach of the bullock;
another very common way is for the shikari to dig a pit in the middle of
the grass plains inhabited by the antelope, just deep enough to conceal
the shikari sitting down, the top of the pit is left quite flush with the
ground. This is a very tedious way of shooting them, and can only be fol-
lowed by natives who wait patiently for hours before getting a shot ; when
however they do get one they are certain to kill as they shoot at very short
distances, and rest their gun on the edge of the pit. A class of men called
Bahelia come frequently from the neighbourhood of Gwalior, and are very
skilful in catching antelope by the legs with nooses. Pegs are driven into
the ground in a line often some 200 yards long and at distances of two
or three feet apart. To these pegs are attached nooses, and these are
fastened, to the grass so as to raise them a few inches of the ground, as soon
as a herd of deer is seen in the vicinity of the place; the shik4ris gently
drive them towards the line of nooses. Two or three of the deer generally
manage to get their legs into the nooses, and the shikdris running up des-
patch them with their clubs and knives. Antelope are very destructive
to young crops, and as they feed by night their depredations are very
348 SIT
great. Where minierbus the cultivators are obliged to- watch the fifelds
by ilight.
" After the antelope the nil-gae (Tortax picta) come next as regar,ds num-
bers in this district. No Hinciu wi,ll kill the nil-gae, as they consider them
allied to the domestic cow. Such however is not the case, for they belong
to the same family as the antelope, and are so classed by naturalists. They
are very destructive animal's and tequire shootinig carefully, or will invari-
ably get away to die of their wounds. The male is a very handsome
creatur^, and if he !has come to mature age is of a dark blue colour. 'This
is the blue bull of the Indian sj)ortsinan. The Muhamm&dans arb very
fond of eating his flesh, but it is usually considered coarse and inferior
to the flesh of the antelope by Europeans. They a,re to be found in numbers
on the waste land, situated in the eastei^n part of the district. They are,
however, scattered in small numbers all over it, and wherever there is
a piece of tree jungle nil-g^e are sure to l)e found. The female is of a
light dun. colour, and like the female of the antelope has nothing very
striking about it in appearance. , Europeahs usually cdnsider shooting the
nil-gae biit very poor sport, for th'e^e is not the same excitement about it
as there is in antelope shooting. The nicety aiid delicacy of hand requited
in antelope shooting is probably one of its chief cbarnis to the English
sportsman. The nil-gae is, however, a veiry destructive animal as he can
eat as much as an English ox, and Iheiir numbers shoiild always be kept
down if possible.
" The wild pig (Sus Indieus) is dying out rapidly in this district. They
are still to be found on the low grass lands in the eastern portion of the
district, and a few in the tree jungles in the western portion. The part of
the district inhabited by these animals is however not suitable for the
sport of riding them down and killiiig them with a spear. The -vfrild pig is
a very fine looking creature, feeds cleably, and is Of a very different habit
from his domestic native telatioQ. The Pi&sis are the greatest hunters of
the wild pig in this district, and it is to their exertions, together with the
spread Of cultivation, that this animal will in a few years only be known
by name.
" Th6 ^^rha, known al^o Ss the hofg-deer, is foiind in the eastern portion of
the district, and inhabits the same kind of ground as the wild pig. Like
the pig they are becottiihg very Scarce, and in a few yeafS bence will cease
to exist. There is one other aninial still exfisting m thi^ district which
requires notice. The Swatnp deer Of Bengal (Cervus Wallichii) kiiown
also as thie gon, barah singha, and maha. They are to be found in small
numbers in the tall grass jungles on the banks of the Chauka and Gogra.
The stag is a very handsOtne creature with fine branching horns and nOt
unlike the red deer of Scotlahd. This year (1874) I have shot tWo stags,
but took good care not to shoot the hinds ; and as long as the grass jungle
remains we shall still have the pieaslnre Of seeing this noble creature.
They are very harinless and 'shy, bAt rarely leave the grass jungle and
feed entirely on girass. Their flesh is quite unfit for consumption, and the
only inducement to. shoot them is for the Bfiortsman to hang up the heads
and horns as a tropihy to delight his eyes wbten the time teoiiies wheii he
will be unable to sigbt and draw the trigger of his rifle.
SIT 349
" The tiger was very plentiful in this district some 20 or 25 years back.
At that tiine a niuch larger body of ^ater used to come dowri the river
Chauka, and the floods ^ere (Joiisequently hiuch more extensive than they
are nd^v ; of late years the rivei: Gogra has carried off the tnost of the
water which used to flow into the Chauka, and the grass and jhdu jungle
is gradually disappearing before the spread of cultivation. The king of
Oudh and his nobles used to pursue the sport of tiger shooting in thte
eastern portion of this distrltit, and there arte also native gfehtlemen now
alive who have killed many tigers there. The last tiger killed here fell to
the gun of Colonel E. Thotnpson, C.S.I., and was shot near Budhbar some
few years ago.
"The leopard (Felis leopardus) is occasionally killed in this district. A
few still find their way down through the tree jungle on the banks of the
river Kathna. They are very scarce, however, and as the tree jungle is
gradually disappearing in this district, so will the leopard like the tiger
and wild pig become eventually to be known only by name."
Domesdc animals.— The domestic animals of the district require no
particular inention; they are the ordinary oxen, buffaloes, ponies, asses,
goats, pigs, sheep, and dogs, inet with all over India. In addition fro
these the wealthier inhabitants possess elephants, camels, and imported
horses.
Game birds. — ^Feathered game of all kinds is to be found in fair quan-
tity in this district. It comprises—
The peacock. (Pavo Cri3tatus\
Black fiarlrijge (FrsTicotintis vnlgaris).
Grey partridge (Ortygornis Pohdiceriana).
Common grey quail (Cotarnix Communis)
Rain qiiail CCotnrnix CorbMandelicUs).
Flltrican (Sypheotides bengalenais).
Leek Florican (Sypheotides auritus).
Kulan (Grus cinereaj.
Snipe fScrilopax galfiiiago).
J'ainted snipe (RhynCiioea bengalensis).
Teal (Quergaedola crecea).
G^rgeriwiD^ Teal (QuerguedttTa tfitcia).
Pochard (Brarita rufliia).
Wiijte-eyeJ duck (Athya nyroca).
Mallard (Anas BoscUaa).
Pintail duck (Daflla acuta).
KUddy sheldrake (Casarca rutila).
Cotton teal ( "^ettapus eoromandelianus ).
Whistling duck (Dendrocygna awsiiree).
Shoveller duck (Spatula clypatea).
Wild g.;OBe (ABser citiereus).
Comb goose (Sarfcidioniis melanotus).
The peacock is to be found in considerable numbers in the western por-
tion of this district. They are however not so numerous as they were a
few years back, owing to the soldiers from the Cantonment at Sitapur
being extremely fond of shooting them. It will be long however bef(5re
they become extinct as the Itiiidus do all they can to prevent their destruc-
tion. No prettier sight can be seen than peacock striitting about in the
early morning in the spring time. Then is the time of their courting,
and the male displays his tail to the admiriflg eyes of his future wives.
. 850 SIT
The black partridge is still to be found along the banks of the large
rivers in this district, as also in the tree and grass jungle in the western
portions. They are much sought after by European sportsmen, and their
flesh is deservedly esteemed. The grey partridge is scattered all over
the district, but in small numbers and chiefly delights in the comparatively
open country. * They are not in much request by European sportsmen, but
natives are fond of keeping them in cages. The common grey quail is
numerous all over the district in the winter and spring months. They are
much sought after by Europeans as well as natives, and the latter keep
them in cages in large numbers for fighting purposes. The quail is a bird
of passage, and leaves the country as soon as the hot weather begins. The
rain quail and button quail breed in the district, but are not to be com-
pared to the grey quail for culinary purposes. The jhils and tanks contain
numerous kinds of ducks. Large numbers are snared by the fowlers for
sale, and are readily bought both by Europeans and natives. All the
jhils in which there is grass cover contain snipe, as many as 60 and 100
couple have frequently been shot in a day.. Their numbers never decrease,
and each succeeding year sees the jhils well stocked with this delicate
bird. The snipe does not breed in this country, but retires to colder
latitudes on the approach of the hot weather. The whistling teal or tree
duck breeds in this district in large numbers during the rains. Their
nests are invariably placed in trees, and as soon as the young are hatched
the old birds carry them down on their backs to the nearest piece of
water. The cotton teal also breeds in the district during the rains. The
kxilan, a species of crane, is very abundant just after the rains ; they feed
entirely in the rice fields, and at night collect in large numbers on the
sand banks in the rivers Chauka and Gogra. There are two species
of the kulan, one is larger than the other, and has a very pretty tuft
descending from the back of his head. They are good eating, and much
appreciated by the natives. Sportsmen should refrain A-om shooting
partridges or peafowl after the first of March, as they then begin to pair
and make preparations for incubation.
In making mention of the fauna in this district, I have omitted to men-
tion the hare (Lepus vulgaris). They are to be found everywhere, and are
about one-half the size of their English brethren.
Mineral products. — There are neither mines nor quarries, properly so
called, in the district. Kankar is dug up all over the country, and is used
for local purposes, the lime burnt from it in the town of Mahrajnagar
having a certain local repute.
"We do not meet here with any salt-producing lands such as exist in
southern Oudh, the proceeds from which formed such a large source of
profit to the zamindar and the State under the native rule.
Temperature. — The average temperature ranges from 45° in the cold
season to 96° in the hot weather, but it is often so cold at night that
hoar-frost is seen in the morning and the manufacture of ice in shallow
earthenware vessels is carried on with success in December and January.
Winds. — The prevailing winds are from the east during the rains, and
from the west during the remainder of the year.
SIT
351
GliTymte. — The climate is considered very salubrious for Europeans, and
the cantonmeats of Sitapur are famous for the small mortality of the British
stationed there. There are no diseases peculiar to the district.
Seasons. — The year may be divided into four seasons as follows : —
From Ist February to 1st April, pleasantly wartu.
,, 1st April to 1 5th June, very hot.
„ 15th June to 1st October, rains.
„ 26th October to 31st January, cold weather.
Rainfall. — The average yearly rainfall for the past five years ending
1871 was 32^ inches, the provincial average being 38. This is one of the
driest districts of Oudh, the average for the last ten years being thirty
five inches ; 1867 and 1870 were years of excessiver rain ; 1 864, 1866,
1868, and 1873, years of partial drought. This subject will be referred to
afterwards under that of famines. Here it may be remarked that as
elsewhere the rainfall is most uneven varying almost 300 per cent, in
one year, falling from 60 inches in 1867 to 21 inches in 1868. Except
in so far that the water level in the wells may probably be slightly
raised by the heavy rainfalls of preceding years, there is no store of water
from previous abundant seasons to counteract the effects of a drought. No
canals of any kind have been made in this district, and it seems one in
■which some more enlarged means of storing water will shortly be required.
Masonry wells are not used for purposes of irrigation except in rare in
stances for garden lands.
Average fall of rain.
Years.
Inches.
Remarks.
1864 **• ••• •••
1866
1866
1867
1668
1869
1870
lojl
1872
1873
1874
1876
26-0
310
25 0
60'5
21-3
27-6
56-9
492
32 9
25-0
48-8
32-3
8
3
Average for twelve years.
35-4
4
The following table exhibits the rainfalls for the last two years of
drought, 1868 and 1873, each of which was followed in 1869 and 1874 res-
pectively by a considerable scarcity.
It will be noted that the entire rainfall was not scanty, but the distribu-
tion was capricious and unusual, and there was no rain during individual
months in which it is much needed for agricultural purposes. There are
four rainfalls each of which must be propitious to secure a good harvest.
352
SIT
First the June rain^, thp fpnner rajas as they may he palled ; in 1873
they were quite wanting ; therp was no rain to pipi^tep the e^rtl^ for the
piough^and to]water the early rjce.
Second, the main monsoon which commences in .fuly and ends at the
commencement of October; this was sufficient in both years ; but the fall
in September, 1873, was only 3"7 inches, and it ceased too soon, viz., on
September 15th.
Thirdly, the latter or October rains, which are required to water the late
rice ^.nd moijiten the land for the winter ploughings, were wholly deficient
in both years.
Fourth, the Janug,ry-February rg,ing, which >vere whgUy vaptifig iji
1869 and in 1874, arrjpjjnted to an inch and a hajf
Speaking broadly then the rains commenced fairly in 18^8, badly iij
1873 ; they ended with nearly five inches in 1868, but too soon in 1873;
they were scanty for the last month, and ended still earlijsr in Septpmber.
So far 1873 was much worse than 1868 ; then there -yvas abspljitely no
rain in the either year from October till January, but in January-February
there was no rain in 1869, and a good fall in 1874.
1868.
1873.
Total Rainfall.
Rainfall from Ist June to Octnber 1st ...
25'fi
23-9
From October Ist to December 31st
00
0-0
Id Jane .; ..■ .••
£9
00
In September ... ... ... .«
4-8
5-3
In October ...
00
00
Date of rain commencing
^uae 5th
July 6th.
( 'f rain ending
September 33nd
September 17th.
Rain in January-I"ebr]aary of ensuing year
00
1-60
* Medical aspects. — The climate of the station and greater part of the
district of Sitapur is considered healthy and I believe justly so. Th,e
soil is light and sandy and faiply cultivated. There is little jungle now
remaining in the district and what does exist, distributed in patches of no
gi-eat extent, is neither high nor dense. Jhils are neither very numerous
nor very large, and except in the north western part of the district there is
not much low lying or marshy land.
Temperature. — The range of the thermometer in the shade throughout
the year is from a minimum of ^O? in December and January to a maxi-
mum of 112° in May and June. The mean .daily range is however only
about 13.°
These figures are taken from records kept in Jiospital. The tempera-
ture is taken by a common thermometer, the minimupa, at sunrise ; if taken
» By *he Ciyil Surirecjn.
SIT 553
by a self-registering thermometer the minimum a little before sunriae
would be less and the daily range greater, but the figures given above
show a close approximation to the range, and we may fairly infer from
them that the daily range, is not great, and this fact is more important
as far as health is concerned than the actual temperature.
The cold weather is good and bracing, better than that of most districts
in the province.
Vital statistics. — From examination of the mortuary returns for the last
three years it would appear that 77 out of every 100 deaths in the district
are due to fevers.
The returns for 1872 put down 63 per cent, of total deaths to fever.
Those for 1873 ... .., ... „, 83 per cent.
„ „ 1874. — ... ... ... 87 „ „
The fever is supposed to be of the intermittent kind and of malarious
origin ; but these returns are obviously incorrect. The death rate calcu-
lated from them and the census of 1869 is for 1873 a little under 12 per
1,000 of the population, and for 1874 under 11 per 1,000, giving an
average life of about 87 years. In dealing with returns which gives such
results great care is necessary.
Fever. — The prominent symptoms of fever are common to other dis-
eases, and I have no doubt that in many cases these symptoms were mis-
taken for the disease, and deaths put down to fever which were caused by
other diseases.
From August to November intermittent fever is prevalent, but the type
of fever prevailing in the greater part of the district is not a bad one ; the
cases met with at the dispensaries yield readily to treatment and are
seldom fatal. From my experience of the district, I would not expect the
mortality from fever to be great. The conditions most favourable to
malaria are not present in the greater pait of the district, at least to any
great extent. I except from this statement the north-west part of the
district, the parganas of Tambaur and Kundri in the Biswfin tahsil and
Kundri pargana in the Bari tahsil, that part of the district between
the Gogra and Chauka, and a strip of land on the eastern side of the latter
river ; these parts are low lying and marshy. The staple crop is rice, and the
ground during the rains is more or less under 'water. Here the conditions
favourable to malaria are present in abundance, and intermittent fever of
a bad type is present during the latter months of the year. The mortuary
returns would indicate that fever is nearly equally prevalent in other
parts of the district. In this and other respects I believe the returns are
incorrect.
Small-pox.— The returns put down 12 percent, of the mortality to small-
pox. This disease is much more easily dangerous than fever, and I am
inclined to think the returns not far from the mark on this point. Tho
disease is prevalent from March to September, and vaccination has made
little progress in the district.
45
354 SIT
Cholera. — Some deaths from cholera are reported every year, but th^
disease seldom appears in the district as an epidemic, and the mortality
from it is comparatively trifling. In 1869 it prevailed during April and
May in an epidemic form. It commenced at the Nimkhiir fair on the
Gumti in the beginning of April, and spread to different parts of the dis-
trict on the return of the pilgrims to their homes. I cannot obtain any
mortuary returns for 1869, but I know that the mortality from cholera
that year was considerable. As a rule, however, the district is very free
from epidemic cholera. The ratio of total deaths to deaths 'from cholera
for the last three years is as 1 to 'OOIS. I do not know of any disease
especially peculiar to the district.
SIT
S5.5
CHAPTER II.
AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE.
Towns— Principal staples— Agricultural operations— Kharif and rabi crops —Sugarcane-
Cotton— Poppy— Indigo. Silk filatures— Kachhiana crops— Cultivated fruit trees—
tiatai — Condition of the people— Wages— Irrigation— Rents — Interest — Prices— Famines
— Fisheries — Manufactures -Roads — Weights and measures.
Towns and villages. — There are 235 towns and villages in the district ;
their average area is 609 acres, or something less than a square mile, the
provincial average being 619 acres.
Chief towns with their population. — Of these the chief with their popu-
lations, as given by the Census of 1869, are as follows : —
Sitapur
Kbairabad ..
K&mkot
Hargsm
Laharpur ..
Talgaon
Nabinagar ...
Miarikh
Nimkhar .„
Aurangabad
Kutubnagar
Bihat
Baragaon ...
Maholi
5,780
15,677
1,977
2,838
10,890
2,098
2,649
2,113
2,307
8,000
2,256
2,058
3,066
1,676
Biri
Manwan
Mahmudabad ...
Paintepur ...
Rampur Mathura
Sadrpur
Bansura
Biswan
Jahangirabad
Mahr^nagar
Sects
MallApur
Tambaur
3,042
1,069
6,312
5,127
2,217
2,t09
2,832
7,308
2,640
2,003
8,428
4,04S
3,014
These towns have all been described separately ; suffice it to say here
thaf Khairabad is the fifth largest city in the province, and that Hargdm
and Manwan possess a special interest for the antiquarian. The former
is believed by the inhabitants to be the city of king Bairat where the
Pandavas spent the thirteenth year of their exile ; and the latter^ formerly
known as Manpur, is said to be the Mainpur of the Mahabharat, in the
neighbourhood of which Arjun, the third Pandava, was slain by his son
Babar Bahan. One mile from the town is the village of Ranuapdra,
" or the place of the battles," and here it was that the son killed the father.
Laharpur is famous as being the birth-place of the celebrated Raja
Todar Mai.
Principal staples. — The principal staples of Sitapur resemble those of
the greater part of Upper India, and are as follows : —
Wheat
Barley
Juir
Gram
Sugarcane
Bajra
Oil seeds ,
Bice
Average price during last
Acres.
five years.
165,003
18 sers 15 ch. per. Re.
95,003
31 „ 12 „
70,000
20 „ 10 „
95,000
25 „ r „
IS.OOO
52,000
30,000
81,000
603,006
UG SIT
In addition to these there are of course the " Kachhiana," or vegetables
and other similar crops cultivated by the Kachhis and Muraos who are
found in most villages.
Tobacco. — The tobacco grown and manufactured at Biswan is much
sought after, and is exported to other districts.
Poppy. — The poppy is cultivated under arrangements with the local
Opium Agent, whose headquarters are in Sitapur.
Cotton. — Cotton is grown, but to an Inconsiderable extent, and only to
supply local needs.
Indigo and sillc. — There are no indigo factories or silk filature in the
district, and the mulberry tree is unknown, and almost the same may be
said of flax, which is grown very sparingly. The following extracts are
mostly taken from the Settlement Report.
Agricultural operations and crops. — In addition to what has been
already stated, it maybe observed that in Sitapur the main crops are wheat,
barley, gram, kodo, juar, urd, and tobacco. This last crop is its specialty,
that of Biswan especially is celebrated ; 18,000 ; acres are devoted to this
cultivation, above a quarter of the whole area in Oudh, 69,000 acres,
so applied. The best Biswan tobacco sells at three and a half sers for
the rupee, ordinary tobacco at eight seers for the rupee.
But the price has fallen slightly this year ; at the town itself it is sold
for from Rs. 3 to Rs. 7 per maund after being kept and dried for a year.
The price has fallen from recent rates which were from Rs. 8 to Rs. 1 1 per
inaund, but is still higher than the prices current in the Nawabi, Rs. 3 to
Rs. 6 per maund. The reason of this is that the sale has expanded with
the opening of roads and Biswan tobacco which formerly all went to Luck-
now, now is transported to Bareilly and Rampur. Halwdis on the spot pre-
pare the tobacco with sugar and spices brought from Lucknow, the fra-
grance of Biswan tobacco is ascribed to the water. Akbarpur in pargana
Mahmudabad is most celebrated for its produce. There is no secret in
the preparation. The crop is watered about five times. A good crop
is reckoned three maunds to the local bigha, but half that is above the
average. The maund used in the tobacco trade is 56 sers or exactly
one hundred weight; it is supposed to be three local maunds; a very
good crop then will be 20 maunds or rather l,6201bs. per acre, and BlOlbs.
about an average ; its value will be about Rs. 52, at Rs. 7 per hundred
weight ; rent will be Rs. 18, cost of irrigation with a dhenkli watering four
biswas Rs. 18, manure Rs. 3, ploughing Rs. 6, dressing Rs. 3, — total, Rs. 48
per acre.
Crops. — The cultivated produce consists of the following staples : —
I. The Kharif or autumn crops.
Eioe (Oryza Sativa).
Kodos(PaBpaliim Sero bioulatum).
Sfinwan (I'nnicum frumoDtaceum).
Mindwa (Eleiisiue coraoiina).
Kakun (Panicum italioum).
J\iar large and small f Tea Mays and Sor-
ghum Yulgare),
Bajra (Penicillaria spicata),
Til (Sesamnm indlcum).
Urd or Mash (Phaseolua radiatus).
Mfing (Phaseolua Mungo).
Moth (Phaaeolus aoonitifolius).
SIT 357
Patwd (Hibiscus sabdariffa) sanai or san (Crotalaria jimcea). These
are well known and call for no detailed notice here ; suflSce it to say that
there are very many varieties of rice, and this crop is the staple of the
eastern portion of the district. The name paddy, by which it is very
generally known among Europeans, appears to be like many other Anglo-
Indian words of Dutch origin. No Munshi has ever been able to tell me
anything about it more than that ; " it was an English word ;" while the
ordinary European asserts that " it must be a native word ;" and although
Professor Forbes in his dictionary states, I know not on what authority
that it is a Hindi word, I hazard the opinion that it is Malay from the
fact that in Batava there is one variety of the crop known as " paddi rawa"
or mountain rice.
Til, like some of the rabi oilseeds, is not grown alone but in the same
field with other crops. Urd, mung, and moth are pulses. Patwa is grown
along with either arhar (a rabi crop) or juar. It has a yellow flower, and
from its fibre, as also from that of san or sanai (the common Indian hemp)
string and rope are made —
II. The rabi or spring crops —
Wheat (Triticum vulgare).
Gram (Cicer arietiiium).
Barley (Hdrdeum discichon).
Lahi (Sinapia).
Mustard (Sinapis nigra),
Sarson (Sinapis ginnca).
Linseed f Linum uaitatissimum),
Castiir oil nr Rpndi (lUcinas commanis).
Peaa (Pisum sativum).
Maaur (Ervum lena).
Arhar (Cajanus indicus).
Saffluwer (Carthamus tinctorius).
Of these the first in the list covers the greatest area and then come
barley and gram. Lahi and linseed (alsi) are occasionally sown by them-
selves, and not like til and other oilseeds, in conjunction with some other
crop. This tinum linseed is the common flax. Castor-oil is produced
from a plant which often reaches to the proportions of a tree. It is not
as a rule grown in fields, but as a hedge round some other crop. Arhar
is planted in July along with juar in the same field, but is not cut until
six months later than that crop or in March- April. It bears the ddl so
well known to the eater of poldos and hhhichris. Safflower is planted
along with wheat, and produces familiar dyes. Oil is expressed from its
seeds which are then given as food to the cattle.
Sugarcane. — Besides the above, which are the staple kharif and rabi
crops, there is a considerable quantity of sugarcane grown in the district
producing one crop in the year, and being of several kinds, as described
in the foUoAving note by Captain Young, late Settlement Officer.
Speaking of pargana Maholi, he says, — " There are four very well marked
rent-rates which appear universal in the pargana, and they are regulated
entirely by the season at which the cane is sown, or more strictly by the
length of ^time during which the land is occupied by the crop between
preparation for sowing and actual development.
" The local names attaching to the cane are derived from the crops
which immediately precede the sowing except in the fourth instance in
which this rule does not apply. They are as follows : —
" i_ Ohaneri, where sown in a field from which cliana has been cut ; II.
Maseri, where sown after a crop ofm'sh; III, — Dhankari, where it
358 SIT
follows a crop of dhan ; IV. — Pareli, where there has been no kharif crop,
the land having been under tillage for the cane throughout the rains.
" The rates I found to be were for No. I. Re. 1-4-0 per kachcha bigha
plus 2 annas per rupee kharch or Re. 1-6-6, equal to Rs, 6-12-0 per
acre: for No. IL Re. 1-8-0 plus 2 annas per rupee, or Re. 1-11-0 a
bfgha, equal to Rs. 8-1-7 the acre: for No. III. Re. 1-12-0 pilus 2
annas as above, or Re. 1-15-6 a bigha, equal to Rs. 9-9-3 the acre:
and for No. IV. Rs. 2-0-0 plus 2 annas as before, or Rs. 2-4-0 per bigha,
equal to Rs. 10-12-8 per acre.
" The rates differ directly as the land is occupied by the cane crop for a
longer or shorter period as will be seen from the following statement.
For Pareli, the land is wholly clear of the rabi [crop by AsdiA-h (July) ; it
is not sown with kharif, but is allowed to lie fallow absorbing all the rain
and receiving frequent ploughings till the month of Magh-Phalgun
(January- February) when the cane is sown. The crop thus sown is reaped
the following Pus-magh ( December- January) having occupied land for dne
year and seven months.
" Dhankui. The Dhan is the earliest of the kharif crops, and is cut in
Kuar (September). This still leaves the. husbandman 4 months before
cane sowing time to prepare his land. He sows ia Mdgh-Phalgun, and
cuts in Pus-Magh, the crop having occupied the land between preparation
and development for one year and four months,
" Masuri m ish is cut in Aghan (November) leaving P6s and Magh to
prepare the land for a late sowing in Phagun. The crop will then occupy
the land for 12 or 13 fnonths.
" Chaneri chana is the earliest rabi crop, and is out in Chait (March-
April). The plough is then hastily run through the soil again, and cane
may even then be sown although nearly two months late. It will in
all occupy the land 10 or 11 months.
" These several calculations have been reckoned only up to the date of
the cutting of the crop, but over and above this it must be remembered
that as the season for rabi sowing is then past, no further return is got out
of the land until the following kharif.
" I conclude therefore," Captain Young goes on to say, " that the crop
though very profitable to the tenant is not specially so to the landlord
even though the rent paid is much higher than ordinary. The real
benefit the landlord derives is to be found in the fact that the land after
being so thoroughly manured and watered as it is for the cane, yields a
very fine rabi without fresh manure at the ensuing spring harvest."
It is remarkable that the cultivation of this crop is under a ban in the
eastern parganas of Tambaur and Kundri (north) as is also the use of
burnt bricks or tiles.
Kaehhidna crops. — ^The Kachhiaaa or vegetable garden produce is very
various ; garlic, haldi, vegetables of all description, spices, ginger, water-
SIT 359
melons, are to be seen at almost every village. Haldi gives the "well known
yellow dye turmeric.
P4n (Chavica bettepiper) or the leaf used with the betelnut (sup^ri) as
a quid for chewing is met with here and there ; the pan field presenting
the curious appei^rance of a crop growing on a sloping ridge of earth, and
covered over by a trellis work and mats to keep off the rays of the sun.
It is a creeper growing somewhat higher than the tallest English pea,
and is propagated by cuttings. The plant lasts four or five years.
Price of staple crops. — The average price during the last five years
(1866-1870) of the principal grain crops was as follows : —
s. ch.
Wheat 18 16
Barley 31 12
And we may here add concluding our notice of this part of our subject
that unlike other crops the ears of the bajra and ju^r are taken off by the
hand, and the stalk left standing to be subsequently cut down and chopped
up into " karbi," the common fodder of horned cattle.
Cultivated frwit trees. — Besides the wild fruit trees already mentioned
the district has the following well known cultivated fruits.
S.
eh.
Gram
20
10
Bajra
25
1
GuaTas.
Melons.
Plantains.
Papitas.
Custard apples.
Fummelos,
Oranges and lemons.
Karaiindas
Rents. — Rents as a rule are paid in kind, only about one-tenth of
the whole being cash payments. The zamindar's share varies from one-
fourth to one-half, both extremes being exceptional, and the former to
be found only in what was the Bija of Chahlari's ifcaluqa in pargana
Kundri. The variations are caused by the difference in the allow-
ances made to the tenants. For instance the division is made thus :
the tenant is allowed 5 sers out of the maund as ktir, and the remaining
35 is divided half and half between him and his landlord ; the latter thus
getting 17 J sers against the other's 22^, and the tenant then contributes
2 or 2^ sers towards the patwari'g allowance. In other estates, in addition
to the 5 sers kiir, certain classes of the tenants have a let off which is
called " charwa" of from 5 to 7 J sers ; and thus out of the maund the
landlord gets from 12^^ to 15 sers, and the tenant 25 to 27|^, subject to
the patwsiri's deduction as before.
Various proportions of the hatdi. — These allowances and deductions
vary as I have said very much. In some estates the tikur system prevails,
that is to say, the tenant keeps two-thirds of outturn, or in other words
26f sers out of the maujid, without .any reference to kur or charwa,
but subject to the 2 or 2J sers deductions for village expenses, including
the patwfiri's remuneration. In pargana Crundlan^au, again, the system is
quite different from the above. The landlord first takes five sers out of
the heap of grain for every maund therein. The maund is then divided
into two equal portions ; and the shares stand thus :—
360 SIT
Landlord's 25 sers, tenant's 20; finally each contributes 2^ sers for the
village expenses, and the result is : —
Landlord's share ... 22} 1
Tenant's „ ... 17) {
Patwari's „ .„ 5 '. For every maund in the heap.
15 sera. I
J
The tenant thus gets only -j^ or less than one half of each maund which
he produces — a proportion which I have not found to be the rule in any
other pargana than Gundlamau.
The custom above noted as prevailing in the Chahlari ilaqa is as follows:
' — The tenant first takes 7 sers as -a kur out of the maund, and the balance
is then apportioned one-third to the landlord and two to the tenant, who
thus gets 29 sers against the others 11 out of every 40 produced by the
land.
These represent the usual rates for batai rents, and the system is in force
with respect to all lands, excepting those which produce sugarcane, poppy,
tobacco, and vegetables.
The ryots prefer the batdi system. — There has been no desire evinced
by the people, save in very ext;eptional instances, to have their pay-
ments in kind commuted into cash payments, and perhaps it is too much
to expect that any such change should take place immediately. For the
Oudh cultivator is wedded to his old ideas, and stubbornly stands upon
the antiquas vias of his forefathers : what they have been doing for
hundreds of years cannot surely be wrong : who is he that he should set
himself up against the immemorial custom of his family.
All this to be sure, is very much to be regretted. As long as the system
of batai prevails so long we may expect little advance in the cultivation
of the country. Irrigation will not spread : and until forced by the
increase in the population which is yearly taking place, the people will do
little or nothing towards improving their farming or breaking up new
ground.
The following remarks are the result of enquries on the spot : —
Condition of the people. — The condition of the people does not greatly
vary from its aspect in the adjoining district (Bara Banki) 5 population is
not so dense, the landlords are more generally Hindus, and akin to the
mass of the people, the properties of the taluqdars are larger, averaging
23,800 acres each, the smaller proprietors are lightly assessed, wages are
higher, and there is a great aspect of contentment and prosperity.
The people is more homogeneous, there are more heads of clans in the
position of taluqdars and fewer mere farmers, court favourites, and city
Musalmans. The average size of the farms is small ; there are only one
and two-thirds of an acre for each adult head of the agricultural popula-
tion ; the farms average 3^ acres ; the profits of cultivation after paying
for labour are calculated to be about two rupees per acre ; the human
SIT 361
labour at the market price is worth about Rs. 30 per annum ; therefore a
tenant with 3^ acres will be worth about Rs. 37 per annum, and if his
cattle are his own, unburthened by debt, he may be worth Rs. 48. What
with bad seasons, unforeseen expenses, the small tenant is generally in
debt, and his net earnings in that case will be about Rs. 30 per annum.
When again the rent is a grain one the tenant's income can be still
more easily calculated. I found tenants of the Lodh caste in pargana
Khairabad irrigating the wheat crops from which the landlord was to take
more than half the' produce ; the process of division was for the landlord
to take first two sers in the maund or one-twentieth under the name of
village management expenses, g^'on kharcha, town cesses in fact, and then
divide evenly with the tenants..
Now in a farm of five acres which a family and a pair of bullocks can
cultivate, the average value of the crops has been estimated at Rs. 14 per
acre. Allow Rs. 18 because the Lodh is a good cultivator, the total produce
will be Rs. 90. Deduct one-twentieth and halve the remainder, the Lodh
family will have Rs. 43 or the cost of the keep of bullocks (Rs. 12) being
deducted, Bs. 31 per annum for their maintenance, just the average price of
labour. If the family is in debt, the interest it will have to pay must be;
deducted from that sum. In many cases the grain division is not so harsh
to the tenant.
I append details of crop divisions taken from the patwari's .papers. The
following is an extract from a village record, pargana Khairabad, village.
Binaura : —
A crop of s&nwan was appraised or estimated at 73 sers per high a.
From this the landlord first took 7J sers — viz., 1| for his servant, the pat-
wari, f ser a weighing fee, 5 sers for lambardari right; the tenant then
took 5^ sers as kur or ploughman's allowance, there was left 60|- sers.
This was divided equally, but from the tenant's 30 sers were deducted 1^
sers for the lambardar, called village expenses. Thus the tenant got 30 J
sersH-5| — li, therefore he receiv.ed 34:|^ sers, and the landlord 38|. In
another case in the same village the crop was 178 sers. It was actually
measured and the chaff resif ted ; 18 sers went to the lambardar — viz., 4 to
the patwfiri, 2 for weighing, and 12 to the landlord, the remainder was
divided equally; the tenant^got therefore 80 sers and the landlord 98. In
both the above instances the tenant gets only 46 to 44 per cent, of the
gross crop.
The following is however more usual. First, one ser is weighed out for
the patwari, then one-half sers for the weigher, then two or two and a half
for the lambardar — in all- four sers ; then three, four, or even seven and a
half sers for the tenant, and the remainder is divided half and half. The
tenant getting from 44 to 60 per cent, of the gross crop.
Caste in very few instances acts as a protection. The bhala ra^nus or
respectable man often escapes paying lambardar's dues, but this privilege
i«- confined generally to Brahmans or Chhattris, nor is it extended to all
46
362 SIT
of them. The other castes — Ahirs, Kurmis, Lodh, Cham»r, Pasi— are taxed
equajly ; in some villages the second gaon kbarcha is remitted from Ahirs
aad Kurmis and exacted from Chamars, in others all are treated alike.
The entire heap before anything is taken out is called panchomal, the
five shares, a remnant probably of the ancient idea formulated in Manu
that the state should take one-fifth. In all proportional statements of
village cesses or allowances it must first be noted whether the incidence
is upon the panchomal or upon the tenant's share. It will be observed
that the patwari is paid by both parties, but as the landlord can, according
to Oudh law, discharge him at his pleasure, and can pay him as he pleases,
he must be considered as the landlord's servant.
The following remarks are by Mr. Williams: —
"The division of the crops," writes Mr. Williams, " is made thus" : — "In
every maund 3 sers are first given to the zamindars as wages of patwari and
village expenses ; then 7| sers to the cultivator as kiir ; and the remaining
29-J is shared between the cultivator and the zamindar. Even low-caste
cultivators get ktir : for if not allowed it they find it more profitable to
accept work on the roads or the barracks, a strikiag proof, if proof were
wanted, of the levelling effects of British rule on the caste system.
" Thirty kachcha bighas are cultivated by one plough. Of these wheat
is sown in ten bighas, and some other rabi crop, but which does not require
irrigation, such as gram or urd, is sown in five bighas. In these five bighas
kharif crops are also grown^ — ice in the field which afterwards grows gram,
kodo in the field which afterwards bears urd. There are fifteen bighas
left, and in these kharif crops of all sorts are grown. Thus one-half of the
cultivated area is under rabi and one-half under kharif ; two-thirds of the
former being under wheat. As a general rule, about two-thirds of the wheat
area is irrigated. In other words, only two-ninths of the entire rabi area
under crops is irrigated."
Average outturn of the principal crops. — By enquiries in some thirty
villages the average outturn of the principal crops was found to be as
follows : —
First-rate wheat irrigated and manured, 9 kachchi) maunds per kacha bigha.
Second class ... <.. ... 7 ditto.
Third „ ... ... ... 5 ditto.
Best urd ... ... ... 6 ditto.
Second class ... ... ... 3 ditto.
Third „ ... ... ... I J ditto.
The three qualities of rice and kodo 5, 4, and 2 maurids.
The three qualities of gram 5, 3, and 2 maunds.
The three qualities of bajra 3, 2J, and 1^ maunds.
Wages, — Wages differ but little throughout the district, but owing to
the thinness of population are higher than in Bara Banki. For instance,
the agricultural labourer in Mahmudabad engaged by the month receives
SIT 368
three nipees instead of two rupees or two rupees eight annas. If working
by the day at raising water from wells or tanks he reeeives two annas,
near the towns and in rural neighbourhoods, near Mahmudabad, 1^ pan-
seris of urd or judr, and | sers of parched gram or Indian-corn, thus in
all 8f kachcha sers ; and as 2\ kachcha sers equal one regulation ser, it
will appear that his wages are almost four sers pakka. Such grain art
present (January, 1874!) ; is worth ten panseris or 22^ sers for the rupee ;
the labourer will then receive grain worth 2| annas or Ks. 4-12 per
working month of 28 days ; but this is an exceptionally high rate. In
this district, however, labour is harder than in Bara Sanki ; here they
have the deorha not the dtina system of relief — that is to say, six men
working at a well will only have a relief of three men instead of six.
Nine men then will be employed instead of fourteen at a dodandi well,
four pulling up the leathern bag, with two for a relief, one attending to
emptying the bag, one to the water channel, and one to the proper distri"
bution over the crop. In Biswan wages at irrigation are one anna and a
kachcha ser of coarse grain per day; this will be Ee. 1-12-0 in cash and
11 sers grain, now worth 8 annas or Es. 2-4, per month of 28 days.
Ploughmen are generally paid by receiving one-sixth of the crop. It is
very remarkable that the price of labour should vary 100 per cent.
between Biswan and Mahmudabad.
Agricultural capital and operations. — The soil especially towards the
east is very sandy, but it 'is easily cultivated. The cottier tenant requires
hardly any capital ; a plough costs 20 annas, a hoe 10 annas, a sugarcane
mill 4 to 5 rupees, a pair of oxen 25 rupees. A cart is not needed ; it would
stand him Bs. 60 ; ordinary agricultural implements and stock would
not cost above Rs. 40.
Irrigation.^-Wsiter lies at a considerable distance from the surface in
the greater part of the district ; the levers then which are so commonly
used in Bara Banki, and the earthen pitchers wound upon a pulley used
in Kheri are not common here.
According to the survey it is the worst irrigated district in Oudh leav-
ing out of the comparison the moist sub montane districts which hardly
require water at all. The irrigated area is 154,840 acres, the unirrigated
759,258, but doubtless there was some concealment of the irrigation capa-
bilities of the parganas at the time of survey in order to obtain a light
land assessment.
Irrigation from tanks and rivers which cover 571 per cent, of the surface
is not much used, the water is costly, and unlined wells, which will
admit of a leather bag, are only found in a belt running through the
centre of the district.
Nine men working such a well as detailed above will irrigate 1 to 2
kachcha bighas a day. In Mahmudabad two kachcha bighas are equal to
seventeen biswas of a regulation bigha nominally, really to about fifteen ;
consequently a kachcha bigha equals about 1,140 square yards or 4^ to the
acre (in Biswan a kachcha bigha is equal to 1,008 square yards). The
364 SIT
nine men will cost paid in grain Re. 1-9, and if two kachcha bigbas a
day are watered, one irrigation will come to Rs. 3-8 per acre. Generally
grain is not so dear as it is this year. But taking one and a half bighas
as the average day's work, and two annas worth of grain as the average
pay, the cost of one watering will be Rs. 3-3 per acre, by the cheapest
method generally applied. Tanks are little used in many places because
they are wanted for the cattle whose owners are too lazy to dig wells.
In some parts of the district water is nearer the surface and irrigation
is somewhat cheaper. It is possible that the cultivators understate the
area irrigable ; but considering the depth at which water is reached, 30
feet, the statement harmonizes with facts elsewhere recorded. Bullocks
are sparingly used for -dragging up the leather buckets being probably
^reserved for ploughing. There is no superstition against their use
in this district apparently ; some say that human labour is cheaper,
because six men will do the work of two bullocks and one man. This
argues a very low standard of human comfort. The real reason seems
to be that owing to cattle disease and the poverty of the people, bullocks
are so scarce that there ar« scarcely enough for the ploughs.
"In pargana Khairabad, for instance, I found wells which had been dug
to the depth of 38 haths, or 57 feet. The water was lying at a depth of
33 feet, 'six men pulled up the leather bucket ; here it would have been
cheaper probably to use bullocks. But in point of feet the question of
cheapness can hardly have been considered at aU. The cost of irrigation
as it was being actually carried on before my eyes in January, 1874,
exceeded the value ef any increase of crop which the owner could hope to
obtain. The owner of a few acres had prospected for a well site ; he had
made a bad guess ; he had dug 75 feet without meeting a spring, and had
then stopped after spending Rs. 17. He tried again, and at 57 feet he got
enough water to water one local bigha a day with the labour of 11 men.
The watering season will last from January 10th three weeks at the utmost^
in that time the owner would irrigate 20 bighas or four and a quarter
acres at a prime cost of Rs. 27 for the two wells, and a labour cost of
Rs. 20-8, or Rs. 11-3 per acre, for a single watering. In this case the
landlord probably anticipated a famine, and that prices would rise so as
to recoup him. The wells would be useless for the next year, as they would
fall in in the rains ; he probably watered his wheat because his ploughmen
would have been otherwise idle than in obedience to any calculation of profit
or loss. Such land was not assessed as irrigated for Goveriiment revenue*,
the supply of water being considered so precarious.
Ploughing and harrowing are performed much more perfunctorily than in
eastern Oudh, and there is no regular rotation of crops. Manure costs, if
purchased, Rs. 4 to 5 per acre according to distance of field. A pair of
plough bullocks will cost Rs. 24 to 28 if of local breed, Rs. 35 to 50 if from
Pilibhi't or Dhaurahra. They will work from 20 to 40 local bighas, W0.,
from 4^ to 8^ acres. Grain is carried on the backs of poni6s which wiH
carry two maunds pakka or 164 fbs, the driver carrying 20 sers or 40 lbs on
his back. Buffaloes and carts are used more sparingly, except on the
main roads.
SIT 363
Rents. — Rents are uneven. The rates given in the official returns are as
follows : —
Es. a.
Bice lands ... ... ... 4 3 per acre.
Wheat ... ... ... 5 7 '^^^
Gram, barley, maize ... ... 3 10 ,' ",
Cotton ... ... ... 6 1,,,.
Opium ... ... ... 9 )2 „ „
Oilseeds ... ... ... 4 o
Sugar ... ... ... 10 2 „ „
Tobacco ... ... ... 10 u „ „
These are about correct averages, but near Mahmudabad, an inferior
portion of the district, I found sugarcane Rs. 2 the kachcha bigha ; wheat
lands Re. 1-8 to Rs. 2 ; maize, kodo, and other inferior lands 10 annas to
Re. 1-4. At Biswan tobacco lands were from Rs. 2 to Rs. 5-4 per
kachcha bfgha ; wheat Re. 1-8 to Rs. 2 the bigha, being exactly 1,008
square yards; this will reach Rs. 25-6-0 per acre for tobacco.
Debts : rate of interest. — A much smaller proportion of the tenantry
were in debt than in Bara Banki, which is probably owing to their
holding more generally upon grain-rents whose elasticity enables them
better to tide over bad seasons. Still many of them owed a great deal
more than they were worth, and most dated their embarrassments from
SHinexation. Probably the money-lenders conceived that there then arose
some security for repayment and let them have advances. Interest is the
same as elsewhere, 24 to 36 per cent, on good security, 18 per cent, on
large transactions, and usurious arrangements such as " up " for the mere
tenant without property.
The entire land revenue of the district is Rs. 14,31,000, and about two-
fifths belong to the wealthy lords of Mahmudabad, Aurangabad, Hampur,
Bilahra, Basahi, Dih, and other places. The taluqdars, 30 in number, have
6,76,383 acres in 1,019 villages, paying a revenue of Rs. 6,50,277, or 15
annas 5 pies per acre ; the small proprietors have 741,176 acres, paying a
revenue of Rs. 7,03,400, or 15 annas 2 pies per acre.
Prices. — A table showing the prices for the last ten years has been pre-
pared for the Secretary of State, a copy is appended. It does not, however,
contain the cheaper grains such as kodo and sanwdn, which as in Bara
Banki form a main resource of the people. Kodo at present, January 2nd,
1874, is selling at 36 sers for the rupee, and that which has become matna
or spoiled with dew, so that its consumption causes paralysis is selling for
38 sers. If such grain is husked and used as rice it becomes harmless ;
urd is now 22^ sers for the rupee, 70 per cent, dearer than kodo,
maize is 24|, gram 20, and wheat 16|.
These prices are considerably lower than those ruling in Lucknow and
Bara Banki although there has been the same drought, there are the
same apprehensions of scarcity, and water supplies in the shape of wells
are still inbre precarious. It is partly accounted for by the thinness of
population, partly by the fact that rice, the great failure of the year, is
comparatively a minor crop here, and maize and ju4r have been good,
Kodo was obtainable in October, 1873, at 43 sers for the rupee.
3G6
SIT
Statement showing details of produce and prices in Sitapur district for
ten years 1861 to 1870.
Paddy
Common rice (bnsked)
Best rice (hvsked)
Wheat
Barley ... ...
Bajra ... ,.,
Juar
Gram
AThAt (Cytisus enjan) ,„
Urd or ma4h (Phaseolus max) ..
Mothi (Phaseolus aconitifolius),
Mang (Phaseolttt mungo) ...
Masur (Ervumlens)
Ahsaor matra ( Hisum sativuvt)
Ghuiyan {Arum eohcasia) ...
Sarson {Sinaph dichotoma) ...
Lahi {Sinapis nigra")
Raw sugar ... ...
Average
/
J
N
«
■*
kO
0'
r^
00
A
0
CO
•^
-^
00
00
00
00
00
00
00
OO
34
49
61
33
28
26
Si^
38^
224
26
2S
'AH
28
16
13
14
18
19
114
13
9
10
10
10
n
8
S
95
9
85
'23
30
39
181
20i
16
23
29
134
19
34i
53
66
41
274
231
27
50
214
Sii
!!7
43
51
31
28i
26
27
484
224
205
38!
44
504
324
25
28
82
491
22
221
25
48
45
SO
20J
17i
26i
36$
17
174
m
47
45
32
23
IS
254
40
21
23
25
4»i
331
22
16
16.^
18^
36
174
17
•26
3Ui
43
25
21i
21 j|
26i
44
194
194
16
29^
25
\H
12
14
174
24
13
134
26J
37i
50
29i
20
19
304
444
19
19
• ••
...
• ••
23
21
»7
<)••
19
20
18$
86
86
44
16
41
33
27
28
28
16
IS
I5i
17S
19
20i
20
17
174
14
...
>■<
23
20
23
23
• ••
23
18
4
5
'5
S
6
4
5
4
4
4
0^ at
> "
<
364
18tV
9i't.
23
38
32,fff
34|
28, J
211 ,»
24 1
284
18
294
22
41f
>7t
2il
44
Famine. — There has never been a serious famine in this district since
1837, and even concerning it the reports are somewhat conflicting. There
have been a great number of scarcities notably since annexation. Famine
prices seem to be reached when no grain is under fifteen sers for the
rupee. The district was verging on famine for a few months at the close
of 1869, but a plentiful crop restored the balance. The following details
for the entire division of Sitapur are drawn from a report prepared for
the Oudh Government, in 1867. Sitapur apparently always suffers with
its neighbour Hardoi, except perhaps that locusts and hail storms do more
damage in the latter district.
" The Deputy Commissioner of Sitapur reports that from local enquiry
it appears in 1769-70 as well as 1784-85, 1837-38, and 1860-61 famine
extended to Oudh, owing particularly to want of rain and dryness of
the weather. The immunity from famine referred to in the letter under
reply is a,ttributable principally to the fact that there was little or no
export from the country as compared with other provinces.
" The Deputy Commissioner of Hardoi states that of the famine of
1769-70, 1 can in these parts learn but little. It is said that there was a
famine but no particulars of it are still matter of common report. The
latter fact may indicate that it was not a famine of great severity.
" The famine of 1784-85 is well known. It is called the 'b^rah sadi
famine' by the Muhammadans and the ' ch&lisi' famine by the Hindus ;
it having taken place in 1200 Hijri or 1840 Sambat. From want of rain
it continued for two years. The scarcity was very great, and the loss of
SIT
367
life from starvation great. Children were disposed of by sale or abandoned ;
some reports, which are possibly untrue," say that they were roasted and
eaten.
" The famine of 1837 was felt. A little rain fell in the early part of the
usual rainy season ; but was not followed by rain, and none fell till the
e^id of Bhadon when it rained for one day only. There was not so great
distress here as in parts further west, but the distress was much increased
by the influx of people from other parts. Grain sold at eight sers for the
rupee.
" In 1860 rain fell seasonably but not in abundance, and there was
scarcity but not drought or famine. The officer reporting states that he
has no knowledge of meteorology or of the divine counsels,' and cannot
account for the uncertain incidence of famine. Nothing is said about the
scarcity of 1864-65,
" The Deputy Commissioner of Kheri reports : — It would appear that
Oudh was visited by a severe famine in 1253 fasli (1837 A.D.) It is known
among the natives as ' tirpanna' from the year 53 or tirpan in which it
occurred. Grain sold as low as 8 sers and under for the rupee, and there
was great distress throughout the land. The scarcity was not in any way
owing to local causes, but owing to the influx into the country of the
starving population of the North- Western Provinces.
" In 1860-61 there was no scarcity although the price of grain rose,
owing to the large exports of grain made by the traders in the province
to the north-west."
In 1865, in 1869, and in 1873, the same thing has happened ; the rains
ceased early; a poor rice-crop was the result, and there was little water in
the tanks for irrigating the spring crops, while there was no rain except
an occasional drizzle from October till February.
Statement OF Prices.
JRetail sale — quantity per rupee.
'
o
.
e>
•:
09
6^
Articles.
00
c
i
1
1
p<
u
03
.a
o
•s
O
Md.B.C.
1
1"
.S2
fa
Md.B.
Md. s. c.
Md. s. c.
Mfd.s.c-
Md. B. c.
Md. B. 0.
Wheat, 1st guality
0 12
1
0 10 13
0 10 15
• t«
•f«
0 10 13
0 10 6
Ditto, 2nd qaality
0 12
4
0 II a
Oil 4
...
0 11 6
0 10 10
Gram, 2nd quality
0 12
13
0 11 1
0 11 4
...
0 10 11
0 10 13
Bajra
0 10
4
0 9 14
0 10 0
...
0 19 1
0 20 I
Juar ••■ •
0 8
6
0 8 0
0 9 0
...
0 20 0
0 20 2
Arliar •
0 15
S
0 12 15
0 13 1
...
0 IS 4
0 13 S
Urd
0 12
1
0 10 14
0 11 0
...
0 17 7
0 17 B
Masiir • •••
0 16
5
0 13 14
0 14 0
...
0 10 4
0 19 S
MdDg
Bice, 2Bd quality ...
0 8
5
0 8 0
0 7 6
.«•
0 16 0
0 14 16
0 7
6
0 7 2
0 8 10
■••
— < 1
0 11 1
0 II 14
368 SIT
Fish.— The Collector of Sitapur says young fish are caught, but
not to any great extent ; they are taken by damming in the smaller
streams during the dry weather, and in irrigated fields during the rainy
season. The minimum size of the mesh of nets employed is about a
quarter of an inch ; no difficulty exists in regulating its size, which might
be fixed at one inch. He opposes altogether prohibiting the sale of the
fry of fishes, observing — ' no real harm is done by catching young fish in
tanks, jhils, or irrigated fields, for these fish, if left alone, would never
find their way back to the river.' Captain Thompson, in 1868, reported
from this place — " fishing goes on at all seasons of the year, and there can
be no doubt that in the small rivers and tanks the supply would be
materially increased by a short ' close time.' Still I hardly think that
the protection is necessary in the large rivers. But the narrow and shal-
low streams of this district can be well nigh cleared of fish with the net,
and the supply is scanty in consequence. In such rivers the protection
of the spawning fish would, no doubt, have a very good effect." — Para.
283, " Francis Day's Fresh-water fish and fishevies of iTidia and
Burma."
"At Sitapur the native official observes tha tthe- Kafeirs and Guryas take
fish at certains times, but their regular occupation is agriculture. The
local markets are not fully supplied. Large fish obtain two annas, small,
ones one anna a ser, mutton two annas a ser. He is unable to give the
proportion of fish-eaters. The general opinion is that fish have increased,
due to several consecutive years of floods. The smallest size of the mesh
of nets is given at a quarter of an inch. Fish are trapped during the
rains in the irrigated fields. The native names of the nets and traps in
use are pandijal, locari jal, m'xha jal, kikiria jal, patia jaZ, pailnajal]
tapa jal."
Manufactures. — The only manufactures of any note are those of smoking
tobacco and tazias at Biswan, with a little cotton printing and weaving in
Biswan, Khairabad, and generally in all the towns. In BiswSn there are
one hundred houses of weavers ; the same remarks as those already mada
about Bara Banki weaving apply to Sitapur, except that country thread
has not been so entirely displaced in the latter district. The same com-
plaints are heard that cotton is dearer,, and that English cloths have now
actually lowered the price offered for the local products. Native thread
sells here for Re. 1-4-0 to Re. 1-8-0 per ser ; English from Rs. 2 to,
Rs. 2-8-0. No emigration of the distressed weavers from this neighbour^
hood has as yet taken place.
Roads aggregate, length 266 miles. — Like all other districts in the pro-
vince, Sitapur is well provided with good unmetalled roads,, running in all
directions, and generally carried over the smaller streams by bridges, many
of which were built before we took the country. In addition, there is
the fine metalled high road from Lucknow going on to Shahjahdnpur. ;
travellers from either of which cities reach Sitapur in eight or nine hours
by post chaise or dak gari. Hardoi is a 12 hours' journey to the west of
Sitapur by palanquin post, and a similar means of locomotion takes the
traveller in nine hours to Lakhi'mpur in the north.
SIT 369
The following is an extract from the official route book r—
iioocis.— There are two metalled roads— one from Sitapurto Lucknow,the
omer to bhfi,hjah4npur. The former passes for 33| miles through the dis-
trict; the stages from Sitapur are Jalalpur 11 miles, Bahadurpur 10^ Jai-
paipur 10 ; the only river is the Gon, which is bridged. The latter passes
toT^S miles through the district ; the stages are Maholi, 14| miles from
»ita,pur ; other stages are in the Kheri district ; the only river is the
barayan which is bridged. The district unmetalled roads are—
1. From Sitapur to Lakhimpur ; the only stage within this district is
belamau, 10 miles from Sitapur.
There are no rivers.
2. From Sitapur to Hardoi ; the distance withiathis district is 21 miles:
the stages are Ramkot seven miles from Sitapur and Dudhuamau 14f.
The livers are Sarayan and Pirai ; both bridged.
3 Sitapur to Mahmudabad and Gonda via Bahramghat. Total length
withm this district is 37 miles. The stages are—
1. Sarayyan, eight miles from Sitapur ;
2. Biswan, 12f miles further ;
3. Muhmudabad 16 J.
The rivers are the Gon and Gumti ; the latter is bridged only by a tem-
porary structure ; other stages are in Bara Banki district.
4. Sitapur to Bahraich via Chahlari Ghdt ; this passes for 40| miles
through this district ; the stages are Sarayyan, eight miles from Sitapur,
then Biswan 12, Rasiilpur 11, and Chahlari 9 The rivers are the Gon
aodChauka; the former is bridged, but the latter has a ferry. Other
stages are in the Bahraich district.
5. Sitapur to Mallapur towards Bahraich vid Laharpur. This passes
for 34 miles through the district. The stages are — Kiisraila, seven miles
from Sitapur, Laharpur 10 miles, Ghandi 11 miles, Tambaur six miles, and
Mallapur six miles. The rivers are the Gon, Kewani, Gogra, Ul, Kathna,
Chauka,_aad Gubraiya, — all of which except the first are unbridged •
communication is effected by ferries and fords.
6. Sitapur to Mehndi Ghat vid Bargadia Ghat. This passes for 23J
miles through this district, and the following are its stages; — RSmkot seven -
and a half miles jrom Sitapur, Misrikh eight miles, and Bargadia Ghat eight
miles. The rivers are Sarayan; Pirai, and Baita — ^all of which are
bridged. Other stages are in the Hardoi district.
7. Sitapur to Sandila vid Nimkh&r. This is 21^ miles within this dis-
trict. The stages are Rdmkot seven and a half miles from Sitapur, Misrikh
eight miles further, and Nimkhar six miles. The rivers are Sarayan, Pirai
and Baita, all of which are bridged.
8. Sitapur to Nimkhar vid Machhrehta. This is 25 miles long within
this district; the only stages are Machhrehta, 14 miles from Sitapur, and
Nimkhar 11 miles, The rivers are Sarayan and Baita ; both bridged.
47 "
S70 SIT
9. Sitapur to Kasta and Mitauli. This passes for 15^ miles through
this district, and has the following stages,-^Saa,datnagar 14 miles from
Sitapur, and Bhatpurwa one and a half mile. The only river is the Sarayan
which is bridged. The road passes on to the Kheri district.
10. Sitapur to Pihdni in Hardoi. This is 26 J miles long within this
district; the stages are Maholi 14 1 miles from Sitapur, and Kuldbharnagar
12, The rivers are Sarayyan, Pirai, and Kathna — all of which are bridged,
11. Bari to Mahmudabad, This is only 19 miles long ; the stages are
Bhandia seven miles from Bdri and Mahmudabad 12. No river.
Land measures : local weights. — The rate of rent is always per "kachcha"
or small bi'gha throughout this district. This is supposed to form one-
third of a regulation bigha containing 3,025 square yards, in which case
about four and three-quarters local bighas go to an acre. But the
measurement of this unit varies with the pleasure of the landlord, his
servant the p&twari being the surveyor. All the fields have been, it is
true, surveyed and mapped out by Government; elaborate maps and
records of the field areas are in the muniment rooms at every tahsil ;
a duplicate is at the headquarters, and a triplicate in the hands of the
patwSri, but in all money* rented and appraisedf fields the patwdri
remeasures the fields at each harvest afiixing the rent agreed upon. If
the land is under garden crops a smaller local bigha is used,- but appa-
rently there is not so much variation in this respect as in the district of
Bara Banki. When the crop is actually divided there is of course no
necessity for measurement at all. ,
The local weights vary in every bazar just as is related in the Bara
Banki district article ; the local maund being from 16 to 20 regulation
sers, and the local sers one-fortieth of it.
• Jama.
t Kut.
SIT 371
CHAPTER III.
THE PEOPLE.
■ Population— Tenures— Table exhibiting the tribal distribution of property— List of
taluqdars.
Population. — The population of the district numbered at the census
of 1869 so many as 930,224 souls living in 181,764 houses ; and as its
area is 2,250 square miles, these figures show that there are 414 inhabi-
tants to the square mile, and 5'1 to each house against a provincial average
of 476 and 4"5 respectively.
Hindus and Musalmans. — Of this population there are 812,776 Hindus
against 117,448 Musalmans ; the latter being thus 12"t) of the entire num-
ber, which is something higher than the provincial percentage of 10"7.
Male and female. — ^There are 494,833 males against 435,391 females,
the males forming the majority in each of the two great religions.
Rural and Urban population. — The population may further be divided
into rural and urban as follows: —
Rural ... ... ... ••• ... 880,542
Urban ... ... — ... ... 49,682
Total ... 930,224
Which shows that the inhabitants of the towns are 6-4 per cent, of the whole;
this is something lower than the provincial average of 7-1 per cent., but is
still the 5th highest among the twelve districts, the percentages of which
range from 31-7 for Lucknow to 13 for Partabgarh.
Principal castes, Musalmans. — The principal Musalman castes, if we
may so call the subdivisions of the Muhammadan population, are as
follows : —
Pathans ,» ... 17,694) . , ,
Shekhs ... ••■ 10,439 I Taluqdars, zammdars, and servants,
Sayyads ... ... 2,734 f private and publis.
Mughals ... ... i.a^O )
Julahos, wearers .. ... 30,895
Kanjraa, greengrocers ... 4,289
Ghosie, milkmen... ... 3,649
Qasais, butchers ... ... 2,138
Darzis, tailors ... ... 7,025
The remainder is made up of inconsiderable numbers of: —
Dyers.
Musicians. I Cutlers.
! Water-carriers and others.
Hindus I. — High castes. — Among the Hindus the chief castes are the
following : —
Sikhs - 2^8
Khattris ... '''"^
Brahmans sg,53b
Eaiputs 39,696
Vaishyas 6 745
Kfiyaths '2,537
Jats ^^°
372
SIT
II. — Low caste. — The low-caste tribes are principally distributed thus : —
Ahir, cowherds ... ... ... ... 85,509
Bhunjwa, grain-parchers... ... ... ... 12,581
Bhat, bards ... ... ... ... ... 4,684
Barhi, carpenters, ... ... ... ... 10,974
Fasi, watchmen, labourers, &c. ... ... ... 72,771
Arakhs, ditto ditto ... ... ... ... 8,832
Tam'joli, pawn-sellers ... ... ... ••• 5,576
Teli, oilman ... ... ... ... ... 20,204
Chamar, tanner and labourers ... ... ... i 11,745
Halwai, confectioner ... ..< ... ... 4,163
Dhobi, washerman ... ... ... ... 15,483
Dbunia, labourer, cotton-cleaner ... ... ... 11,586
Kahfir, pallsi-bearers. ... ... ... ... 26,367
SuDar, goldsmith ... ... ... ... 4,248
Kumhar, potter ... ... ... ... 7,6SS
Kurrai, cultivators and zamindars ... ... ... 74,597
Kalwar, distillers ... ... ... ... 8,993
Kori, weavers ... ... ... ... ... 14,209
Gararia, shepherds ... ... ... ... 15,44'
Lodh, cultivators ... ... ... ... 36,146
Lonia, cultivators and saltpetre manufacturers ... ... 8,429
Lohfir, ironsmiths ... ... ... ... 1 l,86S
Murao, gardeners and cultivators ... ... ... 32,593
Nau, barbers ... ■•■ ... ••• 19,776
Bhars and Thdrus. — There are 319 " Bhars" in Manwan, Bari, and
18 " Tharus" in Laharpur. These low-caste Hindus do not all necessarily
follow the peculiar occupation of their tribe, for many of them engage in
agriculture in common with Lodhs and Kurmis.
Religious professions. — The Hindus who have adopted religion as a
profession are the following ; —
Goshafns ... ... ,.. ... ... 4,040
Nanakshahis >
Jogis and others - •" "• •" '" \ °'""*
but among these we find some (of the Goshains) in possession of land as
zamindars. The foregoing account of the population of the district does
not deal with the numbers of the troops, European and native, or with the
Europeans and Eurasians, temporarily stationed in it. It also excludes
the European planters resident in the district.
Area and population.
^
Area inSrU
2 aJ
S
tish square
Population
s'r
^ .'.
miles.
Farganas.
a s.
?!.S
-e
s
^1
170
1
115
.1
3
o
67
s
§
•3
9
6
-3
S
1
II
3 2
S5*^
'~~.
Sitapur
41,825
8,071
26,824
23,072
49,896
434
ej \ Hargam
96
66
43
20,075
3,786
12,908
10,963
23,62
361
B ]
Laharpur ...
165
191
133
65,544
19,186
44,477
40,263
68,383
444
■^ \
Khairabad ...
163
128
75
48,934
14,794
34,600
29,128
49,275
480
03 /
Pirnagar
54
44
28
14,220
1,076
8,193
7,102
1,6719
348
Ramkot
Total ...
12
650
20
564
11
357
8,600
191
4,782
4,009
8,8017
439
199,198
47,103
131,784
114,517
246,301
433
SIT
373
Area and population — (concluded.)
S
Area
inBri
'
», »
!?
tish s
guare
Population,
|a
§ ™i
mi
'ei.
h 4>
Farganas.
a s,
° a
S »
''i
1
i
a
O CO
i
1
i
O
157
□
a
'a
a
49,893
1
1^
i\
Biswan
216
220
87,197
17,958
56,262
106,165
47«
M
Tambaur
166
190
132
63,421
5,868
36,678
38,611
69,289
366
a
pq I
Kundri (North)
Total ...
Misrikh
128
5(19
Ii2
165
576
126
108
397
66
63,816
6,769
36,866
32,718
69,684
422
214,433
29,596
128,806
116,222
244.028
426
f
37,976
3,313
22,173
19,146
41,319
328
Chandra
160
129
94
32,862
1,449
19,072
15,239
34,801
268
a
Maholi
87
80
45
31,893
1.785
18,094
15,584
33,678
423
Machhrehta ...
126
lOf.
68
34,921
2,756
19,884
17,793
35,677
346
a
Enraana
61
46
27
14,484
323
7,868
6,939
14,8117
352
^
Aurangabad ...
34
60
69
17,105
2,260
10,070
9,296
19,360
323
L
Gundlamau ...
Total ...
Bfiri
67
667
129
61
613
125
46
385
80
19,647
673
10,936
9,284
20,225
316
188,878
12,489
108,n97
9.3,270
201,367
32S
(
45,689
4,648
26 705
23,632
60,337
402
«•
Uanwan
69
69
46
28,720
1,833
16.044
14,509
30.653
443
3 I
Mahmudabad...
197
ISO
92
61,381
12,387
38,760
35,008
73,768
667
n
Sadrpur
114
108
78
47,096
7,382
28,905
26,' 72
64,477
504
Enndri (soat3i)
Total ...
District Total
Kuropeana ...
39
548
66
498
3,250
40
336
!,475
27,382
2,011
15,732
13,661
29,393
238,528
445
210,26 7
812,776
Mfl
28,26!
126,146
112,382
479
2,364
• ••
n 7,448
494,833
435,391
141
930,224
774
414
!••
633
...
Bnrasiana
..*
...
• ••
...
t>l
21
19
40
...
Military (Na-
tive)
• •■
...
• ••
656
369
777
137
914
...
Prisoners, &c.,
in jail
Grand Totat.
2,364
2,260
...
• ••
...
977
30
1,007
...
1,475
813,331
117,807
497,241
435,718
932,969
414
Landed tenures and other statistics, — The following notes and tables
from the settlement report and other sources convey an idea of the landed
rights in the district, and of the division of property. Some of the infor-
mation given in the settlement report tables is hardly correct, and some
requires explanatory comments. We are told, for instance, that there are
104,760 resident cultivators, and 53,703 non-resident cultivsttors, but the
large majority of the latter have been reckoned as residents in their own
villages, and are counted again as non-residents for other villages in which
they occupy and till fields.
374 SIT
The table No. IV. merely states how many villages are zamindari, patti-
dari, and bhayyach^ra. The taluqdari villages are recorded at 937 in form
No. IV., but at 1,019 in a list of their estates furnished by the Deputy
Commissioner. There are about 1,150 villages in estates paying above
Rs. 5,000 revenue.
Soils. — We find, what are called first, second, and third class soils in
the following proportions : —
1st class ... ... >M »i I9-55
2nd „ ... ... ... ... 69-,39
Srd „ ... ... ... ... I1'06
The first class in this district is matiar or clay, which in all other districts
has been reckoned second class.
Appendix No. IV., Settlement Report, shows us at a glance how many
mauzas in the collectorate are zamindari and how many taluqdari, noting
at the same time how many of the latter are held in sub-settlement.
From it we learn that 937 villages, being 36 per cent, or a little more
than one-third of the entire number, are in taluqas, and that of these only
43 have been decreed in sub-settlements. But this does not represent
the entire under-proprietary rights of the ex-zamindars, for column 4 of
the same statement informs us that in 146 other villages smaller holdings,
that is to say sir, dihddri, and nankar lands, have been decreed.
The sub-tenures. — In every instance whether of an entire village, a por-
tion of village or a sir, &c., holding, the rent payable by the sub-proprietor
to the taluqdar has been fixed for the term of the present settlement at
an amount in the computation of which the two principal factors are, the
rent payable under native rule, and that now assessed by the settlement
officer as payable by the taluqdar. Speaking generally, no under-proprie-
tor pays for his tenure more than 75 or less than 60 per cent, of the esti-
mated gross rental " nik4si kham." In some cases we find the ex-zamin-
dars with rent-free ndnkar and dihd^ri lands, but this is exceptional.
From Appendix No. VII. we gather that the profits of the general body
of under-proprietors amount to Rs. 27,531 for the whole district.
Of sir land the statement would show that each sub-proprietor has
acres 36. But this is not quite correct, for each of these sub-proprietors
has a number of pattidars or co-sharers, perhaps ten or even fifteen on an
average, which would bring each actual sub-proprietor's holding down to
ten or fifteen kachcha bighas. And as these ten or fifteen co-sharers in
the natural order of things increase and multiply, their tenures will, be
further split up, so that we may expect in the course of another genera-
tion to find a very numerous body of small under-proprietors living more
or less from hand to mouth, except in the case of those families who may
be fortunate enough to have a son or brother in Government employment,
and thus able to contribute ready money towards meeting the rent on
quarter day. This, however, is only a speculative contingencey which
need not be dwelt upon here.
The tahiqSari villages. — The statement further shows that the 937
taluqdari villages are distributed among thirty taluqas, the areas of which,
with the Government demand payable on the same, and the profits of the
taluqdars, are detailed in Appendix No, VII,
SIT
375
The samindari and the pattidari villages. — We also see that here are
1,635 villages, or not quite two-thirds of the district other than taluqdari,
and classified as zamindari, pattidari, and bhayyachara. These are all held
by brotherhoods similar to the ordinary village communities of Hindustan,
the great majority of them being Hindus of the Rajput, Kayath, Kurmi,
and Brabman castes. The non-taluqdar proprietors, \*^ho appear from
the appendix to number only 2,301, are in reality many more. For every
zamindar whose name is recorded in the khewat is a proprietor, and in
many villages such persons number so many as forty or fifty, while in others
they are only four or five ; so that instead of two thousand there are
actually nearer twenty thousand proprietors.
Statement of Tenures, &c.
No. OF PRO- 1
-^
TENUEES AND NtTimER OF VILLAGE^, I
PRIETORS &
Average
&0., OF BACH KIND.
STJB-PKO-
area.
PRrETOES.
TALUQDARI.
INDEPENDENT.
Pro-
prietors.
1
1
--
Siib-set-
.ri
I
t
Name of
Name of pargana.
URtn&nt,
o
s
3
"S
talisil.
a
'tl
P<
■a
^
^
c3
2
§
s-
2 "
c
is
i
;-•
i
•s
1
1
1
II
a
C3
?-.
c3
a
I
13
1
•a
o
1
S
1
o
1
1
•a
o
l>
w
>
EH
N
0,
w
H
CS
fi
'A
15
o
o
1
2
3
i
5
6
r
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
No.
No.
No.
NO.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
No.
A. E.
A.
B4ri
Manwdn
2
6
39
41
27
6
33
74
2
41
6
8 2
24
BiSrl
Si2
45
4B
67
23
13
93
138
3
61
17
6 1
30
10
■2ti
131
131
61
13
11
75
206
3
2b
34
3 2
32
Sadi-pur
16
m
86
23
7
5
36
121
IL
10
6 2
74
Kundti (Soutli),
'i
IS
36
3b
1
1
2
40
1
4
37
6 3
67
Total
14
ss
327
341
159
49
.30
238
679
9
142
104
5 2
45
Misrikh ...
MachhreMa ...
1
10
10
75
54
3
132
142
81
1
5 3
51
Gundlamau ...
...
...
2
2
27
31
13
71
73
40
8 0
...
Kurauna
...
...
10
10
42
6
...
48
68
i
IV
6 0
..•
2
27
27
8
...
8
35
1
6
2
9 2
15
MiBiikli
...
1
39
39
87
21
6
117
156
2
64
i
6 1
145
...
13
13
115
22
4
141
ISi
1
29
...
8 2
Maholi
Total
...
i
61
61
26
b
31
92
1
44
3
6 3
llj
...
8
162
162
380
142
26
548
710
6
271
7
7 0
39
Sltapur ...
Bdmkot
3
9
12
...
12
1
8
1
i 2
It
Hargim
• •<
...
3f
31
67
ib
...
8J
11!
39
5 0
20
li
8-1
lO'l
65
7
...
72
171
3
33
14
5 2
62
U
18
IP
144
1(
...
164
172
1
low
Hi
4 3
15
Pirnagar
,.,
...
If
18
22
IH
...
40
68
...
34
...
4 1
Sitapilr
3
3
120
64
184
IS'
1
89
...
3 3
■•
Total
Eiswdn
23
6
26
4
162
91
'185
95
418
1X£
533
71f
6
307
37
4 3
29
120
4C
3
163
26f
5
24
14
6 3
39
Tambaur
■i
Hi
8;
Si
...
Si
IGi
> 4 11
ti
4 3
■6i
Knndi-i (Nortli),
Total
Grand Total ...
■■
1!
m
6t
6C
J
...
6!
ISC
2 1^
2b
5 3
13
G
24
243
2ii
26£
4'
3
31t
68
9
4
) 4E
6 1
21
13
U(
894
931
l,22C
35(
) 59
l,63f
2,67
! 30
76
1 19;
5 2
36
376
SIT
Number of higher proprietors and pukhfada?rs as referred to in Fotm
No. 4 in final sMlement repoft.
NOMBBK OF HIGHER PROI'BIK'BOaB.
!3q
a, a
Number of shareholders.
s*
^ ii-a
umberof talnqil
inserted in col u
4 of form IV.
umber of pattids
and thokdara
column 13.
IJ
3 a
Name of pargana.
umberof shar-
ers in more
thaai one vil-
Lsge.
umberof shar-
ers as given in
mauz-aW ar
khewat
3 «
P3 a.
P.3
n
3
187
!z;
!Z
S9
a
13
Manwan
S67
355
41
6
Bari
3
163
287
777
64
61
17
Mnhmudabad
3
51
70
132
37
25
34
Sadrpur
• •■
114
190
224
16
II
10
Kundri (South)
1
9
6
610
6
8
2
4
37
Total of Tahsil Bari ...
ii20
1,496
782
148
142
104
Machhrehta
...
!il6
320
98
81
1
Gundlamau'
...
329
613
1,914
56
40
Kurauna
1
53
88
1,425
.17
17
...
Aurangabad •••
1
8
8
12
5
6
2
Misrikh
2
278
397
1,842
99
54
1
Chandra
1
99
333
918
117
29
Maboli • .-.
1
21
43
124
26
44
3
Total of TahsilMisrikh...
6
1,005
1,702
7,017
438
2
271
7
Eamkot
4
5
16
3
I
Hargam ■••
...
70
372
1,062
55
39
Laharpur
3
72
228
1,231
47
33
14
Khairabad
1
272
434
1,184
109
109
22
Firnagar
...
65
411
1,323
25
.14
• ••
Sitapur
1
217
942
4,166
148
"sir
89
Total of Tahsil Sitapur...
6
690
2,392
9,582
307
~ 24
37
Biswan
3
51
307
1,114
165
14
Tambaur
4
26
99
239
43
11
6
Kundri (North)
2
9
19
34
Sll
34
14
25
Total of Tahsil Biswan...
96
440
1,564
19,659
232
" 1,214
49
"769
46
District Total ...
30
2,301
5,354
193
Note.— There are 6,354 shareholders in thia district, but by mauzawar calculation they came to 19,659.
So it ia supposed that the settlement oflBcer includes under- proprietors in his 20,000 shareholders ; sharers
are 19,669 and under-proprietors 193, a total of 19,852— a deficiency of only 148, not too far in an estimate ;
and that the settlement ofiBoer has only recorded the number an an estimate, for there was no form of the
number of sharers prepared in Settlement Department.
Table showing the n/i
i/mbe
r of villages' possessed by the different castes.
g
c
.
Villages in
Name of Tahsil.
•ft
B
■3
■s
1-
J3
a--
3 a
P. a
'St
1
the possess-
ion of more
than one
II
O g
t
tf
10
11
' M
s
S
17
caste.
9
H
Misrikh ...
433
35
122
20
667
Sitapur
42S
11
• ••
89
124
34
22
■ ••
15
768
Biswaa
277
3
16
62
90
17
7
28
21
610
Bari
246
6
9
28
317
...
...
...
7
613
Grand Total ...
1,379
30
36
204
653
51
46
48
52
3,498
SIT
List of Taluqdars of District Sitapur.
^rr
.•§■§§
• !5
73
73
74
75
7»
77
78
79
80
81
83
81
85
90
•1
92
93
91
95
Kamo of taluqdar.
Sita B(Sm
Thikur JaviSbit Singh ...
Thaur MahiriJ Singh ...
Ifitza Abmad Beg
Thibir Duiga Bakhsh ...
Ultaa MuluoimEul All Beg,
Seth Baghubar DaytU and
Slta Bim.
Seth Rnghabar Daydl ...
Thikur Gamfin Singh ...
Thdkar Fazl All Khan ...
Muhammad Btlqar All
Khan.
Baja Shamsher Bah&dur...
Thdknr Shia Bakhsh
Singh.
Tb&kars Anant Singh, Ta-
ganndth Singh, Ganga
Bakhsh, and Hardeo
Bakhsh.
Th&kur Harihar Bakhsh...
Baja Amir Hasan Khan...
Muhammad Eaztm Husen
Khan.
Thikurs Kdlka Bakhsh
and Ganga Bal;hsh.
Ihdkur Kdlka Bakhsh „.
Jaganndth Bakhsh Bln^,
Chaudhii Bdm Nardln ..
Mir Mnbammad Husen . .
Mitza Abbas Beg „
MolTl Mazhar All
Edlka Bakhsh
Baghard] Singh ..,
Name of estate.
Blsnindl
Tikra Tikur
Villages (Joint shares in)
Basahl Dih
Burmhaull
Villages (joint shares in)
ESbhmaa
Banjiiria
Qotubnagar
Newalpur
Nilgdon
Jalalpur
Auranifabad
Village (Jolutshareln)...
Molz-nd-dlnpur
Eathgara
Alna Mahna Kola
Caisk Deoria
Cncha Khera
Edmpur Mathura
Villages (shares in) ...
Akbarpur .„
Kanwa Khera
Saddatnagar
Lakrlarnau
Villages (shares in) ...
Katesar ,„
ESmpur
PIpramau
Village (share In)
Saraura
Mabmudabad
Villages (sliates in) „.
Paintepur
Bdmkot ...
Hdjipur
Waziimagar
Mubdrakpur
(Bdjapdra), HisiCmpar ...
Bardgdon
Mahewa
Jar Saddatnagar
Edjpur
48
•op
u a .
0} U O]
13- -^
Eevised bbvesdb
1 0
4 0
0 13
36 0
11 0
0 43
19 0
8 0
24 0
1 0
14 «
e 0
28 0
1 0
20 0
9 0
6 0
2 0
3 0
39 0
57 0
0 2
98 0
29 0
218 0
0 7
46 0
13 0
2 0
8 0
7 0
1 0
7 0
4 0
18 0
17 0
Of each
estate.
Bs. a. p.
707 0 0
2,581 0 0
6,167 8 0
25,29fi 0
6,029 0
8,177 12
d
0
6
11,615 0
2,307 0
0
0
12,135 0 0
63 0 0
13,264 0 0
1,610 0 0
26,<!22
660
0 0
0 0
21,731
1,069
2,468
666
2,628
0 0
» 0
0 0
0 0
0 0
Of ea<!h ta-
Inqdar.
32,460
607
0 0
6 4
26,279 0 0
31,665 0 0
16.812
440
266
0 0
0 0
0 0
76,355 0 0
14,441
702
91
0 0
0 0
8 0
21,869 0 0
1,44,339
3,121
0 0
8 0
26,763 0 0
12,462
1,113
0 0
0 0
3,693 0 0
2,413 0 0
127 0 0
6,224 0 0
2,876 0 0
6,901 0 0
8,742 0 0
Bs, a. p.
8,435 8 0
38,502 12 6
13,922 0 0
12,198 0 0
14,874 0 0
27,181! 0 C
28,432 0
32,967 S
26,279 0 0
31,666 0 0
17,608 0 0
76,356 0 0
15,234 8 0
21,869 0 0
1,47,460 8 0
26,763 0 0
13,575 0 0
3,693 0 0
2,413 0 0
127 0 0
6,224 0 0
2,876 0 0
6,901 0 0
8,742 0 9
3T8 SIT
CHAPTER IV.
ADMINISTRATION,
Courts of justice— Police— Thana— Crime statiBtics— Memo, of accidental deaths — ^ReTfl-
nuo and expenditure — Education — Post-office.
Adrnwiistration. — ■The district is under the charge of a deputy com-
missioner, with two or three European and four or five native assistants of
various grades.
Courts of Justice. — During the year 1870 there were 1,700 civil suits
disposed of and 2,511 criminals dealt with by these courts, which over and
above this decided, at the same time, a large number of revenue suits
under the "landlord and tenant" and other acts and regulations in force in
the province.
The deputy commissioner is assisted in the collection of the land reve-
nue of the district by native sub-collectors and tahsildars. These officers
are generally of three grades, drawing from Us. 200 to Es. 150. Their
headquarters are in the principal town of the area of their jurisdiction.
