Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/37

NIG 29 that the rája, transformed into a snake for cursing a Brahman, was con- demned to live. Here at length the Pándu bruthers in their wanderings after their battle with the Kurus came; and to each as he reached the edge of the tank to draw water were five questions, touching the vanity of human wishes, and the advantage of abstraction from the world, put by the serpent. Four out of the five brothers failed to find answers, and were drawn under the water, but the riddle was solved by the fifth, The spell was thus loosened, the raja's deliverer had come; the Pándu placed his ring round the serpent's body and he was restored to his human shape. The rája then performed a great sacrifice, and to this day the cultivators, digging small wells in the dry season in the centre of the tank come across burnt barley and rice and betel nut. Probably the root of the word Nigohán, Nág, exists in this legend, which points to some former Nág worship, and not in the name of Náhuk. It seenis not unlikely that the settlement of Janwárs in Nigohán was subsequent to the time of Akbar, forin the A'ín-i-Akbari no sucb pargana is mentioned. The tenure is largely taluqdari. The total number of demarcated vil- lages is only fifty-seven, and of these thirty-six belong to taluqdars. They are divided between three taluq dars-Raja Chandra Shekhar of Sissaindi, Thákur Bhagwán Bakhsh of Kusmaura, and Lála Kanhaiya Lal of Jab- rauli; but the latter taluqdar belongs more properly to Mauránwán in Uuao. The remaining villages are pretty equally divided amongst the Hindu caste, but Brahmans and Chhattris predominate. The following account is from the settlement report. Rája Kashi Parshad has since died, and has been succeeded by his abopted son, Chander Shhekár. Rája Káshi Parshád of Nigoháu is one of the six loyal taluqdars who, for their adherence, and the assistance they gave to the British Government during the mutinies, were conspicuously rewarded by grants of villages, and a remission of ten per cent. on their revenues. The rise of this family is recent, and dates from the marriage of the pre- sent taluqdar into the family of Páthak Amirt Lál, the chakladar. The Raja's grandfather was Lál Man, a Tewari Damán, Brahman of Misr Khera, and of one of the most honoured Brahraan houses, who only give their daughters in marriage to the Awasthi Parbhákar the Bájpei of Híra, and the Pánde of Khor, Brahman tribes. Lál Man was a banker of his native town, and rose to be chakladar of Baiswara in 1240 or 1442 fasli (1833 A.D.). In the latter year he was imprisoned as a defaulter, but was released on the security of Pathak Mohan Lal, son of Amirt Lál, who gave him, moreover, Rs. 10,000, and arranged for the marriage of his grand- son, Káshi Parshád, with one of his the Pathak's daughters. Káshi Parshád is now a great man. He has built himself a fine house at Sissaindi, and a handsome temple and ganj in the village of Mau, on the road from Lucknow to Rae Bareli, which he has called Mohanlalganj after his father-in-law, and which now has become the hcadquarters of the tahsil,