Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/173

 PIR 165 The principal castes of the Hindus are—Brahmans 2,374, Rajputs 1,139, Ahírs 1,422, Pásis 2,034, Chamárs 2,394. The pargana contains 54 demarcated villages, which are thus distribut- ed, --15 taluqdari, 39 zemindari, Bais Chhattris own 48, Brahmans 3, Káyaths own 2, Musalmans own 1; these Musalmans being descendants of a converted Rajput, a Purána or ancient Bais, to distinguish the caste from the modern Tilokchandi Bais, who now possess the greater part of the pargana. These villages are all small, none of them having a population exceed- ing 1,000. Pírnagar itself boasts of but 790. There is not a single masonry house in the pargana, the people having a superstition against using burnt bricks or tiles for their residences. This superstition is not peculiar to Pírnagar, but exists in many other parts of the district (vide Towns Seota and Tambaur). The fairs are six in number as follows :- Name of fair, Village. Date. Average attendance. Bausíbat Hatila Pír Isa Mahotbe Ráni Aghan Jeth Chait 12,000 500 3,000 . Jairampur Bliánpur Mabothepur near Saidá. rur. Muhammadpur alias Mabothepur, Phúlpur Bhitauli Husenia Dit Jeth 5,000 O Katki Dhanuk Jagg Kartik Agban 1,000 3,000 and at these a good trade is carried on by the dealers in the ordinary necessaries of life. The Jairámpur fair was founded by Bansíbat, a follower of the great Rám Chandar, in honour of whose espousals with Síta the mela is held. The fair called Hatía Pír-ka-mela is a Musalman festival, and comme- morates the death of Hatila Pír, a martyr to Islám, who fell fighting for his faith, in the ranks of his maternal uncle, Masaud of Ghazni, the Sayyad Sálár, who invaded Oudh, and whose tomb is at Bahraich, The Mahothepur fair is a local Bais festival, held in honour of Queen Mabotbe, an ancient princess of that clan, whose life was pure and noble, and who on her consort's death became a sati. The Bhitauli feast is to commemorate the breaking of the bow (dhanuk) by Ráma before his marriage with Síta. Husenia Díh is an unimportant local gathering requiring no particular notice. Besides the metalled road between Lucknow and Sitapur which divides the pargana, there are no other roads in it, and the only water communi-