The list of parganas and tahsils is given in Chapter I. The following is
a descriptive sketch on all tahsils by Mr. M. L. Ferrar, B.A., C.S., assist-
ant commissioner.
" The tahsils. — As related in the preceding pages, Sitapur is divided into
four tahsils, each being in charge of a native tahsildar, under the orders
and subject to the control of the deputy commissioner of the district.
These officers are vested generally with criminal and civil court powers,
and are also judges between landlord and tenant. They further are
entrusted with many executive duties, such as the serving of revenue
processes for the due payment of the state rental by the zamindars, the
care of the public revenues, the execution of decrees, and much other
miscellaneous work,
" As a territorial subdivision of the country the tahsil is altogether a
British institution, and embraces several of the native subdivisions formed
by the Emperor Akbar and styled by him 'parganas.' Of these there are
21 in the whole district, and they are fully described in their proper places
where the reader will find information as to the rural statistics of the
country, its history, details of population, and area, natural productions,
bazars, great fairs, and the like. In the present place it will be sufficient
to give the population, area, and boundaries of each tahsil as an integral
portion of the whole district.
" Tahsil Sitapur — Is bounded on the north by the Kheri district, and
runs down through the centre of the district; its greatest length being 38
and its extreme width 26 miles. In area it is 564 square miles, of which
357 are cultivated, and its population numbered at the census of 1869
246,301 souls, or 433 to the square mile. It contains 650 demarcated
villages, "mauzas," and 48,029 houses, to each of which there are 5-1
inhabitants.
"Tahsil Biswan — Lies in the north-east corner of the district; its northern
boundary being the district of Kheri and its eastern the Bahraich district.
SIT
S79
with the river Gogra flowing between. Its extreme length and breadth are 38
and 27 miles, and its area is 575 square miles, of which 397 are cultivated.
Its population numbers 244,028, living in 43,821 houses, and 509 villages.
Thus to each square mile and house there are 426 and 4-5 inhabitants
respectively.
"Tahsil Bdri — Is a long rectangular tract, 36 miles by 20, lying in the
south of the district and to the north of the districts of Bara Banki and Luck-
now. Its area is 498 square miles, 336 of which are under cultivation.
There are 548 villages, containing 46,616 houses, and its population being
238,528, we see that to each square mile there are 479 souls, and to each
house 5"09.
" Tahsil Misrikh — Forms the western subdivision of the district, and lies
to the east of the Hardoi district and the river Gumti. Its extreme length
is 43 miles, and its greatest breadth 20 ; and its area is 613 square miles,
of w-hich 385 are cultivated. The villages are 657, and the houses
43,229 ; and its population of 201,367 gives an average of only 328 to
the square mile and 4'6 to each house."
_ Police. — For police purposes the district is divided into nine police
circles, the headquarters of each being the thana.
Thdnas. — The strength of the force is 544 men of all grades, and the
thdnas are at Sitapur, Bari, Maholi, Mahmudabad, Misrikh, Biswan,
Laharpur, Tambaur, Thanagaon, and Khimauna, in addition to which
there are three police posts (chaukis) — Rudrpur, Jalalpur, and Bahddurpur
on the Lucknow road, and a fourth at Nimkhar.
Cattle pounds. — The police are in charge of the cattle pounds, of which
there are ten in different parts of the district.
ChauJddars. — The village police are the chaukidars, numbering in all
3,815 men, and armed with a spear or a sword. These two bodies consti-
tute the ordinary police force of the district.
Town, police. — A special force of town police exists in Sitapur, Khaira-
bad, and Biswan numbering 61, and in addition to these are 18 men
in charge of the military cantonments. See the tables appended.
Police in. 1873.
-a
ji
"> A
.
•
K 03*
Ji
g
2-.^
as.
a
-2
a
o
73
1
o a
i
00
i
■g.
O
"2
©a
roportion of
per square m
area.
roportion of
per head of
lation.
O
o
'en .
O 09
ri'M
3 -a
w ^
CS o
a ^
o'l.
1
•3
cr
OS
en
o
d
i
^
4
!21
81
478
< °
Ph
e-i
t,308
7,119
2,054
1,683
370
M
Regular police.
Rs.
79,516
• ■*
I to 5-35
1 to 2221
Village watch.
1,40,668
■ ••
4S
3,868
...
...
...
••.
• ••
:•.
...
Municipal po -
6,828
•a«
8
123
•M
■ ••
...
*■*
..•
••.
.«.
^ Uce.
Total, ...
2,27,312
4|.34
4,464
4,602
fi*
1,308
7,119
2,054
1.683
370
380
SIT
Population of Thdnas.
Name of thana.
Population.
Sitfipur
t*.
•*t
,,,
115,622
Ehimauna
...
■••
.M
56,703
Ijaharpur ...
...
■■•
• ••
114,167
Misrikh ' ...
...
•ta
• ■•
79,007
Maholi
...
t*(
.,,
90.232
Bari
*•■
• ■■
■ ■>
116,237
Bis wan
,,,
>■*
■ ■•
111,425
Mahmudabad
••■
..•
• t*
112,40S
Tambaur ...
•••
• ••
■ ••
67,814
Thanagaon
Total
•••
• ■>
67,446
932,959
Control. — The entire force is under the district superintendent and his
inspectors and sub-inspectors, all acting under the general control of the
deputy commissioner.
The following table represents the criminal statistics of the six years
ending 1872 ; another gives the accidental deaths and the suicides for the
same period.
Crime Statistics.
Cases reported.
Cases investigated.
Cases convicted.
m
ci
ti
00
oS
,
,
,
r^
-i
r>;
IH
S
a
-i
a
S
11
s
rH
s
s
So
Marderg and attempts
10
6
16
12
13
7
10
6
16
12
13
7
9
4
8
fi
9
6
Culpable homicide ...
H
i
1
8
5
6
8
a
1
8
5
5
6
1
li
4
4
Dacoity
Si
1
1
1
6
3
1
1
1
S
3
*■*
.'.
•*•
]
r>
Bobbery
U
7
10
10
6
8
8
V
10
10
6
8
6
6
4
4
4
fi
Bioting and nnlawfal
assembly
10
il
•i»
S!6
36
•ii
lU
21
26
26
36
24
»
16
17
16
?3
1i1
Theft by bouse bveat-
Ing or house tres-
pass
184«
2O50
3067
3000
2481
39Si)
640
670
1058
904
S43
746
na
112
192
Ifi.t
17S
199
Theft (simple)
634
758
uoa
iiaa
1684
222U
241
204
448
419
662
911
174
177
22B
Ifi.f
?ns
a9«
Theft of cattle
91
MS
iia
104
101
•i'it
6V
yb
112
104
93
226
32
32
^t
.17
40
8»
oaences against coin
and stamps ...
S
(J
7
8
a
6
6
ti
7
8
2
6
3
■ M
4
4
2
4
Comparative memorandum of (accidental deaths.
Suicides.
By drown-
ing.
By snake-
bite.
By wild
quadru'
peda.
By fall of
buildings.
By other
causes.
Total.
Years.
6
1
• ■•
33
15
21
.2
34
26
28
q5
102
91
121
113
77
134
93
76
89
106
77
155
1
47
62
42
34
29
74
1
a
s
ps
60
67
68
40
51
73
•3
*** 1
1
"i
•••
1
1
I
■ ■•
"i
%
8
9
12
24
IS
19
"a
a
s :
9 ;
4 ;
1
17
8
4
1
w
61
60
33
47
1
to
" !
14
16
26
11
7
198
206
266
154
275
1
a
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
164
161
166
223
173
240
SIT 381
Revenues of the district. — The recently completed assessment of the
district has fixed the Government revenue at a sum something over 13|
lakhs of rupees. This, though a smaller proportionate revenue than that
which the recently assessed districts in the south of Oudh pay to the
state, is still a considerable advance upon the assessment (9J lakhs) of
1858 ; and that it is quite as much as the land can bear the above descrip-
tion of the district clearly shows, when we bear in mind at the same time
that nine-tenths at least of the rents are paid in kind.
Revenue and expenditure. — The revenue and expenditure from Imperial
Funds are shown in the fallowing statements : —
Receipts, 1871-72.
Rs,
1. Recent settlement revenue collections ... .„ 13,13,797
2. Rents of Govermuent villages and laads ... ... 13,747
3. Income tax ... ... ... ,., ... £0,706
4. Tax on spirits ... ... ... „. ... 62,839
5. Tax on opium and drugs ... ... ... „. 6,768
6. Stamp duty ... • ... ... ... ... 61,926
7. La^ and justice ... ... ... ... ... 7,104
Total Rs. ... 14,76,887
Expenditure, 1871-72.
Rs.
Revenue refunds and drawbacks ... •.• ... 907
Miscellaneous refunds ... ... ... ... 2,425
Land revenue, deputy commissioners, and establishment... 54,445
Settlement ... ... ... ... ... 38,136
Excise or Abkari ... ... ... ... ... 6,795
Assessed taxes ... ... ... ... ... 486
Stamps ... ... ... ... ... 1,245
T „w o.,^ .-.Tcf i<.o J Service of process ... ... 2,169
Law and justice j Criminal court ... 39,341
Bcclesiastical ... ... ... ... ... 3,S24
Medical ••• ... ... •.. ... 6,600
Total Rs. „. 1,56,363
The following tables exhibit receipts and charges from local funds:—
Receipts.
Rs.
One percent, road cess
...
••i
■ t«
13,166
„ „ school cess
•■i
..
• ••
13,166
J „ district dak
..•
...
!•«
3,297
3 „ local and margin
.*•
...
• *•
37,315
Education fund
..a
...
• ••
4,677
Dispensary „
..«
...
• ■•
1,013
Found „ ■••
...
...
• ••
6,162
Kazul ),
...
Total Rs,
■ •■
395
79,091
Pre
rincial allotment „
Grand Total Bs,
■ •f
• •f
B2,S02
1,31,693
382 SIT
Charges.
Education ••■ •■• „•
Hospital and dispensaries •••
Pistrict dak ... ... ..•
Pound .•• ... ...
Nazul ... ...
Rg.
29,540
7,604
2,012
1,829
Public Works.
Rs.
ComHiHnieations ... ... ..- 55,088
Civil Buildings, &c. ... ... ... 26.272
Establishment, &c 8,78S 89,146
Total ... Es. 1,30,130
Assessed taxes. — Over and above the state revenue the zamindars pay
the following assessed taxes : —
Road fund ,.. ... ... 1 per cent."l
School fund 1 „ I 3| per cent, on the
District post ... i ,, ^Government demand.
Margin fund ... ... ... J „ I
Under the " Oudh Local Rates Bill" IJ i, J •
These taxes are quite distinct from the municipal cesses (octroi,
chaukidari tax, &c.) paid by the inhabitants of the larger towns, and
from the 8 annas per cent, paid by the taluqdars towards the Canning
College Fund ; and another 8 annas per cent, paid by the same body to
the funds of the taluqdars association in Lucknow.
Education. — Popular education is spreading steadily from year to year.
There are now 111 Government schools of all grades in the district at
which the number of scholars on the books is 4,052, or about 1 to every
228 of the entire population. Of these 4,052, it is to be noted that 114
are girls. There is an aided mission (Wesleyan) school at Khairabad,
with a roll of 80 pupils, the headquarters of the Mission being at Sitapur.
Post-offices. — The following statements are supplied by the Post-office
authorities. They show the working of the department^ the number of
letters, &c.
Statement showing the working of the district d&k for 1876-77.
Number of miles of dak line 28
Number of runners 6
Cost for the year Es. 1,964-3-6
Number of covers delivered 16,117
Number of covers returned undelivered 1 ,562
Total number of letters sent to district post-oflBce ... 17,679
Statement showing the number of articles received for delivery and
those returned undelivered during 187C-77.
Letters.
Papers.
Packets,
Parcels
Given out for delivery
15,886
1,558
93
143
Eeturned undelivered
1,527
29
1
6
SIT 383
CHAPTER V.
HISTORY.
Early history of the taluqdars— Family histories of the landed proprietors— Events of the
mutiny.
Early history and present property of the clans. — The following brief
history of the taluqdars of this district was compiled in 1865. Further
details concerning each family will be found under the pargana in which
it resides.
A few general remarks may be made concerning the present distribu-
tion of property in the district among the clans, and their earlier history. '
To the east the Raikwiirs occupy most of the country between the
Chauka and Kauriala, north and south Kundri, forming part of the block
of territory extending north and south about sixty miles along both sides
of the Kauridla, over which for one or two centuries the Raikwars have
exercised a real or nominal supremacy. The great estates of Baundi and
Ramnagar are fully described under articles Bahraich and Bhitauli ; here
it need only be stated that the younger branches of the. clan settled at
Mallapur, at Chahlari, and Rampur — all on the western bank orthe Kau-
rinla. The ancestor of each branch got three or four villages, and has
gradually increased 'his possessions through the aid and influence of the
great lords of his blood in Baundi and Ramnagar. The estate of Chahl&ri
was forfeited after the mutiny for rebellion. The clan is a very small one
in point of numbers.
To the north in parganas Sitapur, Laharpur, Hargam, Chandra, and
Tambaur, the great Bamhan Gaur clan from Narkanjari settled itself
towards the close of Xlamgir's reign. It was a resolute and warlike body of
men. It commenced by attacking the Ahbans and the JanwSrs of Kheri
which were driven into exile about A.D. 1760. The Gaurs then pro-
ceeded further to the north-west having meanwhile consolidated their
power in Sitapur and Ldharpur ; they attacked the Musalman rija of
Muhamdi, defeated and drove him out. At length the Rohillas came to
the aid of the rdja and drove back the Gaurs with heavy loss ; the last
battle was fought at Mailuni, twenty miles north of Kukra, so far had the
Gaurs carried their victorious arms. They then joined with the Raja of
Dhaurahra in resisting Nazim Sital Parshad, the most sanguinary of all the
satraps whom the early Oudh INawabs let loose upon the conquered coun-
try. They were defeated with heavy loss at Dhaurahra; one of their chiefs
was beheaded in the river under the fort of Khairigarh, and the clan then
settled down into ordinary rustic squires.
To the south the Khanzada family of Bilahra, in the Bara Banki
district, has within the last seventy years occupied most of the parganas'
of Mahmudabad, Sadrpur, besides acquiring large estates in Biswan, by
mortgage or simply as trustee. This family has generally numbered
among its inembers men of abihty and energy ; they were connected by
marriage with the influential Shekhzadas of Lucknow, and were used by
the Lucknow court as a check upon the great Raikwar raj along the
Gogra, which their principality almost cut in two.
384 SIT
To the east the Ahhans held formerly parganas Nimkhar, Aurangabad,
Maholi, and part of Khairabad, besides parts of districts Kheri and Hardoi,
Lone Singh, the great rdja of Mitauli, was banished for rebellion in 1859,
and his estate divided among a number of loyal grantees. His only bro-
ther tried in vain to recover a part of the property which once is said to
have included 2,700 villages. The Ahbans produce a family tree with 109
generations ; they are CMwar Ohhattris and came from Gujrdt. Almost
the only survivor of the clan in Sitapur is called a Kunwar, and is a man
of little property or influence. The clan is now of no importance, so
hollow and transitory is the power of these great landowners. A number
of deeds were produced in the Kheri courts in which the Ahban chiefs are
styled Maharajas by the Empeiors Akbar and Jah^ngir ; they were skil-
fully executed forgeries. Their former parganas are now held by Mughal
grantees from the Oudh kings, by Kdyaths and others, probably retainers
of the ancient Ahbans.
The middle portion of Sitapur is held by many different clans of Ohhat-
tris. Originally there was a powerful Ohauhdn sovereignty in Sitapur,
and a Raghubansi principality in Tambaur ; they have both disappeared.
A variety of clans occupy each a pargana or the greater part of a pargana,
except in Biswan and Khairabad which were the seats of local governors,
who took care to destroy the co-herence of the clan system by breaking
up its possessions and distributing them miscellaneously. It is remark-
able that no clan except the Gaurs asserted its supremacy over large
areas like the Kanhpurias, Sombansis, or Bais in southern Oudh ; it is a
mistake, indeed, to call them clans : each is a collection of a few families, of
whom the eldest member was the leader, and was called the Thakur.
These gentlemen increased their estates during the latter Nawabi times
by appropriating the shares of their brethren.
The land owning clans are the following : —
Pargana.
Name of Chhattri clan.
In Gundlamau ...
...
Bachhils.
„ Bari
...
Bais.
„ Pirnagar
...
Bais.
„ Maawaa
.«•
Panwar.
„ Kamkot • .„
...
Janirar,
„ Kurauna
...
Jauwar.
„ Machhrehta
...
Kachhwaha, Janwar, Bachhil, Bais, Eathor.
It may be observed that the Janwars are mainly to the west of the
Sarayan river, the Bais to the east ; both of these clans are probably of
indigenous origin as are also the Bachhils and the Raghubansis. The
Panwdrs, Kachhw^has, Gaurs are immigrants from Rajputdna. None of
the above clans have a rija in the district ; from outside the district the
Ahban r4ja of Mitauli, the Panwar rija of Itaunja, and the Raikwar r4ja
of Baundi did to a certain extent exercise a control over their clansmen
in the district. But it is noteworthy that there is not in the district a
single raja by descent recognized as such by the people, the title is not even
claimed by any one. The special feature of the Sitapur land proprietary
is the existence of a number of men, about fifteen, with large estates paying
Bs. 5,000 to Rs. 19,000 land revenue, who have not been entered in the
SIT 385
taluqdar's list. Practically this is now no loss (o them, and in some res-
pects is an advantage.
Atjiiqiiit^ of the clans. — About the origin or antiquity of these clans
little need be said. The Bais are not Tilokchaudi at all, and the 9,sser-
tion of the taluqdars to that effect is in defiance not only of the statement
of the admitted descendants of the great Baiswara chief but is opposed to
all chronology. For instance, they make Todar Mai a contei3(iporary of
Tilok Chand's, although the latter died in the reign of Babar. The Bais
really belong to the very numerous clan of Kath Bais, whose power se^ms
to have centered in Kursi pargana and Gundwa pargana of the Lucknow
and Hardoi districts ; these are only separated from the Bais colony in Bdri
and Pirnagar by the Bdchhil intruders of Gundlamau. These Bais are
probably some aboriginal tribe which assumed the title of Rajput
after the break-up of the Buddhist system. The rijas and raos of Bais-
wara dieny that they have any, even illegitimate, connexion with them-
selves, or are in any way descended from Salbahan, the great ancestor of
the Tilokchandis. The Janwars are also probably aboriginal. The Eaghu-
hansis allege a descent from the former rulers of Ajodhya ; they possibly
are of the Surajbans blood ; they had four large estates each of 44
villages in pargana Kundri, but have none now. The Kayaths allege
very old tenures in Biswan and Sadrpur, but their statements are not
confirmed.
Janwdr Chhatfris. — Kalka Bakhsh, of Ramkot, pargana Ramkot. The
family which this gentleman represents has, it is said, lived in Ram-
kot ftHT some 300 years. Its early history is obscure. The immediate
predecessor of Kalka Bakhsh, Hardeo Bakhsh, distinguisiied himself by
profuse expenditure on works of public utility. A very fine tank at Ranxr
kot, and the long and fine avenues of trees upon all public roads converg-
ing on the village, still attest his great liberality. Kajka Bakhsh was a
foundling, and Hardeo Bakhsh having no heir adopted him as his son.
Subsequently, and contrary to his expectations, a son was born to him.
The adopted son succeeded to the estate on his father's death, and took
the management while the son was a minor. The latter holds half the
estate under his adopted brother. Kalka Bakhsh, in the rebellion of 1857,
received into his fort a British officer who escaped from the massacre at
Sitapur, and forwarded him on towards Lucknow where he arrived safely.
An estate of the annual rental of Rs. 1,000 was conferred upon him by
Government for this act of loyalty.
Oaitr Chhattris, Pargana Ldharpur. —
(1) — Thakur Shiu Bhaksh Singh, of Katesar.
(2). " " - ■"■ ' -^- '
(3;.
(4).
(5)..
(6).
These six gentlemen and a large number of smaller landholders in the
Sitapur district date their family history from their ancestor Chaudar
49
. — Thakur Beni Singh, of Kdnhmau.
,— Thakur Shiu Bakhsh Singh, of Bihat.
. — Fazl Ali Khan, of Akbarpur.
. — Bahadur Singh, of Keshopur.
'. — ^Munnu Singh, of Barehta.
386 SIT
Sen, whom tradition asserts to have been of royal descent in Ndrkanjari.
He came to Oudh in the time of Alamgir Aurangzeb, a^ont A.D. 1658.
From his four sons — Ajit Mai, Nag Mai, Khark Sen, and Udho Ram — are
descended a large family of Gaurs who have absorbed nearly the whole
land in the Sitapur, Ldharpur, and Chandra parganas. Their descendants
are known by the name of the ancestor of each branch. Of the six great
taluqdars detailed above the three first are known as Nag Mais, the three
last as Ajit Mais, and of the smaller zamindars, descendants of the four
sons of Chandar Sen, each preserves the family appellative of his own
line. Of the Ndg Mais, Tej Singh, one of their ancestors, was invested
with the title of raja about A.D. 1650.
Musalvnan Qaur Rajput. — Thakur Fazl Ali Khan, of Akbarpur, par-
gana Laharpur, is a Musalman. The estate of this branch was confiscated
three generations back in consequence of certain disturbances in which
the head of the family Mahabali took part. It was, however, restored to
him on condition of his embracing the Musalman faith, which condition
he accepted. Since then the family have been Muhammadans, but they
still observe Hindu customs, and mix with the Hindu members of the
family on friendly terms, observing only those distinctions which the
diversity of religion renders compulsory.
Baikwdr Rdjput, — Thakur Guman Singh, taluqdar of Rampur. Ma-
thura, pargana Kundri, is the present representative of a family which have
held the E&mpur property for the last 680 years. They claim relation-
ship to Mahdraja Jai Chand, said to have formerly ruled Oudh when it
was subordinate to Kanauj ; and they came from their native town Raika,
in the Jummoo territory, seventeen generations back. Family tradition
holds that the estate, at that time lying waste, was conferred on their
ancestor for services against the notorious dacoits named Sarangdhar and
Kapdrdhar of the Bhar caste. Beyond this nothing is known of their
family history.
Other branches of this stock held estates in Ramnagar, in Bara Banki,
in Rahwa, and Hariharpur in Bahraich, and in Mallapur in Sitapur.
The Chahl^ri estate in Sitapur, and the Baundi estate in Bahraich,
belonged also to members of this family, but were confiscated for rebellion
in 1857.
Rdo Muneshar Bakhsh, of Mallftpur, is related by blood to the Rampur
taluqdar, and his family have held this estate for ten generations, before
which they occupied, it is said, lands in Baundi,
As in ihe case of the Rampur family, their exact history is not known,
but tradition assigns a common origin to the two families.
Bais Chhattris. — Mahraj Singh, taluqdar of Kanhmau, pargana BarL
This family traces its descent from Tilok Chand, who is said to have
been the father of all the Bais clan in Oudh. He is said to have come
from Mlingi P&tan in the west ; but the connexion of this family with
SIT 387
the great Tilok Chand is fabulous, and they have no commensality with
the real descendants of that monarch. Bhikham Singh and Thdna
Singh came to Bahrimau, in Pirnagar, in the service of Dl-wka. Kesho
Das, who was agent for Dost Muhammad Khan and Pfr Muhammad
Khan, at that time Subahdars in Oudh, and who held the lands as
jagir. On the resumption of thejagir, thirteen years later, Bhikham
Singh and Thana Singh remained in possession as zamindars. For
three generations the estate was undivided, but in the time of Jagat
Rae the estate was divided between his two sons, Kanh Singh and Madkar
Sah&e ; K&nh Singh took the Kanhmau estates, and is the ancestor of
the present representative, Mahrdj Singh. The father of the latter was
rewarded for loyal services in the rebellion by a grant of land of the annual
value of Ks. 2,000, and was made Honorary Assistant Commissioner in
his own estates.
Jawahir Singh, taluqdar of Basahidih, pargana Bari. This gentleman
is descended from Madkar Sah^e, brother of Kanh Singh, and is therefore
nearly related to the Kanhmau family, of which Mahraj Singh is the
present head. Jawahir Singh was rewarded for loyal conduct in the
rebellion of 1857 by a grant of land of the annual value of Rs. 5,000.
He afterwards was made an Honorary Assistant Commissioner, but was
allowed to resign office in 1863. He was convicted of taking part in
a riot attended with loss of life in November, 1873, and was imprisoned
for seven years with fine of Rs. 10,000,
Panwctr Chkattris. — Harihar Bakhsh, taluqdar of Saraura, pargana
Manwan, The family of this taluqdar came from Gwalior about A.D.
1602, and the three brothers, Malam Deo, Phul Deo, and Mai Deo, from
whom the family are descended, possessed themselves of large estates in
Itaunja, Mahona, Saraura, and Nilgaon. The descendants of Malam Deo
still hold the Itaunja estates in the Lucknow district. The last represent-
ative of the family of Phiil Deo, Digbijai Singh, lost the Mahona estates
for rebellion in 1857, and the descendants of M&l Deo hold the estates of
Saraura and Nilgaon ; the family estates of that branch having been
divided by the two brothers, Binda D^s and Harl Dds, in the third genera-
tion from Mai Deo.
The Saraura family, of which Harihar Bakhsh is the head, is descended-
from Binda D^s,
Th4kur Durga Bakhsh, of Nilgaon, pargana Manwan. This gentleman
is descended from Harf T>ks in the third generation from Mai Deo. He
was rewarded for good and loyal services in the rebellion of 1857 by a
grant of land of the yearly rental of Rs. 1,000.
Kdyath. — ^Thakurs Anant Singh, Jagan Nath Singh, Ganga Bakhsh, and
Hardeo Bakhsh, taluqdar of Rampur Kalan, pargana Biswan. The ances-
tor of this family received in reward ajdgir of 20 villages about A.D. 1150
from the king of Delhi, and he and his family have lived in Biswdn since
that time. Such is the family chronicle, but it may be remarked that Oudh
was not in the kingdom of Delhi at any time during the twelfth century;
288 SIT
They were at one time dri\'en out by the Bhars, but were subseqaetitly
restored in the reign of Akbar some tAventy years later, and the office and
title of qdnungo were then conferred on the head of the family. The
present representative is q&nungo of Bisw^n, Thdkur Dariao Singh, the
father of these gentlemen, was rewarded for loyalty during the -rebellion of
18&7 by the grant of an estfite.of Rs, 1,000 rental.
Another branch of the main stock is represented by the non-taluqdari
family 6{ Ohaudhri Arjiin Singh.
Khattvi. — Seths Sita Ram and Raghubar Dayal, talnqdar of Moiz-ud-
dinpur, pargana Biswan. The ancestor of this family, Jiwan D&s, came
from Delhi about 1720 with Nawab Sa^dat Khan, and received from him
a grant of 1S7 Villages. In the third generation the estate was seized by
the Government, but about A.D. 1820 a portion of it, known as Moiz-ud-
dinpur, was restored. The rest was confiscated. These taluqdars' pre-
decessor, Murli Manohar Seth, was rewarded for loyalty during the
rebellion by a grant of land of the annual value of Rs. 2,000, and remission
of Rs. 1,000 from his revenue. He held the office of treasurer of the
Sitaplur district.
Sita Ram Mehra, taltiqdar of Bisendi, pargana Biswan. The ancestor
of this gentleman was a Delhi banker, who came to Oudh about 200
years ago and settled in Lucknow and Biswdn, in which places the
family have been bankers ever since. The greater pari of the ^tate was
acquired in A.D. 1863 by purchase. Sita Ram Mehra was rewarded for
loyalty during the rebellion by the grant of an estate of the yearly rental
of Rs. 2,000.
Khdn^ddas.-^BfAjsk Amir Hasan Khan, taluqdar of Mahiaaudabad, par-
gana Mahmudabad. This. gentleman is descended from Shekh Nathu, who
about 1360 A.D. Was employed by the king of Dehli against the Bhars,
and was rewarded for good services by the grarit of large estates in and
about Fatehpur. In the fourth generation D4fld Khan was invested with
the title of " Nawab," which was supplemented by several additional
distinctions " MuzafFarjang," "Bahadiir," &c., in the time of Bazid Khan in
the sixth generation, but these titles died with him. In the twelfth
generation a division of estate took place between the issue of Muhammad
Imdm Kh^n.
Muh^mmacl Imam Khao,
Mohammad Ikram Kban,
Mazhar Ali Kban.
Muaahib Ali Khan and Sarfaraz Ali Khan.
Amir Ali Kban.
These two branches divided the estate in equal portions, Mus4hib Ali
Khan and Sarfaraz Ali Khan dying childless, Musahib Ali's widow managed,
SIT 389
the estate during her life, and before her death adopted one of the sons
of Amir Ali Khan, named Nawab Ali Khan, who succeeded her in posses-
sion of her estate. The other, and elder son of Amir Ali Khan, named
Ibtid Ali Khan, succeeded to the whole of Amir Ali KJian's estate, which
is now knowm as the taluqa of Paintepur. In 1850 the title of raja was
conferred upon Nawab Ali Khan by the king of Omdh, and in 1852, the
titles " Muqim ud-^daula" Bahadur " Q6im Jang" were added. The present
raja owes his title to the British Government. Nawab Ali Khan died
in 1858 during the rebellion ; and on re-occupation by the British, his son,
then a minor, was placed Under the Court of Wards.
The estate is the largest in the Sitapur district. It was brought to its
present condition mainly by the exertions of Musahib Ali Khan, his widow,
and Nawab Ali Khan. The caste of this family is Musalman Shekb, but
they are usually called Khanzadas, because at some remote time the title
" Khan" was conferred on one of their ancestors.
Muhammad K^im Husen Khan, taluqdar of Paintepur Bilahra, par-
gana Mahmudabad. This taluqdar is the son of Raja Ibad Ali Khan.
It is said that the title of rija was conferred on Raja Ibad Ali Khdn in
1853 by the king of Oudh, but it was not recognized by the British
GoTernment.
Arab, — Mirza Muhammad Ali Beg, taluqdar of Aurangabad, and Mirza
Ahmad Beg, taluqdar of Qutubnagar, pargana Mahmudabad, have for
their ancestor Mirza Bahadur Beg, otherwise known as Farrukh Fal, an
Arab, who settled at Delhi in the time of Shah Jahan about 1644 A.D.
In the reign of Aurangzeb he received a grant of land in Nimsar then a
large pargana, and in honour of the king he named the estate Auranga-
bad, "by which name the pargana is known to this day, the old name of
Nimsar having fallen into disuse. It is said that the estate consisted of
1,500 villages. Of the four sons of Bahddur Beg, the two youngest
returned to their native country, the two remaining divided the estate, the
elder Saddat Khan retaining the main portion, and the second, Yar Ali
Beg, receiving the Qutubnagar estate.
Mughal: — Nawab Arajad Ali Khan,* taluqdar of Sendhur estate, par-
gana Khairabad. This nobleman is the son of Munawwar-ud-daula, formerly
Wazir of Oudh, who acquired the estate during his tenure of office.
Path<in.-*-B.iija, Shamsher Bahadur, taluqdar of Saadatnagar in Sitapur,
pargana Miarikh and Jalalnagar in Hardoi. The family of this gentleman
are cornmonly called Mughals, but are really Ytisufzai Pathfins. An ances-
tor followed Nddir Shah from Kabul to Delhi in the year A.D. 1734, and
more recently the great-grandfather of the present rAja, Mirza Agha
Muhammad Ali Beg, came to Oudh in command of troops, and was
rewarded for good services by the grant of an estate. The father of the
present representative was created a rdja by Wajid Ali Shah the king of
Oudh, which title his son in'herits.
* Has diea since these remarks were written,
390 SIT
Sayyad. — Mir Muhaaimad Husen, taluqdar of Kali, pargana Misrikh and
Rajapdra. This gentleman is a native of Budaun, where he has some
small landed property. He entered the service of the Oudh Government
and was ohakladar for some time, and afterwards rose to be a collector.
During his tenure of office he became possessed of his present estate by
mortgage. The precise history of this family is not known. One brother
was killed during the rebellion, and another, Fida Husen, commonly
known as " Captain," is now a taluqdar in the Kheri district.
The non-taluqdari fwmilies. — The following gentlemen have large pro-
perty and influence, although they are not taluqdars : —
Janwdr Ghhattris. — Thakur Mddho Singh, &c., of Jargaw&n in pargana
Kurauna, tahsil Misrikh. The history of this gentleman's family has been
lost, and beyond the fact that their ancestor came to Oudh from Janakpur
about 400 years ago even tradition is silent. The names of the heads of
the family cannot be traced back beyond four generations; but of these
four it may be recorded that one was in possession of the estate for 75
and another for 72 years, instances of longevity which can hardly be
equalled in any family in the district.
Janwdr Chhattris.—Thaknr Debi Singh, of Banianmau, in pargana
Machhrehta, tahsil Misrikh. Tradition assigns a very ancient date to the
first acquisition of the estate by the head of this family. The genealogical
tree extends back over 33 generations aaid 1,149 years. Beyond the
names and dates, however, little or nothing is known, except that the
family came originally from Gujarat.
Beni Singh, taluqdar of Ulra, in pargana Biswan, tahsil Biswan. This
gentleman's family have lived in Sitapur for fourteen generations. Their
ancestor was Dewa Ram, who came from Jaipur and settled in Oudh about
A.D. 1510. Beyond the genealogical tree little or nothing is known.
Thfikur Balbhaddar Singh, of Bujhera, in pargana Sadrpur, tahsil Bari,
is descended from Hastraj, a native of Gwalior, and a risalddr in the Oudh
service. The estate belonged to the Bhars, a race at that time in process
of extermination, and now extinct. It is supposed that the estate was
conferred on Hastrdj for good service, and that he drove out the Bhars
and took possession.
Raghvhansi Chhattris. — Gopal Singh, taluqdar of Bamhnawdn,in pargana
Kundri, tahsil Biswan. The family of this gentleman is descended from
S&than Rde, a resident of Ajodhya, who about A.D. 1072 settled in the
Mallapur duab driving out the aborigines from Garh Qila. The history of
the family is obscure, but it is certain that the estate has suffered much
in recent times, and that the family of Raghubansis, formerly a large and
powerful clan, is gradually dying out.
In that portion of the duab still known as Garh, and which comprises
nearly the whole of pargana Kundri, a tradition exists that the cultivar
tion of sugar is fatal to the cultivator, and that the tiling of a house brings
SIT 391
down divine displeasure upon the builders. To this day no sugar is
giwn nor a house tiled in the whole of the Garh estates. The origin of
this tradition has been lost.
Thakur&in of Shiu Bakhsh Singh, of Sikri Sipauli, in pargana Tambaur,
tahsil^ Biswan. This lady is also a descendant of SAthan Rae, and
inherits part of the old family estates of Garh Qila. The history of the
ancestors been has lost though their names have been preserved. The
separation of branches took place in the third generation from S^than
Rae. These two families alone possess property in this district of the
once all powerful Eaghubansis.
Kunwar Chhattris. — ^Ranj it Singh, Munnu Singh, Mahipat Singh, taluq-
dars of Deokalia, in pargana Biswan, tahsil Biswan. The history of this
family has been lost, but they trace their pedigree back for eleven genera-
tions, and believe themselves to belong to the aboriginal inhabitants of
Oudh. They are Ahbans of the Mitauli family.
Kachhwdha Chhattris. — Widow of Hari Singh, Bhikham Singh, Raghu-
nath Singh, Bijai Singh, and Zalim Singh, taluqdars of Bihat Bairam, in
pargana Machhrehta, tahsil Misrikh. This family descended from Bairam
Singh, an inhabitant of Jaipur, who settled in Oudh about 1459 A.D.
The family history is unknown, but the names of the various members of
it have been preserved for eleven generations back to BairAm Singh, from
whom the taluqa derives its name (Bi'hat Bairam). The present represent-
atives were honourably distinguished in the rebellion of 1857 by protect-
ing European fugitives, for which they were rewarded by a grant of land
of the annual value of Rs. 443.
Converted Kdyath. — Muhammad Bakhsh, taluqdar of Sarwa Jalfilpur in
pargana Biswan, tahsil Biswan, is a member of the same family as Thdkur
Anant Singh. The estate was divided in the third generation, and both
branches remained Hindu until recently. The grandfather of Muham-
mad Bakhsh was his father's only son by a Muhammadan mother, and the
estate descended to him in default of Hindu heirs.
Shekh. — Chaudhri Lutf Ahmad and GhuMm Ahmad, taluqdars of AUd-
dadpur in pargana Bari, tahsil Bari. This family has lived in the Sitapur
district for ten generations. They were originally Hindus, but their ances-
tor, Partab Singh, is said to have suffered from a boil, and for its cure to
have been anointed with the fat of cows when insensible, in consequence
of which he turned Musalman. About this time he received in reward
from the king of Delhi an estate in the Sitapur district, into which, accor-
ding to the custom of those days, he had to fight his way with the sword.
He was subsequently appointed Chaudhri of Bari, which post his family
have held for ten generations. Partab Singh had three sons (Hindus) by
his first wife, and one son (a Musalman) by a second marriage. The larger
estates in Bari are held by the descendants of the Musalman branch, and
' some smaller estates are still in possession of the Hindu family, descendants
of the three sons of his first marriage.
392 SIT
Emnts of the mutiny in 1857 A.D. — A description of this district
would hardly be complete without an acceunt of the mutiny and outbreak
of the native troops stationed at Sitapur in 1857. The foll»wing graphic
account by Mr. Martin Gubbins, who bore so prominent a part in the
defence of Lucknow, will well repay perusal. With it ends this notice of
the district of Sitapur, it being only sufficient to add here that on the
restoration of order in 1858 the Government offices were re-opened, and
that ever since the district has enjoyed complete repose, and the people
are rapidly progressing in the march towards prosperity and civilization.
Outbreak of the troops, Zrd June, 1857. — The first outbreak took place
at Sitapur, the headquarters of the Khairabad division, of which Mr.
G. J. Christian was Commissioner. On the 4th of June, a scrap of paper
containing a few lines, without any signature, brought in by a police horse-
man, stationed on the Sitapur road, announced to us that some European
refugees from that station required assistance. Captain H. Forbes at once
started from Lucknow with a party of mounted volunteers and Sikh
horsemen to escort them, and every carriage, buggy, and conveyance avail-
able was sent out to bring them in.
Late in the evening they arrived ; a party of men, ladies, and children,
worn and exhausted, having travelled all that day in the burning sun, and
all the preceding night. Some of the ladies had ridden the whole way,, others
with the children had been conveyed in buggies. Many of the ladies had
returned by this time from the Residency to ray house, and we now gladly
received a party of the Sitapur refugees, vi^., Mrs. Apthorp and three
children, and Mrs. and Miss Birch. The. other officers and ladies were
accommodated at the Residency at Mr. Ommaaey's and iii the houses of the
garrison ; this party of the fugitives had been escorted in by about thirty
sep&ys of the 41st regiment, native infantry, to which they themselves
mainly belonged. About half these men had from the first protected
them, and had started with them, the second half had followed and joined
them on the road not without suspicion of their having come with evil
intention. But there being several well-armed officers of the party, if
such ill designs had been harboured they were not attempted. All the
men therefore were most cordially received by Sir Henry Lawrence; high
praises and promises of reward were given them ; and they were placed
under their own commander, Majo^ Apthorp, in the Machchhi Bhawan.,
Strange is it that, within one fortnight, even th^se men could no longer,
be trusted. A Christian drummer overheard sojne miitinous discourse, and
it was thought best to tender to them the option of returning to their
homes. When this offer was made, it was gladly accepted by ali without,
exception, and not a man remained with the officers whose lives they
had before saved.
Some days after, by ones and twos, other fugitives arrived. Mr. Bickers,
a clerk, and his family, who had been concealed [and kindly treated
by the villagers, Lieutenant Lester, Assistant Commissioner, who spoke,
highly of the kindness and aid which he had experienced from the'
people who had escorted him from village to village. This officer joined.
SIT 393
ttiy garrison. About three weeks afterwards arrived a native cart escorted
by a few villagers containing Mr. Dudman, a clerk, and his family, and
several other East Indians ; with them arrived Mrs. Dorin, whose hus-
band while commanding the 10th regiment, Oudh irregular infantry, at
Sitapur, had been butchered before her eyes. She was dressed in native
clothes, had been lodging in a native village for more than a fortnight, and
now found a home in our house. All this party spoke highly of the kind-
ness with which they had been treated ; and, with Sir Henry Lawrence's
sanction, I sent to the zamindar who had thus protected them an ofEcial
document promising him high reward.
From all these parties we fully learnt the sad particulars of the mutiny
at Sitapur. At that station were quartered the 41st regiment of native
infantry, the 9th and 10th regiments of Oudh irregular infantry, and the
2nd regiment of military police. The troons rose on the 3rd of June. The
outbreak had long been feared, and the Commissioner, Mr. Christian, who
maintained a bold and ilianly bearing throughout the anxious time, had
collected the civilians and their families at his house, which he proposed
to defend by aid of a strong guard of the regiment of military police
which he believed to be staunch. He had advised his military friends to
send their ladies to him also for safety, but fortunately this had not
been done. One lady from cantonments alone came, Mrs. Stewart, and she
with extraordinary prudence took a good survey of the position. On two
sides of Mr. Christian's compound flowed the small river Sarayan, and there
was no means of reaching the high road but through the military canton-
ments. Considering the position to be unsafe, sbe returned to her home,
and fortunately was one of the first party of refugees. On the morning of
the 3rd June, a cry was raised in the lines of the 41st regiment that the
10th irregulars were plundering the treasury ; and as the men were in a
state of excitement, the commander. Colonel Birch, who reposed the most
entire confidence in his men, called out the two most suspected companies,
the light and the rifle, and led them to the treasury. All there was found
to be quiet, and .the colonel was about to return, when a sepoy of the
guard stepped out of the ranks and shot him in the back. Colonel Birch
fen from his horse dead ; and Lieutenant Smalley and the sergeant-major
were then killed. The adjutant. Lieutenant Graves, escaped wounded,
through a volley of bullets. The mutiny soon spread to the irregular
regiments. In the 9th regiment the commandant (Captain Gowan_) and
bis wife, the second in command (Lieutenant Greene), and the Assistant
Surgeon (Mr. Hill) were destroyed. Mrs. Greene escaped. In the 10th
regiment the commander (Captain Dorin) the second in command (Lieute-
nant Snell), his wife; and child were murdered. Mrs. Dorin (whose arrival
had been mentioned) and the Adjutant (Lieutenant Burnes) escaped.
Captain John Hearsey, commanding the 2nd regiment military police
was protected by some of his men, and escaped. At Mr. Christian's bungalow
the scene must have been fearful. At the commencement of the outbreak
he proceeded outside to put in readiness the guard of military police in whom
he confided. The wretches immediately turned and fired on him. Flying
back into the house, he alarmed the assembled inmates; and the men, ladies,
50
394 SIT;
and children fled out of llie bungalow on the opposite side of the house which\
faced the river ; pursued and fired upon by the miscreants of the military'
police, and other regiments which now joined them, some were shot down
before they reached the stream, others were killed in it, a few perished on
the opposite bank, two or three only escaped, vis:.. Sir Mountstuart Jackson
and his two sisters and little Sophy Christian, who was saved by Sergeant
Major Morton. There fell Mr. and Mrs. Christian and child, Mr. and Mrs.
Henry Thornhilland their children, and several others. Those who escaped
broke into, two parties. Lieutenant Burnes, Sir Mouatstuart, and Miss
Madeline Jackson, Sergeant- Major Morton and little Sophy Christian found
refuge, though an unwilling one, with the Raja Lone Singh at his fort of
Mitauli. Mrs. Greene, Miss Jackson, and Captain John Hearsey fled north-
wards, and, after being joined by other refugees, found shelter at Mathi^ri
with the Raja of Dhaurahira, whence also they had soon to fly.
The following account of a battle near Bisw^n and subsequent proceed-
ings is taken from Sir Hope Grant's Sepoy War : — " On the 13th April we
marched at daybreak, but had scarcely gone three miles on our way when
I heard the advanced guard commence firing. The road or rather track
had been very bad, and I had remained behind to see the heavy guns
brought across a nala. I immediately galloped to the front, and found
that a strong cavalry picket «f the enemy had attacked our advanced
guard, had surrounded a troop of Wale's horse, wounding one of the
officers, Prendergast,* and would have taken the two guns which were
with it, when they suddenly perceived a squadron of the 7th Hussars,
which the dust had hitherto prevented them from seeing, ready to charge
them, whereupon they wheeled about and galloped off. When I reached
the scene of the conflict I saw this hostile force, which now amounted
to some thousand men, working round our right flank, evidently bent on
attacking our baggage, which extended over a line of nearly three miles.
I instantly brought up 300 cavalry and twoof Mackinnon's guns to protect
our flank, and fired several shots at them, but without effect. In addition
to our rear guard, I ordered the Bengal Fusiliers to cover our right flank.
I sent a troop of the 7th Hussars to patrol along both flanks, and another
squadron to watch the movements of the sowars. The enemy came round
in rear of a village, and were in the act of charging upon our baggage
when the troop of the 7th Hussars, who were ready prepared for them,
dashed down and galloped through them, putting them to flight and
sabring many of their number.
" Captain Topham.f who commanded the troop, and who had run a native
officer through the body, was wounded by a lance. He had two men mor-
tally and six men slightly wounded. A little after another body of the
rebels charged down upon our baggage, but were met by two companies
of the Bengal Fusiliers, who poured a volley into them when within 30
yards distant, which rolled a number in the dust. Thereupon they
desisted from further attacks, and retreated as quickly as possible.
t Now Major M, M. Prendergast, second in command of the 4th Bengal cavalry,
t CaptaiQ R. Topham is now in command of the 1 6th Bengal cavalry.
SIT 395
" The infantry were then ordered to advance. The enemy occupied a
village on a hill in front of us; at the base of which a stream flowed.
Large columns were posted on both sides of this valley. I threw out the
nfle brigade in skirmishing order, supported by the 5th Punjab corps.
The main line in rear advanced close up to the village under a heavy fire
and stormed it gallantly, capturing two colours.
_" We afterwards advanced and took the higher ground, the rebels bolting
without firing a shot. The cowardly fellows might, with a little resolution,
have defended the position for some time, as the banks and honey-combed
ground would have delayed us under fire considerably, but they had no
confidence either in themselves or in their leaders. Whether they had
artillery or not I cannot say. Our cavalry on the right captured a wag-
gon filled with ammunition, but no guns opened on us.
" We proceeded to Beleri, three miles distant, and were there told that
the Maulvi had commanded the cavalry in person. This I doubt, as all
their leaders valued too much their precious lives.
" The next day we marched to Burassie, 12 miles off. The weather was
now becoming excessively hot, and poor Augustus Anson, who had held
out so long, was taken very unwell with a dreadful sickness and dysentery.
He was obliged to get off his horse, and was carried in a doli.
" A decoction of the bel fruit, which was now ripe was given to him, and
the next day he was in a fair way to recovery.
On 15th April we marched for Mahmudabad where it was reported
Kh5.n Ali Khan had collected a force of 3,000 men. On reaching the town,
however, we found it deserted, and the chiefs house, though surrounded
with mud walls and bastions, left undefended."
SITAPUR Pargana* — Tahail Sitapue — District Sitapur. — Pargana Sita-
pur runs north and south, and in shape resembles a pear ; its length being
20 miles and its greatest breadth 9 miles. It is bounded on the east and
south by the Sarayan, a small stream fordable in the dry weather, but
rising to a great height in the rains, on the west by pargana Maholi, and
on the north by the district Kheri.
The superficial area is 115 square miles, of which 67 are cultivated,
and the following is the detail in acres :—
43,029 cultivated, ") „ggegg„a
12,221 culturaljle, j assessed.
8,651 revenue-free, ] unasseased
9.794 barren, junasseasea.
making up a total of 73,695 acres.
Its villages (mauzas) number 159, besides which there are 11 grants
amounting in all to 170.
There are no hills or lakes in the pargana, and its natural features are
those of the greater part of Oudh — namely, a flat fertile country with
* By Mr, M, L. Ferrar, B,A., C.S., Assistant Commissioner.
396 SIT
numerous groves. There are many wells ; water being found at a depth
of from 20 to 28 feet from the surface of the ground.
Beside the bazars in the town of Sitapur there are others at Artia, Sar-
di, Khamolia, and Kania.
There are no places of special historical interest in the pargana, and
the only sacred buildings deserving notice are the Qazi's Imambara, the
Shiwala of Shamn4th, Mahddeo, and a temple in honour of the mythical
Sita — all in the town of Sitapur.
The population as estimated at the census of 1869 is as follows : —
Hindus, agricultural 21,790^Mu8alma^, agricultural 1,030
„ non-agricultural 20,035 f „ non-agricultural 7,021
Total Hindus 41,825/ Total Musalmana 8,071
The total population of the pargana being 49,896, or 434 to the square
mile.
The Musalmans form about 16 per cent, of the entire population, and
the principal castes of the Hindus are Brahmans 6,036, Kajputs 3,918,
Kayaths 1,117, Ahirs 2,657, Pfisis 4,092, Chamars 6,725, Kahars 1,596,
Lodhs 1,085, Muraos 1,766, Kurmis 1,196. The amount of cultivated land
per head of agricultural population is 1"90 of an acre, and of assessed
land 2-4.
There are no mines or quarries in the pargana with the exception of
some inconsiderable kankar diggings, lime being manufactured from the
kankar. The manufacture of sugar is also carried on to some extent, and
with these exceptions the productions of the district under notice are of
the ordinary description.
The present assessment amounts to Rs. 66,079, being an increase of
Es. 9,868, or 17J per cent, on the summary settlement, and giving the
following incidence : —
O n cultivated land .„ ,., „■ 19 6 per acre.
,, assessed „ ,., ,„ ... 13 3 „
^, total area „ ... ... ,., 0 IS 11 „
The pargana contains 9,697 houses, which gives an average of 51
individuals to each house.
Of 159 villages only five are owned by taluqdars, and of the remaining
154 so many as 115 are held by Gaur Chhattris, and only nine by the
Nandwani Chauhans who preceded them in the dominion of the district.
The climate is good, the productive powers of the soil a good average,
and the state of agriculture fair. The rents are almost entirely paid in
kind.
The history of the pargana is traditional only and is as follows : — Ram
Chandar and his consort Sita are said to have sojourned in the place
SIT 397
where Sitapurnow stands, which town was founded in her honour by
King Bikramdjlt, who raised a temple to the heroine and called the name
of the place Sitapur or the city of Sita. To come to later times,, in 590
A.H. (A.D. 1092), or about seven centuries ago, a tribe of Chauhans under
Gahildeo, a relative of King Pirthiraj of Delhi, invaded the district and
drove out the then possessors who were Kurmis and low-caste tribes, and
founded a fort in Saadatn agar then called Bhik Gahildeo, and his successors
reigned for 10 generations it is said, each reign lasting 50 years. This is
manifestly incorrect, but the people believe it and give the dynasty thus :
I. Gahildeo, 11. Lohang Sah, III. Suraj Sdh, IV. Sujan S&h, V. Dara Sdh,
VI. Lachhman Sah, VII. Kalidn Sdh, VIII. Chandar Sen, IX. Gutram, X.
HIraman.
These Chauhdns are locally known as Nandbansis, and they possess at
the present day nine villages only, one of them being the ancient Bhik,
now Saadatnagar,
So Gahildeo and his descendants held sway for five centuries until the
reign of Aurangzeb, when (in 1070 A.H.) a tribe of Gaur Chhattris, led
by another Chandar Sen from the North- West Provinces, invaded the
country and dispossessed the Chauhdns from the sovereignty, leaving
them Sitapur, Saadatnagar, and Tehar. This warrior king had four
sons named Ajit Mai, Nag Mai, Kharak Sen, and Udho Ram, whose
descendants are now distinguished from each other by the names of their
four progenitors, the Nagmals for instance, being different from the
Ajit Mais. They aU belong to that caste of Gaurs, which is -knowu as
the'Bamhan Gaur caste, and they still possess the greater part of the
pargana, though a stranger to both them and the Chauhans possesses the
town of Sitapur, Gur Parshad Qanungo, whose title rests on a deed of sale
to him from the former proprietors.
As constituted by Todar Mai the pargana consisted of 1282 villages with
certain Chaks and fractional parts of a village. The summary settlement
recognized 312 villages, which have now at regular settlement been
demarcated into 170,
With the exception of the Ramlila festival celebrated in the town of
Sitapur there are no fairs at all held in the pargana.
In the Ain-i-Akbari this pargana under the name^ChhitSpur occurs in
the list of muhals making up " SarkarKhairabad," and to the present day
the name is generally pronounced by the villagers as there spelled.
SITAPUR* — Pargana SiTAvvn—Tahsil Sitapur — District Sitapur. —
Sitapur, the chief town of the pargana of the same name is situated on
the small river Sarayan, and is 52 miles north-west from Lucknow, and 53
from Shahjahanpur, the high road between which two places passes
through it. The name is derived from that of R^m Chandar 's consort,
who is said to have tarried in this locality some time during her pilgrim-
age ; and the town itself was founded after the Musalmans had captured
* By Mr, M, L. Ferrar, 3 A,, C.S., Assistant Commissioner.
3D8 SIT— SRI
Delhi in her honour by certain Nirbansi Chhattris, whose descendants,
as Nandbansis, held it down to modern times. It now belongs to a K&yath
family.
The population numbers 5,780, being pretty equally divided between
Hindus and Musalmans, being about 5 of the former to 6 of the latter.
There are besides the ordinary Musalman and Hindu religious buildings
a temple in honour of Debi, and said to have been founded by SIta, a num-
ber of Government buildings, such as a school-house, district offices, jail,
dispensary, &c. ; and as the place is at the same time the headquarters
of a Commissioner, and is garrisoned by European and native troops, there
are good bazars in which not only country but also foreign commodities
can be purchased. From Sitapur travellers can proceed to Lucknow or
Shahjahdnpur by ddk gari, the roads to either being metalled, and to Hardoi
40 miles, and Kheri 30, by palanquin dkh on a good unmetalled road.
The town and station are prettily situated, with good groves in all
directions ; an extensive serpentine artificial lake is a great ornament.
The Sarayan river meandering to the south-east is fordable in the dry
weather, but in the rains rises to a great height, and occasionally as in
1870 floods the town. There is no water communication with any other
town ; neither canal nor railway come near the place.
There are no manufactures, no very large fairs, though 8,000 people are
said to attend at the Kans-ka-mela in Bhadon (August), nor is the place
in any way historically famous. There are 56 masonry and 980 mud-built
houses in the native town, attending the school are 170 boys. The bazar
sales are estimated to average annually Rs. 4,82,010. The town lies in
longitude east 80°43' and in north latitude 27° 35'.
SRINAGAR Pargana — Tahsil LAKHrMPUR — District Kheri. — The par-
gana as it is at present constituted consists of the old pargana of Srina-
gar, and the trans-Ul portion of the old pargana of Kheri, consisting of
51 villages of that pargana which have been transferred since the census
was taken. Previous to this there had been a rectification of frontiers
along the Ohauka, andthecis-Chauka portion of parganaDhaurahra, consist-
ing of eleven villages and one grant, were transferred to Srinagar ; on the
other hand, the trans-Chauka villages of the old pargana of Srinagar now
belong to Dhaurahra. The pargana is very irregularly shaped, something
between a square and a circle. It is bounded on the west by pargana
Bhlir ; there is no natural boundary, and the line of separation is irregular
and about 21 miles in length ; on this side the pargana is only 15 miles in
length from north to south. On the south it is 24 miles broad, and is
separated from Pargana Kheri by the river Ul, and on the north it is 22
miles broad, and separated from pargana Dhaurahra by the river Chauka.
At the north-west corner at Pachperi Ghat it just touches pargana Nigha-
san. On the east there is no natural boundary, and here the pargana is
only seven miles long from north to south. It is bounded on this side by
the pargana of Tambaur in the district of Sitapur.
The original geographical feature of this pargana is the river Chauka
or Sdrda, and the history and topography of the pargana would to a great
SRI 399
extent consist of an account of the numerous changes in the course of
this river. At Buseha in Bhur, which lies to the north of the village of
Srinagar in the pargana of that name, there occurred manj' years ago a
great and important change in the river's course ; this has now to be des-
cribed. Up to about 40 years ago the Chauka seems to have flowed from
Buseha to Pachperi, and so on in its present channel, along the frontier
of Srinagar and Dhaurahra. In these days a small back water of the
river left it at Buseha and passed under Srinagar to the south, and after
a winding course of about 12 miles, it was joined by the river Kandwa
under the old village of Mahewa, the headquarters of the Mahewa
taluqa. Those two villages were large, populous, and prosperous places ;
both had bazars and temples and mango groves ; the former had a large
brick fort built at a time when Srinagar gave its name to a taluqa of
MuhammadanBiaens, of which it was the headquarters. About forty years
ago an unusually heavy rainfall caused the Chauka to rise about Buseha
beyond its banks. It swept over into the back water communicating
with the Kandwa, rushed up it, and covered the surrounding low country
with deep floods over an extent of about 50 square miles. These floods
caused widespread ruin ; Mahewa and Srinagar and several intervening
villages were completely destroyed, and a large tract of country was depo-
pulated and remained for many years a desolate waste.
After the autumn rains had ceased, the main body of water continued
to flow down the bed of the back water, partially deserting the old chan-
nel on the north. The Kandwa, which flowed into the back water at
Mahewa, had up to this time given its own name to the united streams
from that point, and they had flowed on till they rejoined the Chauka at
Eahria, 16 miles east of Mahewa. But from this time the little Kandwa
lost its identity by its connexion with its big neighbour, and for the last
16 miles of its course the united stream became known as the Chauka, and
by way of distinction I will now call it the southern Chauka. It is gene-
rally called the Chauka in this pargana while the name Sarda is reserved
for the more northerly stream. After this for about 30 years the Chauka
flowed in two large streams ; its own channel to the north and that of the
Kandwa or south Chauka to the south, which channels now average about
six miles apart. About ten years ago the fickle waters again completely
returned into their old bed and left the back water communicating with
the Kandwa quite dry.
Thus that branch of the river Chauka which I call the southern Chauka
does not now carry the waters of the real Chauka in any part of its course.
It is merely a continuation of the Kandwa and its tributaries. In the last
few years since the back water dried up, the villages of Srinagar and
Mahewa and those between them have greatly improved, and will pro-
bably in time regain all their former prosperity. Population has been
attracted in large numbers in the last few years, but a considerable period
must still elapse before the villages in this part of the pargana are once
more as well inhabited and cultivated as they used to be.
The high ridge as marking the southern limit of the river Chauka
in pargana Bhtir has almost disappeared at the point where the river
400 SRI
enters pargaiia Srinagar at the village of that name. It appears to crosS
over to the north side of the river between Buseha and Srinagar, for we
find a high and steep bank botinding the Chauka on the north in the
villages of Sona Adlabad and Miinra Munri in pargana Nighdsan, and
running off thence into pai'gana! Dhaurahra. There are ridges of varying
height along both banks of the southern Chauka throughout the whole
of its course, from Srinagar where, though now dry, its waters used to
leave the Chauka to Rahria where, conveying the waters of the Kandwa
and its tributaries which it has received on its way, it rejoins the Chauka.
There is this difference between the ridges on the noi*th and the south
bank of the southern Chauka, the ridge on the south bank gradually rises
into a still higher tract of countiy which reaches as far as the river Ul ;
the ridge on tTie north bank gradually sinks into a very low plain inter-
sected by ravines and covered with marshes. This plain has an average
■width of about three miles, and it then rises almost imperceptibly towards
the north into another ridge which bounds the southern bank of the'
Chauka.
The Chauka seems to resemble deltaic rivers in its formation of these
parallel ridges' along its sides, the usual course of such rivers is to' cast"
up silt along their sides, thus gradually making the lands through which
they flow higher than those somewhat further off. So much for the river
Chauka.
The TJl, which bounds the pargana on the south, is a very different river.
It has a low tarai on both sides varying, in width from a quarter of a mile
to half a mile, and this tarai it overflows in the autumn rains, but never ,
gets beyond it. It is a slow sluggish stream with a small volume of water,
an average width of twenty yards, and an average depth of 10 feet. Be-
yond the tarai the land rises by a gentle ascent into a flat plain of fertile
soil, which has an average width of 3 or 4 miles, and bounds the TJl along
its whole course in this pargana. In this plain are situated all the 51
villages which have been transferred to this pargana from Kheri, and this
tract bears a greater resemblance to pargana Kheri than to the rest of
pargana Srinagai*.
After the Chauka and the Ul the Kandwa remains to Be'mentioned ;
this river has been shortly described in the article on' pargana Bhiir. It
enters this pargana at M itra Bhoj i on the west frontier at a distance of three
miles from the Ul, and flowing parallel to that river for ten miles, joins
the southern Chauka at Majiewa as has been mentioned above.
On its way it is joined by a little stream called the Kutnaiya on the
south, and by the Janai on the north. The Janai enters the Srinagar
pargana at Bisaiyapur on the Bhiir frontier, and after receiving the waters
of ihe Mihanni and the Kusaiya joins the Kandwa a mile above Mahewa.
The tract of country through which flow these small streams gradually
converging to one point like the spokes of a wheel is low and marshy and
lies on a level intermediate between the high fertile plain along the Ul
and the g^njar country bounding the Chauka.
It is evident then that the geography of the pargana at once suggests
the chaks into which it should be divided. First we have t he plain along
SRI— SUB 401
the Ul, just beyond the Ul river plain comes the low marshy tract
which is watered by the little Kandwa and its still smaller tributa-
ries, then still further to the north and east are the gdnjar lands
along the river Chauka. These naturally constitute two chaks. The one
consists of the ridges along the north bank of the southern Chauka
and the south bank of the Chauka ; the ether consists of the low plain
between these ridges. In describing these chaks I take the ganjar country
first. An explanation of the name appears necessary, but I am unable to
give its etymology. It is ipplied generally to the low plains lying between
the Ohauka and the Kauriala rivers and stretching away to the foot of the
Himalaya range. Inhabitants of the country more to the south apply
the term also to the plain between the Ul and the Chauka. But the
residents of those parts for instance of Aliganj would repudiate the name.
I am told that the word is derived from gae (a cow) and means the cattle
pasturing country. I have said that there is a high ridge along the north
bank of the southern Chauka, and another high ridge along the southern
bank of the Chauka or Sarda. This follows the river along its southern
bank throughout the whole length of the pargana. During the rains the
waters rise and flow off out of the Chauka through various back waters
towards the south and south-east ; and as the surface of the land rises up
towards the ridges along the two rivers, and sinks into a wide low plain at
a distance of a few miles from them, the floods discharged by the Chauka
through these back waters first inundate the low plain, and then gradually
in a very Wet season rise up over the ridges to the north and south, and
flow over either into the southern Chauka or back again into the Sarda ;
the whole of the two ganjar chaks is therefore more or less liable to
inundations, but the waters do not stay so long in the land as they do in
the low plains along the river in pargana Bhiir.
The villages are large and contain many small hamlets scattered all
over their areas ; their sites as in Bhiir generally escape the floods ; but
mango groves are here numerous, and the scatterred khair and gular, i.e.,
catechu and wild fig trees so abundant in the more northern pargana do
not form here a chief feature of the landscape. All over the ganjar country
population has increased greatly during the last ten years, and pfosperous
fairly cultivated villages now stand in places where ten years ago there
was nothing but grass jungle.
The entire pargana contains an area of 229 square miles divided into
143 villages. Of this area of 146,339 acres 76,962 are cultivated, 49,020
are arable, and 19,120 are barren; the population is 75,840 at the rate of
331 to the square mile; the proprietary rights are mainly divided between
the taluqdars of Oel and Mahewa, who acquired possession as a revenue
arrangement about thirty-five years before annexation. A few villages
belong to the qandngo of Kheri.
SUBEHA Pa/rgcma — Tahsil HaidaegAEH — District Baea Bankl— This
pargana is bounded on the north by the Gumti, on the east by pargana
Jaadispur of Sultanpur, on the west by pargana Haidargarh, and on the
south by paro-ana Inhauna of Rae Bareli. Its area is 88 square miles or
56 467 acres. Of cultivated land there are 30,783 acres, and of uncultivated
51
402 SUB
25,684 ; the irrigated area is as much as 19,471 acres. In some paris
which are cut up by ravines the surface is uneven, but the greater part of
the pargana is level. The soil is chiefly loam. The climate is salubrious. The
river Gumti flows from west to east on the north border of the pargana ;
its length here is 24 miles; it skirts 15 villages. Water is met with at
from 50 to 60 feet. The chief thoroughfares are the road from Lucknow
to Sultanpur, and that from Rae Bareli to Daryabad. There is also a
third tract to Richh Ghfit. There are ferries at 12 places on the Gumti.
There are no manufactures except that of count^ cloth. Schools are at
Subeha, Bhatwara, Granwdn, Kursia, Pachori, and Muhammadpur. There
are post and registry ofiices at Subeha. The Government revenue amounts
to E.S. 66,105. The tenure is as follows : —
Taluqdari „; ,., ... .„ 23 villages.
Zamindari „, ... ,„ ,„ 3 „
Fattidari „, ,„ ,„ ... 61 „
86
The population is 52,510. In Subeha there is a shrine of ShadmdnShahid
where a fair is held every Jeth (May) ; the gathering is exclusively local.
Subeha and Chaubisi are villages possessing more than 2,000 inhabitants.
This has been known as a pargana since Akbar's time. The Bhars were
the former owners of the soil, but the Musalmans drove them away about
900 years ago under Masaud who was killed at Bahraich ; in later
times the Bais obtained possession. The taluqdars of the pargana are
Chaudhri Murtaza Husen and Bech-un-nisa.
SUBEHA — Pargana Subeha — Tahsil Haidargabh — District Bara
Banki. — This town lies in latitude 26° 38' north, longitude 81° 34' east, 52
miles north-west of Sultanpur, and 30 miles east of Bara Banki near
the river Gumti. The tahsil station of Haidargarh is 10 miles to the
south-west. There are good many tanks and masonry wells, but most
of the former are so shallow that in the rainy season the water overflows
them. Depth of wells is from 50 to 60 feet. There is a market held here
on Mondays and Thursdays. Country cloth is the only manufacture.
There is a school for teaching Urdu, Persian, and N^gri, also a police post
and a registry office. The population is 2,754, and the number of houses
is 691.
The origin of the name and the date of foundation of the town are lost
in obscurity. It is supposed to have been in the dominions of the Bhars
prior to the invasion by Sayyad Salar. The Moslems then seized it, and
they form a large portion of the inhabitants still. The principal inhabi-
tant, the late Chaudhri Sarfardz Ahmad, was a large landed proprietor ;
his ancestors, Khwaja Bahrdm and Khwdja Nizam, are alleged to have
accompanied Sayyad Salar and settled here.
But the family was obscure till 1033 A.H. (A. D. 1616), whenShekh Nasir
wasappointedchaudhriof the pargana Subeha by the Emperor Shah Jahta.
His descendants divided the pargana amongst themselves, but the office of
chaudhri remained undivided, and in 1209 (A. D. 1792), Chaudhri Im^m
Bakhsh commenced to absorb all the separate properties into his own
SUB— SUK 403
estate. Chaudhri Sarfaraz Ahmad continued this career of aggrandize-
ment; he acquired the Bhilwal estate also in this district/ and was granted
another near Simrauta in Kae Bareli as a reward for his exertions after
the mutiny. His successors are Murtaza Husen and his widow Bech-un-
nisa. A fort was built here by Mirza Quli, Chakladar, in the reign of
Asif-ud-daula, and a tahsildar was stationed here till 1227 (A. D. 1810).
The late owner of the property built a good brick house, and laid out a
garden on the banks of the Gumti.
STJDXmXNPUR— Panjraiia DAJMAV—Tahsil Lalganj— Disinci Rae
Baeeli — This village is situated two miles north of the Ganges ; it is so
called after Sudamin Singh, its founder, a Janwar Chhattri, who came
here about 500 years ago. It is situated in rather low ground which
receives the drainage of a large area, and is greatly cut up by ravines.
The ground rises gradually, and the skirts of the village are buried in
groves. The population is 2,140. There is a temple and fair in honour
of Kakoran, a Bhar hero, killed by Musalmans, referred to in Dalmau par-
gana article.
SUKHETA river — District Khebi — Has its source in the Shahjahanpur
district in latitude 27° 55' north longitude 80° 7' east, forming the boundary
between Shahjahanpur and Kheri. It flows in a south-easterly direction
for about 20 miles from its source ; it then runs about 2 miles east by north,
and finally turning in a south-westerly direction, enters into the Hardoi
district about 23 miles from its source in latitude 27° 39' north, longitude
80°13' east. Following the same direction it flows into the Garra in latitude
27° 18' north, longitude 80°2' east. Its total length may be estimated at
about 84 miles. It is a torrent in the raing, and cuts off communication
with Shahjahanpur.
404
SUL
SULTANPUR DISTRICT ARTICLE*
ABSTRACT OF CHAPTERS.
I. — Physical features. II. — Agriculture and Commerce. III. — The
PEOPLE. IV. — Administrative features. V. — History.
CHAPTER I.
PHYSICAL FEATURES.
Change of territory— General appearance— Eivers and streams— Jhils— Natural produc-
tions— Mineral productions — Fauna — Climate — Rainfall — Medical aspects.
Saltanpur. — The district of Sultanpur lies on both sides of the Gumti,
being bounded by Fyzabad on the north, by Partabgarh on the south,
and Jaunpur on the east. The district as at present constituted differs
entirely from that which existed prior to 1869. It will appear that there
were formerly twelve parganas in Sultanpur, of these seven remained in the
new district which also received four — Isauli, Sultanpur Baraunsa, Alde-
mau, and Surharpurf from Fyzabad. Of the five remaining one (Subeha)
went to Bara Banki, and the four others — ^Inhauna, Rokha J4is, Simrauta,
and Mohanganj — to Rae Bareli.
The area of the district, however, was little altered, and the population
only rose from 930,000 to 996,000. The object was to render the district
more compactly arranged round the headquarters and to secure easier
means of access to the courts and authorities for all the inhabitants.
This object was achieved at considerable cost, and the confusion of statist
tics so caused has not yet been cleared up. •
The old district.
Tahsil.
Pargana.
•
Number
of mauzas or
townships.
Total area
in Brtish
statute
miles.
Remarks.
Ikbauna ... '
Inhauna ••• •••
Jagdispur ,..
Subeha
Total
Rokha J&ls ...
Simrauta
Gaura Jamun
Mohanganj ... ...
Total
77
166
86
100
154
88
329
342
MOHANOAKJ ... <
no
73
91
75
164
97
93
80
319
424,
• Most of the information contained in this article is taken from the settlement report,
f Part only of the old Surharpur pargana was transferred to Sultanpur ; there are
thus two parganas of this name— one in this and the other in the Fyzabad district.
SUL
The old district — (concluded.)
405
TahsU.
Pargana.
Number of
mauzas or
townships.
Total area
in British
statute
miles.
Remarks.
Ameibi
Amethi ,„ ,„
laauli
TappaAsl ..t
Total
Sultanpnr ...
Chaada ...
Total
Distriet Total
864
85
97
399
61
67
546
427
SULTANPDE .„ I
299
290
246
130
689
376
1,913
1,569
The additions to the district then comprise the trans-Gumti parganas
of Isauli, Sultanpur Baraunsa, Aldemau, and Surharpur ; a description of
them is given under the respective headings, and for an account of the old
district of Sultanpur, which stUI constitutes the main portion of the new-
one, the settlement officer may be consulted. The present 'district lies
between 81°36' and 82° 43' east longitude, and between 26° 3' and 26° 38'
north latitude. Its extreme length is above 80 miles; its extreme
breadth about 38.
Slope and watershed. — With the exception of a gradual and scarcely
perceptible slope from north-west to south-east, its surface is generally
level, being broken only by ravines by which its drainage is effected. Its
watershed is identical with that of the Gumti and Sai rivers, starting
from a point nine miles west of Haidargarh in the Bara Banki district ; it
passes a little to the south of Jais and Sultanpur ; its altitude above mean
sea level being there 351 and 352 feet respectively, and thence onward to
Daiidpur some mUes e.ast of Partabgarh.
GeTieral appearance. — The various parts of the district present by no
means a uniform aspect ; the scenery of many spots on the Gumti is exceed-
ingly pretty, but its immediate neighbourhood is for the most part a black
and ravine cut tract, the dreariness of which is sometimes relieved only
by mango groves and single trees, and sometimes even these are wanting.
The road from Lucknow to Jaunpur again traverses nearly throughout
its entire length in this district; highly cultivated and well wooded villages,
rich in landscapes as picturesque and varied as a level country can display,
while in strong contrast with this fertile range there lies on the extreme
south a broad belt of rice land which, interspersed with large arid plains
and swampy jhils and marshes, possesses the dismal and uninteresting
character peculiar to such vicinities.
406 SUIi
Rivers and streams. — Not a single river, unless rain-streams be dignified
with the name, intersectsthe interior of the district. It is traversed however
for a considerable distance by the Gumti. The Gumti takes its rise from
the Fuljar Tal in an alluvial tract between the rivers Deoli or Garra and
Gogra in the district of Shahjahdnpur; it has a mean south-easterly direc-
tion, but its course is often extremely sinuous, a feature from which its
name is sometimes with questionable accuracy supposed to have arisen.*
It first touches this district on the west, and then flows along its entire
north-eastern border at the opposite extremity of which it^ enters the
district of Jaunpur. Within these limits its bed is generally regular,
and consists of a superficial stratum of clay overlying an inferior one of
sand. The former is usually about five or six feet in depth ; the latter is
more uneven ; in some places it is of immense thickness, in others it has
been penetrated and found to rest on a second kankar-dotted formation
of clay of yet unascertained dimensions. In some places, however, the
regularity of the bed is broken by large and curious kankar reefs, the most
remarkable of which is in the vicinity of the civil station, where it nearly
hinders the passage of the river.
The water of the Gumti is sweet and wholesome but not always clear,
often being after" rain has fallen of a muddy yellow colour, probably attri-.
butable to the nature of its bed. Its banks differ greatly from each other,
the high bank is generally lofty and abrupt, pierced here and there by
ravines hollowed out by the scour of rain floods; though in some places
strips of low lying land intervene between the ordinarystreamof the riverand
the high level, the left bank is low, and the land behind it, on the Fyzabad
side, ascends by a very gentle and gradual incline. Its affluents individually
insignificant are numerically important, and fed by them its stream is
liable to great and sudden changes. The degree to which it may be affec-
ted by this cause in the rainy season will be seen from the following
particulars : —
From November to June its ordinary breadth is under 200 and
its depth about 12 or 13 feet, its velocity being then about two miles
an hour, and its volume about 5,000 cubic feet : in the heavy floods of last
September it attained a depth of 48 feet, its velocity increasing to close
upon four miles an hour, and its volume, where it flowed through the
embankments of the new pile bridge at Sultanpur, to more than 100,000
cubic feet; all this time, moreover, an escape was open to it in the
inundation of the low lands, on its left bank for a distance of a mile
or more.
* If this derivation were accurate, the name should be " Ghumti." The absence of the
b might perhaps be explained by the extremely evanescent njiture of that letter, but the
correct Sanskrit name is well known, and is not " Ghumti" but "Gomati." The Gomti
is mentioned in the Vishnu Puran under its Sanskrit name (Asiatic Society's Journal, I., 10,
1866). It is also referred to in the following passage of the " Juma-ut-tawarikh"
(A.D. 1310) :— " Afterwards the waters of the GangS, the Bahab, the Kuhi, and the Sarjii
unite near the city of Bari." For General Cunningham says that the Kuhi is un-
doubtedly the Gomti, the union of the Sarju with the Gomti being a fable (Elliott's History of
India, Vol. I., 49-50). Later Muharamadan writers, e.g., Babar and Abul Fazl, call it Kodi or
Godi. In the " Tarikh-i-Farishta it is called Kawah (Elliott, III., 307)."
StJL 407
Of rain-streams the most important are the K4ndu, the Pili, the Tengha,
the Nandhia. The K^ndu takes its rise in a morass in the village
of Raepur, pargana Simrauta, and in the upper or western portion of
its course skirts the Inhauna pargana, being there a shallow stream
known by the name of Naiya. Further on, near Jagdispur, it becomes
a small river with rugged banks, and is then called the Kandu, under
this name it proceeds onward to the Gumti with which it ultimately
unites itself, forming during the last portion of its course the boundary
between the Isauli _ and Jagdispur parganas. The Plli nadi becomes
in the rains a considerable stream, but at other times consists of a
string of disconnected jhils and swamps. Their ramifications cover a
great portion of the south of Chanda, but where they commence it is im-
possible to say— not apparently anywhere in this district. They appear
rather to belong to a vast system, and to be continuous with other similar
ones in E,ae Bareli, the connection being maintained by those in the
Amethi and Mohanganj parganas. The Tengha is so called from a village
of the same name in pargana Amethi, where it is spanned by an old
masonry bridge erected about half a century ago by Mir Ghulam Husen,
the Ndzim of the period. In the first portion of its course it consists of
two branches, the village of Sukulpur being the point of bifurcation
after flowing south-east for a distance of five miles from that village, it
crosses the borders of the Partabgarh district, and falls eventually into
the Chamrauri, a tributary of the Sai. The Nandhia nadi first appears in
the village of that name in pargana Tappa Asl ; for some way it holds
a course parallel to one of the branches of the Tengha, but ultimately
unites with the main body of that stream, at the point where it dis-
charges itseK into the Chamrauri. Both the Tengha, and the Nandhia
are streams of some consequence as their channels are deep though
narrow, and form the outlet for the supei-fluous waters of extensive series
of jhils.
Lakes. — One of these series known as jhil Lodhai commences in the
village of Bhalgion and stretches through Goawdn to Narain, a distance of
thirteen miles, where the lacustrine formation ceases, and is succeeded by one
of the branches of the Tengha. A second series is composed principally of
the "Eaja's Bandh," a dam of great magnitude in the village of Katra
Rani, thrown up between twenty and thirty years ago by R4ja Bisheshwar
Singh of Amethi, the name, though strictly speaking it refers to the dam
itself, is commonly given to a vast sheet of water several miles in length,
the collection of which is in great measure due to it. Below the Bandh the
line of jhils is resumed, and goes on until it gives place to the second
branch of the Tengha. This branch is naturally of less importance than
it formerly was owing to the interception of so much water by the Edja's
Bandh, but it proved useful when that embankment burst two years
ago in carrying off the tremendous quantity of water which was then
set free, and which for a time caused a partial inundation of some of
the adjacent villages. The jhils connected with the Nandhia nadi may
be traced back from the head of that stream to the village of Bis£ra in
the Isauli pargana ; from the latter as far as Dhamaur it is called Jhil Naiya,
the remaining portion of it being known as Bdndh Bujhwa.
408 SUL
Natural productions: vegetable. — Of woods and forests thougli none now
remain, tradition tells of the existence within the last sixty years. One
large tract of dense jungle, it is said, extended in an. unbroken stretch
from the residence of the Raja of Amethi quite up to the provincial road
to Lucknow, and the Bhadaiyan jungle, also, which even after the mutiny
covered more than a thousand acres, is said to have been the remains of
an extensive wood, patches of which are still to be found in villages far
removed from Bhadaiydn. The only tree-covered tracts of spontaneous,
growth at the present day are dhak jungles. These, however, cannot be
called forests of which they lack the stateliness and density ; seen in the
twilight at the season of the year their leaves are gathered for fuel, their
crooked trunks and branches present the appearance of a number of gaunt
weird figures in all sorts of grotesque and fantastic attitudes. The absence
of forest scarcely furnishes matter for regret. If they have come under the
axe, it is because it is more profitable to cultivate the land they occupied ;
and a satisfactory substitute for them, devoid of their unhealthiness, is to
be found in the large and noble groves with which the district is plentifully
studd«d. Two or three well known single groves are over fifteen acres in
extent, and elsewhere separately planted ones combine to fill an area of
more than half that size. The trees most in favour for groves are the
mango, the jamun, and the mahua, interspersed now and then, especially
near village sites, with an aonla, gular, or kathal ; the mahua is also often
found alone or in clumps of two or three in open spots, as are the bel, the
kaitha, and the nim. Grand old solitary trees of immense magnitude, the
banyan, the pakar and the pipal, planted perhaps in the days of Bhar supre-
macy, here and there form a prominent feature in a village landscape; and
the cotton tree and the dhak are at one season of the year rendered con-
spicuous for a long distance round by the brilliancy of their profuse and
gaudy blossoms. The tamarind and the palm which affect damp and
feverish localities are comparatively rare in the district ; such as there are
lie principally near old Muhammadan qasbas. The babtil is common
everywhere. The sissoo and the tun, though they seem to thrive with
very moderate care, are only found in the civil station and in road-side
avenues planted from nurseries at that place. The asok, the teak, and the
Millingtonia are of recent introduction, and must, with regard to this dis-
trict, be at present considered garden trees. A teak raised from seed
sown a few years ago is now eighteen feet in height, and has a fine straight
stem, with a girth at its thickest part of eighteen inches. It is already
valuable for its handsome foliage, but, as it takes from sixty to eighty
years to come to maturity, it will be time enough two or three generations
hence to base an opinion on it as to whether trees of its class could be
profitably grown in this climate for their timber.
Of horticultural produce a great variety is to be found in the public
gardens at Sultanpur,and also in many private ones. Most sorts of European
vegetables will thrive in the cold season, though fresh seed requires to be
imported annually for them; the cabbage, cauliflower, beet-root, carrot, and
tomato reach great perfection ; the artichoke, asparagus, and celery, the pea
and various sorts of beans, though inferior to the former, are still of a
very fair quality; brocoli and Brussels sprouts have been found to succeed
SUL 409
bT.it are not commonly grown ; lettuces and cress last during the greater
portion of the year. The vine and the strawberry have been cultivated with
considera,ble success, the pine apple grows, but has never yet borne fruit,
whether it is capable of being made to do so is, I think, an open question.
Tliere are lechi, apple, and pear trees in the Sultanpur gardens, but their
fruit is of little value. The orange, lemon, guava, and custard apple, the
peach, pomegranate, the plantain, and the kamrak are more common.
