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proprietary status of this family waned before the modern Surajbansi clan, the annals of which will follow, and its members are now reduced to the possession of exproprietary petty holdings (sir) and dues (sayar) iu the Ramipali, Anjna, Narainpur, and Laclihmidaspur estates, which compri se thirty-two villages in all, in which also they cbiefly reside.

The Surajbansi

Chhcittris.

—

It is

the assertion

of the present local

members of this tribe that 350 years ago their common ancestor Lfilji Singh came from Kallu Kamayan (Kumaun) and settled in the suburb of Fyzabad which is now known as Sultanpur in rear of the Guldbb^ri.

He

and his three sons are said subsequently to have joined the service of Dandas Sah, a dealer of Puramarna, now more generally known as Jalalud-dlnnagar. This man had excavated a large tank in the neighbourhood of that place, to which he had given his own name. There dwelt hard by On one in the village of Bilahri, Shah Bhikha, a hermit of great repute. occasion the dealer found this hermit washing his teeth at the edge of his tank, and admonished him for so doing. This so enraged the hermit that he gave vent to his feelings and vowed that in future donkeys even should not drink at the tank, and in consequence water is but rarely to be found it. The curse of the heraiit seems to have extended to the dealer also, for adversity soon overtook him and he died childless, his landed property falling into the hands of Lalji Singh, the Surajbans servant, of whom we have already heard. This man improved his opportunities to such good effect that at his death he was the proprietor of 97 villages. The present members of the family are in the twelfth generation from the common ancestor Lalji Singh. They still possess rights in fifty-four villages. In 21 of these they are independent proprietors in 28 they are in subordination to the taluqdar of Maujadubanspur, and in the remaining five to the Maharaja Sir Man Singh. The ex-rdjas of Amorha and Maholi in the Basti district, the Raja of Mohason in that district, and the Raja of Haraha in Bara Banki were all chiefs of colonies that broke off at different times from the original Ptira stem.

m



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The Gargbans Ohhattris of KusmaTia. The traditions of this clan allege a descent from Garg Muni or Raj, or Rikh, a devotee of old, who according to some was summoned by R^ja Dasrath, the father of Rama, from Kanauj to aid him in performing the sacrifice of the horse, and by others, by Raja Bikramajit from Kaikaides, on his restoration of Ajodhya. The proprietary possessions of the clan began in this pargana, where at a very early period they are said to have acquired the estates marginally named, consisting of ten townships, but large estates were also acquired by them elsewhere. This branch of the family held proprietary possession of the above four estates until A.D 1816, after which their lands were absorbed into the Mahdona taluqa, andnow the old proprietors are reduced to the possession of sir and sayar in their old villages.

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The Bais Chhattris. There is a colony of this clan in the pargana the members of which aver that their ancestors Kanak B£e and Tir Singh came from Baisw^ra 500 years ago and displaced the Bhars in the possession