The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 2 (of 4)Crooke, William
History
The tribes and castes of the North-Western Provinces and Oudh, Volume 2 (of 4)
Crooke, William
Caste -- India -- History; Hindus -- India; Tribes -- India -- History
2. Of the Oudh Chauhâns, Sir C. Elliot writes [222]:—“In all
probability they followed closely on the Dikhits in the date of their
immigration. They colonised a tract of land which lies south of
Dikhtiyâna, with the Panwârs, Bâchhals, and Parihârs between it and the
River Ganges. Chauhâna is the name popularly given to this tract, which
is properly said to consist of ninety villages. The traditional cause
which led to the migration is as follows:—A certain Râja of Mainpuri
married a second wife in his old age, though his first wife had borne
him two sons. The bride expostulated with her family at being given in
marriage to so old a man, and stipulated that if she had a son he
should succeed to the estate and the title. The Râja agreed, and signed
a written acknowledgment to that effect. After some time he died; but
his wife had already borne him a son, and on his death she produced the
bond which the Râja had signed. All the brotherhood agreed that they
ought to abide by it. The two elder brothers left the country in
disgust and settled in Oudh. The traditions of different villages in
Chauhâna differ as to the names of these two brothers, and it is stated
that only one of them remained here and the other went on to the
borders of the Gomati and settled in Isauli, where there is now a large
Chauhân colony. But as the whole of the great colonies of Bachgotis,
Râjkumârs, Rajwârs, and Khânzâdas, who rule in the Faizâbâd and
Sultânpur Districts, are Chauhâns disguised under various names, and
originally emigrated from Mainpuri about the same time, it is safe to
trust an isolated local tradition as to any close connection existing
between any of these two colonies. It is sufficient to remark that they
are all of the same gotra, and therefore belong to the same stock.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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