They are to be met with in private gardens all over the district, into which,
indeed, many kinds — not only of fruit.but of vegetables also — have already
found their way. It is probable that with these examples of the possi-
bility of successful cultivation before their eyes, the more skilful agricultural
castes will soon venture to make the experiment of field cultivation with
many of the more hardy vegetables. The potato is already ceasing to be
uncommon. I have seen enclosed fields of it in Mohanganj, Chanda, and
Isauli. Some classes, however, are said to have a prejudice against it.
Minerals. — Kankar, a carbonate of lime, containing silica and oxide of
iron, is the only mineral production of the district, in nearly every part of
which it is found in great abundance. It lies at a distance of from a few
inches to 3 or 4 feet from the surface, in a stratum of about the same
thickness. It is of four sorts — bichua, black in appearance, and a first rate
road metal; mathia, a lighter softer kind, with which a quantity of clay
or earth is always intermixed ; pathria, a sandy stony metal, and chatan, a
hardy yellow metal good for roads, which neither mathia nor pathria is.
The kankar reefs of the Gumti have been already mentioned ; some of
these contain a fossil formation of a yellow colour from which excellent
lime is to be obtained. A bed about five acres in extent, and about four feet
from the surface of Multani-matti or Armenian bole, an earth used for dyeing
purposes, which has been recently found in pargana Chanda, may perhaps
be worthy of notice.
AniTuals. — ^Very few wild animals infest the district, and even those,
with the exception of wolves, are rather mischievous than dangerous.
Wolves haunt the neighbourhood of ravines ; nil-g4e are found in a few
of the denser jungle tracts; wild pigs are comparatively scarce, sugarcane
fields, furnishing at once both food and shelter, are their favourite resort,
" the wild hog's reedy home ;" jackals are ubiquitous'; monkeys are not
numerous, but where they do take up their abode, commit sad depreda-
tions on the crops. It is worthy of remark that deer and antelope, so
common in other portions of the province, have no place whatever in the
zoology of this district.
Game of various sorts— the hare, wild goose, partridge, quail, and wild
ducks being the most common — is plentiful in the cold weather ; fish is
found in large quantities both in the river and in large tanks and jhils.
The mullet and the rohu are held in most esteem ; the former, which is
particularly fine, is confined to the Gumti ; the latter is more general.
Of useful animals there are few indigenous breeds, and what there are,
miserably poor. The horse is altogether wanting ; the nearest approach to
it is the ordinary wretched pony of the country ; the standard of excellence
52
410 SUL
of horned cattla, ike bnfMo excepted, is similarly low j the supply rf
tke better sort of these animals is kept up by iiaportatioa. Horses may
often be purcfaBsed of itinerant dealers who pay occasional visits to most
towns of any consequence ; but the husbandman who wishes to renew his
team of oxen generjilly prefers to undertake a journey to one of the great
cattle depdts and there msake his own selection. N§,Dpara, Dhaurahra^ anid
Khairigarhjare the places he most commonly resorts to.
"There are three descriptions of produce " says a French writer,* "which
man may demand from Cattle besides the manure, the hide, and the offal,
namely, their labour, theif milk, and their flesh. Of these three the least
profitable is the first. . . ;, " The French agriculturist requires labour from
his cattle in preference to everything else ; the British agriculturist looks
chiefly to the milk and the meat ; the Indian agriculturist, different from
both, contents himself with the labonr of the ox and the milk of the cow ;
it is only where non-Hindu communities reside that the flesh of those
animals becomes a source ofprofit. Their hides indeed, in the first place,
supply -all local wants, and any surplus there may be is carried to some
neighbouring bazar, to be thence forwarded directly or indirectly to
Calcutta or Bombay, -and forms an infinitesimal quota of the immense num-
ber ammaUy exported from those places. The labour demanded from the
ox is to caicry ihe packsaddle and draw the cart and plough.
Of sheep and goals large flocks are often kept with tihe principal object
of obtaining the TaliKible manure they afford. When used for this pur-
pose they are folded oa the land the manure is required for, and the
owner receives his remuneration in kind ; a goat or sheep being thought
a Mr Tetum for the loan 'ctf the flock for a night. The goat is furAer
wseful for its rcSSk tind the ■sheep for its wool, which is manufactured into
coarse blankets for the wear of the village population. Both of these
animals are slaughtered to a limited extent for food. The indulgence is
sometimes.,i_ndeed, restricted to festival occasions, and even then is invested
with a sacrificial character; Wt if it is not more common, it arises as
much from the comparative expensiveness of the diet as from tlie vegeta-
rian propensities of the Hindus.
flG?«m(9n!fe— Tfee eliwiate, jtidged iby a tropical W sulv-tropical staradard, is
ssild, *em,p0Pa*e, a»d h©iakhy. From October to June westerly winds
prex^aiil, aiuJ duriaag the fiajst fcnsr of those months are dry, cold, and bracing,
Bffiore ]p»rti<sak-rly after ipaim, ®f which there is ahnost invariably a slight
fell atoowt <3hri^mas. Towarcfe the end of February they fo^in to increase
in force, their temperature becoming higher, and by the eiiid of Maida, if
not earlier, the hot winds usually set in. These, however, are much less
tryxng tJhan they aire in mfany places further to the west. They do not
'be\gin f or SOToe nouTS after day-break, and 'seldom last long after dark,
while ifhey occasionally cease Tor several days together. In these intervals,
which become more and more frequent as iAie hot weather progresses, a
north-'ea^ wind talies Tts"place. Abcrat the middle of June the rainy season
commences, and with occasional breaks of greater or less duration conti-
nues tin the end of "September or beginning of October ; sometimes, but
SUL 4n
not often, kating till the middle of the latter month; the wind during
this period acarc^y ever leaves the east.
The following statement exhibits the rainfall for eleven yoaj?^* ;—
Inches. Tenths,
1861^ «.. »• ••• Ml. •••
1866 ••• «aa ,., ,,, ,,,
1867 *•• ••* ••• w '^
»888 „
1869
VOZw «•» ■«» «• «|« »3»
I&4 I M* ••» ^•t •%* *,«•
167 « Ml* •«« •«« M« tf*
1873 ...
AS74 »■* ••• ••» M« .*•
1875 ••• •■• f,« •»« at*
Average for eleven yeers ... 41 5
The rainfall up to date — September 6th, 1877— has been from June
1st 10' 7". That for the same period during the preceding five years
has been —
1872
1873
1^74
1876
1876
»»
0
as
0
42
6
26
3
43
5
68
4
66
9
40
6
32
0
46
6
3»
3
Inches.
TenthB.
39
3
S2
9
64
8
27
0
17
6
ATerage ... 34
The accompanying table exhibits the rainfall for the last two yea,i^ of
drought, 1868 and 1873, each of which was followed m 1869 and 1874
respectively by considerable scarcity.
It will be noted that the entire rainfall was not scanty, the distribution
was capricious and unusual, and there was no rain durmg individual months
in which it is much needed for agricultural purposes.
There are four rainfalls, each of which must be propitious to secure a good
harvest: —
First—The June rains, the former rains as they may be called, in
1873 These amounted only to 17 inches-not suficient to moisten the
earth for the plough and to water the early rice.
* This is for the whole district. The flgures given jnbsequentj? are from o]»etTa-
tions taken at the Sultanpur dispensary only, hence the difference.
412
SUL
Second, — ^The main monsoon which commences in July and ends at the
commencement of October. This was sufficient in both years, but the fall
in September, 1873, was only 3'7 inches, and it ceased too soon, viz., on
September 15th.
Thirdly, — The latter or October rains, which are required to water the
late rice and moisten the land for the winter ploughings, were wholly
deficient in both years.
Fourth, — The January-February rains, which were wholly wanting in
1869 and in 1874, were under an inch.
Speaking broadly then the rains commenced well in 1868, badly in
1873; they ended with a fair fall iu 1868, but too soon ; in 1873 they were
scanty for the last month, and ended still earlier in September.
So far 1873 was much worse than 1868, then there was absolutely no
rain La either year from October tiU January.
But in February there was no rain in 1869, and about an inch in 1874.
1863.
1873.
Bainfall from June Ist to Octo-
ber iBt .
26-4
361
From October 1st to December
31st.
00
03
InJvme
3'S
1-7
In September ... ••>
4-7
8-9
In October ...
00
00
Date of rain'commencing
June 16th,
Jane 13th.
„ of raia ending ...
September 2l8t.
September 16th.
Eain in January February of en-
suing year.
00
09
The following memorandum on medical aspects was furnished by the
CivU Surgeon, Dr. A. Cameron : —
Vital statistics. — There is no registration of births carried on at present
in this district. Birth statistics appear to have been collected in 1869
and 1870, but their collection was discontinued in the latter year.
SUL 413
The registraton of deaths has been attempted during the last 5 or 6
years, but hitheno the numbers registered have been very far below the
truth. The numbers for the last four, years were —
Registered deaths per
,1100 of population.
1S70
1871
187-1
1873
153
18S5
7-83
8 8
It is needless to say that these are altogether impossible figures repre-
senting as they do an average duration of life of somewhere between
55 and 180 years.
The agency at present employed for the collection of these statistics
is that of the village chaukidars who are called upon to report the deaths
that take place in their villages once a month, or oftener in epidemic
seasons, at the police stations. It was hoped when this agency was adop-
ted in 1870, that it would yield better results than the one previously
employed, and for some time the number of deaths registered was consi-
derably higher than it had been, but the returns of the last two years
show that the improvement was only temporary.
ETtdemic diseases. — The principal endemic diseases of the district
are fevers, of which the prevailing types are intermittent and remit-
tent. Continued fevers are also met with, but they bear a small proportion
to the periodic, and appear to be merely aggravated cases of intermittent
or remittent, and without any specific character of their own. Fever,
pure and simple as it is met with in this district, is, in fact, altogether of
the " malarious " kind.
Of 2,000 cases of fever treated at the Sultanpur Dispensary the pro-
portion of quotidian agues was said to be |ths, of tertian about ^, of quar-
tans about ^^jth, and of remittents about -Vth. None were entered as
" continued," but it is probable that some of the remittents would more
properly have been so named. In severe cases the remission is often
very slight or not at all perceptible.
It is impossible to say precisely to what extent fever prevails amongst
the general population. Amongst the prisoners in the Sultanpur Jail the
average annual number of attacks during the four years, from 1870 to 1873,
was 13 per cent, of average strength, and amongst the Sultanpur police
during the same period it was about 15 per cent. Assuming that the
general population suffered in an equal degree, and making allowance for
repeated attacks in the same individual, it is no extravagant estimate to
assume that at least 10 per cent, of the population suffers every year
from fever.
No trustworthy statistics with regard to the death-rate from fever can
be given. The mortuary returns, as already stated, are unreliable, and
the mortality amongst the police and the prisoners is no criterion, as it is
affected by the treatment the patients receive. Considering the great
preponderance of the comparatively non-fatal intermittent type it is
41* SUL
probaWe that tbe mortality is nothing like what it is represented to be in
the mortuary returns, where it appears as the cause of more than half
the deaths in the district.
The great causes of the fever that prevails in the district appear to be
the defective drainage and the annual saturation of the soil by the rains.
The surface is so flat and the natural drains so few that surface water
cannot find a ready escape. It accumulates wherever there is a hollow
in the surface, forming stagnant pools, or sinks into the ground raising
the subsoil water level. In many places this rises in the rains to within
a foot or two of the surface. In this way the soil becomes vraterlogged,
except in the immediate vicinity of the water courses, and the immediate
resultisanoutbreak of fever. Theperiodof the year from July to Novem-
ber being that during which the ground is thus saturated is the sea-
son in which fever is most prevalent. Its severity appears to be propor-
tionate to the rainfall; the greater the fall the more prevalent the fever.
The amount of fever depends also on the manner of the rainfall.
When the showers are moderate and occur at intervals the water
escapes by percolation into the soil or by evaporation, and the result-
ing fever is proportionally moderate, but when the rain falls in heavy
bursts, lasting for days together as it sometimes does, the soil becomes
completely waterlogged, extensive tracts of land are flooded, and fever
breaks out with great severity. The rainy season of 1871 was marked
by heavy floods in September, and as a consequence of this the number of
deaths reported from fever during that and the three following months was
very great, more than the whole numbers set down to the same cause in
1872 when rain fell more equally and at greater intervals.
In proportion as the surfaee-water dries up and the subsoil water level
sinks, the fever diminishes until it reaches a minimum in the dry hot
season.
The cultivation of rice, which is extensively grown during the rains,
must greatly assist in the production of fever by obstructing the surface
drainage, and the decay of the rank vegetation which springs up during
the rains may also have an effect in producing fever. The latter cause
cannot, however, be a very powerful one as cultivation is general through-
out the district, and jungly tracts are few and of limited extent ; at the
same time many marshy places are covered with a kind of Iqng^ coarse
weedy grass and other weeds, which in process of rotting and drying up
under the hot sun may give forth malaria.
Perhaps the alluvial nature of the soil itself may have much to do with
the prevalence of malarious fevers.
It is impossible to say in the absence of reliable statistics whether
increased cultivation has had any effect in lessening the prevalence of fever
of late years.
Conservancy has as yet made but little jirogress, being almogt
entirely confined to the small town of Sultanpur itself, and its^ effect in
diminishing theprevalence of fever has yet to be tried. The clearing away
of rank vegetation from withia and around villages, and tbe proteQtiQP
SXJL 415
9f *^fi '(Jria^iHg water from pollution, woul<l no doubt dtJ much gM)d.
Tae great want of the country, however, in relatioa to fever is drainage,
aad until some improvement is made in this, there ia not likely to be
much diminution in the prevalence of fever.
Bowel complaints. — The most important of the endemic diseases
after fever are dysentery and diarrhcsa. According to the mortuary
returns th« annual number of deaths trom " bowel complaints," which
are probably chi^y dysentery and diaTrh<]ea, is fi?om -j-th to -^Vth of the
wiiole imortality. It is impossible to say how near this is to the truth.
Comparison with jail mortality wovild not be proper, as prisoners are
jdaced under very different hygienic conditions from the free population,
and these must greatlj influence the mortality from bowel complaints.
The police, again, receive careful medical treatment.
The iramber of attacks amongst the police may, ho^vever, be taken as a
measure of the OKtent to which these diseases prevail amongst the gene-
ral population. Ihiring the last four years the police have been attacked
with dysentery at the rate of 23 per cent, per annum, and with diar-
rhoea at the rate of 1'3 per cent, per annum. It is, for many reasons, pro-
bable that the general population suffered more than this, and, for them,
5 per cent, for both diseases together would not be an excessive estimate.
The end of the rainy season and the beginning of the cold weather is
the period when bowel complaints are most prevalent. The dry hot
season is the period when they are least so.
The fact that dysenteary and diaJThoea prevail most at the same time
of the year that fever is most common points to a common .cause, and it seems
probable that dysentery, at all events, is of malarial origin. There are many
circumstances, however, in the ordinary life of the poorer classesof natives
which render them peculiarly liable to bowel complaints. These are chiefly
the exposure of the abdomen, which the native dress but scantily covers, to
sudden chills, the drinking of impure water, about which the average
mative is not particular, and the eating of green vegetables and unripe
foTiits in inordinate quantities whenever procurable. In times of scarcity,
to©, the poorest classes are reduced to the necessity of .supporting hfe on
poor and umwholesome grains. Jail experience teaches also that a native
whose strength bas been reduced by fever and old people generally, are
exceedingly liable to attacks of dysentery and diarrbcea, and the most
careful attention to diet is necessary to ward these oft In their own
homes where no such intelligent care is taken of them, their almost super-
stitious attachment to their " roti" (bread), or their inaibility to obtain food
suitable to their condition, must, under these circumstances, often prove
fatal to them.
Leprosy. Leprosy is a common disease in the districtj and there are
probably few Tillages of any size wbich do not contain some victims of
this frightful malady. The number of lepers was estimated an the census
report of 18&9 at 651 or -06 per cent, of tbe population, "but the writer
caanot help thinking that tlie disease is SEQuch aaaoiKe eommon thaai fhi?
c^canBsei£ts h to beu
416 SUL
It appears to affect chiefly the lower classes, but it ia by no means con-
fined to them. Its cause is quite unknown. Most probably it is some
local condition connected with the food of the people. The consumption
of arhar dal has been suggested as a cause, but this, like many other con-
jectures regarding leprosy, seems to rest on very insufficient grounds. The
disease appears to be, in many cases, hereditary.
Go'trp. — Goitre i^ almost unknown in the district. A few cases are to
be met with on the border of the Fyzabad district., in some parts of which
the disease is common, but the rest of the district is quite free from the
disease.
Stone. — Stone in the bladder is a not uncommon affection. From 10
to 20 cases are treated every year at the dispensaries, and there are pro-
bably many more that never apply there for treatment.
There isno other important disease of a markedly endemic character in
the district e;s:cepting perhaps simple cholera which is noticed further on.
Amongst less important diseases, howevei', may be mentioned two very
common affections of the skin — the " dad," or dhobies itch and "senhwa,"
or scurf skin, both of which, if not peculiar to the natives of the country,
affect them to a much greater extent than diseases of a similar nature do
Europeans.
The dad is a disease closely resembling ringworm, which attacks the
loins, the fork of the thighs, or other moist parts, and often spreads exten-
sively over the surface of the body. It is unpleasant in appearance, but
does not appear to cause much inconvenience. It is easily cured by the
application of a lime and sulphur lotion, but the subject of it is usually
too regardless of it to do anything for it.
The senhwa is not so common. It attacks the neck, shoulders, and upper
part of the body, appearing in small droplike patches which gradually
coalesce, are covered with branny scales, and are paler than the surround-
ing skin. It is identical with the Pityriasis Versicolor of Europe.
It is curable by the same means as the dad, but not so readily. Both
diseases appear to' be of parasitic vegetable origin, and their being so com-
mon is no doubt due to the native custom of bathing in stagnant and
usually filthy water, and dressing afterwards without drying the skin.
Epidemic diseases. — The diseases that prevail in the district in an epi-
demic form are cholera and small-pox. Measles is probably sometimes
present also, but judging from the experience of the last 6 or 7 years,
it does not seem ever to become widely epidemic. Indeed, it does not
appear at all apiongst the names of diseases treated at the dispensaries,
and the only reason the writer has for saying that it is probably to be met
with is that he has seen the disease in two contiguous districts.
Cholera was epidemic in the district in 1869 (the first year for which
statistics are forthcoming), 1870, 1871, and 1872 ; since June, 1872, a period
of more than two years, the disease has not appeared in an epidemic form.
The epidemic of 1869 lasted from June to November, and is represented'
by the mortuary returns to have caused during that period about 2,000
SUL 417
deaths. The disease then subsided, but did not altogether disappear, and
again assumed epidemic proportions in October, 1870. This outbreak was
comparatively mild, the recorded deaths being under 1,000, and the disease
again subsided in February, 1871. During the succeeding months it was
still present, but was not very fatal till October following, when it broke
out again with great virulence, numbering upwards of 5,000 victims in
three months.
In February, 1872, it had again all but disappeared, but once more
became epidemic in March, and caused about 2,000 deaths during that and
the three following months. In July, 1872, it ceased to be epidemic, and
since that time, with the exception of a few sporadic cases occurring chiefly
during the warm weather, the disease has entirely disappeared.
The above brief account contains almost all that can be told of epidemic
cholera in this district. Nothing positive seems to have been ascertained
regarding the mode in which the disease was introduced, if it was introduced
from without, the classes of people chiefly attacked, the proportion of fatal
cases, and many other points of interest regarding it. The general impres-
sion of the Civil Surgeons who had to do with these epidemics seems to
have been that the disease spread through the medium of the drinking
water, the general neglect of conservancy in villages, and the pollution of
wells and tanks used for drinking purposes, greatly favouring the spread
of, if they did not actually produce the disease.
Epidemic cholera is not peculiar to any season as the above account of
its latest outbreaks shows, but the rains and the three months immediately
following appear to be most favourable to it,^ As already noticed, this is the
period when fever is also most prevalent. The epidemic of 1872, which
began in March and lasted till June, may be looked upon as a revival of
the severe epidemic of 1871, which for some reason received a check in
January and February. Excluding the period of this outbreak, there
appears a general coincidence between the season at which fever and
cholera most prevail. It is worthy of remark, too, that the great mortality
from the latter disease in 1871 was coincident with a very high death rate
from fever, the heavy floods of that year appearing equally favourable to
both.
Though not epidemic every year, cholera appears to be always present
more or°less in the hot weather and rains, Looking at the mortuary
returns of the last five years, it may in fact be said to be endemic in the
district Not a month passed, from 1868 to September, 1872, without
some deaths being reported, and though the disease entirely disappeared
during the cold weather of 1872-73, sporadic cases again appeared in each
month from April to November following. These sporadic cases are simi-
lar to all appearance to those that occur during an epidemic, and whatever
may be the difference between the sporadic and the epidemic disease in
point of causation, there is none to be detected in the symptoms presented
bv individual cases. So far as known at present, it is most probabk the
epidemic disease is either imported by travellers from a distance or spreads
from neighbouring districts, and is not a mere occasional aggravation of
the endeojw disease.
bo
418 SUL
Small-pox. — Small-pox unlike cholera is epidemic in the district every
year. It is never wholly absent, but during the cold weather the number
of deaths is usually small. The epidemic season begins with the dry hot
weather and lasts till' June. On the setting in of the rains the number of
deaths rapidly diminishes till it reaches a minimum about the beginning
of the cold weather throughout which the disease remains comparatively
inactive to wake again into activity in March. This, with but little vari-
ation, is the history of the disease from year to year as shown by the
mortuajy returns, and these may be accepted as correctly representing, in
a general way, the annual course of the disease. The regular recurrence
of its outbreaks each hot weather is due, no doubt, partly to the increased
temperature, but in greater measure to the free intercourse amongst the
people at that period ; March, April, and May being the great months for
marriages and visits amongst relatives.
The mortality from small-pox varies according to the returns from 300
or 400 to 1,200 per annum. It is impossible to say how far these varia-
tions are due to defective registration, but it is probable the actual morta-
lity does vary considerably, a circumstance somewhat remarkable, seeing
that the people remain equally unprotected from year to year, and adopt
no precaution against the spread of the disease. This is a phenomenon
common to all epidemic diseases, however, and is no more to be explained
as regards small-pox than other diseases of the same class.
The proportion of deaths to attacks cannot be precisely ascertained. It
is probably not very high, judging from the fact that at least 90 per cent.
of the population are attacked with small-pox before they reach adult age.
So common is the disease that it is looked upon as inevitable that every
one should have the disease at least once in his life, and the sooner the
better after infancy. The people do not, however, attempt to anticipate
the natural course of things by practising inoculation ; this does not appear
to be anywhere practised throughout the district.
A few vaccinators have been employed by Government during the last
3 or 4 years, but the efforts of these have very properly been concentrated
chiefly on the small town of Sultanpur itself and its neighbourhood, and
the offer of vaccination has not as yet been extended to the great mass of
the people. Judging from the small progress the prophylactic has made
in the esteem of the small section of the people which has been offered it,
it vnll be long before small-pox ceases to be one of the chief scourges of
the district.
Cattle epidemics. — The principal epidemic disease that prevails amongst
cattle in the district is rinderpest. It is the only one alluded to in the
district sanitary feport, and though foot and mouth disease is said to be also
prevalent, there is no definite information regarding it, and it is probable
many cases of so-called foot and mouth disease are really cases of rinder-
pest, the ulceration of the mouth attending the latter disease giving
rise to the mistake.
The symptoms of rinderpest as observed in the district are those
usually ascribed to the disease. They are briefly fever, bloody purging.
SUL
419
and ulceration of the mouth, with occasionally a pustular eruption on the
skin. On examination after death the bowels are found to be congested
and ulcerated, and this is all that is usually observed.
_ The disease would seem to be always more or less prevalent in the
district, and to have its seasons of dormancy and activity like small-pox
in the human being to which it bears some resemblance. It is very fatal ;
but in the absence of statistics it is impossible to say anything definite
regarding either its prevalence or the rate of mortality amongst the
animals attacked. It may, however, be stated that it is not nearly so
fatal as the same disease in Europe.
Notwithstanding that the disease is so evidently spread by contagion,
the owners of cattle do not seem to make any attempt to separate the sick
from the healthy. Nor do they, as a rule, attempt any curative measures.
The " stamping out" of the disease by killing the diseased animals is of
course out of the question in a Hindu community, nor would it be justifi-
able, as a large proportion of the animals recover.
Fairs. — There are no large fairs held in this district; and the few local
gatherings that take place cannot have much effect in propagating dis-
ease, as they do not in any instance last more than a day, and are chiefly
attended by the people of the neighbourhood.
Indigenous drugs. — The following is a list of some of the most
important of the indigenous medicines found in the district : —
Native name.
English or scientific name.
Therapeutic action.
Adrak
M.
... Ginger
... Stimulant and carminatiTe.
Afiun
...
... Opium ...
,., Sedative, narcotic, &c.
Amiltas ka phul
... Cassia pulp ...
... Purgative.
Ananta Mul
...
,., Eemidismaa Indicua
... Alterative, diaphoretic, diu-
retic, tonic.
Anai ka jar 1
fea chilka
,.. Pomegranate root bark
... Anthelmintic,
Babul ka gond
Bel gari
... Gum acacia ...
... Bael fruit ...
... Demulcent.
... Astringent.
Dhatura
...
... Dhatura alba ...
... Anodyne and antispasmodic.
Imli
...
... Tamarind fruit ...
... Laxative and refrigerant.
Indrain
t.*
... Colocynth (pseudo)
... Purgative.
Ealadana
...
... Black seed (pharbitis
nil). Ditto.
Madar
...
... Calotropis ...
... Alterative diaphoretic eme<
tic.
Mauefidar
...
... Sal ammoniac ...
... Alterative.
Pudina
Sbora
...
»•
„. Mint ...
,., Saltpetre ...
... Carminative.
.„ Befrigerant, diuretic, and
diaphoretic.
420 SUL
Native pradUioners. — There are few, if any, native practitioners of
repute, either Hindu or Musalman, in the district. The village Baid or
Kabiraj possesses at most but a smattering of medical knowledge, though
his pharmacopoeia is extensive and varied enough. His system of treat-
ment appears to be founded on the humoural pathology, which ascribes
all disease to the derangement of the four humours — blood, bile, mucous, and
wind. Disturbance of the normal balance of the humour gives rise to
disease, and the curative means employed are' directed to restoring the
normal balance. This is first attempted by reduction and regulation of
diet, the food allowed being of a stimulating or no d -stimulating nature,
according as the disease is understood to be caused by cold or heat.
Should these means fail bloodletting, emetics, or purgatives are employed
to expel the peccant homour ; the first when the patient is plethoric, the
second when the mucous humour is in excess, and the last especially
when the bile or wind is in undue abundance. Besides these means they
appear to use a great variety of medicines whose chief merit is that they
are either cooling or heating in their properties. They also employ
tonics largely, both vegetable and mineral.
Their prescriptions are usually very complicated, and include a large
number of substances. The ingredients are sometimes of an extraordir
nary nature — such articles as gold, silver, pearls, and precious stones being
very commonly prescribed.
There seems in superficial inquiry to be but little difference between
the system of the Kabiraj and that of the Hakim, except that the treat-
ment of the former is more stimulant and less exhausting to the patient
than that of the Hakim.
The following is a list of some of the drugs used by them besides those
in the list above given : —
Mineral,
Arsenic.
Cinnabar.
Chiretta.
Bichloride of mercury.
Nim.
Gold.
Pepper.
Silver.
Easot.
Sulphate of copper.
Aconite.
Antimony.
Lotus root, &c., &c
Vegetable,
Atis.
The natives of the district are of fair average physique, though judged
by an English standard they are^ fallen as a whole, both undersized and
deficient in bony and muscular development. Amongst the higher castes
there are many tall well built men to be met with, and even amongst the
lower castes there are many exceptions to the general rule of inferiority of
physique, still the great mass of the population are short in stature com-
pared with Englishmen and greatly inferior in muscle. The difference in
the nature of their diet and the scanty way in which the labouring native
SUL 421
is enabled to feed himself are quite sufficient to account for his inferiority
of physique.
Average temperature. — The average temperature is lowest in January,
the m.ean of that month being about 65°F. It gradually rises till May, when,
it ranges from 90° to 100°; on the setting in of the rains the mean tem-
perature comes down to about 85°, and remains about that height till
October, when it begins gradually to decrease, reaching its minimum agaioi
in January,
There are no severe frosts, but cold blighting winds are not unfrequent iu
December and January. There are also occasional hailstorms about March
and April, which sometimes do great damage to crops.
4-22" SUL
CHAPTER II.
AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE.
Crop area— Irrigation— rood of the people— Fish— Prices— Traffic— Exporta and imporla—
Manufactures— Communications.
Crop area. — The following table shows the crop area in detail as derived
from the settlement records for the old district of Sultanpur. This is
probably correct with the important exception that dufasli crops (the. area
bearing two crops) are not entered.
The entire area under caltlvation was 505,520* acres, the detailed
crops in the accompanying table only account for 488,423 acres; this will
leave 17,000 acres or 3^ per cent, for fallow — a fair percentage; and the
remainder will be the area under cultivation cropped once, but about 20
per cent, of the land is cropped twice, so that the crop area really should
be about 600,000 acres.
The present area of cultivation is 890 square miles or o09,600f acres, so
the changes of boundary have practically not affected the area under
cultivation.
In order to correct the settlement return a considerable area should be
added to the kharif crops ; this return was prepared in the cold weather,
the cold weather crops were entered, and the fields which had borne a kharif
harvest, and which exhibited the stubble, but crops of kharif which had
been replaced by cold weather crops, were not apparent to the observer, and
were not entered. The crops which have suflPered most from this omission
are juar and the maset, or mixed crop of mash (or urd) and moth.
The main feature of Sultanpur cultivation is the predominance of the
two staples — wheat and rice — to the exclusion of maize, barley, &c. High
cultivation — such as tobacco, sugarcane, poppy, and vegetable — requiring
repeated irrigations amounts to 32,600 acres, or about 6 per cent, of the
total; this is fairly good. The departmental opium return gives the opium
areas at 4,103 and 3,842 acresa — about half the area in Rae Bareli. The
outturn in these two years amounted to 1,430 maunds, and the amount
paid to the cultivators, at Rs. 5 the ser, to Rs. 2,86,000 : —
Khakif crops.
Name of crop.
Area in acres.
Dhan
!■• ' l*t
••■
801,233
Kapas (cotton)
■•• •»•
6,864
Sugarcaae
•«• ■••
ti«
8,066
Indigo
fat ti*
••*
soo
Tobacco
••• ••■
•••
6,261
Juar (Indian-corn)
••< ttl
4,200
Oil seeds
••• t«*
■••
766
"Vegetables
tat
2,235
Miscellaneous
.,.
•••
10,323
Total
• t(
239,127
* Statistical Tables I.E.2.
t Statistical Tables I.A.I.
SUL 423
tiame of crop.
RABI CROPS.
Area in acres.
Wheat
Oram and arhar
Poppy
Vegetables ,„
Oil seeds ...
Miscellaneous
•at •■*
••• •(<
••• ■•*
••• •••
••• ■••
... 148,092
... 44,S0B
... 6,111
3,ao5
133
... 48,147
Total
... 249,296
Grand Total
.. 488,423
Irrigahon. — There is no correct information about the irrigable area
of the present district. That of the old district was 77 per cent., and as
that of Fyzabad, portions of which have been transferred to Sultanpur,
was 72 per cent., we may say roughly that three quarters of the present
district are irrigable, while none of the tahsils present any special features
m this respect.
This however is the often sanguine settlement estimate ; it applies only
to ordina,ry years; this year (1877) not one-twentieth of the kharifhas
been irrigated, and unless we have heavy rain, the wells will soon be as
dry as the jhils now are, and the rabi sowings will not germinate.
Food of the people.— The principal food at present, September 5th, is a
mixture of barley and mahua; the former is at 18 to 19 sers the rupee,
the latter is at about 2^ maunds the rupee, the crop having been very good,
wheat is at 14 sers, gram is at 20 sers the rupee ; a common food is
hvrra or barley and gram mixed.
The following quotations are from Dr. Day's " Fisheries" : —
" The Collector of Sultanpur observes that breeding fish and young
ones are destroyed, but not to any great extent. Those taken are from
tanks and marshes fed by the rain, or fiUed by the overflow of rivers
such as the Gumti. The meshes of the nets are small enough when so
required to catch fish about the size of a gudgeon. Interference is not con-
sidered desirable, because there would be a difficulty at first in the novelty
of making regulations laying down the size of the mesh of nets, and he
refrains from answering what size he considers advisable. As a rule, the
fry of fish are reported not to be sold in the bazar, and he would avoid all
novel regulations suitable for European countries, interfering with pro-
perty and old customs. He considers no objection exists to a close season
for breeding fish in hilly districts." — Para. 286, " Francis Day's Fresh-
water Fish and Fisheries of India and Bv/rma."
" At Sultanpur the native official estimates the fishermen at from 900
to 1,000, all of whom have also other occupations ; they are Mullahs,
Kahars, Kewats, and Gurias. The markets are said to be fairly sup-
plied with fish, the larger sorts obtaining from an anna and a quarter
to two annas a ser, and the smaller from three quarters to one anna and
a quarter a ser ; whilst the bazar mutton obtains from one and a quarter
to two annas a ser. Three-fourths of the population are said to eat
fish. The amount in the Gumti are said to have decreased of late years.
424
SUli
Very small ones are netted and taken by a trap called ' puhra.' The
mesh of the nets ' is so small, hardly anything can pass.' Fish, but not
to any great extent, are trapped in the inundated fields during the rains.
Streams are dammed and fish thus taken ; various sorts of nets, traps,
and hooks are also employed." — Para. 307, " Francis Bay's Fresh-water
Fish and Fisheries of India and Burma. "
Prices. — The average prices for the last six years for ju^r, gram, and
wheat were as fallows : —
Years.
1871
1872
1873
1874
1876
1876
JuSr.
per Re.
Sers.
I9i
17
SO
SI
4S
46
The following statement gives the prices of different food grains for 10
years : —
S?
,
s.
<»•
OJ
?"
V
Description of produce
2
t
a
a>
0)
1
M
■s
C8
%
•k
f£
§
9S
^
s
>
bo ■»
^
M
CO
■*
lO
to
00
n
cT
« CD
to
to
>D
CO
U3
ta
GO
OD
00
oo
»
00
<
Paddy ...
39
z-'t,
36
35$
24
28
31
30
24
31
m
Common rice (husked)
2U
21^
18f
19
7
9*
16
H*
11*
in
15
Best rice (husfeed) ...
14
14
■IM
iU
4
*h
n
12*
8
s*
9#
Wheat ...
28;^
28 i
27
26f
16
19
19
20
12f
I.Sf
21tV
Barley .„
35i
36 )i
35J
30
19
84ii
29
27
16
24
27*
Bajra ...
28^
28!^
iSh
22f
20*
23
23
18
IS
\4t,
2irTF
Juar
32
32
331
30
20^
30i
304
20J
16
16^
26J,
Gram ... ... .•#
32
32
3H
32i
I6f
22
22
27
I6i
14
24*
Arhar, Cytiaus cajan ...
35J1
36^
2SJ
21
12f
19*
34
26f
174
16
24,!.
Urd or mSsh, Phaseolus man) .,.
28]^
30
24
17^
12
"7f
27
22|
14
13J
20f
Moth, Phaseolus aconiiifolius .,
S2
32
21
26 i
18|
2a
29
27
16
16
2V„
Mung, Phaseolus mungo
264
28i
m
10*
12f
17
17
13f
lOi
141)
16A
Masur, Ervum lens
33^
35i
23^
22i
8
10
10
24*
16
14
'9,V
Ahsa or matra, Pisum sativum ...
40
40
40
40
40
.344
!*H
36
15
15
33f
Ghuiyan, Arum cotocasia ,„
40
48
48
48
48
.32
an
40
16
16
3?A
Sarson, Smapis dichotoma rotb ...
16
16
16
16
16
16
16
17
Ifil^
\fH
16'
Lahi, Sinapis nigra ... ,.,
20
20
20
20
20
20
20
18
16^
IfiJI
",{,-
Baw sugar ... ...
5
5
5
6
6 3}
3*
H
4i
4J
4i
Objects of traffic. — The most common objects of internal traffic are grain,
cotton, molasses (gur), salt, and native cloth; at Perkinsganj, Sukul bazar,
and Aliganj a respectable trade in cattle may be added.
SUL 425
Exports and imports. — Exports and imports are almost identical with
the articles just enumerated; they become one or the other according to
the comparative prices prevailing in this district and adjacent ones ; cattle
form an exception; the demand for the local breed is altogether limited
to the district itsel£
Matmfactures, — Manufactures are even of less consequence than trade.
Textile industry of a very humble kind is common among the Kori and
Julaha castes. It flourishes principally at Jais,* where various sorts of cloth,
plain and brocaded, are manufactured ; a peculiar kind of muslin (tanzeb)
is the most famous. In this the weavers have a curious art of in-weaving,
at the time of manufacture any design that may be suggested to them,
verses and sentences are most common, but these are varied to suit every
creed and taste. Some are passages from the Koran, others Hindu Ishloks,
others a verse or two from the most instructive of Dr. Watt's moral songs ^
and hymns. Bandhua enjoys a limited renown for its metal vessels, and
other rough sorts of metal- work. Sugar and indigo are manufactured in
a very small scale in pargana Chanda. Under native rule the manufac-
ture of salt and saltpetre was largely carried on, but it has now been
discontinued.
Com/municatwns. — The main channels of traffic are the river Gumti
and the various roads by which the district is intersected, but beasts of
burden are extensively employed, and these find their way from one place
to another, little checked by the absence of roads.
The Gumti will serve to connect the whole of the northern and eastern
portion of the district with the station of the Oudh and Rohilkhand Rail-
way at Jaunpur. It is scarcely, if at all, used for passenger traffic, the
neighbouring road being more advantageous for the purpose, the difference
in length between the two being much the same as the sum of the length
of several arcs and the sum of the lengths of their chords. For freight, how-
ever, where speed is a secondary object, it is much used, being navigable
hereabouts for country boats of 800 or 1,000 maunds burden. It should
thus become a valuable feeder of the railway, unless all that is at present
taken to the Jaunpur market is required for the consumption of that
vicinity.
Other stations of the same railway lie at an easy distance to the north,
for communication with which there are many roads easily traversable
by wheeled carriage. The Gumti intervenes, but is passable in many places.
At iimghat, a few miles north-east of Jagdispur, it is spanned by a lofty
pile bridge consisting of fifteen bays. The platform is 16 feet in width,
and is supported by strut and straining beam trusses ; it stands at a
height of twenty-four feet above the summer level of the water. At Sul-
tanpur there is a similar bridge, of somewhat larger dimensions. Fer-
ries are numerous.
^ads. The principal road by which the district is connected with
the outer world is the imperial high road from Fyzabad to Allahabad. It
enters the district due north of the civil station, which it crosses, and run-
ning nearly due south passes into the Partabgarh district about twelve
miles further on. It is metalled and bridged throughout that distance.
• Since transfefed to Kae Bart-li.
54
426
SUL
All the other roads are tmmetalled, but bridged where necessary, and
except when subjected to very severe trials, such as that of exceedingly
heavy rains, are usually fit for any sort of traffic. They are as follows: —
The Luckno\ff-Jaunpur road. This enters the district 'at a point two
miles east of Haidargarh, and leaves it two miles east of Chanda ; its total
length within these limits being seventy miles, in the course of which it
traverses the town of Inhauna, Nihalgarh, and the village of Saraiyan,
in which are the headquarters of the Musafirkhana tahsil. It leaves
the civil station about two miles to the north, but is connected with it
by three separate lines — (1 j metalled from Amghat, (2) also metalled from
the point of its intersection with the Allahabad road, (3) unmetalled from
Lucknow.
The Sultanpur-Rae Bareli road. This starts from Sultanpur and skirt-
ing the large village of Dhamaur, the bazar of Gauriganj, and the town of
Jais, leaves the district about eleven miles from the last named place.
The Fyzabad-Rae Bareli road. This crosses the Gumti over the
Amgh4t bridge, cuts the Lucknow road at Jagdispur ; it is thence conti-
nued to the Mohanganj thana, and thence onward through the pargana
of that name into Kae Bareli.
These constitute as it were local trunk line3y and the Imperial road
excepted, throw out lateral' branches in various directions, regarding
wbich sufficient particulars may be given in the following tabular form : —
No
Main road.
Point of divergence
Direction.
■S a
3
1
Liicknow-.Jaiin-
pur.
III Inhauni
.Vorlli-eaat to Aisbghat ... •...
n
»
Ditto
Diito
South to Mohanganj, where ii joins the "
Fyzabftd-Kae IJareli road.
lO
3
Ditto
In .lasilispiir ...
Neiirly due south to Jais ...
14
4
Ditto
Muaj,lirkiiana ...
Soiith-wtst to Gaurijrani, where it meets
the Sult«npur-Bae Bareli ro;id
13
5
Dilto
Lamhua
North to DeragliAt
3i
6
, Ditto
Cbanda
South-west to Saifabad in the Fartab-
garh district.
4
7
Sultanprr-ltae
liareli.
Sultanpur
VVest to Kurwar ...
9
8
Ditto
Near the village
Dhamaur.
South- ireBt oia Amethito Salon in ttte
district of Rae Baeli.
19
9
Ditto
Gauriganj
South-cast via Ametlii to Partabgarh...
I6J
10
Fyzabad-Rao
Bareli.
Mohanganj
South-east to Jais, connecting tho Sul-
tanpur-Rae Bareli and Fyzabad-Kae
Bareli roads.
»
If the map be examined, it will be seen that every part of the district
is well supplied with roads, with the exception of a triangle lying between
Sultanpur, Chanda, and Amethi, within which they are consp'cuous by
their absence. The only route from Chanda to Amethi is vitS Sultanpur,
and this involves a detour of several miles.
StJL 427
lliough scarcely deserving the name of roads, village cart tracks must
not be altogether omitted. Numbers of these have been aligned and in-
equalities of surface partially removed ; they will in time perhaps prove a
valuable addition to regular roads ; at present, however, they are only
practicable for country carts at once strong and lightly laden.
The following is an extract from the official route book : —
There is one metalled road in this district which goes from Fyzabad to
Allahabad, passing for 29 miles throughout this district. There are three
encamping grounds on this road — one at the 26th mile near Kurabhar, one
near the 29th mile on the east side of the road, and a third at the 48th
mile also on the east side of the road. At the 26th mile a road branches
off on the west side to Amaniganj and on the east to Akbaipur, Amani-
ganj being 34 miles from the pargana road, and Akbarpur 32 miles. At
the 31st mile near the village Katka a road branches off on the east side
to Akbarpur (Railway Station, Oudh andRohilkhand Railway), the distance
from Katka to Akbarpur being 24 miles. At the 39th milestone a road
branches off on the west to Lucknow, and on the east to Jaunpur, the
distances from the point where they leave the pargana road to Lucknow
and to Jaunpur being respectively 84 and 50 miles. The Gumti is the
only river.
Bazars. — ^Most villages of any consequence have their own bazars.,
either permanent or periodical. The latter are often nothing more than
open air markets held on certain fixed days of the week ; the former are
often large walled enclosures, bisected by a road and lined with shops on
either side. These local bazars are small but important media of com-
merce. Every village may be said to be affiliated to one of them, and
each of them in turn is connected in its dealings with one or more of the
larger centres of traLffic
The principal bazars are as follows —(1) Perkinsganj at the civil station,
founded shortly after re-occupation by Colonel Perkins, Deputy Commis-
Bioner. One of the newest, it nevertheless is one of the most, if not the
most flourishing in the district. A large trade is carried on here, and
goods are brought for sale from a great distance. Its rapid growth has
been favoured by the extremely convenient nature of its position. It is
inclose proximity to the district court-house, the sadr tahsil, and the
thdnas, and is hence much frequented by persons whose business takes
them to those places. It is also little more than half a mile, from the
right bank of the Gumti, so that if trade be slack here, unsold goods can
be easily placed in boats and carried by water to Jaunpur. (2) Sukul
bazar, in the village Mawayya Rahmatgarh, pargana Jagdispur, founded
about forty years ago by some members of a well to do Sukul (Brahman)
family. It shared with Perkinsginj the advantage of being near, the Gumti.
(3) Gaurigani, called after the deity of that name, and founded by Raja
kidho Singh of Amethiabout 25yearsago. Itissituated in the village
of RSigarh a few miles east of Skis. (4) Bandhua, an old bazar on the
Luckiow- Jaunpur road close to HasanpUr. (5) Aliganj in the village
Unchg&on, pargana Sultanpur, founded m 1202 fash (A.D. 1795) by the
taluqdar of Maniarpur.
428 SI7L
CHAPTER II L
THE PEOPLE.
Population— ClaSBlflcation— Class distribution— Character of the people— Condition of
the people— Habitations— Shrines and fairs of interest— Teiturcs — List of talaqjdars.
Area
and Population.
Targana.
i .
ss. .
of
ireain Bri-
tish square
miles
Pepulatien
.
2
DO 0
11
1
"3
1
•B
5
125
146
271
6
■a
a
O
a
II
"3
S
t
0 '.
IS
i
/ Sultanpnr
Sultaraiivr and
Baraunsa ...
<
•Total ...
r Isauli
I Jagdispur
} Gaura Jftiuun...
' Total ...
fAmethi
1 Tappa Asl ...
<■ Totail ...
r ChSnda
\ Aldemau
J Snrbarpur
' Total ...
District total ...
European ...
Earasian
Prisoners and era-
ployis in Jail.
Grand Total ..
399
460
-216
358
138,357
,14:) ,882
20,868
11,368
39,226
80,663
1
79,169
78,562
76,0/1
159,225
156,240
644
6ffl
CO
85»
60*
147
154
93
2«2,S3»
159,832
164,633
314,465
621
4
1
IBS
186
91
s7
78
4»
224
tst
32
163
73
14
87,929
80,683
46,&23
9,2:4
19,884
3,391
48.101
49 92!)
25,067
49,042
60.639
24,»49
97,143
1< 0,567
6o;oi6
660
65 1
538
1
440
3»>
216,237
32,48»
123,096
124,630
247,! 26
62»
■<
364
»:
461
89
437
36
299
67
366
1.16
277
33
J65,S61
37,183
5,491
1,103
79.785
19,300
80.967
18,986
9«,953
160,752
38,286
638
671
«
192,444
6,594
99,0»5
38,025
78,144
6.895
199.038
432
■a
69,091
139,771
12,659
3,502
9,413
271
13,186
84,4»S
34,568
71,040
6,035
72,598
149,184
12,»3U
558
539
392
763
44C
239
8S7
123t,&2l
123,064
506,077
111,693
234,707
533
ifiiZ
1.701
911,441
490,859
995,936
584
**•
• •ft
.M
«••
SI
626
S3
19
31
43
40
6b1
«••
ijiil
1,704
88!
911,441
84,496
605,644
490,938
996,576
584
SUL 429
Density of population.~The district is very thickly inhabited. Mr-
Williams shows that Oudh in density of population suipasses even the
most populous countries of Europe, and Sultanpur, in respect of the
average number per square mile, falls below three districts only of the
province, while with regard to the number per cultivated acre it is
equalled by Lucknow alone.
Classification according to creed. — The total population of the district
according to the general census was 930,633*. It was divided into three
great classes, the numbers of which were as follows: —
Christian (European and Eurasians) ... ... 8.3
Muhammadans ... ... .. .„ '91,556
Hindus ... ... ... ... 838,467
Which, with 557 prisoners and employ^ in the jails, give the total men-
tioned above.
Christians. — The Christians, are very nearly all Government employ^.
It will be seen that there were no natives among them. Mr. Williams
accounts for this by the very probable supposition that they have been
entered in the returns as Europeans or Eurasians. The error as regards
this district, however, was, so far as I am able to say, limited to a single
instance, that of one Matthew, a cobbler.
Mibsahnans. — The Musalmans in all were rather less than one-tenth
of the whole population. Of these again, about one-fourth only belonged
to the Sayyad, Shekh, Miighal, and Pathan classes, another one-tenth
was composed of converts from the principal Chhattri castes, and the
remainder of all the lower castes of Muhammadans.
Hindus. — The Hindus still form the bulk of the population ; and of the
multiplicity of castes into which they are divided, the Brahman predo-
minates not only in social importance but also in numerical strength,
forming no less than 14 per cent, of the inhabitants of the district. Next
in both respects, among the higher castes, come the Chhattri clans aggre-
gating 8 per cent., and after these come in order the Vaishyas and the
Kayath. Of the meaner castes, the Ahir contains the largest number,
nearly 10 per cent., and is followed by the Chamar and Pasi. Giijars
are more common in Sultanpur than elsewhere in the province.
Classification according to occupation. — Compared with the rest of
Oudh, the district contained a large portion of non-agriculturists, and yet
agriculturists amount to no less than 56-9 per cent. Of the more skilful
castes Muraos are numerous, but Kurmis remarkably few.
Class dAstrihution. — ^Musalmans of the higher classes are to be found
only in towns. Hindu converts to Isldmism are intermixed with their
unconverted brethren. Of the Hindus the Chhattris are with a few
* The details of the present population which amounts to 996,576 have already been
given. The great diflerence between the population now and at the time of the census
is due to redistribution of territory.
430 SUL
exceptions lords of the soil : they lie in cluns, and it may almost be said
that each pargana has its own phylarchy. Brahmans and others are
scattered about promiscuously ; they, own a village here and there usually
acquired by grant or purchase from a Ohhattri.
Character of the people. — The people are characterised by a bold and
manly spirit. "The natives say," remarks General Sleeman, " that the air
and water of Malwa may produce as good trees and crops as those of
Oadh, but can never produce such good soldiers. This I believe is quite
true. The Sultanpur district is included in the Banaudha division of
Oudh, and the people speak of the water of this division for tempering
soldiers as we talk of the water of Damascus for tempering sword blades.
" They certainly never seem so happy as when they are fighting in earnest
with swords, spears, and matchlocks. The water of the BaiswAra division
is considered to be very little inferior to that of Banaudha, and we get our
sipahis from thes3 two divisions almost exclusively."
Their condition — Under native rule no man's property or even life
was safe for many days together ; Government of5ficials, instead of afford-
ing the protection it was their duty to, busied thejnselves only in their
own enrichment, and became the inost active oppressors of the people.
They kept up duplicate accounts, the one forged for the minister at Luck-
now, the other genuine for themselves, and in plain words embezzled
the difference. Under the plausible pretext, therefore, of collecting the
just revenue of the state, they extorted as much as they possibly could
from the landholders of every degree.
Their immediate inability to pay was immaterial, if a money-lender
could be found to advance the requisite amount; and in that case they
were compelled to give their creditors a mortgage-deed bearing the exor-
bitant interest of 24 per cent, per annum. The example set by officials
was readily followed by private individuals, and the consequence was
that every zamindar kept as many armed retainers as his means permitted,
nominally to repel force by force when necessary, but in reality employed
as often as not for purposes of aggression. Under such circumstances
there was little inducement, even where the opportunity occurred to
attempt to accumulate capital, and the result is that the landed proprietors
are now, as a rule, poor, unthrifty, and deeply involved in debt.
In sketching such a state ,of things in the past and present, it is natural
to look also towards the future, and here it is gratifying to find that the
prospect is considerably brighter.
The landholder, while conscious that if he would retain his estate, the
payment of the revenue assessed upon it is indispensable, a,lsp knows that
that amount will not be exceeded ; he is confident, too, that no powerful
neighbour will carry off his harvests, and thus deprive him of the means of
paying it, he finds additional safety in the ever-increasing price of agricul-
tural produce, and if, in an unfortunate season, he is obliged to resort to
the money-lender, he is charged no more than half the former rate of
interest. For the relief and protection of the more important encumbered
SUL 431
estates special measures have beea taken. If, then, I have correctly
described the causes of the present unsatisfactory condition of the proprie-
tary classes, it may be concluded, with moderate certainty, that a pros-
perous future will follow the altered circumstances in which they are now
placed.
The dwellings of the people are usually grouped together in towns and
villages ; but single huts or houses are not uncommon. Towns are few in
number.
In some parts villages are large and at a distance from each other, as
in the Mohanganj tahsil,* the unsettled state of which perhaps led the
inhabitants to baud themselves together in large bodies for mutual pro-
tection. Further east, on the other hand, where shankalps are numerous,
and the shankalpdars have founded purwas on their holdings, villages are
small and hamlets abound. In Chanda solitary houses are pretty thickly
scattered over the pargana. Domestic architecture is principally remark-
able for its monotonous simplicity. The most common description of
house consists of walls of puddled mud, and a roof of thatch or tiles. Even
this is beyond the reach of all ; many an agriculturist is, but the " monarch
of a sbed." On the other hand, a few substantial brick houses may be
found here and there they belong to the more wealthy landowners, to
successful traders, or Muhammadans of the better classes.
Shrines, fairs, places of interest. — It may seem odd to place shrines and
fairs in the same category ; but there are few if anj^ of the latter which
have not a religious character attached to them.
Sitakund. — On the right bank of the river Gumti, immediately below
the civil station, the place is still pointed out where the now deified Sita
is said to have bathed while accompanying her husband Rama into his
self-imposed exile. In commemoration of that event a fair is held there
twice a year (Jeth dasahra and Kartik puranmashi), to which the pious
Hindus of the neighbourhood throng to the number of fifteen or twenty
thousand The fair lasts for a few hours only, the visitors bathing imme-
diately on their arrival and then taking their departure. A few enter-
prising sweetmeat vendors from the Perkinsgaiy bazar find tMeir way
there, but otherwise no attempt is made at traffic.f
Dkopdp. Dhop&p, in the village of Rajapatti. The triumph of Rama's
return from his long exile was clouded by the recollection of a great
crime committed in the achievement of his principal exploit, his victory
* Part of this has Rince been transferred to Rae Bareli.
t In this part of the Gumti, between Sitalcuiid and Dhopap, there are said to have been
at one time 36n j.laces of pilgrimage ; but there is probably a mere local adoption of a com-
mon fable A similar story is toid of a lake near Thanesar (Arc. Geo. 332), and the same
number of temples is sai.l to liave been built at Ajodhya by Bikramijit (Elliot's Sup-
plementary Glossary. Chaurasi).
432 SUL
over RAwan, for he had thereby incurred the guilt of Brahmanicide. His
spiritual advisers accordingly set to work to find the means of effecting
his purification ; and a moral Bethesda so to say was discovered in a
particular part of the Gumti in the present village of Rajapatti, bathing
at which was pronounced to be efScacious for the purpose. Rama per-
formed the enjoined ablution and his guilt was thereby removed. The
spot was thus sanctified thenceforward and received the appellation of
DhopS,p, which being interpreted signifies the place that " cleanseth away
sin." Fairs are held here similar to those at Sitakund, but the Jeth
gathering is somewhat larger.
" The site of Dhopap, " says General Cunningham, " is evidently one of a
very considerable antiquity as the whole country for more than half a mile
around it is covered with broken bricks and pottery.
" The place is said to have belonged to the Bhar Rajas of Kusabhd-
wanpur or Sultanpur, but the only name that I could hear of as specially
connected with Dhopap was that of Raja Hel or Hela." Close to Dhopap
are the ruins of an old fort, which, as shown by a local investigation made
by a native official a few years ago, in a suit between two landed pro-
prietors, is commonly known as Garh or Shergarh. Both these names
point to its construction, or reconstruction, by the Sdr king Sher Shah,
assisted very probably, as some accounts say, by his son Salem Shah. To
them also is attributed the first erection of an old mosque in the
neighbourhood which was repaired by Safdarjang, and subsequently used
as a school, but now for some time altogether deserted. General Cunning-
ham mentions several carved stones which have been collected by the
people from the ruined fort, and says that they point unmistakeably to the
existence at some former period of a large temple at Dhop4p, probably one
only of a considerable number at that place.
" I obtained," says' the same writer, " coins of many of the early
Muhammadan kings, from Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Ghori down to Akbar,
but not a single specimen of any Hindu coinage, although I was informed
that coins bearing figures are found every year during the rainy season."
One particular coin of this kind is better remembered than any other by
the villagers ; it was picked up shortly after annexation, and is said to have
contained the device of a cone on one side and a flag on the other.
Pdparghdt. — Safdarjang, having established his virtual independence
of the Mughal emperor, determined to build a new capital. He selected as
the site for it the high bank of the Gumti overlooking PApairghdt in
the village of Shahpur, pargana Chinda, and, but for the accident of
a sickly season, that now comparatively unknown locality might have
enjoyed the celebrity that afterwards fell to the lot of Fyzabad. The
construction of a fort was commenced, and the walls had already risen
to some height, when the emperor receiving intelligence of this presump-
tuous act of his now independent, but still nominal minister, sent him mes-
sages of congratulation, and a " khilat" (dress of honour), to all outward
SUL 433
appearance, suitable to his rank and dignity. The royal gift had been packed
lip with becoming care, and its acceptance does not appear to have struck
Safdarjang as incompatible with the rebellious attitude he had assumed.
The box in which it was enclosed was opened with due ceremony, when it
was discovered that the emperor, with grim pleasantry, had selected as an
appropriate gift an image of Mari Bhawahi ! That neither donor nor
recipient venerated that goddess, mattered no more than that the Philis-
tines regarded the ark with little reverence ; the one was as fatal by its
presence as the other, and the mortality which ensued in Safdarjang's
camp was perfectly appalling. The simple expedient resorted to by the
Philistines does not appear to have occurred to, the modern sufferers,
who adopted the more cumbrous measure of moving their whole army ;
and Mari Bhawani was left in undisturbed possession. The uniinished
walls still exist, and the triumph of the destructive goddess is celebrated
by periodical fairs, held in the months of Kuar and Chait, which are
attended by 10,000 to 12,000 persons,
Sdgar. — Sagar in the village of Bandhua, in the Sultanpur pargana, is a
fine large masonry tank, on the border of which stands what may be
called, in comparison with any thing to be found for a long distance, an
imposing pile of buildings. The tank was dug at the expense of one
Baba Sahajram, a Nanakshdhi Faqir, a great miracle-monger, and is
thence known as Baba Jl-ka-sdgar. The buildings mentioned were the
Baba's residence. He and his successors received several revenue-free
grants from officials in the king's time, and these have now been confirmed
in perpetuity by the British Government. A large concourse of people,
about 8,000 to 10,000, assemble at this tank at fairs held every year
in the months of Kartik, Chait, and Jeth,
Lohrdviau. — In the village Lohramfiu, pargana Sultanpur, is a shrine
of Debi, which is said to occupy the site of an old Bhar temple. There
is now a brick shrine enclosed by mud walls, but these were erected
only twenty five years ago by the zamindars of the village. Three or
four hundred people collect here every Mond3.y, arid a. wuch larger
number twice a year in the months of Kuar and Chait to worship the
presiding goddess,
Set Bardh. — In the village of Kotwa, a mile or two south-east of the
Xmghat bridge, nearly at the summit of a lofty mound overlooking
the river Gumti stands a small shrine. In point of size it is very
insignificant, but this is more than compensated by its extreme sanctity,
It is dedicated to the '< white boar," one of the mcarnations of Vishnu.
It is reputed to contain a statue of the god, but such is not the case ;
ajl there is to do duty for it is a small hollowed block of carved
Btone. In what its similitude to a boar consists it is difficult to say.
There is perhaps a bare possibility that it represents the jaws of that
animal as depicted on the Bar4h coins, but even this is improbable, and
if it be the- case, the figure to which it belonged must have been of
colossal proportions, AH that the villages can contribute to the explana-
55
434 SUL
tion of the mystery is that the stone was picked up out of the river
below, and enshrined in the little edifice which now holds it. I am dis-
posed'to conjecture that there once stood on the spat a famous temple of
the boar-god, which was long ago destroyed ; but that the memory of ifc
having outlived its destruction, the present modest substitute was erected,
and when the stone was found, it was hailed aa the return of the tenant
god. In the immediate vicinity are several brick-strewn or rather
brick-built mounds of various dimensions. The largest of them, that
nearly touching the present village, and the only one of which I
could learn anything, is said to have been the site of an old Bhar
fortress. It is very probable that a town of considerable importance
once existed here, and the name of the village itself Kotwa, a col-
loquial corruption of Kot, implies the former presence of soirie sort
of fortificatioEt.
On the peak of the same mound as the Set Bdrah temple lies
the tomb of a faqir, who after a life of mortification and penance
died here about five hundred years ago. Austerity and devotion,
say the sacred books of the Hindus, bring to those who prs^ctice them,
with the requisite degree of eamestuess, power to controJ and suspend
the laws of nature ; and to this pitch of holiness did our fkqir attain.
The story is still told to admonish the incredulous how he walked
at will upon the river, apd the obedient waters rose not above hiss
sandals,
At this spot of two-fold sanctity a fkir is held every year »t full moon
in the month of Kd.rtik ; it lasts a day and night, and attracts visitor?
from a distance of twenty miles round to the number of 25,000. Vendors
of fruit a,nd sweetmea,ts ava,il themselves of the occa.sioA to turn an honest
penny.
Other fairs. — The six fkirs above described are the principal onea
of the district, and however little worthy of mention they may be,
the others are- still less so. Ample justiqe will be done them in a t?,bM.l^
^ist :-^
Name of village. Name of pargana.
1. Hargaon
8. Kannu ...
3. Shamsheria
4. Raghipur
5. Pindara
Gaura jamfiri,
AinetUi.
Ditto
Ditto
Pittp
^e-mt^es.-^The proprietary tenures of Sultanpwr do not call tov
special notice. It is mainly a taluqdari district owned by the Bach^
gotis a»d Rajkumirs to the east, by the Ametbias in the centre,
and by the Kanhpurias in the west, the division of property among
the caste and the different taluqdars is shown in the foUowing
tables;—
StrL 435
Statement of tenures, &c., in the old district ofSuUanpur.
\
Pargana.
TENURE AND
NCMBER uF
VILLAGES, &o.,
OF EACH KIND.
TENURES AND NUM-
BER OF VILLAGES,
&o., OF EACH KIND.
NUMBER OF
PROPRIETORS
AND SU^-PRO-
PRIETORS.
Talctqdabi.
I
NDEPEHDENI.
Pbopkib-
TOEB.
Tahsil.
Sub-
settle-
o
ment.
GQ
1
.2
• n
^
a
§■
s
1^
C9
T3
ca ■
J
p4
S3.
'd
o
c
■d
.
MS
p
■g
O
■s
"■n
H
t.
n
p 03
p
nS
e3
cS
S
6D a
be
a
'O
>.
£>
.Q
.a
^
>
■3
s
>
"3
a
.3
1
.a
1
2
a
a
Z,
a
1
i
SultanpuT, 1
Sultanpur ...
40
16
169
9i5
14
93
6,
174
396
17
3344
188
1332
Cliauda
Total ...
Amerlii
IS
...
12:!
134
6
150
67
156
330
22
290
11
1620
168
265
5-2
se
16
8
291
278
S59
342
20
•?A3
689
364
28
3
3964
356
1677
Aiaethi ... }
4
18
242
22
3oor
I-;au1i
...
3
3
36
44
2
82
HS
2
699
1U6
• ••
c
Tappa Asl ...
1
...
1
2
U
1
8l:
9S
97
2
1914
246
1
Total ...
57
8
282
347
54
63
82
199
S46
7
2856
374
300S
tnhnuna
1
22
23
26
26
2
54
77
3
455
64
3
Inhauna ... 5
Jagdispur ...
2
8
31)
40
57
60
9
126
166
4
133(1
188
2S
(
Sabeha ,„
3
17
20
6
38
2a
66
86
4
4676
78
3
■
Total ...
5
9
69
83
89
124
38
246
329
11
6461
330
29
Rokha Jais,
U
2
51
645
29
26^
55>
110
4
706
79
10
Mohanganj 3
Simiriiuta ...
GauraJamun,
9
2
8
44
SI
60
6S
23
13
"I'o
...
2.S
23
73
91
b
8
14
265
14
35
149
93
c
Mohanganj,
...
1
60
61
4
10
...
14
76
4
612
ib
2
Total ...
14J
13
206
233S
69
26i
...
115 J
349
1^86
173
254
Grand Totai,
I28i
46
84S
102ili
232
476-10
182
890^
1913
67
14866
1233
4868
436
SUL
Statement showing: the number of mauzas held by each castB) and their
area in acres, except the parganas Sultanpur, Baraunsa, and Isauli,
transferred from, Fyzabad.
•
2
a
4
Number ofmauzas.
Area in
acres.
Caste or tribe.
08
i
■•«
••
■■
(••
•I*
i
.a
n
12
4
12
■••
■••
>•«
10
1
■3
1
16
11
8
• ••
3
• *•
•3
1
1
M
i'i
11
14
.M
1
Remarks.
Brahmana
Chhattris
Kayaths
Goshiins
Banian Agarwlla
Bh&ts
Goldsmiths ...
Ahirs ...
Musalmand ...
-Government „,
75
1,633
67
6
6
2
1
176
1
9
1
• ■
19,721
694,014
15,938
694
2,218
262
165
628
134,876
493
The registef of the afea
of the parganas, Snltan-
pur, Barailnsa, and Isau-
li has not been sent by
the Settlement Depart-
ment of Tyzabad, and
therefore could not be
entered in this state-
ment.
Total „
1,967
••
869,009
List of Taluqdars of the District of Sultanpur.
. I*
W S ■-£>
s :^-g
a M o
to o ^
Name of taluqdar.
146
144
Bibu Ishraj Singh,
Ditto
Name of estate, g s
<H a
o =
fa
149
226
227
228
MusammSt Shiuraj
Kanwar.
ttija Muhammad
All Khan.
Ban! Eishnath Kiin
war, widow of
the late Baja Ma-
dho Partab Singh.
Bibi I14hi Kbanam,
Meopur Oehla,
Shaharapur
Meopur Shi-
rakati.
Sultanpur Da-
modra.
Haeanpar ...
Jaisinghpur ...
Mungra ,„
Kurw4r ...
Hatgaon ...
Maighat Eore-
part.
Maniarpur ...
Ditto Pali ...
XI -g
^ Ph
■.3 36
0 3
0 27
SI 2
64 3
38 2
1 0
Revised revenue
Of each
estate.
Bs. a. p.
11,286 13 9
888 10 0
4,779 7 2
4,858 6 0
32,633 9 0
18,156 9 U
660 14 0
28
29
2
1
6
0
2
8
20,634 8
18,666 7
1,184 10
0
9
0
47
25
23,193 4
11,407 15
0
0
Of each taluC[-
dar.
Bs. a. p.
16,954 14 II
4,868 6 O
51,241 0 0
40,385 9 9
34,601 3 0
Bemarks,
9UL
List of Taluqdars. — (concluded.)
437
a A
a
■3
•a
Name of taluqdar.
Name of estate,
329
330
S31
10
332
2S3
Baba Eamta I'ar
shad aud Babu
Uishnath Singh
Thakuraia Uaiiau
Kunwar.
Zabar Sin^h and
BaiJDiith Singh.
Blkarmajit Singh
8-biswa share and
A n a n t Farshad,
12-biswa share.
Bikarmajit Singh.,
Etudr FartUb Sab
12
13
14
15
16
17
234
S3S
236
237
238
239
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Bhadaiyin .
Fazilpur
Uaoribirapur .
Garabpur ,
Partabpur
R&mpur
lievised revenue
240
241
242
243
244
245
144
246
Raja Madho Singh
Raja Bahadur Sin^'h
Jamshed Ali Khan,
Dargahi Eban
Rani H a r u a t h
Kunwar.
Ganesh Kunwar,
widow of the late
Jagannath
Bakhsh Singh.
Sripal Singh
Jageshwar Bakhsh
Singh.
Ganesh Kunwar,
widow of the late
Arjun Singh.
Babu Hardatt
Singh.
Jahangir Bakhsh .,
Makundpur ...
Dera
Amahat
Dhaiiao Dih ...
Madanpur Pa-
niar.
Ametht ,.,
Shahgarb
Mahona
TJnchgaon Bha-
daur.
Kati&ri
Tamun
Babu Lallfi Sah
Ditto
Babu Sitia Bakhsh,
i "
ti SB
C S
.a *
£ P-
!>
42 14
3 2
3 3
81 6
2 44
38 32
5
69 59
26 3
8 1
8 8
3l8 3
20 1
25 2
7 0
13 0
17 0
Of each
estate.
1,90,681 7 0
0,292 2 0
22,145 II 7
5,572 14 0
10,403 4 0
14,966 4 0
Barolia
Bhawanshapur,
Rehsi
Simratpar ..
Chakmawaiya,
Gangeo
Bhamurpur ..
Meopur Dehla,
Karomi
Madh&ban ...
Shaharapur ...
Meopur Shi-
rakti.
Nanamau
Bamgarh
Dhannupur ..
Mirpur Sarai'
yan.
13 (I
12 0
10 0
25 4
2 0
17 4
1 0
6 12
1 0
2 0
0 3
0 27
8 12
4 6
1 0
3 3
Of each ta-
luqdar.
Kb. a. p.
20,143 12 9
2,056 6 1
1,012 14 G
8,406 8 6
7,570 3 0
15,910 2 0
1,291
14
0
38,830
1
0
11,312
0
4
2,942
0
0
5,146
13
6
8,545 14 0
5,858 9 S
6,790 14 0
12,426 9 0
477 12 0
7,644
1
0
945
12
0
6,743
6
0
526
8
0
902
7
0
629
3
6
3,186
4
10
6.274 2 0
2,227 14 0
176 8 0
1,324 II 0
Remarks.
Rb. a. p,
23,213 1 4
8,406 8 6
7,570 3 0
17,202 0 0
58,2.30 14 10
1,90,681 7 0 Estate trans-
10.292 2
22,145 II
5,572 14
10,403 4 0
14,966 4 0
8E45 14 0
6,868 9 2
6,790 14 0
12,904 5 0
8,689 13 0
8,172 5 0
3,716 8 4
10,002 3 0
ferred to
his brother,
Lai Chhatar-
pal Singh.
438 StL
CHAPTER IV.
ADMINISTRATIVE FEATURES.
Fiscal— T«h3il—Pargana— Village— Police— Thanas — Crimes- Accidental deaths —
BeTenue nnil expenditure — Education— I'oat-ofiBces.
Fiscal. — For fiscal and general administrative purposes the district is
divided into parganas and tahsils,
Tahsil. — The tahsil as a local division, with fixed boundaries, is a
modern innovation, and as compared with the pnrgana an artificial one.
It is simply an arbitrary aggregation of a few parganas, the number of
which may be varied at pleasure, without causing mtich inconvenience
or confusion. It has no counterpart whatever that I am aware of in
Akbar's arrangements ; the " dastiir," the nearest to it, being rather a
district. An approximation to it came into existence in the constitution
of the chakla by Sad-ulla Khan, minister of Shahjahan, and its formal
reintroduction in the time of Saadat Ali Khan.
There were then also tahsildars eo nomine, but their jurisdictions were
scarcely analogous to the present tahsils.
Pargana. — The pargana, on the other hand, may lay claim to consi-
derable antiquity ; it is usually believed to have succeeded a still older
division, the tappa, which must itself have been in common use for some
length of time, as the recollection of it still Survives in various familiar
names,* though in all other respects it has long been obsolete. The
pargana on its first introduction became to the tappa what the tahsil is
now to the pargana, the former usually consisting of two or more of the
latter; and in old documents the two divisions may be found mentioned
together, though their co-existence was probably never recognized ofiici-
ally.
The exact date of the creation of the pargana is uncertain. Sir H.
Elliott says that the name means " tax-paying land," and mentions
instances of its use in A.D. 1210 and again in A.D. 1350. Mr. C. A.
Elliott in the Chronicles of Oonao shows that it is possible the pargana
was constituted by Shah^b-ud-din Ghori, and the use of the Avord in the
early years of the thirteenth century favours the supposition. It occurs in
Babar's Memoirs, but on the other hand, is not exclusively employed in
the Ain-i-Akbari, where the term muhal is often used as its equivalent.
The co-extensiveness of a pargana with the possessions of a clan or
individual family has often formed the subject of remark, and in its
convertibility with muhal here illustrated lies a very possible explanation
of the circumstance ; for it suggests that the pargana was not only tax-
paying land, but that like the muh^l it was a separately possessed parcel
of such land ; in other words, that it was founded on the distribution of
properties at the time of its creation. Dr. W. Oldham seems to take a
somewhat similar view when he says that " in the early days of Muhair-
madan empire parganas appear to have been clearings or cultivated spaces
in tbe forest, occupied generally by a single but sometimes by more than
* For example, Tappa Asl, a name often given to the pargana.
SUL
439
one fraternity or clan ;" and Mr. C. A. Elliett thinks there is no doubt that
if they are attributable to Shahab-ud-din Ghori they are based on still
more ancient divisions which he found already in existence. Further
confirmation of the theory I follow lies in the fact, of which numerous
examples might be found, that pargana limits have often been expanded
or contracted to suit the growth or decay of private estates. The follow-
ing table, which was prepared before the redistribution of territory, shows
of what parganas and tahsils the Sultanpur (settlement) district was till
lately composed, together with the tappas, muhals, and chaklas out of
which they were developed.
Territorial Divisions, past and present.
Bri
ish.
Piawabi.
a.
4
Present par-
ganas.
o
d
Summary set-
tlement par-
ganas.
Nizamat
Chakla.
1
i(
Chanda
290
ChSnda
310
Sultanpur ...
Sultanpur ...
i\
PSpar Ghat ...
92
...
...
fi
Sultanpur ...
399
Sultanpur ...
482
Sultanpur ...
Sultanpur ...
Miranpur ...
43
...
...
3
■i
Inbauna
77
Inhauna
89
Baiswara ...
Ilaidargarh...
4
Hi
Subehs
86
Subeha
207
Ditto
Ditto
e
JagdispuT ...
166
Jagdfspur ...
278
Sultanpur ...
Jagdispur* ...
6
Hi
A si or Tappa
AsU
97
Asl
156
Ditto
Sultanpur ...
7
^
Amethi
364
Amethi
826
Ditto
Jagdispur t ...
8
Isauli
8S
Jsauli ...
106
Ditto
Sultanpur „
9
f
Gaura J^mfin,
91
Gaura
77
••«
Salon ...
g
J6m(in
101
Sultaopur ...
Jagdispur ...
10
Bokh9 Jais ...
MO
Bokha
lOU
•••
Salon ...
o
Jais
36
...
Ditto
11
^■.
Simrauta ...
73
Simrauta ...
97
■a.
Ditto ...
12
.
Mobanganj ...
75
Mohanganj ...
99
...
Ditto
• This cbakla was sometimes separately bet4) sometiaies ineluded in Cbakia Saltanpur.
t ^ishnl by itsell constitutes a dasMir.
uo
SUL
Territorial Divisions, past and present. — (concluded.)
,0
s
Mughal '
< !
10
11
12
a !
Subah.
Allahabad,
OuiJli
Ditto
Allahabad.
Oadh
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Allahabad,
Allahabad,
Allahabad,
Ditto
Sarkar.
Jaunpur ...
Oudh
Ditto
ManikpiiT
Oudh
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Lucknovr...
Ditto
Manikpar...
Minikpur.,
Mfinikpur.,
Ditto ...
Dastur.
Haweli Jaun-
pur.
Hatreli, Oudh,
Ditto
Manikpur bii
Haweli.
Haweli, Oudh
Ditto
1 Ditto
2 Kishnif ...
Haweli Oudh,
Haweli, Luck
now.
Ditto
Bae Bareli ...
Manik ba Ha-
welL
Bae Bareli ,.,
Ditto
Ditto
Muhal.
Chanda
Bilahri (part)
Sultanpur
(part).
Eatbat
Inhauna ..
Subeha ..
1 Satanpur .-.
2 Kishni
Thana Bha-
dauu.
Garh Ame- ,
thi. ■»
Isaali
Jais
Hindu.
Tappas.
Nasirabad
(part )
Jiis (part)
Ditto ...
Ditto ...
None known.
Ditto.
1 Hawal or Hasan-
pur.
2 Tappa Tiar or
Harkpur.
3 Sondai.
4 Piira or Pure Bagh
Uae.
None known.
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Tappa A si
1 Udiawan.
2 Bishta or Bheta
3 Nanatnau
4 Mehndi
5 Haweli
6 E annu
7 Eusahan.
8 Tikri.
1 Handia kalfin.
2 Eumhaon.
3 Babnus
4 Gondar
5 Haweli
6 Shams
1 Dakhanwara(part)
2 Dehli (part).
Ha\^eU Jais (part)
2 Delhi, (part).
1 Dewa.
2 Sandha.
3 Eumbah.
4 Mustafabad.
5 Mabesbar
6 Haweli.
1 Haweli Jais (part)
1 Shewan.
a Murami.
3 Bhadwar (part).
1 Haweli J&is (part)
2 Bhadwar (part).
3 Pidbi.
4 Dakhinwar.
!
a
a
O
»
MuMl. — The tenn muhdl has long been extinct as expressive of terri-
torial division, and I question whether, in that sense, it ever took any
* In the assignment of mnhals to dastiir subahs and subahs Prof. Blochmann's Ain-i-
Akbari (text) is followed.
■J In Chakla Partabgarh till 1249 fasli ; in Jagdispur (muhil tabsil) from 1S60 faslij
Baiurah tahsil from 1263 fasli till annexation.
SUL 441
great hold upon popular favour. It is still, however, in ordinary official
use to denote the individuality of estates held under separate revenue
engagements. With this signification it forms the revenue subdivision of
the pargana, and is, indeed, the unit of revenue responsibility. It forms
also the point where official fiscal arrangements become merged in private
land tenures ; for each muh^l is represented by one or more lambardars or
headmen, who possess a double character — on the one hand they are pri-
vate persons, members of the proprietary body of the muhdl, raised to their
representative position in conformity with rules springing out of the past
customs of the family : on the other hand, they are invested with a quasi-
official^ position, inasmuch as they have delegated to them the duty of
collecting the revenue payable by their co-sharers, and are primarily res-
ponsible to the state for its collection.
Village— As the muhdl is the unit of fiscal subdivision of the pargana,
so is the village or township the unit of local subdivision. The town-
ships, says Elphinstone, are the indestructible atoms, from an aggregate
of which the most extensive' Indian empires are composed, just as Creasy
says Anglo-Saxon townships were the integral molecules out of which the
Anglo-Saxon state was formed.
Police. — With respect to police jurisdictions, th^na circles take the place
of the fiscal arrangement of parganas. Their boundaries sometimes but
not always coincide. In the district as it stood previous to July, 1869,
eight thanas corresponded to twelve parganas, and in the changes which
then took place, symmetry was again subordinated to convenience and
utility ; the principle acted upon was that each village should report to the
nearest thanas, subject to any modifications which might be caused by the
local topography of the country.
The police force consists of two branches, the regular belonging to a
provincial establishment, and the rural which is purely local. The first
is partly distributed at the thanas partly employed as jail and treasury
guards, and partly held in reserve at headquarters. The regular force
allotted to the district numbers 379 of all ranks.
The rural police or village chaukidars at the time of settlement were
2,664 in number, or one to every 354 of population. Each of them had
his separate fixed beat extending over an average area of 377 acres. A
large majority of the chaukidars belong to the Pasi and other low castes ;
but a Brahman now and then condescends to fill the post with very ques-
tionable advantage, I believe, to the village he honours with his service.
Sixitement showing the population of thdnas.
Name of TUaua. Population.
Baipur Iffif
Jag.iispur ... ... ... ••■ \;l'^,'f.
Kuraibhar ... ... ... •" ^'*.2i6
Piparpur ... ...
Sultanpur ... ... - - ''O-'*"
Lamhwa 86,584
Kadipur ...
64,04,4
87,978
110,190
86,584
93,694
Total ... 1,000.786
The total population in this calculation which has been made later differs somewhat from
that given ia the table of area and population in Chapter lU.
56
442
SUL
Crime Statistics
Cases reported.
Cases Investigated.
Cases oonvioted.
1867
1868
1869
1870
1871
1872
1867
1868
1869' 1870
lo|~9
1871
9
1872
2
1867
10
1868
3
186l>
6
1870
6
1871
1872
Murders and attempts.
11
13
10
9
9
2
14
3
Culpable liomloide
»
8
5
b
8
7
9
U
6
5
8
V
■ 7
6
1
4
i>
3
Bacoity
2
7
1
2
1
1
2
7
1
2
X
1
1
1
...
1
2
1
Bobbery
9
IS
11
25
i
10
9
18
11
25
4
10
6
3
6
14
2
B
Eioting and nnlawftU
assembly.
Tlieft by house-breaking
23
24
46
105
118
44
23
24
46
101
H8
44
2U
12
23
«&
62
2tt
2927
4399
4342
3633
3799
4800
609
689
1265
749
726
H03
132
160
238
177
192
413
or house-trespasa
Theft simple
931
1692
1691
9S7
HSR
24fi7
291
437
791
436
534
1121
144
1V9
2/0
lyi
264
644
Theft of cattle
297
2S(i
149
122
348
685
73
79
13SI
121
348
536
18
24
31
26
01
101
Offences against coin
2
6
10
6
4
7
2
6
lU
4
4
7
1
4
2
2
2
4
and stamps
Comparative
Memo, of
accidental deaths.
Suicides.
By
By
By wild
► By fall of
Bs
other
Total.
drowning.
snake bite.
quadrupeds.
buildings.
causes.
a
<s
.
S
32
3S
a
"a
91
a
.2
33
B
^
S
18
N
0)
•3
25
198
a
J"
1867
123
49
6
9
13
60
219
1868
•k
J«»
98
IDS
61
76
.•■
2
11
2
77
13
237
19S
1869
.,,
125
131
46
53
1
!
8
6
97
29
268
177
1870
3
12
133
172
35
57
1
1
21
15
66
22
269
27»
1871
12
28
12(1
173
51
97
1
46
26
108
28
337
352
1872
16
30
120
226
62
78
3
15
6
96
33
293
843
The following statements give the receipts and expenditure of the dis-
trict for 1872 :—
Receipts.
Recent ael;tleinent revenue colleotiona ,., ... Bs. 11,57,809
Kenta of Governmeut villages and. lands ... „
Income tax t.. ...
Tax on spirits ... ... ...
Tax on opium and drugs ... .„
Stamp duty ... ...
-Law and justice ,..
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Expenditure.
Revenue refunds and drawbacks
Miscellaneous refunds ...
Land revenue, Deputy Commissioners and
establishment ,„
Settlement ... .„ ,
Excise or abkari ,„
Assessed taxes
Stamps
Law and justice
Ecclesiastical
Medical
f Service of process
( Criminal courts
■ ••
>l
18,573
•«•
•)
84,823
• ••
})
2,663
>•■
»l
67,119
• •4
>i
10,363
Total Rs. 12,81,760
...
