DEW
377
The Sayyads, by their own account, led by their ancestor, Am^natuUa, a native of Ispahan, who had under him a force of 5,000 horsemen, came The only circumstance into the pargana in the time of Alla-ud-din Ghori. of the expedition they remember is that they halted one day at Kursi. The Bhars then owned the land, and held a strong fort at Bhitauli, lying The Sayyads can still point out the to the east of their present village. old Bhar dih. But their settlement at so early a date seems doubtful they can only number eleven generations for a period stretching back for more than seven centuries, and the more credible account of the Musalman colonies in these parts is that which refers them to Satrikh, the first Musalman stronghold which was taken and occupied by Sayyad MasaMGhazi Moreover, the traditions of Shah Wesh, one of his captains, in 1030 A.D. the conqueror of Dewa, as may be seen in the accounts of the Musalman He also fought with and drove out the families of that town, are strong. Bhars, and it is hardly likely that he would have remained content with the capture of Dewa, leaving a strong Bhar fort at Bhitauli within a mile This family, amongst others, suffered from the raids of the of the place. Bais bandits of Behtai and Qasimganj, and they now only hold eleven vilIn the town lages, but still live in Kheoli, the village they first occupied. are the remains of some fine old houses, which indicate a time of far greater prosperity and comfort than the residents now enjoy. It contains at the present time a population of 1,623 inhabitants. The place is picturesquely In one of situated, surrounded by fine tamarind trees and thick groves. them is the dargah of Shah Niamatulla Shahid, reverently walled in, at which a yearly urs is held. He was killed by the Bhars, falling a martyr The tomb is almost enclosed by an to his religion or thirst for conquest. immense pakaria tree which has embraced it with its roots. as they are with the history pargana, with a branch of the family still Qasimganj. holding estates on its western border, a short account of them will not be misplaced.
These Bais belong to the past but connected
The Baig of Behtai and
of the
They can assign no date to their invasion, but state that they left their home of Bithar, in pargana Harha of Dnao, under Khema Rae,
native
some fourteen generations ago. Their Chhattri origin has been disputed, and a place amongst the low-bom Pasi tribes* assigned to them but, apart from any stain of blood which may be meant, there exists no knowledge of the time and manner of their admission to a place amongst the Rajput it seems to tribes, and it is altogether at variance with the popular belief have been, in fact, an unwarranted aspersion on their lineage cast by the Musalmans of Dewa, who were prompted thereto by self-interest and revenge. Their title seems to have been Rawat, which has been alleged as one proof of their low extraction, whereas it is in truth due to their position as cadet members of the Rfio family of Baiswara to which they belonged, and of whose possessions their village of Bithar formed a part. Rawat is a title unknown to Basis or any other low caste, though Ahirs
sometimes address each other in language of compliment as such, at or any other occasion of mutual felicitation. marriage a
may
- Mr. P. Carnegy's
Kaces and Tribes of Oudh,
p. 21.
