Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924024153987).pdf/662

 GOF

584

" Such attacks are usually made upon robber bands abottt tbe first dawH Had they not of the day; and this attack at midnight was a great error. been assailed by the auxiliaries, they could not, in the darkness, have secured one of the gang. It was known that at the first shot from either the assailing or defending party in that district, all the villages around concentrate their quotas upon the spot, to fight to the death against the king's troops, whatever might be their object; and the detachment ought

to have been prepared for such concentration when the firing began and returned as quickly as possible from the place when they saw that by (Sleeman's Tour II. 15-18.) staying they could not succeed in the object."

Town*—Pargana GovAMAV—Tahsil Haedoi—District Hae—An ancient town of 5,949 inhabitants which gives name the

GOPAMAU DOI. large

its

to

Gopamau

pargana. It lies two miles west of the Gumti, fourteen miles north-east from the sadr station of Hardoi, and twenty west from Sitapur. It contains 1,614 houses; 295 of brick, one of stone, 1,318 of mud. the population 2,984 are Muhammadans and 2,965 Hindus.

-

Of

As noted in the pargana article the town seems to have been founded towards the end of the twelfth century by an Ahban conqueror on or near the site of an old Thathera clearing in the forest known then as Mawwa Sarae or Sarae Chachar. Among the scanty relics of that dim time " Kaurehru Deo" and " Badal Deo" are still venerated as having been the gods of the departed Thatheras. Distinct traces exist of a Muhammadan element in the population dating from Sayyad Salar's three years sojourn in Oudh, thirty years before the Norman conquest of England. Local tradition, gathered from the lips of a' 'Brahman, tells of a still more ancient trace of

Muhammadan

influence in

Gopamau.

Before the coming of Sayyad Salar, it says. Raja Gopi, the Ahban, had driven out the Thatheras and stablished himself at Gopamau. To him wandered a holy darwesh from Sakmina in Mecca, Azmat Shah by name.

And Rdja Gopi honoured him

greatly

and made him

to live in his

own

house.

Then when Sayyad Salar Ghazi conquered Kanauj, R^ja Pitham Kunwar, the son of Raja Jai Chand, fled to Gopamau and sought aid of Rajas Gopi and Sopi. And they said to him, are we not the servants of Jai Chand thy father. Do thou remain here and rule this land with us. None shall molest thee. And these three princes were ruling at Gopamau and cherishing the holy man Azmat Shah, when Sayyad Salar's army came to Gopamau and the contest began. Two and twenty battles were fought, and in each victory was with the rajas of Gopamau. Then Sayyad Salar disguised himself, and came to Azmat Shah by night and besought his aid, and reminded him of their fellow faith. And Azmat Shah was sore perplexed. If he should refuse to help he would be a traitor to his faith. If he should consent, he would be a traitor to the kind princes whose

salt

he had

eaten.

By

Mr. A. Harington,

c. s.,

Aaaiutant Comiuisnioiier.