Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/214

 206 RAE The only interesting one is that of Kákori or Kakoran at Sudámán- pur in the Dalmau* pargana. Kakor was it is alleged the brother of Dal, the Bhar king of Dalmau, who incurred the wrath of the Sharqi sovereign of Jaunpur by demanding the daughter of a Musalman in marriage. It is worthy of inquiry whether this festival is a mere instance of hero worship, or whether Kakor represents some aboriginal divinity. According to the table this Bhar prince is the only eponymous personage whose celebration attract any crowds. A clan called Bharotia, said to be a sept of the Ahír, continues to pour oblations of milk on the tombs of the Bhar chiefs, Bál and Dál, at Bareli and Dalmau, and the women of the clan in mourning for these ancient chiefs still refuse to wear the common lac bracelets which are the usual ornaments of the sex. Urban population.—The Urban population is very small; there are only four towns, with a population of above 5,000. Rae Bareli 7,092 both adjoining each other, 13,094. Ikhtiyarpur 6.002 Dalmau 5,654 Salon 5,190 Jáia 11,689 34,627 A town called Kunsa entered in the census tables as having a population of 5,864 is merely a collection of separate villages thrown together in the Government revenue records. The urban population is therefore 3:5 per cent. Besides the above there are 58 large villages, with a population of from 2,000 to 5,000. The following is from the settlement report. Condition of the people. The low caste cultivators are very poorly off. They live almost entirely on the inferior grains of the kharif crop, the more valuable rabi going to pay the mažájan, for nearly the whole of this class come under advances to the village mahájan both for their food and their seed, and make over the crop to him. They enjoy only a bare subsistence, for the usual rate of interest demanded is 50 per cent. at the harvest. Last year, 1870, grain being exceptionally high at the time of rabi sowing as the year before had been one of short crop, the mahájans refused to advance seed on the usual terms, and they were arranged on the basis that the cultivator was to pay back at the harvest one and a half times as much grain as the then market price of the seed furnished would buy when the harvest was reaped. With all this these people are as improvident as their betters, and when a plentiful harvest puts something in their pockets, they spend it at once in a marriage or something of the kind. Since 1871 in the spring of which year the hail caused so much damage, the seasons have been most iudifferent for the small cultivator,who is now more or less reduced to poverty. This year's spring crops, however, have somewhat strengthened his position, and owing to the good prices realized at the harvest time have improved his condition. To the above cause must also be added a fair mahua crop and an abundant mango crop.
 * See article Dalmau