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domestic usa What had been a religious restriction at one time became afterwards a family custom, when the religious bearing was lost sight of. Some traditions have it that Suhel Deo was himiself a Jain, but this is doubtful.

The next broad

fact in the history of the

Guw^rich pargana,

is

that

it

Ramgarh Gauriya by Ala-ud-din Ghori to Ugarsen, a Dom. This family was subverted like that of Suhel Deo by ill-placed passion. He happened to hear of or see a Brahman maiden at Karingahana and conceived a desire to make her his mistress. Her family was given with the

rest of

but unable to cope with the raja in whose dominions they therefore went to Ajodhya and applied for aid to Rde Jagat Singh, the Subahdar in Oudh of the Delhi Emperor. By his advice they pretended to yield to the wishes of the Dom and fixed a day when he was to come and bear off the lady whom he had honoured with his love. In the meantime boats were collected on the Gogra, and Rae Jagat Singh crossed with an armed force, marched to the aid of the Pandes, overwhelmed the Dom and his followers, and slew them to a man. The Delhi sovereign to mark his approval of Jagat Singh's chivalrous conduct conferred on him the Dom's territory. The Subahdar, however, with the sanction of the Delhi court, broke up Ramgarh Gauriya pargana, and distributed it among the chiefs who had supported him in his attack on the Dom Domaria Dih which lies on the road from Gonda to Fyzabad was given to Seh Raj Singh, and with it all the land now forming the Gonda district except the Balrampur and Tulsipur parganas. The name Ramgarh Gauriya was then dropped. Seh Raj Singh fixed his abode at Khurasa, and his successors continued to reside there until the foundation of Gonda town (see Article Gonda). Seven generations after Seh Raj Singh, came Achal Singh. He was an extravagant man and fell into debt. He borrowed money and gave Ratan Pande as surety for the loan. The Raja was too deeply involved to extricate himself and Ratan Pande was obliged to pay. Ratan Pande having applied in vain to Achal Singh for relief, and receiving only abuse when he dunned him, sat dharna at the door of the raja's palace. At the end of 21 days one of the Pandes' eyes is said to have melted away. The rdni came out and implored him to leave, but he said " I will die here. You had better fly and save your family from extinction." The rani was then pregnant with her first child. She stole away by night and reached her father's house, where she gave birth to a son, Bhan Singh. The river rose, Khurasa sank, and Achal Singh perished Over the site of the town now lie the waters of the Pathdri in the flood. talab in which may be seen the ruins of houses. Bhan Singh became the ancestor of the rajas of Babhnipair. There are now' six taluqdars in the Guwarich pargana, and they claim descent from Achal Singh through their common ancestor Maharaj Singh. They say that Mahardj Singh was a brother of Bh^n Singh to cover the defect in their descent from Achal Singh, but the fact is that Maharaj Singh was a love-child of Achal Singh by some woman not of his family.

was

strong,

lived.

_

They

On the

death of Achal Singh the naib of the Khurasa r^ja brought his Mai Singhj, from Salempur Majhauli in the district of

sister's son, Partdib

'