Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/405

 SIT 397 where Sitapur now stands, which town was founded in her honour by King Bikramájít, who raised a temple to the heroine and called the name of the place Sitapur or the city of Síta. To come to later times, in 590 A.H. (A.D. 1092), or about seven centuries ago, a tribe of Chauháns under Gahildco, a relative of King Pirthíráj of Delhi, invaded the district and drove out the then possessors who were Kurmis and low-caste tribes, and founded a fort in Saźdatnagar then called Bhik Gahildeo, and his successors reigned for 10 generations it is said, cach reign lasting 50 years. This is manifestly incorrect, but the people believe it and give the dynasty thus : 1. Gahildco, II. Lohang Sah, III. Súraj Sáh, IV. Sujan Sáh, v. Dára Sáh, VI. Lachhman Sáh, VII. Kalián Sáh, VIII. Chandar Sen, IX. Gutram, X. Híráman. Thesc Chauhảns are locally known as Nandbansis, and they possess at the present day nine villages only, one of them being the ancient Bhík, now Saadatnagar. So Gahildeo and his descendants held sway for five centuries until the reign of Aurangzeb, when in 1070 A.H.) a tribe of Gaur Chhattris, led by another Chandar Sen from the North-West Provinces, invaded the country and dispossessed the Chauhans from the sovereignty, leaving them Sitapur, Saádatnagar, and Tehar. This warrior king had four sons named Ajít Mal, Nag Mal, Kharak Sen, and Udho Rám, whose descendants are now distinguished from each other by the namos of their four progenitors, the Nágmals for instance, being different from the Ajít Mals. They all belong to that caste of Gaurs, which is known as the ‘Bamhan Gaur caste, and they still possess the greater part of the pargana, though a stranger to both them and the Chauhans possesses the town of Sitapur, Gur Parsbád Qanungo, whose title rests on a deed of sale to him from the former proprietors. As constituted by Todar Mal the pargana consisted of 1282 villages with certain Chaks and fractional parts of a village. The summary settlement recognized 312 villages, which have now at regular settlement been demarcated into 170. With the exception of the Rámlíla festival celebrated in the town of Sitapur there are no fairs at all held in the pargana. In the Aín-i-Akbari this pargana under the name Chhítápur occurs in the list of muháls making up " Šarkár Khairabad," and to the present day the name is generally pronounced by the villagers as there spelled. SITAPUR*--Pargana SITAPUR-Tahsił SITAPUR—District SITAPUR.— Sitapur, the chief town of the pargana of the same name is situated on the small river Sarayan, and is 52 miles north-west from Lucknow, and 53 from Shahjahanpur, the high road between which two places passes through it. The name is derived from that of Rám Chạndar's consort, who is said to have tarried in this locality some time during her pilgrim- age; and the town itself was founded after the Musalmans bad captured
 * By Mr. M. L. Ferrar, B.A., C.S., Assistant Coumissioner.