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 — DEW

378

When Khema Eae came into the pargana it was still largely inhabited by Bhars, but he took up his quarters in Kokampur, which he seems to have inherited from some Janwars of the Atil Gotr tribe, into whose family he had married. These Janwars have been mentioned in the account of the pargana previously given. Not very much is knoAvn of the way in which the Bais extended their possessions, or of the progress they made in the conquest of the pargana, yet something may be gathered from the position their descendants hold.

Khema Rae had

four sons

Bhop&l Singh, whose descendants still hold some sfr in Dewa, a (1). remnant of the old Bais proprietorship of the whole township. (2).

Harbans, whose descendants hold Salarpur and Sarayyan.

Bhagirath, from whom the zamindars of Ukhri and other villages (3). in the west of the pargana, a large and prosperous family, are sprung.

Lakhmi Chand, whose descendant, nine generations later, was of Bakkha and Bisram, founders of the two taluqas of Eajauli and Haraura. The one was held by Suphal and the other by Ganga (4).

Kanhai Singh, father

Bakhsh, and each had strongly entrenched forts, the Garhis of Behtai and Qasimganj, in the centres of their estates. Perhaps the names Behtai on the one hand, and Haraura on the other, were given them in memory of their Bais home of Bithar in pargana Harha.

These two taluqdars got on well enough for themselves, though to the injury of all the other zamindars of the neighbourhood, till the time of their fall came, in 1257 FasH (1850 A.D.), by which time the Rajauli estate had come to consist of forty-two villages, and that of Haraura of twenty-two, assessed altogether at Rs. 29,300. In this year Ganga Bakhsh had a quarrel, land as usual being the cause of war, with Baqar Ali, brother of Abid Ali, the present taluqdar, then a tumandar (gunner) in the service of the king. Abid Ali on this made complaint to his sovereign, and had influence enough to induce the Resident, Colonel Sleeman, to take force commanded by a British officer in the king's the matter up. service was sent against Qdsimganj, and preparation made to attack it ; but Ganga Bakhsh decamped at night and made for his kinsman Suphal's foi-t thither the King's troops pursued him, and the place was of Behtai After a hard fight the fort was taken, but the British officer was invested. killed in leading an attack against the gate. Ganga Bakhsh and his son Mahipat were captured and beheaded in Lucknow at the Akbari Darwaza Suphal Singh escaped, but fell in another attack made on him (gate). shortly after.

A



The estates of both were confiscated, and for the next two years were held by Abid Ah and Bu Ali, and after that partitioned out amongst them and their relations, being other Shekhs of Dewa. Some few villages were made over to their original owners, who had been dispossessed by the plundering Bais. The Shekhs claimed to be the zamindars of all they got but they had never previously any proprietary right in the north of the pargana