An Account of The Kingdom of Nepal: And of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of GorkhaHamilton, Francis
History
An Account of The Kingdom of Nepal: And of the Territories Annexed to this Dominion by the House of Gorkha
Hamilton, Francis
Nepal -- Description and travel; Nepal -- History
Morang, in a general sense, extends in the low country from the Tista to
the Kosi, for the level country, that formerly belonged to Sikim, has now
been annexed to this district. Its extent, therefore, from east to west,
is rather more than 87 miles. On the low hills, it extends from the
Kankayi to the Kosi, which is about 48 miles. It includes very few or
none of the mountains, and none of the Alps.
The most remarkable places are as follows:
Vijaypur, the residence of the Subah, and of a former dynasty of princes,
is situated on the higher part of the low hills, and is in so much exempt
from the unhealthy air of that region called Ayul, that the people, they
say, can eat three-fourths more there than they can in the lowlands; a
manner of measuring the salubrity of different places, which is in common
use among the natives, but, I suspect, is rather fanciful. The fort is
always garrisoned by regulars, and a Serdar very commonly resides in it,
superintends the conduct of the neighbouring civil officers, and watches
over the frontier.
Samrigarhi is another small fort still occupied.
Chaudanda, until the division of the principality founded by Lohangga,
was most commonly the seat of government. It is now almost entirely
deserted.
Satya Raja is a ruin, which is said to have been the residence of a
dynasty, that governed the country before the ancestors of Vijaynarayan.
Kichak jhar is also a ruin, which is said to have been the residence of
Kichak, the brother-in-law of Virat, king of Matsya, celebrated in Hindu
legend. I am assured by the people of the vicinity, that in a very thick
wood at Kichak jhar there are ruins.
At Sorahbag was the residence of the wife of Vijaybharat, the last king
of the dynasty, which preceded Lohangga.
Varaha kshetra is a temple dedicated to Vishnu, in the form of a boar.
During the government of the former dynasty, the priests (Mahanta) of
this temple seem to have had great weight; and their successor enjoys
some land, and the whole duties collected at a neighbouring custom-house,
(Chatra Gola.) The place is still frequented by a good many pilgrims,
but the number has, of late, considerably diminished. This is a place
where holy persons sometimes bury themselves alive, and on such
occasions, are supposed to be endowed with the gift of prophecy. The
buildings are not considerable, and, of late, have become ruinous.
The market places (Hats) are 24 in number, as will appear by the map.
The Golas, or custom-houses, are frequently changing, and, of late, have
mostly been placed near the frontier, and removed from the hills.
At present, Morang is divided into three Taluks, or districts. Each is
under the charge of a deputy collector, or Fouzdar. The first has under
him one Chaudhuri, or Zemindar; the second has four Chaudhuris; and the
third three Chaudhuris. The land, under this Subah’s authority, is
divided into Pergunahs.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account