Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057345).pdf/496

 488 MAT---MATT there came against him a Rákshas from the city of Muttra, by name Lon, who fought with the rája and prevailed against him, so the rája died. "This was 4,975 years ago, and Gandrak, who wasthe son of Lon, sat upon the throne in the rája's stead, and he waxed mighty. And he had a lovely daughter, whose gait was undulating like that of a young elephant, fair as the moon, and with the form of a Damayanti. And the princes of the earth sought her hand in marriage. But the great Arjun of the Pan- davás,--ho had performed the Ashwamed Jagg, and who was of exceedựng strength and manly comliness, found favour in her eyes and they were espoused, and she bore him a son whose name was called Babarbáhan; and it came to pass, many years afterwards, that Arjun and his son fought hard by Manwán, and Arjun was slain by his son; so he died, and the place of the battle was Ranuápurà, half a kos from Manwán, where a vil- lage of that name still exists. This nd agrees in all points with that related in the Mahabharath. But this Manipur of the Mahábhárath is generally considered to be the Mánipur in the east of Bengal, and not Mảnpur, now Manwán in Oudh, and yet the people in the latter place still point out the remains of Babarbahan's fort, close to the older one of Mándháta, There can be no doubt as to the ruins being of great antiquity. And on this account alone Manwan or Manwa deserves a place in the local Gazet- teer. MATHURA*- Pargana BALRAMPUR— Tahsil UTRAULA-District GONDA. -A small village of about 1,500 inhabitants, two miles north of the Rápti, which is crossed on the Ikauna road at Mathura, and in the Balrampur- direction at the Kondari gháts; the former town being six, and the latter fifteen miles from Mathura. This village is only remarkable as the chief seat of the retail trade of the neighbourhood. A bazar of rather over a hundred shops is held every day. A large double-storied brick house belonging to the Mahárája of Balrampur, in the courtyard of which some 30 boys gain the rudiments of Hindi and Urdu, and a lofty shiwala, are conspicuous from afar. Rather more than a mile to the north is a handsome Muhammadan dargáh consecrated to Mir Hanifa, and erected by Nawab Asif-ud-daula. A faqir of peculiar sanctity occupies, with bis followers, the surrounding, buildings, and at the Baqar rà collects the tribute of several thousand devotees. MAURÁNWAN Pargana-Tahsil PURWA-District UNAO.—This is the most easterly pargana in Unao, and is separated from the Rae Bareli dis- trict by the river Sai. The soil is good, and excellent rice crops are pro- duced. Water is found at a distance of 30 feet to the south, and at 22 feet near the Sai. The area of the pargana is 110,538 acres, which are held as follows: Taluqdari 69,363 Zarindari ... Partidari 25,820 19 15,355 10 hat
 * By Mr. W. C. Benett, C.S., Assistant Commissioner.