■Rs.
99S
•t.
il
1,610
...
»
52,»6S
...
»
46,371
■••
>J
2,123.
•ti
»
472
*■•
M
99
».i
2,648
••■
•1
36,474
•t.
»
108
...
l>
4,64b
Total Us.
1,47,409
SUL^ 443
The following tables exhibit receipts and expenditure from local funds ;-^
Receipts.
One per cent. roa,ice83 rs. 1,979
»f )> school cess ... .,. 11974
One-fourth per cent, district dak ... '." " a'ggg
w^nnof .";. " local and margin ',", "'. " 31695
Education fund ... ... " ,',„„
dispensary ... "• - " '''"^
I'ound , - - " ^^,11
NazM :; ;:: - 2,10a
I'roviuciai funds ... ;;. ;;; •;:. ;; ,lf,l
Total, Hs. 99,526
Charges.
Education ... ... .., ___ gg 17993
Hospital and dispensaries ... ... 1 's 1 4
District dak ... . o 17K
T, J, •" *•• ... ... 1. 3,170
Pound ... ... ' ' ...
'^*=^"' ••• "• ... ... ... „ 812
Public Works —
Communications ... ... Es. 46,062
ClTil Buildings, &c, ,., ... „ 19,804
Establishments, &c. ... ... „ 9,771 „ 75,637
Total, Bs. 99,4s6
_ Educational — Educational like postal interests have received due atten-
tion in the revision of assessments, and provision has been made for the
levy of a school cess of ^ per cent, on the Government demand.
The district contains in all 116 schools. Of these the principal is the
high school at the civil station. Instruction is afforded in it in four
languages, vis., English, Urdu, Hindi, and Persian, together with a variety
of other subjects. The standard it teaches up to is that of the entrance
examination of the Calcutta University ; next in importance comes the
town school of Jagdispur. Then come the village schools. In these of
course a lower standard is aimed at, and the curriculum embraces fewer
subjects than in the high school, but their usefuhaess and suitability to
the requirements of the village population is manifested by the fact that
they attract more than four thousand students.
This class of schools at the outset entails a good deal of trouble and
expense for building, training teachers, &c., so that they must be established
gradually; and as those now in existence come into full working order,
some augmentation of their number will take place. The total number
of persons who attend the Government schools is 4,607.
Postal. — Postal arrangements on a somewhat limited scale were esta-
blished soon after the re-occupation of the province ; they were, however,
almost entirely restricted to the conveyance of the mails to and from out-
lying thanas and tahsils, and the- extension of regular postal communica-
tions throughout the interior of the district was deferred till the present
settlement, being one of certain specific objects for which provision was
then directed to be made. Settlement officers were charged with making
444 SUL
the requisite arrangements, the main principles laid down for their guid-
ance being that the thana and tahsil officials should, as far as possible, be
relieved of postal duties that a system of independent rural offices should
be established, and that there should be a postal delivery in every village.
Simultaneously therefore with the introduction of the revised assess-
ments into any pargana or tahsil a postal scheme satisfying the above
condition was introduced therein, and at the end of last year was in opera-
tion throughout the whole district with the exception of pargana Chdnda.
The working of the scheme was originally placed in the hands of the
district officer, but in 1871 with a view to the improvement of the postal
service, the district post establishment throughout the province was
reorganized as a separate institution, and the control and management was
formally transferred to the Chief Inspector of Post-offices in Oudh.
Certain modifications of previously existing arrangements naturally sug-
gested themselves in the substitution of a single homogeneous scheme for
one composed of sections constructed independently of each other and at
different periods to keep pace with the revision of assessment. The systeni
as it at present stands may be briefly thus described. There is an Im-
perial office at the civil station, which forms the connecting link between
the internal and external postal lines; and rural offices have been fixed at
the headquarters of each tahsil and at such other places within it as offer
themost convenient sites, viz., ^arama., Amethi, Gauriganj,Piparpur,Mus&fir-
khana, Jagdispur,Kishni,Gaura J4mun, Kadipur, Dostpur, Kuraibhar. At
Khairabad, Hanomanganj, and Munshiganj offices have recently been abo-
lished; at these places letter-boxes will continue to be kept up.
The neighbouring stations with which Sultanpur is connected by Im-
perial lines are those of Allahabad, Lucknow, Fyzabad, and Rae Bareli,
communication with which is effected by means of foot runners; any more
expeditious means of transit for the mails being still among the desiderata
of the future, and dependent on correspondence with a concomitant increase
of the postal revenues. The transmission of mails from one rural office
to another is carried on by the same means. For the delivery of
letters each office has attached to it the requisite number of peons or
rural messengers; to each of these a separate circle is allotted, within
which it is his duty to distribute the incoming letters so received from the
Postmaster.
He is also furnished with a "travelling letter-box," so that he may at the
same time collect any letters intended for outward despatch.
The agency employed is of a mixed character, partly imperial and partly
local. The imperial office at Sultdnpur has been already mentioned;
others were placed some years ago at Jagdispur and Dostpur, and others
have recently been placed experimentally at Amethi and Mus^firkhana.
All charges connected with these are met from the imperial revenues.
The local agency consists of all but that just described; the income, from
which the cost it entails has to be defrayed is derived from two sources —
viz., the special cess levied expressly for this purpose and a subvention
SUL 445
from the imperial revenues computed on the number of police stations in
the district, the last remnant of the system which has now been superseded.
Statement showing the number of articles received for delivery and
those returned undelivered during 1876-77 : —
Letters.
Papers.
Packets.
Parcels.
Given out for delivery
28,887
470
39
l,OIti
Eeturned uadelivered
2,654
37
■i
20
Statement showing the working of the district d&k for 1876-77 : —
No. of miles of dak line 94,
No. of runners SO,*
Cost for the year Rs. 3,037-6-9,
No. of covers delivered 27,493,
No. of covers returned undelivered 2,713,
Total No. of letters sent to district post-office 3O,20fi.
* Eight runners have worked for a part of the year.
446 SUL
CHAPTER V.
HISTORY.
History— Places of interest.
Earliest Muhammadan settlement in this district — The history of Sul-
tanpur need not here be carried back beyond the thirteenth century of our
era. During this period it probably was that the first Muhammadan
conquests were achieved, and the first Muhammadan colonies planted in
the western portion of this district. From the tenure of the message sent
to Sayyad Salar when he arrived in Satrikh it may be gathered that
the princes of M^nikpur claimed dominions over the whole tract which
intervened between their capital and Satrikh, nearly the whole of which,
indeed, was afterwards included in the Manikpur Sarkdr, and the chronicles
of Jais and Subeha towns which lay nearly on the line of march from one
place to the other, point to the time of S^lar Masa6d as that in which
they were first visited by Muhammadans.
Sultanpur conquered hy the Muhammadans. — Sultanpur, in spite of the
expeditions sent from Satrikh against Benares and other places to the
east, appears for sorae unexplained reasons to have escaped the fate of its
neighbours, Jais on the one side and Jaunpur on the other ; it may have
been that its naturally strong position bafHed for the time all the attempts
of the invaders. But be the cause what it may, the traditions current in
its vicinity are singularly unanimous in omitting all mention of Sayyad
Sal4r, and in representing the Bhars to have remained masters of it, until
it was captured from them by Ala-ud-din Ghori.
And as part of Ovdh under Muhammadan governors. — This view is
further supported by the fact that about this time the first mention is made
of a Muhammadan governor (or Oommander-in-Chief) in Oudh, being
indeed, so far as I have been able to ascertain, the first instance in which
allusion is made to that province by the Muhammadan historians. In
relating the history of Muhammad Bakhtiar Khilji, the author of the
Tabaqat-i-Nasiri* says that "this Muhammad Bakhtiar was a Khilji of Ghor
of the proArince of Garmsir. He was a very smart, enterprising, bold, coura-
geous, and experienced man. He left his tribe and came to the court of
Sultan Muizz-ud-din at Ghazni, and was placed in the Dfwan-i-arz (ofiS.ce
for petitions), but as the chief of that department was not satisfied with
him he was dismissed, and proceeded from Ghazni to Hindustan. When
he reached the Court of Delhi he was again rejected by the chief of the
Dfwan-i-arz of that city, and so he went on to Budaon into the service of
Hizabr-ud-din Hasan, Commander-in-chief, where he obtained a suitable
position. After some time he went to Oudh in the service of Malik
Sisdm-ud-din Ughlabak. He had good horses and arms, and he had
showed much activity and valour at many places, so he obtained Sahlat
and Sahli in jdgir."
I have quoted this passage in extenso, bfecause Muhammad Bakhtiar is
himself credited by Elphinstone with the conquest of a part at least of
Oudh, whereas from the above passage it looks as if he found the province
* Elliott's History of India, U,, 305.
SUL 447
under a Mpsalman governor, or at least in the occupation of a Musalman
army on his first arrival in it, and as if it was only by entering the service
of the governor (who it may be remarked had been a companion of Qutb-
ud-din in the Benares campaign, and had in its termination been immedi-
ately appointed to a governorship, that of Koil) that he obtained a base of
operations for his subsequent incursions into BehJir; at a later period ha
may certainly have held the province, as in the year A.D. 1202, " he joined
the auspicious stirrups and came to pay his respects from the direction of
Oudh and Behar." After Muhammad Bakhtiar's unsuccessful attempt to
establish an independent eastern empire, and the consequent restriction of
his dominion to Bengal proper by Shams-ud-din Altamsh, the rest of the
territory previously held by him was parcelled out into smaller jurisdictions,
in which may be traced perhaps the outlines of those arrangements which
were afterwards more fully elaborated in the Xin-i-Akbari. Among them
Oudh became again a separate province ; it was first held by Nasir-ud-din,
elder son of Shams-ud-din, and in the next generation reference is made
to a " Hakim- Oudh." The incumbent of the ofiice being one Qazi Jalal-
ud-din, and the recurrence of the title may be noted until after the acceS'
fiion of the Khilji dynasty.
Extent of Oudh at this period. — The Oudh here alluded to, it must at
the same time be remarked, was very much smaller in extent than either
the kingdom of Ham Chandar had been in early ages, or than the
subah to which it subsequently gave a name ; for contemporary with
the Qazi Jalal-ud-din, above-named, Nasir-ud-dm Mahmtid,* afterwards
emperor, held the northern portion of the province which constituted the
separate district of Bahraich, and in the opposite direction where Oudh
marches with Manikpur their, mutual boundary line most likely cut across
the south-western corner of this district, excluding a large track from
Oudh, and placing it in Manikpur.
These two governments being thus contiguous, the politics of the one
were not unnaturally influenced by those of its neighbours, and it is not
surprising to find that when Malik Jhajhu, a nephew of Ghayas-ud-din,
rebelled against his Khilji sovereign in his government of Karra, Amir
Ali,-f" his contemporary in Oudh, participated in the revolt. One of the
immediate effects of the defeat of the confederates, which was speedily
effected by the royal forces was the conferment of the government of Karra
Manikpur by the emperor on his nephew, Ala-ud-dln Khilji, who now
first appears in the history of this district, and as he was chief among
those whom the king delighted to honour, he soon became still more inti-
mately connected with it by receiving a second grant, viz., of the govern-
ment of Oudh, which had of course become vacant in consequence of
the rebellion of Amir Ali.
Aldrud-din Khilji' s two governments included the whole district. — ^Ala-
ud-dln Khilji was thus the first Musalman governor under whose rule the
two previously separate portions of the district were united, J but he is never-
theless completely ignored in the annals of all parts of it alike. Whether
* Elliott's History of India, II., 344.
t ^^^° called Hatim Khaa (Fariahta).
J Even tben CbSiida belonged to another government.
448 SUL
rightly so or not is doubtful; for it has been suggested that to him* of right
belongs the honour of the exploit which is ascribed to his namesake of
the Ghori dynasty, which would make him the principal character in the
principal event in the history of the capital. It would then, indeed,
almost seem that the Khilji might pride themselves on having monopolised
the annihilation of the Bhars of Sultanpur. A Khilji it was who dealt
the first blow to their independence by the overthrow of J6is ; for a Khilji
has been claimed the honour of first conquering the region in which their
principal possessions lay ; a Khilji again is said to have demolished their
last remaining citadel, and thus effected their complete subjection.
But I venture to think that it is quite possible the name has been cor-
rectly preserved as Ala-ud-din Ghori, being as in the case of J4is, that of
a person all but locally obscure ; and that if, as is possible enough, the
legend is inaccurate at all, it errs rather in the particular of confounding
a private individual with a well known historical character than in that
of substituting one distinctive designation for another ; in the instance
quoted that of Jais, it will be observed the very word Khilji, which is
here supposed to have been merged in that of Ghori, is seen to have been
retained unaltered. Ala-ud-din, Khilji, moreover, so far as I have been
able to ascertain from the sources of information at my command, does
not appear to have once visited Oudh during the short period he was its
governor, while it appears, after having been conquered by Musalman
armies, to have been held by Musalman rulers, for nearly a century before
his time, I have therefore told the tale as it was told to me, and assigned
no more modern a date to the occurrences it narrates than historical pro-
bability absolutely demands, i.e., the reign of Shahab-ud-di'n.
Whether Ghori or Khilji was the victor, the thoroughness of the con-
quest is evidenced in the most conclusive manner by the absence of any
event connecting Sultanpur with general history, until the dismemberment
of the Delhi empire In the time of Mahmtid Tughlaq.
Sultanpur part of the kingdom of Jaunpur. — .Up to shortly before
that period, the jurisdiction of the governor of Jaunpur had been limited
to " Jaunpur and Zafarabad," with such provinces to the eastward as were
held neither by petty chiefs nor the lords of Lakhnauti ;f but when in
A.D. 1394, Mahmiid Tughlaq deputed his Wazir, Khwaja Jahan, to that
important charge, he invested him with the newly created title of Malik-
ush-sharq, and at the same time extended his authority over the lower
DuS,b and the provinces on the left bank of the Ganges. When therefore
later on in the same year, Khwaja Jahan, throwing off his allegiance to
Delhi, assumed the emblems of royalty, Sultanpur found itself again, as in
the time of Rama, in the centre of an eastern empire, very much the same
in extent as Rama's, and at about the same distance, though in a different
direction from the new capital as it was from the old one of Ajodhya.
The change of the sovereignty does not appear to have produced any
marked effect on the even flow of its internal history, and Sultan Ibrahim
is, indeed, the only one of the Sharqi dynasty who lives in local story. In
this he figures among the most ardent of the propagators of the faith of
• But lie has no place in local tradition,
t Calcutta Keview, 1865, pargana Jaunpur.
SXJL 449
]bUm and as the indefatig^le champion of the professors of that creed,
inat the tales told of him are exaggerated may be assumed;* but they are
nevert^less pervaded by a vein of truth, and the reason for his being
made the hero of them is not far to seek. Immediately after ascending
the throne he had to hurry off from Jaunpur in the direction of Kanaul
to join his army then encamped near the latter place on the left bank of
the Granges, and more than one march and countermarch between the two
places is on record; so that it is quite credible not only that Ibrahim himself
actually passed the spots where there still hngers the recollection of his
visit, but also that when he did so he had at his back forces sufficient in
his estimation to cope with those of Delhi.
Establishment of the Mughal power.— The downfall of the Jaunpur
kmgdom was no more actively felt in this part of Oudh than its erection;
nor did anything of note occur within the half century of Lodif rule. At
the close of that period, however, Babar, who had elsewhere established
the Mughal power, marched in person into Oudh. Crossing the Ganges in
the proximity of Bdngarmau, he marched by Lucknow eastwards, and
encamped on the very day on which his General Chin Taimfir Sultan
defeated the Afghan chief, by whom his power was contested in this
province "two or three kos above Oudh at the junction of the Gogar and
Sirwa." Here he halted some days for the purpose of " settling the affairs
of Oudh and the neighbouring country and for making the necessary
arrangements." iThis halt of Babar's demands attention, as it was the
proximate cause of one of the leading events in the history of the Bach-
goti clan : the conversion to IsMmism of Tilok Chand, nephew of the
then chief of the clan,| whose descendants afterwards became premier
r^jas of Oudh.
The S^r Kings. — The temporary overthrow of the Mughal power,
which occurred about ten years later, and the establishment of the Stir
dynasty in the person of Sher Shah, must not be passed over in silence.
They were fraught with results, material if not moral also, more impor-
tant from a local point of view than any other of the numerous dynastic
changes which had taken place since the fall of Delhi and Kanauj at the
end of the twelfth century. Sher Shah had, soon after Bdbar's death,
made himself master of the province of Behar and of the important forts
of Chunar and Hohtds, and though from motives of prudence he bent for
a time before the storm, and took shelter in the fortress of Kohtas when
Humaydn marched against him in A.D. 1538. No sooner did he find his
army weather bound in Bengal than he issued from his retreat,' took pos-
session of Behar and Benares, recovered Chunar, laid siege to Jaunpur,
and pushed his detachments up the Ganges as far as Kanauj. So confi-
dent was he in the result of his future operations that at this period he
* They are more numerous in Rae Bareli, but are not altogether wanting' in thia dis-
trict. Thus he is said by some acooiinta to hare built a fort in Nasirabad, and another
story states that Parshad Singh, the Kanhpuria chief, having attacked a Muhammadan
tribe of that town, the Khatibs, they appealed to and obtained the protection of Ibrahim.
t That is from the downfall of Jaunpur when the Lodi rule commence^ in Oudh
to the Mughal conquest.
t The conversion is said to have taken place at Al lahabad, so that it may not have
happened till the following year, when Babar's camp was pitched in this place ; but it is
iinprobable, as he only halted there for a few hours.
450 SUL
assumed the title of king. In A.D. 1539 h*-inflicted a decisive dfefeat
on Humdydn who fled to Delhi, and was occupied there for eight or nine
months in repairing his losses, and during that interval his conqueror con-
tented himself with retaining his acquisitions in Hindustan, recovering
possession of Bengal, and putting all his former territories into order.
The renewal of hostilities still found him on the east of the Ganges
opposite Kanauj. It is not immaterial to add that he had been accompa-
nied throughout all these transactions by his son Salem Shah, who distin-
guished himself as a soldier in his father's wars ; and was an inlprover
like his father, but in public works rather than in laws.
The genuineness of the instances of Sher Shah's and Salem Shah's
active interference in the affairs of this quarter of Oudh may, therefore,
be unhesitatingly admitted. Tilok Chand, the Bachgoti Musalman con-
vert, was now dead ; but his girandson, Hasan Khan, is said to have
managed to ingratiate himself with Sher Shah, and so to have carried
still further that aggrandizement of his family which his grandfather had
commenced ; and as an example is ready at hand in Sher Shah himself
of the success which might speedily be achieved by soldiers of fortune
in such unsettled times ready credence may be yielded to the statement.
Careful of the interests of his followers, Sher Shah was no less so of his
own; and for the more effectual protection of the latter, he is said, under
the influence perhaps of his son's taste for public works, to have ordered
the simultaneous erection of fifty-two substantial fortresses.* The ruins
of many of these still exist ; some of them are to be identified no
doubt with the forts of burnt brick noticed in the Am-i-Akbari. This
fact corroborates in an important manner the statement made by
Elphinstone, that " Akbar's revenue system though so celebrated for the
benefit is conferred on India, presented no new invention, but was in
fact only a continuation of a plan commenced by Sher Shah, whose short
reign did not admit of his extending it to all parts of his kingdom."
Restoration of the Mughal power. — The restoration of the Mughal power
by Humayun might remain unnoticed had not his son Akbar left his
famous institutions. In the systematic division of the empire into subahs,
of subahs into sarkars, and of sarkars again into muhals, which they gave
rise to, Oudh was selected to furnish a name at once to one of each of
those divisions.
Sultanpur in Akbar's time. — Sultanpur formed one of the constituent
mxihals of the Sarkar of Oudh, and so of course lay in the subah of that
name. Neither the Sultanpur muhal, however, nor the Sarkdr, nor even
the subah of Oudh included the whole of the tract known more recently
by the name of Sultanpur. What has been vaguely and infer en tially
remarked regarding an earlier period, may be regarding the time of Akbar
more definitely and certainly repeated, viz., that the whole of the eastern
and much of the southern and western portions of the present district
belonged not to Oudh, but to the sarkars of Jaunpur and Manikpur in
the subah of Allahabad.
• A similar tale is current in Eas Bareli, but the forts are attributed to the Sharqi
dynasty. As Shergarh and Salemgarh are said to be two of them, I think the Sur dynasty
is the more probable.
SUL
451
Many of Akbar's muhals admit of early and certain identification with
parganas of the present time, but with regard to others there is ample room
for doubt, and I therefore give in full three out of the four sarkfc just
named as described in the Ain-i-Akbari, together with what I believe to
be their modern representatives. The Jaunpur sarkAr is shown by Sir
H. Elliot to have contained Chdnda only belonging to Sultanpur, and it
will therefore be sufficient to give so much of it as relates to that pargana.
SarJcar Oudh, 21 muhdls.
c
Present dlstrieta
C3
Muhals of the Ain-i-Akbari.
Parganas of the present day.
(according to
arrangements
sl
of 1869.)
1
Oudh hi haweU, 2 muhals ...
HaweliOudh .,.
Fyzabad.
2
Ambodha
Ambodha ... ...
Basti.
3
Ibrahimabad
Ibrahimabad ... ...
Kara Banki.
4
Inhauna ...
lahauoa ... ...
Hae Bareli.
5
Paohhimrath ,.,
Paohhimrath ,.,
Fyzaba,d.
6
Bilahri
Sultanpur Baraunsa {alias
Bilahri.)
Basorhi
Sultanpur.
7
Basorhi ... ,.,
Bara Banki.
8
Thana Bhadaon*
Tappa Asl
Sultanpur.
9
Bakteha ... ,.,
Baksaha
Bara Banki.
10
Daryabad
Daryabgd
flitto.
11
BudauU
BudauU
Ditto.
12
Sailuk
Sailuk ... ...
Ditto.
13
Snltanpurf ... ...
Sultanpur
Sultanpur.
14
Sathanpurf ...
Jagdiapur ... ...
Ditto.
15
Subeha
Subeha ... ...
Bara Banki.
16
Satrikh
Satrikh
Ditto.
17
Sirwapali§
Amsin
Fyzabad.
18
Guwarich
Guwarich
Gonda.
19
Kishnill
Jagdispur
Sultanpur.
• There is still a village called Bhadaon in pargana Tappa Asl. It formerly gave its
name to a tappa which is said to have been in pargana Sultanpur, and both these remarks
are equally applicable to Tappa Asl. Both thana Bhadaon and Tappa Asl are very
small, and the prevailing clan in both is the same, the Bachgoti. I hence infer that thSna
Bbad&nn was the old name of Tappa Asl,
t The old pargana is now divided into two parts, separated by the river Gumti,
and called Sultanpur Baraunsa and Sultanpur Miranpur :—
(o).— Sultanpur Baraunsa is the present name of Bilahri pargana, or rather of part of it ;
it continued to be a separate pargana until annexation, and was composed of two zilas of
which Baraunsa was one and Gudara or Papsir Ghat the other. The junction of the
names of the two parganas is not altogether new. Professor Blochmann tells me that
" the Muhammadans histories often mention Sultanpur Bilahri, where the battle was
fought." Regarding this battle see his Ain-i-Akbari's translation, p. 400.
(6) —Sultanpur Miranpur. Miranpur or rather Moranpur Kathot, mordern name of the
old Kathot pargana. The change occurred when the tahsildar's quarters were removed
from one place to another. The Sultanpur and Miranpur parganas were separate until
after the mutiny ; the latter was then absorbed in the former, and its name was disused for
a time, but revived and combined with that of Sultanpur on the reorganization of districts
*" ± Sa'than or Satanpur continued to be a sepajate pargana until 1750 when it was
united with Kishni, and a single new pargana, Jagdispur, which still exists, superseded
them both. .
8 The change of name took place m 1763; see pargana Amsin.
I See Satanpur. Kishni stiU survives as a large qasba and postal town.
4-52
SUL
Sarkdr Lucknow, 65 Muhdls.
,:
Present districts
a
0
Muhals of the Ain-i-Akbari
Farganas of the present day.
according to
arrangement
a
of 1869.
1
Bhitauli ... ,.,
Bbitauli
Bara Banki.
2
Dewa
Dewa
Ditto.
3
Kumbhi*
Ditto
Ditto.
4
Kursi
Kursi
Ditto.
6
Kahanjraf ... .„
Ditto
Ditto.
6
Siddhaur ...
Sidhhaur
Ditto.
7
Sidhipur
Ditto
Ditto.
8
Bilgram
Bilgram
Hardoi.
9
Garauda
Ditto
Ditto.
10
Hardoi ... .„
Hardoi
Ditta
11
Kachha Ando ...
Eacbhandan
Ditto.
12
Mallanwaa ... ...
Mallanwan
Ditto.
13
Sandila
Sandila ... ...
Ditto.
14
Amethi ... ...
Amethi ... ...
Iiucknow.
15
Bijnaur
Bijnaur
Ditto.
16
Dadraf
Ditto ...
Dittow
n
Deorakh
Deorakh
Ditto.
I8
Lucknow ba Haweli
liUcknow MS ...
Ditto.
19
Mariaon
Ditto
Ditto.
20
Mahona
Mahona
Ditto.
21
Malihabad ...
Malihabad
Ditto.
22
Saiide
Sissaiorli
Ditto,
23
Kakori
Kakori
DittOb
24
Ghatampuc ... ,.,
Gbatampur ,„
Unao.
2S
Haihai$ ...
Ditto
Rae Bareli.
26
Tara Singhana ...
Ditto
Unao.
27
Misgarhit
Ditto
Rae Bareli.
98
Pahrimau^y
Ditto
Ditto.
29
Satbanpur
Khiron
Ditto.
30
SihaU
Ditto
Bara Banki.
31
Bari
Bari
Sitapup,
32
Manvi ...
Manwan Bari ...
DittiJ.
33
Garh Amethi**
Amethi ...
Sultanpur.
34
Isauli
Isauli
Ditto.
* Kumbhi is given as one of the twenty-two Bais parganas in Chronicles of Oonao, page
67. It has now ceased to haye a separate existence.
f Ditto ditto ditto.
J Either Dadra near Nswabganj, or the place of the same name near Isauli ; probably
the former,
§ Haihar or Aihar still gives its name to a small estate.
II Still a well known village.
^[^Pahrimau is still the name of a taluqa ; it is in the Eae Bareli pargana.
, ** The Bandhalgotis refer the origin of the first part of this name to the existence
of a fort, of which the alleged remains are to be seen in Eaipur.; but I think it more
probable that the Garh is referred to. In the reign of Shah Jahan the pargauas of JaiS
and Amethi were held as jagir by Ahmad Beg Khan, nephew of Nur Jahan (Professor
Elochmann's Aiu-i-Akbari's translation, para, o 09), but whether Garh Amethi is here intended
I cannot say. In later times this pargana belonged to Manikpur Sarkar, how or when it
came to do so is not clear. If it is the one Ahmad Beg Khan held, the change may have
taken place then. It may have been separated from its old Sarkar wbeb it became his
jagir, and have been thrown when he gave it up into the Satkar, to which JSis the
remainder of the j&gir belonged, which was Manikpur. In Hindi pattas the name of the par-
gana is often preceded or followed by the expression " liajae Hajitr ;" but the meaning of
the first word I cannot ascertain.
SUL
Sarkdr Lucknow. — (concluded.)
453
i
Present districts
i
Muhals of the Ain-i-Akbiri.
Parganas of the present day.
according to
arrangement
^
of 1869.
36
Asiwan ,„
Asiwan ,„
Unao.
37
Asoha
Asoha
Ditto.
38
Baogarmau
Bangarmau
t.*
Ditto.
39
Farosi *
Sikandarpur
Ditto.
40
Eatehpur ... ,„
Fatehpur
Ditto.
41
Fatehpnr Chaurasi
... ...
Ditto.
42
Harha
Hatha
Ditto.
43
Ohalotar
Jhalotar
...
Ditto.
44
Mukraid f
Magrayar •••
Ditto.
46
MauranwSn
Mauranwan ...
Ditto.
46
Mohan *
Mohan •••
Ditto.
47
Fanban
Fanhan
Ditto.
48
Farsandan ...
Parsandan ...
Ditto.
49
Patau
Fatan
Ditto.
50
Kamkot
••• t*(
51
Banbhirpar:]:
Furwa
...
Unao.
62
Saipur§
Safipar
•••
Ditto.
53
Sarwan
Sarwan
■ ■i
Ditto.
-54
UD&m ... ...
Unao
Ditto.
55
Unchg&on{|
Daundia Ehera ...
Ditto.
*
See Chronicles Oonao, p. 57.
t
Village of name still exists (con
monly pronounced
Magrayar)
near Harha.
t
See Chronicles Oonao.
§ See Chronicles Oonao, p. 25.
II This pargana and those of • Sidhipur and Tara Sinjha were formed into one
about a century ago under the name of Daundia Khera hy Rao Mardan Singh, ancestor
of the notorious rebel Bahu Ram Bakhsh of tlie talaqa of that name. See Rae Bareli
report and Mr. Btnett's Chief Clans of the Rae Bareli district, p. lo, marginal note.
Sarkdr Mdnikpur, 14 muhdls.
I
El
Muhals of the Ain-i-Akbari.
Aral*
Jalalpur Bilkharf
Parganas of the present day.
Fartabgarh
Patti
Present districts
according to
arrangement
of 1869.
Fartabgarh.
Ditto.
• The pargana now called Fartabgarh was formerly known as Aror. The change
of name took place seven generations ago, when Partab Singh, fixing his residence at a
place till then known as RSmpur, built a great fort, and giving it his own name, changed the
name of the pargana from Aror to that of Fartabgarh.
+ Jalalpur Bilkhar was the old name of Patti Dalippur pargana. It was at the same
time the name of a single estate, a partition of which took place ten generations before
1780 A.D. or soon after Akbar's time. Two smaller estates were then formed and called
Dalippur and Patti, and from this division the two estates, so called, began a separate exist-
ence. (Mr. B, M. King's Eeport, page 10).
iSi
SUL
Sarkdr Mdnikpur. — (continued.)
Present districts
s;
Muhala of the Ain-i-Akbari.
Farganas of the present day.
according to
arrangement
•a
of 1869.
^
s
Qariat Paegah*
...
Fartabgarh and Bae
Bareli.
4
Mfinikpur ... .„
Manikpur
Ditto.
6
Bhilwalt
Haidargarh
Bara Banki.
6
Thulendif
Bachhrawan
Bae Bareli.
7
J»is§
I. — Rokha Jaia
Ditto.
2 — Simrauta
• Ditto.
3. — Mohanganj... ...
Ditto.
4. — Gaura Jamun ...
Sultanpur.
8
Dalmaa ... „.
Dalmaa ...
Bae Bareli.
9
Bae Bareli ... ...
Bae Bareli
Ditto.
10
Salon ...
Salon
Ditto.
* These villages were 256 in number. They are now partly in the Bihar and Salon
tahsils in the Bae Bareli district, and partly in the Partabgarli tahsil in the district of
that name. They were like "Guzara, " assigned villages. Their name derived from
"Paegah" a stable, indicates the purpose of their assignment ; their revenues were devoted
to the defrayment of expenses connected with the purchase and maintenance of the royal
cattle (duab). The existence of such a grant in the locality may very possibly be due
to the circumstance mentioned by the Emperor Babar in his memoirs, that in the 1 6th
century there were thirty or forty villages in Karra M&nikpur, the inhabitants of which
were exclusively employed in catching elephants. Professor Blochmann thinks it probable
that the "old Pathan Sultans kept the elephants there that came up from Purwa."
These Qariat Paegah had their own kanhahris in the village of Juir and their own
Qanungos, whose descendants are still called " PaegahwaUi."
■f The revenue of the Bhilwal pargana was until the reign of Xsif-ud-daula paid at
Dagram, now in the Mohanlalganj tahsil, in the Lucknow district. In U 87 the residents of
that place having made frequent complaints of the violence and oppression of the military
force stationed there, the Clutkladar, Haidar Beg Khan, removed the tahsil oflSce to Fateh-
garh where he built a fort and called it after himself Haidargarh. From this time the
old name of Bhilwal began to be displaced by that of Haidargarh. Bhilwal is still a large
village, a coUection of 1 1 hamlets.
± This pargana continued to retain its old name up to the end of native rule. Sultan
Ibrahim Sharqi built a fort in the village of Thulendi, and this continued to be the resi-
dence of officials until Shuja-ud-daula's time. Raja Niwaz Singh, the tlien Nazim, appropri-
ated to his own private use an estate of which Thulendi was the village, and in consequence
deemed it prudent to transfer his official residence to the neighbouring village of Bachh-
T&wan. This led to Bachhrawan being selected, on the annexation of the province, as the
headquarters of a tahsil, and the name of the jurisdiction attached to it was simultane-
ously altered to bring it into accordance with the actual state of things.
§ Jais is one of a very few parganas which have been broken np into several
smaller ones since the time of Akbar. Its dismemberment has in ereat measure fallowed
the course of history of the Kanhpurias. That it commenced before A.D. I77S is mani-
fest from the mention of Simrauta in a treaty of that year. Since the re-arrangement of
pargana boundaries after re-occupation there has been no separate pargana of the name
of Jais. The one trhich contains the old esponymous city is now called Bokha Jais, and
comprises portions of the old parganas of Jais and Nasirabad.
StJL
Sarkdr MdmUcpur — (concluded.)
455
Muhals of the Xin-i-Akbari.
Parganag of the present day.
Present districts
according to
arrangraent
of 1869.
11
12
13
Qariat-i-Guzara»
Nasirabadf ... ...
Eathot
Rokha
Miraupur
Rae Bareli.
Ditto.
Sultanpur.
* The Word qariat is familiar in a somewhat different form to European scholars ; it
forms the first part of the word darthage, and, says Professor Blochmann, " occurs also in
many hiblical names." The word gnzara means " maintenance."
The whole expression " Qariat-i-Guzara" is variously explained. According to one
account, it signified villages assigned to the king's private servants ; according to another,
•villages of which the revenues were allowed for " Aind ravind," or expenses incurred in
entertaining royal messengers or public servants passing through Manikpnr. These vil-
lages were 262 in number, but few of their names are nowknown. They are now partly in
the Bihar and partly in the Salon tahsils in the Rae Bareli district. They had their own
kachahris(inKaretha and Bihar) and their own qanungo's. The present qaunngo of the
Fartabgarh pargana belongs to the family of the old " guzira" officials.
•f The name of Nasirabad has now been superseded by that of Kokha. The
latter continued to be the name of a separate pargana until annexation.
Sarkdr Jaunpur Muhdls.
a
a
Muhals of iheXin-i-Akbari.
Parganas of the present day.
Present districts
according to
arrangement
of 1869.
Chinda*
Chanda
Sultanpur.
• Chanda appears to have been detached from the Jaunpur Sarkir by the treaty of
1776 A ' At the same time its size was reduced to the separation of taluqa Singhra-
utu ^Loin!.^ in Th»t Sarkar According to local accounts the way it happened was
tTa^^L Taluq"ro1sin«hramau re^ goof service to the British Government, and in
tQat tne laiuqaar oi oiuKur Rhelterina wins. A more probable explanation is
son's Treaties.)
Svltanrmr under the Nawah WazM (^j/Tiasfj/.-Sultanpur continued
to trSd between the subahs of Allahabad and Oudh for about two
centurielor until the time of the Nawab Wazirs. The circumstances
conSed with the establishment of that dynasty throw some httle light
on the state of affairs in Sultanpur at that period.
Sa4dat Khan the founder of the line, was rewa,rded for his good services
to t^e crown ^th the Subahdarship of Agra ; and in that post proved him-
self to be posslsed of considerable administrative ability. In the mean-
W Oudh was in a state verging on rebellion ; and foremost among the
456 SUL
refractory was the ancestor of one of the principal landholders of this
district, 'Mohan Singh, the Kanhpuria Eaja of Tiloi, who had been in a
chronic state of opposition to the local rulers ; and appears to have been
attempting to convert his private estates into an independent principality.
Intelligence of this reached Delhi, and the Emperor deemed it prudent to
transfer Saadat Khan to Oudh. The new governor at once adopted
vigorous measures for the restoration of tranquillity. He first endeavoured
to induce the Raja of Tiloi to make peaceful submission, but that chief
turned a deaf ear to his advice, and he was at last obliged to march
against him. Saddat Khan's army consisted of but ten thousand men,
while that of Mohan Singh was just five times as numerous. Mohan
Singh, however, was defeated and slain, and the other chiefs having lost
their leader speedily tendered their allegiance.
Now, as in the time of Akbar, the possessions of the Kanhpurias broad
as they are stretch no further north and east than the old muhal of Jais
did.* It would thus appear that Saadat Khan's siibah had been enlarged
at the expense of that of Allahabad. On the contrary, what brought
Mohan Singh into collision with Saadat Khan was that he claimed as his,
and sought to annex to his estates in Manikpur, Inhauna and other par-
ganas belonging to Oudh, and thus owed fealty to Saadat Khan as well as
the Subahdar of Allahabad, although he withheld it impartially from both.
Again, with Jais on the west and with Chdnda on the east, Sa&dat Khan
had no concern. It was not till this reign that they ceased to be a sub-
ject to a separate Government,t when Safdarjang after engaging in a civil
war with his sovereign consented to make peace on condition that he
should be invested with the double Subahdari of Oudh and AUahabad.J
Whether the names of Oudh simultaneously received and extended
meaning is uncertain, probably not : for the inheritance of Safdarjang was
divided and Allahabad and Oudh were separately held awhile by Shuja-
ud-daula and Muhammad Quli Khan. The integrity of the Allahabad
subah did not commence to be threatened until Shuj4-ud-daula was com-
pelled, under the treaty of A.D. 1765, to cede the sarkars of Allahabad
and Karra to the emperor, and as the subah was thus lopped of the part
from which it derived its name, it is possible that what remained assumed
the designation of the province to which it continued to be attached.
But this dismemberment was only temporary ; and the Nawab Wazir
recovered Allahabad and Karra (Rohilkhand being added to them) by the
treaty of A. D. 1775. I think it is doubtful therefore whether Jais, Chanda,
and Kathot came to be considered part of Oudh proper until the Subah
of Allahabad was finally broken up in the reign of Saadat Ali Khan, when
a great part of it was ceded to the English.
In Saddat Ali Khan's time. — This cession by Saddat Ali Khan of a
portion of his dominions was made with a view to insuring the better
management of the remainder. One of the measures adopted in order to
* If, indeed, in Akbar's time they extended so far, for Jais was then held by various
tribes (Aqwam Muklitalif).
t Their union with Oudh under Ala-ud-din was temporary only.
t Elphiristone, 4th Edition, p. 661.
SUL 457
give effect to that purpose was a complete reorganization of jurisdiction.
The old and half absolete arrangement of subahs and sarkars was formally-
abolished, and the province was divided into nizamats and chaklas* which
continued to exist until the introduction of British rule. The importance
of Sultanpur was now on the increase. Nizamats each comprised about a
quarter of the province, and Sultanpur was selected to give its name to
one of them. In its widest sense it now signified a tract extending from
the Gogra on the north to the British district of Allahabad on the south and
from Jagdispur on the west to the boundary of the province on the east.
Here then for the third time in its history Sultanpur is found a political
and religious landmark ; of the west the emblem was the crescent, of the
east the cross. The masses of the people, indeed, in both directions were of
the same persuasion. Brahmanism with them still reigned supreme. The
distinction lay between the governing races not the governed ; on the west
lay the kingdom of the Muhammadan and Asiatic, the vassal of the Em-
poBor of Delhi, on the east lay the possessions of the Christian and Euro-
pean subject to the presidency of Bengal. The nizdmats were subdivided
into chaklas, which however it was practically if not theoretically at the
option of the nazim to disregard. Separate officers were usually appointed
to each chakla under "amdni" nazims,but otherwise only occasionally. An
explanation of this difference was once offered to me in the naive remark
that it entailed too great an expenditure to find much favour with revenue
farmers — a pretty instructive comment on one of the evils of the contract
system.
The Sultanpur nizamat contained four chaklas, viz., 1 Sultanpur, 2
Aldemau, ^ Jagdispur, 4 Partabgarh.
Subjoined is a list of the Ndzvrm of Sultanpur from the date of the
institution of the office until the annexation of the province.
15. Mirza Abdulla Beg ... 1836 to 183S
16. Qutb-ud-dinHusenKhan 18.S7 „ 1838
17. Raja Darshan Singh ... !838 „ 1839
18. Mirza Saf-shikan Khan 1840 „ 1840
1. Mirza Sattar Beg ... 1793 to 1793
2. SitalParshad ... 1794 „ 18')0
3. Raja Niwaz Singh ... 1801 „ 1802
4. Mirza Jani .. 1803 „ 1806
5. Raja JugalKishor ... 1806 „ 1807
6. Raja Niwiz Singh ... 1808 „ 1810
7. Fazl Ali Khan ... 1811 „ 1811
6 Mir Khuda Bakhah ... 1812 „ 1812
9. Mir Ghulaai Husen ... 1812 „ 1814
10 Ikram Muhammad Khan 1815 „ 1817
11 Mir Ghulam Husen ... 1818 „ 1823
12 Taj-ud din Husen Khan 1824 „ 1827
13. Raja Darshan Singh ... 1828 „ 1834
14 Mehndi Khan ... 1835 „ 1835
Annexation.— Towa.rds the beginning of 1856 Oudh was annexed to
the British Empire. " The revolution was accomplished without the shed-
19. Ata-uUa Beg ... 1841 „ 1841
20 Shekh Husea Bakhsh ... 1841 „ 1841
21. Wajid All Khan ... 1842 „ 1842
22. Taj-ud-dia Husen Khan, 1843 „ 1843
23. Raja Inchha Singh ... 1843 „ 1845
24. Qutb-ud-din Husen Khan 1845 „ 1845
25. Kaja Man Singh ... 1845 „ 1847
26. Wajid Ali Khan ... 1848 „ 1849
27. Igha Ali Khan ... 1860 „ 1856
• Pprhans I should rather say constructed nizamats out of the preTJously existing
V. VI r„Pt>,^1Xrwas no new division. Mr. C. A. Elliott (Chronicles of Oonao, p. 127)
attSes he in reduction of nfzlmats to Safdarjang, but the popular view of the question
attributes the P"°f "P""" -, , Sa&dat Ali Khan, and so it is in the neighbouring dis-
;" ct"f Kae^Barelf It rcerfainly against the supposition that nizamats were not formed
tr.ct 01 Kae isareii. 1. that the list of nazims commences at an earlier date. Buc
untilafterthe treaty of 1801 to^^^^
considering ^o'' ^"'"^f^.^X'^atter degree have been added to make the list commence
58
458 SUL
ding of a drop of blood, even where difficulty and danger was apprehend'
ed everything was quietly and prosperously accomplished. The Oudh
troops were peacefully disbanded, receiving from the British Government,
in addition to their arrears of pay, either a gratuity or a pension, if they
were not, as a large number were, drafted into a new irregular force in the
service of the company. The people generally gave no sign of discontent.
A few of the tradesmen at the capital, and others who had profited by the
licentious profession of the court, declared their attachment to the royal
family ; but if beyond this there was any regret at the extinction of the
old dynasty of Oudh, there was no intelligible expression of feeling. The
new system of administration which was applied to Oudh was identical
with that which had been found by experience to work so well in the
Panjab. A mixed commission of soldiers and civilians was appointed
with Sir James Outram at its head, and it was soon said that the disor-
ganized and distracted kingdom of Oudh was fast subsiding into a tran^
quil, well ordered province of the British Empire."* But the calm j^as
a deceitful one as was shown by the outbreak in 1857.
The following account of the mutiny at Sultanpur is taken^ from
" Gubbins' History of the Mutinies in Oudh " : —
" Mvimf. — The station of Sultanpur was commanded by Colonel S.
Fisher, whose regiment, the 15th Irregular Horse, was stationed there.
Besides it there were the 8th Oudh Irregular Infantry commanded by
Captain W. Smelt, and the 1st regiment of Military Police under Captain
Bunbury. Apprehending an outbreak of the, troops, Colonel Fisher sent off
the ladies and children on the night of the 7th June towards -AUahabad
under care of Dr. Corbyn and Lieutenant Jenkins. The party reached Par-
tabgarh safely, but there they were attacked and plundered by the villagers.
Three of the la,dies — Mrs. Goldney, Mrs. Block, and Mrs. Stroyan,. with their
chUdren-^were separated from the rest, and were taken to the neighbouring
fort of L^l Mddho Singh at Garh-Araethi, where they were very kindly
treated, M4dho Singh sent us in their letters to Lucknow, furnished
them with such comforts as he could procure himself, and took charge of
the articles which we wished to send ; and after sheltering the ladies for
some days forwarded them in safety to Allahabad. The rest of the party,
joined by Lieutenant Grant, Assistant Commissioner, found refuge for some
days with a neighbouring zamindar, and were by him afterwards escorted
in safety to Allahabad.
" The officers who remained at Sultanpur were less fortunate. The troops
rose in mutiny on the morning of the 9th of June, when Colonel Fisher,
in returning from the lines of the Military Police, whom he had harangued
and endeavoured to reduce to order, was shot on the back by one of that
regiment with a musket-ball. The wound was mortal, and Fisher was
attended in his last moments by the Adjutant of the corps. Lieutenant
C. Tucker. The troopers of the regiment would not come near their Colonel ;
but neither did fhey injure him. They, however, attacked and killed the
second in command. Captain Gibbings, who was on horseback near the
* Murray's History of In4ia, p. 724.
etJIi 459
dooly iQ Which Fiaher lay. The men then shouted to Lieutenant Tucker
to go ; and finding it useless to attempt to stay longef he rode off, and
crossing the river found shelter in the fort of Rustam Sab, at Dera, on
the banks of the Gumti. There he was joined next day by Captain
Bunbury of the Military Police, and Captain W. Smith, Lieutenant Lewis,
and Dr. O'Donel, of the 8th Oudh Irrtgular Infantry. Information was
sent into Benares of their escape, and they were brought in by a native
escort, which was immediately sent out by the Commissioner of Benares,
Mr. H. Carre Tucker.
"Rustam Sah is a fine specimen of the best kind of taluqdars"in°Oudh,
of old family, and long settled at Dera, He resides there in a fort very
strongly situated in the ravines of the Gumti, and surrounded by a thick
jungle of large extent. It had never been taken by the troops of
the native Government, which had more than once been repulsed from
before it. • Rustam Sdh deserves the more credit for his kind treatment
of the refugees, as he had suffered tindttly at the settlement, and had lost
many villages which he should have been petmitted to retain. I had seen
him at Fyzabad in January, 1867, and after discussing his Case with the
Deputy Commissioner, Mr. W. A. Forbes, it had been settled that fresh
enquiries should be made into the title of the villages which he had
lost, and orders had Jbeen issued accordingly. It is singular that Rustam
Sah and Lai Han Wat Singh, in the Salon district, who had both been^severe
Sufferers by the settlement proceedings, should have distinguished them-
selves by their kindness to British officers.
" Thus perisbed|Samuel Fisher, a man well known in[India,"where he
had many friends and no enemies. A keen sportsman, a splendid rider, he
excelled in every sport of the field, while his kind and loving disposition
endeared him to all who knew him. Until the day before his death I had
been in daily communication with him, conveying and receiving intelli-
gence. On the 10th of June no post arrived from Sultanpur, and we too
surely guessed the cause.
"Besides Colonel Fisher and Captain Gibbings, two young Civilians
wereunhappily also slain — Mr. A.Block, C.S., and Mr. S. Stroyan. When the
mutiny broke out, they crossed the river and took refuge with one Yasin
Khan, zamindar of the town of Sultanpur. This man at first welcomed
them, but afterwards most basely betrayed them. He turned both officers
out of his house, and then caused them to be shot down. This is the
only instance of like treachery on the part of a^ petty zamindari^in^Oudh
which came to our notice.
" After getting rid of the European offi(5ers the mutineers sacked and
burned their houses. The three regiments then marched for Lucknow,
On the way, however, they heard of the discomfiture of the 3rd regi-
ment of Military Police, which was on its march from Lucknow to meet
them, and turning to the right took the road to Daryabad, Thence they
proceeded on to Nawabganj, Bara Banki, which by the 27th June became
the rendezvous of all the mutineers in Oudh."
460 SUL
The following is an account of some of the clans in this district : —
The Tiars. — The Tiars are now nearly an extinct face, but at one
time it is said that the lords of the Sultanpur pargana were all Tiars.
They succeeded the Bhadaiyans, the conquerors of the Bhars, and were in
turn overcome by the Bachgotis, whose star is at present in the ascen-
dant. This order of succession is chronicled in the following doggerel
lines:—
Bhar mar BhadaiySn j
Bhadalyan niir Tiar ;
Tiar mar Bachgoti.
The Tiars gave their name to one of the old subdivisions of the pargana,
viz., Tappa Tiar, and this perhaps rather than the entire pargana was the
extent of their domains. At present they have nothing more than a right
of occupancy in a few acres in thgir old tappa. Regarding the Tiars very
little is known. Mr. Carnegy considers them to belong to the Solar race ; *
they themselves say they are descended from emigrants from Baiswara, who
received a grant of the Bhadaiydn's territory from the B.4ja of Benares.
Nor is much assistance to be gained from their name. Local accounts
say they built a fort in the village Terai, and made it their headquarters,
but Harkpur is usually considered to have been their principal village.
Phonetic resemblance might suggest their connection withTirhoot or Tirab-
hakti, especially as their reference to the Raja of Benares points to an east-
ern origin f but on the other hand, Thornton mentions an influential class
called Tfars ^ in Malabar, and I forbear therefore to offer any conjecture
as to what their name denotes or what ethnological relationship it indicates.
The Raghubansis. — The Raghubansis profess to be the lineal descendants
of Raghu, an ancestor of Rama. There are two colonies of them in this dis-
trict— one in Simrauta, the other in Sultanpur, butneither of themis of much
importance at the present time. The Raghubansis of Simrauta, once
possessed half that pargana, which they say they obtained from some
Muhammadan king for some unknown reason at some unknown period of
antiquity. They were robbed of their independence more than three
centuries ago, and few of them now remain.
The Raghubansis of Sultanpur claim to have been settled in their pre-
sent abodes ever since the time of their eponymous ancestor. For cen-
turies they resisted the threatened encroachments of the Bachgotis, and
maintained intact a frontier marked by a little nameless affluent of the
Gumti. It was not till within the half century of disorder and misrule which
preceded the annexation of the province that they succumbed ; and even
now though in a subordinate position, they retain no small portion of I their
ancient heritage.
The Bais. — There is scarcely a pargana in this district in which at some
period or another, a Bais colony has not been established. In Simrauta,
before it was overrun by the Kanhpurias, they shared the proprietorship
with the Raghubansis ; in Chanda stories yet linger of their having interven-
*Noteg on races, p. 27 .
t Unless, indeed, one of Jai Chandra's line bei^referred to,
j In connection with this circumstance, note the southern origin of the Bais, with whom
the TiarB of Sultanpur, claim kindred.
SUL 461
ed between the Bhara and the Rajwdrs; in Amethi the Bais of Udiawdn
still retain some vestiges of their former rights ; the Bais of Gandeo are
still the most extensive proprietors in Inhaiina and Subeha; the Bhale
Sultans of Isauli and Jagdispur claim descent from the redoubtable
Tilok Chand.
The Bais of Simrauta. — The Bais of Simrauta claim to have received
fifty-four villages in that pargana in dowry with a Chauhan bride from
Prithi Raj of Delhi ; but as the fortunes of the Kanhpurias rose their's
declined ; and they are now reduced to the possession of a couple of villages,
though a few of them may also be found scattered here 8.nd there in culti-
vation of lands they have now ceased to own.
The Bais of Udidiodn. — The Bais of Udiqwan profess to trace their des-
cent from Tilok Chand, but I have searched in vain for any point of agree-
ment between their pedigree and that of the Bais of Baiswara. Bijai Singh,
their ancestor, they say who lived when the days of Bhar rule were draw-
ing to a close, married a Bachgoti girl of Asl and, when taking her home
to Baiswara, broke his journey at Udi^wan, in the Amethi pargana,
then the headquarters of an estate of forty-two villages belonging to Brah-
man Lakhandar Pande. Bijai Singh was a favourite disciple of this
Lakhandar, who. being childless induced him by a promise of heirship to
render his Stay permanent. In due time he succeeded his Gamaliel, and
on his death left his estate to his three sons — Son Singh, Bhdrat Singh,
and Rathi Singh — by whom it was divided into three parts (thoks) Sondri,
Bhareta, and Tengha. How long the dominion of the Bais continued
over Udiawan is uncertain, but it is now held by the Bandhalgotis, and it
is the general belief, corroborated by the Xin-i-Akbari,* that it was one of
their very earliest conquests effected many centuries ago. The Rdja
of Amethi, indeed, denies that his tribe was preceded by the Bais
at all, and says they were settled in the pargana by one of his
ancestors from whom they received a large jagir for military service.
They still occupy many villages in the Udiawan ilaqa, but their proprie-
tary interest in it is now greatly circumscribed.
TTie Bais of Gdndeo. — About four hundred years ago a body of Bais,
under the leadership of Bari^r Sah, set out from GahiSmunj (supposed to be
somewhere in the Muzafifarnagar district) in quest of a new home. The
greater part of Northern India had by that time passed into the hands of
Chhattris, and the Bais wandered to the neighbourhood of Inhauna and
Subeha before they came to a place which would satisfy the object of
their expedition. Here in a tract called Gandeo,containing three hundred
and sixty villages, they discovered an ignoble community of Bhars and
Dhobis still in the enjoyment of independence. The name, supposed to
mark the spot where the famous bow Gandi'va was dropped in his flight by
one of the defeated heroes of the great war, suggested reflections full of
interest to the Hindus, and thus practical and sentimental considerations
» That is to sav, the Bais are not there mentioned as zaniindars, and the Bandhalgotis
are which means that if the Bais had erer (as ia usually beUe^ed) been independent
zamlndarB, they had already ceased to he so.
462 SUL
concurred in pr.oihpting theudyenturers to select tbis as tlieir abode. The
reduction of the Bhars and Dhobis was speedily accomplished and the
victors have since been known as the Bais of G^ndeo, Gareu, or Garhai.
This commences and at the same time almost ends their history, the
only other event in it worthy of notice being that in the reign of Sher Shah,
Bhdrat Singh's great-grandson of Banar Bah embracea the Muhammadan
faith*
The BharsiyanS.'^'This name is simply a dftTtuption of the word
Bhainsaulian, or natives of Bhainsaul, whence the clan derives its origin.
While the Bais of Gandeo were still at Gah6mlinj, Jaipal Singh, son of
Jagat Singh, Chauhan, was chief of Bhainsaul, in the Mainpuri pargana.
He married a daughter of the Gahtimunj family, and the issue of this
marriage was a son, Karan Singh, who, with a band of followers, joined the
expedition of Ban^r Sah. Shortly after the location of the Bais colony
in Gindeo he married the daughter of one of their chiefs, Tiplir, Rdwat ;
and there being no sons to stand in his way, succeeded to his father-in-law^a
estate consisting of forty-two villages. Karan Singh had two sons, Rao and
Kunwar, the former of whom died childless, and the latter had two sons,
Biz Singh and Jit Singh. Jit Singh died without issue, and Baz Singh
received the title of K.h^n-i-Azam Bhainsaulian. His conversion is
reputed to have taken place in the reign of Sher Shah, and his descendants
are manifestly the Chauhan-i-nau Muslim alluded to in the Afn-i-Akbari
as occupying the Inhauna pargana. Fateh Bah4dur Khan, a descend-
ant of Baz Singh, stUl possesses a taluqa Bhowa, consisting of twenty-
four villages.
MandarJcyas. — The Mandarkyas describe themselves as Sombansis, des-
cendants of a chieftain, Kishan Chand, the founder of the town Kishni.
Mandala, they explain in the Sanskrit language, signifies an area of sixty-
foiu: kos Or one hundred and twenty-eight miles, and such was the extent
of Kishan Chand's domains. He was hence styled Mandalak, or lord of
a Mandala, and his descendants Mandalakya, or by contraction Mandar-
kya. But the word Mandala does not appear to possess the particular mean-
ing here attributed to it ; it signifies any region or country, and in that
sense is of not unfrequent occurrence, as Kosambi Mandala, Chala Mandala,
and Garha Mandala ; but by itself, it is altogether meaningless.
I venture to offer another derivation of the name, which has at least
the recommendation of simplicity. The common pronunciation of the
name is Mararkya, but it has just been seen that according to the people
themselves -the first r is an instance of the common colloquial practice
of substituting that letter for nd/ and Mandarkya is the more correct
orthography. They imply also that kya is a terminal affix only, and that
the radical portion of the name is m4ndar. It is true they make kya an
accumulation of two simpler affixes kand yas, but this difficulty is dis-
posed of by the fact that they do not always use this combination, as
* Mr. Benett (Chirf Clans of Bae Baceli, page 24) places this event m tUe reign of
Humayun, which is much the same thing.
SUL 463
often calling themselves Mandaraks as Mandarl?ya8. * Now Mdndar S^h
is the name of one of their ancestors second only in importance to Kishau
Chand himself, and this verbal coincidence leads me to think that the
Mandarkyas take their name from their ancestor, Mdndar Sah, just as the
Tilokchandi Bais are called after their ancestor Tilok Chand.
The Mandarkyas are partly Musalmans and partly Hindus ; the conver-
sion of the former was attributed to the time of Sher Shah. Their apostacy
does not seem to have bettered their worldly prospiicts, for none of them
even acquired large estates. Hindus and Musalmans together, they now
hold but four villages, and the family is in the last stage of decay.
Places of inUreet.— The following are the few places of interest the
district possesses :-^
Ganaur.^Ga,na,u.T, pargana Isauli. In this village are the ruins of
what must once have been a vast structure. For a wonder, though its
history is unknown, it is not ascribed to the Bhars. The single fact I have
been able to ascertain about it is that it was the house of an oilman. The
ruins consist of some massive walls of masonry of immense thickness, and
three or four pagoda shaped buildings of proportionately substantial
construction. The latter are ornamented with beautifully executed
scroll-work engraved or rather moulded in the external surface of the
bricks ; a portion of the design only is contained in each brick so that to
complete it two or more have to be placed in a particular position — a work
of no small difficulty when they are once separated. In the roof of one
of the buildings is a large spherical cavity, in which the oilman is supposed
to have hoarded his vast wealth to protect it from the rapacity of his
neighbours. Who this mysterious individual was, whither he went, bow
he disappeared, or when he lived, no one seems to know.
Bilchar. — Bikhar, pargana Ch^nda, This village is said to take its
name from the great Vikramaditya, Bikram^jit, or Bikram. On the
border of one of the tanks in it is a statue said to be that of the legend-
ary hero, and worshipped by the people of the village. The head of it
only is now visible, and even that is said to be gradually disappearing.
This is possible enough, and may be traced to natural causes, but this
is too simple for rustic superstition, which discovers supernatural agency
at work. Vikramaditya is said to be sinking into the earth with horror at
the depravity of modern days. As to the reason for the erection of the
statue in the village accounts are discrepant. One says it marks the
scene of a battle in which Vikramaditya lost his life ; another that it
commemorates an exploit of a devotional character. _ A certain faqir by
way of showing his veneration for Bhawani cut off his head, and presented
it as an offering to that goddess. So unusual an act of piety deserved
an appropriate reward at her hands, so she caused the head to return to
his shoulders, and presented him with a buffalo-load of gold. The faqir
distributed the gold in charity, and repeated the same ceremony every day
with the same satisfactory result. Bikramaditya heard of this and his
• According to the Hindus, moreover, the name of one of their clans Chalukya is formed
by the addition of the tcrjninatipn heya to chah (see " Cbtoiucles of Qob»q," page, 66.)
4G4 _ SUL
enterprising spirit at once prompted him to attempt the feat. He was
no less successful than the faqir, and the statue is intended to bear witness
to the circumstance.
Arjunpur. — Arjunpur, pargana Chdnda. Here are remains of a large
fort built by Salem Shah ; it long ago ceased to be occupied, and little
more than the foundations now exist. The walls are about three fest
thick with bastions here and there, and enclose a large area now under
cultivation. The fort is said to have been called Makarkala and to have
given name to the still existing village of Sar^e Makarkala from a bazar
at which place the inmates of the fort obtained their supplies.
Arju. — Arju, pargana Chanda. This village contains a brick well, said
to have been in existence' since^ the time of the Bhars. Here, too, are
found large bricks nearly two feet in length, which are said to have formerly
held a place in the walls of one of those Bhar forts, of which we hear sp
much and see so little. It is the only one of the kind to which I need
allude under this head ; numbers of them are said to have existed in
every pargana, but with a few exceptions nothing'is known about them, so
that an enumeration of their names would be tedious and unprofitable.
Kothot. — Kothot in pargana Sultanpur. The popular account of Kothot
is that after the capture of Kusbhawanpur by Ala-ud-din Ghori the
Musalmans erected two fortresses. The principal one was Sultanpur on
the north of the Gumti on the site of Kusbhawanpur ; the .other a kind
of outpost, was built a few miles from it on the south side of the river.
Hence the latter came to be called by the Sultanpur garrison Kot-ut, or
the fort on the other side, and Kothot is simply a corruption of the name
so formed.
This derivation may be nonsense ; but nevertheless Kothot is a place of
undoubted antiquity. The remains of its old forb are still shown in a
mound on the borders of the village of Jurapatti, and it gave its name to
a pargana in the time of Akbar. It is not at all improbable therefore
that it was occupied by Muhammadans as early as the time of Ala-ud-din,
the conqueror of Sultanpur.
SULTANPUR Pargana — Tahsil Stjltanpub — District Sultanpur. —
This pargana lies along the south bank of the Gumti; its natural features are
described under the district heading. It is rather a dreary and dry expanse •
of country with no large towns except Sultanpur ; it is intersected with
ravines stretching down to the Gumti. It has an area of 246 square miles
and a population of 159,225, being at the rate of 644 to the square mile.
The most numerous class of the community is the Brahman numbering
22,879; this may perhaps be accounted for by the soundness of the bank of
the Gumti along which in this quarter it is believed that no less than 360
temples are to be found. Withal the Brahmans have only managed to
get ten villages in the pargana. The Chamars come next numbering
19,829. The Bachgoti Chhattris are the principal landholders owning
190 villages. The Khanzadas who are converted Bachgotis come next
with 130, and the annals of these clans may here be given.
Taluqdari.
Zamindari.
94
96
30
8
111
19
0
IS
0
10
0
IS
3
3
SUL 465
The landed property is divided between the following clans to the
following extent : —
Bachgotis .„ „ ^
EijkumarB „, .„
KhSnzadas
Musalmans ... ,., ,„
Brahmaus .., .., ,„
Eavaths
Other caates „. „, ,„
S38 163
The Bachgoti^Khdnzddas of Hasanpur. — Jai Chand Singh's posterity
have played a conspicuous part in local history, the head of the family
for the time being is still acknowledged premier raja in this part of
Oudh. Tilok Chand, son of Jai Chand, says tradition, was a contem-
porary of Babar, during one of whose eastern expeditions he laid the
foundation of the future greatness of his house. Either taken prisoner in
battle, or arrested as a refractory landholder, Tilok Chand fell a prisoner
into Babar 's hands. He was allowed to choose between the adoption of
the faith of Isl^m with immediate liberty, or adherence to his old religion
with incarceration for an indefinite period. With many respectable pre-
cedents to guide. him, he selected the former alternative, and was there-
upon received into the emperor's favour.* His name was changed to
Tatar Khan, and with it he received the title of Khan Bahadur, or
Khan-i-Azam.
Tatar Khan had three sons. One Fateh S^h, whose descendants still
hold the Dhamaur ilaqa, was bom before his father's conversion, and
retained the name Bachgoti; the others, Bazid Khan and Jal41 Khan, were
brought up as Muhammadans, and from their father's title coined them-
selves the new and pretentious name of KhdnzMas.
Of Bazid Khan nothing but the name is known ; but his son, Hasan
Khan, attained to greater eminence than any other member of his family,
and in his time the prosperity of the Klianzddas reached its culminating
point. Sher Shah.f it is said, during his progress from. Bengal to Delhi
chanced to make a lengthened halt at Hasanpur, or as it was then called
Narmal, the headquarters of Hiisan Khan, who following the policy
inaugurated by his grandfather of seeking advancement through the
medium of court favour, welcomed his distinguished visitor with a sump-
tuous banquet, worthy of the rank to which he was aspiring, and, indeed,
had recently assumed. Sher Shah was much gratified at this_ mark of
attachment and respect ; and Hasan Khan having now placed his foot on
the ladder of fortune, soon mounted higher and higher.J
* I here follow local tradition, but Sir H. Elliott says the Khanzadas must have been
converted before the Mughal dynasty commenced, as we read of Bachgotis with Musalman
names before that (Supplementary Glossary, I'achgoti), Perhaps the conversion was mdi-
rectly connected with the turbulence already mentioned in Sikandar Lodi s «ign.
t It may be noted that this is another of the periods during which the Bachgotis diBtin-
ffiiished themselves by their turbulence.
J Elphinstone, 4th Edition, page 388, Sher Shah assumed the title of king before he had
conquered his way as far west as Eanauj.
59
466 StTL
One day at court a question arose between the Raja of Riwa and Hasan
Khan, the latter boldly asserting his precedence, the former as positively
rejecting his pretensions.. " How far then," said Sher Shah, " do your vast
territories extend ? " whose but mine," promptly answered Hasan Khan,
"is the very ground on which your majesty's residence stands?"* Sher
Shah amused at the quick reply, placed Hasan Khan beside him, and
said that he should be thereafter styled co-monarch"f at the same time
detegating to him the favour to confer the title of r^ja on whom he pleased
within the limits of Banaudha. And this last was by no means a barren
honour, for theoretically at least during the investiture, the king-maker
stands upon a costly dais, which is constructed of a lac and a quarter of
rupees at the expense of the rija elect, and the ceremorfy over becomes
the perquisite of the occupant4
However gratifying these tokens of favour to the recipient, they were
not likely to extinguish the dispute between him and his rival ; and it
was agreed that the question at issue should be referred to the arbitra-
ment of the sword. Hasan Khan conscious of his inability to cope single-
handed with his antagonist at once set himself diligently to work to
obtain allies.. With the Chauhans of Mainpuri he appealed to clan feel-
ing and the ties of kindred, and argued that it was incumbent upon them
to strain every nerve to establish the Chauhan's superiority over the
Baghels, to Musalman chiefs he pointed out the merit of making common
cause with him, a convert to their faith, against the unbeliever, and by
Buch means as these soon succeeded in collecting a vast army. This he
led to the appointed rendezvous ; but the R^ja of Riwa shirked the conflict,
and failed to put in an appearance on the ground.
The Khanzada accordingly returned in triumph, and rose yet higher in
the favour of Sher Shah. In the midst of a courtier's life, Hasan Khan
found leisure to pay considerable attention to his interests as a landholder.
Not only did he found the present village of Hasanpur, but the estate
which thence derives its name is said to have seen its palmiest days while
it was in his possession. It may, indeed, be surmised that the overthrow
of the Sur dynasty caused him to retire into private life, for he is said to
have died at Hasanpur. A little to the north of the Lucknow road, on
the west of that town, may be seen a brick-built enclosure of massive
construction. In its present dilapidated condition it might be mistaken
for the ruins of a small castle, but it was built by Hasan Khan as a family
mausoleum, and his remains are said to have been the first deposited there.
The mantle of Hasan Khan does not appear to have fallen upon any
of his successors ; but there are signs that each of them, according to his
* " Pae takht badsha kia ke raj men hai ?" It must be remembered that at this time
Bher Shah chanced to be at Hasanpur, which appears to give point to the joke.
f Badaha deem Masnad-i-iLla. The last words are vulgarly corrupted into"Masan-
jjelhi.'
i Dr. Butter (Southern Oudh, page 150) says that the Eaja of Hasanpur is the descen-
dent of the Kaja of Banaudha, the last of whom gave his daughter in marriage to " Ghori
Badshah." Dr.Butter takes this person to he Qutb-ud-din Ghori, but Sher Shah also claimed
to be a Ghori (Elliot 4th edition, pagea 384 and 813 note) and the title of Badshah only
commenced with Babar. Is it then possible that Sher Shah is the Ghori Badshah of the
story, and that Hasan Khan was the raja who gave his dauther to him ? This would fully
account for Hasan Khan's good fortune.
SUL 467
ability, strove to maintain the honour of the family. Nor did they allow
such considerations as kinship to interfere with the pursuit of this object
±ateh bahs line had in the fourth generation that had elapsed since its
commencement, done its best to struggle into importance, and had annexed
among others a little ilaqa known as the " twelve kanait villages." Upon
these Zabardast Khan of Hasanpur cast covetous eyes, and at last he
determined to take possession of them.
He accordingly attacked them with a large force, and in the internecine
strife which followed, much Bachgoti blood was spilled, on both sides.
Zabardast Khan remained master of the coveted tract, but to obliterate
the recollection of the events connected with its acquisition directed that the
name of the village which had been the scene of conflict, Kanait itself,
should be no longer used, and it should be for the future replaced by
Shahpur. In yet another family quarrel did Zabardast Khan figure about
the same time, but an account of it will be more properly given under the
history of Mani rpur which is just afterwards given.
Eoshan Ali Khan son of Zabardast Khan was the first to permanently
injure the fair edifice which Hasan Khan had reared. At the outset of
his career, indeed, his power was equal to that of his predecessors, and it
might have remained so to the last, had he not rashly ventured to mea-
sure strength with Safdarjang. He was killed in a battle with the Nawab,
and the importance of the Hasanpur family thereby sustained a serious
blow.* At that time their estate was in danger of being altogether broken
up ; as for the next thirty years during the nominal incumbency of Ali
Bakhsh,-|- adopted son of Eoshan Ali *Khan, it was held under direct
management by the officers of Government. Ashraf Ali succeeded Ali
Bakhsh ; but for five years afterwards a similar state of affairs conti-
nued, and it was not until A.D. 1809 that he obtained full control over his
estate. This he retained for ten years only when he died leaving two sons,
Husen Ali and Khairat Ali, both of whom afterwards ascended the
gaddi.
Until Husen Ali reached his majority (in 1830), Hasanpur was again
held under direct management ; in the following year he was admitted to
engage for it, and thereafter continued to do so until annexation with the
exception of a short break in 1837-38, the datej of which suggests that it
may have been in some measure due to the circumstances described in the
following story : — Husen Ali was in 1836, when the circumstances referred
to occurred, about twenty-five years of age, and an extensive zamindar
holding much of the land which lies between his residence and Jagdis-
pur.
* Klliott's Supplementary Glossary. Bachgoti, where Eoshan Ali is called Diwan, " bat"
says Sir H. Elliott, most people deny the right of the Hasanpur Bandhua family to the title
of Diwan, which they say belongs only to the Bilkharia family, and in practice it is cer-
tainly usual to give the title to tha latter. (The present Hasanpur title is raja.)
+ After Roslian Ali'.-< death his widow, Bibi Jamayyat Khanam, obtained a farman
granting her the Bhada imija, forty-two Tillages, rent-free. They were resumed by
Saadat Ali Khan in l?98.
± It may be added also that the name of the Gorerament manager, Sher Ah, in the
same as that of Hasen All's adversary.
468 SUL
It being known that his mother, who resided at Dhua, a fort lying about
a mile south of his residence, Hasanpur, cohabited with a neighbouring
zamindar named Sher Ali, and the father of her son-in-law, Husen All
resolved to put her to death, and one night attempted to execute his
intention by setting fire to her residence, which he had surrounded with
his armed followers. In the smoke and confusion she escaped, with her
daughter and another female relative through an unguarded breach in the
wall of the fort, and fled on foot to the cantonment of Sultanpur as the
nearest place of safety. Neutrality in all private quarrels being deemed
essential to the'security of the British cantonments in Oudh, she was at
first refused admission within the boundary pillars, but was ultimately
smuggled into the regimental bazar, whence she was on the point of being
ejected, and would have been murdered by her son had not Sher Ali
Opportunely come up with 300 matchlockmen and carried her off. Husen
Ali subsequently made another attempt on her life, and got near enough
to hack her palki with his sword, but she again escaped, and is now in a
fort near Sikraura with Sher Ali, who abandoned his kot (small fort)
Jaisingarh, twelve miles north-east of Sultanpur, with his villages, to
Husen Ali, who was expected to take possession of them at the expiration
of the financial year (20th June, 1837j.
During the mutiny Husen Ali took an actively hostile part against the
English ; he was present at the battle of Sultanpur (22nd March, 1858),
when he commanded the infantry of the rebel army ; he was accompanied
by his son, who lost his life in the battle. Not having so compromised
himself however as to be excluded from the benefit of the general amnesty,
he was on re-occupation maintairted in possession of his estate. He died
in November, 1860, and the inheritance devolved on his brother Khairat
Ali, who was followed in 1869 by his son Muhammad Ali, the present
The Baehgoti Khdnzddas of Manidrpv/r. — Bahadur Khan, fifth in
descent from Hii&r Khan, had two wives. By the first marriage he had
issue, Ismail Khan, and by the second, Hayit Khan and Dalel Khan. Some
accounts state that the two latter received an ilaqa (Maniarpur) containing
one hundred and nine villages as their share of the Hasanpur estate, while
others contradict this statement. It seems probable either that they
attempted to assert their right to a share but without success, or that
they obtained one and were almost immediately ousted. It is at least
certain that bitter enmity prevailed between Hayat Khan and Zabardast
Khan, grandson of Ismail Khan, and that no other cause of quarrel is
recorded ; that Hayat Khan was killed by Ismail Khan, and that both
Hasanpur and Maniarpur remained in the hands of the latter.
Hayat Khan left six sons, Daria Khan and five others. Shortly after
his death, Daria Khan and one or two of his brothers went by night to
Hasanpur, determined to take vengeance on the murderer of their father,
and stealing quietly into his fort found him alone and fast asleep. They
now drew near to kill him, but repenting suddenly of their design they
spared his life ; at the same time to show how far it had been in their
power, they took up his turban, sword, and slippers which were lying by
his side, and left their own instead. When he awoke in the morning
SUL 4-69
Zabardast Khan found no difRculty in identifying his midnight visitors,
and was deeply moved by their generous forbearance. Determined now
to put an end to his feud with them he set off for Daria Khan's house in
Manidrpur, and to show his appreciation of the chivalrous character he
had displayed went unattended. Daria Khan seeing him approach fled
precipitately into the_ neighbouring jungle; but Zabardast Khan, resolved
not to have his good intentions thus frustrated, sought an interview with
Hay^t Khan's widow. Having related to her the events of the preceding
night, he urged that Daria Khan had already exacted a noble and sufQ-
cient vengeance for his father's death, inasmuch as he had had the culprit's
life in his hands, although his natural sense of honour had forbidden him
to play the part of an assassin. By these and similar arguments he gained
the widow_ over to his cause, and by her intercession a reconciliation was
effected with her sons also. Daria Khan took up his residence at Hasan-
pur, and was entrusted with the management of the entire estate ; and at
the same time, in conjunction with his brothers, received a grant of eleven
villages for his support. These villages formed the nucleus of the present
Maniarpur taluqa. They received considerable additions even in the time
of Daria Khan, who took advantage of his influential position to enlarge
his boundaries whenever the opportunity occurred; but at his death,
which happened about 1743 A.D., a partition took place among his sons
and brothers, and the separate properties thus formed became small and
unimportant. The majority of them were re-united by Roshan Zaman
Khan, who could show a rent-roll of E,s. 3,50,000 ; and it was in his time
that the consequence of Maniarpur commenced.
Roshan Zamdn Khan died in 1818, and was followed by his brother
Basawan Khan, who survived him but two or three years. Maniarpur then
came into the possession of Bibi Rahmani ; it received several important
accessions by what to European notions seems rather curious means.
She is said to have intended to make the chakladar, Mir Ghuldm Husen,
her heir, and he was fully aware of that interesting fact. He accordingly
first handed over to her several villages in the Sultanpur pargana in which
her estate lay ; and afterwards not content with this, began to draw upon
the neighbouring parganas of Tappa Asl and Isauli, simultaneously
altering the boundary line between them and Sultanpur. Under such
auspices there is no knowing to what extent Maniarpur might not have
increased, but its prosperity received a sudden check by the untimely (or
perhaps many thought timely) death of Mir GhuMm Husen; and Bibi
Rahm4ni deprived of her protector appears to have fallen among thieves ;
for it was in her time that the Gargbansis, of whom General Sleeman says
so much, first obtained a footing in the estate. Immediately after Basawan
Khan's death in 1821 A.D., Bibi Rahmani made Nihdl Singh, " Gargbansi
of Sehfpur, manager of her affairs. From the time that he entered upon
the management, Nih:il Singh began to increase the number of his followers
from his own clan, the Gargbansis, and having now become powerful
enough he turned out his mistress ; and took possession of the estate in
collusion with the local authorities.*"
*Sleeman's Tour through Oudh, I., 14a. The foUuwing account of the Manh'rpar
estate is in great measure taken from this work ; hut partly also from local sources.
470 SUL
In this he was not unopposed, for Raja Darshan Singh who held the
contract for the district interfered — not as might be expected in his official
capacity, and for the protection of Bibi Rahmdni, but because he wished
to take advantage of the occasion to seize upon the estate for himself.
TJnable, however, as a public servant of the state to lead his own troops
openly against his rival, he was compelled to secure the co-operation of a
powerful Taluqdar, Babu Bariar Singh of Bhiti, in the execution of his
schemes. Nihal Singh was killed in a night attack by Bariar Singh (1832),
but Harpal Singh his nephew was ready to take his place and continue the
struggle at once; even while Darshan Singh was in office, he held possession
of the greater part of the disputed property, and when another nazim was
appointed (1834), he recovered the remainder, still pretending to hold it
for the rightful owner Bibi Eahmani. In 1835 Bibi Basao, widow of
Basawan Khan, succeeded to the estate; but Harpal Singh, with great
pertinacity, continued to force his services upon her until 1838, when
Darshan Singh, a second time ndzim, at last proved two strong for him.
Next year Bibi Basao resigned in favour of Bibi Sughra, who in 1843
managed to get the estate transferred from the jurisdiction of th& contractor
for Sultanpur to that of the Hazur Tahsil, and so held it till 1845. Man
Singh, who then had the contract got it restored to his jurisdiction, and
put it in charge of his own officers, until, in the following year having
collected the greater part of the revenue due on it, he made it over to
Harpal Singh and Shiumbar Singh, who put its owner into confinement,
and plundered her of all she had left.
Bibi Sughra now summoned to her aid Rustam Sah and other Rajkum^r
landholders, friends of her late husband. A fight ensued in which Shium-
bar Singh and his brother, Hobdar Singh, were killed, and Harpal Singh
fled to his fort at Khaprddih. Bibi Sughra escaped and fled to Lucknow,
whence she got orders issued to Man Singh and all the military authorities
to restore her to the possession of her estate and seize or destroy Harpal
Singh. The death of the latter occurred soon after, and the Gargbansis
then relinquished their hold upon Maniarpur; and though they subsequent-
ly, with the connivance of a revenue farmer, secured some portion of it
for themselves, their connection with the so called management of it
finally terminated on the death of Harpal Singh. In 1847 Man Singh was
superseded in the contract by Wdjid Ali Khan who was commissioned by
the Darb^r to reinstate Bibi Sughra, and brought her with him from
Lucknow for the purpose. Soon afterwards, however, he made over part of
her estate to his friend Baqar Ali of Isauli, and another part to R^msarup,
son of Shiumbar Singh, for a suitable consideration, and left one half only
to Bibi Sughra. After no little hesitation she agreed to accept this on
condition that the revenue demand upon it should be considerably reduced,
but not only was no remission made, but she was required by the nazim to
pledge all the rents to Husen Ali Khan, the commandant of a squadron
of cavalry on detached duty under him. Bibi Sughra again appealed to
the influence of her friends at Court, and orders were reiterated for the
restoration of the whole of her estate, but Wajid Ali Khan completely
disregarding them made over or sold several villages to Ra.ghubar Singh,
brother of Man Singh, wio killed Bibi Sughra's agents in the manage-
SUL 471
ment, plundered her of all her property, and all the rents which she
had up to that time collected for payment to Government, and took
possession of the villages transferred to him. Wajid Ali soon after came
With a large force, siezed the lady, and carried her off to his camp and
refused all access to her. At last when she became ill, and likely to sink
under the treatment she received, he made her enter into a written engage-
ment to pay to the troops, in liquidation of their arrears of pay, all that he
pretended she owed to the state, and handed her over to Ghafur Beg, a
commandant of Artillery, in whose hands she fared much the same as in
those of Wijii Ali Khan.
Agha Ali, who superseded Wajid Ali in 1849, directed that martial law
should cease in Maniarpur, but Ghafur Beg and his artillerymen were too
much for him, and refused to give up possesession of so nice an estate,
which in spite of all the usurpations and disorders it had suffered, ' still
possessed a rent-roll of a hundred thousand rupees a year. At this time
in the fortunes of unlucky Bibi Sughra, General Sleeman made his tour
through Oudh, and on hearing of his approach, Ghafur Beg moved otf with
his captive to Chandauli, where she was treated with all manner of
indignity and cruelty by the artillery. The B,esident represented the
hardship of her case to the Darbar with a consciousness, at the same time
that there was a very slender chance of her obtaining redress. She
recovered her liberty at last in 1851, and after surviving all her troubles
and misfortunes died at a good old age in 1866. She left her estate by
will to Babu Akbar Ali Khan who has since died, and a female Taluqdar,
Bibi Ilahi Khanam, his widow, again holds Maniarpur.
TfiC Bachgoti Rdjkumdrs. — When Riip Singh emigrated from Bilkhar
to Dikhauli, his brother, Asre Singh, ancestor of the Edjkumar Bachgotis,
Bottled a little further to the east, in the same pargana in the village of
Pdrai Bagh Rae. Almost immediately, however, he moved to Bhadayyan
which standing in the midst of ravines and jungles perhaps recommended
itself as a suitable position for a fort, and here the headquarters of the
E^jkumars have since remained.* The next event in the history of his
house is its colonization of trans-Gumti territory. Bijai Chand, eighth
in descent from Xsre Singh, had four sons — Jamayyat Rae, Jiu JSfarain,
Jalip Rae, and Harkarandeo. Jamayyat Rae remained in Bhadayyan,
the others led colonies across the Gurnti, whither they were followed in
the two succeeding generations by Hari Rae son, and Madkar Sah, a
grandson of Jamayyat Rae. " It is believed to be about 250 years since
the offspring of Bariar Singh, having become too numerous to find room
on the right bank of the Gumti, and powerful enough to encroach on the
property of their neighbours, crossed over to the left or Fyzabad bank, and
by degrees established six colonies." Further allusion to these would
be a work supererogation on my part, the more so that a full account of
them may be found in Mr. Carnegy's printed Aldemau Report.
