— AME
46
changed to one more expressive of the peculiar circumstances of his birth and he was therefore re-named Bandhu his descendants to mark their recognition of the important place he holds in their history, have since called themselves Bandhugotis, the children of Bandhu, or popularly
Bandhalgotis.
In the next generation this surname belonged to a single individual, Bandhu was blessed with one only son, Manohar Singh. From this Manohar time, however, the family began to increase and multiply. Singh had six sons, Rae Singh, Rawat Sah, Sangram Sah, Ran Singh, Kunwar Singh, and Raj Singh, who are conspicuous as having been the first to divide between them the lands they inherited from Suda Rae. family quarrel, whether regarding the partition or not is uncertain, arose between them, and they agreed to refer the matter in dispute to Tilok Chand, the illustrious Bais chieftain. Tilok Chand, say his panegyrists, was endowed with a happy faculty of settling every troublesome question presented to him in a facetious and off-hand way, at once hit upon the "Why," said he, titular signification of most of the brothers' names. " you aU seem to me to be much on a par, so divide your estates between you, and dignify yourselves with titles corresponding by your names. Rae Singh is already a Rae, Rawat Sah, a Rawat, Kunwar Singh, a Kunwar Ran Singh shall be Rana Raj Singh shall be Raja, and lest Sangram Singh alone should remain untitled, I dub him Thakur." A partition was accordingly made, and each brother, with the exception of the eldest, whose share was as usual larger than the rest, received 56,000 bighas. The following were the estates thus formed for
A
Rae Singh, Naraini. Rawat Singh, Baragaon. Kunwar Singh, Gangoli.
Raj Singh, Marawar.
Sangrdm Singh, Kannu Sangrampur. Raj Singh, Udiawdin* and Bihta.
It is important to notice that all of these lie
on the south and east sides distribution of titles here alluded to, or a very similar one, is, I may remark, common to many Chhattri tribes. The Chandels divide themselves into four families, raja, rdwat, r^e, and rana, as also do the Gautam,-f- while the Amethias lay claim to the titles of raja, rde,
of the pargana.
and
The
rfina.J
Of Manohar 's
Raj Sah, the ancestor of the present head of the Bandhalgoti clan, is, by general consent, said to have been the youngest ; if the same evidence bestows on him "^" the title of Rdja, it is solely because of the accident of name. But it was nevertheless from this very generation that his house began to take precedence of the rest. Raj Singh succeeded in adding to the share he originally received those of his brothers Ram Singh and Kunwar Singh, (so say the legends, nor is there anything to discredit them) a circumstance which does not necessarily "postulate any six sons.
The Bandhalgotis of Amethi or Udia_
- The estate of Eaj Singh and his descendants continued to be called
Udiawan until annexa '^ "^"^ ^° ""^ better known as Amethi that I shall throughout call it by the nam
laUer
t Slliot's Supplementary Glossary, Chandel and Qautam, X Chief clans of Bai Bareli district, page 24.
