ba'N
223
our Rdja saw that it was good, smote the Thatheras in their stronghold of Korara and crushed them utterly and seized their lands for himself.
The parent village of the Gahilwars is Gaura. Seven hundred years ago, say they, our ancestors Damar Singh and Mohan Singh went out from holy Kdshi (Benares) in quest of service, and found it under Raja Jai Chand of Kanauj, and settled at Singhirampur (near Kanauj) and after a time, to reward their good service, he bestowed upon them twenty-four villages on this side of the Ganges, and they drove out the Thatheras and settled down in Gaura (Gaura Khera is one of the dihs, or deserted village sites of the Bangar), and each of them took twelve of the villages. Damar Singh took Sara and the villages that pertain to it, and Mohan Singh took Bhadaicha and the villages that pertain to it, and their descendants grew and multiplied."
The Gahilwar pedigree does not support the Mohan
Singh.
tradition. It gives only eight generations, or two hundred years since the time of Mohan Singh's immi-
The Ain-i-Akbari makes no mention of pargana Bangar. It was Nirpat Singh, Bhiman Singh. not constituted, in fact, till 1215 F (1807 A. D.). Up to that time it was included Jai Singh. Bhlkham Singh. in pargana Bilgram. Inthatyearpargana Mardau Singh. Nar^in Singh. Bilgram was diAdded into Kachh and Bangar, or low lands and high lands. Gunai Singh. Sewa Singh. The division had been decided on six Bhupat Singh. Khushal Singh, years before, in 1209 F., when R^ja (now alive). SitalparshM Tirbedi was n£zim of Naina Singh. Bilgram, but it was not effected tUl Hanwant Singh 1215 F., when Mirza Agha Jdn became (now alive). chakladar under Hakim Mehndi Ali Khan. At this time, too, both parganas were transferred to the nizamat of Khairabad. Up to that time they had been included in Sarkar Lucknow. MIn
Singh.
gration.
The condition of the Bangar during the later days of the native government of Oudh has been graphically described by General Sleeman. When he visited it twenty-three years ago, the term covered a far wider area than that comprised in pargana Bangar only. His description will be found under the heading Gopamau, to which it more appropriately belongs.
BANGARMAU Pargana—Tahsil
—
—
Safipub District Unao. This large pargana lies at the north-west comer of the Unao district, bounded on the north by the parganas of Mallanwan and Kachhandan, in the Hardoi district on the west by the Ganges on the south by Fatehpur.
It is nineteen miles long and fourteen miles broad ; the area is 173 square mUes, or 112,377 acres, of which 65,833 are cultivated, 26,104 are The population is 89,419, or 518 to the arable, and the rest is barren. square mile. The soil is chiefly loam and clay ; water in the wells to the west and south of the pargana is to be found at 15 feet from the surface, but this is in the tarai of the Ganges. To the north and east the wells are
48
feet deep.