The house of Bhadayyan has little history that would repay perusal. It
had the ordinary petty encounters with its neighbours, but none of them
• The Eaikumars, who are said to be desceflded from RSj Singh, i.e., the same son of
Bariar Singh as the Bachgotis of. Sultanpur, adjoin them and separate ttem from then
more distant kindred the U4jkumars.
472 SUL
have been of sufficient interest to merit any detailed notice. An exception
may perhaps be made in favour of the siege and destruction of the Bhaday-
yan fort, -which took place between thirty and forty years ago. This fort
was defended by the then taluqdar Shiudayal Singh against two chakla-
dars, both of whom feU during the siege. It was at last destroyed by the
British troops under Colonel FaithfuU, but rebuilt by Shiudaydl Singh's
son, Shankar Bakhsh, and maintained by him in 1836 against the chak-
ladar, who at length took and demolished it.*
The term R&jkumar is commonly applied to the junior branches of
all houses in which a raj exists ; and thus there are Rajkumar Bais, and
RSjkumdr Kanhpuria as well as Rajkumar Bachgotis. And the only
explanation I have heard of the last named being so called is in accord-
ance with this, viz., that it is to distinguish them from their brethren the
Raj wars, who could once pride themselves on their chief being a rdja.
They are the only ones, however, with whom this distinction has super-
seded the broader appellation of the clan.
The Bachgoti Bajwdrs. — Though confined to narrower limits than
their kinsmen of the time of Raj Sah, Ghunghe Singh's descendants,
occupying as they do the greater portion of pargana Chinda, are still
entitled to take rank among the principal families of the district. Ghunghe
Singh had three sons, Gaj Singh, Ghanpal Singh, and Harpal Singh, the
first and last of whom kept their old name of Bachgoti, and obtained
lands in the Partabgarh district to which their history belongs. Ghanp41
Singh had two sons, Ramdeo and Garabdeo; from the former spring the
Khanzadas of Morainfe, the latter is the ancestor of all the Hindu Rajwdrs.
I have not yet explained this cognomen ; it would not have been an
anachronism, indeed, to apply it to any generation yet mentioned, for it
originated only with Jamnibhdn, a son of Garabdeo.-[- Jamnibhdn is said
to have been distinguished both for martial prowess and intellectual
ability, and by a judicious use of these rare gifts, to have considerably
extended the already large possessions of the Bachgotis. With the unani-
mous consent of his connexions he assumed the title of raja, and his
immediate relations in consequence of the dignity they borrowed from the
circumstance were thenceforward styled " Rajwars." To his descendants,
however, the name only remained while the substance disappeared. In
the very next generation his ephemeral principality was dissolved; the
ordinary law of partition was reverted to, and his son Kalian Sah received
the separate estate of Garabpur. The remainder of his domains passed to
a second son, Jagdis Rae, in the third generation from whom they were
split up into three estates, Partabpur, Rampur, and Sarae Kalidn.
Garabpur, PartSbpur, and Rampur are now of sufficient importance to
have separate sanads, but the story of their growth is made up of wearisome
details. The two latter are principally remarkable for the peculiarity of
their tenures; in the first place, though distinct in interest from each
other, they contain many villages common to both, in which sometimes
* Dr. Butter's Southern Ondh, p. 118.
t The zamindars of Chaudu were still called Bacbgotia wheu tbe Aiu-i-Akbari was
composed.
SUL
473
there is a third and even a fourth sharer ; in the second place, each of the
properties thus curiously constituted is, though a taluqa, in possession of
a coparcenary community.
The Bachgotis of Tappa 4 sZ.— Regarding this portion of the Bachgoti
fraternity there is little to be said, except that it still monopolizes nearly
thewhole of the, pargana Tappa Asl, which it considers to be its birthright
by inheritance from A sal Rae, who won it with the sword from the earlier
Bais and Bhadayyan occupants.'* Either of their own free-will, or
because there have been no elder sons capable, by force or otherwise, of
convincing their younger brethren of the advantage of a custom of primo-
geniture, they have all alike remained in a common level of obscurity.
Their traditions go back to a time in the distant past, when a single share
in a partition was represented by six thousand bighas; but at the present
time their villages are more minutely subdivided perhaps than any others
in the district. Their principal estates, of which the rest are mostly off-
shoots, are Sissaindi, Kali^npur, Bhadewa, and Bissarpur. Under native
rule the Bachgotis of Tappa Asl were not a bit behind the rest of
their clan in turbulence and audacity, and the following story is told as
an illustration of their character. On the arrival of a new Government
official among them, they pointed out to him the tombs of various of his
predecessors, disapproval of whose rule they had testified by armed resist-
ance ; and as an appropriate comment on this cheerful exhibition,
requested him to carefully observe those monuments, and bear their import
well in mind in the administration of his office.
I may here add a list of the various shrines and temples of Sultanpur,
thus affording some idea of the religious life of the people, whose history
and warlike annals have been related.
Hindu religious places.
Name of Tillage.
Easanpui
Dakhwa ilaqa of Bhat
gawan.
Eatawan ...
Chhaoni Sadr
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto !••
Ditto
Ditto t-
Name of temple.
Temple of Mahabii
Shiwala ...
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Masonry Dbaramsala.
Bemarks.
Built by Bimjiawan, Kayath, 75 years ago.
Built tjy Durga Fande at a cost of Bs. 2U0 in
1276 fasli (A.D. 1869).
Built by Bam Suchitt, Snbadar, at a cost of
Rs. 200 in 1270 fasli (A.U. 1862).
Built by Fir Bakbeb, Ealwar, at a cost of Bs.
1,600 in 1242 fasli (A.D. 1834).
Builtby Shiudia. Subadar, at a cost of Bs. 150
in 1272 fasli (A.D. 1864).
This temple stands on the banks of the Oumti
near Sita Kund ; was builtby Bandhau, Ag-
nhottri, at a coat of Ks. 800, 30 years ago.
Built by Jhau Lai, Chaudhri, ^t a cost of Bs.
300, 24 years ago.
Built by Hardayal Thathera at a cost of Bs.
250, 26 years ago.
Four hundred years ago this was built from
the subscription made by the Bani4DB o£
sadr bazar and district officials. There are
the images of Rama and LacJIihma^, a^d
Faqirs lodge there.
• Hiasaindi for jflstance, contains 20 demarcated TiUages, of which 16 are said to hare
been taken from the Bhadayyan and the remainder Um the Bais.
474
StJL
Hindu Religious places. — (concluded.;
Name of village.
Name of temple.
Bandhua
Shiwala
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Ditto
Kunchi ...
Euadwar ...
Shiwala and Thakur-
dwara of Kama
Lachhmaa.
Shiwala
Ditto Ml
Utardha
Thaknrdwaraof Ram
Lachhman.
Shiwala
Bhatni
Ditto
Thakutdwaraof Rama
Laclihman.
Temple of Mahabir ...
Remarks.
Built by Gurdayfi! and Mahraj Thatheras at a
cost of Ks.aouin 1237" fasli (A.U. IS29)
Built by Baba Sabajram, Nanak Shahi Saint,
at a cost of Es. 200.
Built by Nain Sukb Rae, Ehattri, at a cost of
Ks. 2iiO.
Built by Faggii and Bhagwandas, Banians, at
a cost of Rs 430 in 1276 fasli (A I). 1869;.
Built by Maheshwar Farshad at a cost of
Ks. 1,000 in 1252 fasli (A.D. •844).
Built by Raja Madho Fartab Singh, at a
cost of Rs. 2,000 in 1270 fasli (A.D. 1862).
Built by Buddhi, Dicbhit, at a cost of Rs. 200,
75 3 ears ago.
Built by Lalikdas, Saint, at a cost of Rs. 150,
75 years ago.
Ditto ditto ditto.
MuhamTnadan religious places.
Sadr bazar
Mosque
This was built by Allahdin, a negro, at a cost
of Rs. 3,000 in 1867 A.D. The arches and
pillars are of stone, and the inner walls are
engraved with texts from the Koran.
SULTANPUR* — Pargana Sultanpur— Tahsil Sultanpur. — District
SULTANPUR. — Sultanpur lies on the left bank of the Gumti on a little
peninsula formed by a bend in the river's course. Its history is so much
interwoven with that of the district that I will give here only the most
prominent points in it. The original town is said to have been founded
by Kusa, son of Rama, and to have been named after him Kusapura or
Kusabhawanpur. It subsequently fell into the hands of the Bhars who
retained it until it was taken from them by the Musalmans in the twelfth
century. About seven hundred years ago, it is said, two brothers, Sayyad
Muhammad and Sayyad Ala-ud-dm, horse-dealers by profession, visited
Eastern Oudh, and offered some horses for sale to the Bhar chieftains of
Kusbhawanpur, who seized the horses and put the two brothers to death.
This came to the ears of Ala-ud-din Ghori, whose piety equal to his valour
forbade him to allow such a a outrage upon the descendants of the prophet to
pass unpunished. Gathering a mighty host, therefore, he set out for Kus-
bhdwanpur, and at length arrived and pitched his tents in Karaundi, then
a dense jungle near the devoted town, on the opposite side of the river.
Here he remained encamped for a year without gaining any advantage
over the beseiged, when feigning to be weary of the fruitless contest, and
anxious only to obtain an unmolested retreat, he had some hundreds of
palanquins richly fitted up, and sent them as a peace-offering to the Bhars,
By Mr. A. F. MUlet, C.S.
,SUIm 476
pretending that they were filled with presents peculiarly suited to the
taste of those for whom they were intended*
The cupidity of the Bhars overcame their caution, and they received
the fata,l gift within their walls. But suddenly, at a given signal, the
palanquins were all thrown open by unseen hands and out sprung a crowd
of armed warriors, the very flower of Ala-ud-din's army, who, thus taking
their enemies unprepared, speedily put them to the sword. Kusbhawan-
pur was reduced to ashes, and a new town of Sultanpur, so called from
the rank of the victor, rose upon its ruins.
Sultanpur is often mentioned by Muhammadan historians, but only as
the means of identifying the scene of a great battle which took place in its
immediate neighbourhood, nor can it, so far as I am aware, boast of having
been the birthplace of any man of note. It was nevertheless at one time
a flourishing little town consisting of several muhallas or wards.
But many years before annexation a military station and cantonments
were established on the right bank of the river in a village then known
as Girghit,-|- but now more commonly called by officials Sultanpur, or
chhaoni sarkar, and by the rustic population kampu or the camp. From
this period the importance of the old town began to decline, and its con-
dition in the year 1839 is thus described : — "The only supposed remains of
the Bhar city now extant are two brick wells at the south verge of the
present town, and about a mile from the river, which still contain water
and a rising ground (dih) called Majhargdon in the middle of the town, con-
sisting of broken bricks, the remnants of the palace of the Bhar sovereigns.
On the summit of the dih is a partially ruined fort built by the Sultan,
and containing- houses which are now occupied by the faujdar and his
followers ; there is also a mosque built by the Sultan, within the town and
north-west of the fort. There are two or three smaller mosques built
by Sayyads, who are chaudhris of the pargana, and have salaries varying
from Rs. 100 to Rs. 500 a month, besides rent-free lands, for keeping the
revenue accounts of the pargana. The town having no manufacture or
trade is in a decayed state, and contains only 1,500 inhabitants, chiefly
sipahis and personal followers of the chaudhris with a few cultivators, and of
this population 100 are Musalmans. It contains many old brick dwelling-
houses and a few new ones, among others a large one now building by one
of the chaudhris Muhammad Ali, who was also the -rakil envoy of the
Lucknovv darbar 'near' the commandant of the Company's adjoining can-
'tonment.' ' The whole town was finally razed to the ground during the
military operations connected with the reoccupation of the province, in
consequence of the inhabitants having been concerned in the murder of
two British officers at the outbreak of the mutiny.
Until 1837, the Sultanpur military ^ force consisted of a regiment of
native infantry and a detachment of artillery, but in that year the latter
* This appears to hare been very favourite, and if all accounts be believed, a very often
successful stratagem. For other instances of it see tlphin stone's History of India, 385,
note, and Murray's History of India, 189. ,.,„,.„
t The name of Girghit is still preserved m Girglut Gnak.
476 stm
was withdrawn, and thereafter until annexation there were no giins or
cavalry of any kind. At annexation the force was considerably increased,
its conduct in the mutiny is described elsswhere. On reoccupation a detach-
ment of a British regiment was stationed HerQ for a short time ; and the
recollection of the fact is now perpetuated by its lines, which lay about a
mile or two- south of those of the native infantry, having given a name to
a tract now demarcated as a separate village, Gora Barik, or the barracks
for the European soldiers. In 1861 all the troops, British and Native,
were removed, and Sultanpur ceased to be a military contonment.
The present civil station occupies the site of the old cantonments. It
lies " on the right bank of the Gumti river upon a dry soil, among deep
ravines which drain off the water rapidly. The bungalows are on the verge
looking down into the river and upon the level patches of land dividing the
ravines. The water in the wells is some fifty feet below the surface on A
level with the stream beloW." This Was written in the year 1849 ; tbere
were then "no groves within a mile of the cantonments; and no lakes,
marshes, or jungles within a great many, and the single trees in and near
the cantonments were few." At the present time, owing mainly to the
great interest taken by Colonel Perkins, wbile. Deputy Commissioner, in
the improvement of the station, the unsightliness of the bleak ravines is
hidden by the graceful foliage of the acacia ; and the roads, of which
there is a plentiful supply, are lined on either side with rows of mango and
other shady trees, while the public gardens more than ten acres in extent
exact a just tribute of praise from all who visit them. A fine kachahri
-has recently been erected, and immediately opposite to it is a church of
modest dimensions, but no mean architectural beauty. Of the other
public buildings the principal are the jail erected on the site of and partly
composed of the European infantry barracks, the Government schools,
the charitable dispensary, and the police station. Latitude 26° 15' j
Longitude 82° 7'.
Sl'jRAJPUR ParpanSb—TaMl R^M SANEfit Gha*— DiSi5nc« BabA BanIcI.
—This pargana is bounded on the north and east by the Kalyini, oh the
south by the Gumti, and on the West by pargana Siddhaur. Its area is
96 square miles or 81,645 aCres divided into 107 villages. The Cultivated
^rea is 37,052 acres, and the uncultivated 24,593. The irrigfetted portion
is only 12,674 acres and the unirrigated 24,378. The soil is mostly
loam. The river Kalyani, flowing from east to west, forms tbe northern
boundary for eleven miles ; it is much utilized for irrigation purposes ; .
nineteen villages lie on it's banks. The ^jrumti which forms tbe southern
boundary is to some extent mischiev6us during the xains. Its course of
about 10 miles is very tortuous, there are 12 villages lying on its banks.
The average amount of rainfall for the years 1874-75 was 40^ inches.
Wells are on the average 12 feet deep. Unmetalled roads lead from
Surajpur to Dhoti Ghat (4 miles), and to Pura Ghat in T^hsil Haidar-
garh. The following are the bazars in this pargana, Slau, MaJiipalganj,
Debiganj, Dhoti, Saddatganj, Xhasori, Tikra, and Ahmadpur. There are
five schools, a police station at the headquarters of the Tahsil of Ram
Sanehi Ghat, and a police post at Kotwa on the metalled road. The
registry and post-offices are at Mabip^lganj. The Government revenue
SUR 477
h^u^ to ^^' 96,488. The 107 villages of the pargana are thus
Taluqdari ... ... ... ... 57
Zamindari ... „ ... ... 43
Jfattidari ... ... . " 7
Total ... 1(17
The population amounts to 65,953 living in 13,482 houses.
The pargana takes its name from the chief town which has been in
existence for the last 600 years. This part of the country was called
Siirajpur Bahrela and was originally in possession of Bhars, who were
succeeded hy Pathdns, the chief of whom, Awar Khan, rebelled in the time
of Akbar. A force was sent in 964A.H. (1547 A.D.), of which Raja Baram
Bali was risaldar, who expelled the rebellious Pathan and took possession
of the estate. This officer was the ancestor of the present taluqdar. In
later Oudh history Rdja Singhji, one of the family, was a verj' formidable
chief, whose career is sketched by Colonel Sleeman in pp. 256 and 257 of
his "Tour in Oudh." The taluqdars of the .pargana are B4bu Mahip^l
Singh of Surajpur and Rae Abhirdm Bali of Rampur.
SURAJPUR — Pargana Surajpuk — Taksil Ram Sanehi Gb.at— District
Bara Baj!TKI. — This village gives its name to the pargana. It was founded
600 years ago. The taluqa was called Surajpur Bahrela after the BharS
in whose possession it originally was. The next occupants were the
Pathdns whose chief, Awar Khan, refused to pay the Government revenue,
irevolted, and was overthrown by Raja Baram Bali Singh, the ancestor of
the present taluqdar. This raja was granted 71 villages ; he fixed his
residence at Bahrela, and afterwards at Dhoti on the bank of the Gumti.
The Government revenue of the taluqa is Rs. 52,630.
SURHARPUR Pargana — Tahsil Akbarpue — District Ftzabad. — This
pargana is situated at the south-east corner of the district lying along
both sides of the river Tons. It contains 94,519 acres, of which 48,400 are
cultivated and 22,600 are barren, there being a very great quantity of
usar land in it ; it contains 233 demarcated villages, but these include in
all 549 small towns and hamlets. It is intersected by three unnavigable
rivers — the Tons, the Majhoi, and the Bangar, which abundantly lend their
water for irrigation purposes.
Its population is 82,927 being at the rate of 560 to the square mile, the
Government revenue has been fixed at Rs. 98,175, being at the rate of
Re. 1-10-2 per culturable acre ; in Akbar 's time it was Rs. 42,000. More
than half the area is irrigated, and water is generally abundant. That
portion of the pargana lying south of the Gumti has recently been placed
in the Sultanpur district, Tahsil Kadipur, as will appear from the account
of that district.
The history of the pargana is thus epitomized by Mr. Cam^gy, Com-
missioner.
The origin of the name of this pargana is unknown, but it is said to
have been given to it by one Sohandal, a chief of the Bhars.
478
SUR
It is further affirmed, that prior to the adoption of the designation of
pargana the tract of country subsequent-
ly inchided within its bounds, consisting
of 748 villages was divided into the
tappas marginally noted. Surharpur
is named in the Ain-i-Akbari as one of
the forty parganas included in sarkar
Jaunpur, subah Allahabad.
No. of
No
1
Name.
villages.
Surharpur
4
2
Katgarh
145
3
Ranhain
77
4
n&vratip&ra ...
35
5
Kundaura
6>
6
Sumbhadi
42
7
Pakarpur
17
8
Atgawan
63
9
Eklak
10
10
Kharka
49
11
lihetaura
51
13
Khajurdi
41
13
Thardi
47
The Bhars were formerly dominant
in this pargana, and it was inhabited
chiefly by them; traces of their buildings
may still be seen in the seven following
villages: — Surharpur, Harpur, Khdnpur-
Pilai, Umran, Bhojgi, Deodi, and Ma-
sora. Their advent and status is matter
for conjecture, but they are known to have paid revenue to the rulers of
Delhi, and their downfall is here attributed td default, and lack of power
to manage, in the early days of Taimtir Shah, 430 years ago.* The Tharus
of the Tarai are said by the people of these parts to be the descendants of
the expelled Bhars, but in 14 villages of this pargana an unusually large
number of these people are still to be found tending swine, seldom tilling
on their own account, and engaged in menial servitude. None of the
existing Bhars have any rights in the soil, and so all proprietary rights date
from a period subsequent to them, and may be , traced back to seven
parties who, from time to time, settled in the pargana, first as servants of
the Bhars, and who eventually succeeded these people in their revenue
engagements with the dominant power.
In 1801, Nawab Saadat Ali made over what are known to us as the
" ceded districts" of the old regulations, the transfer being effected
in accordance with the actual status of 1206 fasli (A.D. 1798), and under
this arrangement the boundary with the Azamgarh district, of both
pargana Surharpur and Birhar was formed.
Under this transfer 199 villages, comprising the entire tappa of P/ikar-
pur and portions of seven other tappas, passed away from pargana Sur-
harpur, and these, with pargana Negun in Azamgarh, and part of Ungli in
Jaunpur, on the authority of Sir H. M. Elliott, were formed into what is
now known as pargana Mnhul, of the former district. At the time of
cession, Mahul was entered in the registers as a taluqa only, still it was
one of the four portions into which the province of Gorakhpur was
* Note. — It will at once occur to the historical student that Taimur Shah never pene-
trated further than Delhi, where he remained only a few days after he overthrew Mah-
mud Tughlaq in 1398 A.D., when he again quitted India. Almost simultaneously, however,
with the above events, Mahrafid's Wazir, Khwaja Jahan, founded the kingdom of Jaunpur,
A.D. 1394, or 470 years ago ; and he no doubt had a good deal to do with the suppression of
the Bhars in these parts. So that, though it appears quite absurd to say that Taimur exer-
cised any influence here 450 years ago, it is not difScult to see that his operations before
Delhi were intimately connected with the establishment of the Jaunpur dynasty, which
included all these par*^s and extended up to Kanauj. By local tradition, a gte^t many
events here are attributed to the time of Taimur, and the aboTS facts explain the reason,
and show tradition to be not far out.
StJR 479
divided. In the middle of the last century two Sayyads of the name of
Sher Jahan and Shamsher Jah4n acquired large possessions in N egun,
Ungli, and Surharpur, and taking up their abode in Mahul gave to their
usurpations the name of " taluqa M^hul."*
These Sayyads are said to have sprung from a renowned saint whose
piety ,was so great that his wishes were always fulfilled. In Mr. Ihoma-
son's report of the settlement of the Azamgarh district, para. 82, men-
tion is made of this family of Sayyads, who are there said to have ob-
tained possession of pargana Mahul as a zamindari grant at so early a
period that the tradition of it was lost. They located themselves firmly
in the pargana, suppressing the Rajput communities in many of the vil-
lages. The head of the family had the title of raja, but he was dis-
possessed of his Government office by the Nawab of Oudh previous to ses-
sion. He still however retained some villages as his private property when
Mr. Thomason wrote (1837)."}" The writer saw the last of these rajas,
Iradat Jahan, hanged, under the operation of martial law, in September,
1857, for rebellion, he having proclaimed himself Nazim of Jaunpur. His
eldest son was subsequently sentenced to imprisonment by the ordinary
courts. His daughter is married to Malik Hidayat Husen, one of the
principal taluqdars of the Fyzabad district. Thus was taluqa Mahul
created, and so it passed away.
The 199 villages that I have alluded to as having been transferred from
Surharpur formed part of the great taluqa of which I have been writing,
and when the separation took place all villages belonging to that estate
went over with it, without any reference whatever to geographical situa-
tion or a convenient frontier. It was this that led to the troublesome
state of things which has ever since existed, of isolated villages of Oudh
being found within the circuit of our old districts, and vice versd.
■ The portion of pargana Surharpur which remained in Oudh after ces-
sion, and which passed into our hands at annexation, is in shape something
like'an irregular arch, and consisted of 549 villages.
The Palwdrs. This is the more prosperous clan. One Pirthiraj Deo,
Sombansi known also by the name of Mdr Deo, and more familiarly still as
BhurDeo' is said to have come from Pali, in the Hardoi district m Oudh, m
Sambat 1305 (AJD. 1248), or six hundred and fifteen years ago, and to have
taken up his residence in the village at Rannupur close to Bandipur m this
pargana" where he accepted service under the Bhars From havmg come
from Pali he and his descendants thenceforth took the name of PalwArs,
and ceased to be known as Sombansis. After a time he was promoted to
the management of tappas Tardi and Kharka. Subsequently, when the
Bhars were driven out, he entered into revenue engagements with the
Delhi rulers for the tappas in question, consisting of 96 villages, and he
afterwards extended his influence by taking possession of parganas Kauna,
Tilheni, Atraula, and Dadur Qariat, which are now m the Azamgarh dis-
trict Mr Thomason also shows that these powerful people made still
* Sir H. M. Elliott.
\ Azamgarh Settlement Report,
480 SUR
further appropriations at a subsequent period, by encroacliiiig on the
neighbouring forest lands of Nizamabad.
Pirthiraj Deo had five sons ; of these Bhim Deo, the eldest, and Bharat
Deo, the second, were legitimate, and accompanied their father from Pali.
He then formed a connexion with a female inhabitant of the Rannupur
woods, of great personal beauty, to whom tradition assigns the character
of being ,the daughter of a fairy (DeokannyaJ or of a demon (dain).
This woman gave birth to Harihar Deo, the third son of Pirthiraj. The
latter is said to have formed other attachments for an Ahirin and a
Bharin, both of low origin, and of whom there are multitudinous descend-
ants in the Azamgarh district ; but as the history of these branches per-
tains more properly to that district, I will not encumber this report with
further details regarding them.
Of the above named sons the eldest, Bhim Deo, betook himself to a
hermit's life, and be therefore forfeited his birthright. To the second son,
Bh4rat Deo, was assigned pargana Kauria Tilheni, district Azamgarh, and
at a subsequent period his offspring overran the pargana of Birhar in this
district : and it is from him that the four present taluqdars of Birhar
descend, representing the senior and legitimate branch of the clan.
To Harihar Deo, the illegitimate son, was assigned the tappas of
Tardi and Kharka in pargana Surharpur, and he and his offspring have
always on account of their origin been stigmatized as Dainiaa (the children
of the dd,in) or Bantarias (the dwellers in woods).
Tradition says that on one occasion, soon after the birth of her son, this
lady of the woods was engaged in the homely office of baking cakes,
when her infant, which lay some paces off, began to cry. The domestic
feelings were divided between neglecting the babe or neglecting the cakes;
at this juncture the husband arrived, just in time to see his (fairy or fiend)
wife assume supernatural and gigantic proportions, so" as to allow both
the baking and nursing to go on at one and the same time. But finding
her secret discovered the dain disappeared for ever, leaving her son as a
legacy to her astonished husband ! This child was the Harihar Deo
mentioned above, from whom this branch of the clan descend; They still
form the majority of the inhabitants of fourteen villages in this pargana,
while the taluqdars of Tigra, B^bu Pirthi Pal Singh, and of Morera, Thaku-
rain Brij Kunwar, widow of Ram Datt Singh, belong to this branch, live in
this pargana, and are seventeen removes from their common progenitor,
the son of the ddin. Strange though it may seem, the villages in which
these taluqdars live, and which give their names to their respective pro-
perties, are only in part owned by them, and in part by others.
Our earliest records have reference to the year A.D. 1790 (1197 fasli)
and from these we learn that at that time the family held in this pargana
two taluqas and twenty-five smaller estates, paying Rs. 36,266 annual
revenue to Government. At the last summary settlement two taluqas
remained paying Rs. 9,369, and 13 smaller estates paying Rs. 10,706
per annum ; the clansmen are also sub-proprietors in 46 villages, which
pay Rs. 8,489 a year ; their total payments in this subdivision thus equal
SUR 481
Rs. 28,564. The falling off in their payments is in consequence of the
estate of Kehera Salempur only being for a time in one of the tahiqas,
about the year above indicated.
These Palwars were the first people who offered a successful opposition
to the extensions and usurpations of the Rajkumar clan. In the pargana
article of Aldemau reference is made to the battles fought for the village
of Masora in this pargana. That village belonged to the Palw^r property
of Birma. This property was managed by six branches of one family of
the clan. Of these four having fallen into decay made their holdings
over to the taluqdar of Dera ; a fifth had already made his share over to
the taluqdar of Meopur ; and when the latter went to take possession, the
Dera party raised the country, and the great battle was fought in which
so many of the Meopur family lost their lives ; and they also lost, and
never afterwards recovered, the footing they had in muhal Birma.
It was this branch of the Rajkumars from their local position that was
most likely to overrun the Palwar country, but their usurpations in that
quarter were terminated by the proceedings at Masora.
The House of Tigra.— From 1790 to 1816 A.D., Babu Sarabjit Singh
held this taluqa, which then consisted of 46 villages, paying Rs. 9,501
revenue. He left two sons, Gobin Bakhsh Singh and Gobind Dayal Singh,
and was succeeded by the former, but the property in the meanwhile had
lost some of its villages. About the year 1828, these brothers gratuitously
put to death Mohan Lai, qdndngo of the pargana, who happened to have
a bouse in the Azamgarh district; and on this account the relatives of the
deceased were enabled to apply to the British authorities for redress.
The brothers were summoned to stand their trial ; but they failing to
give themselves up were outlawed, and several ineffectual attempts were
made to apprehend them. About the year 1832, the name of the younger
brother was entered as joint owner of the property. In 1839 the Oudh
officials succeeded in apprehending Gobind Bakhsh, the elder brother, and
made him over to the Azamgarh authorities, who, owmg to want of juris-
diction had to transfer him to the Lucknow authorities, by whom he was
retained a close prisoner until long afterwards, when he was released by
death The younger brother, Gobind Dayal, evaded capture for many years,
but in the year 1852, being then a revenue defaulter and fugitive of the
Oudh Government, he feU sick, and in the hope doubtless of obtaining
absolution for his many sins, he betook himself to Al ahabad, ^o^mgth^t
there he might die. He was traced however by Captain Orr of the Oudh
frontier po&e and apprehended, and he died shortly afterwards m the
Azamgarh jail ere his case was investigated. He was succeeded m his
property by his son B4bu Pirthi Pal Smgh, the present taluqdar, who was
at once officially recognized by the Oudh authorities. The two brothers,
whose history is abov? sketched, were notorious freebooters, and within
The recollection of the writer their names inspired terror all along the
i^amgarh border.* Their successor is a man of comparative insignificance.
482
SUR
yet lie made himself troublesome in the mutinies, and a fofce was sent
from Azamgarh to destroy his fort at Tigra, which is just within the
Fyzabad district.
The Rdjkwmdrs — The history of the rise and progress of this clan
in the district is detailed in the Aldemau pargana article. Having overrun
that pargana some 200 or more years ago, they gradually spread in the
Surharpur direction, and at the date of our earliest records, which go back
over 90 years, we find them holding the settlement of six villages in this
subdivision, and they had in the meantime so well improved their oppor-
tunities, that when we annexed the province, they had absorbed 188
villages.
The Taluqdar of Baragaon, Babu Umresh Singh, belongs to this clan,
and has his headquarters in the village of this pargana which gives its
name to his property, and which he usurped from the descendants of
Sayyad Kamal.
Under our revised settlement operations pargana Surharpur as finally
arranged, contains 233 villages, which are now held as follows, Nos. 1 to 6
being Palw4rs, 7 to 9 Rajkumars, and 10 and 11 Muliammadans : —
No.
1
3
4
5
6
7
8
S
10
11
12
Name of talnqdar and of estate.
Babu Pirthi Pal of Tigra
Brij ICunwar of Morera
Babu Hardatt Singh of Birhar ...
„ Kishau ParshSd Singh of Bir-
har.
„ Mahfp Narain Singh of Birhar
„ Shiu Fargash Singh of Birhar
„ Udresh Singh of Dhaurua ...
„ Umresh Singh of Baragaon
Faja Shanliar Bakhsh of Dehra,
Malik Hidayat Husen o£ Sa- )
manpur. j
Mir BSqar Husen of Pirpur
Non-laluqa villages
No. of
Tillages.
18|
' 4
2
2
n
49|
38
24
19i
60i
Remarks.
! These branches divided 14 gen-
erations ago ; the estates are
nine generations old astaluqas.
I These villages have been includ-
> ed in the Birhar taluqas
I since 1224 fasli.
I All acqaired^since'l 180 fasli.
Acquired in 1212 fasli.
Acquired since 1215 fasli.
Held by independent zamindars.
The pargana contains three towns, of which the capital bears the same
name, and numbers 1,474 inhabitants. It is now a place of small import,
but formerly, when it was in the hands of the Sayyad zamindars, it used
to supply men of education as Government officials. It stands on the left
bank of the river Majhoi, which is here spanned in the Jaunpur direction
by a curious old masonry bridge said to be of Akbar's time. There are
also ruins of interest in this town. There is an old masonry fort on a
rising ground, of the Bhar time, and tradition says that a Jogi named
Subh Nath once held it, and so great was his repute that people fell to
worshipping him. For this he incurred the displeasure 'of Sayyad Salar
Masaiid who therefore proceeded against him and put him to death. This
the Bhars resented, but they were overthrown and their fort destroyed.
This old fort is also said to have been the stronghold of the Bhar Chief
SUS 483
Sohandal mentioned in the beginning of this pargana history, but little
M'if *^®rn, '^T'' can be placed on the stories told of either him or Subh
iNatb. ihe other towns are JaMlpur and Nakpur.
Under the king's Government this pargana contained a colony of 600
h^ses of Muhainmadan weavers. The facilities for getting Europe piece-
goods, a result of annexation, and the demand fov cotton consequent on
tHe American War, has diminished the number of these weavers rust one-
half, there are now 300 houses of them in the pargana, and of these 253
are situated in the towns of Jalalpur and Nakpur. Situated between
these towns is the village of Dundwa. At this place an edifice of some
pretension, known by the name of the " Im^mb^ra Panchaiti Julaha, " or
Subscription Church of the Weavers, " was built, nearly a century a^ro
under the supervision of Yar Muhammad, weaver and broker Es 4 000
were raised for the purpose by the fraternity, each man setting aside
the fourth of a pice from the price of every piece of cloth he wove towards
the common object. An annual fair is here held on the ],3th day of Eajjab
(July August) which is largely attended by persons in search of relief from'
their sorrows.
UsralM. — Is the only other place in the pargana which contains any
approach to a bazar ; it is situated on the Jaunpur frontier, and the
population amounts to 340 souls.
YdsingarhfoTt. — This picturesque masonry ruin was built by one Shekh
Ghulam Yasin, whose ancestors, Shekh Arzani and Shekh Nizam-ud-din,
are said to have come from Ghazni, and to have located themselves in this
place, which was then a jungle, and is' in fact little else now.
This person rose to be Naib Subahdar of Jaunpur and Ghazipur and
acquired great power and influence, which he exercised by taking proprie-
tary possession of the surrounding country. But his immediate offspring
turned out utterly worthless and soon squandered his acquisition ; his
descendants now subsist on a few bighas of rent-free land which they hold
from the Taluqdar Malik Hidayat Husen. It is popularly believed that
forty goblets of gold mohars still lie buried in this ruined fort.
Deodi. — This village is mentioned at the beginning of this pargana his-
tory as one of those in which traces may yet be seen of the Bhar race.
This is a Fyzabad village, but it falls within the circuit of the district of
Azamgarh. I mention it here because two copper inscriptions have lately
been surrendered to the authorities, essaying to indicate the presence of
much buried treasure ; but as these profess to be 1,200 years old, while
they mention existing places by their Muhammadan and not by their
original Hindu names, it seems improbable that they can be of any value.
It is obvious that Sultaupur, Suj4nganj, and such like names are due to
the Muhammadan conquest alone, which bears date some generations
later.
B\i^t5M.A.\J— Pargana SAFiFJlu—TahsU Safipvr— District Unao— This
village lies six miles south-west from the tahsil station, and 20 miles west
from the sadr staton Unao.
484 TAL
The Kalyani river flows close to the village on the south-west. Kan-
chan Singh of the Janwar tribe is said to have reclaimed this place in the
Emperor Akbar's time, but in what year is not known. The derivation df
the na.me cannot be made out. In former times this was the residence of
Sayyad Mubarak Ali, and the village bore the name of Mubarakpur. It
afterwards fell into decay, and on the expulsion of the Sayyads by Karan
Deo it was again restored 'by Kanchan Singh. It i« on a level tradt of
ground ; its appearance is very pretty, climate healthy, water sweet ; soil
loam, no jungle. There was a great battle fought here between Karan
Deo and the Sayyads ; there is a market held here attended by about 700
persons. Corn, English cloth, bullocks, and vegetables are sold. Shoes,
earthenware, and some jewellery are made here. Annual amount of sale
is about Rs. 10,000.
There are 304 mud-built houses.
Population divided as follows : —
Hindua ... ,„ ... ,„ 1,463
Musalmans ... ... „. 16
Total ... 1,479
Latitude 26°52' north, longitude 80° J 9' east.
TXLGXON* — Pargana Lakauvvr — Tahsil SiTAPUR — District Sitapur.
— Talgdon or "tank town" is 12 miles distant east by north from Sitapur.
It does not lie on any high road, the nearest being that which connects
Sitaptir with Laharpur, from which latter place it is 8 miles distant to
the south. It has no water communication whatever, though there are
numerous jhils or tals in the immediate neighbourhood from which the
town takes its name. The foundation dates from the times of the earliest
Musalman invasions of Oudh ; and tbe descendants of the original founders,
Khanzadas, are still extant, and in the possession of under-proprietary
rights, the head landlord being Nawab Amjad Ali Khan.
The town though of inconsiderable size takes rank as a qasba, the
masonry houses which are f6w being inhabited by the Khanzada zamin-
dars. The mud-built houses number 800. The population was at the
Census of 1869 2,098, principally cultivators, tbe Musalmans being in
excess of the Hindus.
The place has three mosques, and in the month of Bhadon (August)
there is held a Musalman Fair in memory of a local saint, at which ten or
twelve thousand people attend; and many commodities are sold, especially
brass and copper ware. Good displays of wrestling are also shown at this
fair.
The only public building is the Governinent school. The place is- wfeU
wooded, and the site is good. The annual value of the bazar sales averages
Rs. 25,000. Half the town is held by the Khanzadas (Shekhs) and half
by Kirmani Sayyads. The latter assert that it was their ancestor who
* By Mr, M. I. Ferrar, C.S., Assistant Commissioner.
TAM 485
founded it 900 years ago; and that the Shekhs have come in. through
marriage.
TAMBAUR Pargana*—Tahsil Bisw K^s— District Bitapub.— Pargana
iambaur is bounded on the north by district Kheri, and on the three
sides by the Kundri, Biswan, and LS,hrapur parganas. It contains 190
square miles, of which 132 are under cultivation.
The area is thus classified :—
Cultivated acres ... ,., ...
Culturable ditto
Eent-free ditto ... ... „.
Barren ditto
Total acres ... 121,471
The population was at the census of 1869 as follows :—
Hindus, agricultural ... ... 4f!,e06
Ditto, non-agricultural ... ,., 16,816
Musalmans, aBticultural ... ... 2,880
Ditto, non-agricultural ... ... 2,988
Total ... 69,289
These live in 13,237 houses, each of which thus accommodates 5-2
individuals. There are 365 souls to the square mile. To each head of the
agricultural population are 1"7 acres of cultivated against 2'1 of assessed
land. The Musalmans are only 8 J per cent, of the entire population.
The physical features of this pargana differ very much from those of
the rest of the district, with the exception of Kundri, which resembles it
to a great extent. Bounded on the north by the large river Dahdwar and
on the west by the Gogra, it is intersected by another large river, the
Chauka, and by numerous smaller rivers such as the Ul and the Dhauria,
which render the pacgana a complete net-work of streams.
The soil is everywhere tardi and gdnjar, that is to say, it is so moist
as not to. require irrigation for the ordinary rabi crops, and during the
rainy season scarcely a village but is more or less flooded. When the
floods are heavy, the autumn crops perish. On the waters subsiding often
a rich deposit of loam is left, often a layer of sand, which is ruinous to
vegetation. The Chauka, too, is most eccentric in its course, and both it
and the Dahiwar annually cut away land from the villages by or through
which they flow. And yet notwithstanding all the disadvantages, the
pargana on the whole is a good one, for the industrious classes are
numerous. In other words, the zamindars are in receipt of a rental paid
on a higher scale than if there were no Kurmis or Murdos among the
peasantry. The pargana has no lakes, forests, or large villages.
* By Mr. M. L. E'errar, C.P., Assistant Commissioner.
486 TAM
There are 186 villages in the Tambaur pargana held as follows : —
43 By Thakur Shin Eakhah (Gaur), vide pargana Mharpur,
10 Eaja Mnneshwar Bakhsh of Mallapur (Raikwar).
1 Jangre.
1 Janwar.
3 Miihant, Harcharn Das,
9 Kaja of Mahmudabad.
1 Nawab A mjad Ali Khan.
7 Thakur Fazl Ali (converted Gaur).
5 Other Muhammadaus.
80 Taluqdari.
The zamindari villages are these — 40 with Gaurs, 12 Eaghubansis, 4
Kayaths, 6 Musalmans, 13 loyal grantees.
Thus we see that one half of the pargana is owned by the Gaurs. The
taluqdars who own 80 villages out of the 186 are described elsewhere.
Of the smaller zamindars the Eaghubansi estate is known as Sikri Sipauli,
and, with the exception of Banianmau in Kundri, is the only Eaghubansi
taluqa in the district of Sitapur. The ancestors of the Kurmis once
owned many villages. They are now only 11, including Tambaur, the
metropolis of the pargana.
The country was originally occupied by Eaghubansis, Kurmis, Kayaths,
Janwars, and Pasis. The last mentioned were dispossessed in king Akbar's
time. Here again as in Khairabad and Laharpur we meet with the story
of the extinct Pasi zamindarL
The history of the pargana, as given by the local " oldest inhabitaots"
is as follows : — In the days of Jai Chand, king of Kanauj, a Chandel chief-
tain, Xlha by name, was granted the lands which were afterwards formed
into the pargana. The modern town of Tambaur existed then as " Purwa
Tapibolian," and this Xlha gave it to one of his lieutenants, Eanua Pasi,
who built a fort in it. Soon after both master and man were slain in battle
fighting under the banners of Jai Chand against Pirthi Eaj, king of Delhi.
But the Pasi's descendants remained in possession for some time, in fact
for 330 years, until dispossessed by king Akbar. When Alha first got the
country he built him a fort in Unchagaon across the Dahdwar river, but
this fell into decay on the founder's death. Soon afterwards, or in 589 A.H.,
just 700 years ago, Shahab-ud-din, the Ghori king, conquered Oudh, and
among other things restored Alha's fort, calling it " Ndwa Garh, or new
fort." It subsequently came to be known as new fort (Qila NawA), and is
so called in the Ain-i-Akbari. This by a metathesis not uncommon in
India was changed to "Garh Qila Nawa," and by this name the pargana
was known under native rule. Subsequent to Shahdb-ud-din's time, or
in 911 A.H. (A.D. 1494), the town and fort went into the river, and from
that year up to 962 A.H. (A.D. 1545), the amil of the period resided in
Mughalpur. In the following year (963 A.H. ), the headquarters of that
official were transferred under Todar Mai's arrangement to Tambaur.
There are no places of historical or antiquarian interest in the pargana.
The place is not mentioned in any of the poems or myths of Hind. The
TAL 487
rhllfrein.T ?t ""'K"^''' '^^'^ 500 or 600 people assemble, and
built 100 vP.r, if' 7,^'"^ 'V^'' P^^'^^- I^ TamLur is a Sh wdia
— ;U?rSll^JiSrd:ca1.'"' Qinungo..bo also constructed a
Here too is one of those martyr's tombs which we fincf scattered all
over the northern districts of Oudh, and which are said to cover the
remams of certain of the faithful, who accompanied the Sayyad sSr to
Burhirud din '^ '"'^ ^'^^ ^^' "^"^*^ ^"^^^^^ ^* Tambaur 1-'
was
TT,T """S manufacture carried on in the pargana is that of saltpetre.
The growth and manufacture of sugar is said to have been placed under
l^nl'^^''^^ o'"%' ^°-^-^ ^^'^^^ '^ '' *^^* ^" t^^^'^gh ^tat ^as once
known as the Gur-ka ilaqa no sugar is grown. Notice of this occurs
under the town histories of Seota and Laharpur. In the same ilaqa, too,
the use of baked bricks or tiles in the construction of dwelling-houses
IS considered accursed. °
The chief trade of the pargana is concentrated in Tambaur, only one
road crosses the pargana, that from Sitapur running to the Malldpur
VVater communication is abundant.
TAllBAJJR— Pargana* TAMBAvn—Tahsil BiswAn— District SitaptTr —
Tambaur 35 miles north-east of Sitapur, and six miles west of Mallapur on
the high road which connects these two places. No other road runs
through it. Two miles to the east is the river Dahawar, and four miles
to the west is the Chauka, both of them navigable rivers throuo-hout the
yea,r, and the intervening space is interlaced with many smaller streams
which render cross country traffic in the rains a matter of very great diffi-
culty. The town was founded 700 years ago by certain Tambolis, whence
its name. About 300 years ago it became the seat of an amil or revenue
superintendent.
The population numbers 3,014 souls, who live in 520 mud-built houses.
The only masonry house is that of the Qazi. The town is situated in that
part of the district which was once officially, and still is locally known as
the Garh, "or Garh Qila Nawa" ilaqa, so called from the new fort which in
589 A.H. Shabab-ud-din Ghori built on the site of the former fort of that
Alha Chandel, who founded Seota (quid vide). All through this Garh
Ilaqa no burnt bricks or tiles are used in the construction of dwelling-
houses, and the growing of sugarcane is also prohibited by an old super-
stition.
Tambaur includes in its limits the village of Ahmadabad. There are
the remains of the old government fort where the revenue collector resided.
At the school 62 boys are receiving the elements of instruction. A bazar
is held twice a week, the annual value of the sales at which is estimated
to be Rs. 5,000.
• By Mr. M. Ii, Ferrar, C.S., Assistant Commissioner.
48-8 TAN
It belongs to a Kurmi coftnntinity. In the to-mi is a Shiwdla and brick-
built tank ; the latter in decay ; both constructed by Mansa Ram, qanungo.
There are also several places of Muhammadan worship requiring no special
notice, aud there is a darga;h or tomb of one Burh5n-ud-din, a martyr
the faithful call him, who was in the army of Sayyad Salar when it
passed through* Tambaur in the early part of the 11th century.
T^NDA-Pargana* — Tahsil Tasda— District FrZABAD, — This pargana is
bounded on the north by the river Gogra, on the west by pargana
Amsin, on the south by pargana Akbarpur, and on the east by pargana
Birhar. It is washed for a distance of 15 miles on its north face by the
waters of the river Gogra. It is well wooded, and is traversed by a
beautiful avenue of fine old mango trees, which was planted some years
ago by Musammdt Sitla, a native of Tanda, who married a Benares banker,
and which formerly connected Tanda with Fyzabad — a distance of nearly
40 miles. The history of the Tanda pargana is as follows : —
It is affirmed that the Bhars formerly cleared this part of the district of
jungle, and having established a village therein, they gave to it the name
of Kkdspur, because it was th«ir personal abode. Traces of these people
are still to be found in the villages of Madarpur, Thanupur, Umeda, and
Khaspur.
Within two miles of the latter village was a spot on the banks of the
Gogra, which was formerly largely visited by Banjaras or travelling dealers,
probably because it was the only ferry for miles, and from the fact that
the encamping ground of Banjaras, and the gangs of Banjaras themselves
also, are both known by the name of Tanda, so this spot permanently
came to be called by that name.
In process of time the place expanded into a town taking up the whole
or a part of the lands of the
villages marginally named.
In the course of his
revenue territorial arrange-
ments, the Emperor Akbar, it
is said, gave to this pargana
the joint names of Khaspur-Tanda, and it is so entered in his Dooms-
day book.
It formerly contained 408 villages, of which 70 were offshoots. Of these
two have disappeared owing to the action of the river Gogra, three have
been built over and included in the area of the town, being the first three
marginally named above, another was taken up for his establishment by
a Mr. John Scott, formerly employed m the cloth trade at Tanda, and 402
villages included in 37 muhails or estates remained in 1217 fasli or 1810 A.B.
In the following year 38^ villages were transferred to the Huzfir Tahsil
establishment on being included in the Pirpur taluqa. Again between
* By Mr. P. Carnegy, Commissioner.
1.
Jot Bakcha QazL
7.
Fattu Patti.
2.
„ Miran.
8.
Maus-ha.
3.
Siktaha.
9.
Sakrawal.
4.
Chhajjapur.
10.
Miranpur.
6.
Qasba.
11.
Sikandarabad.
6.
Koza fiijii.
12.
Alimuddinpur.
TAN 489
the years 1254 aad 1262 fasli, or 1847 and 1855 A,D„ the pargana was
Samanpur. Birhar. dimjnisbed by 141J villages,
BhitL Dhaurua. on ..these being transferred
to the taluqas marginally
named; so that 222 villages only remained at annexation. At the last
summary settlement, however, the villages that had thus been trangferr
red elsewhere were restored to the pargana, and under the arranger
ments then carried out they were reduced in number from 402 to 256 ip
number. Again under the more recent operations of the demarcatioa
department this number was cut down to 149 villages and two jungle
grants. Finally when pargana boundaries w^ere adjusted by the settle-
ment officer, 16 villages were transferred to Akbarpur, and 33 villages of
pargana Iltifdtganj being added on to Tanda, the pargana of TAnda as
now constituted, containing 166 villages and two grants, was formed.
It has already been said that the river Gogra forms the northern bound-
ary for a distance of 15 miles, and the Thirwa, a small unnavigable stream,
T^isjds its course throagh the pargana, falling into the former river just
below its capital.
The earliest known distribution of landed property in the pargana vested
in the following old families ; —
L — The MaliJcs of Khdspur.-^lt is traditionally asserted that one Malik
Khds Zahidi of Bagdad came and settled in these parts some centuries
ago, and taking up his residence at Khdspur, he gave to it his own name,
and he soon attached several other villages thereto, This seems a more
likely origin to the name than the one which attributes it to the BhaTS.
At a subsequent period one Muzaffar Balakhf a mendicant, is said to
have settled in the village, and owing to their having incurred his dis-
pleasure, he is said to have visited tiie descendants of the Zahidi with his
curse, in consequence of which they rapidly began to die off. In this
emergency those who remained went to the faqir and craved his advice.
He told them to get a couple of sun-dried earthen vessels, and to fill the
one with sharbat and the other with water, to place them on the heads of
two enceinte females, who were to carry them as far as possible without
breaking and that wherever the vessels broke there the children of the
Malik we finally to settle. The vessel with the sharbat broke two miles
to the east of Khfopur, and to the spot was given the name of Sakrfiwal
ffrom shakar, sugar); while the other vessel broke three miles further on,
and to the spot was given the name of Pfinthar (from pfei water). The
derivations seem far-fetched. In these two places the descendants of Malik
Kh4s settled, and there their offspring are still to be found. One widow
of the old stock, however, with her daughter, still remained in Kh^spur.
This girl was subsequently married to Sayyad Hdmid of Ixku who came
and fettled there, and from him are descended Muhammad Husen and
Tafazzul Husen, the former of whom is still the proprietor of the village
MuLmmadpuT the latter was the owner of taluqa Khaspur of 53* vil ages
wMdh was confiscated by the British Government owing to his rebdhon,
he having been a prominent supporter of the rebel nazim of Gorakhpur.
62
490 TAN
II.— The Shekhs of Rasulpttr and A'supur, cfee.— Three hundrecl years ago
one Shekh Khalil-ur-rahman, a native of Tur^, came from Delhi, having
been appointed qSzi of Tanda by that court, and took up his residence in
what is now the town. He is said to have acquired an estate of 12 viJkges
by driving out the Bhars, but he was surely late in the day to effect that
His successors divided the estate into two portions. The branch of qazi
Amjad soon disappeared, but the daughter of q4zi Fattii married into the
influential family of Sayyad Abdul Baqi who eventually succeeded him.
A descendantjof this daughter, Muhammad Hayat, entered the Delhi service,
and afterwards obtained a jagir in these parts as a reward. In those days
pargana Tanda was held as a jagir by the royal washerman, and an exchange
of jagirs was afterwards effected between Muhammad Hayat and the said
washerman. The former having obtained a royal patent for the pargana
as jagir came and settled in the town, founding that portion of the bazar
which is still known by his name.
After the death of Muhammad Hay^t, Nawab Saadat Ehan Burhin-ul-
mulk, assessed rupees 5,000 upon the estate which then descended to the
heirs. Nawab Shuja-ud-daula afterwards doubled this assessment, and
his son, Nawab Asif-ud-daula, took the estate into direct management in
1197 fasli or 1790 A.D., to the entire exclusion of Muhammad Hayafs
heirs.
In 1201 fasli or 1794 A.D., Mr. John Scott, the Tanda trader, already
mentioned, fanned the entire pargana from the Lncknow authorities, and
sub-leased it in two portion^~(l) Kastilpur of .54 villages to Ghazanfar Ali,
son of the aforesaid Muhammad Hayat, and (2) Asupur of 26 mauzas toi
Hasan Ali, nephew of the said GhazanfarAli. In 1203 fasli or 1790 A- D.,
Mr. Scott's connexion with the farm ceased, but the two men just named
continued to hold their leases till 1227 fasli or 1820 A. D.
In the following year Ghazanfar Ali having previously nominated his
daughter's son, Abbds Ali, his successor, died. Abb&s Ali, commonly called
raja, then got the qubuliat of the Rastilpur estate, which he held tiU it was
confiscated on aecount of his persistent rebellion in 1857.
Husen Ali having nominated his daughter's son, Ali Hasan, as his sue-
cessor, died in 1227 fasli or 1820 A.D. Ali-Hasan then held the Xsupur
estate till 1256 fasli or 1849 A.D., when by the favour of the then N^zim,
it was incorporated into the Samanpur taluqa, and taken under direct
management by the proprietor thereof. The taluqdar, however, as an act
of grace, has lately conferred a sub-proprietary position on the representa-
tives of Hasan Ali,
Muhammad Hayat, who has been mentioned above, did his best to have
the town called after himself, but in this he entirely failed, and a street
only is now known by his name. The town rapidly beca.me largely popu-'
lated by all classes, but more especially by Muhammadan hand-loom
weavers (Juldhas), and by Hindu thread-spinners (katwahj, who were alike
famous for their skill and for the beauty and fineness of the fabrics they
poduced. process of time a very large trade in cloth sprung up, so,
TAN 491
much so that Europeans became connected with it. Mr. Scott is said to
have had an immense establishment, where all the cloth made in the bazar
was brought to be washed and bleached. AU the washermen seem to have
been m his pay, and for the security which they enjoyed, a tax of 8 annas
a score was readily paid by the weavers of the place to Mr. Scott for per-
mission to use his establishment.
In the days when the pargana was held in jagir tenure, the cesses and
1. Customs. taxes pertaining to the town as per margin
2. Excise (Xbkari and Tiri). Were all taken by the jaglrdar. Subse-
3. Chaudhrana. quently they were collected by the Govem-
4. Kargahi (loom tax). ^ , "i • .i ■. i i . "^ t ^ ann
5. Marwaaa Ctax on marriages). ment along with its land revenue. In 1207
fasli or 1800 A.D., these cesses and taxes
were all separately leased to one Qddir Bakhsh, but so unpopular did he
become, that his place was soon taken by a Government darogha, one
Maolvi Hasan Ali, in whose time two new taxes were introduced — one of
20 per cent on transfers of property, and the other of 10 per cent, on
mortgages, Ali land in the town was considered the property of the
state, and building sites were sold at their estimated value by the Darogha
to intending purchasers, each of whom, however, also had to pay a fee of
2-8 per dwelling to the former jagirdar under the name of tdwan (loss).
These sources of revenue were discontinued in Saadat All's time, and
thereafter the fruit of the mango trees, the loom tax, and the marriage tax
Tvere again farmed out at Rs 320 per annum, and they continued to
be so formed till annexation. The native government also continued to
collect as a special item of revenue a tax of 8 annas a score on all new
cloth as it passed through the hands of the washerman.
Mr. Scott, who from the above account appears to have been a great
cotton bleacher, seems to have left Tunda about the close of the last century,
and to have been succeeded there by other Europeans.
Between Tanda and the town of Mubarakpur there is a masonry tomb
S A C B E D which bears the inscription marginally
TO THE MEMORY
of
JAMKS 0 KB, EsqniBE,
who departed- this life on the 1.5th
September, 1832.
Aged 80 years.
transcribed. Mr. Orr is said to have been
a paymaster in the British service, and he
is still locally remembered as "Bakhshi
Orr." He is believed to have introduced
great reforms in the manufacture of cot-
ton fabrics at Tanda, importing patterns
of table cloths, towels, &c., from Europe; he also spent much money in
improving the art of cloth printing, introducing new designs of fabulous
beauty. He built a large mansion and formed native connexions, and
the considerable fortune which he realized was afterwards squandered
by his sons, who sold the very bricks of which his house was built.
There was also a Mr. Johannes located at Tdnda, who was apparently a
contemporary of Mr. Orr's. A fine large masonry house still exists to the
east of the town, which was built by Mr. Johannes, and the old bridge, the
foundations of the piers of which are still to be seen, was constructed by
492 TAN
him. The house was mortgaged to a Benares banker, by whom after
Mr, Johannes' death, at Mirzapur, it was sold to that gentleman's munshi,
by whose family it is still possessedi
There are the ruins of an Indigo concern in the quarter of the town
where these gentlemen lived, but to which of them it belonged is not
clear.
in 1862 there were 1,125 looms in Tanda, but owing to the cotton
famine many of the weavers have left, and it is estimated that there are
not now more than 875 looms. Each loom when English thread is used
will turn out Rs. 212 worth of cloth per annum, of which the Weaver's
profit will be Es. 62. If native thread be used the outturn will be Rs. 170
and the profit Rs. 50. Before annexation T4nda sent more than 1^
lacs of rupees worth of doth to Naipal; it does not now send half that
quantity.
Bd,s!afs. — ^The chief bazars of the pargana are held at the following
places, the numerals indicating the number of population : —
tiTtdA ... ... ... ... Iij6d
Sttasptir ... in ... ... 1,134
tJtrahtu ... ... ... ... 773
Anwan ... m ... ... 591
fah&fpttr ... ... ... ... 621
The usual half-yearly fairs m honour of the birth aAd disappearance of
Rama are held at Tanda, and the Ramlila festival which commemorates
the overthrow by that hero of the diabolical Ravana is also thete annu-
ally held.
^osfeSi-i^The castes of the inhabitantB ttf the pargana are as follows: —
1. MaBalmans ... ... ... SO per cent.
2. Eunni ... ... ... U „
9. Brahman ... ... ... 9 ^
'4. Cfabattri ,M ... .., '2 „
6: Other castes ^.. ... ... 65 „
^rvn:es. — TheihAie of Shelch ffaravt/n.' — It is affirmed that a holy man
tiamed '^ekh fl'araUn came to these parts 500 years ago to convert the
pagahs, 'and kis efforts at first met with considerable success, but he was
eventually put 'to death, iand his tomb, a picturesque aae, out of which
has grown a lal-ge and shady ^p'f^al tree, is still pointed out a mile to thfe
east of the toWn. AH local officials on taking office under the native
gOverrimeUt used to commence their public career by making offerings of
fcloth and sweetmeats at this shrine, and such were often also offered by all
those who had any special wish to gratify. A considerable fair is also held
here on the first Sunday of the month of iBhadon, when the inhabitants
for sevfeifai miles found assemble for the day to the number of 6 or 7,000.
■JrA« vm/S/mbdnra of ffmen All, the grandson of Muhammad HaySt, stands
a couple of miles to th« west of the town, and here the tazias are anmuaUy
bujried at the Muharram when 10 or 12,000 persons aie Baid to assemMfik
TAN—TAP 493
&il<k'ffarh.'--To the w«st of the town of Tdnda an elevated masonry
chabfitra or platform has been erected by the Muhammadans of the place
whCTe the fell of their sainted champion, Sayyad Saldr, at Bahraich, is annu-
ally commemorated in the end of the month of Baisakh, when a consi-
derable throng assembles for the day to do honour to his memory.
TXNDA — Pargana TAnda— ra/jsiZ T Knda— District Ftzabad. — Lati-
tude 26° 33' north, longitude 82° 42' east. This large town lies on the
road from Fyzabad to Azamgarh at a distance of 36 miles east of the
former. The road from Sultanpur to Gorakhpur also passes through it.
Sultanpur is 44) and Gorakhpur 57 miles from this place. The Gogra flows
3 miles to the north. It has large groves to the east. The place is cele-
brated for its weaving, its manufactures — such as jamdani cloth — are
said to ri^al those of Dacca ; they value from B,s. lOO to Rs. 150 per piece.
The export of cloth is said to amount to Rs. 1,50,000. The chief bazar is
that at Hayatganj.
It consists of two towns (Maus-ha also called Tandaand Sakrawal); they
adjoin aad form one. The origin of the name of " Maus-ha " is ascribed
to a tribe called Muhiiisar who inhabited it. Tanda means " caravan," and
as caravans used to halt here with their commodities the encamping ground
received th« name of Tanda. It is now the headquarters of the tahsil and
thana of the same name. The population is 14,428.
., , _ t Snnni ... ..- .M "• 7,390
I oluft •«. ••• ... *•• ■^■«'*
fShalvi ... ... ••• .~ 213
jShakU .« .~ ... ... 4.439
Hindtia ... i Vaighnavi ^. ... ... ... 1,454
\Nsnak Shahi .. ... ... ... 586
Jain or Sarawak ... ... ... '24
14,428
There are 3,660 houses, of which 21 are of masonry. There are 44 mosques,
54 imambaras, and 9 Hindu temples. There is a good Government school
attended mostly by Hindus. There are two fairs— one m honour of Salar
Masa6d, the other for bathing on the Kdrtiki Puranmishi.
The town was granted by Farrukhsiar, king of Delhi, to Hayat Khan,
taluqdar, and since then tbe place has flourished. Saddat Ah Khan, of
Oadh, was much iatarested in the prosperity of this town. During the
nawabi ikev^ was a tahsii, a k©twaK, customs office, and a multis court.
There were also two banking firms by whom hundis were cashed.
TAPPA ASL Farawm—Talml RAiPUR~D*sfe"to Sultanpue.— This ^aU
tamlalt^Sf Amethi andnorOi of Patti i- tj« ^^^S^?. ,^t^^ •
Ste areais67 square maies^of which 32. axe cultivated. Th^f f^^ ^^/^^^^^^
of which 83 belong to the Bachgotis, whose longmal seat in Oudh lies a
LS soutk in, Pttti.aavd wh^ chronicles are given under that pargana^
K a?6 s "ven villages owned by Bilkhar Chhattris, the predecessors of
ri B^IL All the viUajges are owned by zamindars exc^t ,one
^ mcngoi^is. ^" ^<7m% Hindus and 1,103 Musalmans", it as at
S?ra^^71 t:Te1q1Sfe. "823 are B^hmans, 5.652 or ne^y
494 TAR— TER
16 per cent, are Chhatiris, 5,616 are Ahlrs,and Chamdrs are 5,232; high
castes are in unusual proportion. The Government demand is Rs. 42;5t)0,
being at the rate of Re. 1-4-7 per acre of arable land. This moderate assess-
ment is no doubt necessary, considering the nature of the population.
The summary settlement was Rs. 36,893.
This pargana was formerly called Mangra Martha ; it was taken pos-
session of by Asl Kae, son of. Bariar Singh, the leader of the Bachgotis-;
he called it after his own name. The landed property is thus divided : —
Bnchgoti
Bilkharia
Other castes
Taluqdari.
Zamindari.
Total.
o3 ••■
63
6
7
7
7
96 97
TARGAON — Pargana Haeha — Tahsil Unao — District Unao. — Lati-
tude 26°36' north, longitude 80°46' east. This village is six miles
east of the civil station. The road leading from Unao to Purwa passes
about one mile from it on the north. The river Lon flows about one
mile south of the town. There was a forest here before the existence of
this village of tar (palm) trees. About 400 years ago one Tara Singh,
Chhattri, resident of Jaitipur, tahsil Mohan, of this district, came here bunt-
ing, and being delighted with the appearance of the place built a house, and
thus having gradually got all the jungle cleared founded this village and
called it Targ£on. It may take its name from the tdr trees, but is equally
possible that it may have taken its name from its founder Tara Singh.
Soil, clay and sand. The surface level and scenery beautiful. There is no
forest, but mango and mahua trees abound. Climate healthy. Water
both sweet and brackish. There is still existing one noted building called
Qila Garhi, which was erected by the founder of the village. There is a
school here and two markets weekly. The place is noted for the manufac-
ture of glass bracelets, which the women of this country wear on their wrists.
Population.
Hindus ... 4.459 J ^ j
MuhammadaDS ... 78 > '
In the Targanj bazar the annual sales amount to Rs. 2,400.
There are 871 mud-built houses, and one of masonry, seven temples, viz.
three shiwalas, three masonry platforms without any superstructure, dedi-
cated to Mah£deo, iind one to Debiji.
TERHA — Pargana Ghatampur — Tahsil Pdbwa — District Unao. — Terha
lies 18 miles south of Purwa and 25 south-east of Unao. A country road to
Baksar passes through it. The Ganges flows six miles to the south. It is
said to have been founded 2,000 years ago by Tori Mai, a descendant of
Raja Pann, a Bhar chief. It is pleasantly situated among numerous groves.
There is a school here at which 39 boys are taught Urdu and Nagril
Population amounts to 2,755, of whom 1,262 are Brahmans and 42 Musal-
mans. There are four temples, two to Mahfideo and two in honour of
Debi.
THA— THtj 495
If t^ L}Z K^T^^ and tahsil of Unao, lies about five miles north-w^st
K«rHni ■Rv.^'f- TT ^°^d passes thro,igh it from Unao leading ,on to
^7 A k ^f .f ?^ ^""^c ^^^"" '^ ^° «*^^^ l^^ge *°^»^ ^ear. In the year
andP.J«; ^,-1, t /JL^ f.^^^.^.^P^'^'^'^ Akbar,two persons, ThSn Singh
t^+i +^ ^ W' ^^i']^^^'^ ^^^'^"^^ of Mainpuri, came here from Delhi
Wlen^,td ^ ^'.'.i^'V^^'^'^'^ in obedience to his orders had all the
S^o^Thtlinlh*.'^' '^^^' '""^ '^^^^'^^^ '"^^ ^^"^^^' -1^^^ i* -f*- t^«
One Bhim Singh, the great grandfather of Jodha Singh and Hukum
bingh, present lambardars, was a very shrewd and ambitious native of this
viUage. He lived m the reign of Nawab Saddat Ali Khan, and was during
his life taluqdar and ruler of the country. The people are generalll
Hindus, some few Muhammadans. & 3
There is one fort constructed by Than Singh. There is one school ; but
no thana or tahsil. There is a small daily market and two weekly lar^e
ones ; annual amount of sales about 2,000 rupees.
Population 2,994, as follows :—
Musalmans -,. ... . ,oa
Brahmans ... ... ... .„ ; ,49
Chhattris 4,5
F4sis
63
^li^'S , .^ ": 179
Ottier tribes ... ... ... ,_ ,,, 2 070
Total ... ... 2,991
There are 388 mud-walled houses and three of masonry j one mosque.
THULENDI — Pargana Bachhrawakt — TaJisil Bigbuajgaj^^j— District
Rae Bareli. — This town stands 10 miles west of the tahsil station and
14 miles north-west of the civil station. It is 18 miles south of Bhilwal,
18 south-west of Haidargarh, and 32 miles south-east of Lucknow. It was
founded by Thiila, a Bhar chief, who was in possession of this estate, and
therefore it is called Thulendi. Malik Taj-ud-din, the companion of S4I4r
Masalid, named it Maliknagar when he obtained possession of it after the
annihilation of the Bhars ; but this name did not remain long, for the
Bhars again got possession of this estate and put Malik Taj-ud-din to
death. The exact date of the foundation of this town cannot be ascer-
tained, but the existence of the tombs of Malik Tdj-ud-din and other
martyrs leads to the supposition that it has been in existence more than
800 years. It was one of the five muhdls into which Rae Bareli was
divided by Akbar Shah, but the name of the pargana was changed by the
British Government to Bachhravv'Sn. The soil is chiefly clay. The
site is on an elevated plain, the inhabited part is bounded on all sides by
groves. There are two large tanks on the northern and southern limits.
The climate is in general salubrious. The Jaunpur king, Sultan Ibrahim,
had a mud-built fort here in 820 Hijri, which was made the residence of
the Collector, but Raja Niwaz Singh, Brahnian, the ohakladar of this place,
496 tik:
transferred the seat of Government to BachhrawaQ. The population of
the town increased much during the time of th« abovementioned RAja
Niw^z Singh, who was a native of this town. At present it is far from being
in a flourishing state. Of the architectural works there is the fort built
by Ibrahim of Jaunpur, two masonry mosques, and a house of Rdja'
Mwdz Singh, also two mud-built tanks constructed by Malik T^j~ad-dfn
under the name of " bara hauz?' (large reservoir) and " chhota hauz"
(small reservoir). The population of the town amounts to 3»157, of which
2,085 are Musalmans, principally of the Sunui sect and Huxnafi gub-class.
Of Hindus there are 531 Brahmans, 16 Chhattris, and 46 Kdyaths— in all
693. These belong to the Shaivi creed. The remainder of the population
(1,506) is composed of lower castes. There are 17 biick-built houses and
651 mud-built ones. There is a Government vernacular school here.
There are five Hindu temples in honour of Mab^deo, and also a serai
built by E^ja Mwaz Sittgh^ but this has now fallen into ruins, A market
is held in this town on Sundays and Thursdays, and the value of the articles
sold amounts to about 333 rupees.
A fair is held here on the first Friday in Jeth (April-May) in honour
of Salar Masaud. The Musalmans of the neighbourhood bring their
banners and lodge here for one night, and then proceed to Satrikh and
Bahraich where great fairs in honour of the same martyr take place. The
gathering in this town amounts on that night to 4,000 souls, and the sale
of necessary articles to 250 rupees.
TIKAITGANJ and MATJSAR— Par-grawa 'K.v^i—Tahsil Fatehpuk—
District Bara Banki. — Mausar is situated some two miles to the north
of Kursi on the road to Mahmudabad. It is held three parts by Musal-
mans, Maliks, and Shekhs, and one by Kurmis. The origin of the name
of the town is fanciful enough. It is said to have belonged to one of four
Bhar brothers, who each named a village from an article in daily domestic
use ; to this miisal (a pestle) gave its name. The remaining three were
named from a mortar, a mill, and an oven— ^MM, <AulMi diMhei,. The
village is built on an elevated site probably raised fey the ■old Bhar inhabi-
tants, and below it on the north is a huge well built of s'labs of kankai",
also ascribed to the Bhars. The Muhammadaas perhaps drove oait the
Birars. The Malik proprietors say tiiat they came -with ihe first MwsaJ-
man itrvadqr Sayyad Masaud under Malik Muhammad Sharif, a priooe
of the kingdom trf Itku, and that ^Sayyad Nur AM Shah was killed here.
There is a tomb here hu^t to his mecaory, and he is revered as a Skahid
or taartyr. There is no trace of the Kurmis* conainjg ; they eould no* have
been the first inhabitairts, for they would not haVe subsisted side hy side
■with their cortquerors "wbio were carrying on a war of extermination. The
tradition about MaKk Muhanimad Sharif is doubtfel. The Shekhs say
that he came in the time of Tmmfir ShaSi in 7^5 Hajd {A.D. 1368), arid
probably the Muhanatmadan eolonizalion is not earlier tihan this. The
population is 4,241, but a great part of this is made Up ■of the residents of
Tikaitgatg^ u market'plaee, that waS founded by MaMrlya Tik«,it Kite, tbe
famottfi Hmf&ii xX jCmf-ud-daula,
TIK— TTTL 497
]o3^!.wf^^^"P^^°^.^'®,^°'' the road from Mahmudabad to Kursi, and
iXVnnlV ??'v^°P'^^^^*^^ ^°^<i «^ each side, and the annual
.sales ot Its bi-weekly bazars are said to amount to Ks. 16,000.
'^^■^™:^^-^'^—Pargana T>AnYXBXo-Tahsil R^m Sanehi Ghat—
J^.^r^ci BAKABANKL-Twenty-four miles east north-east of the civil
m!w W I ?v*/? years ago by Mahardja Tikait Hue, Myath,
Ndibof Nawab Asif-ud-daula, in 1192 fasli (A.D. 1784). He seems to
have been a man of great public spirit; he est-ablished two ganjes and
bazars at Lucknow, one at Calcutta, one at Kursi, and another at Dalmau
on the Oranges. This is the largest mart in the district, and great quantities
of gram are brought from the trans-Gogra districts and sold here.
Ihe town of Daryabad four miles south is fed from this bazar; Thurs-
days and Sundays are the market days. A brisk manufacture, of brazen
vessels is carried on. The conservancy and town police are paid from the
octroi. The town is infested with monkeys.
TILOKPJJR—Pargana RAJiT'fA.GXR—Tahsil Fatehpuh— Disiricf Baba
Banki.— Fourteen miles north of the civil station founded by Raja Tilok
Chand Bais; is noted for its bazar, where cloth is sold in large quantities.
Longitude 81°20', latitude 27°12.'
TIRBEDIGAN J— Pargrawa Haidaegaeh— Ta^siZ Raxdargx-rs.— District
Baka Banki. — This town lies not far from Ansari on the road from
Lucknow to Sultanpur, four miles south of the Gumti. Its original name
is Tirhinga, but Raja Thakur Singh Tirbedi, a high officer of the native
Government, bought it from the Raja of Pukhra Ansari, and settled many
new inhabitants calling the place after his own name. This was eighteen
years before annexation in 1254 Hijri (A.D. 1837). The soil is loam, the
country is rather bare of trees; there is a small bazar, a temple to Mahadeo,
and a population of 2,397.
TULSIPUR Pargana* — Tahsil Uteaula — District GonDa. — Bounded
all along the north by the lower range of the Himalayas, to the east by the
Ara nala, which divides it from district Basti in theNorth-West Provinces>
on the south by Balrampur, and on the west by district Bahraich,
this enormous pargana presents the most varied natural features. All
along the hills stretches the conserved Government forest, which is
followed by undulating ground, slightly higher to the west than to the
east. This is intersected by numerous hill torrents, which are confined by
cliffs varying in height, but generally sufficient to preserve the neighbour-
hood from floods. The soil of this strip is usually of an excellent heavy
loam, fertilized by leaf mould washed down from the forests ; but it is
exceedingly unhealthy, the population very scanty, and the cultivation
of the lowest class, such crops as there are, being exposed to the depreda-
tions of the wild animals which swarm in the adjoining jungles, The
great bog to the east which forms the body of the pargana is a level plain,
considerably lower than the strip under the hills. The best part of
this is to the east of the Bhambhar nala which is least subject to
* By Mr. W, C. Benett, C.S., Assistaut Commissioner,
63
498 tUL
destructive inundations, and to the centre at least under fairly g6od
cultivation.
The soil is of a stiff clay and yields in profusion the finest kinds of
autumn and winter rice. The tract to the west of this is not only much
underpopulated but is exposed to the constant overflows from the tooun-
tain streams. These deposit every rains, sometimes at one place and
sometimes at another, thick layers of white sand through which the
field ridges of former rice cultivation just show. It takes years of patient
and unremunerative labour — or, that rare event, the deposit of a layer of
mud— to reclaim these for the plough. Here and there, among the
sandy or barely inhabited villages, an exception may be found recalling
the careful rice cultivation and heavy clay of the Bhambhdr division.
All along the south, where this pargana abuts on the Blirhi R^pti, there
is a barren almost uninhabited plain covered with high khar grass, which
might be useful were there any houses near to be thatched.
Throughout the pargana the mango groves, which form so "pleasing i*
feature in Oudh scenery, are almost wanting, and when the rice crops are
off the ground, the eye may often travel for miles over a hard grey clay
plain, cut up by the high ridges of rice fields with no middle distance
between the spectator and the hills, but perhaps a party of vultures dis-
cussing the remains of a victim to the cattle plague.
The whole pargana, from the stiffuess of the soil and the necessary inci-
dents of rice cultivation, is during the rains under water, and for this
reason villages are built only on the few slightly raised spots which escape
the surrounding floods. The population is consequently closely packed
and the streets filthy, the neighbouring air being fetid with the poison-
ous exhalations of putrefying cattle carcasses. Mud huts are rather the
conventional luxury of the higher than an object of ambition to the lower
classes, who are for the most part contented with miserable sheds of straw
hurdles and leaves ; and constant fires destroy whole villages without, if
the grain store be saved, materially injuring the wealth of the inhabitants.
The seeds of disease are easily engendered in these crowded and unclean
habitations, and combine with the malaria of the TarSi to render fever
and dysentery endemic. The worst time i& of course in November and
December while the rains are drying up, but the scourge is not wholly
absent at any time of the year. The feeble population, already predis-
posed to receive the germs of sickne&s, collects for the Debi P^tan fairj
where it meets pilgrims from the hills and the plains. A crowded en-
campment is defiled by the refuse of hideous bloody sacrifices, and often
scattered before the conclusion of the festival by the aippearance of virulent
cholera. This is conveyed to the opium gatherings at Fyzabad, and may
spread thence over the whole province. It is satisfactory that the careful
sanitary arrangements of last year entirely prevented the occurrence of
this terrible epidemic.
There are no communications, unless an unmetalled road made by
Major Hill of the frontier police, immediately after the mutiny from Pat-
kali to Tulsipur, whioh carts have here and there to take a circuit of miles
TUL
409
to &v(nd, he called a means of communication. The unusual height of
the boundary ridges everywhere, and to the north the precipitous sides
of the hill torrents, render locomotion very difl&cult, and the district officer
would do well to ride himself on an elephant, and send his goods on
.camels. _ The grain carts which convey the large exports to Nawabganj
wind painfully from village to village, and do not cross the Bapti till they
have suffered many an upset and many a broken axle-tree.
The whole area of the pargana as originally constituted amounted to
324,583 acres, of which 200,435 were under cultivation. Within the last
few years an area of 39,914 acres, Jof which 18,923 are cultivated, have been
transferred from Gonda to Bahraich. Of the whole tilled area 119,495
acres are under autumn and 94,330 under spring crops. 33,030 bear a
double harvest, leaving the large margin of 19,640 acres for new fallow.
The minute rice fields are protected by high ridges of stiff clay to prevent
the_ rain water being drained off into the Burhi Eapti, but artificial irri-
gation is hardly ever resorted to, and wells except for drinking purposes
p.re practically unknown.
The area in acres under each principal crop is shown in the following
table: —
Winter rice.
Autumn rice
Mash or urd.
Ehatif ...
64,330
18,680
10,220
Wheat.
Barley.
Gram.
Lahi.
Masur.
Babi
14,570
10,61 S
,15,425
12,520
5,265
Gram, peas, and masiir are generally sown in the outlying lands at a dis-
tance from the village site, the fields are roughly broken up with a spade,
and the grain sown broadcast. As rents are taken in kind a return of
Anything above threefold of the sowing repays the cultivator, and the
abundance of waste land is utilized for the minimum of profit.
The power of the rajas and their distance from the central authority
kept the Government land revenue during native rule at a very low pro-
portion to the real rent of the pargana. In 1800 A.D. it amounted to
Es 75 649 and for the next 28 years it fluctuated between Es. 42,000
and Es' 70,000. In 1828 A-D. the raja got the grant, of a perpetual
lease at Es 62 759 from the Oudh Government, which remamed m force,
with the exception of two years (1854 and 1855) till annexation. The
amount of the raja's profits may be conjectured from the fact that m
those years, when the contumacy of DrigrajSmgh induced the Lucknow
government to attempt to collect the rents direct from the village heads,
the pargana was assessed at Es. 1^87^95 and Es. 2.19,064. At summary
settlement the revenue was fixed at Es. l,4o,003, and at the revised settle,.
50D TITL
ment in 1871 this was raised to Rs. 2,05,360, which as a special mark of
favour to the Mahar4jais tobe confirmed for perpetuity. Of this Es. 18,420
are assessed on the 32 villages which have been transferred to Bahraicb.
The revenue falls at the rate of one rupee to the acre of cultivation, and
ten annas per acre of whole area, each head of population contributing
nearly two rupees. The area under opium appears to be as steadily increas-
ing as the average production is declining in quantity. From 1866 to
1870 the average area was 342 bfghas (226| acres), while the average
produce was 4^ sers per bigha, the area rose in 1871 to 470 bighas and in
1872 to 550, and the average yield per bigha fell to 3 sers 13^ chhataks.
The absence of any great market and the difficulty of communication
renders grain very much cheaper here than in any other part of Gonda.
The harvests of 1870 A.D. were about equally good all over the district,
and in January, 1871 A.D., when the rice had reached the market, it was
sold in Nawabganj at lOOlbs., while at the same time in Tulsipur it
varied from 145 to 1501bs. to the rupee. Nor is this to be wondered at
as the cultivator sells from his threshing-floor to a small speculator from
the south, who has to make his own profit and in addition pay for the
expenses of his cart and cattle to and fro — a journey generally lasting
about a fortnight. He sells to the Nawabganj grain merchant, and the
price of money in grain at Tulsipur is compounded of the ordinary price
at Nawabganj as settled by the supply and demand there, plus the
Nawabganj dealer's profits, plus the interest on the capital of the small
speculator, and the rateable expenses of keeping himself and his cattle for
a fortnight, and the repairs to his cart. In spite of this, the richness of the
soil, and the immense size of the individual cultivator's tenements, due
to the sparseness of the population, result in a large export trade, which
the tolerable certainty of the rain supply elevates into almost imperial
importance. The rice is of t^e finest quality produced in India, and is
famous from the bazars of Dehli to the cotton districts of the Central
Provinces. The local markets are Pachperwa in the Bhambhdr division
and Tulsipur proper. At neither of these is there any great trade beyond
what is sufficient to supply the neighbouring villagers with their coarse
cotton clothes and pots and pans. Both were till quite lately resorted to
by considerable numbers of hillmen from Naipal, but Sir Jang Bahddur
makes a large revenue from market dues, and to increase that has forbid-
den exports. Now any small trade that exists between the two countries
is transacted vid the Jarwa pass at Deokhar, or over the Parasrampur
and Tiknia Ghats on the Ara nala and the Bfirhi Rapti at Kaptanganj,
both Naipalese bazars. The next import of any importance is the lahi, a
good quality of oil seed, which is sent in considerable quantities to the
Nawabganj bazar, whence it is conveyed by river to Patna and other
Bengal markets. Cow hides are in the same way exported both by the
Rapti and the Gogra to Lower Bengal, and there are dep&ts for this trade
at Gonda and Nawabganj connected with leading native houses at Patna
and Calcutta.
