3. Of the Ahbans General Sleeman writes [129]:—“No member of the Ahban tribe ever forfeited his inheritance by changing his creed; nor did any of them, I believe, change his creed except to retain his inheritance, liberty, or life, threatened by despotic and unscrupulous rulers. They dine on the same floor, but there is a line marked off to separate those of the party who are Hindus from those who are Musalmâns. The Musalmâns have Musalmân names, and the Hindus have Hindu names, but they still go under the common patronymic name of Ahban. The Musalmâns marry into Musalmân families, and the Hindus into Hindu families of the highest class, Chauhân, Râthaur, Raikwâr, Janwâr, etc. Their conversion took place under Muhammad Farm ’Ali, alias Kâlapahâr, to whom his uncle Bahlol, king of Delhi, left Bahrâich as a separate inheritance a short time before his death, which occurred in 1488 A.D. This conversion stopped infanticide, as the Musalmân portion of the tribe would not associate with the Hindus who practised it.” 4. In Sîtapur they generally supply brides to the Tomar and occasionally to the Gaur septs, while they marry girls of the Bâchhal, Janwâr, and occasionally of the Gaur. In Kheri their daughters many Chauhâns, Kachhwâhas, Bhadauriyas, Râthaurs, and Katheriyas, and their sons marry girls of the Janwâr, Punwâr, Bais Nandwâni or Bâchhal septs. In Hardoi their gotra is Garga, and they give brides to the Sômbansi, Chauhân, Dhâkrê and Râthaur septs, and take brides from the Dhâkrê, Janwâr, Kachhwâha, Râikwar and Bâchhal. DISTRIBUTION OF THE AHBAN RÂJPUTS ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS OF 1891. =============+======= District. |Number. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~ Agra | 1 Farrukhâbâd | 125 Shâhjahânpur | 116 Pilibhît | 52 Bânda | 1 Ballia | 16 Lucknow | 333 Râê Bareli | 30 Sîtapur | 998 Hardoi | 2,413 Kheri | 1,331 Bahrâich | 71 Sultânpur | 3 Partâbgarh | 2 Bârabanki | 520 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~+~~~~~~~ Total | 6,012 =============+=======