Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924024153987).pdf/281

 BAH

203

revenue assessed by Todar Mai averaged Ks. 1-1-6 per Ibigha. of jagirs was pursued by the Nawab Wazirs of Oudh up to the time of A'sif-ud-daula, the management of the lands so given being carried on distinct from that of the revenue-paying estates. In 1713 A.D. one Nawab Mirza Jahan held no less than 858 villages, and another grantee 80 villages, out of 2,430 in this pargana, -while, besides these extravagant assignments, 127 villages were held in ordinary revenue-free tenure. During the next sixty years other jagirdars held similar grants amounting to 548 villages, nearly all of which were in the Bahraich pargana. In 1775 A. D., however, Shuja-ud-daula died, and his son i^sif-uddaula was so pressed by his pecuniary obligations to the British Government that the jagirs all came under resumption, save one of 255 villages, which one of Asif-ud-daula's own ministers took care to secure for himself On the death of Asif-ud-daula in 1798 this also was resumed, sgid no more jagirs have since been granted in this district save the Bhingailaqa, which Saadat Ali Khan made over under treaty to Bahu Begam under the guarantee of the British Government. This jdgir was held by the lady till her death in 1815 A. D. soutli the

The system

Up

to the death of Saadat Ali Khan it had always been the policy of to keep the independent villages that were held by their occupants immediately under the Crown out of the grasp of the great taluqdars of the district, but the commencement of the reign of his

the

Lucknow Government

saw also the beginning of that process of absorption which has the whole of this large pargana out of 621 khalsa villages that Since that year the Raja of existed in 1816 A. D. only 80 undigested. Ikauna managed to secure for himself no less than 224 of these villages, while Piagpur has absorbed 178 and the Tiparaha taluqdar 48. successor

left in

Prior to 1817 A. D., in each of the five great estates which were comprised within the limits of this pargana viz., Ikauna, N^npara, Piagpur, Charda, and Gangwal, a tahsildar was appointed on the part of Government to look after its interests and hold the power of these taluqdars in check, but on the accession of Gh^zi-ud-din Haidar, the reins were loosed, the tahsildars withdrawn, and the nobles allowed complete control within their The contract system had lately been adopted, and its effects upon estates. this pargana and the Bahraich district generally under such men as Hakim Mehndi (1817-1818 A. D.,) Raja Darshan Singh (1836 and 1838), and the fiendish Raghubar Singh (1846-1847), are well described in Sleeman's The pargana has not yet recovered the diary, volume 1, pages 48-122. devastations of this last mentioned tyrant, and fine groves of mango trees which break the monotony of extensive plains of grass- mark the sites of villages which were laid waste at that time. Now that the revised revenue demand has been fixed the cultivation is advancing with rapid strides, and it will not be many years before the park-like aspect of the country will dissolve into that of a vast garden.

BAHRAICH Town*—Pargana

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Baheaich Tahsil Bahraich District Baheaich.— Bahraich (latitude 27° 35' north; longitude 81° 40' eastj approximately 470 feet above the sea level) is the sadr station of the It is situated in nearly the centre of frontier district of the same name.

By H.

S. Boys, c.

s.

Assistant Commissioner,