Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/321

 SAR 313 Wo thirty miles, flows iuto the Kauriala at Mallápur near Katái Ghat. may follow its further changes for moment--the joint streazu becomes the Gogra a few miles beyond Bahramghat; it then Hows south-east dividing Bara Banki and Fyzabad on the west, from Gonda and Basti on the east; it is or was formerly called the Dewa and sometimes the Gandak;* indeed the changes are perplexing. The course then has generally been the same, but there have been several minor changes, or rather what is more likely there were at several places two or more channels, which sometimes together sometimes sepa- rately cotiveyed the water, the river has now gradually settled down into one course, the three principal of these are mentioned in detail, as very important questions connected with property arise when the river alters its channel. The custom of the country is that the deepest point in the deepest channel shall be considered the demarcating line between the contiguous estates on either banks; sometimes for instance in Daryabad in the Harália estate there are tracts of country covering ten or twenty square miles insulated between chazinels of the river; sometimes the main body of water would take the eastern channel for ten years, then the island will belong to the western bank proprietor, and after ten years perhaps with a change of the current caused by a snag or sunken boat, the vast property would be transferred to the proprietors on the western hank, Since annexation this custom has been invalidated, and masonry pillars which are sometimes buried in the water, sometimes high and dry, form a fixed boundary. The first change in the channel of the Chauka is described as follows in the settlement report, Pargana Bhúr:- “But there are many persons still living in the pargana who can remem- ber the last great change. Up to about 35 years ago the river flowed under the high bank froro the ruins of the old fort of Kamp close to Ali- ganj down to the villages of Bhúr, Burahia Khera, and Jagdispur, the headquartors of the great taluqa-Bhúr. The ruins of the fort of Jagdís. pur, destroyed-after the rebellion, are now five miles from the river, but the fort was built at a time when it commanded the stream. At the last settlernent of pargana Palia, 52 years ago, the whole of the pargana was to the north of the stream; whereas now there are parts of seren villages to the south. At a distance varying from 12 to 20 miles to the north of the high barik or ridge which I have been describing, and to the north of the Chauka there is in pargana Khairigarh another high bank which runs nearly parallel to and at a short distance from the north bank of the river Sarju, in the same manner as the Bhúr ridge is parallel to and at a short distance from the south bank of the river Chauka" The next change which took place was further down the course. The description given is as follows: " In the report on pargana Bhúr it has been mentioned, that at Bubeha in Bhúr, which lies to the north of the village of Srinagar in the pargana of that name; there occurred many years ago a great and important change in the river's course This has now to be described. • Il faut observer que dans ce c: nton le Ghagra s'appelle-Gaadak et qu'on donne Ischuka le nom de GbRgra: ce clangement de nous pourroit iaduire en erreur. -'ieften- thaler I., P. 295. 40