At the end of February parties of low-caste Hindus, generally Chais,
come to the forest to manufacture catechu. A khair tree is cut down,
TUL 501
and about three feet of the thickest part of the trunk fixed upright in the
ground; the bark and outer part of the wood are then cleared off, and
the heart cut up into small fragments. These chips are collected and set
to boil in brick pans, built in rows of ten or twelve along the ground, and
.heated from underneath. When the water becomes sufficiently red the
fibre is cleared away, and the juice allowed to thicken by evaporation.
At the end of two days boiling nothing is left in the pan but a dark red
sediment, which is formed into cakes about four inches square, and takeu
for sale to the nearest markets. The price at the place of manufacture
averages a rupee for 4^ lbs., which is about a third of its ordinary bazar
price in Oudh. A few professional dealers attend at the spot to make
purchases, but the greater part is taken away by the manufacturers
themselves,
There are no imports of any kind but salt, which is very expensive, and
coined silver.
Owing to the thinness of the population which secures good terms for
the agriculturist, and the large excess of production, the people are gene-
rally well to do, and beggary is unknown except in the case of professional
mendicants who arrive from the southern districts. Crime is rare, the
principal offence being adultery, the natural concomitant of the impotence
resulting from the malarious air, the guilty couple generally manage to
evade punishment by a voluatary expatriation, and small colonies of genial
criminals on the other side of the Naipal frontier smile at the baffled efforts
of deserted husbands.
The edge of the forest produces a small breed of cattle. Immense
herds of these wander about under the charge of one or two shepherds, and
do incalculable damage to the young trees in March or April. When the
plains are dried up, and pasturage becomes scanty, the herds are driven
into Naipal or to one or two small table-lands which exist on this side of the
hills. At the commencement of the rains they return to their Tulsipur vil-
lages. In October and November they are generally attacked by disease,
and after a heavy or late rainy season the victims are innumerable. The
carcasses are left to the crows and vultures on the open plain, and the air
is poisoned with the stench of rotten flesh. Only the oxen are sold, and
they are larely large enough for draught. Ordinary calves of a year to
eighteen months fetch from Ks. 8 to Rs. 10, and the best Rs. 30 to Rs. 35
the pair, and are used for ploughing and stamping out the grain. ^_The
worst and most common form of disease is that known as "jhank. It
' begins with violent diarrhcea, and the animal affected rejects food, but
shows a craving for water. In two or three days it becomes unable to
stand from weakness, worms are formed in its nostrils, eyes, and ears, and
within four or five days of the commencement of the disease it dies.
Recoveries are known, but they are exceedingly rare, and whole flocks
wiU be carried off within a few weeks by this terrible pestilence.
The population numbers 104,454, which, excluding from the calcula-
tion the uninhabited tract of Government forest, gives an average of 206
souls to the square mile. It is distributed over 337 demarcated villages,
502 TUL
and census gave 128 hamlets and detached houses, whereas the settlement
returns, which had the advantage of being compiled after the revenue
survey, show no less than 252 separate hamlets in addition to the main
villages; 13,774 or 13 percent, of the whole population are Muhammadans,
and the proportion of females to a hundred males, is with the Hindus 93'6
and with the Muhammadans 93'9. There are no towns or considerable vil-
lages, the largest being Tulsipur with a population of 2,293. Of the
Hindu castes the Ahirs, who in addition to field work tend the great
herds of Tarai cattle, head the list; next to them and about half as nume.-
roua are the Kurmis ; Brahmans and Koris are the only other classes which
occur in any numbers.
The most singular tribe in this pargana are the Thdrus, whose flat faces,
scanty beards, and high cheek bones prove their Turanian origin. They
arrogate for themselves a descent from the Rajputs of Chittor, and history
acquaints us with more than one emigration northward from that fortress.
The peculiar Mongolian physiognomy is not so strongly marked with
them as with the lower classes of Naipalese and Thibetans, and it is very
possible that they may be descended from a Chattri horde which inter-
married with aboriginal women. It is said that they have a separate
language, of which however I was unable to get any specimens, as those
settled in the plains speak a bad Hindi. They are still the pioneers of
civilization, and can never he induced to remain in fully cultivated tracts.
The tilled plain is distasteful with them, and they retreat with the
retreating forest. Legend ascribes to them the possession of the secret of
treasures buried by their forefathers ages ago, and villages are pointed
out in the southern parganas in which they and their forests have long
given way to the agriculture of the Hindu, where vast amounts of the
precious metals are supposed to be still concealed. It is even said that
parties of Tharus have descended from the Tarai, and at the dead of night
carried off their hidden inheritance ; but of this I know no authentic
instance.
Pork divides them into two classes, the Dangaria and the Kateria, of
which the first indulges, the second refrains, but except this, aijd flesh of
the cow, all meat is lawful to all the members of the community. Fpwls
are their favourite food, and they are famous for the production of fine
capons, an art unknown in the plain. They are great drinkers, preferring
g, liquor distilled by themselves from rice, but I have seen quite a small
party dispose of six bottles of rum and one of brandy undiluted in a very
short time and with infinite satisfaction.
Their houses are built of screens of leaves and grass, and one house
serves for one family, being easily enlarged to suit its natural increase.
The beds are arranged in rows against each wall with a screen between
each bed, and a path between the rows terminating in the door, of which
there is never more than one to each hut. Tbey build square wells to a
considerable depth walled by strong plants of the sakhu wood, dovetailed
at the corners, and the whole village joins in accomplishing this common
benefit. Their only manufacture is strong coarse mats made of the fine
Ijankas grass, which they gather in great quantities on the lower hills
TUL 503
from^ January till March, iind 'iyhich serves for a hundted useful purposes^
forming excellent twine and rope.
Cheerful, brave, modest, and truthful, their character presents some
pleasant _ contrasts to that of their more civilized neighbours. Their
honesty is vouched for by a hundred stories, arid it is said that when a
family flies into the hills they will always leave any arrears of rent that may
he" due tied up in a rag to the lintel of their deserted house. Their
bravery is proved by their love of the chase, though it does not appear
in their singular contrivance for killing tigers. A trench is dug, and in this
the carcass of a cow is placed, attached to the cow is a string, which is
securely fastened at the other end to a plank laid across the trench.'
This plank supports a pile of heavy blocks of wood, and when the tiger
pulls away the cow, the heavy booby trap descends, and if it does not kill
sufficiently, disables him to allow of the Thdrus coming up and despatchiug
him.
The women of the Thdrus are credited with the power of the evil eye;
and the dread thus excited is most efficacious in keeping Hindus out of
their villages. The magic is of two kinds or rather degrees, the major
curse being known as " lohna," which commences with violent wasting away
and results invariably in a rapid death. From the lesser, known as "bej,"
recovery may be expected ; it displays itself in a low fever accompanied
with diarrhoea. The fever and dysentery of the Tardi keep the super-
stition alive. Both men and animals are supposed to be subject to this
malignant influence ; but a handsome bachelor is considered the most
likely victim,— a belief in which we see something of the love magic of the'
Thracian witches. The souls of those who are thus affected remain for
ever in the power of the enchantress, and when she dies she becomes a
'bhukchm," a malignant demon commanding a troop of the souls she
has slain. Among the lower castes of Hindus, and especially the Kewats
and Chais, whose traditional descent from the Kaivaitas or Nishadds
stamps them as non-aryan, are found individuals who possess the secret
antidote to this fascination. At Pipra Ghit on the Rapti, between
Utraula and Tulsipur, there is an especially famous " Jhari" or exorciser
of the carpenter class, who has a large school of pupils. He receives
patients every Tuesday, and by observing a grain of mustard seed placed
in the open hand can at once detect the kind and the degree of the
possession. His frequent cures are attested by the crowds which attend
his receptions, and by the direct testimony of trustworthy witnesses.
From the description given of his treatment, I should conjecture that he
employed a kind of mesmerism, which would no doubt prove occasionally
effectual where the natural- virulence of the disease has been greatly aided
by a superstitious terror of witchcraft.
Before leaving the subject of the women, it is curious to remark that a
girl is considered to belong to no one till she marries, and a father is
absolutely indifferent to what his unmarried daughters do or hear. One
of the principal branches of Hindustani abuse has thus for him no sting.
Girls are generally married at the age of sixteen or seventeen, and the
marriage bond does not set heavy, as friends will often exchange wive^
504 TUL
in a spirit of mutual accommodation. Their dance is national and
peculiar. A boy of fifteen or sixteen is dressed as a woman, and his partner
jbeats a small drum suspended from the neck. The pair advance and
retreat with a gliding motion, and represent with coarse fidelity the
advances of the lover and -the coyness of the maid. As they proceed they
warm to the work, and I shall never forget the ecstatic but somewhat ludi-
crous rapture which shone in the face and spoke in every limb of the
drummer after two hours of the exercise, and the infusion of a large
amount of raw spirits. Every now and then the dancing gives place to a
dramatic interlude in which a dullard is made the butt of the rough and
occasionally obscene wit of the leading actor. These scenes are invariably
the vehicle of satire, and the Brahmans of the plains, and Sir Jang Bahadur
of Naipal, were visited with unsparing ridicule. Women never take a
part in the representation. Their fondness for dancing is shown at wed-
dings. When the principal negotiator of the match dances before the train
which fetches the bride to her husband's village. Their principal object of
worship is Kali under various -forms, but ordinarily as the goddess of
demonical possession, with the title Sonmat Kalika, and to her they offer
spirits and the young of pigs and goats. Next in popular estimation is
Garur Bir, the ancient cloud god, an enemy of Vitra, the demon of drought,
better known in modern Hindu legend as the bird-vehicle of Vishnu. To
him they offer cocks, cutting of the comb and wattles and letting the
bird loose in the forest. Raksha Gurii and Daharchandi are among the
minor deities ; the first receives offerings of goats and the second is thei
guardian of the village site, and is represented by a clump of low wooden
crosses at the verge of the cultivation by the path where the cattle leave
the village.
There is no peculiar religious caste, and Brahmans are held in no esti-
mation, except that some of the Kateria division which claims superior
respectability, have recourse to Pandits for fixing lucky moments. The
whole family is represented in worship by its eldest member, who alone
possesses the secret of the religious ceremonial, a custom which makes any
enquiry into their rites somewhat difiicult. Their Gurus or oracles are
people of any class on whom Kali may have descended, and the presence
of the deity is revealed by frenzied motions of the head or hands. They
bum their dead, and, when the mountain torrents are swollen by rain,
cast the ashes on the waters.
There can be little doubt that this interesting and peculiar race will
soon disappear from this side of the hills. Their numbers in Gonda have
already been reduced to barely three thousand, and yearly decrease through
emigration into Naipal. Till quite lately the whole of the country
between the Rapti and the hills was a vast sal forest, interspersed here and
there with small colonies of ThSrus, under their own rulers and peculiar
laws, who preserved a semi-independence by paying a double tribute, the
dakhinaha, to the southern authorities, the Raja of Balr&mpur, or the Oudh
government, and the uttarai to the hill rajas of Dang, who afterwards
were better known as Rajas of Tulsipur. Under hereditary chaudhria
the original inhabitants had divided the pargana into the eight tappas of
TUL 505
Bhambhar, Bijaipur, Pfpra^ Dhoudi, GarSwan, Dond, Chaurahia, and Dari,
separated from each other by as many hill streams, and defended
against aggression by strong mud forts. The first of the family of hill
Chauhans, who ruled a vast raj in Naipdl covering three lower valleys
of the lower Himalayan ranges, was Megh Raj, who, if the legend con-
nected with his name is of any value, must have lived in the latter half
of the fourteenth century. It is said that as he was one day hunting in
the forest he wounded a deer, who proclaimed himself to be the great
Ratan Nath, thii-d in descent from Gorakh Natb, the founder of modern
jogism. In return for his profuse apologies the disguised saint prophesied
that his offspring should rule for 84 kos, as far as his eye could stretch.
For many centuries his descendants ruled in the WUs receiving their
tribute from the plain Tharus. About a hundred years ago R&ja Pirthipdl
Singh of Balrampur died, and his rightful heir, Newal Singh, was driven
out by his cousin, the Bhayy4 of Kalwdri, and took refuge, in the hills.
The Chauhin raja placed at his disposal a force of 2,000 Tharus, who drove
out the usurper, and replaced Newal Singh on the gaddi of Balrampur.
Not many years after this the same hill r^ja was himself driven into the
plains by the powerful ruler of Naipal, and found refuge with his old ally.
Raja Newal Singh of Balnlmpur, who requited his services by putting
down the resistance of the Thdrus of Tulsipur, and assuring the fugitive
Chauhan in a chieftainship not inferior to the one he had just lost. In
return for this, and in acknowledgment of some vague zamindari claims,
Newal Singh of Tulsipur agreed to pay the Balrampur raja an annual
tribute of Rs, 1,500. His son, Dalel Singh, continued the payment, but
when Dan Bahadur Singh succeeded to the chieftainship he asserted that
it was due only as remuneration for military aid, which he could now dis-
pense with, and declined to pay it any longer. This led to a long war
with Balrampur, which up to annexation was renewed with varied success
whenever a favourable opportunity presented itself. As a general rule, as
far as I can make out, the gratitude of the Tulsipur raja was stronger than
his pride, and the subsidy was paid without demur. In 1828 A.D., the
Governor-General made a hunting expedition in the Tulsipur Tard.i, and
in reward for the sport induced the king of Oudh to give the raja a per-
petual lease of the whole pargana at a fixed annual rent. After a long
reign, remarkable rather for its material prosperity than its wars, Dan
Bahadur Singh died in 1845 A.D., not without suspicion of violence from
his son, Drigraj Singh, who succeeded him in the chieftainship. The crime
if committed was more than avenged, and the reign of Drigraj Singh was
embittered and cut short by the rebellion of his son, Drig Narain Singh,
who in 1850 A.D. drove his father to seek refuge with the R4ja of BaMm-
pur. The dispossessed chieftain sought and obtained assistance at Luck-
now, and supported by the Government engagement and a small body of
Government troops recovered his power for a few months in 1855 A.D.
He was however unable permanently to resist his son, who defeated him,
and, after a short imprisonment, had him carried off by poison. The
unnatural conflict was brought about partly by the lust of rule, which
would not let the younger chief wait till the succession became lawfully
his, and partly by a disgraceful dispute between the father and the son for
64
506 TUL
the possession of a celebrated Lucknow courtesan. At annexation Drig
Nardin Singh declined to pay his revenue, and was apprehended by the
Commissioner and sent under guard to Lucknow, while the pargana was
settled with the village heads, 10 per cent, on the collections being
reserved for the rija's maintenance. In the meantime the mutiny broke
out, and the captive was shut up with the British force in the Residency
at Lucknow, where the hardship of the siege put an end to his life. His
Rani seized the reins of power, and her first act was to imprison Pirthipal
Singh, the next in succession to the rdj, and Ram Singh, the general
of her husband's forces, whom she suspected of having treacherously
betrayed their master in order to secure the pargana for themselves,
finding it inconvenient to keep a continual guard over them, she had
the hut in which they were imprisoned set on fire, and they perished in
the flames.
During the whole of the mutiny she remained in arms, and at the con-
clusion joined the broken forces of Bala Rao Marahta, the Begam, Raja
Debi Bakhsh Singh of Gonda, and the Nazim Muhammad Hasan Khan in
their last futile stand under the hills. Driven with them across the
Naipal frontier, she was unable to trust the promised amnesty of the
British Government, and her contumacious absence was punished by
the confiscation of her estates, which were conferred, in reward for his
unshaken loyalty, on the Maharaja of Balrampur. No changes have
occurred since, except that the strip that runs under the Government
forests between the hill stream known as the Hattia Kund, and the
Bhagora T^l, has been transferred to Bahraich. It contains 32 large but
thinly populated villages, and includes the old tappas of Chaurahia and
Dari, and part of Dond.
The old Chauhan rajas seem hardly to have been recognized as pure
Chhattris by their brethren of the plain, and though a daughter of their
house on one occasion married a raja of Paraspur, such relations were
almost always contracted with the inhabitants of Naipal. A peculiar
family institution reminds us of the Thakurs of Rajputana, and each of
the hill princes was surrounded by numbers of illegitimate children and
connexions. These were known as Khetas and Khetis, and filled the
principal posts in the army and private abode of their chief. A bloody,
distrustful, and capricious race, the service was attended with considerable
danger, and one head agent after another was murdered in cold blood, as
soon as his wealth excited the cupidity or his influence the fear of his
master.
In their dealings with the peasantry they seem to have been more
enlightened, and the prosperity and wealth of the country, only now
partially recovered from fire and sword of the fugitive mutineers, are
recalled with enthusiasm, and may be easily believed. Absolutely inde-
pendent, except for the payment of his annual tribute, the raja was able
to make his own internal arrangements without the fear of seeing theM
upset by an extortionate Nuzim from Lucknow, and his object was perma-
nent wealth rather than immediate profit. Each tappa had its separate
TUL 507
tent collector with his staff of only two chaprSsis, and if he attempted any
kind of extortion he was immediately exposed by the " Panches," of whom
two or three were appointed to each division for the maintenance of order
and decision, of civil disputes. The unsatisfactory system of assigning
land in payment of service was carefully avoided, and every retainer
received his fixed and for the circumstances of the times liberal pecuniary
stipend. Intermediate between the r4ja and the cultivator were the old
Tharu chaudhris where Th&rus yet existed, and in other villages the
usually hereditary headmen who, besides slight privileges on their own
cultivation, received a percentage generally amounting to one-tenth on the
whole grain division of the village. Each member of the society was
supported by fixed shares of the produce, the servants first taking their
dues, and the remainder being divided into equal heaps — one for the
cultivator, the other for the raja and village headmen. At the head of
the servants came the ploughmen, who received one-fifth of the gross
outturn of their master's fields. After them the blacksmith, who was paid
18 paaiseris (a panseri being equal to something less than 21bs. avoirdupois)
for each plough in the village, and selected and cut for his own use one
biswa of grain at each of the three harvests from each cultivator's holding.
The Ahir who had charge of the common herd, the chaukidar, who guarded
the village site, and the carpenter, each got his 15 panseris per plough
and biswa at each harvest per cultivator. The gorait, who watched the
crops, was allowed 13 panseris and biswas, the pandit, who performed the
marriage ceremonies, six panseris and biswas, while the lowest remuneration
of six panseris and no standing crop was thought enough for the lessee's
Kahar servant, the potter, the washerman, the barber, and the Gurfi, or
half-inspired half-insane soothsayer.
The lessee provided for his expenses undertaken on hehalf of the com-
munity by a rate of between 4 annas and 8 annas per plough, and the
cultivator was allowed to ensure himself good luck by cutting one biswa
for himself from each crop, and exempting its produce from the general
division. Money transactions are even now almost unknown, and the
communities still retain their ancient customs.
Where money rents are taken they are generally fixed by the plough
and not by the area under cultivation. Thus a four-bullock plough will
be charged from Rs. 20- to Rs. 30 per annum, and its owner take the whole
of the grain of his fields except what he must pay as servants' dues. It is
still more common to find half plough rates and half grain rates, in which
case the cultivator pays from Rs. 10 to Rs. 15 on each four bullock plough,
and besides gives the village head a quarter instead of the ordinary half of
the grain heap.
A number of taxes on trade— such as transit dues, fines on sales, fees for
the establishment of stalls at the Debi Patau Fair, and benevolences on
every conceivable occasion— were levied by the rajas; but though the
differed sliffhtly in every pargana, these impositions were alike in character
all over the district, and having described them in detail mtheUtraula
pargana article, I need not repeat the description here.
508 TUL— UGTT
TULSIFU'R*—Pargana TvhsiPVR-—Tahsil Uteaula— i)isfn'e« GonM.—
The capital of the pargana of that name, founded' some 200 years ago by
one Tulsi Das, Kurmi, lies about 5 miles from the edge of the forest in full
view of the hills, and is about equi-distant from Utraula and BaMmpur,
the 15 miles of cart track being broken in the first case by the Pipra
ferry, and in the second by the Sasai Ghdt, where the Rapti is crossed
during the cold and hot seasons by a bridge of boats.
It has bo roads, no school, and no tahsil, but a mud thdna about 200
yards to the south of the village preserves the peace of the neighbourhood;
and not far from the thdna the Mahfirdja of Balrampur is building a
good brick house in the Hind Teutonic style of architecture.
The village itself is a long bazar running due north and south for about
half a mile, which the piety of a converted prostitute has adorned with a
small mosque, and the gratitude of a Hindu money-lender with an
unpretentious shiwdla.
No octroi is levied, nor indeed is there more than a small retail trade in
pots and pans, grain, and coarse cloths.
The population is 2,292, almost entirely Hindu.
The neighbourhood is a vast nearly treeless expanse of heavy clay soil
broken up into small fields for rice cultivation, and cut by the deep hill
torrents of the Siria n41a to the west and Nakti to the east. The only
objects of interest (except Debi P^tan q. v.) in the neighbourhood are
the remains of the large mud fort of the rajas of Tulsipur to the south,
and a few black buck to the north of the village.
UDHAULI — Pargana Paetabganj — Tahsil 'Na.wabqans— District Bara
Banki. — On the main road to Fyzabad, 13 miles east of the sadr, chiefly
inhabited by Kurmis. It is a fair village, and the surrounding land is
rich and well cultivated.
Latitude 26°44' north, longitude 81°30' east.
VG'Cl-^Parffana Safipue — Tahsil Safipue — District TJnao. — This town
lies four miles north-west from the tahsil station Safipur, 22 from Unao,
and 5 from Fatehpur Chaurasi. Raja Ugarsen, a Panwdr Chhattri, of
Kanauj, is said to have peopled the village ; his descendants held it till 806
Hijri, when they were overthrown in a war with Ibrahim Sharqi of Jaun-
pur; then Kurmis took possession, and still hold it.
The site is level ; there is no forest near, but many orchards have been
planted round. Two temples to Mahadeo and one Th£kurdwdra, with
a vernacular school at which 50 pupils attend, are the local institutions.
There is an annual fair and two weekly markets. The remains of the
ancient palace and court-house, where Rdja Ugarsen used to dispense jus-
tice, are still to be seen.
* By Hr. W. C. Beuett, C.S., Assistant Commissiouer.^
UL 509
The population is composed as follows: —
. Brahtnans .„ ... ...
Hindus ...',5|y'">»
V Others ... „. ,„
Musulmans ... ... ,„ ,„
Total ... 4,462
TJL River — District Kheri. — A small river having its source in the
Shdhjahdnpur district in latitude 28°21' north, longitude 80°2'?" east.
It takes a direction to the south by east, and after a course of 7 miles
forms the boundary between the districts of Shahjahanpur and Kheri ;
enters the latter district in latitude 28°22' north and longitude 80°28'
east. It flows through that district in a south-easterly direction to its
junction with the Chauka, on the left side of the latter in the Si'tapur
district in latitude 27°42' north, longitiide 81° 1 3' east. Its total length
may be estimated at about 110 miles. It is liable to very great floods ;
its cold weather discharge is not more than 30 feet at Lakhimpur, arid
near Aliganj the channel is entirely dry in places, but during the rains the
current is in places a third of a mile broad and ten feet deep in mid-
chaimel. It is not used for navigation, and is of little service for irrigation,
being 100 feet below the level of the adjoining country. It is bridged on
the road between Aliganj and Gola.
510 UNA
UNAO DISTRICT ARTICLE.
ABSTRACT OF CHAPTERS.
I. — Natural featubes. II. — Agriculture and commerce. III.— The
PEOPLE. IV. — Administrative aspects. V. — History and
antiquities.
CHAPTER I.
NATURAL FEATURES.
Boundaries— General mention ol area and population— Soili — Table of subdivisions — Gene-
ral aspect—Fertility— Rivers- Streams— Canal-«Climate— Rainfall— Medical anpects.
The district of Unao is bounded on the north by Hardoi, on the east
by Lucknow, south by Rae Bareli, west by the Ganges. The area of the
district is 1,765'50 square miles, with an aggregate population of 945,955,
or 588 to the square mile. It lies between 26°6' and 27°2' north latitude,
and between 80°6' and 81°4' east longitude. There are 1,697* towns,
villages, and hamlets in the district, containing 3,120 masonry and 210,810
mud-built houses, which gives to each dwelling an average of 4 residents.
The number of adult males in the district is 305,772, and that of adult
females is 306,656. Children number 332,322. This is exclusive of the
Europeans and the prisoners in the jail. The Muhammadan population
is 6"7 per cent, to the Hindu 933 per cent.
The district is very flat, and has no features of particular interest. It
is well wooded, which gives a relief to its otherwise uninteresting appear-
ance. It abounds in lakes, and for sometime after the rains marshes
spread far and wide j these however dry up during the hot weather
months.
The Sai and the Loni run through the district; the latter is dry during a
portion of the year.
The soil to the west and north is light and decidedly sandy and to the
east containing laterite ; here and there saline terrene but not sufficiently
saliferous to make salt manufacture paying as a Government monopoly.
The area under cultivation is about 52 per cent. The present district
is divided into four tahsils and twenty-one parganas given in the following
table :—
* 1,706 according to Census Report.
, UNA 511
Statement showing the Tahail and Pargana arrangement also their
area %n acres.
Tahsil and Pargana,
Name of tabsil.
Name of pargana.
Area In
acres.
Jama in-
cluiling
cesses.
Unao
Unao ... ...
Pariar
Slkandarpur ...
Harha ... ...
Total
Saflpur
Fatehpiir Chnurasi ...
Baogarmau ..
Total
Mohan ... ...
Asiwan ... ».
Jhalotar Ajgain ...
Parsandan
Total
Purwa ... ...
Mauifiawan" ..
Asoha ..f ...
Magrayar ...
Fanhaa ... •••
Patan
Bihar ...
Bhagwantnagar ...
Ghatampnr ...
Daundla Knera ...
Total
Gband Total
...
...
...
...
...
...
•M
...
...
»•.
...
...
...
40,693
22,586
37.458
1 43,649
64,109
27,98.1
62,944
1,83,919
244,386
S,28,9Sr
Sapfiar ... ... \
83,937
54,999
110,079
1,08,358
62,581
1,27,140
249,015
2,98,091
Mohaa ...
(
124,686
62,104
62,«22
28.05 1
',18,943
84,969
9i,3 ;4
35,603
277,463
3,29,819
!"
Purwa
69,830
108,734
27,658
19,485
I2,2i>4
6,913
14 634
27,867
I6,'>37
39,508
85,712
1,29,761
34,483
SO. 9.32
16, UO
8,008
19,824
33,s:i0
32,262
51,552
343,780
4,23,604
1,114,644
13,79,361
Formerly it only contained twelve parganas, but in 1869 one patgana,
MohSn Auids, was taken from Lucknow and added to Nawabganj tahsil,
the headquarters being at the same time removed and tahsil Mohan
constituted Seven parganas were taken from Kae Bareli and added to
512 UN4
tahsil Purwa. The population of the district was thus augmented from
724,949 to 945,730,* the area from 1,349 square miles to 1,7645
The land which has heen added to the district is certainly superior to
what formerly belonged to it in fertility. It forms in fact a large portion
of the ancient province of Baiswara, including the earliest seats of the
Bais clan. Still the general features of the district have not been
much changed, and "at any rate what is extracted from the settlement
report is still true as regards the whole of the ancient district and twp-
thirds of the modem one.
General aspect. — Except where the country falls as it approaches the
Ganges a uniform dead level prevails ; rich and fertile tracts, studded with
groves, alternate with waste and plains of usar, the whole intersected here
and there by small streams as the Sai, Loni, &c. Natural objects of
interest or beauty are entirely wanting.
Fertility. — Though well cultivated, I do not think the district is at all
distinguished for fertility. Of the total area 54 per cent, is actually
under cultivation, 20 per cent, is recorded fit for cultivation, and 26 per
cent, as unculturable. This is a large percentage of irreclaimable land,
but I do not think the estimate is in excess of the real fact.
Production of cultivated^ land. — As regards the productiveness of the
land under cultivation there can be no doubt, .the estimated yield per
acre being shown below ; that from the first class land being almost equal
to what is obtaiaed in England : —
Land.
Irrigated.
Unirrigaled.
I St class
Bushels 21
Bushels 1 1
2nd ditto
ditto 16
ditto 9
3rd ditto
ditto 9
ditto 7
Rich tracts, thei/r situation. — The richest tracts, where the best and
most valuable crops are produced, lie chiefly in the centre of the district
in parganas Purwa, Harha, Unao, Jhalotar, and Asiwan. The prevailing
soils are good, loom and clay ; and water for irrigating purposes is for
the most part abundant and certain, being obtainable at all seasons from
considerable tanks and wells which are readily dug everywhere.
Poor tracts, and where to be found. — The inferior and poor tracts are
found in the outer parganas of Safipur, Bdftgarmau, Asoha, &c., running
generally in a narrow belt varying from one to six miles in width, round
the district, where the chief soil is inferior loanr or sand.
Marshes and tanJcs. — Though there are no pieces of water sufficiently
large to be dignified by the name of lakes, there are in several parganas
numerous sheets of water which deserve notice. The chief are found in
parganas Jhalotar, Ajgain, Parsandan, Unao, and the northern parts of
Harha and Mauranwan. They h6ld water all the year round, and afi'ord
ample and certain facilities for irrigation to the villages bordering upon
them. In the Samundar Tal at Jhalotar and the Jalesar, and Bas-aha Tdl
'Not including piisoners and Europeans.
UNA
513
in Parsandan and HaAa, fisb abound and the water-nut is extensively
grown. From both these items the landowners derive a considerable
revenue ; the former being purchased by speculators from CaWnpore and
Lucknow, and the latter finding a ready sale in the adjacent towns and
villages.
jRivers.— The only river in the district is the Ganges, which forms the
southern boundary. It is not however put to much use, either as a high'
way for conveyance of produce to Cawnpore or for irrigation. The people
have a strong prejudice against using the water from the main stream for
the latter purpose, though occasionally they will irrigate from the
smaller channels or " sotas," which in some parganas run for a consider-
able distance inland.
CAWNPORE GANGES BRIDGE WORKS.
Water Level taken every day at 7 A.M., for the ononth of September, 1874
Date.
Water level.
Date.
Water level.
187*.
J 874.
Sep.,
let
nen-po
Sep.,
1 6th
372-92
2nd
369 60
,1
17th
3Ti8S
Srd
369 40
„
18th
37292
f,
4th
369-90
tt
19th
37200
5th
370-JO
)t
20th
371-35
6th ,.■
370 40
ti
21st
87000
^
7th
370-45
11
S2nd
36935
■
8th
370 70
))
23rd
369-00
^1
9th .r.
371-00
1)
24th
36S6S
10th
371-00
)i
25th
363-20
Jlth
371-35
J,
2eth
368 20
"
lath
372-10
)}
27th
36920
'
I3th
372-20
It
SSth
367 70
"
14th
372-46
ti
29th
E67-50
>»
15th
372-92
if
30th ...
367-30
Highest fiood-level, of which we hare any record before 1874, was 372-28, and varied
from this to 369 00. Last year's highest flood was 370-60, whilst that of 1874 was
372-92, the highest on record.
Streams. — There are, however, several minor streams, either bordering
on or passing through the district, and the Water they all hold the greater
part of the year is extensively used for purposes of irrigation, the flow
being regulated and equalized by numerous earthen dams which _ are
erected at fixed places. The rules under which these dams are maintained
and regulated have been carefully recorded in the administration papers
of the several villages interested. Water in a dry season becomes so valu-
able that unless rules are distinctly laid down and agreed to by all, these
dams would be a never-ending source of dispute and quarrel.
Minor streams detailed.— T^he chief of these streams are as follows :—
(1 ) The Sai which rising in the Hardoi district, enters Unao at Sultan-
pur pargana Bangarmau, and after skirting the entire northern boundary,
leaves the district at Rampur passing into Rae Bareli. Though holding
65
614!
tri^A
■water all the year round, it Is readily fordable everywhere shortly aftet
the rains have ceased, and there are bridges at all the main roads. The
best specimens of native bridge architecture I have seen are to be found
across this stream. The bridges at Moh^n and Bani are well worthy of
notice and preservation,
(2.) The Kalydni, which also rises in Hardoi, enters the district at
Lahramau, and passing through parganas Fatehpur and Bangarmau falls
into the Ganges at Maraunda. It is readily fordable at aU seasons.
(3.) Of much the same size as the Kalyani is the Tinai which, rising
in the Kutkarijhil at Aslwan, passes down through parganas Aslwan
and Pariar. Though holding water all the year round, it is not so much
used for purposes of irrigation as the other two ; the banks are high and
steep, and the cost of raising the water to the fields absorbs the profit
derived from the irrigation.
(4.) The Loni is a small stream which, rising In the Pawal tank in the
Unao pargana, flows in a south-easterly direction, passing out into the
Eae BareU district. It does not hold water any length of time, and is
chiefly noted for the beautiful crops of rice grown in its bed and on its
banks in the autumn. In October it may be traced for miles by the
brilliant green which marks its course.
Canals. — The only canal is that of king Nasir-ud-din Haidar, which
entering the district at Sultanpur traverses the north-western portion of
pargana Bangarmau and a small comer of Safipur, joining the river Sal
at Kursat. The original idea was to join the Ganges and Gumti, but the
levels Were so infamously taken, and the money granted so misappropri-
ated, that after spending lacs of treasure, and injuring, more or less, every
village through which the canal was driven, the king found himself as far
off as ever from the object he desired. It has never done aught but harm.
Its bed shelters wild beasts and bad characters in the dry weather, and
drains off all the water from the adjacent villages in the rains, thus not
merely depriving the land of the water which would otherwise fertilize it,
but causing a continual cutting and ravining away of all the neighbour-
ing fields,
Tem/peratmre. — The range of the thermometer is much the same as in
other plains stations. In the hot weather it varies in ordinary years from
75° to 103°, and in the cold season from 46° to 79.° I note below the
range for the last year. : —
Approximate
Range of
Approximate
Kange of
Month.
mean tem-
thermome-
Month.
mean tem-
thermomo.
perature.
ter.
perature.
ter.
January ..■
60
S7
July ...
86
15
February
63
32
August
84
II
March
77
24
September ...
86
9
April
81
25
October ...
79
19
May
89
28
November
70
27
June
92
23
December ...
61
20
UNA
615
•^^iQ^-'^^^l'^^ statement shows the rainfall for eleven years ending
witn lS7o. It gives an average yearly fall of 37-4 inches :—
Years.
1865
1866
1867
1868
1869
J 870
1871
1878
1873
•871
187S
Arerage for eleven years
Inches.
26'0
270
76-7
is-a
41-2
G3-2
42-0
36-5
271
32-0
26-0
37-4
The accompanying table exhibits the rainfall for the last two years of
drought, 1868 and 1873, each of which was followed in 1869 and 1874.
respectively by considerable scarcity.
_ It will be noted that the entire rainfall was scanty in 1868, the distribu-
tion was capricious and unusual, and there was no rain during individual
months in which it is much needed for agricultural purposes in both years.
There are four rainfalls, each of which must be propitious to secure a
good harvest. First, the June rains, the former rains as they may be
called ; in 1873 and 1868 there was only about an inch, not enough to moist-
en the earth for the plough and to water the early rice. Second, the main
monsoon which commences in July and ends at the commencement of
October ; this was insuflScient in the year 1868, and the fall in September,
in both years, was only six inches, and it ceased too soon, viz., on Septem-
ber 16th and 21st. _ Third, the latter or October rains, which are required
to water the late rice and moisten the land for the winter ploughings,
were wholly deficient in both years. Fourth, the January-February rains,
which were wholly wanting in 1869 and in 1874, were less than a quarter
of an inch.
Speaking broadly then, the rains commenced poorly in 1868, badly in
1873, they ended with six inches in 1868, but too soon ; in 1873 they were
sufficient for the last month, and ended still earlier in September.
So far 1873 was much worse than 1868 ; then there was absolutely no
rain in either year from October till January, but in February there was
no rain in 1869, and in 1874 none of any value.
Rainfall from June 1st to October 1st
From October 1st to December 31st
la June ...
In September ...
In October ...
Date of rain commencing
'„ of rain ending
Bain in January and February of ensuing
year,
1868,
1873.
12'7
261
01
0-0
1-1
0-8
6-6
6-5
0-1
00
June 1 6th
June 20th>
September 2l9t
September 16tb.
00
0-2
516
UNA
Medioal a;spiGU.-T!he medical aspects ate deseribed as follows by tlie
Civil Surgeon, Dr. Selous. No statistics as to the annual birth-rate m this
district exist.
Returns of deaths were made up, but I do not think them trustworthy,
inasmuch as they represent the death-rate for 1873 to have been 16-6
per mille— a number which must be too small, being less than that tor
the United Kingdom.
Deathrate.—The following table shows the deaths from all causes for
1872 and 1873. Prior to 1872 the method of collecting Was more imper-
fect than it is at present. I have not therefore thought it worth while to
give the statistics of former years. : —
Castei
C3
1
il
o
1
i
1
Of
i
1
3
C.
M.
0)
H.
o.c.
=3
1'
%1
o ^
CO
C3
O
o
<
1
Toiat.
1872 ...
...
CO*
o
o
t^
X
O
in-
to
00
CO
M
CD
CO
S*1
■
O
CO
eq-
1
GO
GO
3*4'
Si
•m,
5
•
to
to
5'
OS
CO
CO
00*
Id
eg
1873 ...
»••
(M
U5
s
*■«
The mode of collection is as follows : — The village watch man reports each
death as it occurs at the police station, where the officer in charge enters
it in his diary, which at stated intervals is sent to the office of the District
■Superintendent of Police at the headquarters^ station where the returns are
compiled. There is no check upon the chaukidara who may frequently
omit to report a death.
The prevailing endemic desease of this district is malarious fever, inter-
mittent, remittent, and continued with its sequelae, enlarged spleen, dropsy,
&c. Dysentery, another disease of malarious origin, is also endemic, and
prevails in the same places and during the same months as ague. ^Besides
these leprosy is met with to a limited extent— not in my opinion greater
than in this province generally. The special causes to which these diseases
are to be attributed are those which are produetive of malaria, viz., the
neighbourhood of marshy land and defective drainage. Rice cultivation
is probably here as in Italy a cause of malaria, a rice field being an artifi-
cial swamp.
I do not think it likely that any improvement is taking place, although
it is impossible (owing to the untrustworthiness of our mortuary statistics;
to bring this to proof.
_ No swamps have been drained at any rate within recent times, cultiva-
tion has increased, but not in such a way as to have any beneficial efiect
on the public health, inasmuch as it has been at the expense of pasture
UNA 517
lands, not of marsh or forest, no forests have been cut down, there being
none in the district, and sanitary efforts have been mainly directed to the
removal of conditions favouring the development of such diseases as cho-
lera or typhoid fever, not those producing marsh miasma. Something in
the way of drainage has been effected near the station of Unao, but I am
not able to say with what result.
_ Epidemics. — The epidemics, which usually are cholera and small-pox,
visit the district yearly, but in addition dengue visited the town of
Unao in 1872, but did not, as far as I can discover, pervade the district.
Cholera generally commences in April or May, reaches its height about
August, then declines and disappears at the end of the year. Its specific
characters are purging and vomiting of a matter resembling rice water,
followed by collapse in which the patient may die, and afterwards should
he survive by a febrile state.
With regard to the cause nothing is known with certainty, some attri-
buting its spread to contagion by means of the evacuation, others to atmos-
pherio conditions, together with a peculiar state of the constitution render-
ing it liable to the disease. These different views are to be found in all
standard works on medicine ; there is nothing special in the disease as it
presents itself in this district.
All classes of natives are liable to attacks of cholera, the poor perhaps to
a greater extent than the more well-to-do, though this is doubtful. The
rate of mortality among those attacked in 1873 was 53"07.
Small-pox prevails during the whole year, spreading throughout the
district and returning on its traces by the time a fresh crop of subjects
has grown up. The largest number of deaths occur in July, August, and
September. Specific characters of small-pox are well-known and to be
found in every work on medicine ; there is nothing unusual in the disease
as it is met with in this district.
The cause is contagion or infection. The disease attacks all indiscrimin-
ately, rich and poor, Hindu and Muhammadans.
No statistics exist showing the rate of mortality among those attacked.
Cattle plague. — ^The only cattle epidemic about which I can obtain
any information occurred in 187-->, and affected a few villages only. Mr.
Ireland, Inspector of Police, was sent to make inquiries, and describes the
symptoms as follows : —
On some part of the animal's body, generally the neck, a swelling fornaed
which bursting left a'sore, the s'kin around to a considerable distance being
discoloured. At the same time diarrhoea set in, the bullock refused to eat,
'became extremely weak and died, or the symptoms abating slowly rooovered.
This description does not give a sufficiently clear notion of the disease as
to enable me to offer any opinion as to its nature. In the -opinion of the
Deputy Commissioner cattle have suffered from the breaking up of pas-
ture land, -which is taking place to a considerable extent throughout the
district.
518 UNA
Fairs. — The principal fairs and religious gatherings are the following : —
Isf. — Pariar Fair. This is held at Pariar on the Ganges in the TJnao
tahsil, opposite Bithi'ir, in the North- Western Provinces, at which town a
similar gathering takes place at the sametime, thefull moon of Kartik (Octo-
ber or November). It lasts 10 to 15 days, and is attended by about 200,000
people. It is the most important commercial fair, but the chief traffic is
at Bithiir, whither a number of people from the Oudh side repair to make
their purchases, though a good deal of business is done at Pariar chiefly
in the cheaper articles of commerce. The staple articles of trade are cloth,
blankets, silk and Amritsar goods, toys, &c. Besides being a commercial
it is also a religious gathering, the principal ceremony being bathing in
the Ganges, which is the object of adoration. No epidemic has of late
years broken out among the pilgrims at this fair. It occurs at a season
when cholera is not common, and sanitary arrangements are carefully
carried out.
2to(?. — Kolhwdg^ra Fair, held at the village of that name on the
Ganges, in the Unao tahsil, at the same time as that at Pariar. It lasts
7 to 10 days, and is attended by about 200,000 people. It is of the
same character as the Pariar Fair ; the staple articles of commerce are
similar but adapted to the wants of a poorer class of frequenters ; the
ceremonies and object of adoration are also the same. No epidemic has
visited this fair probably owing to the causes given above,
Srd. — Takia Muhabbat Shah, held at Patau in the Purwa tahsil in March
and December. It lasts 10 to 15 days, and is attended by about 150,000
people. It is partly commercial and partly religious in character, the
staple articles of trade being silk, blankets, cloths, toys, &c., and the object
of adoration the shrine of Faqir Muhabbat Shah. No epidemic has as yet
broken out here.
4ith. — Kusahri fair, held at the village of Kusumbhi, in the Mohan
tahsil, on the day of the full moon of Baisdkh, lasts 7 or 8 days, and is
attended by 40,000 people. It is chiefly of a religious character, though
some business is done in cloths and other articles of consumption of the
poorer classes. Debi is the deity worshipped there. The worshippers
ask some boon of the goddess, and in the event of its being granted
sacrifice a goat at the next yearly gathering. No epidemic has broken
out here.
About fever the Civil Surgeon reports as follows : — I had the opportunity
of looking at the country, generally of examining the villages which lay
near my route, and of questioning all persons I could find who had lost
relatives from fever during the past two years, in order to ascertain whether
the disease had been really fever or not. The inducement to this last
proceeding was furnished by the mortuary returns which, as remarked by
the Sanitary Commissioner, show that registration is still in an imperfect
state. It appeared to me that errors would be found in the returns of
the diseases to which deaths were due as well as in those of the total
mortality and the proportions of the sexes.
UNA 519
1 found the greatest difficulty in collecting evidence of this sort, the
people seemed to imagine that some danger lurked under the interroga-
tion to which they were subjected, and it sometimes happened that in a
village of from two to three thousand inhabitants, I could not discover
five persons who acknowledged having lost a relation during the past year.
Ifi: the village of Atardhani, containing 250 houses for instance, which I
visited with the Deputy Commissioner, although Mr. Dyson and myself
used our utmost efforts at persuasion, only three men came forward to
give evidence. In all the villages I visited I found, more or less developed,
the causes which are well known to give rise to malarious emanations, the
neighbourhood of low-lying, ill-drained lands, swamps, jhils, rice fields,
and excavations, particularly in the Safipur and B^ngarmau thdnas, which
supply the largest numbers of reported deaths. This part of the district
skirts the Ganges and is low, intersected by ravines and jhils, connected
during the rains with the river, and liable to floods. The villages them-
selves were generally speaking dirty and full of filthy pits and refuse
heaps. I took down statements of 54 cases of fever from the lips of the
relations of the deceased, taking care only to record the accounts of per-
sons who, when asked what their relations died of, answered fever. The
number is small considering how many villages I visited, but as I have
said above, I experienced the greatest difficulty in getting men to come
forward. Of these cases thirty seemed to me undoubtedly malarious
fever, 14 not fever at all, and in the remainder I could not make up my
mind as to whether the disease had been fever or no.
It appears then that of 54 deaths reported as having been caused by
fever, 14 or 25-9 per cent, were not due to this disease at all, and that some
doubt hangs over about 20 per cent, of the remainder. The number of
eases examined was too small to enable one to generalize with safety, but
when it is considered that they were collected from many villages scat-
tered over a considerable area, I think they may be taken as affording
an approximate notion of the ratio of genuine to spurious cases reported.
I was also informed by several lambardars, patw^ris, police officers, and
chaukidars that when the relatives do not know what a man died of they
return it as fever.
The conclusion I have come to is, that undoubtedly fever does cause a
large proportion of the mortality, but not by any means to the extent
which the mortuary returns indicate. Supposing that of every fifty-four
cases reported fourteen were spurious, the mortality in 1873 from fever
would be reduced from 8,939 or 524 per cent, to 6,624 or 430 per cent.
The mortality in 1872 would in like manner be reduced of 10,386 or 70-07
per cent, to 7,697 or 52-4 per cent.
It is quite possible that owing to the small number of cases on which
these calculations are based, the proportion of spurious cases is not so great
as is shown here, but I think one can with safety assume that 20 per cent.
of deaths returned under the heading " fever" are really due to some other
jdisease Even after making these deductions, the number of deaths from
malarious fever is very large, but not sufficiently so as to place Unao under
the category of fever-stricken districts.
520 UNA.
CHAPTER 11.
AGRICULTURE AND COMMERCE.
AgricuUoral statistics — Crops — Indigo and cotton — Irrigation — Wells— Rents— Prices—
Pamines — Food of the people — Fisheries— Markets — Commerce— Exports— Manufac-
tures— Railway traffic — Roads — Cart-tracks — Ferries.
Soils. — There are in this district three kinds of soil, known to the people
as dumat (loam) matiar (cla.y) and bh6r (sand). No doubt these might
be easily subdivided into a considerable number of classes according
to situation in the village and quality of soil ; but it is as unnecessary
as it would be tedious to descend into minute details.
The percentage each description bears to total area is as follows :—
Dumat ,.. ... ... 59 per cent.
Matiar ... ... ... 18 „
Bhur ... ... ... 23 „
Total ... 100
The barren waste is particularly bad, nowhere have I seen 6sar plains
of such extent and apparent unfruitfulness as in this . district. They
extend through the central parganas, forming in their waste and desolate
aspect a marked contrast to the rich tracts with which they are mingled.
Nothing will grow upon them, except here and there a weird-looking
babul tree (Acacia arabia). During the rainy months, it is true, the
village cattle pick up a scanty pasture, but even this fails ; shortly after
the rain ceases to fall the grass withering away.
ATTiount of land which can be well cultivated by one plough. — It
is calculated that from eight to ten bighas of stiff soil, and from ten to
fourteen of light, can be well and fully worked by one plough and a pair
of bullocks. Taking the whole district through, there is an average of 9'6
bighas, or six acres of cultivated land per plough. Cultivation would
appear, therefore, to be somewhat under what might be expected.
The ordinary crops of the district kharif, henwat, and rabi are the same
as are detailed at length in the account of the Partabgarh district.
Exceptional crops. — Sugarcane and sanwan are quite exceptional crops,
and belong to neither of the three main divisions. The thin kind of
sugarcane, known among the people as " baraunkha," is that which is
generally grown in the district, the people being under the impression
that it yields a better description and more abundant supply of saccharine
matter than the thicker and apparently finer description of cane as
" barangha" and " matra ;" my own impression, however, is that the secret
lies in their rude mill, usually nothing more than the sharpened end of a
small tree, working with a rotary motion inside a partially hollowed log,
being unable to express the juice from the finer kind of cane, while the
inferior description yields readily to the pressure brought to bear upon it.
Cutting usually commences early in January, but is not completed and
the sugar made until the middle of February. The crop lies midway
between the henwat and the rabi, but cannot be classed with either. In
UNA 521
the same way the s&nwdn is not sown until the middle of May, and is
only cut just before the rains commence.
Dependence of cultivators on their Mahdjans for seed. — For seed the
majority of the cultivators are still dependent upon the mah&jans, who
usually take back the value in kind. As it is borrowed when grain is
dearest and repaid when it is at its cheapest, the lenders usually contrive
to get an exorbitant percentage out of the cultivator. It is a ruinous sys-
tem, but no stop can be put to it until landowners become sufficiently
unfettered to store up seed for themselves.
Quality of produce, — There is nothing grown in the district particularly
deserving of notice : the crops are all of an ordinary description.
Soil not adopted for cotton. — Cotton does not appear to succeed well.
During the American war when prices ranged high a good deal was
grown, but as prices fell off its cultivation declined, and I do not think it
will ever become a favourite staple.
Indigo extensively grown. — Indigo was formerly extensively grown in
the parganas of Harha, Bangarmau, and part of Safipur. There were two
large manufactories in the Nawabi ; one near the Ganges in the Harha
pargana and the other at MiSngauj, established by Mian Almds Ali
Khan ; both went to ruin in the latter days of the Nawabi, and the people
ceased growing the plant. But since the recent establishment of a manu-
factory at Muradabad, the people in the Bangarmau pargana, where the
soil is suitable for it, have again taken to its cultivation.
Rotation of crop. — In rotation of crop I find the rule to be one
exhausting crop as wheat, followed by two or three light ones. For
instance a field of ordinary soil is this year sown with wheat, next year it
bears a light kharif crop as kakun or mindwa, followed by a light rabi
as barley or peas, the year following by a henwat crop as juar, the
third year with wheat again. Of course where manure is abundant the
valuable crop would come round more rapidly, but the usual rotation is
as above. When only one crop is obtained from the land each year an
exhausting crop is always grown, but when two, care is taken to so^ a
light one at both seasons.
Cultivators' holdings are small, the average being as follows :—
A. r p.
Resident cultivators ... ... "• — * } J
Non-resident ditto ... ... •• ••• •« » ^u
Irriaation— The chief sources of irrigation are wells, masonry and
earthen, tanks and streams, the amount of land irrigated from either
source being about equal as shown in the marginal
^^ '"'frc.J^tlT^ note. There is thus irrigated from all sources a total
w,7U^l *''"'* of 210,656 acres, or 46° per cent, of the total culti-
vated area.
Wells ■ facility with which dug. -In nearly every pargana earthen wells,
bv which I mean those unsupported by masonry in any way, are freely
dL at commratively small cost, the average price in the upper lands
Jefng from four to six rupees, the well ksting from two to six years. In
522 UNA
many places they last much longer, while in others they fall in as soon
as the rains commence. I therefore give the average of the district.
Average depth of water in wells. — The depth of water from the surface
of the ground varies considerably, but the average may be set down at
twenty feet, the depth of water in the Well being about ten feet.
Mode of working weU'^ — The majority are worked by bullocks with
the charsa, a leathern bag containing from 15 to 20 gallons of water.
Where the water is not very far from the surface manual labour is
substituted for animal power, as men work quicker, and can in-igate a
larger extent of area in a given time. When labourers are employed
they are usually paid in grain, but the common custom is for the culti-
vators to form themselves into co-operative societies, and help each other
in turn to irrigate their fields, every man being bound to assist, until the
fields belonging to all the cultivators in the society have been' watered.
Average amount of land irrigated per diem. — The amount of land
capable of being irrigated per diem from each kind of well I estimate as
follows: —
Masonry well worked by one pair of bullocks, 8 biswas per diem.
Earthen ditto ditto, 8 ditto ditto.
Masonry ditto by human labour, 5 to 10 ditto ditto.
Earthen ditto by hand fdhenklis) 2 to 3 ditto ditto.
Sheogobind, taluqdar, has made ten wells in pargana Magrdyar ; they
cost Rs. 1,700 ; the depth at which the spring is met with is 82 cubits ;
it was formerly 42 cubits ; water lies in the well at 16 cubits or twenty-four
feet. About 25 bighas of spring crops can be watered in the season, but
much less sugarcane. The four purs will water a bigha in a day with
ordinary bullock power ; the one pair of bullocks work all day, eating a
mouthful of bhiisa at the end of each descent of the bucket. In April-
May when the sugarcane is being watered there is about a two hours'
cessation owing to the extreme heat. A pair of bullocks such as is
required for Well work will cost Rs. 30, if of less value they are useless
and really more expensive.
Rents : prevalence of money payments : no fhsed rents. — As a rule
rents have for many years been paid in money and not in kind. But no-
where is there a trace of any fixed rate on the soil, classified either ac-
cording to quality, or to position of the land in the village. The rule has
always been for each field, to pay the price commensurate with its known
productive capabilities, and the demand for land in the village ; but as far
as I have been able to ascertain, except in very rare instances, competition
has not come in to regulate the price. During the cotton mania, I dis-
covered competition in one pargana (Bangarmau), and rents rose consider-
ably for land adapted to that class of produce, but on the termination
of the American war, and the consequent fall in prices, the speculators
were ruined, and the landlords lost considerably by them; the year
following, they were glad to restore the land to the old cultivators, at
considerably reduced rents.
Rents generally higher under native rule. — There is no doubt that
rents as a rule, are lower now, than in the Nawabi, or perhaps I should
say more equal. In the estate of a powerful landowner like the
UNA
523
taluqdar of Mauranwaa they are much lower. He was able to protect his
tenantry against outside oppression, consequently his land was at a
premium, and he received higher rents than the petty landowner who
could do nothing to protect his dependents, and whose land was conse-
quently at a discount. In one village belonging to this taluqdar rents
on annexation went down a third. It had been a harbour in former
days for those who had to leave their own homes, to escape from the
bullying they experienced in the independent villages, and therefore the
cultivators were willing to pay almost any rent for the land. But annexa-
tion bringing peace and security brought the value of land to a level
and equalized rents,
The prices of grain stuff in Unao for the ten years ending 1870 are given
in the accompanying table. They are however only roughly correct. For
instance in 1867 barley was more nearly 24 sers for the rupee than
14. Prices are undoubtedly higher in Unao than in any other town of
Oudh. This is due to the neighbourhood of the great mart (Cawnpore)
and to the proximity of the Ganges — a trade channel by which grain is con-
veyed to Allahabad and Patna,
We find from the table that the average price of wheat is 18 sers for
the rupee, the average of the province being 22 sers, but the discrepancy ig
really hardly so great. Prices are rising with considerable rapidity, more
so than in other districts; capital abounds in Cawnpore; there is also a
great demand for labour; mills and leather manufacture flourish, so wages
are high, and there is a good market for food grains : —
Stcdement showi/ng the details of produce and prices for the following
years.
*H -
Averages.
° s
Oesciiption of produce.
1
S a
<
1861
264
1862
36}
1863
34
1864
234
1S63
22
1866
234
1867
234
1868
28
1869
27
1870
20
> g
Paddy...
26^5
Common lice (hnsked)
134
171
16 J
174
13
14
14
M4
12
^'-'b
'uV^
Best rice (huskedj
10
17
13
3H
13
25
H
19
7
14
a
154
8
15
7
124
13
16'
Barley...
Bajra ...
22
43
34
244
19
22)
14
27
18
26
25
2U
39
281
184
20
214
18
14
IV
lit
21 /tt
191^
34%
26Ji
19
19
=^14
184
144
17
194
20t^
18
30
27
21
16
24
24
'44
14
i;4
20|
Arhar [Cytisus cajan)
Urd or Mash (Phiueolug max),
86
13
43
26
41
26
29
15
14
12
16
20
214
154
17
174
18
"4
224
134
26, 'i
17
Moth! {Phaseolus aconitifolius),
Mung (Phaseolus mungo)
MaBijr (i'rBma lens") ...
1»
I4J
14
294
234
21
25
184
m
184
14
154
1^4
114
134
19
134
13
iii4
13
14
26
11
1.4
u
14
11
20,4
14,%
Ahsa or Matra [I'isum sahvunf'),
Ghuiyan (^Arum colocasia)
4S
45
• ■«
46
45
18
45
19
46-
18
46
37
13
29
14
29
11
41A
16
Sarson {Sinapis dickotoma
18
16
rofby
Lahi (Sinapts nigra)
21
3
20
3
18
3
21
3
21
3
20
3
19
3
16
,1
16
3
12
3
18«
3
Kaw BUgar
1
Fami^es.-The famines of 1769, of 1783-85, and of 1838, all affected this
district; the price of grain rose to 7 sers for the rupee. The subject 1^
524.. UNA
referred to in detail in the article on the adjoining district, Lucknow. In
1861, 1865, 1869, and 1874, there have been high prices leading to consider-
able distress. Drought has been the principal agent in causing the
bad harvests which led to these calamities, but floods have been in the long
run equally injurious, although each was in itself a minor calamity;
they were more frequent. The irrigation of Uaao being largely from
wells, minor droughts do not affect its harvests as the artificial supplies
of water do not fail.
Little need be said here on this subject which h as been already fully
treated in the article on Fyzabad, whose situation upon the bank of a good
navigable river is similar to that' of Unao. The last real scarcity was in
1869, but in 1873 and 1874 grain has been at very high rates owing to
bad harvests and the export to Bengal. Prices as in other districts are
at their highest in January-February before the spring harvest is reaped,
and in July-August before the autumn harvest is ripe. Barley is the
cheapest grain in the latter period, kodo and bSjra in the former. If the
price of tiiese cheapest grains exceed eighteen sers per rupee famine is
to be apprehended. The people feed mostly upon judr, bajra, kodo,
barley, gram, arhar, moth, peas, of which they make bread and pottage.
Rice is the most satisfying but arhar and gram the most nourishing. If
any of tbese gra,ins rise in price above fifteen aers for the rupee, it will be
abg.^doned for a cheaper and inferior one.
Food of ilie people.— -The food consists of the cheaper grains of maize,
rice, and kodo in the five months ending with March 1st, of peas,
barley, gram, pulses durii;g the rest of the year. They take two meals
a day,-^one at noon and one in the evening. Even the poorest do so ; at
any rate when working they could not labovir properly without them. They
economize not on thenun^ber but in the quality and quantity of tbeir meals.
A fair allowance for a working mia,n is considered to. be 12 cbhataks of
rice, 14 of gram and peas, but a. ser of maize, and a ser and a quarter of
kodo are required. Fish are referred to as follows by Dr. Day : —
" The tahsildar of TJnao considers the fishing population at about
1,000, but they also follow other occupations. They consist ef
Kahars, Lodhas, and Pasis. The market is fully supplied with fish, the
cost of the larger sorts being from one anna to one and a half annas a ser;
of the smaller from 9 pie to one anna and a half. The first sort of
mutton is two annas a ser, the second one and a half annas. About
85,000 people in this tahsil are reported fish-eaters. The fish are stated.
to have increased. About 10,000 maunds of very small ones are said
to be taken during the rains. The smallest size of mesh of nets used is
given ^t half an inch, and fish are trapped in the irrigated fields during
the rains. The native names of the traps and nets used are — pandi,
chhatta., lokari, chowruhi, bisari, or \ilgi, kanta (hook), and t^pa piade of
reeds and rushes, kurwar, and halka. Many fish are used as manure in
the rains. There are said to be 2,000 fishermen in tahsil Purwa." — Para,
290, "Francis Day's Fresh-water Fish and Fisheries of India amd Bimna."
"Ranjlt Singh, taluqdar of Kantha, observes that cultivators and
others catch fish, but are generally people of the following castes : — Kahars,
Pasis, Koris, Lodhas, &c. The market is not fully supplied. The price,
UNA 525
of large fish is half an anna, and of small ones a quarter of an anna
a ser. About half the population are fish-consumers. The supply has
remained stationary. Small fish are taken, but not to any great extent,
ihe mesh of the smallest nets employed is half an inch. Fish are trap-
ped m the irrigated fields during the rains. The following are the nets
and traps used :— Haluka, kurwar, tap, kuttra, jal, koena, khowra, phatka
or supa, gane ulurana, kagurna, lokarel sahjurya, ghughuroah."— Para.
294, " Franm Day's Fresh-water Fish and Fisheries of India and
Burma.
Markets. — Besides the open markets, at the different bazars in the dis-
trict, there are numerous smaller ones held once or twice a week at all the
chief villages in each pargana for the convenience of the neighbouring
villagers, who there dispose of their surplus produce and supply them-
selves with their few necessaries. The only one, however, worthy of
note is that held for cattle, at the large village of Thana, about 8 miles
from Unao ; it is the chief cattle market in the district, and the only one
to which cattle are taken from any distance.
Commerce. — The commerce of the district is small, and chiefly carried
on by traders resident at Mauranwfin, Purwa, Muradabad, Bangarmau,
and some of the small ganjes scattered through the district.
Exports. — The principal exports are grain of all kinds, gur, ghi, and
tobacco, a little indigo and saltpetre ; the latter is almost entirely shipped
to Calcutta. The other articles are, for the most part, sent across the
Ganges either to Cawnpore, Bilhaur, or Fatehgarh.
Imports. — The chief imports are European cloth, salt, iron, cotton, spices,
and similar necessaries, required for the consumption of a rural population.
I do not attempt to estimate the amount of these imports and exports as
there are no data available, from which reliable figures could be obtained,
and statistics founded on insufficient data are worse than useless for
they only le^d us wrong.
Wholesale traders, bankers. — The great banking house used formerly
to be that of Chandan Lai at Mauranwan, whose family rose to wealth
and influence through money-lending. Latterly, however, they have
greatly withdrawn from trade living chiefly on their estates, and only
fending among thpir neighbours. Their place, however, has been supplied
by several Cawnpore houses who have established agents at the station
of Unao.
Manufactwres — indigo and salt. — ^There are no manufactures to speak
of. Formerly there were large indigo and salt works at different places in
the district, but since annexation both have been closed. Saltpetre is
still made for export, its manufacture being chiefly in the hands of the
Lucknow house of Sah Makkhan Lai.*
Country cloth and other m^anu/adures.—Ml the country cloth, agri-,
cultural implements, &c., made in the district are consumed by the
people of the neighbourhood in which they are manufactured.
» SahMakShan Lai has now left Laeknow mi the house is broken up.
526
UNA
According to the rettirn of 1872 the principal exports and imports were
as follows : —
ExroKTS.
Impokts.
Quantity.
Value.
Quantity.
Value.
Ks.
Rs.
Sngar
21,394
8,1 7,461
Cotton, cleaned ...
101,272
20,60,f50
Gur
261, ifO
8,(.6,9.<I2
Spices
47.781
5,48 660
Tobacco, prepRred...
3,220
26,047
Wheat
42.341
95,747
„ in leaf
2»,-J92
1,61,088
Edible grains
82,727
1,31,981
Spices
35,IBI
3,17,181
l)yes
• 1
• ■>
Wheat
49,875
96,873
Salt
634,339
3l,5!!,r84
Edible grains
841,751
6,74,056
Cattle
11,486
1,79,054
Oil seeds
32,326
91,^87
Country cloth
...
1,30,114
Timber
*••
2,70,672
Ghi
•••
1,68,354
PoTintry cloth
■•■
1,13,647
Metals and hardware
...
3.91,125
Hides
...
1,14,066
English piece-goods
.at
26,49,354
Total
...
32,87,857
...
1,00,97,644
It will be observed that the imports vastly exceed the exports in value,
but this is nominal. These returns only exhibit the foreign traffic of
Unao, that which leaves the province at the ghdts and bridges on the
Ganges which divides it from the North West Provinces. The greater
part of the so called import only passes through the district to Lucknow and
north Oudh generally. Nor do the railway returns — vide table — shed more
light on the matter. The railway traverses the district for 26 miles; there
are four stations, but one Kusumbhi is not entered in the traffic returns,
The number of passengers amounted to 2,36,688 in 1873, of whom half
came from the city of Cawnpore which is beyond the Ganges although the
station is on the hither side. The railway goods traffic is mainly confined
to grain.
In 1873 the traffic at the various stations on the railway within the
boundaries of the Unao district was as follows : —
Stations.
Ensutnbhi
Ajgain
Unao
Cawnpore
a
Ph
No,
19,710
46,829
171,149
Odtwaed.
S a
o o
C3
• ••
424
1,136
10,441
Toni.
* 12
178
23,S97
68 a
£.
9
42
11,156
Inttabd,
S>
^'i
s .
>— t **
a
Hi
1"
-1
II
1 =
^1
No.
£
Tons.
£'
■ ••
•••
■«•
•••
18,408
381
25
8
47,183
1,120
73
sa
173,861
10,931
18,499
10,136
UNA 527
Roads. — There are several main lines of communication traversing the
district m all directions. The chief are:—
I. — From Cawnpore to Lucknow, the distance being in this district 22
miles. It passes through the station of XJnao and the late tahsil station of
Nawabganj, traversing two of the most fertile parganas in the district. It
IS metalled throughout and is in good order. On this road General Have-
lock fought some of his severest actions when advancing to the relief of the
Lucknow garrision in 1857.
II —From Unao to Rae Bareli vid the tahsil station of Purwa and
considerable town of Mauranwan, distance 26 miles to the boundary.
It is bridged and passable at all seasons.
Ill- — From Unao to Bihar and Dalmau in the Rae Bareli district, vid
Achalganj, distance 16 miles to the boundary. It is only partially bridged
and not much used.
IV.— From Unao to Sandila vid the towns of Rasiilabad, Mianganj,
and Haidarabad, to the boundary distance 36 miles. When once the
bridge across the Sai river is built, this road will attract much traffic
from the Sitapur and Hardoi districts. At present no carts can cross
the river during the rains, and consequently other roads are preferred.
V. — From Unao to Hardoi vid the tahsil station of Safipur and the
large towns of Bangarmau and Muradabad, distance 44 miles. This
road is usually in capital order, and is frequented at all seasons by carts
carrying grain from the western districts to Cawnpore. It is bridged
throughout.
VI. — From Nandmau Ghat on the Ganges vid Bangarmau, Aslwan,
and Mianganj to Lucknow, distance in Unao district 45 miles. Formerly
under the native government this was the highway to Delhi ; of late
years however, this route has fallen into disuse, and the road is now
only employed for local traffic.
Minor roads. — -Besides these main roads there are several others of
minor importance. They are aligned and partially bridged, but the
traffic upon them is small : —
fl ) Cawnpore to Purwa ... ... W miles.
(2.) Kasulabad to P.ariar ... ... 15 ditto.
(.3.j Mianganj to Safipur ... .. 10 ditto.
(4.) Purwa to Bani ... — ... 16 ditto.
The following is an extract from the official route book : —
Roads. — The following is a list of unmetalled roads : —
I.— From Unao to Rae Bareli by Achalganj and Bihar. This is 32
miles long, and the following is a list of stages: — Achalganj 9 miles from
Unao, Bigahpur 9 miles further, and Bihar 14 miles. The river is the
Lon which is bridged. There are 7 ndlas.
II. From Unao to Rae Bareli by Chauki Dahi, Purwa, and Maurdnwan.
This passes for 38 miles within the boundaries of this district. The
528 UNA
stages are Bichhia 9 miles from Unao, Purwa 11 miles further, Maur^nw^a
7 miles, and Gulariha 11 miles. The river is the Lon, and there is the
Bas-ha jhil. Number of nalas 7,
III. — From Unao to Hardoi by Safipur and Biingarmau in the Unao
district. This road is 38 miles long and has the following stations on it: —
Rau 8 miles from Unao, Safipur 9 miles further, Bangarmau 14 miles,
and Muradabad 7. Tinai nadi, Bhadni nala, and Kurehra nadi, branches
of the Kalyani, are rivers on this road. Number of nalas is 31.
IV. — From Unao to Sandila, district Hardoi by Auras. This is 32 miles
long within this district, and has the following stages ; — Makhi 5 miles
from Unao, Mianganj 13 miles further, and Auras 8 miles. The rivers are
the Tinai and Sai. Number of ndlas 15.
V. — From Chauki Jait to Purwa by Achalganj, district Unao. This
passes, for 26 miles through this district, and the stages are Achalganj 11
miles, and Purwa 1-5 miles further.
The Badarqa nala and Lon nadi are the rivers. Number of nalas 6.
VI. — From Bikrampur on 16th milestone of Unao and Bih r road to
Baksar. This is 16 miles long within this district. The stages are Bara
7 miles and Baksar 9 miles further.
VII. — From Bihar to Baksar. This road is 14 miles long. The stages are
Bhagwantnagar 6 miles from Bihar and Baksar 8 miles further. Khurai
nadi is the river on this road. Number of nalas 7.
VIII. — From Pariar to Hasanganj. This passes for 23 miles through this
districts The stages are Chakhoni 8 miles from Pariar, Rasiilabad 6 miles
further, and then Hasanganj 9 miles.
IX. — From Bangarmau to Lucknow by Mohan, dinstrict Unao, This
passes for 34 miles through this district. The stages are Tikia 8 miles from
Bangarmau, Mianganj 10 miles further, Mohan 12 miles, and Tikaitganj
4 miles. The Sai is the only river. Number of nalas 10.
X. — From Auras to Mohan, district Unao. This road is 15 miles long
and has the following stages : Tanda 6 miles from Auras, and theji Mohan
9 miles further,
XI. — From Maurauwan to Manpur. This is 12 miles long, and has the
following stages : — Khujauli 7 miles from Mauranwan, and Manpur 5 miles
further.
XII.— The minor roads are —
(1.) From Nawabganj to Kanta, 5 miles long.
f2.) Fro.n Micirinwan to BiehhrSfflaii in the Kae Earcli district. This passes for 7
miles through this district.
(3.) From Bihar to Purwa 26 miles long ; from BihSr to 20th mile Lucknow and
Cawnpore road.
(4.) From Ajgain to Munshiganj, II miles in length.
(5 ) From Safipur to Basulabad, 8 miles long,
f6.) From Safipur to Mianganj, 9) miles long.
(7 ) Front Bangarmau to Sandila in Hardoi district by ESm Kot, 9| miles long.
tTNA -529
Cart trades. — Moreover in addition to these aligned roads, there are
numerous cart tracks, leading everywhere across the district. These are
readily traversable for certainly eight months of the year.
Facility wUk which the did7'ict can be traversed. — From experience I
can speak of the facility with which the whole district can be marched
over any time between October and June. Recently another road has
been made running almost straight from Safipur to Pariar ; two more have
been sanctioned — -one from Kusumbhi to Pachhdn near Nawabganj, where
a fair is held, another from Ajgain to Mohan ; these roads_ bring traffic
across country to the railway.
Railway . — -In addition to these roads the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway
Company have a branch line between Cawnpore and Lucknow. The land
was applied for early in 1864, and handed over to the railway authorities
after payment of compensation to the zamindars by August of the same
year. The engineering works were completed, and the line opened for
traflSc in May, 1867. Following the same line of country as the present
Imperial road, the railway runs through two of the richest parganas in
the district. The average price of the land taken up amounted to eight
years' purchase, only here and there did it rise as high as nine years.
Ferries. — ^In addition to the railway bridge at Cawnpore ferries bave
been established under the Cawnpore authorities at Ninamau and Pariar
Ghat; and all along the river the resident fishermen keep small canoes,
in which they will convey passengers across the river ; and in many places
during the hot season the river becomes fordable, but few persons ever
venture upon the passage.
67
530
"UNA
CHAPTER III.
THE PEOPLE.
Towns and population— Manners and customs— Law of inheritance prevalent in the
district— Tenures — Tables exhibiting the detail of ownership in the district of Dnao,
Towns. — Population being to so large an extent agricultural towns of
any size are not to be expected ; there
are however several with a population
varying from 5,000 to 7,500 inhabitants
as noted in the margin.* With excep-
tion of Bangarmau, Maur4nw4n, and
perhaps Purwa, for in these alone is
there anything like trade, these towns
are rapidly falling to decay. Their pros-
perity was intimately connected with the native government, their
inhabitants, for the most part in the civil or military service of the king,
made a comfortable livelihood, and the Government establishments
brought traffic and wealth into them ; now these establishments have
been removed, and the residents having lost their service, and having for
the most part no property to fall back upon, are simk in the deepest
poverty and wretchedness.
Area and Population.
Unao
.. 6,376 souls
Safipur
.. 6,630 „
Bangarmau
.. 7,266 „
Asiwan
.. 4,923 „
Purwa ,
.. 6,383 „
MauranwSn
.. 7;460 „
Harha
.. 5,490 „
o
Area in
o
-.a
British
Population,
CO
e9
square miles
§s
0
si a
n
P-u
Parganas.
°3
•*5
i
a
as
1
a a
1
31
1
.S0,25fi
'^ a
1^
1
a
J"
1
"f
Unao
88
64
31469
17,328
16,397
33,725
3?8
H
Pariar ...
24
36
19
16,383
234
8,176
7,441
15,617
434
Sikandarpur ...
51
68
40
33,235
1,311
18,137
16,409
34,646
696
K
Harha
Total ...
Safipur
177
227
109
119,349
2,980
58,390
67,939
116,329
512
290
385
199
79
192,223
7,994
102,031
98,186
200,217
620
S(
132
132
62,179 10,140
37,690
34,629
72,319
548
Fatehpur Chau-
90
90
49
40 624
1,087
22,038
19,673
41,711
463
Hi
rSsi.
c^t
Bangarmau ...
Total ...
Mohan Auras ...
149
371
173
103
76,945
12,651
46,707
42,889
89,696
SIS
395
231
179,748
23,878
106,435
97,19]
203,626
516
(
205
196
102
89,674
6,951
50,544
45,981
96,625
i02
^\
Asiwan
119
99
66
64,074
6,114
81,604
28,584
60,188
308
«^
Jhalotar Ajgain,
103
98
66
68,542
3,017
32,686
59,474
62,159
334
H
Gorinda Parsan-
dan.
63
44
25
21,103
666
11,326
10,442
21,768 '
195
Total ...
480
437
238
223,293
17,347
126,159
U4,481
240,640 £
99
from
These populations are drawn from the Settlement Census of 1865, and differ much
those entered elsewhere which are borrowed from the 1869 Census.
"UNA
Area and Population. — (concluded.)
531
s
Area in
2
i
a
British
Population.
CO
squaremiUs.
sa
lAa
Farganas.
"SS.
1
m'
1
is
i
1
1
m
s
•a
a
is
1 =
1
•3
a
3
11
2!
f
Purwa
123
111
54
60,934
3,924
31,631
33,227
64,86 '>
583
Mauranwan ...
111
173
92
85,291
5,173
45,592
44,872
90,464
523
Asoha
53
44
24
21,104
665
11,327
10,442
21,769
49i>
•
Magrayar
3!
30
10
16.840
470
8,384
8,936
17,810
573
h
Panhan
23
19
9
7,769
228
3,985
4,012
7,997
421
I'ataa
16
ll
4
5,893
174
2,863
3,204
6,067
652
rl
Bibar
&6
24
U
13,458
423
6,749
7,132
13,881
578
Bhagwantnagar
63
45
IS
26,060
615
12,891
13,684
26,675
591
Gtiatampnr ...
29
26
12
15,979
201
7,767
8,413
16,180
622
^
Daundia Ehera,
Total ...
District Total...
Prisoner em-
101
64
35
35,388
1,028
17,785
18,481
36,565
667
S66
547
270
938
288,466
12,801
148,874
152,393
301,267
S50
1,706
1,764
883,730
62,003
483,499
462,261
945,760
^636
• ••
...
...
179
14
193
ployes in Jail.
g
4
10
2
Europeans
*tt
...
...
Mt
...
S
Eurasians
Grand Total...
• ••
••*
...
...
...
1,706
1,764
938
883,730
62,020
483,686
462,269
946,955
641
This statement is compiled from the Census report j later calculations make the total
population 944,793, and the total area 1,746 square miles.
People. The population of Unao is 945,955. Of these Brahmans form
nearly 16 per cent., Chhattris, Chamars, Ahirs, and Lodhs are almost
equal in number being each about 9 per cent., and Musalmans 62,020 or
6 per cent. The distribution of property is as follows for the old dis-
trict : —
VUlages, Percentage of the jpopida-
tion to toted.
Musalmans
Brahmans ...
Chattris
Kayaths
Khattria ...
NfeakShahi (faqir)
Kurmis •••
Total ,.. 1>194 34
160
6
177
16
650
9
67
1
98
a fraction.
44
a fraction.
35
2
532 UNA
The following list gives the castes in detail: -
Castes.
Their
number.
Castes.
Their
numbeK
Higher castes of Hindus.
Lower Castes — (cond.)
Brahmana
148,321
Mali (gardner)
6,577
ChViattris
84,846
Kori (weaver) ...
24,552
Kayatha
11,395
Arakh
1,425
Vaishyas ».
17,730
Bari (leaf-plate maker)
2,14ff
Bhangi (sweeper)
2,670
Lower castes.
Dhanuk, Bansphor (worker
in bamboo).
3,168
Pasi (watchman)
55,139
Manjhi, Mallah (boatman) ...
12,436
Teli (oilman)
18,408
Groahains ,„
2,357
Thathera (worker in metal
1,695
Sadhus
1,327
vessela).
Other faqirs
4,092
Chamar (tanner)
85,230
Dhobi (washerman)
13,670
Muaalmans.
Kurmi
17,791
Gararia (shepherd)
22,312
Pathana
12,880
Lodh
83,118
Sayyads
2,281
Lonia (salt-maker)
3,578
MilkiShekh
8,121
Lobar (iron-Smith)
9,403
Manihar (glass bangle-maker),
2,676
Murio (vegetable seller)
35,683
Ghosi Cmilkman)
1,443
Nao (barber)
22,430
Paturia (prostitute)
1,177
Ahir (mUkman)
86,087
Dhunia (cotton-cleaner)
8,863
Bhunjwa Cgrain-parcher)
8,421
Dom
2,501
Bhat (bard)
6,860
Darsii (tailor)
4,686
Barhai (carpenter)
13,107
Kasai and Chakwa (butcher),
2,516
Tamboli (betel-seller
9,540
Julaha (weaver)
3,693
Halwai (confectioner)
S,877
Kunjra (greengrocer)
2,601
Kumhar (potterman)
10,944
Other Mttsalmans
11,440
Kahar (palki-bearer)
10,763
Persons whose castes are not
8,34S
Kal war (distUler)
7,472
known.
Sunar, Jauhari Cgoldsmith)
4,001
jeweller.
There is little to note about the manners or customs of the people as
they do not differ from those already fally described in Lucknow and
Partabgarh. A few remarks from the Settlement Report about inheri-
tance may be appended : —
Musalmans : inheritance : division of property. -^The custom, as to
inheritance has superseded the written law, and though of course an excep-
tion may be found here and there to the customs detailed below, the great
majority are guided by them but even where there is a difference the
complicated division of the Koran law has been entirely set aside.
WJvere there are two or •more wives: general rule. — Where there are unequal
families by two or more wives the whole property is usually divided accord-
ing to wives (mahrian bant), and not according to the number of the
children. For instance, if a man had three wives, one of whom had two
children, another one, and the third six, the property would be divided into
three equal portions, according to the number of the families, and then
each portion would be subdivided among the children in each family.
UNA 633
WUre ^re are sons, daughters, and widoivs.—Where there are sons
and daughters the landed property goes to the sons, the daughters receiv-
ing nothmg, and the widows only maintenance. In houses, groves, and
moveable property the daughters and widows receive a share.
Where no sons, but daughters and widow. —Where there are no sons, but
daughters and a widow, if the father before his death gives the share the
daughter can mherit, otherwise it would descend to the widow or a nephew,
but if there is no widow, or any near male relative, the daughters would
inherit in preference to a distant collateral of the male line.
Where no children only widow.— Where there are no children, a widow
inherits in preference to a male collateral, but should the zamindari be
undivided the male cosharer inherits, the widow only receiving support.
Where neither children nor widow. — ^Where there are neither children
nor widow, the nearest male collaterals inherit equally.
Illegitimate children. — Illegitimate sons are entitled to maintenance
only, but if born and brought up in the house the father can devise them a
share; and even when he does not do so, if the people are left to themselves,
as often as not, a share is given to such children.
Hindus concubinage : and inheritance by illegitimate children.
Among all classes concubinage is common, and especially among the Eaj-
puts who prefer this connection to a regular marriage. The consequence
is that a great proportion of the Rajputs are really illegitimate, but it is
hardly looked upon as a reproach, and hitherto, as often as not, the child-
ren were allowed to inherit. It is this, however, which has caused the
Oudh Rajputs to bear so bad a name among the trans-Ganges clans.
Inheritance: school of law prevalent in district over-riddenby custom.
For the most part in this district the Benares school of law has been used
as the foundation, on which to build the rules of practice now in force,
but custom has so completely over-ridden this written law as almost to
obliterate it; and in deciding cases, I should not be inclined to follow its
precepts except in matters on which custom is silent, or has not declared
itself clearly.
In custom much diversity of practice prevails: instances given. — As
regards custom, however, there is the difficulty that it permits such diver-
sity of practice — not only in regard to property of di£ferent kinds, but even
families of the same tribe vary greatly in their rules of inheritance. As
an illustration of this, I would mention the Dikhits of Jhalotar; in five of
their Tarafs the sons inherit equally; in the sixth the eldest son gets a
half share more than his brothers. Again among some of the Bais and
Kdyaths the same practice prevails of giving the elder brother a larger
share. Among the Bais of Bisara, Sandana, and Indama only four sons
inherit at all mere support, being given to those beyond that number,
whereas in all other families of the same tribe division is made equally,
no matter what number there may be.
In some tribes again it is customary, where there are two or more wives,
to divide first according to number of wives, the sons then dividing their
mothers' portion — half, one-third, or one-fourth, as the case may be — among
themselves equally; others, set wives aside, and share the inheritance
534 UNA
directly among the sons, while among the low-caste tribes no distinction
between legitimate or illegitimate sons is ever thought of.
