Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/264

 256 RAE is 371 square miles, divided into 363 villages, of which 283 are taluq. dari, 60 are zamindari, and 20 pattidari. The Government revenue is Rs. 5,34,925, which falls at the rate of Rs. 2-4-0 per acre. The pargana is said to have been called after Ráe Bal, a Bhar chieftain, brother of Dal, who founded Dalmau; others state that it was named so because it was the capital of the Bhars. The headquarters of the pargana is Rábi, a place about three miles north of Rae Bareli, which was originally called Bharauli or Barauli . The great Bais Raja, Tilok Chand, having no children of his own adopted his díwán's son, Nxbh Ráe, a Káyath ; he had some time afterwards several natural children ; he then provided for Nábh Ráe by giving him 178 villages-rent free. This happened in 1350 Sambat (A.D. 1293). "Nábh Rae founded the village Harchandpur calling it after his son, and fixed his residence there. His descendants divided into twenty-eight branches who live in as many separate villages; these are therefore called the " Atthaisa" Káyaths. The Bhars are said to have risen again to power after the death of Tilok Chand, and the Bais and Kayaths united several times contended with them in battle. The Bhars were finally overthrown by Ibráhím Sharqi of Jaunpur. Such is the tradition given in this pargana, which differs bow. ever from those current elsewhere. The Jaunpur sovereign divided the present pargana into four muháls or tappas--Ráhi, Bhawan, Bachewan, Anguri. Akbar constituted the par- gana of Rae Bareli in Sarkár Mánikpur, and Skadat Ali Khan made the chakla of Bareli in the nizámat of Baiswára. The Kayath family already mentioned served the Bais chiefs for six generations as díváns, from the time of Abhai Chand to that of Tilok Chand. Akbar made them chaudhris and qanungos of the pargana. Thá- kur Bijai Singh, Aurangzeb's díwán, belonged to this family, and got the title of khwája from his master. These Káyaths are still called Thákurs, because they are descended from Rája Tilok Chand's adopted son, an instructive fact; they style the Bais gentlemen of the pargana in familiar correspondence Bhayya Sahib," and are styled by them " Thákur Sahib." The present representatives of the family are the Qanungo, Majlis Ráe, of Bareli, and Thakuráin Jográj Kunwar, Taluqdar of Har- dáspur. The entire population is 212,533, of whom 12,969 or six per cent. are Muhammadans. The Sai passes through the pargana, but is useless for irrigation as its channel is very deep. The river Naiya also passes through it to Jáis. The Isoi, the Bas-ha, the Khachi, the Baita, are all rivulets of this pargana and affluents of the Sai. The Baita rises in a lake near the village Thulendi. The land towards the east lies low, that to north-west and south is high; to the south the soil is sandy, elsewhere it is a good loam; towards the south irrigation is effected from tanks, the wells are not lasting; the climate is tolerably good.