Singahi Bhiraura

Singahi Bhiraura
city
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District	Lakhimpur Kheri
Population (2001)
• Total	17,125
Languages
• Official	Hindi Urdu
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	262905

Singahi Bhiraura is a town and a nagar panchayat in Lakhimpur Kheri district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is known for its old buildings, Mandir and a sporting culture. In has a Mela Maidan Ground and a football ground. Singahi hosts a yearly interstate football competition. The Town also has a primary and junior high school. The literacy rate is very low. The town is regarded locally as a Mini Paradise for its exceptional beauty and surroundings^{[citation needed]}. Boasting a diversified culture, people from different communities live here. Surrounded by rivers and forest, the town has a good climate.

The town has a majority of Hindus and the town Chairman is from the large Muslim minority community.

The town is located in Kheri District, and lies on the Lakhimpur- Nighasan-Dudwa route. It is about 5 km from Motipur, 10 km from Nighasan, 11 km from Rakehti and 16 km from Banbirpur. The town possesses a fine example of the Indo-Saracenic style of architecture, Surat Bhawan Palace of the erstwhile Singhai State . The palace constitutes the major attraction of the town. Cheti Mela, a spectacular fair organized in the month of April is the major fair of the district. Other tourist attractions nearby include Dudhwa National Park, Kishanpur Sanctuary and Frog Temple. Dudwa Railway Station and Amausi Airport are the nearest access points. Accommodations are available at Palia and Dudwa.

The town was founded in 1586 (See History Section) out of unoccupied forest clearing by Chagatai Muslims and the Pasi tribal caste, who cleared the forests and brought the area under cultivation. The Pasi people had a temple here for their jungle Gods, which was demolished by the Brahmins who were granted the land in 1786 A.D. The Brahmins built a bigger temple in the Town which was replaced by another temple which exists today. ^[1]

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,^[2] Singahi Bhiraura had a population of 17,125. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. The Hindu population is 8,303 while the Muslim population is 7,643 the reminder Sikh, Christian and Buddhist. Singahi Bhiraura has an average literacy rate of 37%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 43%, and female literacy is 30%. In Singahi Bhiraura, 16% of the population is under 6 years of age.

History of the Town

In 993 Hijra (1585 A.D.) The Mogul Sarkar of Khairabad, in the Subah of Oudh received an ulām (message) from the administrator of Luxmipur (Lakhimpur). The Rajput Rajas, of the border towns, had been raided by the Gurkhas. And that the incursion had come, from an unexpected quarter, a considerable distance away from the usual routes protected by the Mogul hill forts. The message said the Ghurkha war parties had come down via a narrow track in dense forest and that the reporting Mogul officer at Luxmipur, had already dispatched two Arban (twenty horsemen) across the darya (Sharda River) from Luxmipur in hot pursuit. The small contingent sent to repel the war party, consisted of Chagatai Mongol Nomad soldiers from Transoxiania,( Mawarannahr) who had newly arrived in India and were under the command of their Sardar, Naig Hassan. ^[3]

The Establishment of Checkpoints. (Chauki).

The Sardar crossed a second darya (Mahakali river) and spent several weeks ravaging the territories of the Nepalese Rajas with surprise attacks. After accomplishing this task he ordered his first Arban (Unit of ten Cavalry) to build a Chauki, a defensive ditch around a wooden fort on the forest track, this fort later grew into the settlement of Singahi. Naig Hasan’s second Arban was stationed further down the track on a crossroad; their Chauki later became the village of Nighasan. These two Mongol Arbans were thus strategically placed to prevent any future entry of Ghurkha war parties via this forest track.^{[4] [5]}

The Pasi Caste in Singahi

In December the next year 994 Hijra (1586 A.D) another attack took place, this time by Pasi bandits looting Dhangiri. The Mongol Sardar's two Arbans attacked the nearby Pasi villages, burning several of them and killing a large number of the inhabitants and the Chief, so that the Pasi were left homeless and leaderless. The Sardar impressed by the ferocity of the resistance shown, not only spared the lives of the prisoners but invited them to take up employment. He trained them in horsemanship and Mongol fighting styles, issued them horses, weapons and armour and settled them and their families around his two encampments. The Sardar Naig Hasan was paid from the treasury of the Sarkar of Khairabad in Naqd (cash) and not via Jagir for the maintenance of these additional troops.^[6] Later the Pasi built a magnificent temple dedicated to Lord Parashurama, from their Mogul salary and the loot they obtained while waging raids alongside Mongols on the Gurkhas.

Foundation of Singahi

It was this small band of Chagatai mongols and Pasi soldiers who together with their women and children that formed the nucleus of the villages of Singahi and Nighasan. Legend has it that name Singahi comes from a pack of Lions which was killed in the original forest clearing, for sport by the Mongol soldiers, but this cannot be verified. ^[7]

Pasi claim for Rajput Status.

The Pasi caste in India claim that they are Rajput and warriors, as the Mongols treated them as their own soldiers and trained and armed them. The record states , that the Pasi's at that time were not accepted into Hindu villages and temples and considered by the upper castes as a polluting people of cow eaters. They were not considered Hindus or allowed into temples as Pasi believed in demons and went to witchdoctors for exorcism, the Pasi's had a justified reputation, of being a criminal tribe who were thieves, looters and marauders. ^[8]

But the Pasi were accepted by the Mogul administration as honest courageous people skilled in the use of bow and arrow, spear and stick, and excellent hunters, who provided useful manpower, in protecting the border with Nepal. The Mogul Not believing in the caste system, looked on every man by his merit, once employed. A contingent of Pasi and Chamar soldiers and officers served the Mogul army in Afganistan, with distinction, and the Moguls were very proud of these brave and fearless soldiers. ^[9]

During the Maratha confederacy in 1786 the area came under the rule of Rajput chieftains who grated gifts of conquered land to the Brahmins who settled here with the Rajputs. The Brahmin priests removed many of the privileges that the Pasi caste had gained by serving in the Mogul army and rejected their status as Rajput. The Pasi were dis-possessed of their land, forbidden to enter temples and share drinking water wells and had to live outside the township. ^[10] As untouchables, the Pasi were traditionally considered outside the Hindu ritual ranking system of castes known as varna.

References