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 BAN

221

109 pupils ; a branch (44) in the town, and another in Maholia, a neighbouring village (20). There are village schools at Turtipur (37) and Khajurahra (37). There are no female schools. Markets are held at Hardeoganj in Hardoi, and at Pakohra on Sundays and Wednesdays, and at Sathji in Khajurahra on Thursdays and Mondays. History.

—The early

Bangar closely resembles that of used here, as in the North-Western Provinces, to denote high-lying lands out of the -reach of river action, as distinguished from the low-lying Kachh' or Khadir' tracts. pargana Bawan.

history of the

The name

is

'

'

Here, as in pargana Bawan, the earliest historical event known to local is the passage of Sayyad Salar's army in 423 Hijri (1032 A. D.). In mauza Isauli is to be seen to this day the grave of one of the martyrs (Shahid Mard). The expedition in which he feU may, probably, have been that led by Sayyad Aziz-ud-din, the Lai Pir, from Satrikh, against Gopamau, mentioned in Chapter III of the Mira-at-i-Masatidi. The date assigned by the author of this work to Sayyad Salar's invasion is of very doubtful accuracy. Of greater interest and importance are the traditional accounts of the coming of the Eajput clans, and the expulsion of the Thatheras.

memory

The earliest Rajput immigrants seem to have been the Gaurs. The favorite account current at Khajurahra, the central village of the Gaur taluqa of (the late) Dal Singh, runs thus Of old, Khajurahra was held

—

Eleven hundred years ago, our ancestor, Thakur Raghun£th Singh of Ndrkanjari, near Indor, served under the Raja of Kanauj, and in reward for gallant service was made Amil of Bangar. Bihar was chosen by him for his residence, and thence he used to send the tribute Once he had to go on special business to collected by him to Kanauj.

by the Thatheras.

Kanauj

to see the Raja.

While he was away, a son was born to him, of whom the astrologers forewas fortunate and that he would become king of the land. The Thatheras were then lords of this country, and they, fearful of the

told that his star

future, caused the astrologers to spread it abroad that if the babe's father Thus they did ; and the should set eyes on him, he would surely die. child's mother, to avert her husband's doom, buried her little one alive.

But when Raghundth Singh returned and heard what had happened, he hastened and dug out his child. And lo, it was still living, but one of its eyes was blind, and they named him Ganga Singh Kdna, or one-eyed, and he grew up brave and wise and when Raghund.th Singh died, oneeyed Ganga was appointed in his stead. In those days the Thatheras had waxed rebellious and refused tribute. So one-eyed Ganga sought aid from Kanauj and brought an army from thence, and fought and slew the rebel

Thatheras and crushed the revolt, and such as he did not put to the sword he drove out from their homes to be wanderers over the face of the land. And the Raja was glad, and bestowed upon him all the realm of the Thatheras for his own. Now Ganga Singh had two sons, Jaskaran and Amda, and they divided the inheritance between them. Jaskaran took what are now Baragdon and Maholia Rawat, Hardoi, Kasr^wan, Bhitauli, Sarayyan, Mawayya, and Amdaha and Amda Singh took Khajurahra, and