Majhauli Raj


Majhauli Raj is a town and a nagar panchayat in Deoria district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
The temple of Baba Dirgheswar Nath, a deity of Shiva is nearby. It is believed to have been found and worshipped by Ashwathama, a character in the epic Mahabharata.

History

Majhauli Raj was the seat of an eponymous Rajput feudal estate known as the Majhauli raj, which is said to have been founded around 1100 CE. The traditional account traces its origins to a founder named Mayyur, who had children with three wives: one Brahmin, one Surajbans Rajput, and one Bhumihar, as well as one Kurmi concubine. His child by his Brahmin wife went on to become the ancestor of the Misra Brahmins; the child of his Bhumihar wife founded a kingdom that eventually became the Hathwa Raj and the Tamkuhi Raj; and the child of his Kurmi concubine went on to found the Kakradih estate. As for the son of his Rajput wife, he went on to conquer the pargana of Salempur and Majhauli, where he founded a fort and established the Majhauli raj.
In 1774, the raja of Majhauli, Ajit Mal, openly refused to pay revenue to the amil in Gorakhpur, crossing over into Bihar whenever the officials attempted to collect payment. He also gave refuge to the Narrowney Rajputs of Pachlakh, who were openly in arms against the British East India Company. In 1777, Ajit Mal also refused to pay revenues to the British for his lands in Bihar. The British, already beleaguered by the ongoing rebellion of Fateh Sahi of the Huseypur raj, were initially unwilling to go after Ajit Mal: while they charged Fateh Sahi "guilty of the atrocious crime of premeditated murder and rebellion", they held Ajit Mal guilty of "no offence". When the authorities in Gorakhpur in Oudh State asked for assistance in pursuing Ajit Mal, the British refused. However, when the Gorakhpur authorities offered to join the fight against Fateh Sahi if the British helped them capture Ajit Mal, the British quickly agreed. They were, however, unsuccessful in both measures.

Administration

The town has 13 wards. Local self-government is at the level of Nagar Panchayat and every five years, people elect their representatives for their wards. The tehsil-level administration is located at Salempur. It has its district headquarters at Deoria.