New MuhamTrmdans. — Among the avowedly new Muhammadans, who
turned from Hinduism but a few generations ago, to save either their lives
or estates (among whom may be noted the zamindars of Rainapur, Umra-
mau, Seora of pargana Jhalotar, and of Rikam in pargana Purwa), Hindu
customs are carried on to even a greater extent; daughters are rigorously
excluded from all participation in their fathers' property, sons inherit
according to the custom of the Hindu clan from whence they sprang, and
in some instances, as in the case of the zamindars of Mukdudpur, the prac-
tice of the rite of circumcision alone distinguishes them from the sur-
rounding heathen population ; they seldom or never repeat prayers, they
wear Hindu clothing, and call themselves by Hindu names; in fact, they
are at heart Hindus and, as far as practicable, keep up their old manners
and traditions, but in some respects they have altered for the worse.
The people are not so truthful as they were when I joined the Settle-
ment Department ; an old zamindar would seldom tell a direct lie ; he might
say he did not know, but he would never deliberately state that black was
white; but before I left the district, I regret to say, this had greatly altered
for the worse, and men who but a few years before would have scorned to
lie before their " panch" or a " hakim" came into court with a lie in their
mouths as readily as the veriest bazar witness. I do not attempt to give
the reason for this. I merely state the fact.
Proprietary tenures generally. — The tenures are for the most part
simple ; by far the greater portion of the district being held by independ-
ent proprietary communities, descendants of the original colonizers, who
drove out and exterminated the aborigines. Notwithstanding the anarchy
which prevailed for so many years previous to annexation, they have to
a great extent held their own to the last, and though often deprived of
the direct engagement of their villages by outsiders, favourites of the men
in power, in the end always succeeded in re-establishing themselves and
recovering possession.
Chief proprietary tenures. — The chief proprietary tenures, with the
percentage each bears to the total number of villages in the district, are
as follows : —
Tenures. iVo. of villages. Percentage.
Talugdari ,., ... ... 2ti6f 22
Zamindari „, ... ... 66 1^ 47
Fattidari w •.. ... 344f 29
Btaayyacb&ra ... ... ... 21 2
Taluqas of three descriptions. — The taluqdars of this district are few
in number and uninfluential ; they may be divided into three classes —
1st hereditary, 2nd purchasers at auction, 3rd recent creations of our
Government for services rendered during the disturbances. The numbers
of each description are as follows : —
iVo. of taluqas. iVo.
Hereditary taluqdars ... 6
A notion ditto „. S
Beceat creations ,.. 8
of villages.
Percentage.
61
19
166^
68
69i
sa
UNA
535
Hereditary taluqdars. — It will be seen that the hereditary taluqdars
are few in number and not important as regards extent of their estates ;
the only ones who can lay claim to be so and require mention are Daya
Shankarof Parenda, head of theDikhits, Chaudhri Gulab Singh of Sarausi,
nominal head of the Parihars, Chaudhri Dost Ali of Unao, and Chaudhri
-Gopdl Singh of Bangarmau.
In the accompanying tables a list of the principal tenures and of the
Tillages held under each will be found. The zamindari is not generally
found among the Rajput clans. Pattidari villages are found to abound
among the Chhattri clans, the Dikhits, Chauhdns, Parihdrs, Raikwars.
What is called the imperfect form of land division prevails. The cultivated
land is almost entirely divided according to some standard fixed by the
original dividers, this standard is usually a bigha, but in some villages an
arbitrary standard has been fixed. In Kalha IJtaura for instance the
shares are divided by reference to an assumed total area of 158 bhayya-
chdra bighas as they are called. That is supposed to be the unit, and
each man holds a multiple or a fraction of that area. In most of the
villages the homestead, the waste, the water, 'are held in common by
all, the cultivated land is divided off among the members of the commune.
Statement of Tenwres, &c., vn the old district.
Name of
pargana.
Tenures and number
op villages, &a., of
EACH KIND.
Numbers op propeietobs
and sub-proprietoes.
Taluq-
dari.
Independent.
Proprietors,
.. .
2
i
ra
12;
Zi
d
1
1
2
1
IS]
16
76J
17
9
118^
58
29
87
44
21
69
134
78
53
90
221
561i
%
Ph
14
37i
18
8
77i
24
21
45
45
67
29
141
43i
12
26
344|
1
.a
m
"3
6
7
16
1
~5
H
30
113i
35
17
197i
82
50
132
92
94
105
i
o oa
li
§,2
3
5
2
1
11
3
6
1
u o
"A
"A
^!
Unao
Harha
Sikandarpur ...
Pariar
Total
Purwa
Mauranwan ...
Total
AsohaParsandan,
Jhalotar Ajgain,
Asiwan
Total
Safipur
Fatehpur
Bangarmau ...
Total
Grand Total...
8
15
2
383
1,714
1,547
541
77
293
125
45
13
357
94
Acres.
3
3
8
1
88i
4,185
540
464
4
Isl
21
59
866
548
151
138
111
1,194
3
5
80
9
3
1
1
1,414
1,492
3,590
1,632
289
194
266
199
1,305
4
14
9
14
37
24
32
105
7
80
2
1
2
291
126J
65
117
308i
5
4
4
3
11
6,714
659
~"252
140
401
192
2
1^1
1,883
470
2,567
6
4
120
4
4
4
61
4,920
17,230
793
130
4
266|
21926|:I 36
2,2bl
1,991
4-1-5
536
UNA
Idst of Tohbqdars.
Revised revemae.
rf3
Names taluqdara.
Karnes of
Namber of
demarcated
P
Remarks.
G
estates.
villages.
Of each
Of each
1
as-
estate.
taluqdar.
Whole. Patti.
Rs. a. p.
Rs.
1. p.
1
6
Thiknr Paldeo Baihsh,
Akohri
3 0
13,260 0 0
13,250
0 0
2
12
Makrand Singh
Rampur Bi-
ohhauli.
9 0
6,129 0 0
6,128
0 0
3
13
Sajyad Muhammad Ali
and Husen All Khan.
TJnchagaon ...
5 0
3,250 0 0
3,250
0 0
IS
Mahfpat Singh
EAja Gauri Shankar
Kintha
14 0
7,468 0 0
7,468
0 0
19
MaurAnwAn ...
SO 0
66,615 0 0
66,618
0 0
Succession ia
Bahddur (deceased).
dispute.
6
20
Mahant Harcharan
D4s.
Maswisi „
43 0
33,043 0 0
33,043
0 0
1
21
Fateh Singh aliaa Fa-
Saransi
11 0
14,842 0 0
14,842
0 0
teh BahMur.
9
22
GopSl Singh (deceased),
Mahmilidabad
22 0
14,539 0 0
14,689
0 0
9
23
Balbhaddar Singh and
Darshan Singh,
Gaura
7 0
4,159 0 0
4,159
0 0
10
24
MahipAl Singh
Malauna
6 0
4,866 0 0
4,865
0 0
25
SiilUn Singh
Galgalhamaz-
6i 19
11,833 0 0
11,833
0 0
ra P i p a r
Khera.
12
13
li
2
Dost Ali
TJnao
4 4
8,568 0 0
8,568
0 0
2
Paya Shankar
Parenda
9 U
6,0b2 0 0
6,06J
0 0
2
Daja Shankar
Kardaha Loh-
rAmau,
6 6
8,360 0 0
8,350
0 0
15
29
Beni Midho Bakhsh ...
Akbarpur ...
All the rights of
Beni MAdho
Bakhsh, except
44 bighas of sir,
have been sold,
A relative and
co-sharer, Ma-
hdbir Bakhsh,
has retained
his Interests,
but he is not a
taluqdar under
Act I. 6f 1369.
16
30
Arjun Singh and Ma-
PAtan Bihir,
25 1
1 4,822 0 0
14,822
0 0
heshwar Singh,
17
18
3L
BAbu RAm Sahde
Banthar
35 16
42,961 0 0
42,961
0 0
32
Molvi HaWb-ur-Rah-
Miangan]
7 1
6,908 0 0
6,908
0 0
Died on the 27th
mdn.
Sept ember.
1875. Suoces-
sionyn dispute.
19
33
Mahipil Singh
JaJAmau
1 0
4,000 0 0
4,000
0 0
2C
31
34
R4]a ShiunAth Singh ...
Bithar
2 0
4,195 0 0
4,196
0 0
279
Shiugobind Tiwiri ...
Behta share
S 0
4,511 0 0
4,611
0 0
in Katra Dt-
wan Khera
(No, 131 of
List VI.) ■
As a rule the tenure is exceedingly simple, each village community
being separate from the other. The complicated tenures, found in the
eastern districts nowhere prevailing except perhaps in the old pargana
of Ajgain now joined to Jhalotar. It contained 30 villages held by a
family of Dikhit Thakurs, originally springing from the same head, but
now divided into separate communities ; instead, however, of each village
being held separately as elsewhere, almost every one in the pargana holds
a share in some of the neighbouring estates. It is not that the lands of
one lie intermingled with those of another, but that the shares held are
all regularly defined portions of each village ; in most instances the culti-
vated land is alone divided, the Taste, water, and townships being held
UNA 537
in common by all the shareholders. According to tradition," the intei^r
tion of the founder of the scheme was to bind all his descendants together,
and however much they might quarrel among themselves, give them all
an interest in joining against outside aggression ; this they have done,
and not only against outsiders but against each other; no farmer or
single member of the brotherhood ever had a chance of usurping the
rights of others, and to this day the vUlages still remain intact in posses-
sion of their ancestral owners.
The number of divided pattis in villages held in severalty is very great,
the average number being 10 per village, and as the average number of
sharers in each patti may be set down at 4, we have about 40 sharers per
village ; taking the average size of villages this would give about 13
acres of assessed land per sharer. The majority of these men have
nothing to live upon but their little property ; it is not therefore to be
wondered at that they get into debt, considering their previous habits
and general dislike to work. The great majority keep ploughmen, and no
man calling himself a zamindar yfovld permit his family to work iij hisf
fields.
68
■5S8 UNA
CHAPTER IV.
ADMINISTRATIVE ASPECTS.
Administration of the district-^Thanas and police— Crimes and accidents— Infanticide-
Revenue and expenditure— Education— Post-offloes.
Administration. — The admiuistration of the district presents nothing
worth of comment. It is similar to what prevails elsewhere in Oudh.
A Deputy Commissioner is aided by three or four native and European
assistants, four tahsildars, three Honorary Assistant Commissioners — all of
these have civil, criminal, and revenue powers. There are four revenue
tahsils and nine police thanas, the names and populations or areas of their
jurisdictions are given in the accompanying tables, The police is under
ft District Superintendent, it numbers 509 and cost in 1872 Rs. .63,048.*
Population of Thdnas,
JSame of Thana,
Population
Unao
••t
111,751
Purwa
,,
81,356
Mauranwan...
104,789
Bara
98,364
Ajgain
..
109,982
Aohalganj ...
,.
75,899
Jf ewalganj . . .
,,
109,842
Safipm'
..
140,801
J3angarmau ..,
112,009
Total
944,793
This is from later calculations, and differs somewhat from the total calculated from the
figures given in the census report.
Statistics of Police for 1873.
m
Oj ^H
.li
,
>>!?!
.i>
~^
a
o
o o
S
.3^^
o
■i
o
V
S
9
§ g
e °
° a
CD
OS
V
1
1
■s
o
a
60 CS
a=3
roportion of pol
per square mile
area,
roportion of pol
per head of popu
tion.
a
a>
S3
d
-2
a
'oi
ft
O 0)
= 1
d So
g.1
■» a
o
d o.
03
i
a
d
= 1
,'S
1
'3
1
d
a
e
15
iz;
a
<
Ph
Oh
a
a
a
Zi
e;
:ci
Es.
~
Regular police,
67,709
3
78
381
.••
1 to 5 -07
1 to 2746
1006
5055
1971
1503
46b
Village watch,
89,210
• •*
...
2353
...
• t*
<■•
Municipal police,
1,239
1S4I6S
3
78
21
2755
2836
•"
loae
• ■•
!97l
1603
468
Total ...
•a*
...
soss
* Annual Report.
URA-
53&
r.«f.fTi; •'''''"''''m/^^''^' '^f ^^^° <i<^ not differ from those in the
73,m''^^T'^''^• ^^'^ '="°'^" ^""^ accidental deaths of . the district
during the last six years are shown in the accompanying tables :—
Crvme Statistics.
Cases reported.
Cases convictedi-
■
5
1
2
9
IS
1388
55.?
116
S
00
lU
3
2
2
11
1861
1064
40
Oi
(0
00
12
I
10
16
2922
1?3?
67
16
GO
14
'8
''■4
17
2182
T96
64
U
00
15
6
1
4
21
2804
888
100
s
«
OD
10
5
1
ir
3
3702
1210
17J
6
CO
4
1
I
12
127
151
IS
QO
10
2
2
1
10
149
83
16
s
00
9
C
6
13
328
46
10
o
00
12
7
1
16
141
225
34
7
oc
12
6
4
19
162
265
43
2
Murders and attempts
Culpable homicide ...
l;acolty ... .„
Robbery ...
Rioting and unlawful assem-
bly.
Theft by house-breaking or
honse-trespas's.
TJieft (simple).
Theft of cattle.
Offences against coin and
stamps.
6
2
2
Si
196
381
55
6
Memo, of accidental deaths.
Sidcides.
By_
drowning.
By snahe-
bite.
By wild
quadru-
peds.
By fall of
buildings.
By other
causes.
Total.
CD
<D
0^
<o
4-
a
d
4:
f^
•i
4
■ 1
4
•a
a
4
a
%
8.5"
104
18
.1^
28
7
7
1=1
P^
49
(if
29
185
N
1867 ...
26
37
205
1868 ...
76
89
27
36
5 ,
5
4
• ••
60
18
172
148
1869 ...
108
117
20
19
10
6
6
12
88
22
232
176
1870 ...
IS
38
118
134
19
30
5
10
23
26
11
24
260 262
1871 ...
9.f,
?,9
103
l.W
27
42
...
1
31
46
75
51
261 I323
1872 ...
19
39
137
• ■
126
46
53
...
1
14
£
V3
^24
270 213
The Imperial expenditure of the distrixit amounted to only Ks. 1,01,526,
but this sum does notinclude the cost of the police or other matters trans-
ferred to local funds. The revenue amounted to Rs. 15,2-5,283, or a little
over £1 50 000 fifteen 'time^ the expenditute. This does not include the
tax on 'salt, opium, oi:- the- customs dUties-^all of which are paid by the
residents but credited, to Imperial funds. Land revenue in Unao forms
l^ths of the whole. Income tax in 1873 yielded Rs. 5,850 paid by 184
persons, of whom 102 were proprietors of land.
540 UNA
The following tables exhibit the detail of the Itaperial i:eceipt tuad
expenditure of the district in 1872 : —
Hece^ts.
1.
• Recent settlement revenue ooUeotionB ...
• ••
JXSt
13,45,075
2.
Kents of Government villages and lands
14,077
3.
Income tax ,,. .„
■ ••
14,432
4;
Tax on spirits ... ... ,,,
• «•
59,491
5.
Tax on opium and drugs .„ ,,,
• ••
17,018
6.
Stamp duty ... ,.. .,.
• •#
67,649
7,
Law and justice
*•■
7,S41
Total
• «•
15,25,283
Expenditure.
Revenue refunds and drawbacks
• (•
961
Misaellaneous refunds ...
1,394
Land Revenue, Deputy Commissicirier, and estab-
lishment ,,,
• ••
49,961
Settlement ... .a ,,.
•••
Excise or Abkari ...
*••
5,013
Assessed taxes .j, <,»
193
Stamps
• (•
1,066
taw and justice, ( Service of process
•• ' I Cnminal Courts
*••
5,211
33,38?
Ecclesiastical...
4**
Medical „. .„ .„
4*340
Total ...
• 1*
1,01,526
The foliowing tabular statements show the receipts and charges of the
local funds s —
Bece^tSi
Otie per cent, road cess ... ,., „. 13,841
„ „ „ school cess... ... ... 13',843
i „ „ district ASk ,,, ... 3,459
2| „ „ local and margin cesses ... 37,869
I Education fund ,,. ... .„ 1,757
Dispensary ... ,„ ... ... 1,452
Pound ... ... ... ..i 3,358
Naaulfund ... „. ... ... 885
Total ... „. 76,464
Provincial Allotment .,< .„ 64,143
Grand Total ..» ... 1,40,607
Charffes.
Education ... ...
Hospitals and dispensaries
District dSk ... ...
Pound ,., ...
NaztU
Public Works —
Conununications
Civil Buildings, &o.
Establishment, &c.
Total ... ... 1,40,276
26,014
3,839
2,475
613
386
72,840
18,498
15,611
1.06.949
UNA
541
Education. — According to the following return, furnished by the Deputy
Inspector of Schools of the Unao district (6th March, 1877), the schools
are divided into thtee classes. In the first of which there is only one ;
of the 2nd there are 11 1 and of the 3rd 116 — a total of 128. Theaverage
daily attendance in these is 57,147 and the total cost per annuni
21)115-4-10. There is also a girls' school, attended on an average by
19 girls, and costing Rs. 80-12-0 per annum,
Statement skowvng the average
daiiy attendance of scholars and cost.
No. of
Schools.
Average
daily
attendance.
Total cDsk
per annum.
Funds from which the schools
are supporiied.
ist class »i.
End „
3rd ,j
1
ii
116
166
1,128
4,420
Es» a, p.
3,603 0 0
6,092 6 7
11,419 15 3
Es. a, p.
Imperial funds 6,917 0 0
District cess 12,351 8 10
Local subscrip-
tion and fees 1,027 8 0
New local rata 900 0 0
tot^ ...
128
5,714
21,115 4 10
Total 21,196 0 10
Female school)
1
10
80 12 0
...
Grand Total ...
129
5,733
21,196 0 10
Grand Total 21,196 0 10
The ensuing tables have been furnished by the postal department :-
Btatement shomng the working of the district ddkfor 1876-77.
No. of miles of d&k line 128.
„ of runners 30.*
Cost for the year Ks. 2,461-13-8.
No. of covers delivered 16,048.
Ditto returned undelivered 1,260.
Total number of letters sent to district post-officel 7,308.
Statement showmg the number of articles received for delivery and
those returned undelivered during 1877-77.
Given out for delivery
Betumed undelivered
Letters, Papers.
16,362 320
1,248 1
Packets. Pa/rcds,
18 608
0 11
Three rimners have worked for a part of the year.
542 UNA
CHAPTER V.
HISTOEY AND ANTIQUITIES*
The aborigines of the district — Iiite colonizers — The Janwirs — The Gautams— The
RaikwArs — The Gaiira — rhe Dikhits— and IJlkhitana — The Criauhans— The Mabfgfa
and Kawlits — Proprietary castea of the district as recorded in the Xin-i-Akbari— The
Muharamadans — Battles fought within the district during the mutiny of 1857 — Legends'
and traditions— Archajology.
History. — In this chapter I propose to give a short account of the prin-
cipal tribes and families found in the district,, and for much of the infor-
mation contained in it, I am indebted to my friend Mr. G. A. Elliott's most
interesting work on Unao, his researches having been so complete as to
leave me little or nothing to add.
Aborigines : speculation regarding them. — Of the races inhabiting the
country previous to the main Rajput colonization but little is really known ;
the traditions extant among their conquerors being the sole guide.
According to these traditions Mauranwan Purwa and the northern part of
Harha may be assigned to the Bhars^ and the rest of the district to the
low-caste tribes of Lodhs, Ahirs, Thatheras, Lonias, Dhobis, &c. They
appear to have been a pastoral race, herding their cattle in the forests which
then covered the country, and raising a scanty crop of grain in the cleared
patches of land about their villages. _
Though having recognized chiefe residing in mud forts, whose sites are
in many places still pointed out, there appears to have been no unity among
them, otherwise they would hardly have been overrun so easily.
Parallel with SMI country. — I should imagine the Bhil country in
Rajputana presented a very fair picture of this district in the age of which
we are now treating.
Appear to have been exterminated by the conquerors. — As a rule a war
of extermination appears to have been carried on, and in one village only,
Kantha, pargana Asoha Parsandan, is there any trace of these people. There,
however, an old Lodh was pointed out as the last representative of the
ancient landowners.
_ Trace of Rajput colonization previous to authentic history. -^Tke first
historical event of importance is the colonization of the district by the
Rajputs. Previous to the dawn of authentic history we find a trace of
Rajput dominion; The Gautams of iCrgal holding in the east, the Bisens
about Unao in the south, and the Chandels of Shiurajpur in the west.
But the BiseUj alone appear to have had actual colonies, for they alone
left a distinct trace of the estate they held. The others would appear
to have merely exercised a nominal authority over the aborigines. For we
find the Argal Raja gave numerous villages to his son-in-law Abhai Chand,
which he could not have done had they been in the occupation of hi
clan ; and among the colonizers of the western parganas there is no tradi-
* The history is chiefly taken from Mr, Maconochie's Settlement Eeport.
UNA 548
tjon of the Chandels having opposed their occupation of the country.
It is true that in Akbar's time there was a large colony of this tribe in
pargana Asiwan, but they have all disappeared, and from their situation,
and the absence of all tradition respecting them, I believe they arrived
later with the Chauhans and Dikhits.
Colonizers divided into two bodies. — The real colonizers may be put into
two classes. The 1st are those who, after their defeat by the Muhamma-
dans under the Ghoris in Upper India, fled across the Ganges into the then
almost unknown country of Ajodhya, rather than remain servants in their
old homes where they had hitherto ruled as masters.
The 2nd class are those who as time went on entered the service of
the Delhi Emperor, and acquired tracts of country either by direct grant
from the ruler or by the sword.
1st class of colonizers : their advent. — Of the 1st class the Chauhdns,
Dikhits, Raikwars, Janwars, and Gautams are the chief, and their advent
may be set down between 1200 and 1450 A.D.
2nd class of colonizers and probable date of settlement. — Of the 2nd
class the principal are the Sengur, Gahlots, Gaurs, and Parihars; their colo-
nization dates from 1415 to 1700 AD. A glance at the map will show
how completely the warlike Rajput overran the district, and how tena-
ciously he held to the lands he then acquired.
Account of the several clans. — With these preliminary remarks, I will
pow give a short account of the principal clans.
Janwdrs : their arrival under S4raj and Ddsu.— Shortly after the
taking of Kanauj, the Janwars under their leaders Siiraj and Dasu mi-
grating from Ballabgarh near Delhi settled in a tract of country lying in
Hardoi, and partly in pargana Bangarmau ; Siiraj, however, and his followers
went on further, and crossing the Gogra founded the Ikauna raj, of which
the Maharaja of Balrampur is now tlie head.
Ddsu seifZes ^ow-n-.— Dasu remained and founded 24 villages; his suc-
cessors divided into four tarafs, each taking six villages, and these their
descendants for the most part retain. They were ever a blood-thirsty race,
and are the only clan I have met with where the cadets as possible sharers
in, and rivals to, the management of the estate were systematically mur-
dered or driven away.
Conquest of pargana Fatehpur.— From them are descended the Jaur
w&rs of pargana Fatehpur Chaurasi, who settled in the pargana about 200
or 250 years ^go, driving out the then inhabitants, which some traditions
assert were Thatheras, and others Muhammadan Gaddis.
Clan divides vnto tarafs.-Th^j divided intp thre^ tarafs, vi^,. the
Sarae, Takhtia, and Markaha'; but the eldest soon asserted its superiority
and finally subjugated the other two,
544 UNH
Rise of Samal Singh.— '"Eaxly in this century Samal Singh, the chief of
Taraf Sarde, was in high favour with the Lucknow court 5 he was made at
various times chakladar of his pargana, and gradually acquired at the
expense of his neighbours a large estate. After his death his son, Jasa
Singh, succeeding both to his estate and influence, diligently followed in
his footsteps. Cruel and unscrupulous, Jasa Singh early becanie on? of
the most notorious men in the district ; while ever ready to fight, he con-
trived to keep 00 good terms both with the high officials in Lucknow and
the local officers of Government, and consequently was allowed to do very
much as he pleased. Dividing the pargana between hin^self and his cousin
Bhop41 Singh, he set to work to stamp out every vestige of a former right.
The villagers whom he turned out received the choice of service or death
if he caught them. The majority fl§d, and not until apnexatiou did they
venture to return to their homes,
The fall and extinction of the fam,ily.—^T\iLe end of his whole family,
however, has been an evil one. On the breaking out of the disturbances
he was the first to turn against us ; he seized and sent into the Ndna at
Cawnpore the Fatehgarh fugitives, and his followers were prominent in
opposing General Havelock's forces. At length he was wounded in the
hand at TJnao, and of his wound he died on the fourth day. One of his
sons was hanged, the other is still a fugitive, and his cousin, Bhopdl Singh,
with his whole family, died in 1861 of cholera. The whole of their estates
were confiscated, and the villages either restored to their originfil owners
or given in reward for good service. The family has thus disappeared,
and their ill-gotten wealth has been scattered to the winds.
Other small colonies. — There are one or two other colonies of this clan
in the district who trace their descent from Gonda, but none are worthy
of note. In the whole district the clan hold in 2;amindari right 73 villages,
Gautams. — The Gautams formerly held 15 villages in parganas Ban-
garmau and Safipijr ; they claim to be descended from the Argal Raja,
but have no clear tradition of their arrival and occupancy. They nbyf
hold but 9 villages having lost several. - -
" The Raikwars inhabit twelve villages in pargana Bangermow, and
their colony is well known by the name of Shadiepoor Gouria. They
claim kindred with the Raikwar Rajas of Bondee and Rartnugur in the
Baraich and Derriabad districts, and assert that at the same time that
those larger colonies were founded their ancestors settled down in the
twelve villages they noyf hold. The Bondee raja's ancestor immigrated
to Oudh from the bill country about Cashmere eighteen generations or
450 years ago— that is about 1400 A.D., and it is more on account of
this date than from any distinct details preserved in the local traditions
of these and other Raikwars that the colony is included in the first class.
" The connection of these Raikwars with the great rajas on the banks^
of the Gogra had been entirely broken off, but when they began to rise in
political importance they sought to renew it. About sixty years ago,
Mittoo Singh and Bukht Singh, two of the leading zemindars, went to
Banmugur and claimed brotherhood with the raja. He heard their
UNA 545
story and entertamed them with hospitality, and sent them out food, and
among other things tooth-brushes made of wood of the nim tree. All
other Rajpoots place a special value on this wood, but the Raikwars alone
are forbidden to use it, and the rejection of these tooth-brushes proved
to the raja that his visitors were truly of his own kin.
"Shadiepoor Gouria was a name that had an evil savour in the
nostrils of the provincial authorities of Oudh. It was a cave of AduUam,
which every desperate and turbulent spirit, every outlawed or impover^
ished man, made his resort, so that it became a proverb in the country^ —
* Great daooits to Jussa Singh, and petty robbers to Shadiepoor Gouria.'
They had numerous conflicts with the forces of Government, and though
often defeated, with their villages destroyed, and their groves (more sacred
than all) cut down, the rebellious spirit was never extinguished."
" There is another colony of Gours who inhabit twenty-eight villages (the
Tappah Bunthur) in pargJana Harha, and who are claimed by the above
race* as an offshoot from themselves. They also are Bumun Gours of the
same Gotr, but give a different account of their origin. According to
them Bunthur was formerly inhabited by a race of Guddies or cowherds^
who lived by pasturage and paid an annual tribute of ghi to the Government.
One year, whether with intent to defraud or to show their insubordina-
tion, they filled the vessels in which the tribute was sent with cowdung,
and covered it over with a small quantity of ghi. The fraud was dis-
covered at Court, and Garupdes Gour, who held a military command at
IXehli was directed to raise a body of followers and extirpate the offenders.
After performing this service, he received a grant of the conquered
villages, and settled there with his clan. This event is generally sup-
posed to have taken place in Akbar's reign.
" The Gours rose to a very prominent position under Kesri Singh,
who from about 1820 to 1845 exercised great influence in the country.
Thoiigh not the eldest branch of the house, all the clan acquiesced in his
headship, and his sagacity and prudence made him very useful to the
chukladars, and gave him great influence. He not only included all
the twenty-eight Gour villages in his talooka, but also got possession of seve-
ral neighbouring estates, and his revenue for many years was more than a
lac of rupees. He died about 1845. From the time of his death the
estates he had acquired beyond his natural boundary we're lost to his
heii;s, who had neither ability nor united spirit to maintain the position
he had acquired. The- twenty-eight villages were again split up into
several estates, the owners of which have been engaged in mcessant dis-
putes with each other."—" Elliott's Chronicles of Oonao, p.p. 44-45.
The Dikhit— 'This clan whose greatness has now faded resided in
Dikhitana a province of ancient Oudh, whose boundaries are uncertain.
It appears to have been mainh included in the present district of Untto.
to & extended from the (Ganges to NimkhSr m Sit™^ and from
Baiswdra on the east to the dominions of the Janwdrs m Fatehpur. The
* The Gaurs of Maila in'Bangarmau parganii.
09
346 UNA
Dikhits are described as follows by Mr. Elliott, but first it may Be
remarked that the pargana of Jhalotar Ajgain was the nucleus of their-
dorainions : —
" DikJdts. — Next id order among the colonists we may probably place
the Dikhits who, though still inhabiting a compact and extensive tract of
country, have now but a meagre shadow of the power they once exer-
cised, when the name of their country Dikhtheana was as widely renowned
as that of Baiswara is still.
" The traditions of the clan relate that the Dikhits are descended from
the Soorajbuns rajas, who for fifty*one generations ruled over Ajoodhia.
In the fiftyfirst generation from Jeshwara, Raja Doorgbow left Ajoodhia
and migrated to Guzerat, where his descendants took the title of Doorg-
bunses or children of Doorg. In the twenty-fourth generation from him
Kulian Sah Doorgbuns went to pay homage to Raja Vikramajeet, the
great Raja of Oojein, the supreme monarch of India. From him (about
50 B. C.) he received the title of Dikhit, which his descendants bore
instead of that of Doorgbuns, For many centuries they remained station-
ary in Guzerat, till, at the time when the Raj of Canouj was at its zenith,
Balbhuddur Dikhit, the younger son of Sumurpurdhan, entered the ser-
vice of the Rahtore Raja. From him he received as a gift the Sumonie
pargana which lies across the Jumna in the Banda district, and he
settled down in this estate with his family and his followers. But the
Hindoo monarchies were already drawing to their close, and the grand-
son of Balbhuddur, Juswant, saw the death of the Raja of Canouj, and the
destruction of the power and the family of his benefactor. Sumonie. was
too near Canouj not to be affected by this great dynastic revolution, and
the Dikhit colony was disturbed and broken up by these disastrous
events. Juswant Singh had four sons. The eldest remained in Sumonie,
and his descendants possess the estate to this day. The second, Udebhan,
migrated into Oudh, and colonized the district of Dikhtheana. The
third, Bunwarie, went still further north, crossing the Ghagra and the
Raptee, and choosing a safe retreat in the Sub-Himalayan forests founded
the great Sirneyt raj of Bansie. The fourth, Khyraj, migrated to the east,
and settled down in the district of Pertabgurh, and took the town of Bil-
khur whence his descendants are called Bilkhureas. Udebhan is said to
have established his authority from the borders of Baiswara on the east, to
Sandee Palee on the west, and from the Goomty to the Ganges embracing
fourteen pergunnahs under his sway. The traditions all differ in the lists
of these pergunnahs which they supply, and there is no independent evi-
dence by which the statement can be supported. On the contrary, all
other Rajpoot tribes reject the story as a mere fable. The Dikhits, how-
ever, assert that Udebhan buried charcoal at Neem Sarung as the bound-
ary mark of his dominions in that direction. Considering the tenacity
with which old boundaries are remembered and claimed, this story is not
likely to be a pure invention. But as the Dikhits occupied the country
earlier than almost any other clan, it is highly probable that they were
unable to defend this boundary against the powerful immigrants who
subsequently arrived and colonised those parts. The Malihabad Puthans
UNA 547
niust have settled there ahout 1300 A.D., and as in 1400 A.D. they were
strong enough to raise a barrier against the great Raja Tilockchund, and
beat back his victorious forces, it must have been still easier for them to
abolish from the territory they occupied the weak ' remains of pikhit
supremacy.
" The country which Udebhan and his followers occupied was thinly
populated by Lodhs, who offered no resistance which tradition has cared
to record. He founded a village on the banks of the Sai river in unculti-
vated land, and called it Neotinee from the ' tin ' grass which flourished
there, and was cleared away preparatory to cultivation.
" With the consent of his brotherhood, Udebhan assifmed the title of
raja which descended in a direct line through the eldest son for six gene-
rations. Whatevef be the foundation for their claim to an extensive
dominion in the west, there can be no doubt that during this period the
Dikhit Raja held a very high position in the country, and that this was
the time when Dikhtheana became famous as a geographical expression.
The list of marriages preserved by the bard proves this, containing as it does
the names of the daughters of the Jangra Raja of Dhourera, the Goutum
of Argul, the Bundulgotie of GurhrAinethie, the Buphgoti of Korar, and
the Bisein of Manikpore, With an Oudh Rajpoot it is always an object
of ambition to marry his daughters into a family of higher rank or posi^
tion than his own, whateyer the attendant expenses may be. The chiefs
of eastern Qudh make it their ambition to marry their daughters only
into the great Cuchwaha and Chouhan clans of Mynpoorie and Etawah ;
that they should have chosen the raja of Dikhtheana for their son-in-law
is a proof that at that time his rank and influence were as great as thogS
of the older western rajas are now.
*' Runa Singh was the last ruler to whom the ancestral inheritance des-
cended undivided. He has six sons, and they partitioned out Dikhtheana
bet'iyeen them. The eldest, Beernath, settled in Ohumrowlie ; the second,
Puthemul, in Putheora ; the third, Beersah, in Bholie ; Sudan occupied
Sunana, Gunduraj Mushkabad, and Goodut Goura. The Purenda family,
Vfho are at present the head of the tribe, descend from Puthemul, the
second son, and it is l^is fortunes t-hat the bar4 of the clan loves to
chronicle.
" When Hemow, the vizier of Mahomed Shah Adily, led his forces to
oppose the return of Humayun, all Hindoostan was moved to see a Hindoo
once at the head of affairs, and combating a Mahomedan in the field, and
a vast army flocked to his standard. This feeling gave to the campaign
something of the nature of a religious war, and as a natural result the
victory of Akber spread over all the country the fear of a forcible conver-
sion to Islamism, This fear was probably the immediate cause which
prevented Puthemul from obeying the summons of Akber s General,
Mahomed Ameen Khan, who was appointed to the Government of the
nrovince of Oudh Though treated with the greatest courtesy, and repeat-
edly caUed on to submit, he refused to return any answer whatever to the
sur^mons but sent his four ranees to their fathers homes, aifd called a
54S UNA
council of his feudatories and followers to discuss the condnict of the waR
The council was attended by the t'our of Bunthur, the Bisein of Unaoy
the Chouban of neighbouring Chouhan, and the Chundele mercenary,
leader, of a quota of horse. Some counselled him to meet the enemy in
the field, and others warned him to keep within the ramparts of itis fort,
but not one spoke of surrender. Meanwhile the Delhi force had crossed
the Ganges by a bridge of boats below Kanauj, and encamped before the
fort of Putheora. Then was seen the resolution .which the couHcil of war
had decided on. Clad in full armour, and followed by all his captains
dressed in their saffron robes, the raja issued into the plain, and drew up'
his forces for the battle. The Moghal yoked his guns together to withstand
their impetuous charge, but twice his staunchest battalions ^ere driyen
back, and twice a shameful route was imminent, till fresh reserves came up.
But the unequal contest was now all but over. Bhagwant Singh, the
ChQuhan had already fallen, other chiefs were wounded, and the Rdjputs
were weary and dispirited. Then the Moghul cavalry were brought up
fresh to the attack. Lalla Singh Chundele headed one desperate charge,
and fell drowned (as the bai-d phrases it) in that sea of horsemen, Tlfe
enemy swept on in one irresistible wave over Piithemel and his captains
who fell each in their places, and the power of the Dikhits was for ever
broken. When the Moghul army had done its work, and had passed'
onward towards Ajoodhia, and Dikhtheana was left without a head, tbe
Chundele Raja of Shurajpore thought to annex it to his own dominions,
and ordered a Pundit to consult the stars and fix an auspicious day for thei
expedition. The Dikhits heard of it, and the elder orChumrowlie branch
of phe brotherhood bestirred themselves to avert the danger. When
Puthemul sent his wives to their homes, one of them, the daughter of the
Dhourera raja, took her young son with her. They sent for the ehildl,
and with the consent of all the brotherhood, made him raja ; — and then'
strengthened by possessing this point of union they hastened to the banks
of the Granges to oppose the invasion of the Chundeles. By mutual consent
the issue was referred to single combat, and in the first onset the Dikhife
champion shot his antagonist through the forehead with an arrow. Then
the Chundele Eaja desisted from his attempt.
'' The name of the child who was thus made raja in his infancy was
Nirbuhun. He lived at Unao, and did not rebuild the ruins of his father's
fort. His grandspn, Beersinghdeo, founded the village of Beersingpoor, and '
his son Kheerut Singh r^mioved thence and built the fort of Pnrenda which
his descendant inhabits. But fortune did not deal ^11 with tbis hou^e, ,
and the fame of the Raja was no, longer what it had been^ They never ,
recovered the position they enjoyed before, Puthemitl's defeat ; and -what,
estates remained to them after that were rapidly di^ide^ and sub-
divided ^.mong the numerous sons, wl^Q according to Hindoo, law
could each claim an equal portion of the. inheritance and sepa,ratQ ■
himself from the parent sitoek, Thus, the power of the eldest son-
dwindled away, and the title of raja brought but Uttle substance, with it,
They seem, top, to have had: no able or energetic men in. their number,,
Hurrie Singh, great grandson of Kheerut, rebelled against the Ctevern-,
ment, and his fort was taken and his lands harried; by Shernndaa Khauj, j
UNA 549
Foujdar of Baiswara, about the year 1700 A.D. This was the finishing
blow to their ill fortune, for Subuns Rai, the son of Hurrie, was too. poor
to be able to afford the ceremony of having the* tilok affixed to his fore-
head on his father's death. Without the performance of this ceremony,
so important in a Rajpoot's eyes, it is almost impiety for any one to assume
the title of raja, and far beneath the dignity of the brotherhood to sanc-
tion it. From this fact, aiid from their poverty, the later rajas have lost
their influence among the brotherhood, as well as among neighbouring
clans, and are now looked on only as the elder brother where all are
equal.
" The degradation of the family culminated in the person of Chundie
Bux who died ten years ago. He was an exaggerated specimen of a
character which appears occasionally among the Rajpoots to ruin the
worldly prospects of a family, and to disgrace the memory of a long line
of ancestors. His distinguishing, indeed his sole quality, was a laziness
which was so overpowering that it assumed gigantic proportions. He
professed to be a devotee, but the profession was but a cover for his desire
to sit still. Neither intellectual pursuits nor manly exercises could tempt
him. In his youth he was never seen on horseback, in later years never
outside his house. He was too lethargic even to be stirred by hunger,
and it is related on one occasion that he was forgotten by his servants,
and remained for two whole days without food, too torpid to get up and
fetch it. Now, if there was one thing on which the officials of the Oudh
government insisted more than any other, it was that while they were
engaged in their yearly revenue settlement as they traversed the country,
every landholder in whose neighbourhood they were should present
himself and remain in attendance on them while they were in that part
of the country. Hence it became the established formula for a man who
wished to show disrespect, or to assert independence to signify it by
remaining in his house or fort when the chukladar approached. Chundie
Bux, who would not get up to save himself from hunger, could not be
expected to attend a chukladar's levee, and the natural result of this
lethargy would be that the chukladar would attack him and confiscate-
his estate. The brotherhood therefore assembled, and unanimously
deposed Chundie Btix, and elected Dya Shunkur, his first cousin, in his
place. The title of raja thus for the second time fell to the younger
branch as it had done in the case of Puthemul.
"Raja Dya Shunkur has shown himself superior in ability to most of
his ancestors, and has done much to restore the prestige of his house, so
that, though not beloved, and though considered close and grasping, he
is influential and respected. He has shown himself to be brave when
fighting was the wisest policy, and prudent and sagacious when he judged
• " The tilok is a streak of paint marked on the forehead. The ceremony in one point
answers to that of coronation in that it has a reUgious <ralue, and till the proper author-
i^ has affixed it., no one can truly be called, raja , it is a social ceremony, as all the bro-
therhood Sd the leading rajas and chiefs of the neighbourhood are summoned, and their
Dreeence Is supposed t^ attest the fact of the now raja's legitimacy and right to the
pieBeui,e is " FH „uests have to be entertained, and presenis have to be made to
toemTesWesthe oidSy lifts to Brahmins which are an essential part of every fesiival
the ceremony is v eiy expensive."
550 UNA
it better to temporiae. He not only increased his estate by redeeming
several villages from mortgage, but also got them assessed at a very low
rate, and represented his poverty and difficulties with so much pertinacity
and success that a large sum was remitted annually from his payment
on account of armed men whom he was supposed to entertain in order to
keep the neighbourhood quiet.
" He has had four giieat fights with chukladars. In 1248 F.S., Reo-
teeram, chukladar, besieged him in his fort for several days, but at last
they came to a compromise. In 1251 F.S. Ahmed Ali attacked him, and
the raja escaped from the fort at night. In 1255 F.S., Bux Ali, Chukla-
dar (the Dome who married Mrs. Walters), swore to him on the Koran
that he would not hurt him, but when he came in put him in prison.
The raja escaped after four days to his fort, and was attacked by the
chukladar, but beat him off, took two guns from him, and killed his teh-
sildar. Bux Ali retreated and got assistance from Lucknow, when the
Baja evacuated the fort, In 1261 F.S., Heera Lai Misr, Nazim of Bais-
wara, had a quarrel with Rao Ram Bux of Doondea Khera. The Rao
fled across the Ganges (this family were notorious for running away), and
his Naib, Tukut Singh, took refuge in a village close to Purenda, in the
house of a Dikhit, into whose family he had married. The nazim pur-
sued him, when Raja Dya Shunkur took him under his protection, sent
an escort with him, and kept the Nazim at bay till Tukut Singh had
safely escaped. In the rebellion Dya Shunkur remained loyal to Govern-
ment. His second cousin, Jeet Buhadoor, had alwa^ s been at feud with
him and claimed a share of the estate, and as he joined the rebels heart
and soul, that was sufficient reason for Dya Shunkur's taking the othe^
side. When Feroze Shah, Munsub Ali, and Jeet Buhadoor, were encamped
at Russoolabad, Dya Shunkur gave great assistance to ths Civil Offi-
cers at Bunnee and Nawabgunge by keeping them constantly informed
of the movements of the rebels.
" The list of marriages from the time of Puthemul clearly shows the
decadence of the house. The rajas have formed connections only with
the clans which inhabit the neighbourhood of Dikhtheana, such as the
Sengur, Sukurwal, Raikwar, Junwar, &c. As to daughters infanticide haa
been the rule, and not a single daughter has ever been allowed to live " — >
pp. 34-42, " Chronicles of Oonao."
No villages lost to the clan. — Of the villages divided among the sons of
Ran Singh, Dikhit, none have been lost. At present 95 villages are held
by the clan.
Chauhdns : their chief colony. — Next in importance to the Dikhit come
the Chauh&ns, who also follow closely in order of colonization. Their
chief colony, which is known as the Chauhira, lies at the junction of the
Unao, Asiwan, Safipur, and Pariar parganas ; the tract is said traditionally
to have contained 92 villages, but many of these have been absorbed in
others, and now there are in this Uaqa but 67 demarcated villages. Some
tribes whose origin is remarkable may be mentioned.
Mahrors : their origin. — The first of these are the Mahrors, who hold
five tappas in pargana Harha ; they assert that their ancestor, Shiu R^
UNA S51
Singh, came to this part of the country in consequence of his relation-
ship with the great Bais R£ja, Tilok Chand, and settling in Beordjmau
gradually colonized the adjacent country. On the other hand, the tradition
current in the district is that when Tilok Chand was defeated by the
Malihabad Pathans his followers fled, leaving him to his fate. The
bearers of his litter, however, beat off his pursuers and carried him from
the field in safety ; for their bravery he made them Rajputs on the spot,
changing their names from " Mahra" or Kahdr (palki-bearer) to that of
Mahror. The change has been accepted, and they now intermarry with
the smaller clans ; they hold 22 villages.
iRdwais : their origin. — The second are the Rawats, who formerly held
three tappas in pargana Harha ; tradition calls them illegitimate sons of
Tildt Chand by an Ahir woman. They themselves assert, they are pure
Bais, and explain their title (Rawat) in this way. About 250 years ago or
thereabouts the aborigines (Sunars) taking advantage of festivities at
Bithar rose and massacred the whole race ; one woman who proved pregr
nant alone escaping. She was protected by an AhIr, and in gratitude
called her son " Rdwat Beni Singh." On growing up to manhood Beni
Singh entered the service of the Emperor of Delhi. There he rose tofavour,
and obtaining permission to recover his ancestral estate led a force
against the Sunars, and taking advantage of them when they were keeping
up the festival of Bhadr Kali Debi massacred the entire tribe, re-estab-
lishing himself at Bithar, which had always been the headquarters of
his family. After this he acquired the property, a part of which his
descendants stUl hold ; they formerly held 31 villages, but now only 14.
It has not been considered desirable here to give any detailed account
of the Hindu history of Unao since it came under Musalman ascendency.
During the time of Delhi dynasty it formed a part of Sarkar Luckonw.
The following muhals and their proprietors are recorded in the Xin-i-
Akbari : —
Names of parganas. Proprietors.
(Jnam (Unao) ■•• •«• ••• ••• Sayyads.
Asiwan ... •.. ... — Bais, Chandels.
Asnha ... »• ••• »• Abirs.
EaDgarmau ... .•■ •" — Gahlots.
Fanhan
Bais
Parsandan ... — ••• ••• Eajput, Kanbls.
PStan ... ... ••• — Brahmana, Kunbis.
Ranbirpur (Porwa) ... ... ••• Bais, Brahmana.
Saipur or Safipnr ... ... ... ••■ Chandels.
Fatebpur Chaurasi... ... ... ••• >•.
MohSn ^ ... ••• "• ••• Baia.
MauT&nwan ... ... — ••• »
Haiba ..• ... •■• "• »
Magrayar ... ... ••• "' „». .
Sissaindi ... .•• ••• •- Bajpuis.
Ghatampnr ... ... ••• ••• BrahmanS.
On the whole property has not changed very much up to date. The
Bais Chhattris are still the chief proprietors in the district ; their earliest
settlement was in Daundia Khera formerly of Eae Bareli now of this
district • but their history has been given under that district because the
greater part of their possessions lie there.
552 TOSTA
Muhammadans : their division into two pa/)~ties. — The Muhammadans
may be divided in two dasses — colonists and converts. Th€ former are
gathered together in a few large towns; the latter, few and far" between,
are found in the villages occupied by their Hindu ancestors.
Converts. — These latter may be dismissed with a few words. The chief
are the zamindars of Rahnapur, Seora, Simra, and a few other villages of
pargana Jhalotar, of Unw4r and GulzSrpur in Safipur, and Rikka of par-
gana Purwa. They have no history worth recording, and are M'uhammad-
ans in little more than name.
Colonists. — ^The colonists are of two kinds: first those who settled af'er
conquest, of which the Muhammadahs of Safipur and Unao are the chief
examples; and those who settled on lands granted them in jagir as ia
Bangarmau and Asiwan.
The first invasion of Oudk. — The first invasion of Oudh by the
Muhammadans was under Sayyad S/ilar Masaud,nephew to Sultan Ma^nifid
of Ghazni, about the year 1030 A.D. ; but this expedition was most
disastrous to the Moslems, as hardly a man returned to tell the tale of
their defeat and death. Along the route taken by this army the graves
of Sdlar's followers ate still pointed out in this district, but principally at
Bari thana and Asiwan ; in the latter place the ganj built close to these
tombs still bears the name of the martyr's market.
The end of the expedition was disastrous. Masaid himself and the
remnant of his host falling by the hands of the Raj Bhars of Bahraich,
where his shrine is still extant, built about 200 years later when the
Musalmans under the Delhi Emperor had acquired a permaneat footing
in the province.
The earliest settlepimt hy colonizatioifi at BdingM^ma'a. — ^The earliest
settlement in the district dates from the end of the 13th or beginning of
the 14th century; tradition relates that a saint, Sayyad AM-ud-din, coming
from Kanauj, where numbers of the conquering Muhammadans had settled
after its fall, to settle in the city of Newal, was not permitted to do so by
the raja of the place, Newal Singh, who turned the Sayyad. out of hia terri-
tories. The saint in his anger cursed him and all his people for their
inhospitality, and as a punishment turned the town upside-down, destroy-
ing the inhabitants at a blow. It is a singular eircumstanGe that all old
vessels of' domestic use and other articles are inVariably found topsy-
turvey in the ground ; and it is even asserted that the foundation of
houses have been found the same way ; unfortunate however for the tradi-
tion, all the old wells, of which several are still pointed out, are the right
way upwards. After this Sayyad Ala-ud-din founded the town of Ban-
garmau at a' short distance from NewaJ. The shrine budlt over his grave
bears date 702 Hijri, or 1302 A.D.
The next Musalman conquest is that of SafipiJr. la 819 Hijri a saint,
Maul&na Shah' Akram, was insulted here when trav^ling:to Jaunpur. He
complained on arrival to the king, Ibrdhiin Sh^h, who sent an army; to
avenge the insult and conquer the country; Asiwan was colonized from
UNA 553
Safipur probably in the 16th century, but the more remarkable settlement
of the Musalmans at Unao may be related at length : —
" Sayyad Baha-ud-din, son of the Sayyad Ala-ud-deen, who was killed in
the taking of Safeepur, was the conqueror of the Biseins of Oonao and the
founder of the Mahomedan family who have large estates in that pargana.
They are Zaidie Syuds from Wasia, and relate of themselves that they are
descended from one Syud Abdul Furah of Wasia, whom political troubles
forced to quite his country and to flee into Hindostan, From him are
descended the most renowned Musulman families in Northern India, the
Barhah and Belgram Syuds, and in Khyrabad, Fattehpore Huswa, ?ind
many other places branches of the same stem are found. A young son
of this race, by name Baha-ud-deen, had fallen in the taking of Kanauj by
Shabab-ud-deen Ghori (1193 A.D.), and it was said that he was slain by
the very hand of a Bisein Raja of Oonao, who as vassal to the raja of
Kanauj had come to do him military service in that battle. Other mem-
bers of the Syud family had taken up their abodes in Kanauj, and it was
from here that the Ala-ud-deen above alluded to had proceeded to join the
Jeunpore force in assisting whom he met his death. The conquest of Safee-
pore having proved so easy, the spirit of further acquisition was awakened,
and Baha-ud-deen set out, about 1450 A.D., at the head of a party of his
relations, with view at once to avenge their old blood feud with the Biseins,
and to annex a valuable estate. They went craftily about their design
and represented themselves as horse dealers. Their Persian and Cabulee
studs were much valued in a country which produced nothing bigger
than ponies, and the raja was easily induced to buy so large a number of
horses from them that he was unable to pay in ready money, and was
obliged to make over to them a portion of the estate, out of the profits of
which they could gradually repay themselves. This was what was wanted
to enable them to get a footing in the country. They sent for their famir
lies, and along with them obtained the assistance of several more of their
party, who came under the pretence of escorting the women. Their arrival
was timed so as to synchronise with the celebration of a marriage in the
raja's family, and before their increased numbers could spread abroad any
suspicion of their intentions, they obtained the raja's permission for
their wives to enter the fort in order to visit his wife and congratulate
her on the happy event. In each of the covered litters, which were sup^
posed to contain the women, an armed man was concealed, and arms
were hidden about the bearers of the litters. The fort was open to all
comers, and its defenders were off their guard, and most of them
intoxicated, when the Syuds throwing off their disguise, fell on the unsus-
pecting Biseins, and slaughtered every man withm the fort. Only one
son of the raja's escaped the massacre. He was out hunting when it
occurred, and fled to his kin at Manikpur. The raja of that place took
up his quarrel, and sent a force to reinstate him, but was defeated at
Kaithan and again at Kwelaghara. The Syuds, l^owever, did not wm the
victory without great loss on their side, and felt _ that they could not long
afford to continue such a combat. At this time the great Bai? Raja,
Tilokchund, was enjoying undisputed supremacy over the whole Rajpoot
community of the south of Oudh. But the defeat he had experienced
at the hands of the Mulhiabad Puthans had probably taught hini that
- - 70
554 UNA
these new invaders were dangerous to meddle with. In token of respect
and submission, the Syuds sent a present to hira, which after some deli-
beration he accepted, answering those who wished him to assist his brother
Rajputs by the arguments, that the Syuds had taken Oonao in pursuance
of a blood feud, which it was their duty to prosecute, and he swore not
to attack them himself nor to suffer any other Rajpoot to do so. They
were to keep theOonao pargana as their own zamindari, and charcoal was
buried in the village of Kwelaghara to mark the bound.
" The Dehli king on hearing of the success of the Syuds gave them a
sanud for the zamindari, and made them chowdris oi' the pargana, on con-
dition thait they should sound the ' Azan' and have prayers five times a
day ; that after each prayer they should shoot off ten arrows from the
musjid, and should accompany the foujdar or chief government official
■whenever he went to fight any rebel in Baiswara.
" Nothing is recorded of the Syuds till two or three generations after we
come to another Syud Baha-ud-deen, who is distinguished by the cognomen
of Oonamy, He had singularly fallen off from the purity of Muhamraadan
tenets ; for he had a Purihar mistress whose descendants are called Mir-
dahas, and inhabit the Mirdaha mohulla in Oonao. An Afghan of
Mow Mahomdabad had been foujdar of Baiswara, and had acquired great
unpopularity by his severity in putting down rebellion. After losing his
appointment he married in Shahjehanpore, and was returning home when
the zamindars of pargana Bijnour attacked and stopped him. Syud Baha-
ud-deen Oonamy went to his assistance, conveyed his bride through Mohan
to Lucknow from whence her road was clear, and then returning attacked
and was killed by the Bijnour zamindars. Thus the generous daring of
his death compensated for the irreligion of his life, and for many years
flowers used to fall upon his grave thrown by unseen hands.
" His great grandson was Syud Gudun, during whose life the celebrated
saint Shuruf-rud^deen Yehia Munery came to Oonao on his travels. Some
miracles which he performed are recorded by the credulous chronicler of
the house. He chose out a little square plot of ground, and had mud walla
built round it, with no door, to the height of ten feet. Here he performed
a ' chilla " or forty days fast, sitting inside his little castle and holding no
•communication with the world outside. At the end of the time he gave
a signal that he wanted to come out, and on the wall being knocked down
he walked forth rather thinner than before, but otherwise much as usual.
On one occasion he saw some children pelting each other with unripe
plums, and promised to supply ripe ones if they would shut their eyes for a
minute, They all did so, but one little urchin peeped through the corner
of his eyes and saw the holy man take off his cap and walk three times
solemnly round it, and then take it up and shake the ripe frnit out. So
when they had eaten all the plums the boy tcJldhis companions how the
miracle had been performed. On this the saint cursed him, saying that
his descendants should always be one-reyed. There was a man named
Jafir also against whom the saint uttered this imprecation that his family
ghould be always unsuccessful, and that sweep as they might their
bouses should never be free from spiders, Both these, curses, Talib Ali
UNA 335
says, were in force against the families of tlie origiaal offenders ill his
day.
" Syud Gudun married first a Syud's daughter from Mohan, and when
she died, leaving a young child, Shah Mahomed, he married a Pathan
girl of Moradabad. Shah Mahomed was very sickly, and a fakeer predicted
that if any woman would wave a vessel of water round his head, and give
the water to another child to drink, the sickness would pass to that child,
and Shah Mahomed would recover. The Puthan woman did this, and
gave the water to her own son who died, and immediately afterwards Shah
Mahomed recovered.
" When Syud Gudun died his son was a child, and his brother Gul All
managed the estate. He was mortally wounded at Mohan in a fight with
the Amil, who wanted to seize the daughter of the widow of a Syvid
there. Gul Ali had seven sons and died exhorting them to acknowledge
Shah Mahomed as their head, and to have no quarrel with him. This
exhortation they at once disregarded, and claimed a separate share in
the estate. The case was referred to the Lodh zamindars of Dhora
Muntria (pargana Mohan), who had a neem tree of such peculiar virtues
that no one sitting under it could decide unjustly. The Lodhs heard
their several arguments, and adjourned the case till next day. Then offer-
ing hospitality to the litigants, they sent them out some cooked food,
one brass and seven earthen plates, one chair and seven bundles of grass.
The seven brothers unanimously gave up the brass plate and the chair
to Shah Mahomed, and took the others themselves. The Lodhs then
said, — you have yourselves decided the case by allowing Shah Mahomed's
superiority — how then can you sue for equal shares.' So they decided to
give two-thirds of the estate to him, and the remaining third to his seven
cousins remarking that Shah Mahomed would still have the, expense
of feeding all the travellers, fakeers, &c., and keeping up the credit of his
house. The cousins were dissatisfied, and appealed to the Syuds of
Suffeepore, but got a similar decision.
" Shah Mahomed's son, Syud Talib, had the misfortune of being a hen-
pecked man. He married in Fatehpur, and was regularly driven from
his home by his wife's violent temper. He wandered about the world till
she died, and then he came home again, after which as this misfortune
was his 'sole claim to a place in history, he very appropriately died.
Syud Talib had three sons, who increased their estates by acting as
security for defaulting zamindars, and if they were not paid taking the
villsLce. They seized on the village of Rao in this way, but the Bisein
zamindars attacked and murdered them. On this Mohabut Khan, Go-
vernor of Oudh, and Tahowur Khan, Foujdar of Baiswara, and Syud
Anwar Jagheerdar of Rasoolabad, received orders from Dehli to punish
the murderers. They did so, utterly destroying the village, and leaving
in its place merely the great mound which now stands to the north-west
of the present village of the same name.
" Mahomed Mah succeeded to the estate. His younger brother, Noor-
ood-deen, took service in the Deckan, and received the parganas Oonao,
556 UNA
Suffeepore, and Jajmow in jagheei-. When he was getting old and weary erf
the labour of managing this estate, he bribed the Canoongoes to draw up a
certificate of his death, and sending it in the J8.gheer was transferred to
another person, and he returned to his home to spend the rest of his days
in peace. Mahomed Mah built the larg'e house in Oonao, with the
pillared verandah, which belongs to his descendant Dost Ali.
" His son, Dost Mahomed, accompanied Nawab Khwaja Bakur Khan,
Naib of Sadut Khan, to the great fight at Sichendie (in Cawnpore) with
Hindoo Singh, Ohundele, and there he was killed. There are Biseins
Eving in four or five villages of pargaaa Unao who are descendants of
Kaja Unwant, and it is said that when Mahomed was lying under a
tree, badly wounded in that battle, some of these Biseins came and cut
olf his head in satisfaction of the old feud which belonged to thirteen
generations ago. A relation of his, Gholam Rusool Ali, was in Ismail
Khan's Resala, and crossed the Gogra with Sufdur Jung, and took part in
his fight with the Gonda Raja. But happening to displease Ismail Khan
he was beaten so severely that he died.
" Dost Mahomed's son Talib Ali, (the author of the chronicle before
alluded to), was in the Dehli service, but on hearing of Gholam Rusool's
fate threw it up in disgust and came home. From that time no member
of this family entered the military service of Dehli or Lucknow. They
confined themselves to their duties as zamindars and chowdries.
" Talib Ali had five sons, two of whom were childless, and two died
before their father. He was succeeded by Badshah Ali, and on his dying
childless the estate passed to Farzaud Ali, son of Talib All's youngest son.
He was the father of Dost Ali, the present talookdar."
The following account of the military operations in Unao prior to the
relief of Lucknow in September, 1857, is based on the official reports
quoted or abstracted in Ball's Mutiny in India, Vol. II., page 16.
"On the 28th July, 1857, General Havelock, who had crossed the Ganges
at Cawnpore, and advanced six miles to Mangalwar, telegraphed as
follows : —
" Our losses from cholera are becoming serious, and extend to General
Neill's force as well as my own. I urgently hope that the 5th and 90th
can be pushed on to me eafcire, and with all despatch, and every dispos-
able detachment of the regiments now under my command may be sent
on. My whole force only amounts to 1,500 men, of whom under 1,200
are British, and ten guns imperfectly equipped and manned."
Carrying out the intention expressed in the preceding telegram, Briga-
dier-General Havelock, on the morning of the 29th, commenced his
march towards Lucknow. The force moved off their camping ground at
Mangalwar as the day broke, aware that opposition awaited them at a
village called Unao, about three miles from their starting point, and con-
sequently they were ncft surprised when, on nearing the place, three guns
opened upon them. Two field-pieces were inunediately brought forward
and silenced them; but as the troops moved on a line of white puffs of
UNA 557
smoke from tlie orchard and garden walls surrounding the place indicated
that the ttiatchlockmen intended to stand their ground. On this the
skirmishers rushed forward, and drove the enemy out of the orchard into
the village, leaving the three guns in the possession of the British, who
pushing forward attempted to clear the village, but met with a resistance
they Were not at the moment prepared for.
The mud-walled villages of Oudh and their fighting inhabitants are
among the peculiar features of the country. Every hamlet is at chronic
feud with its neighbour ; and all of them look upon open rebellion against
the farmer of their taxes as a sacred duty. The consequence is that a
century of practical experience in the art of self-defence had converted
those villages into almost impregnable fortifications, and the villagers them-
selves into excellent garrison troops. A hundred Oudh men would flee from
the attack of ten English soldiers on an open plain ; but it ten Oudhians
are placed behind a loopholed mud-wall, they will hold their position with-
out shrinking and not consider it much of an achievement. Such was
the case in the petty village of Unao. The enemy were completely hid-
den behind walls; the British troops were in the place and all round it,
and yet they could comparatively do nothing, and were dropping fast under
the bullets of their unseen foes. Thrice did a portion of them charge a
mud-walled enclosure filled with men, and thrice were they driven back
with heavy loss. At length it was determined to fire the place; the artil-
lery drew back, portfires were laid to the thatch, and the men of the light
companies stood waiting around the outskirts, with eager eyes and rifles
cocked, like terriers waiting for the rats to rush out.
Just at this moment, while the thatch was crackling amidst the spread-
ing flames, the field engineer of the force, who had gone round to the front
of the village by himself to reconnoitre came spurring back in hot haste
with the information that a very large force of infantry, cavalry, and guns
was rapidly advancing from the other side upon Unao. Upon this, the
task of finishing off the rebels inthe burning village was left to the Sikhs,
and the whole British force was ordered to turn the position by the right,
and move on to the front as quickly as possible.
This, however, was no easy matter as far as the artillery was concerned ;
for the ground was heavy, and the guns frequently stuck fast in the
swamp for five minutes together under a galling fire of matchlocks. At
length the main road was reached again, and the force pushed on through
the groves which encircled the place.
Beyond the. trees lay a level swampy plain of vast extent traversed by
a main road, along which was seen approaching a force of about 6,000
men, bearing down on our right and left flanks, with their guns in
a:dvance ; the distance between the opposing columns being about 1,500
yards. The leading gun of the English troops was immediately unlim-
bered and opened upon the insurgents, with a view to arrest their pro-
gress, and give the infantry time to deploy ; while the other guns, as they
came up one by one, went into action in line with the first. By this
time the enemy's artillery had closed to within a thousand yards, and
558 UNA
opened fire. ' The sun fortunately was at the back of the ' English gtifl-
neis, and they could distinctly see the objects they were to fire at ; and
consequently in about ten minutes they had silenced the enemy's leading
guns, and the whole of the English force moved forward with the artillery
in the centre. The immense disproportion between the attacking column
and the force of the enemy was a subject of hilarity among the troops, as
their small thin line struggled forward knee-deep in swamp, with sloped
arms, to encounter the vast masses of infantry and cavalry that swarmed
in front of them. Not one of those grim and bearded Englishmen but
felt confident of victoiy, and a groan ran through the line, " Oh that we
had cavalry to cut the dogs up!"
During this advance, the artillery came into action as opportunity
occurred, and, still pressing forward, gun after gun was abandoned on
the road ; while those in the front and on the left flank stuck in the
swamp, and were left to their fate. At last the English artillery got up
near enough to tell upon the rebel infantry ; while' the saddles of the
cavalry began to empty rapidly under the fire of the Enfield rifles. Pre-
sently the enemy's horsemen went threes about ; there was a wavering
among the infantry ; and then, as if a sudden panic had seized them, they
rushed off the field to a village in the distance across the plain, where they
were afterwards discovered huddled together like a flock of sheep leaving
the British in possession of the road and of fifteen captured guns. It
was now past 2 o'clock P.M., and the troops halted where they stood
for a couple of hours to cook and eat.
After this refreshment the force again marched forward about eight
miles to a. large walled village named Bashiratganj, also surrounded by
swamps to which the enemy had retired, and where they showed an
intention to make a stand. On approaching this place three more guns
were found to be in position ; two behind a mud-wall built across the road
and one on an elevated mud bastion. The two guns on the road were
quickly silenced by the fire of the English artillery ; but the one on the
bastion continued to give some trouble until a well directed 9-pound er
dismounted it and prevented further annoyance from that quarter. The
sepoys at this place made but a feeble defence, and were quickly driven
out of the village ; but the matohlockmen, on the contrary, fought boldly
and well, although uselessly, for Havelock's men had now become fierce
and flu.shed with success, and nothing could withstand their impetuosity
as house after house was stormed and carried, until the village was finally
evacuated.
The pertinacity of one of the villagers at this place was remarkable.
He had stationed himself in a little mud fort at the entrance of the
place (which was almost the first position carried), and had con-
trived to hide himself, thus escaping the fate of his comrades in the
general bayoneting. As soon as the main body of the English had passed
on this man emerged from his shelter, and plied his solitary matchlock
with effect at the guns, the baggage, the elephants, or anything that
came within range. His bravery amused the men of the rear-guard,
who, as he was not a sepoy, would have spared him if possible, and they
UNA ' 55,9
repeatedly called to him to desist ; but their humanity was thrown away,
and the result was that a party of Sikhs went and smoked him out of the
forti and the poor wretch was shot through the head as he was crossing
over the parapet for a last hit at his enemies.
The loss of the enemy at Unao is estimated by native report at 1,500
killed and wounded. It might in truth amount to ftOO ; it was lighter
at Bashiratganj. In these two combats nineteen guns were captured
from the enemy.
" I must praise the conduct of all ray staff officers. Lieutenant-Colonel
Tytler, hardly able from indisposition to sit on his horse, set throughout
the day an example of daring and activity ; Lieutenant Havelock, Deputy
Assistant Adjutant-General, had a horse shot under him ; Lieutenant
Seton, my acting Aide-de-camp, was severely wounded ; Major Stephen-
son, at the head of the Madras Fusiliers, showed throughout the day
how the calmest forethought can be united with the utmost daring."
The victorious troops encamped on the night of the 29th on the cause-
way beyond the village of Bashiratganj, having fought from sunrise to
sunset, with an interval of thiee hours during the heat of the day, and
captured nineteen guns, amongst which were two complete 9-pounder
English batteries, new from the Cossipore foundry.
The loss during the day's fight was heavy for the small force engaged,
namely, 100 men killed and wounded ; and as the number of wounded
took up nearly the whole available sick carriage of the force, considerable
embarrassment might have arisen on account of the wounded in a future
action before the supply had been augmented. The contingency was,
however, foreseen and guarded against.
The next battle took place in the ensuing month. General Havelock
left his fortified camp at Mangalwar on the 4th August, bivouacked for
the night at Unao, and on the following morning received intelligence
that the enemy had re-occupied the town of Bashiratganj in considerable
Btrength. He immediately commanded the advance, and on reaching a
serai about six miles distant from the bivouac found the information cor-
rect. Two heavy guns and two 24-pound er howitzers were at once
pushed forward by the road, while six guns, with the 78th Highlanders and
Sikhs under Colonel Hamilton, proceeded to turn the left of the village;
and the Ist Madras Fusiliers and 84th Foot covered the turmng column
with the heavy guns. By this movement the enemy was speedily expelled
fromtheserai, but still obstinately held the villages on the other side of
the street beyond it. At length they were driven out by the artillery,
and the troops advanced, the heavy guns silencing some guns of the
enemy posted on the right and left of the road, which were, however,
withdrawn by the rebels, who retired slowly— forced back but not beaten.
The troops then passed through the village and came to the causeway
crossing the swamp, from the other side of which a hot fire of matchlocks
and guns was kept up both on the causeway and on the right wing of the
Enalish force which returned their fire across the water with interest,
faking advantage of the diversion; thus made, the 84th dashed across the
560 UNA
causeway, and began skirmishing on the other side. The heavy guns
followed and opened fire at grape range on the enemy's cavalry who were
scattered to the winds by four volleys.
The troops were now in a richly cultivated country, studded with ham-
lets, every one of which swarmed with matchlockmen. Crossing the cause-
way, the whole force spread out to the right and left engaging the villagers
and driving back the sepoys in front, and thus passed through the belt
of cultivation, emerging upon an extensive open plain, on which were half
a dozen different camps crowded with troops, and as many fortified villages
occupied by matchlockmen. The artillery immediately opened fire on a
camp in which a large red and white striped tent rose above the rest,
surrounded by a strong body of cavalry and infantry with several guns,
the whole of whom made a precipitate retreat the moment the 24-pounder
grape-shot and shrapnell began to drop amongst them. Unfortunately the
British guns were too far in advance of the infantry, and could not venture
to follow without support. A halt was therefore sounded, to allow the
remaining troops time to come up, and when the whole had joined,
the men were ordered to cook and eat, while a consultation was held as
to the expediency of pursuing the advantage already gained or of return-
ing to Mangalwar. The result of the deliberation was an order to return
thither without delay.
From the evening of the 6th until the morning of 1 1th of August
the troops remained in camp at Mangalwar, during which time a council
was held as to the expediency of re-crossing the Ganges and falling
back upon Cawnpore. That measure was ultimately decided upon, and
arrangements for the purpose were made by the field engineer, who
selected a spot for the embarkation considerably lower down than the
place formerly crossed by the troops. The river at this place was much
narrower ; but to reach it a succession of swamps and creeks had to be
crossed. Causeways were thrown across the former, and the latter were
bridged with boats in an incredibly short space of time considering the
amount of work to be done, and the very inefiScient means at the disposal
of the engineer officers. The commissariat stores and baggage were sent
down daily and passed over ; and finally, on the morning of the 11th, an
order was issued that all the bedding (the only article of baggage the
troops had been allowed to keep) was to be sent across the river immedi-
ately. The troops consequently anticipated that they would have to
follow during the night ; but their astonishment may be conceived when,
at three o'clock in the afternoon, the bugles sounded " the turn-out ;" and
they learned that they were for the third time to advance to the front, in
consequence of information that the enemy had come down to Unao, with
the intent to attack them during their passage across the river. The troops
accordingly marched off with their arms in their hands and their clothes
on their backs, and not another thing. When they reached Unao it was
found that the information was false, and not a single rebel was to be seen.
During the halt, however, preparatory to retracing their steps, information
reached the General that the enemy under the impression that the British
troops had actually crossed the Ganges two days previous had come down
in force to Bashiratganj ; and that 4,000 infantry and 500 cavalry, with
UNA 561
one horse-battery and some guns were then lying encamped in front of
that place. Having now advanced so far, it was felt to be impossible to
retreat in the face of the enemy without exchanging shots ; and accord-
ingly the troops, after a scanty supper, bivouacked that night on the plain,
and with the first streak of dawn marched to the encounter.
Meantime the enemy having intelligence of the advance had worked
hard all night intrenching themselves ; and when the troops arrived in
front they were found strongly posted ; their right resting On the village
pf Bourse-ki-Ghauki in advance of the .town, which they had strongly
fortified ; their left on a mound about 400 yards distant, which they had
cut down into a battery and mounted with three guns ; the interval
between being connected by a ditch and breastwork, lined with infantry,
having cavalry massed on tlieir left flank to act as opportunity might offer.
To oppose the troops thus strongly posted, the British fprce did not
consist of more than 800 effective men in the field, 200 having been left
behind to guard the approaches to the river.
The plan of battle was soon formed. The 78 th Fusiliers and four guns
moved off on the right to attack the left of the enemy's position, the
heavy guns on the left, supported by the 84th, went along the road to
engage the enemy's right battery, and the remaining part of the force and
guns took the centre. General Havelock was much retarded in bringing
his battery and supporting troops across the deep and wide morasses that
protected the enemy's front ; during which operation the shot and shell
of the rebels caused him severe loss; but on the right of the column the
ground was good, and the men being fresh moved fast, and soon came
into collision with the enemy's left. This movement appeared to annoy
them much, and they turned the priqcipal part of their guns in that
direction. An officer writing of this engagement says : — " I certainly was
never under so heavy a fire in my life. In five minutes after we came
into action every man at the gun I was laying was woimded with grape,
except the sergeant and myself; and four of our gun cattle were knocked
over by round shot. The other three guns suffered nearly as much, ajid
we found our fire had little effect on the battery in front ; their guns
were too well protected. So we limbered up and got away as fast as we
could, taking ground more to the right, and then found it was possible to
move sljill more forward and take the adverse battery in flank. This was
accordingly done, and then we had our revenge, for they could oiily bring
one gun to bear on us, while we, with our four, enfiladed their whole
position. At this ,time we were within 500 yards of the enemy's cavalry,
who, ,if they had had one atom of pluck, could have charged and taken
our guns with the' most perfect ease ; but a handful of fusiliers, with their
iEnfields, lying down on our right, and the smaU body'of volunteer horse
drawn up in our rear, made us feel perfectly secure, and so we went on
poipd^g i^e battery without paying the slightest attention to the horse-
me;i. ' Presently an artillery waggon was seen creeping out of the battery—
that was instantly knocked over ; and soon after a lucky shrapnell silenced
the one gun which was firing direct at us. Our fire grew hotter than ever,
aud at last a swarm of men was seen rushing back m confusion from the
trenches. Hereupon a cheer ran along the whole of our advancing lines.
71
562 UNA
The 78th quickened their pace before breaking into one of their magnifi-
cent charges, and the fusiliers on our right dashed forward with a yell in
loose skirmishing order at the left flank of a large grove which extended
along the rear of the enemy's position and wa8 full of men. The 78th
went straight at the battery, which still remained crowded with men, the
gunners working their two remaining guns to the last, and only bolt-
ing when our men were at the foot of the slope, carrying oft' with them
one gun, the team of which had escaped the shrapnell of our artillery.
After bayoneting all they could catch, the 78th turned the two captured
guns on the enemy. Some artillerymen came into the battery immedi-
ately after, and we had the intense satisfaction of giving the flying foe
three rounds from each of their own guns."
The position was carried about the same time at all points, the enemy
flying in headlong haste from the chastiseinent they had provoked. On
the left of the position, as they had the advantage of the load, they
managed to carry off their guns, the c;ivalry being ilnable to pursue them
through the swamps, and the infantry were too much exhausted by
fatigue and hunger to follow them up. Having contented themselves, there-
fore, with driving the enemy clear through and away from the village, the
force halted for a short time to breathe, and then leisurely marched back
to TJnao where they cooked some food, and in the cool of the evening
retraced their steps to Mangalwar. On the following morning (the IStli)
the troops moved down to the river, and, owing to the excellence of the
arrangements by the engineer, they were all crossed over and housed on
the Cawnpore side by nightfall of the same day,
Legends and traditions. — The principal legends and religious traditions
connected with the district of Unao are concerned with the following
places : —
Purwa, where stands the great temple of Billeswar Mahddeo. Par-
sandan, where Paras Ram is said to have been bom to the holy sage
Jamdagn.
Sarwan, where Raja Dasrath of Ajodhya killed the holy Rishi Sarwan ;
he shot him by night as he stooped to drink at the edge of a tank.
Pariar, where Sita is said to have been cast forth, when Ram Chandr,
king of Ajodhya, divorced her. Here she gave birth to her son Lava, and
here her adopted son Kus founded the city of Kusumbhi, long afterwards
described by the Buddhist pilgrims. The great jhil, which almost surrounds
Pariar, is called Mahna, a corruption from Maharan, the great fight in
which the sons of Ram Chandr, unaided, vanquished the mighty armies sent
by their father.
At Maurdnwan is said to have formerly reigned Muraddhuj, who
celebrated the Ashwamed simultaneously with the Pdndus at Hasti-
napur.
At Asoha Ashwasthdma, the Brahman, who murdered the five young
children of Braupadi in their sleep, and whose life was spared because he
UNA 563
was a Brahman, stayed for a time in his Cain-like wandering ov^r the world,
and here he is still worshipped.
The river Loni in Unao is said to have first commenced to flow in the
following mysterious way :— The great magician Dhanattar was proceeding
to cure king Parichhit, when a snake demon, Takshak, who was predestined
to kill that king — in other^words the Scythian to conquer the Arian — met
him assuming the form of a man and asked him, " whither goest thou ?"
He said, "I go to Lomas Rishi who has called me, for the Takshak will
bite Raja Parichhit, and I am to heal him." Then the Takshak said, " I
am the Takshak, and whatever I bite that I destroy. I will bite the
rdja, and who is there that can cure the wound?" And Dhanattar
answered, " whatever I look at I restore it even as it was, and my sight is
the only limit to my power," The Takshak said, "see there is a pipal tree
with bii-ds on it," and he touched it, and the birds died and the tree fell
away into a heap of dust. The Baid then looked upon the tree, and
instantly it became tall and green again as it had been before, and the
birds were alive in its branches. On seeing this the Takshak departed,
and Hiade himself into a little rod of gold, and laid himself down in the
path by which the Baid was to come, phanattar saw the stick, and
wondering at it took it up. As he went he carried it now in this hand,
and now in that, and at last he laid it across his shoulder. Then the
Takshak, who was the stick, bit Dhanattar behind on the back of his
neck, so that he could not see the wound to cure it.
When he was bitten, Dhanattar knew that he had been deceived, and
he went home again, and told his sons that the Takshak had bitten
him and he must die, for he could not see the wound. But he said,
" when I am dead take you my body, and roast the flesh and eat it ; then
shall my skill, and all the learning that I have learned, descend to you, and
your name shall be great. But be not deceived if any forbid you this, and
answer that it is my order." Having said this he died, and his sons took
his body, and cut the flesh from off the bones, and cooked it in a caldron,
and prepared to eat it. But the Takshak took the form of a Brahman
and came to the house, and said, " what is this th^t you mean to do ?
Was ever such a thing heard in the land, that a son should eat his father's
flesh? Are ye utterly without religion ? Or do ye think that the words
of a man in whose blood the poison is running, and who is at the point of
death, should be obeyed in such a thing as this ?" Then they were
ash3,med, and taking up the flesh they placed it in the caldron on the
water of the Ganges, and left it there. It flo9,ted down the river, and
Granga, watched over it that none should do it harm, and cast it gently
ashope beneath the sacred temple of Pajriar. A woman of the Cham^r
caste named Jjona who lived at Unao was washing there, and s.eeipg that
there was meat in the vessel she took it and began to eat, And as she eat
the wisdom of Dhanattar pagsed into her, and she became skilful m cures
and medicines, and if any was bitten by a snake she healed him.
There came a day when all the people of Unao were transplanting the
voung rice plants from their seed bed into the wider fields in which they
were to grow. Every man brought the plants in a basket, and threw
oM UNA
them out in one place where Lena Chani^rin was standing, but when' they
came back with another basketful, they found that Lona had already
planted out all the plants which were in the heap. When they saw this
they wondered greatly, and said "we are two hundred men bringing baskets
of plants — how can one woman plant out so mg,ny all alone." So at last
when the rest went away after emptying their baskets, her brother-in-law
stayed behind and hid himself. He watched and .saw that when all were
gone, Lona stripped herself na,ked, and took up the heap in her hands,
and muttered words and cast the plants into the air, and all the rice plants
planted themselves out in order, each in its proper line and place. Then
he cried out in his astonishment, and when she saw that she was watched,
she was overpowered with shame, and crouching down tried to escape.
Her brother-in-law followed to reassure her, but she fled the faster, and
as she fled the earth opened before her, and behind her all the water from
the rice fields collecting in oine wave flowed down the channel which she
inade. At iirst she crouched as she ran, but when she saw she was pursued
she rose up, and the channel became deeper, and the wave behind her rose
higher, and fear added wings to her flight.
So she sped along, carrying destruction; through the country as she ra;D,
passing through the towu of Ne\*^%an, till at last reached the Ganges a;t
Dalmau, and rushed into it, and hid her shame , in its water. The
channel which she made is called the Loni nadi to this day. The flood
destroyed the town of Newayan, and left nothing but a high mound which
stands close to the brink of the streanj. The rdja of Newayan was named
Eanbir, and he escaped with his life from the submerged city, and most
of the people escaped also. He sought a place wherein tp iijhabit ; and
one day as he was hunting his dogs piursued a hare, and the hare turned
on them and drove them off. Then he said " there must be sonie stirange
strength in this place, since even the most timid animals if they live here
becbm^ bolii and fierce ;" so he buili a city there, and called it Ranbir-.
pUr, and established his kihgddni there.
In those days the town of Bangarinau was hot, and the siirroUnding
countiy took its name from the city of Rfimkot. Little is known of thd
early history of this town, but its ruins, which lie in the north-west corner
of this district overlooking the river Sai, still testify to its grandeui- and
extent. Some of the mounds Which mark the site of the ancieiit build-
ings are still one hundred feet in height, and the ruins extend over a cir-
cumference of several miles. This was the seat of the R^jpasi power,
which extended far to the we^t and north of Rdmkbt. The Riijpdsi is
still found in great numbers through all the Ha;i'doi district, and in parts
of Sitapur. The last of the lords of R4mkot, Raja Santhar by nahie;
threw off his allegiance to Kahauj, and refused to pay the annual tribute.
On this Raja Jai Chand gave t6 Xlha and Udal the grant abottenien-.
tioned of all the Ganjar country; ahd they attacked and destroyed R^mkot,
leaving it the shapeless mass of ruins which we now find it. The streams
which run between the various, mounds cut away the debris, and lay bare
at times the nlassive walls made of enormoiis bribks uucemeUted, or some
time's turn up relics of the past, caskets full of dust which bnbe wai
epabrbidered apparel, but which chimbles to the touch, ot gold coinis aid
UNA 565
jewels with quaint and uncouth legends. But to those that find them
such treasures ever are as fairy gifts, bringing misfortune and misery into
the family, and dragging the possessors down to irretrievable poverty.
