Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924073057352).pdf/394

386 SIT Sen, whom tradition asserts to have been of royal descent in Nárkanjari. He came to Oudh in the time of Alamgir Aurangzeb, about A.D. 1658. From his four sons-Ajit Mal, Nág Mal, Khark Sen, and Údho Rám-are descended a large family of Gaurs who have absorbed nearly the whole land in the Sitapur, Láharpur, and Chandra parganas. Their descendants are known by the name of the ancestor of each branch. Of the six great taluqdars detailed above the three first are known as Nág Mals, the three last as Ajít Mals, and of the smaller zamindars, descendants of the four sons of Chandar Sen, each preserves the family appellative of his own line. Of the Nág Mals, Tej Singh, one of their ancestors, was invested with the title of rája about A.D. 1650. Mwalman Gaur Rajput.—Thákur Fazl Ali Khan, of Akbarpur, par- gana Láharpur, is a Musalman. The estate of this branch was confiscated three generations back in consequence of certain disturbances in which the bead of the family Mahábali took part. It was, however, restored to him on condition of his embracing the Musalman faith, which condition he accepted. Since then the family have been Muhammadans, but they still observe Hindu customs, and mix with the Hindu members of the family on friendly terms, observing only those distinctions which the diversity of religion renders compulsory. Raikuár Rajput,--Thákur Gumán Singh, taluqdar of Rámpur. Ma- thura, pargana Kundri, is the present representative of a family which have held the Řámpur property for the last 680 years. They claim relation- ship to Mahárája Jai Chand, said to have formerly ruled Oudh when it was subordinate to Kanauj; and they came from their native town Raika, in the Jummoo territory, seventeen generations back. Family tradition holds that the estate, at that time lying waste, was conferred on their ancestor for services against the notorious dacoits named Sárangdhar and Kapurdhar of the Bhar caste. Beyond this nothing is known of their family history. Other branches of this stock held estates in Rámnagar, in Bara Banki, in Rahwa, and Hariharpur in Bahraich, and in Mallápur in Sitapur. The Chahlári estate in Sitapur, and the Baundi estate in Bahraich, belonged also to members of this family, but were confiscated for rebellion in 1857. Ráo Muneshar Bakhsh, of Mallápur, is related by blood to the Rámpur taluqdar, and his family have held this estate for ten generations, before which they occupied, it is said, lands in Baundi. As in the case of the Rámpur fanıily, their exact history is not knowo, but tradition assigns a common origin to the two families. Bais Chhattris-Mahráj Singh, taluqdar of Kánhmau, pargana Bári. This family traces its descent from Tîlok Chand, who is said to have been the father of all the Bais clan in Oudh, He is said to have come from Múngi Pátan in the west; but the connexion of this family with