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123

drove away thfe P&is. There is still one taluqdar, who is probably of the family of the original conqueror, viz., Chaudhri Rd,m N4rain of Mubarakpur in this pargana and the members of the K^yath caste, though of nontaluqdari families, are in possession of a good many villages. The most famous of the n^zims of Khairabad were Hakim Mehndi AH Khan, afterwards the prime minister of Oudh, Rae Kundan L41, Kdyath of Lucknow, Girdhara Singh, and Mirza Banda Ali Beg. It was Raja Har Parshad, the last nazim of the place, who accompanied the rebel queen to Naipdl. tahsildar also resided at Khairabad, and the regiments stationed there were under the control of native commandants and collectors. At annexation the town was made the head-quarters of the commissioner, but after the reoccupation the seat of local government was removed to Sitapur, and the town is now the head-quarters of a pargana. For further details see " Si;

A

tapur Division."

Totvn—Pargana Khairabad — Tahsil SrTAPUR District —Khairabad the chief town of the pargana of the same name,

KHAIRABAD* SiTAPUE.

and

is

distant south-eastward from Sitapur five miles by a metalled road. It is the fifth largest town in the whole province, haing a population of There 15,677, the Hindus and Musalmans being pretty equally divided. is

are about 15 of the former to 16 of the latter.

The town is said to have been founded by one Khaira, a Pasi, in the first year of the 11th century, and to have been subsequently taken possession In after years many rent-free grants of portions of by a Kayath family. of its site were made to Musalmans who came in great numbers in the reigns of Babar and Akbar, but these grants were all resumed by the Nawab of Oudh some 65 years ago. Before the abovementioned Khaira Pdsi's time the place was known as Masichait ^(Masi chitra), and was a place of pilgrimage so far back as the reign of the great Bikramajit. The name is still extant in the appellation of a tank, the waters of which are said to possess healing properties, and which is called "Maswasi Talao." There are 40 mosques and 30 Hindu temples, besides which there the very beautiful suite of holy buildings erected some 40 years ago by one Makka, by trade a tailor, and also a royal darogha. These consist of a Qadam Rasul, an Imdnibara, and mosques with intervening courtyards all surounded by a handsome wall. Attached to the dargah of Makdum is a muafi village, Lodupur, and the temple of Vishnu has assigned to it for its support the revenue of Mdsilmpur. There are in addition to the above four N^nak Shahi sangats. The th4kurdwdra of Rae Daulat Rae, Kayath, formerly a deputy minister of Oudh, is presided over by a mahant, and has a small estate attached to it for the support of the

is

,

faqirs.

The public buildings are a police

station, school, registry ofiice, post-

and saraes. There are four bazfc and markets held daily. In the month of January there is held a very large fair instituted by Government, and in which all sorts of commodities and cattle are sold. It lasts for ten days and draws together a very large concourse of people averaging 60,000 Kashmir shawl merchants and vendors of Birmingham jewellery, souls. horses from K^tidwar and elephants from Assam, circus riders from office,



By Mr, M.

L, JFerrar,

C,S., Assistant

Commissioner.