BUleswar. — In days so ancient that no record of their antiquity remains,
and men are in doubt whether it were the golden or the second age, a
herdsman pastured his cattle in the plains and forest glades where Purwa
now stands. The pasturage was rich and fertile, but day after day one of
his cows came home with udders all drawn dry. His suspicion fell on a
boy who herded the cattle, and he threatened him with grievous punish-
ment if it were he that daily drank the milk of the cow. The boy
sought to clear himself of the suspicion, and watched the cow carefully.
One day as he followed her he saw that at noontide she stood still, and
her milk fell on the ground. He told his master, and he also came and
saw the wondrous sight, that no one milked the cow, but the milk ran
down of itself. Then going closer to the spot he saw that it was an image
of Mahadeo on which the milk was falling. He took the image up and
worshipped it ; and as days passed on, the fame of it was noised abroad, so
that men came from afar to adore it, and one built a temple to place it
in, and one dug a tank close by the door of the temple, and the taiik is
there to this day.
Sarwafi. — To worship at this teinple and to shoot and hunt in the wild
forest country around came Rdja Dasrath from Ajodhya, the father of
Kam Chandr, the fifty-seventh Raja of Ajodhya in direct descent from its
great founder Ikshwaku. He was encamped at Sarwara on the edge of a
tank. By night came Sarwan, a holy Rishi from Chaunsa (near Adjodhya>,
by caste a Banian. He was going on pilgrimage and was carrying his
blind father and mother in a kfnwar slung over his shoulders. Reach-
ing the tank hie put his burden down and stopped to drink. Raja Dasrath
heard a rustling noise, and thinking it was some wild beast took up his
bow and shot an arrow which struck Sarwan and he died. Then his blind
parents in their misery lifted up their voices and cursed the man who had
done that thing. They prayed that as he had slain the son who was the
delight of their hearts, so he might have trouble and sorrow from his own
children, and might die of grief, even as they Were dying. Having so said
they gave up the ghost, and from that day to this no Chhattri has lived
in the town which is founded on the spot and is called Sarwan. Many
Rajputs have tried it, but evil has overtaken them in one way or another.'
The tank remains to this day, tod by it lies under a tree the bbdy of
Sarwan, a fig-ure of stone ; and as he died with his thirst unquenched, so
if water is poured into the navel of the stone figure, the hole can never
be filled up, but is inexhaustible in its demand.
It then appears that the religious trMitiohs of the place are counec'ted
with Mkh^deo v^ho has three great temples. Billeswar at Purwa, Ajleswar
at Panhan als6 in this district, Khereswar near Shiur&jpur tod CaWnpore.
AtPatohhan and Kusumbhi there are temples of Debi, but no trace whatever
exists of the matrimonial alliance which is said to have existed between
the two divinities.
566 UNA
Unao is no doubt fortunate in the numerous visits paid by divine or
semi-divine beings to it. No other district in Oudh except perhaps
Sitapur can boast such a galaxy of places enlightened by divine halos.
On the whole it is most probable that the events which constituted the
germs of the miraculous tales now current really did occur in this district
which no doubt served for centuries as the dark forest land of myth, of
fable, and adventure for the more civilized regions on the west of the
Ganges.
Archceology. — In November, 1874, a large number of coins were disco-
vered in the village of Simri, in pargana Asoha Parsandan, near the river
Sai, tahsil Purwa. They were in an earthen pot just buried under the
surface on the site of an old village. The finders were three labourers ;
they reported that there were a great number of small cubical gold coins
about the size of gram seeds ; the police authorities on making a search
could only recover from the landlord who had removed them to his pre^
mises about eleven hundred silver coins, the finders allege that there were
above four thousand of these. What are left are of considerable interest ;
twenty-seven carefully weighed by myself weighed 6^ tolas or an average,
of 41 1 grains each. They are of alloyed metals. Apparently silv-er and
tin, while some of them exhibit large traces of copper. Without an excep-
tion almost they exhibit the Buddhist prayer wheel (or as some think
the sunj, the other symbols are the sacred tree, and the Chaitya emblem ;
the type is that shown in Plate XX., Thomas Prinsep's Antiquities, but
many are found other than those then engraved. The deer often appears,
the taurus sign, and many mysterious symbols of which I can discover no
interpretation. The large majority are only stamped on oue side, but a
few have apparently been cast in a mould; there are no inscriptions or traces
of characters whatever ; there is no trace of the Ssvastika emblem either,
and for these reasons we may conclude that some of them are very early
specimens of the Hindu mint, probably 3Q0 years prior to the Christian
era, and that even the latest date before that epoch.
Asoha pargana is one of the ancient centres of myth and tradition in
Oudh. Here Ashwasthama, the Brahman who came by night and cut off
the heads of Draupadis' five children, is said to have paused in his
pilgrimage of expiation, and the pargana is called after hinx.*
These coins are certainly, though of allied type, earlier than those
engraved by Prinsep, which he places at the commencement of the
Christian era.-j- The feet that all the coins in the large hoard are Buddhist,
and the infinite vanity of the type, would indicate that a continuous
dynasty of many Buddhist kings had governed the country around for
many generations ; this we know from Hiouen Tljsang to he probable
enough. We hardly want this evidence to show how completely the
Hindu faith had been banished from Oudh ; on none of these coins do we
find a ling or any of the boars or first emblems of Mahiideo and Vishnu,
which 3,ftersif^rds became so common, Net a trace of anything which the
Hindus now hold sacred appears in these relics of .a past which, compared
* Elliott's Oonao, pages 14 — 15.
t Thomas Prinsep, Vol. I., page 817.
UNA 567
to the alleged antiquity of the Hindu faith, is modern. Antiquarians
regard this type as the earliest of pure Hindu coinages, and the specimens
in question are apparently about the most rude and ancient yet discovered
in India.
UNAO Pargana — Tahsil Unao — Distinct Unao. — The history of the
pargana is given under that of the town. It lies north of the Ganges ; its
area is 64 square miles or 41,081 acres, of which 20,281 are cultivated and
11,663 are barren ; most of this is irrigated, only 6,849 acres being
unirrigated. The population is 33,725 or 328 to the square mile ; of these
2,049 are Chhattris, 3,580 Brahmans; there are only 116 Kurmis, but 6,100
Lodhs — a curious feature. The Government revenue is Rs. 5.3,663, which
falls at the rate of Es. 2-10-4 per acre on cultivation and Re. 1-13-4 on
arable land. There is probably some mistake in the census, as otherwise
this revenue would be a strangely high one compared with pargana
Sikandarpur or Safipur for instance.
There are no local traditions connected with the Mahabharat or R:ima-
yan in this pargana. The earliest settlement of Muhammadans in the Unao
district dates from the end of the 13th century or the beginning of the
14th, and that was in the Bangarmau pargana. " Sayyad Baha-ud-din, son
of Sayyad Ala-url-din, who was killed at the taking of Safipur, was the
conqueror of the Bisens of Unao, and the founder of the Muhammadan
family who have large estates in that pargana." The members of this
family (of which the present head is the taluqdar Chaudhri Dost Ali)
have long confined themselves to their duties as zamindars and chaudhris.
There is a shrine in the village Gujauli to the memory of a saint who
accompanied the army of Sayyad Salsr. There is a fair held in the
month of June, but it is only attended by about 500 pilgrims. The
earliest zamindars known in pargana Unao were Bisens. They were
annihilated by the Zaidi Sayyad from Wasit, of whom Baha-ud-din above-
mentioned was the leader. These Sayyads still retain the zamindari of
9 villages out of 38 in the pargana.
The pargana is of an irregular shape, 10 miles long ("east and west) and
3 miles broad. It abounds in mahua and mango groves. Its soil is
principally loam and clay (matiar) ; a fine friable mould of a dark slate
colour. Water is found at an average depth of 40 feet. Sugarcane is
not. largely grown ; tobacco, wheat, and rice thrive well.
The land is held thus : —
Taluqdari ... ... .•■ 8,497 acres.
Sub-settlement ... ••■ ••• 1> *' >•
Zamindari ... ... ••• '3 124 „
Pattidari »• ••• ••• 17,470 „
Totai ... 41,080 acres.
UNAO— Pa'-^a-'w* VskO—TaJisil Vnao— District Unao.— Unao, a town
in the pargana of the same name, is the headquarters of the tahsil
and distnct authorities. It lies nine miles north-east from Cawnpore,
from which city a railway and a metalled road pass through it to Lucknow.
568 UNA
Unmetalled roa,ds ai-e constructed to Hardoi and Rae Bareli ; there is no
river in its vicinity. There were formerly extensive jungles on ]Lh,e site
of the present town. About 1,100 years ago Godo Singh, a Chauhan
Th^kur, an officer in the army of a Bengal raja, cleared ofi the jungle and
founded a town which he called Sarae Godo. He left it shortly afterwards,
and the place passed into the hands of Raja Ajipal, a prince of the Chandr-
bansi or Lunar race of the Ghhattris reigning at Kanauj. Khande
Sino'h was made governor. His lieutenant, Unwant Singh, a Bisen, mur-
dered him ; built a fort here, and having acquired independent authority
renamed the place after himself About 1450 A.D. a great battle was
fought here. R4ja Umrdwat Singh, son of Raja Jagdeo Singh, and descend-
ant of Unwant Singh, was a bigoted Hindu, and would not allow the
Musalraans to sound the azan or pray in public. Some Sayyads organized
an expedition against him, got into his fort by stratagem during a feast,
killed him, and took possession of the estate. The present taluqdar, Chau-
dhri Dost Ali, is descended from their leader. Among his ancestors Baha-ud-
din and Sayyad Husen distinguished themselves ; they were entrusjted
with the government by the Delhi sovereigns, and founded several villages,
among others Dos.tinagar and Baida Abb^spur. In the reign of Shah Jah£n
Fateh-uUa, of a Shekh family, settled here and was made governor. Some
fine buildings of his erection still remain. One of his descendants, Molvi
Ihsan Ali, a poet of repute, was attached as such to the court of Nawab
Saddat Ali. One Gopal Das was appointed qanungo by Sher Shah, and
his descendant R4ja Nand Kishore was chakladar for some time. A battle
was fought here in 1857 on July 29th between General Havelock's forces
and the mutineers who were defeated with loss.
The town is pleasantly situated, the soil is loamy, to the west lie many
picturesque groves and gardens; the water in some of the wells is brackish;
it is met with at a great distance; some of the wells being 112 feet deep.
There are the usual buildings for administrative purposes. The school is
well attended by 234< pupils, of whom only 36 are Musalmans; nearly half
of those attending learn English. There are no manufactures of note
except one of pera — a kind of s\yeetmeat.
The population is 7,277, as follows : —
Mafia! mana .., ..i #.• ••• ■•• 2,554
Brahmans ... ... ... ••• ••. 600
Ghhattris ... ... ••• ••• ••• 60
Kayaths ... ... ... ... ... 325
Fasis ... .~ •« ... ••• '73
Ahirs ... ••• ... ... ." 443
Other Hindus ... ... ... ... ... 3,122
There are 1,895 houses, of which 150 are of masonry. There are two
ThS,kurdwaras or temples to Vishnu, 12 to Mahadeo, and 10 mosques.
The annual value of the sale in the daily market is Rs. 33,000. ItJ.s a
prosperous and improving place, but during some part of the ye^i is
reckoned unhealthy ; the water stagnates round the town, being pent up
by the railway- .embankment.
Latitude 26°34' north ; longitude 80°32' east.
UTA— UTR 569
UTARDH AN I*— Parosmia B&^G&RyiAJj—Tahsil SxFiPvn— District Unao,
—This village is 8 miles north-west of Safipur, and 25 miles in the same
direction from Unao. The road from Lucknow to Hardoi passing through
Bangarmau is one mile from it towards the north. The date of its foun-
dation is not known, but it is certain that at the time of Sajryad SSldr'a
iovasion, one Mian Ghdzi of Dohni, a respectable and rich merchant, came
here, got the jungle cleared, and settled Musalman Kachhis at this place.
The soil is mostly loam with some clay. It is on a plain. No jungle,
scenery ordinary, climate excellent, water good. Population 1,349— Hindus
999, Musalmans 350. There are 284 mud-walled houses.
UTRAULA Pargaim-f-^Tahsil Uteatjla — District Gonda. — Bounded
on the north by the Rapti, on the south by the Kuwana, on the west by
the Balr&mpur pargana, and on the east by Basti, from which it is divided
by the Rnpti and Suwawan rivers along a part of its frontier ; this pargana
is a rough oval, containing an area of 200 square miles. The banks of
the Rapt; are from ten to twenty feet high along the greater part of its
course, and the high land is succeeded at a distance of a few hundred yards
from the river by a low clayey hollow. The water which overflows in the
rains runs off the high bank into the hollow beneath, and settling there
makes grand rice fields when the rains are moderate or a lake some feet
deep when they are excessive. To the south of this the land becomes again
a few feet higher and produces all kinds of crops, but particularly winter
rice in great luxuriance. The Suwawan river runs through the centre of
the pargana, and the tract between that and the Kuwdna forms the|com-
mencement of the uparhdr, or slightly elevated table which occupies the
centre of the district. Except on the edge of the rivers, which are fringed
with a jungle now rapidly disappearing, the whole of this part is under
very high cultivation, and the soil is the finest loam. The violent and
capricious stream of the Rspti has along the north-eastern frontier
scooped out from time to time a number of deep beds, which it has since
deserted leaving long narrow ponds. One or two of these have islands
in the centre and present a very remarkable phenomenon. Every bush
on them during the cold season is covered so as to hide the foliage
with countless swarms of cormorants, cranes of various kinds, and other
aquatic fowl. On the discharge of a gun they rise with a deafening
clangour cloud after cloud sweeping round and finally crossing to the
other bank of the Rapti. What the special attraction may be J have
not been able to ascertain, but I have never seen anything to compare
with the spectacle in other parts of Oudh. The small streams which
flow into the Rapti are well stocked with fish, and all along their banks
may be seen the hurdle huts of the fishing classes who hang the produce
of their sport along lines to dry in the sun, and finally carry it to the north
to barter with the hillmen, who have as strong an appetite for stinking
fish as we have for well-kept venison. The neighbourhood of these manu-
factories may be detected at some distance by the pestiferous stench and
Bwarms of flies. Along the river banks the jungles are full of spotted
deer, wild pig, and nll-gae, and an occasional panther haunts the cane-brakesi
• Should be Atardhani.
t By Mr. W. C. Benett, CS.i Assistant Comnussioner,
72
570
UTR
at the edge of the Kuwana. The plains by the Rdpti maintain a few
Hack antelope, and are covered during the cold season with swarms of the
small hill pigeon and ortolan. Wild fowl and geese occur in every jhil
and in great numbers.
Excepting sheep there are no strains of domestic animals ; horees and
cattle are almost invariably imported, and are said to degenerate in
the second or third genenition if allowed to breed on the spot. Of the
total area of 126,4)38 acres, 10,836 were found completely isolated junigla
at the first summary settlement, and divided in twelve grants between
as many Government grantees. These have not yet been assessed for
the land revenue, and the cultivation is still in its infancy. Of the re-
mainder 74,957 acres or 64J- per cent, are under cultivation. Rabi covers
44,180, and the autumn and winter crops 47,350 acres, while 25 per cent,
of th'e cultivated area is under double harvest. Irrigation where
wanted is generally done from natural ponds of which 1,231 water 12,582
sicres, whereas only 4,791 acres are indebted to the 597 brick and 158 mud
wells. Water is always quite near the surface being at its greatest depth
of about 15 feet along the southern boundary.
The settlement returns show a total of 9,363 separate holdings and
11,549 ploughs, giving an average of little more than eight acres to the
cultivator and between six and seven to each plough. The principal
crap — which if it does not cover the greatest area is of the most pressing
importance to both cultivator and proprietor — 'is the winter rioe, which is
sown in the end of June, transplanted in the last fortnight of August, and
Qut in -the end of November, and beginning of December. Taking very
little seed (one maund under favoiirable circumstances will suffice for
four standard highas) it returns a very heavy crop, and from measure^
mehts made by myself, I should say that 15 maundsto thebigha was not
above an average outturn, A further advantage is that the rice is of
exceptionally fine quality, and commands a higher price in the market
than the kinds cut in September. Almost the whole of this crop isi
exported, and the proceeds go to pay the Grovemment revenue. It covers
13,799 acres, while autumn rice, sown at the same time and cut in ^Sepn
tember, occupies the larger area of 25,532 acres. The latter kinds are also
largely exported, but much is also kept for local consumption. There is
no other autumn crop of any importance. IJrd or mash and kodo come
next with areas of about 3,000 acres each. In th« winter, shortly after
Christmais, lahi, a kind of mustard of which oil is made, is hatvested. It
only covers 1,860 acres, but the large outturn in. proportion to the S€ed,and
the Tiighprice it commands, make this too very valuable to the rent ^fayer,
In tlie' spring' the centre of the pargana grows very fin« wheat, 'wbile'the
edge of -the jungle, still rich with its unexhausted deposit of leaf mourd,
yields the most superb grain and arhar crops that I have ever seen, The
areas underthe different spring crops are as follows '-^^
■Wfieat.
Gr«m.
Peas.
Aiai.
Barley. '
Aihai.
10,425
IS^SBS
2,886 :
UfiSO
4,720
3,120
UTR
571
The cliief locale for peas and barley is the heavy loam, often submerged
Dy floods along the banks of the Rapti.
The Government land revenue in 1797 A.D. stood at Rs. 35,590, and
three years later at Rs. 30,974, from this time it rose gradually but stea-
dily to Hs. 64,528 in 1826 ; Rs. 71,858 in 1836 ; Rs. 89,859 in 1842 ; and
Ks. 94,242 in 1843 A.D. This was the highest point ever attained under
the native government, and from that year till annexation the highest
demands vrere Rs. 71,020 in 1846 and Rs. 67,276 in 1848 A.D. For the
remaining years the collections ranged within a few thousands on one side
or the other of Rs. 60,000. In the last few years of native rule the west-
ern parts of the pargana were regularly harried by predatory bands from
the neighbouring pargana of Bah-ainpur, and when we took over the
Government we found the demand at Rs. 50,781. A native staff was sentout
to make a summary as.-<essment, and returned the area under cultivation
at 28,440 acres, with an admitted rent of Rs. 73,938, giving an average
rent of Rs. 2-8-6 to the acre. Allowing for misrepresentations the Govern-
ment demand was fixed at Rs. 43,965, or 50 per cent, of the assumed
rents, giving an average revenue rate per acre of Re. 1-8-5. In 1870 A.D.,
when the pargana was resurveyed, it was found that in the fifteen years of
peaceful government the cultivated area had increased by the surprising
proportion of 1.53 per cent. Much of the land newly brought under culti-
vation was paying very low rents and much more none at all, and it was
not thought judicious to take the full increase in the land revenue at
once, so a progressive demand was proposed amounting in the final year
of increase to Rs. 1,15,74.5, a rise of 163 per cent, on the summary assess-
ment, giving a rate of Re. 1-8-8 per acre of cultivation, and Re. 1-2-6
per acre of assessable area. The rise was distributed as follows : —
1872-73 A.D, ... ... Rt. 98,35.5
1877-78 „ ... ... „ 107,085
IH79-'0 „ ,.. 1087IO
1882-83
1 5,745
The following table of the prices of agricultural produce was compiled
from village papers produced by claimants to proprietary rights, and from
the old accounts of the chief local grain merchants; rents were always taken
nominally in kind. A servant of the landlord used to go out and divide
the crops, and often instead of taking the actual grain heap converted it
into money at the ordinary price in the neighbourhood, and received the
value in money from the headman of the village. These accounts are
exceedingly common, and of unquestionable authority in determining what
the real .price of grain was. I have not been able to procure them for
every year, but they were produced in sufficient numbers to enable me to
strike a fairly trustworthy average. The table shows the number of pounds
avoirdupois sold for the rupee, not in the bazar, but what is a very differ-
ent thing at the village threshing floor : —
Average price
Highest.
Lowest.
Average.
Highest. '
Lowest.
180U-1830.I 1890-1067.
1600-1857.
1800 1857.
1857- 871.
1867-1871.
1J357-1871.
Wheat ... J
103
90
204
47
70
94
43
Itice ...
145
120
204
78
116
162
65
Gram ...
148
ne
2!>>l
68
108 ,
145
58
Kodo ...
204
145
3i0
116
147
182
ISQ
Mhi ...
S7 - 1
80
160
80
SO
80
86 •
572 UTR
The pargana is intersected by three unndetalled roads, one running from
Materia Ghat through Utraula to Balrdmpur, which is in fair order to the
west of Utraula, hut to the east of that town passes through low country,
and is regularly swept away every rains. Carts have to go a circle of miles
to avoid the swamp which is left, nor will it be passable till a few thousand
rupees have been spent in making bridges and culverts. The other two
connect Utraula with Gonda and Nawabganj, and the latter is especially
important as the main channel of the great rice trade of the Tarai. A
rough and very difficult cart track continues it to the Pipra Gh6t on the
Rapti, half way between Utraula and Tulsipur. The chief bazars are at
Utraula itself, Chamrupur, and Bank, and the latter village contains a
small sugar manufactory. The trade is simply a retail one in grain, pots,
and pans and coarse cloths, and requires no detailed description. A great
quantity of rice and oil seed is exported to the Nawabganj market and
exchanged against coarse cloths, salt, and coined silver. No mineral pro-
ducts of any importance are known, but kankar is quarried in considerable
quantities along the banks of the Suwawan.
The population by the census return was 72,464, giving an average of
367 to the square mile. The settlement returns almost exactly agree with
this, showing a popxilation of 69,830 for the 116,845 acres of assessed area
excluding the grants. These are distributed in 266 revenue paying vil-
lages and 12 grants. The census returns show only 290 outlying hamlets
and 30 isolated houses, but as they were taken before the revenue survey,
the settlement return?, which show 684 hamlets and outlying houses, are
perhaps more trustworthy. The Muhammadans, of whom the greater num-
ber are either Pathans or recent converts, number 20,077, or the high pro-
portion of nearly 28 per cent, of the whole population. The percentage of
males to females is 91"3 among Hindus and 92"8 among Muhammadans.
There is tot the slightest suspicion of the practice of infanticide. The
most numerous Hindu castes are of the working classes — Kurmis, Ahirs, and
Koris, who number respectively 6,597, 8,586, and 6,302 souls. At the time
of the census there were 2,866 Bhars ; but this singular caste never remain
long in one spot, and will disappear as soon as the jungle is cleared,
and full rents are demanded. Utraula is fortunate in owning only 3,023
Brahmans and 625 Chhattris, and it is obvious that the Pathan rajas
did not care to encourage classes which prefer to consume rather than
to pay rents. There are a few monasteries of Goshalus, who though
scanty in numbers are almost invariably well to do, and are among
the largest village proprietors and dealers in gold, jewels, and asafoetida.
Occasional bands of wandering Nats, Siyar-khawwas, Khas-bandhias, and
Qalandars, and other varieties of gipsy are to be met with, but the English
rule is not favourable to their existence, and they are not nearly so
numerous as they used to be.
The early history of this pargana is an absolute blank, though a few
remains of ancient forts attest an extinct civilzation, and the village divi-
sions and most of the names are almost certainly older than the local Mu-
salman conquest. The first of the present family of rajas was Ali Khan,
a member of the widely spread Kankar clan, who, like all Afghdns, claim
descgat from Khalid, son of "Walid, the uncle of the Prophet. He first
UTR 573
appears as accompanying Humayun in his expedition to Gujarat, where
he incurred the displeasure ot his sovereign by conniving at the escape of
a raja of Bikanere from his beleaguered fort. Being threatened with exe-
cution he openly cast off his allegiance, and joined the old Afghan party
which for a time drove the house of Taimtir from India. For some years
after the expulsion of Humayiin he seems to have led an unsettled life at
the head of a band of predatory horse, and finally occupied the r j of Nagar
in Basti, having defeated the chieftain, a Gautam Chhattri. He was not
destined long to enjoy his conquest, and after a ten years' usurpation was
forced to fly before a rising of the Hindus, headed by a son of the late
raja. He next attacked Utraula, which was then a semi- independent prin-
cipality, governed by a Rajput named Uttara Kunwar, of whose family and
tribe tradition is wholly silent The town, with its large brick fortress, on
the ruins of which the present raja's house is built, and four outlying
defences, facing each point of thecompass,proved too strongforhisforce, which
must have consisted almost entirely of cavalry, and he formed a perma-
nent camp at Chitar Para, a village about two miles to the south-east of
Utraula. Here he remained two years, plundering the country and doing
his best to blockade the Hindus shut up in the fort. Uttara Kunwar's
position at last became intolerable, and he led oui his garrison to do battle
with the invaders. The final engagement which took place to the west
of the city, where the Gonda road now passes, through a large grove of
mangoes, resulted in his utter defeat and death, and in 1552 A.D., two years
before the return from Cabul of the enemy of his race, Ali Khan found
himself in undisputed possession of the raj, which is still held by his des-
cendants. To pay revenue was naturally distasteful to him and particu-
larly when the Mughal was lord, so he kept himself aloof from the new
court, absolutely refusing to recognize its authority. For some time the
more pressing necessities which occupied young Akbar, the distance of
Utraula from the seat of empire, and its forest fastnesses, served to protect
him ; but in lo7l A.D. the power of the rising dynasty could no longer be
disputed, and Shekhan Khan, the only son of the old freebooter, deter-
miued to save his inheritance at his father's expense. The imperial subah-
dar of Oudh accepted his submission, and put him at the head of a sufficient
force, on the understanding that he would prove his loyalty by bringing
in his father's head. The old man marched out to meet him, and the
unnatural battle was fought at Sarae in pargana SaduUahnagar. Shekhan
Khan was victorious, and true to his word of honour, had his father's head
cut off and embalmed, and hastened to present it in person at Delhi, where
it for some time formed a conspicuous ornament of the Ajmer gate. His
services were rewarded with the sounding titles of Shri Khan Azam Masnad
Ali, and he was after a time allowed to return to Utraula with his father's
head, and a farman conveying him the zamindari of the pargana. He
discharged the claims of filial duty by raising a handsome tomb over the
long suffering remains of his parent, whom he jomed after an uneventful
reign of twenty years. His successor Ddiid Khan was a man of war, and
a quarrel about the possession of a noted courtezan gave him an occasion
for attacking Janw^r, lord of Bhinga. It is said that he was so powerful
an archer that an arrow which he shot into the gateway of the Bhinga
fort defied all efforts to extract it, and it remained a trophy of his prowess
574 UTR
till Mendu Khan, a General of the Begana of Oudli, had it dug out during
tlie late mutiny.
Of his two sons, Alawal Khan was the eldest, but he preferred sport and
fighting to peaceful rule, and gratified both tastes by wresting the forests
of Buthapara from the Kalhans rajas of BabhnipAir. Adam Khan, the
younger brother, remained at Utraula, and exchanged the old title of
Malik, which had hitherto been borne by his ancestors, for the more sound-
ing one of raja. Raja Salem Khan succeeded his father in 1659 A.D.,
and during his long reign of forty-seven years raised the Utraula hoube to
the zenith of its power. His descendants boast that his alliance was
secured by his mai-riage with a daughter of the great Chhattri family
of Ikauna, and the services be rendered to the I'^jas of Gonda in their
disputes with the Kalhans of Guwarich were recognized by the conces-
sion to his standard and camel drums of the first place in the joint armies,
while the ensign of Gonda, and his drums mounted on horseback, followed
after. He was further held entitled to an honorary allowance of Rs. 151
for every day that he stayed in Gonda territory. The end of his life was
embittered by domestic dissensions, and after having quelled tlie rebellion
of his nephew, Bahadur Khan, in Biirhapara, he was put in peril of his life
by the unnatural conduct of his sons. Feeling that be had not much
longer to live, he proclaimed the eldest, Fateh Khan, as his successor, and
was proceeding to provide for the remaining three — Pahar Khan, Rahmat
Khan.andMub irak Khan — in the usual manner, by the rent-free assignment
of a few villages. This they declined to accept, claiming each an equal
share in the patrimony with the.r elder brother, and they warned their
father of what might possibly be the result to himself of undue obstinacy,
by murdering Nil Kanth, the most trusted of his servants. The raja was
convinced, and secured peace by dividing Utraula into five equal shares,
one for each of his sons, and one for himself The claims of a child of his
old age, Ghalib Khan, do not seem to have recommended themselves with
equal force to the mutinous brothers, and he was provided for by the allow-
ance of five villages only. Biirhapara, as the separate heritage of the elder
branch of the family, was left out of the division, and some notion may be
gathered of the state of the rest of the raj, which included the present par-
ganasof Utraula and Sadullahnagar, by the fact that its rent was assumed to
be 29,70,555 dams or Rs. 74,264. Raja Darshan Singh's assessment of the
same area for 1843 A.D. was Rs. 1,17,525, and the late revised demand at
half assets has risen to more than a hundred and seventy thousand rupees.
Of the four sons of Salem Khan only Pahar Khan and Mubarak Khan
left offspring, and the shares of Fateh Khan and Rahmat Khan, as well
as the villages reserved for himself by the old raja, reverted to the head of
the family in whose possession they remained, at any rate nominally, till
annexation. Pahar Khan was engaged more than once in boundary dis-
putes with his Janwdr neighbours, and as they do not mention them in
their annals, it is possible that the victory claimed by the Pfethans had
some foundation in fact. Pahar Khan's son, Purdil Khan, died leaving
only an infant son, who subsequently became R^a Tarbiat Khan, but in
the meantime affairs were conducted by his elder cousins, Mahdbat and
afterwards Dilawar Khan. The latter joined the great Raja Datt Singh
UTR 575
of Gonda in' his war with the R^ja of Bansi, and contributed considerably
to his success. After several battles the R6ja of Bansi was completely
defeated, and acknowledged theRapti and Suwuwan rivers as the boundary
between his territories and Utraula. Two drums and the gates of the
Bansi fort were carried as trophies to Gonda, and a horse-drurh was kept
at Utraula.
Tarbiat Khan was very nearly embroiled wiih his old ally hy the turbu-
lence of one of his subjects, Ghulam Ali Khan, aPathan of Sadullahnagar,
who collected a band of congenial spirits and harried the neighbouring
villages of Gonda, driving their cattle off into the jungles of the Bisuhi.
The offended rfija asked Tarbiat Khan to bring the robber to justice, but
the request was rot attended to, and the Biseus marched in force into
Sadullahnagar. They were at once joined by the soldiers of Tarbiat Khan,
who never had any serious intention of opposing his powerful neighbour,
and Ghuliim Ali was compelled to restore the stolen property. Spared for
the time he eventually met witTi a terrible fate ; for resuming in the time of
Sadullah Khan his old practices, he was apprehended and dropped alive
into an old dry well just outside the raja's gateway, where he was left to
die of hunger, the sweepings of the city being emptied on his head every
morning. Sadullah Khan, who succeeded his father Tarbiat Khan, was
a man of some learning, but of weak character, and quite unfit for the diffi-
cult position in which he was placed. His people were ground down by
the exactions of a Lucknow official, Khwjja Ain-ul-Haq, aud the exhausted
pargana was visited in 1783 A.D. by the most fearful famine that has ever
been known in this distrist.
Barley was sold at 31bs. forthe rupse, and even wealthy people subsisted on
the seeds of grass and bamboos. Men still repeat the stories told to them
by their grandfathers of parents devouring their children, the whole
framework of society was broken up, and bands of starving peasantry
wandered about the land plundering any stock of grain which might
have remained. Numbers died, and numbers more left the pargana,
which was almost entirely thrown out of cultivation, and has perhaps
hardly yet recovered from the effects. The forest gained rapidly on the
deserted villages, and became the favourite home of bands of wandering
Banjaras, who in the cold weather spread themselves for plunder and
slaughter over the more populous neighbouring districts, returning for
the rains to their refuge in Utraula. Added to these were a number of
naked fanat'cs known as N^gas, who joined in large parties to subsist
on the pillage of the peaceful inhabitants. The desolation was so
complete, that eight years after land had to be offered at the rent of two
(Grorakhpuri paisa for the bigha in order to secure cultivators, and I have
Been it entered in leases of villages on the banks of the Suwawan, that the
previous year's rent was remitted in consequence of the damage which
heriis of wild elephants, an animal now never heard of within forty miles
of the spot, had done to the crops, His son. Imam Bakhsh Khan, had
acted as rgja Tor many years during Sadullah Khan's lifetime, but died of
cholera three months after he had actually succeeded to the dignity. As
he bad no children the 'heads of the house met, and at first offered the
succession ■ to a distaat-r elative, UAli Khan, but. as ; be refused the honour.
57G UTR
Muhammad Niwaz Khan, a first cousin of the deceased rSja's father, was
placed upon the gaddi. A drunken mad man, he was utterly unfit for the
position, and the village heads were admitted to hold direct by the Luck-
now officials, nor, except for a very few years, did the rajas of Utraula ever
regaia the collection of the revenue of their raj. Lutf Ali Khan, who
succeeded his father in 1804 A.D., had to contend with the turbulent
opposition of his distant cousin Karim Dad Khan, descendant of the
Mubarak Khan who at the great division received one-fifth of the pargana.
The share had been generally disregarded by succeeding chiefs, and
Karim Dad Khan proceeded to recover it by the well-known method
of firing the villages, plundering the cultivators, cutting down the crops,
and in fact rendering the collection of rent impossible. Caught once and
imprisoned by the Nazim, his relative the r^ja had compassion on him,
and lending an over easy ear to his promises of future obedience, inter-
ceded for his release. The first use he made of his liberty was to carry
off the wealthiest grain merchant of the Utraula bazar into the neighbour-
ing jungles. Hunger and fear produced a handsome ransom, which
enabled his captor to engage a small band of desperadoes and recom-
mence his career of plunder. His efforts were not unsuccessful, and when,
in 1831 A.D., he was-surprised and cut down by a party of Government
soldiers, he had put together a small estate of twelve villages, which
served as a nucleus round which his surviving brother was able to collect
nearly all the villages to which he conceived he had a hereditary title.
At about this time the pargana was twice invaded by the Surajbansis of
Amodha and the Gargbansis from Fyzabad. The former were easily
defeated, but the latter, who came in at the instigation of Kagh<i Bharthi,
a Goshain, and large village proprietor in Biirhapara, offered a stubborn
resistance. Besieged in the Baizpur fort, they managed to give their
besiegers the slip, and marched direct on Utraula. The raja pursued
them, and drove them into the Rapti, cutting off the noses and ears of
such as were unfortunate enough to fall into his hands. Muhammad Khan
commenced his unhappy rule in 1830 A.D., and was incessantly employed
in defending himself against enemies both from within and without. The
old pargana cho.udhris afc Achalpur defied him, and he burned their fort ;
the surviving descendants of Mubarik Khan, in spite of all he could do,
continued to recover village after village of their old share ; the zamindars
of Itua declined to pay him revenue, and when he sent his brother.
Amir Ali Khan, to coerce them shot him; and finally he died of a broken
heart when his ancestral enemy, the Relja of BalrSmpur, surprised Utraula
by a night attack, burning it to the ground, and carrying away as a trophy
its raja's Kor&n. His son, Umrao Ali Khan, was half an idiot, with an impe-
diment in his speech, which made his conversation almost unintelligible.
He lived to see the English rule after having spent eighteen years in a
wearying and monotonous border warfare with the Rdja of Balrampur.
In the mutiny his son, Riasat Ali Khan, a lad of about twenty years of
age, took the lead, and engaged for the whole pargana from the rebel
Begam who assessed it at Rs. 82,000, and in return for his support allowed
him to write down half as paid, as well as offering him a handsome share
of Balrampur, whenever she should be in a position to get it. Both
Biasat Ali Khan and his father died shortly after the end of the mutiny,
UTR 577
and the present RAja Mnmtaz Ali Khan was a posthumous son, and is
under the guardianship of the Court of Wards.
At annexation the pargana included SaduUahnagar and Burhapara,
and its area of 380 square miles was divided into the eight tappas or
revenue subdivisions of —
1. Bank. "i
2. Haweli. I
3 Dhua Dabar. \ Now ia Utraula.
4. Saujhual.
5. Peliar.
6. Bhairampiir.
7. SaduUahnagar
8. Burhapara.
In consequence of the largeness of the area, and the difficulty of cross-
ing the Kuwana in the rains, it was thought advisable to split this up,
and the last two tappas now form separate parganas.
The history would hardly be complete without a short sketch of the
society, with the rdja at its head, the village headmen, the village ser-
vants, and the cultivators.
In 1785 A. D. the raja's claims in the pargana were settled by the
absolute grant to him in revenue-free tenure of twenty-four villages,
j-ielding an estimated annual revenue of Rs. 4,185. Besides these, which
he held till annexation, but which are now assessed for the Government
demand, he was allowed one-fourth as his zamindari share of the two
transit duties levied by the Lucknow officials. The first of these was
the khatti, levied in the Utraula bazar on all goods, whether sold there
or passing through to other markets. Each cart paid two annas, each
beast of burden one anna, while cloth (each piece of which was stamped
with the raja's seal) and brass vessels were charged an ad valorem duty
of five -per cent. The second was the mirbahar or Government ferry
dues on the Rapti, Kuwana, and Bisuhi. The raja kept a'gomashta for
the realization of these fees, and received a fourth of the gross collec-
tions. Besides these, in which he only took a share, there were numer-
ous small cesses which he kept entirely to himself. To continue
with, transit dues, khemt, or road cess was taken at Baibhit on the
Balrampur and Kulhii on the Basti frontiers and at SaduUahnagar. It
amounted to one anna per cart and J anna per beast. The low streams of
the Kuwana and Bisuhi during the hot weather were crossed by faggot
bridges. The contracts were let by the raja to the neighbounng villagers,
who were allowed to take ^ anna per cart, a paisa from each beast, and as.
much as they could extort from foot passengers. This was called pulahi.
Wood merchants had to pay 10 annas on each load of wood floating by
the Materia Ghat, besides a lump nazarana accordmg to their circum-
stances.
The boatmen at the ferries, whose charge was enclusive of the Govern-
ment duty levied on passengers, had to pay a yearly nazarana, Those at
Materia Ghat alone paid Rs. 25.
7S
378 UTR
All merchants coming into the pargana for the purchase of hides were
mulcted of a heavy nazarana. One Dinapore Jew, whose name I can't
make out, paid in one year Rs. 300.
No one might set up a spirit shop without the raja's leave, which was
purchased at sums proportionate to the anticipated value of the trade.
Six shops in Utraula paid Rs. 150 per annum.
Tangarahi (tangara an axe) was charged on the neighbouring villages
of other parganas, whose inhabitants came to Utraula for wood, at fixed
annual sums. Natives of the pargana were not charged for fuel, but
paid 1 J or 1^ annas per cart-load of building wood. The owners were
charged 8 annas per annum for each cart, and the same sum for each loom.
In case any one should escape paying his due share of the taxes, lump
sums generally of several hundred rupees were demanded from the trades-
men in each bazar. Theywere compelled to appoint a chaudhri, who was
responsible to the rija for the amount, and apportioned it among the
several payers according to their ability to pay. This ingenious tax was
known as subahi. At the head of the raja's miscellaneous dues was his
bhent (feudal tribute) of Rs. 2 per annum, and Rs. 3 for nawa (first
fruits) and nachna (dancing at the holi) levied from each village. Each
party to a boundary dispute paid Rs. 22 (mendiawan) "for the rija's
decision. In ordinary suits each party bound himself to pay the rdja a
considerable fine if he lost his case.
Bunda was as much as could be extracted from an adulterer. It came
to the ear of Raja Sadullah Khan that Salik, a rich Kurmi of Kirman, had
formed a connexion with the wife of one of his ploughmen. He was
immediately fined Rs. 27,000, and had to fly to Naipal leaving all his pro-
perty behind him in the raja's clutches.
Gayari denoted all property which in default of natural heirs devolved
on the raja as escheat.
If the raja bought a horse or an elephant he divided the expense among
the inhabitants of the pargana, and called it ghurahl or hathi^hi, and
if his fort needed repairs he levied kutahf in the sanie way. If a son was
born to him he demanded a general contribution under the name of
kaprahi (clothes money), and a similar levy was enacted on the occasion
of the first shaving of the head of the heir apparent (miindan).
Finally mourning and rejoicing (ghami, shddi), births, deaths, and
marriages among the subjects, all had their appropriate fees. It is unfair
to blame native finance for want of ingenuity or comprehensiveness. For
long after the establishment of the Pathan r&j the chieftains continued to
collect the Government share of the produce, paying nothing but a fixed
tribute to the central authority. The villages were held by communities
, of cultivators, and the headman received some small dues in recognition
of his position, and as wages for collecting the raja's revenue. When the
division of the pargana took place in the time of Raja Pahdr Khan, the
same state of things continued, each member of the ruling house exercising
TJTR 579
fu^ ^^™® rights in his own share, and contributing his own proportion of
the Government tribute. Besides the villages held by cultivating head-
men, there were a number assigned in jagir or retained in practical independ-
ence hy the descendants of the old Muhammadan soldiers who had helped
to establish the raj, and nothing was expected from these but that they
should pay a small yearly tribute as an acknowledgement of the feudal
superiority of the raja, and be ready to provide one or more horsemen to
accompany their chieftain in war. Before the beginning of this century
the raja had lost his hold on the pargana, and the Lucknow Government,
no longer contented with taking from him a lump tribute for his entire
raj, had made up its mind to collect the revenue itself from the several
villages. The raja's entire profit was valued at little over Rs. 4;000
per annum, and for this he was assigned the revenue of twenty-four
villages. But while he was debarred from any direct interest in the
village collections, his power as suzerain remained substantially in-
tact, and nothing illustrates more - clearly how little the Muhammadan
Government cared for any of the functions of sovereignty beyond the
receipt of revenue. As head of the pargana, the rdja still succeeded to
all escheats, his sanction was necessary for all transfers of property, his
feudal tribute of a few rupees a year from each village was never with-
held, he was head of the clan forces in war, and in peace chief judge in
its disputes ; and more important than all, he retained the power of
appointAaent to the headship of villages even after he had ceased to draw
any rent from them. In fact, of all the tributes of Hindu government,
he lost none but his title to the government share of the produce. The
fact that the villages ceased to have any pecuniary value to him induced
him to have recourse to an expedient for raising money, of which a few
instances had occurred in the times of Tarbiat Khan and Dilawar Khan,
but which now for the first time became extremely common.
Villages had till quite lately been held almost universally on grain
rents, the principles of which are elsewhere described, and when hard
pressed for money, the raja would sell the complete zamindari right in the
internal management of a village, with all zamindari claims in waste, wild
fruits, and fisheries, with the further stipulation that instead of the old
muqaddami dues, amounting generally to one-tenth, the purchaser should
deduct for himself one-fourth from the government grain heap, the lar-
gest proportion ever allowed by any native government to any village
proprietor. The title thus created was known as birt zamindari, and
speedily became very prevalent, being the ordinary means by which the
raja, replenished his purse.
The purchasers paid what were for the time rather high prices, rareJy
giving less than Rs. 500, even for small tracts of pure jungle. Their
rights were recognized by the Lucknow ofiicials, in as far as they were
confined to simple possession, but the one-fourth of the government share
was never remitted, the birtia was assessed at the supposed money value
of the whole of his share of the produce, and received a deduction of a
fixed nink^r or money allowance, apportioned to the position of the
receiver and bearing no relation whatever to the rental of the village.
His position as regards the tax gatherer became in fact exactly similar
580 UTR
to that of the small village proprietors in the district to the south of the
Gogra. Some few birt villages were included in the small, estates put
together within the ten years preceding annexation by the raja and his
relations. In these the terms of the original deed were nominally acted
on, leases being given to the birtia at the estimated value of the net pro-
duce, and one-fourth being deducted as the birtia's right. As a matter
of fact, however, the rent paid by the birtia to the taluqdar corresponded
very nearly to the government demand on the village, being sometimes
a little more sometimes rather less, as the demand changed with the
charging officials during the term of the lease. The taluqdar's advantage
lay in being better able to exact irregular cesses in his own than in villages
held directly from the n^zim, in his having a stronger hold on con-
tested manorial rights, such as jungle fruit and fisheries, and what he
perhaps valued more than all, in the fame of holding the villages of his
ancestors and excluding from their immediate management the Lucknow
officials. Another tenure was the sewfi, birt or cession for service. This
was generally of small patches of land, but occasionally of whole vil-
lages. The grantee paid no rent, and the grant as a rule was resumable
at the pleasure of the landlord, and rarely lasted beyond one life.
Differing from these was the jangaltar^shi birt or cession for forest
clearing. The birtia held on this rent-free for varying lengths of time,
but generally for seven years. After a short further period at favourable
rates, he held on the same terms as non-favoured cultivators, with this
difference that, instead of the labourers expenses being first deducted,
and the balance of grain divided equally between himself and his land-
lord, the grain was at first divided into three equal heaps, of which the
landlord took one, leaving the remaining two to the birtia, who out of his
share defrayed all the customary expenses. Highly manured lands in
the immediate vicinity of the village site are generally held at money
rents, in the rest of the village division of the grain prevails, except occa-
sionally where a money rent is levied, not on the soil but on the ploughs ;
each four-bullock plough paying the landlord from Rs. 20 to 30. As a rule
the grain heap forms the basis of the whole of the internal economy of
the village, and the rights of the several classes of inhabitants are mea-
sured by the share in the gross produce of the land assigned to each by
immemorial custom. The first great division is the hissa sarkari and the
hissa raiati, the share of t^e landlord and the share of the cultivator,
and independent of these are the dues of the various village servants, as.
much of the grain as is left after deducting the shares of the slave plough-
men {vide Gonda district article) and the village servants, is collected in a
heap, Avhich is then divided between the cultivator and the landlord in
different proportions according to the character of the cultivation. The
government share covers the whole dues 'of every one interested in
the village of a higher rank than the cultivator himself, and theo-
retically, as the name indicates, belonged wholly to the government,
where the Lucknow official or the local rdja was regarded in that
light. In practice it was subject to deductions in favour of the village
headman or birtia proprietor — a subject already treated of. The divi-
sion is made by large baskets holding as much as two men canlift.
UTR 581
Where land has been just reclaimed from the forest nine baskets are
given as the cultivator's to one as the government share. Every year
one basket less goes to the cultivator till the proportion remains at
two tor the cultivator and one for government. Out of the govern-
ment share one ser in each niaund is refunded to the cultivator, and
one ser set aside for the village accountant's pay. In land not under
tree.]ungle or where fields, after falling out of cultivation, are again
brought under the plough, the cultivator's share of the produce amounts
to two-thirds or three-fourths for one or two years, according to the cir-
cumstances of the case, but the ordinary division is half and half,
government and cultivator taking equal shares. As has been said, the grain
heap does not contain the whole produce of the land, and practically the
cultivator gets one half independently of the whole of the expenses of
cultivation not comprised in his own labour and that of his family. The
deductions made from the total produce are of two kinds, either certain
small patches of land are set aside, and the grain raised on them sepa-
rately cut and stored, or, after the grain has been harvested, fixed propor-
tions of the whole are deducted before the main division takes place.
The principal of these deductions is made in favour of the slave plough-
man, who takes one maund in every six before the division, and after it
one ser in every maund from his master's share. These dues are known
respectively as bhatd and ser. The carpenter is allowed one and a half
local maund for each four-bullock and 30 sers for each two-bullock
plough ; in addition to this he selects a biswa of land from the fields of
each of his employers at each harvest, and cuts and carries off the produce
for his own consumption. When the grain is removed from the thresh-
ing-floor after division, fifteen sers more are handed to him from the share
of each cultivator, and he is besides presented with a large armful of
unthreshed ears. His dues before division are known as jaura at the
carrying off of the grain pharjaggi. The local maund is equal to 14-^
standard sers. The blacksmith receives exactly the same dues as the car-
penter, with the exception of the biswa of land, which is not given in his
case.
The Ahir who tends the village cattle is remunerated on two different
principles, according to the service taken from him. Ordinarily he only
tends the cattle at pasture during the day time, returning them to their
master's custody at night. In that case he takes one biswa of land and
thirty sers of grain before division for each bullock at each harvest, and
on the removal of the grain from the threshing-floor five sers pharjaggi
from the cultivator's share.
It is however not uncommon for him to take entire charge of the
cattle, feeding them in the hot weather, and assuming the responsibility
of their safe keeping at night. He then takes a kachcha bigha (varies
slightly in different villages, but is about one-third of the standard bigha)
for each beast at each harvest, one and a half maund jaura before divi-
sion, and fifteen sers on the removal of the grain.
The barber, the washerman, and the watchman are allowed one and a
half maund before division for each four-bullock a,nd thirty sers for each
two-bullock plough.
582 UTR
The pandit, or the village astrologer, may cut one biswa of land at
each harvest from the fields of each of his constituents, besides his anjuri,
or one or two double handfuls of grain from each heap.
When the grain is removed the beggar is allowed one or more double
handfuls from each heap.
When the grain is cut the whole village joins in, the work, and the
labourers are repaid in the case of rice by dividing among themselves one
maund out of seventeen of the gross produce after it is threshed out,
but before the main division. With other crops the fattest sheaf out of
thirty is set aside for them.
Among the cultivators themselves two singular customs are deserving
of record : —
Small bodies of cultivators hold land in common, and reproduce on a
small scale many of the features of regular zamindari village comniuni-
ties, Thus, in the same village there will be found paying rent to the
resident village proprietors three or four communities of non-proprietary
cultivators, who always hold the same fields, frequently scattered over
every part of the village area. Facb field thus held in common is divided,
according to the recognized shares of the labourers, along its whole length
at the beginning of every agricultural year, and an acre will often be
divided into several long strips, each not more than four or five yards
broad, and marked off by tufts of dry grass stuck into the ground at
intervals. To ensure fairness these strips are distributed among the
cultivators by lot at the beginning of the season. It is hardly necessary
to say that this splitting up of each cultivator's tenement into a number
of narrow strips of land, situated in every part of the village, does not
conduce to economy of labour, but it is on exactly the same principle as
the division of every part of every village in an estate among the mem-
bers of a co-proprietary community, and finds its origin in an instinct of
equity, which demands that each sharer should participate equally in
every special advantage possessed by different localities.
Another local custom is that three or four families will take a farm
between them and cultivate it in common, storing the grain when cut
in a common threshing-floor, after beating out a,nd drying, division is made
among the co-sharers, an equal share being taken by each male and each
ox engaged in the cultivation. For instance, two families form a society of
this kind — one with three males and four oxen, the other with one male
and two oxen. The total number of shares in the grain here is ten, of
which the first family takes seven, the other three.
I have hitherto refrained from saying anything about rights in waste,
and I can hardly do so without giving a strong opinion on hotly contested,
points. In the first place I must point out the wide distinction between
villages where there was no proprietary or giiasi-proprietary body inter-
vening between the cultivators and the raja, and villages held by what we
call coparcenary communities of zamindars. Of the latter class it is enough
to say here that the principal distinctive zamindari rights app.ear to me to.be
UTR ^ 588
the rajVs rights, split up by devolution between every member of a ruling
clan. The former class is by far the most common in this district, and dis-
plays, I believe, the most simple and normal form of the constitution of a
-^i°;^^^ociety. The unit of this is the raj whose boundaries usually corres-
^v^ K ^'^■^^ ^^^ revenue division known as the pargana, and the villages,
though quite independent and self-contained with respect to each other, were,
to use the words of Sir H. Maine, " held together by a variety of subordi-
nate relations to a feudal chief, single or corporate, the lord." This was the
state of things we found at annexation; it had certainly existed for the
whole period of the Path^n rule in Utraula. We find clear traces of it iu
the oldest extant historical records relating to the country, and if ever
wholly self-contained and independent cultivating village communities
existed, it was in a truly primitive time, beyond the reach of historical
proof or even tradition. The oldest and latest form of native society with
which we are acquainted, either contained the single lord or the tribe of
ruling clansmen as an essential part of the body politic, and the only trace
of anything corresponding to the mark unit, described by Maurer and Sir
H. Maine which I have met, is to be found in the non-Hindu communities
of Tharus. The principle of association was a most complex and artificial
form of commonism, in which no one could be said to have any real pro-
prietary right in the land, but every single class has its definite share in
the gross produce, the land belonging to the whole community of inhabi-
tants in the lordship, as opposed to the inhabitants of neighbouring par-
ganas, and jointly to the raja and village community as opposed to neigh-
bouring villages. Each individual class, the barber as much as the raja,
formed an essential part of the whole unit of property, and the absence of
any one member would leave a share of the produce unappropriated, to
which no one could advance a just claim on the ground of being proprietor
of the land on which the grain was grown. It is certainly erroneous to
suppose that the Hindu raja bore the slightest resemblance to the mediaeval
beneficiary. Instead of being created by, he was countless centuries
anterior to the Muhammadan Emperors, and if they were able to establish
certain families in that position, any argument from analogy would raise a
presumption that in Europe also, the couits of Charlemagne and his suc-
cessors owed their stability and independence to the fact that they suc-
ceeded to an indigenous institution of chieftainship to the forms of which
they naturally accommodated themselves.
Hence we find in Utraula facts at irreconcileable variance with the
received view of village communities. Nothing could be further from
the truth than to suppose that the village council was the sole tribunal.
Such was undoubtedly the case with villages held by zamindari com-
munities, but that, as I have already said, was a complex and abnormal
form of society, where a ruling clan exercised corporately the rights
of the feudal lord. In Utraula there was no such thing as a standing
council of village elders, many disputes were settled by friendly arbitra-
tion, but the arbitrators could enforce their decision by no sanction,
and the real court was the rdja's kachahri, whose orders were back-
ed by ample force. Caste panchayats are left out pf consideration, as
their jurisdiction was quite independent of village boundaries, and
584. UTR
derived from another source than the local political organization. Neither
do we find anything like the arable mark with its trequent redivisions
according to fixed shares among the cultivating freemen. Indeed, there
was no distinction between free and outside cultivators, all were equal,
and though the fields under cultivation were commonly changed, they
weie distributed on no more regular principle than that of adapta-
tion to the agricultural capital possessed by the several members of the
community. In the same way then as the cultivated land belonged to the
state, inthe sensenot of the government, but of the whole community, so also
did the waste. Real rights in the soil were as little known in the one as
in the other, and as the raja appointed headmen, with certain rights in the
government share of the grain, to whole villages, sddid he, or his repre-
sentative, the headman, appoint cultivators to the arable waste, with abso/-
lute right to the customary cultivator's portion of the produce. As long; as;
the waste remained untilled, the rights in it of the different classes of the
community were naturally very indefinite, but Sir H. Maine's description
of what he considers a derived form of society, applies, with the' exception
of a few terms, to the original Utraula village. "Waste was ancillary to
the tenemental lands, the free tenants of the lord whom we may provi-
sionally take to represent the freemen of the village community" (read
the village cultivators) " retained" (heldj " all their ascertained rights of
pasture and firewood, but subject to all ascertained rights the waste belongs
actually or potentially to the lord's domain." Thus we find that the villagers
used to take as much wood, fish, or mahua fruit as they wanted for their
own consumption from the ponds and jungles within the village boundaries,
while they thatched their houses and fed their cattle free of charge from
the grass lands. At the same time, any such produce as could be carried
and sold beyond the limits of the village belonged tO' the rnja, and the
proceeds formed one of the chief sources of his revenue, the sayar.
It was in accordance with this principle that when a cultivator moved to-
another village he ceased to have any rights in the house he left. The
thatch beams and walls became the absolute property of the raja. It was
always a disputed point whether the chieftain had any right to plant new
villages on the waste land of a village, in which he had created a birt
tenure. The birtia's resistance was generally successful, but in 1841 A. D.,
the point in issue between Raja Umr o Ali Khan and the wealthy Goshain
birtia of Magaipur was decided in favour of the former by the n^zim,
and the raja carved four or five new birts. from the extensive forests of
that village.
The chief mercantile classes, the money-lenders, grain merchants, and
spirit distillers were not included in the agricultural community, but we
have seen that the raja taxed them heavily, and when the shirakatana, or
forced contribution in times of need, was levied, they took their share in
the burden with the cultivators and village headmen.
TJTRATJLA* — Pargaiia Utratjla. — Tahsil Utraula — District Gonda. —
(Latitude 27°20' north, longitude 82°28' east) Capital oftheparganaof that
name, situated three miles south of the Riipti, and a mile and a half north of
* By Mr. W, C. Benfett, CS,, Assistant CommisBioner.
YAH ' 585
the SuwSwan. One road connects it witli Balrdmpur, 17 miles to the west,
anotner with the important market of Biskohar in Basti about 30 miles
due east crossing the R^pti by the Materia Ghat. Another road, some
i!» miles from Utraula, runs 32 miles to the south-west to Gonda, and
another, 36 miles south, to the great mart of Nawabganj. Tulsipur, 15 miles
to the north, IS reached only by cart tracks crossing the Rapti at Pipra Ghat.
A rate of 6 pie per rupee on goods sold in the bazar yields the annual
sum of Rs. 1,900 only ; the ordinary grain, pots, and pans and coarse cloths
are sold. Great quantities of rice pass through on its way to Nawabganj.
The pupulation is 5,788, of which an unusually large proportion are
Muhammadans. The name signifies either the north town or Uttara's
town, probably the latter. In the time of Uttra Kunwar (vide pargana
article) it consisted of a large brick fort surrounded by a moat, the remains
of which are still traceable, and covered by a circle of outlying forts, at
distance of from one to one and a half miles. The first act of the Path^n
conqueror was to dig a large oblong tank to the west of the town on the
site of his final victory over Uttra Kunwar. On the edge of this and close
to the road are the tombs of himself and some of his descendants in a brick
building which has been rent asunder by a superb p^kar tree. The next
object to the east of the tombs is a large stone tank, sacred to Dukhra
Nath Mahadeo. It was built some 80 years ago by a Balrdmpur saint, and
is surrounded by the' houses of two rival establishments of devotees, and by
a picturesque garden and fine trees. A few paces further is the abk^ri
godown, which here yields an annual revenue of about Rs. 25,000. With this
the main street of Utraula commences, and runs due east for nearly three-
fourths of a mile. More than half way down is the school which is frequent-
ed by some 70 or 80 pupils. A little way from the school, down an alley to
the north of the main street, is the large brick house of the Rajas of Utraula.
Itisbuilton the top of the debris of the highest part of the ancient fort,
and contains several courtyards, one of which is occupied by the tahsildar,
while another serves as a temporary hospital, and a third as the residence
of the boy raja and his mother. The brick work is solid and the arches
pretty, but the building presents no very striking architectural features.
Further east the thdna on the north of the road is confronted by the new
charitable dispensary, a large masonry bungalow placed in an airy situation
on the highest point in Utraula. Adjoining this is the rdja's garden
surrounded by a high brick wall. The sar4e also a large brick building
ends the town to the east.
The town lands are covered with magnificent groves of mango trees,
and are divided in a number of small parcels among many proprietors.
Thechiefof course being the old Pathan rulers. To the north at a dis-
tance of from 3 to 1 miles run a series of large jhils, with great quantities
of duck, which however are exceedingly difl&cult to approach, and in
places moderately good snipe shooting.
YABIKTVH— Pargana TxiTi—Tahsil T Am— District Paetabgarh.—
The Sai river borders this village, which is seven miles from Partabgaih.
This place was formerly in the possession of the Bhars ; they killed the
whole family of the qanungo except one pregnant woman who fled to
74
586 ZAI— ZOR
Delhi and complained. Her son when come to years of discretion again
urged the complaint. Gnlar Sah, Dikhit Chhattri of Bisauli in Bdnda, was
sent against the Bhars and received a grant of ten parganas. The Dikhits
came to Bilkhar, conquered the Bhars, settled in Bilkhar, and in digging
foundations found an idol, Bilkhar Mah4deo, now a celebrated object of
worship. This Bilkhar is within Yahiapur. There was a great fight in
1180 fasli (A.D. 1772) between the lord of Bilkhar, Rae Meherbdn Singh,
and the chakladar ; the former was overthrown, and his estate attached for
several generations. The rest of the history is given under pargana Patti.
There is a fair at the shrine attended by about 2,500 people.
ZAIDPUR — Pargcma Sidbhaue, — Tahsil Nawabganj — District Baka
Banei. — This town lies 14 miles east-south-east of the civil station ; it is
said to have been founded 400 years ago by Sayyad Zaid, the ancestor of
the great Sayyad community now living there.
A_large manufacture of country cloth is carried on.
The total population amoauta to ... ,.. 10,680
Of which the Musalmans are ... ... 6,375
And the Hindus ... ... ... ,„ 4,3U5
latitude 26° Stf north
Longitude 61° 21' 30" east
ZORXWARGANJ — Pa/rgana Purwa — Tahsil P0RWA — District Unao. —
This town is 6 miles north of Purwa and 23 miles east of Unao; a tank
made by the founder of the town, Zordwar Singh, is to be seen to the
south. This man was a brother of Raja Achal Singh Bais; in 1145 fasli
CA.D. 1737) he founded this village. The site belonged to two villages,
Shahpur and Sumdaha. The soil is good and the neighbouring country
well wooded and picturesque, being diversified with numerous groves. The
population consists of 1,472 Hindus and 11 Musalmans. There are two
markets weekly, and the annual sales are Rs. 7,650. Jewellery and shoes
are made here. There are two temples to MahSdeo. Of the Hitidus more
than half (880) are Bani&ns.
THK END.
PRINTED AT THE N,-W. P, AND OUDH GOVERNMEKT PBESS, ALLAHABAD.
Il^DEX.
A.
Accidental deaths, Partabgarhj 133; Rae Bsre-
li, 215; Sitftpur, 380; Sultanpur, 442; Unao,
539.
Achal Singh, Bais, Baja, \69.
Administration, Partabgarh, 123 ; Rae Bareli,
214; Sitapur, 378-37Si Sultanpur, 438—
441; Unao, 638.
Agha Ali Ehan, Mirza, N^zim of Sultanpur,
471.
Agricultural operations, Partabgarh, 86-87.
Agriculture, Partabgarh, 77— r87; Eae Bareli,
183-184 ; Sitapur, 355 — 364 ; Sultanpur, 422-
423; Unao, 620-521.
Ahban Chhattris of Sitapur, 384,
Ala-ud-din, Khilji, 447-448,
Ala-ud-din, Makhdum, 302.
Ala-ud-din, Sayyad, 552.
Aldwal Khan of Utraula, 574. >
Alba and TJdal, 323, 486, 563.
Ali Khan of Otraula, 572-573.
Amir Ah, Molvi, of Amethi, crescentade and
fate of— 274.
Animals (see fauna).
Antiquities, Rae Bareli, 2S3 — 25S.
Arab Taluctdara of Sitapur, family history
of— 389.
Arakbs of Saudila, 301,
Archaeology, Unao, 566.
Area, Partabgarh, 65, 66, 112-113, 170 ; Rae
• Bareli division, 170 ; Rae Bareli district,
170-171, 204-205; Sitapur division, 338;
SitapurDistrict, 338, 341, 372-373; Snltan-
pur, 170, 404-405, 428 ; Unao, 510,511, 530-
631.
Ashwasthama, 562-563.
Aisessment, table of— Sitapur, 344.
B.
Bachgoti Chhattris of Khajurahat, 37 ; Patti
Dalippur, 152—154; Tappa Asl, 473.
Bachgoti Khanzadas of Hasanpur, 465—468 ;
of Maniarpur, 468—471.
Bachgoti Rajkumars (see RajkumSrs).
Bachgoti Rajwara (see Rajwars).
Baha-ud-din, Sayyad, 563.
Bahrela Chhattris of Siirajpur, 332-33S.
BaiB Chhattris of Nigohan, 30-31 ; Malahtu
and Sohwal, 35; Uchhapali, Rampur Bhagan
and Gandor, 36 ; Sonpura, 154 ; Sultanpur,
460-461.
Bais Tilok Chandi, history of— 221-a4 4.
Bais Taluqdars of Sitapur, history of— 386-
387,
Bakhtifir Khilji, 446. ^^, ^^ ■ i. ,«
Bal KrishB, Maharaja, Kayath, gan] of —16.
Bamhan Gaur Chhattris of Sitapur, 883.
Eariar Singh of Bhiti, 470,
Bazars (see markets).
Bbarsian Chhattris, Sultanpur, 462.
Bhars, Sitapur, 372.
Bilkharia Chhattris of Patti Dalippur, 152.
Billeswar Mahadeo, 320, 565.
Birds, Sitapur, 349-350.
Bisen Chhattris of Eampur (Partabgarh), 263
—269.
Boileau, Captain, Molvi Amir Ali defeated by—
274,
Boundaries, Partabgarh, 65; Rae Bareli, 171 ;
Sitapur, 341; Sultanpur, 404 ; Unao, 510.
Brahman, Sangaldipi of Mehdona, 37—44 ; Par-
tabgarh, 116-117; Spurious, 117; Pdnde
Barwar, 326-327.
c.
Capperganj, 257.
Castes, Partabgarh, 114—119 ; Rae Bareli, 204 ;
Sitapur, 371-372 ; Sultanpur, 429 ; Uuao,
531-532.
Chamar Gaur Chhattris of Sara, 306-307.
Chandi SahSe, Diwau, ganj of — 257.
Chauhfo Chhattris of Ahran, 35 ; Sitapur,
397 ; Unao, 550.
Chauharja Uebi, 159.
Chhattris of Partabgarh, 117-118.
Christian, G. J., Mr,, Commissioner of Sitapur,
death of— 392—394.
Climate, Partabgarh, 68 ; Rae Bareli, 178 ; Sita-
pur, 351; Sultanpur, 410-41].
Commerce (see trade).
Communications, Partabgarh, 106 — 110 ; Eae
Bareli, 201— 203 ; Sitapur, 368—370 ; Sul-
tanpur, 425— 427; Unao, 527—529.
Condition of the people, Eae Bareli, 206-207;
Sitapur, 360-361; Sultanpur, 430-431.
Courts (see administration).
Crime Statistics, Partabgarh, 133 ; Eae Bareli,
215 ; Sitapur, 380 ; Sultanpur, 442 ; Unao,
539
Crops, Partabgarh, 77—83 ; Eae Bareli, 183;
Sitapur, 866—359, 361-362; Sultanpur
422-423 i Unao, 520-521.
D.
Dan Bahadur Singh, Eaja of Tulsipur, 505.
Daria Khan of Maniarpur, 468-469.
Daiidpur, battle of— 157.
DayS. Shankar, Raja of Parenda, 549-550,
Deaths in Rae Bareli, 180-181; Sitapur,
353-354 ; Sultanpur, 413—419 ; Uoao, 516-
517.
Dtaaattar, the physician, 563,
11
INDEX.
Dikhit ChhattriB, TTnao, 545 — 650.
DildSr Ali, Sayyad, Mujtahid, 8.
Diler Khan, Nawab, 327-328.
Dirgbansi Chhattiis of. Fatti, 156.
Diseases, Fartabgarb, 69, 91 ; Bae Sareli,
180-181 ; Sitapur, 353-354 ; Sultanpur,
413—419 ; Unao, 616-617.
Boms, destructioa of, 12.
Dost Ali, Cbaudhri, of Unao, family history
of, 653-556.
Drig NarSin Singh, Baja of Tulsipur, SOS-
SOB.
E.
Education, Fartabgaih, 135-136; Rae Bareli,
217-218; Sitapur, 382; SuUanpur, 443;
Unao, 541,
Expenditure (see revenue).
Exports, Fartabgarb, 103—105 ; Eae Bareli,
SOI ; Sultanpur, 425 ; Unao, 526-S26.
F.
Fairs, Partabgarh, lol ; Rae Bareli, 205-2C6;
Sultanpur, 431—434 ; Unao, 518.
Famines (see prices and famines).
Fauna, Fartabgarb, 76; Eae Bareli, 178 ; Sita-
pur, 346—849 ; Sultanpur, 409-410.
Ferries, Fartabgarb, 106 ; Unao, 529.
Fish and fisheries, Partabgarh, 99-100 ; Eae
Bareli, 198 ; Sitapur, 368 ; Sultanpur, 423 j
Unao, 524-525.
Fisher, Colonel, murder of, 459.
Flora. Partabgarh, 70—74; Rae Bareli, 175—
178; Sitapur, 345-346 ; Sultanpur, 408-
409.
Food, Partabgarh, 123 ; Rae Bareli, 198; Sul-
tanpur, 423 ; Unao, 624.
Fords (see ferries).
G.
Game (see fauna).
Ganjar, people of, 24-25.
Gaur Bamhan Chhattris (see Bamhan Gaur).
Gaur Chamar Chhattris (see Chamar Gaur).
Gaur Chhattris of Unao, 545.
Gaur (converted) Chhattris of Sitapur, 386.
Gaur Chhattris, Taluqdars of Sitapur, history
of, 3h5-386.
Gautum Chhattris of Unao, 544.
Ghaf ur Alam of Pihani (see Sadr Jahan).
Giam Pande of Pali, 53.
Girdhara Singh, Nazim, 332.
Gndun, Sayyad, 564-555.
Gur Bakhsh Singh, Baja of Eamnagar, 264.
H.
Hansadhwaj, 284,
Hanwant Singh, Eaja of KSIakankar, 265—267.
•Uar Charan Das, Mahant, 13.
Har Har, Raja of Pali, 63.
Har Farsh&d, Baja Kayatb, Nazim, residence
of, 8.
Harrests, Partabgarh, 84.
Hasan Ehan, Raja of Hasanpur, 465-466.
Hashmat Ali, Shekh, Chaudhri of Sandila,
303-304.
Hindus of Partabgarh, 1 1 6.
History of Partabgarh, 138 ; Rae Bareli, 219
—253 ; Sitapur, 383-395 ; Sultanpur, 446^
463 ; Unao, 542—566.
Houses, Partabgarh, 120—122.
Husen Ali Ehan of Hasanpur, 467-468.
Ibrahim, Sharqi, Sultan of Jaunpur, 448.
Imports, Partabgarh, 103—105 ; Rae Bareli,
201 ; Sultanpur, 425 ; Unao, 625-626.
Inheritance, lair of, Partabgarh, 124 ; Unao,
532—534.
Interest, rate of, Rae Bareli, 207 ; Sitapur, 365.
Inundations, Sitapur, 342.
Iradat JahSn, Baja of Negun, 479.
Irrigation, Partabgarh, 87—90 ; Bae Bareli,
185—195; Sitapur, 368-364; Sultanpur,
423 ; Unao, 621-632.
Jagat Singh, Eae, Kayath, Subahdar, the
Dome Baja killed by, 12.
Jain Eajas of Sahet Mahet, 283.
Jaisingarh, battle of, 167.
Janwar Chhattris of Sitapur, 390 ; Unao, 643-
644.
Janwar Taluqdars of Sitapur, history of, 385.
Jasa Singh, Chaudhri of Fatehpur ChanrSsi,
544.
Jh&jhu, Malik, 447.
K.
Kachhwaha Chhattris of Sitapur, 391.
Kanhpuria Chhattris of Salon, 288—290.
Kansflr Sab, Baja of Saliana, 6.
Kashi Parshad, K4ja of Sissaindi, 29-30.
Kayaths of Nasirabad, 8 ; Amodha, 12 ; Par-
tabgarh, 119; Eae Bareli, 226, 227,266;
Sitapur, £76 ; Sri Bastabs of Upper India,
285 ; Sandi, 296, 298.
KSjaths Taluqdars of Sitapur, history of,
387-388. •
Kayaths (couTerted) of Sitapur, 391.
Khan Ali Khan, 396.
Khanzadas of Bilahra, 383 ; of Hasanpur and
Maniarpur (see Bachgotis).
Khanzada Taluqdars of Sitapur, history of,
388-389.
Khattri Taluqdars of Sitapur, history of, 388.
Khwaja Jahan, 448.
Kidar Nath, Kashmiri, Brahman, Deputy
Chakladar, 307.
Kishn Datt ESm, Pfinde, E^ja, is.
INDEX.
ul
Kunwar Chhattris of Sitapur, 391.
Eusabri Debi, 16. * .
KuB, Kaja (see Lara aad Eus).
Lakes, Partabgarh, 75 ; Kae Bareli, 176 ; Sita-
pur, 345 ; Sultanpur, 407 ; Unao, 512,
Land-owners (see Taluqdars, lists of).
Lava and Kus, 61.
Loh&r Tara, battle of, 157.
Lona Chamarin, story regarding, 563-664.
M.
Mahesh Eao, Rao, Paymaster, 281,
Mahror Chhattria, 560-561.
Makhdum Ashraf, tomb of, 272.
MalikB o* Khaspur, 483.
Mandarkya Chhattris, 462-463.
Man Singh, Maharaja K.C.S.L, family history
of, 37— 44.
Manufactures, Partabgarh, 103 ; Rae Bareli,
198-199; Sitapur, 368; Sultanpur, 425;
Unao, 525.
Markets, Partabgarh, 100-101; Sultanpur,
427 ; TJnao, 525.
Measures (see weights and measures).
Medical aspects, Partabgarh, 69 ; Eae Bareli,
180—182; Sitapur, 352—354; Sultanpur,
412—421; Unao, 516—519.
Megh Raj, Raia, 505.
Minerals, Partabgarh, 103 ; Sitapur, 350; Sul-
tanpur, 409.
Moin-ud-din, Shekh, in Pali, 53.
Mughal Taluqdars of Sitapur, history of,
389
Muhai, definition of, Sultanpur, 440-441.
Muhammadans, settlement of, Partabgarh,
J 15 ; distribution of, 116 ; Unao, history of,
552—556.
Musalmans (see Muhammadans).
Mutiny, incidents during, Eae Bareli, 262-
253 ; Sitapur, 392—395 ; Sultanpur, 468-
459; Unao, 556—562.
N.
Nagar, battle of, 252-253.
Nahuk, Kaja, 28-29.
Nawabganj, battle of, 10.
Nazims of Sultanpur, list of, 457.
Newal Eae, Maharaja, ganj of, 16,
Nihal Khan, Raja, 32.
Nihal Singh of Sehipur, 469-470.
o.
Occupancy tights (see tenures).
Outturn, Bae BareU, 184 ; Sitapur,
Palwar Chhattris of Surharpnr, 479—481.
Panwar Taluqdars of Sitapur, history of, 387.
Parasenajit, King, 282.
Pargana, definition of, Sultanpur, 438,
Parganas, lists of— I'artabgarh, 65-66 ; Eaa
Bareli, 171, 204-205; Sitapur, 342,372-373;
Sultanpur, 404-405, 428; Unao, 511, 630-
531.
Parihar Obhattris, 334-336 .
Pathdn Taluqdars of Sitapur, history of, 389.
People (see population) .
Physical features, Partabgarh, 67 ; Rae BareU,
171—174; Sitapur, 341; Sultanpur, 405;
Unao, 510, 513.
Pir Mahammad Shah, 290.
Plants (see flora).
Police, Partabgarh, 132; Eae Bareli, 214;
Sitapur, 379 ;. Sultanpur, 441 ; Unao, 638.
Police stations (see thdnas).
Poppy, Partabgarh, 81.
Population, Partabgarh, 66-66, 111—113,
i70 ; Rae Bareli diTision, 170 ; Eae Bareli
district, 170, 171, 204-205; Sitapur divi-
sion, 338; Sitapur distiict, 338, 341, 371,
372-373; Sultanpur, 170,404, 428—430;
Unao, 510, 530-681.
Post offices, Partabgarh, 136-137; Bae Bareli,
218 ; Sitapur, 382 ; Sultanpur, 443—445 ;
Unao, 541.
Prices and famines, Partabgarh, 98 ; Rae
BareU, 195— 198; Sitapur, 365— 367; Sultan-
pur, 424 ; Unao, 523-524.
Prithipat, Eaja, 147-148,
R.
Raghubansi Chhattris of Sitapur, 390-891 ;
Sultanpur, 460.
Eahmani, Bibi, of Maniarpur, 469.
Raikwdr Chhattiis of Sitapur, 383; Unao, 544.
RaikwSr Taluqdars of Sitapur, family history
of, 386.
Eailway (see communications).
RainfaU, Partabgarh, 68-69; Kae Bareli, 178-
179; Sitapur, 351-862; Sultanpur, 411-412 ;
Unao, 515.
Eajkumar Bachgoti Chhattris of Sultanpur ,
47 1 -47 2 ; Py zabad, 482 .
Rajputs (see Chhattris, and also under each
clan).
Rajwar Bachgoti Chhattris, 472.
ES,m Bakhsh, Babu, of Daundia Khera, 168
—304.
Eani of Tulsipur, 506.
Easul Khau, Togh of Nanpara, 6.
Ratan Nath, the great, 605.
Bawat Chhattris, 661.
KeUgion, Eae Bareli, 205.
Eents, Partabgarh, 92-93, Bae BareU, 183-
184 ; Sitapur, 359-360, 365 ; Unao, 622-523.
Eevenue and expenditure, I'artabgarh, 133-134 ;
Rae BareU, 216-216; Sitapur, 381-382, Sul-
tanpur, 442-443 ; Unao, 639-540.
IV
INDEX.
Biasat Ali Khan, Raja of Utraula, 576.
Kivers and streams, t'artabgarh, 74-76; Eae
Bareli, 174-175 ; Sitapur, 342-343, Sultao-
pur, 406-407 ; TJnao, 510, 613-514,
Boads (see commiimoationa).
Bustam Sab, Raja of Dera, 459,
s.
Saadat Khan oJ Oudh, 466,^
Sadr Jahan, Nawab, of Pihaui, 161-162.
Sahaj B^m Bakbsh, Baja of Fukhra Assari,
167.
Sahu Salar, 382,
Sai Sukul, 281.
Salim Shekh, 287.
Salona, Begam, 6.
Samundrapal, Jogi, 283.
Sangram Sah, Eaja, 6.
Sarfar4z Ahmad, Chaudhri of Bhilwal, 402-
403.
Saroman DSs, Eae, 318-319.
Sarwan, Eishi, 320-321. 562— S65.
Kayyad Husen of Pandila, 302.
Sayyad Mir, Uisaldar, 28).
Sayyad Bajas of Negun, 479,
Sayyad Salar, 284.
Sayyad Taluqdare of Sitapur, history of, 390.
Schools (see education).
Seasons, Sitapur, 35 1 .
Shahdeo Singh, Shahzada, 269.
Shambhu Nath of Sahet Mahet, 283.
Shekhs of Sitapur, 391; Easiilpur, 490.
Bher Bahadur Singh, Raja of Kamiar, Amir
Ali, Molvi, pursued by, 274,
Sher Jahan, Sayyad, 479.
Sher Shah, 450.
Shrines, Sultanpur, 431.
Singhji, Baja of Surajpur, 477.
Sital Parshad, Eaja, Nazim, 308, 383.
" Sleeman's Tour in Oudh," extracts regard-
ing, Moikhar, 33; Pali, 52; S&ndi, 297;
Sandila, 303-304 ; Shahabad, 329-330;
Siddhaur, 332-333 ; Maniarpur, 469,
Sogara Bibi (see Sughra).
Soil, Partabgarh, 67; Sitapur, 341; Unao, 510,
820,
Sombansi Chhattris of Partabgarh, 139—144 ;
Saromannagar, 318,
Sri Chandra Ueva, 284.
Staples, Sitapur, 355 ; Sultanpur, 422.
•Streams (see rivers).
Sughra, Bibi, of Maniarpur, 470-471.
Suhel Deu, Eaja, 12,
S&r Kings, 449.
T.
Tahail, definition of, Sultanpur, 438.
Tahsils, description of, Sitapur, »78-379.
TahSils, lists of, Partabgarh, 65-66 j Eae Bareli,
204-205 ; Sitapur, 342, 372-373 ; Sultanpur,
404-405, 428; Unao, 511, 530-631. '
Taluga, histories of Singha Chanda, 13; Ba-
santpur, 13 ; Sissaindi, 29-30 ; Mehdona,
37—44; Bahlolpur, Hi; Dalippur Fntti, !52—
154; AdhSrganj, 155-156; Bampur, 265 —
267 ; Tiloi, 290; Hasanpur, 465— 468; Maniar-
pur, 488— 47l!Bhadaiyan, 471-472; Tigra,
481-482; Tulsipur, 504-507; Fatehpur
Chaurasi, 513-544; Parenda, 645—550;
Utraula, 672— 683,
Taluqdars, lists of, Partabgarh, 131; Eae
Barelij 208-209; Sitapur, 377; Sultanpur,
436-437; Unao, 336.
Taluqdars, history of, Sitapur, 383 — 391,
Tarbiat Khan, Eaja of Utraula, 574-575,
Tatar Khan, or Tilok Chand Bachgoti, 465.
Taxation (see revenue).
Temperature, Partabgarh, 68 ; Sitapur, 350,
352-353; Sultanpur, 421; Unao, 514.
Tenures, Partabgarh, 124 — 131 ; Eae Bareli,
207—213; Sitapur, 873—377; Sultanpur,
434—437; Unao, 534— 537.
Thanas, Partabgarh, 133; Bae Bareli, 214; Sita-
pur, 879-380; Sultanpur, 441; Unao, 538.
Tharus of Sitapur, 372; Tulsipur, 502—605,
Thornbil], Henry, Mr,, death of, 394,
Tiar Chhattris of Sultanpur, 460.
Tikait Eae, Maharaja, 496-497.
Tilok Chand, Bachgoti (converted) (see
Tatar Khan).
Towns, Partabgarh, 100-101; Eae Bareli, 206j
Sitapur, .':55 ; Sultanpur, 427; Unao, 630.
Trade and commerce, I'artabgarh, 102 — 105;
Eae Bareli, 199—201 ; Sultanpur, 424-426 ;
Unao, 525-526.
Traffic (see trade).
Trees (see flora),
u.
Udal (see Alha and Udal).
Ugarsen, Dom, Raja, 12.
Ugarsen, Ejija of Ugu, 281, 508,
Unwant Singh, Eaja, 568.
V.
Vaishyas of Partabgarh, 118.
Village, establishmentot, Partabgarh, 96 98,
VOlage, definition of, Sultanpnr, 4il.
w.
Wages, Rae Bareli, 1.89 ; Sitapur, 362-363,
Wajid Ali Khan, Ndzim, 470.
Weights and measures, Sitapur, 870.
Wild animals (see fauna).
Yasin Khan, gamindar, fugitives from Sultan-
pur, killed by, 459,
z,
Zabardast Khan of Hasanpur, 467, 468-469.
Zohra; Bibi, fair in honour of, 274-276.
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