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FYZ

464

Another great feature of modern Fyzabad history has been the rise of the Palwars, a Sombansi clan. They are said to have The Palwars. ^^^^ ^^^ p^^j- ^^ jjardoi, and they extend into the Azamgarh and Gorakhpur districts they now own nearly all Chandipur In the former pargana they seized the Birhar, besides part of Surharpur. property, first of the Sayyads of Raslilpur, leaving them only three second, seven out of the nine villages belonging to the Sayyads villages third, one hundred and four villages belonging to the of Nasfrabad Pathans of Chahora converted Chauhdns fourth, twenty-nine villages belonging to the Pathans of Bargaon fifth, thirty-nine villages of the Maliks of Sarohi sixth, fourteen villages from the Shekhs of Jahangirganj seventh, twenty-seven villages belonging to the Shekhs of Neori eighth, twenty-four villages from the Shekhs of Bamjani ninth, fifty-two villages from the Rohillas of Norehni tenth, sixty-one villages from the Bais of In all about three hundred and forty villages were acquired Kalydnpur. by this clan within the last one hundred and fifty years. Doubtless they were aided in these aggressions by the power of their brethren across the They speak of " unchas-kos-kl-bhat/' which means that 0*1 great border. festivals, when one of the clan is married or an heir is born, the proprietors of land within a circle of forty-nine kos, about eighty miles, assemble and •







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eat at one board.

In former times the Birhar and Surharpur Palwars used to ally themselves with the Rajkumars of Dera, with the Musalman taluqdar of Pirpur Samanpur, and with their united gathering, from a region also forty-nine

kos in circumference, used to contend with the aggressive E.djkumd.rs of This matter will be referred to further on.

Meopur.

The Palwars were a brave and. turbulent race. They repeatedly divided the family property they had no raja, but united in pursuit of common They were constantly carrying on internecine wars both in purposes. Oudh and Azamgarh. One hundred and fifty years ago one of them, named Horal Singh, a leader in the clan, died; of fifty-nine male descendants from him twelve died violent deaths, twenty-seven died natural The Palwars were of course not very deaths, and twenty are now alive. friendly to British rule they had not only held their own in the Nawabi, but enlarged their possessions. From their forts at Narani and Chahora overlooking the Gogra, they levied black mail.



They knew that such things must cease, and they contended vainly against the Naipalese and British troops when they advanced to restore In 1857-58 they plundered Manori, attacked and penetrated Azamby the townsnien, and driven from the district. From July 1857 till about November 1858 the Birhar taluqdars were foremost in the fray, plundering and fighting in Azamgarh, Fyzabad, and Gorakhpur. The four legitimate heads of the clan have 376 villages in Birhar, and the two illegitimate branches have 35 more, 411 in all; the other members of the clan, numbering above 7,000, have eighty-two villages. The Palwars alleged that now twenty-eight genera^ tions have elapsed since their common ancestor came from Pali. order.

garh, but were defeated in a street fight

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Mr. Camegy writes as follows concerning the Palwars