Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057345).pdf/435

 MAL 427 east it is separated from Mabona, its fellow pargana of the tahsil of Mali- habad, by the Gumti and by the pargana of Lucknow, which runs a long spur straight into its centre. On its south and cast it is bounded by the parganas of Kákori and Mohán Aurás (of Unao), and on its north by the district of Hardoi. But for the insertion of the corner from pargana Luck- pow, it would be nearly square, averaging 10 miles in length and breadth, but narrower at the south end than the north. It is enclosed between 26°74' and 27°16' latitude and 80°85' and 80°45' longitude. Its area is 187 square miles, and it contains 188 villages, with an average area of 336 acres. Its population is 873,136 or 413 to the square mile. Of this 16-7 per cent. is Musalman, 83-3 per cent. Hindu, 52:0 per cent. agricultural, and 480 per cent. non-agricultural. In communications it has a road running from Sandila south-east through Malihabad to Lucknow, and another running south from the north end of the pargana through Malihabad to Mohán of the Unao district, and so on past the railway station of Harauni to Bani Bridge on the Cawnpore road. For communication with Mahona, its sister pargana, it has the road leading to the north of the pargana which branches off at Mál in a north-easterly direction, and crosses the river at Bisárighát, a couple of miles north of the large village of Kathwára on the Mahona side of the river. A Government ferry boat plies here. Its largest towns are Malihabad and Kasmandi- kalán. The latter, a place of considerable importance, was in ancient times the chief town in the country, and the seat of a Rája Kans, who, tradition says, was driven out by the first Muhammadan invasion under Sayyad Masaúd. It seems certain, as will be afterwards seen, that it was early occupied by the Muhammadans, but it is doubtful if it lay in the track of Sayyad Masaud Gházi. Malihabad, however, one of the largest towns in the neighbourhood, has for a long time been the headquarters of the pargana, and the centre of Muhammadan colonization. It seems to have fallen into Musalman hands at a later date than Kasmandi-kalán, and was pro- bably colonized by Patháns. It is said to have been the chief seat of the Arakhs or Pásis, and to have been founded by Malia Pási, whose brother Salia founded Sandila in Hardoi. Even under the rule of this tribe it must have been a place of considerable importance. The Pási had power and independence enough to have a mint here, and to this day coin of his time is said to be occasionally dug up, giving it thereby the name in native traditions of the Khonta Shahar, " the city of the bad money." The population of Malihabad is 8,026. Attached to Malihabad is Mir- záganj, which was founded by Mirza Hasan Beg, a native of the neighbour- hood. The largest bazar in the neighbourhood is held here. The other bazars are held at Amáníganj on the road to Pípalgaon, and at Rahimabad on the road to Sandíla, situated at the junction of this road, with a road from Aurás, a village of the neighbouring pargana of Mohán-Aurás lying south-west in the Unao district. Besides Malihabad there are no towns with a population of more than 2,000, though there are sixteen other large villages with a population of between 1,000 and 2,000. They are Bakhtiar- nagar, Khálispur, Garbi-Sanjar-Khan, Rusena, Saspán, Gahdeo, Mawáin kalán, Gonda, Kharánwán, Kasmandi-kalan, and Kasmandi-khurd, Tharri, Nabipanáh, Mál, Badarián, and Antgarhi.