Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/153

 PAR 145 "There used to be a revenue of nearly Rs. 40,000 realised from salt works. Other landed castes. There are very few Musalman landowners ; some of these are circumcised Káyaths, who in the days of Alamgir em- braced the Moslem faith. They are now known as Shekhs. There are a few Pathán families, as in Bahlolpur and Purai Mustafa Khan. They acquired their properties in service either of the Sombansis or the Govern ment. The Brahnıan zamindars owe their land 10 grants from the Chhat- tris. The Bilkharia Chhattris bcaten out of Patti are still to be found in Partabgarh. Ten villages paying a revenue of Rs. 6,970 form the two estates of the Rája of Umri and the Bábu of Antú. " Chakladar's Camp.-The Chakladar's camp used to be pitched at Hindaur and Nawabganj on the north of the Sai (on the Allahabad and F; zabad road), at Sandwa Chandika, and a kind of standing camp was at Partabgarh, in the fort of which place 1,000 men, two guns, and some cavalry were the usual garrison." Places of note.-Of places of antiquarian interest in this pargana I pro- ceed to notice Partabgarh, Hindaur, and the old shrine of "Pánchosiddh," which is situated within the limits of mauza Banbírkácbhi. Partabgarh--To begin with the town of Partabgarh. It is said that in or about the year 1617 A.D., Rája Partáb Singh, when at the zenith of his power, founded the town and gave it his own name. During the rule of his son, Rája Jai Singh (A.D. 1682 to 1718), and after the establishment of a permanent fort, the Governor Piru, of the Allahabad Subah, arrived in the neighbourhood, and encamping on the land of mauza Mahkini, laid siege to the fort. Though details are wanting in this respect, there can be little doubt but that this was one of those frequent raids made by Gov. ernment officials against the taluqdars of Oudh, which were prompted by the growing wealth, power, and independence of the latter. Contumeli ous behaviour in not paying up the Government revenue demand was the ordinary and plausible pretext for these not unfrequently wantoni attacks on the part of the local Government. To return to our tale, the siege is asserted to have dragged on its weary length for no less a period than twelve years, and still the rája and his gallant band held out. His patience becoming exhausted, the Governor commenced to run an underground gallery from his camp to the fort as a means of effecting his object. These operations were discovered by the besieged, and no time was lost in countermining.. A shaft was sunk on the north side of the besiegers' gallery, and in it were deposited several cases of gunpowder. Just as the attacking force arrived at this spot the match was applied. The results may be imagined. Disappointed in this his last hope, the governor raised the siege and removed his camp to the neighbouring village of Teonga. #ere the rája fushed with his late success determined to give the enemy battle, and fortune still befriending him in the engagement which ensued, his opponent was killed and his forces dispersed. Vestiges of the gallery above alluded to are still to be seen. 19