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— HAR

C7

aid of such troops, they are obliged to conciliate the most powerful and unscrupulous by redactions in the assessment of the lands or additions to their nankar." Vol. II., pages 14-15.

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Another incident of life among the Hardoi Chhattris may be from the same author

also given



" I omitted to mention that at Busora, on the 27th, a Rajpoot landholder of the Sombunsie tribe came to my camp with a petition regarding a mortgage, and mentioned that he had a daughter, now two years of age j that when she was born he was out in his fields, and the females of the family put her into an earthen pot, buried her in the floor of the apartment, where the mother lay, and lit a fire over the grave that he made all haste home as soon as he heard of the birth of a daughter, removed the fire and earth from the pot, and took out his child. She was still living, but two of her fingers, which had not been sixfficiently covered, were a good deal burnt. He had all possible care taken of her, and she still lives; and both he and his wife are very fond of her. Finding that his tale interested me, he went home for the child, but his village was far off, and he has not been able to overtake me. He had given no orders to have her preserved, as his wife was confined sooner than he expected but the family took it for granted that she was to be destroyed, and in running home to preserve her he acted on the impulse of the moment. The practice of destroying female infants is so general among this tribe, that a family commonly destroys the daughter as soon as born, when the father is from home, and has given no special



orders about pages 59-60.

it,

taking

it to

be his wish as a matter of course."

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—Vol.

II.,

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Pargana Bangae Tahsil Hardoi District Hardoi.— Harthe headquarters of the Hardoi district, lieson the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway, sixty-three miles from Lucknow and thirty-nine from Shahjah^nIt is thirty-six miles east from Farukhabad and thirty-seven westpur. After the re-occupation it was selected, appasouth-west from Sitapur. rently for no other consideration than the centrality of its position, as the sadr station of the district. It has a population of 7,156, of whom 2,027 are cultivating and 4,290 non-cultivating Hindus,, and 839 are Muhammadans. Cham^rs, Chamar Gaurs, and Gaurs preponderate among the

HARDOI.* doi,

Hindus.

Unlike the other towns of the district, there is very little of ancient or Tradition traces the name to Hardeo interest about the place. Baba, a devotee reputed to have lived here more than a thousand years An ancient tree is pointed out as marking the spot lyhere he lived, ago. and in October and March a small mela is held at it in his honour. Another tale derives.it from a Thathera chieftain named Raja Harnd,kas. The fact that the d^ris of a Thathera fort are still to be seen, in the shape of a high irregular khera covering about 16 acres, to the south-west of the present town, where the road from Sandi enters it, lends probability

modern

The town, itself is largely built of bricks dug to the latter derivation. and traces of their occupation are conremains, Thathera old the of out tinually cropping up here as elsewhere throughout this interesting district.

B/ Mr. A.

Harinyton, C.S, Assistant CommisBioner.