Page:Gazetteer of the province of Oudh ... (IA cu31924024153987).pdf/448

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DEB—DEW

370

dating perhaps fifteen centuries B. C. The second, that of Raja Vikramdditya of Sahet Mahet, the great enemy of Buddhism in the second century A.D. The third, that of Gorakh Nath and the fourth of Aurangzeb.

There are at present a great heap of bricks, on which the new temple has been built, and a large tank and well, which may possibly be the remains of the second period. Above these great quantities of broken images and sculpture are the relics of Gorakh Nath's temple, and the shrines of Debi, Kali, and Bhairava; the houses of the devotees and the two walled gardens have been erected by modern worshippers.

The fair this year (1871) lasted from March 21st to March 31st. In all about 100,000 men attended it but as few stayed more than one day, the average daily attendance was not much over 10,000. Four hundred and fiftyseven hill ponies were brought, of which 371 were sold for Rs. 24,241. The principal articles sold by the mountaineers were dhup wood, tow, mats, ghl, iron, lahi seed, bankas grass and cinnamon, none in very great quantities.

They bought 2,781 pieces of cloth, at a value of Rs. 3,142, and Rs. 40 The limits of the fair were marked by yellow flags at worth of needles. a mile from each side of the temple, and a temporary bazar was erected. The stalls were arranged along two cross alleys 30 feet wide, and boards denoted where each kind of merchandize might be sold.

Some twenty buffaloes, 250 goats, and 250 pigs were sacrificed Under the altar a large hole was dug and filled with

daily at the sand, which was changed twice a day and the old sand buried ; all the blood was thus absorbed. At a small distance were four pits denoted by red flags, in which sweepers, specially appointed for the purpose, buried all refuse. There was no filth lying about, and no stench.

temple.

For each animal fee of 2 or 2 J annas, about Rs. 1,500.

ofiiciating priest ordinarily received a their total receipts during the fair amounted to

sacrificed the

and

The Maharaja of Balrampur levies an old cess of one anna from the purchaser, and Re. 1 from the seller of each pony. From this fund the expenses of sanitation are met. This year the Maharaja contributed Rs. 825,

DEORA KOT

Mangalsi— Ta^sii Fyzabad District Ftzaon the metalled road, sixteen miles from Fyzabad. The railway also passes through it. The population consists of 2,271 Hindus, and 191 Musalmans, There is one masonry temple to Mahadeo. BAD.

—This

Pargana

town

lies

DEWA Pargana*— Tahsil

'NAWABGAm-^ District Baea Banki.—The

par-

gana of Dewa at present belongs to the Nawabganj tahsil of district Bara Banki, but previous to its transfer from I^ucknow, in 1869, it formed one of the parganas of tahsil Kursi. Its chief town is Dewa, which lies in latitude 27° 5' and long 81° 21'. It is bounded on the west chiefly by pargana Kursi, and on the north-east and south-east by parganas of the Bara Banki district.

By Mr. H. H.

Butts, Assiatant Coromissioner,