Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924024153987).pdf/538

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Ain-ul-Mulk were governors, and the latter especially for inany years ruled the province in a wise and beneficial manner.

In the Akbarpur pargana there still exists an inscription of this reign, on a tablet, among costly buildings, tanks, and gardens. The inscription proves that settled order had been established, and that civilization and peace were bringing with them permanent land rights and religious endowments. Shortly afterwards Ajodhya fell into the hands of the Jaunpur Babar visited the sovereign, and its history possesses less individuality.* place, and with these scanty notices may be concluded all that is related concerning the district by the Musalman historians. The local history consists of traditions preserved by the heads of the clans, by their professional bards, and the qaniingos or hereditary record-keepers of the parganas.

There is unfortunately no continuity between the clans of ancient times and those now there. The Stirajbans Chhattris (see account of pargana Haweli Oudh), although belonging to the old Ajodhya stock, came but recently from Kumaun the Gargbansis and Eaghubansis are both of them offshoots from the same stock, yet they only claim descent of twenty-five to thirty-four generations."]" It is true the Raghubansi race now in Aldertiau claim to have come thirty-four generations back from Ajodhya, and they may be a remnant of the old stock but the Chauhan, the Pal war, the Rajkumar, the Bisen, all claim only an antiquity of from three to six hundred years. What this really means is probably that new clans were



constantly being formed, the principles of the caste system being formulated, low castes being continually elevated into gentility and it thus happens that all the old clans which did exist before the thirteenth century have died out, or become so obscure that all memory of their annals has been

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Khan, became subahdar of the province 1731, but he seldom appeared at Fyz"^"^^"^ ^^^ ^^^*^' '^^^^^ ^^^' lio'wever, his nominal capital, nor waSr^*^ did his son-in-law and successor, Safdar Jang but in 1756 Shuja-ud-daula succeeded, and became a permanent resident at Fyzabad. Defeated at Buxar by the English in 1764, he fled to Fyzabad, and then constructed the lofty entrenchment whose massive ramparts of rammed clay still frown over the Gogra. Peace was made with the British alliance against the Marahta and Rohilla followed. Rohilkhand was added to the provinces of Allahabad and Oudh which the Nawab already possessed. Fyzabad was the capital of a kingdom whose revenues were about £3,000,000 and whose splendour excited the admiration of traAt his death in 1776, one of his widows, the famous Bahu Begam, vellers. who had been guaranteed by the British Government the possession of her enormous jointure, remained here; and his successor, Asif-ud-daula, who

The wazir

of the empire, Saadat of

Oudh about





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Benondah, page 43-58. Calcutta Review, vol. LVI. + See Pargana Aldemau. t There is one reason why a line is always liable to be lost in India. In the English Eoyal Family, for instance, the continuity has been preservnd several timea through the female line this cannot happen when a daughter, once married, is lost to her father's house ; and even to speak of the connection is considered impolite.
 * Much of the above information is detailed at greater length in an interesting article.