Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924024153987).pdf/366

 — BHI

288

zamindari of the Bhitauli branch on the west side of the river, with that of the Jarwal Shekhs in Hisampur, who had 250 villages as late as 1816, and with the traditional history of Garh Qila Nawa, whose inhabitants admit having been governed by many castes and rulers since Alha and Udal, but know nothing of the Raikwar's authority. About 1590 the Harharpur In the seventeenth century the estate was severed from that of Baundi. two estates of Rahwa and Rajpur Chahlari were split off from Baundi (see article Bahraich). it increased from 67 villages in Still the latter remained a great raj 1796 to 261 in 1816 no less than 172 villages were added to it between 1816 and 1856, and it contained these 433 at annexation, which were all forfeited after the mutiny, as were 33 belonging to Chahlari and 14 to Rahwa, also Raikwar estates.



The follows

estates of the

Raikwars

forfeited

during the mutinies were as



Name.

Bahraich

...

...

...

Rahwa

...

...

..

...

...

...

305 14 33 76

...

...

18

}

(Chahlari

BaraBanki... SiTAPUB „.

Bhitauli Chahlari

Area in

No. of villages.

(Baundi

... ...

... ... ...

446

acres.

189,000 4,278 19,250 57,438 15,772

285,738 or 450 square miles.

also

Hakdoi

...

Euia

40

...

20,000

The present Raja of Ramnagar has still 253 villages, covering an area of 108,000 acres, and Rahwa and Mallapur have still large properties, but the glory of the family has departed. The Raikwar is rather peculiar in his habits he will not clean his teeth with nim twig, and his chiefs were nearly all rajas. There was a Raja of Baundi, another of Ramnagar, another of Rahwa, and he of Mallapur hesitates between rao and raja. The history of part of the Bhitauli estate was analysed with great care by Mr. Woodbum, and from his enquiries it appeared that prior to 1816 a very small portion of the estate was in the hands of the raja. It appears from the above that the power of the clan was of recent growth that it was at its height in the thirty years prior to annexation. The Raikwars in on the other their own family history lay no claim to being Stirajbans hand the Siirajbans are specially mentioned as inhabitants of Jammoo, and the Raikwars of Raika. It is yet a mystery why this small clan should have turned so bitterly on the British. Of the rebel leaders, three Narpat Singh of Ruia, Gur Bakhsh of Bhitauli, and Hardatt Singh of Baundi were Raikwars. These three chiefs led a force of 25,000 men even after the fall of Lucknow. Baundi for months sheltered the Queen of Oudh and her paramour, Mammu Khan. Bhitauli was a head-quarters of rebellion. In Ruia, the Molvi of Fyzabad ensconced himself, and under its walls, beside the lovely lake of Riidamau, in the deep shade of a mango grove, lie the bones of Adrian Hope, perhaps the most mourned of aU the English soldiers who died on the battle-fields of 1857-1858.





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—

The following specimen of official history is given as shedding light on the relation of Government, rdja, and ryot, during the last years of Oudh independence in the estate of Ramnagar Bhitauli.