Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057345).pdf/305

 LAH 297 Thiese figures show that there are 444 souls to each square mile, and 5:3 to each house ; that the Musalmans are 23 per cent of the entire population which is more than double that of the provincial average, and that to each head of agricultural population there are 2 acres of cultivated and 2 of málguzári land. They also show the extraordinary fact that more than half the population is non-agricultural, which is scarcely credible. There are three rivers in the pargana-namely, the Gon, the Kewáni, and the Ghaghar. The first-mentioned separates the pargana from Khaira- bad, is and bridged in two places—first, at Kasraila on the high road from Láharpur to Khairabad, and secondly, at Dhamaura on a cross road. The former bridge was built 45 years ago by Makka Darzi, and the latter in 1860 by. Chaudhri Rám Naráin, the taluqdar of Mubarakpur. It is a very insignificant stream, drying up in many places during the hot weather, The second river, the Kewani, is larger than the Gon. In many parts it has the appearance of a good navigable river, in others, towards the source, it dries up in the hot weather. The last-mentioned or Ghaghar has more water in it than either of the other two; in some parts it can be crossed only by boats even in the dry season. The principal mart of the pargana is at Kesriganj, two miles west from the chief town of the pargana. Merchants come from the North-Western Provinces, and there are some Moradabad tradesmen settled in the ganj. There are also daily bazars held in Láharpur itself. The pargana is crossed from west to east by the road from Hargám, and from south to north by the road from Khairabad. The former runs on through Láharpur Khas to Biswán. The pargana was formed by Rája Todar Mal, the Díwán or agent of Akbar's celebrated Wazir, Shah Mansúr, out of the lands of 13 tappas, con. taining 765 villages. Two tappas were transferred to Biswán in 1175 fasli, or 104 years ago. There are now 165 demarcated villages or 176 muháls, which are held under the following tenures :- Taluqdari 104, zamindari 72; and out of the 165 townships 115 are held by five men as follows:-Rája Shiu Bakhsh Singh. 50, Nawab Amjad Ali Khan 23, Thákur Fazl Ali 20, Thákur Beni Singh 12, Thákur Pahalwan Singh 10, of whom the first three are taluqdars. The principal castes among the landed proprietors are Gaur and Janwar Chhattris, the former holding 105 villages, and the latter 13, These latter are known as Saindurias, from Saindúr in pargana Kursi, and they came into Lábarpur before the Gaurs invaded it in 1707(10 A.D.). In addition to the 13 villages which they hold direct from the state, they possess several villages in sub-settlement under Nawab Amjad Ali Khan. The Gaurs are descendants from that Rája Chandar Sen who invaded Sitapur during the anarchy which ensued on the Emperor Alamgir’s death in 1707 A.D. Mahábali, the ancestor of Thákur Fazl Ali abovementioned, was a Gaur, but was converted to Islám in the time of Nawab Shujá-ud. daula. He was great great-grand-father to the present taluqdar.