Mathura A Gazetteer-6

MATHURA A GAZETTEER,
edited and compiled by, D.L. DRAKE-BROCKMAN [1911]

DIRECTORY

AIRA KHERA, Tahsil MAHABAN Aira Khera lies in 27°31'N. and 77°50'E., nearly 4 miles north-east from Raya and 11 miles from Muttra. It is an old township with no arable land attached to it, and is popularly said to be the mother of 360 villages. It is still the recognised centre of eighteen, namely, Aira, Baron, Bhankarpur, Bhura, Bibaoli, Bindu Bulaki, Barahna, Birbal, Gainra, Gaju, Kakarari, Lalpur, Manina Balu, Misri, Nimgaon, Piri, Sabali and Sampat Jogi The founder is said to have been a Pramar Rajput, by name Nain Sen, who himself came from Daharua in this tahsil, but whose ancestors had migrated from Duar in the Deccan. He had four sons among whom he portioned out his property; and they in turn had eighteen sons, who settled the villages mentioned above. The bazar is considered the joint property of the descendants of Rupa, the eldest son of Nain Sen; while the market, which is held on a spot close the bazar on Wednesdays and Saturdays, is the property of the zamindars of the four villages founded by the sons of Sikhan, another son of Nain Sen. The lands of the eighteen villages are all intermixed and are occupied almost exclusively by the Jat community, with the exception of Lalpur which is held by Brahmans, the descendants of the founder's purohit. The old occupants of the place whom Nain Sen dispossessed are said to have been Kalars. Though Nain Sen himself was a Rajput, his des cendants are all reckoned as Jats of the Godha subdivision. This they explain by saying that the new settlers, being unable to secure any better alliances, intermarried with Jat women from Karil in Aligarh, and the children followed the caste of their mothers. The population of Aira Khera has increased of recent years. In 1891 it numbered 1,955 souls and this rose to 2,072 in 1901: of the latter 1,906 were Hindus, 134 were Muhammadans and 32 were of unspecified religions, Brahmans being the numeri cally strongest Hindu caste. The village contains a primary school and a post-office. There is a general meeting for the members of the clan at the festival of the Phut Dol, which is held on the fifth day of the dark half of Chait.

AKOS, Tahsil MAHABAN This is a large village situated on the banks of the Jumna in 27°17'N. and 77°53'E., at a distance of 18 miles in a direct line from Muttra and of 14 miles from Mahaban by the unmetalled road which leads from Baldeo to Agra. Near the village is situated a curious hill known as the Bhim Tila; and the village lands cover 3,568 acres, the revenue demand being Rs. 6,600. The proprietary rights are owned by Jats and Brahmans; and the population of the village has increased from 2,819 persons in 1891 to 3,193 in 1901. Of the latter number 3,016 were Hindus, 115 Muhammadan and 62 of unspecified religions, Jats being the prin cipal Hindu caste. Market is held every Monday and there is a primary school in the village, while a private ferry plies over the Jumna.

ARING, Tahsil MUTTRA Aring is a large agricultural village lying in the centre of tahsil Muttra; it is situated in 27°29'N. and 77°32'E., at a dis tance of 12 miles from headquarters on the metalled road from Muttra to Dig in Bharatpur. The name of the place is popularly derived from Aringsaur, a demon slain here by Krishna. Other suggestions are that the name is from the root ar, to hesitate, because the tax which Krishna imposed was here reluc tantly paid; or that arang is the local name for a mart, which Aring has always been, thanks to its favourable situation on the high road between two large towns. Mr. Growse however would derive the name from Arishta-grama, arishta being the original Sanskrit form of ritha, the Hindi name of the soap-berry tree (Sapindus Detergens). Aring is generally accounted one of the 24 Upabans: it has a sacred pond called Kilol Kund, and three small temples dedicated respectively to Baladeva, Bihari-ji and Pipalesvar Mahadeva; but there are no signs of a wood. There are also the ruins of a mud fort built during the last century by one Phunda Ram, a Jat, who held a large tract of territory in jagir under Raja Suraj Mal of Bharatpur. A trigonometrical survey station lies in the fort at an elevation of 670.5 feet above the level of the sea. The upper markstone of the survey is on the vaulted roof of the old fort, and is about 57 feet above the level of the surrounding country. Aring contains a police station, a vernacular secondary school with a primary branch attended by about 100 pupils, a branch post-office and a cattle-pound. A weekly market is held on Sundays. The population in 1901 numbered 4,225 persons, of whom 3,932 were Hindus and 291 Musalmans, and appears to have largely increased of late years for in 1881 it amounted to 3,579 souls. The Agra canal passes close to the site, and is bridged at the point where the road to Dig crosses it. The Hindu inhabitants are for the most part Chamars, Brahmans, Gaurua Rajputs and Jats. For many years Aring was the headquarters of a pargana of the same name; but in 1868 the offices were all transferred to the capital of the district and the parganas of Muttra and Aring were amalgamated. Until 1818 the village was held in jagir by a Kashmiri Pandit named Baba Biswanath. On his death it was resumed and assessed to revenue of Rs. 6,447, settlement being made with the resident Gaurua Rajputs. In 1852 their estate was transferred by auction sale to Seth Gobind Das, who made it part of the endowment of the temple of Rangji at Brindaban. Aring was the scene of a defeat of the Maratha army under Holkar by Lord Lake in October 1804. At the Mutiny rebels marched upon the place with the intention of plundering the treasury, but were stoutly opposed by the zamindars and resident officials, and driven back after a few shots had been fired. Lala Ram Baksh, the hereditary pat wari, who also acted as the Seth's agent, was conspicuous for his loyalty, and subsequently received from the Government a grant of Rs. 1,000, and a quarter of the revenue of the village of Kothra, on the Bharatpur border. Munshi Bhajan Lal, who was tahsil dar at the same time, also received a grant of Rs. 1,200, and smaller rewards were conferred on several other inhabitants of the village, chiefly Brahmans.The avenue of trees extending from Muttra through Aring to Gobardhan was mainly planted by Seth Sukhanand. The village of Aring has an area of 5,459 acres and is assessed to revenue of Rs. 9,995.

ARUA, Tahsil MAT Arua lies in the south of tahsil Mat about three miles off the metalled road from Raya to Mat, in 27°37'N. and 77°47'E. It is 12 miles by road from Muttra and only 4 miles from Mat. The area of the village covers 4,118 acres and includes a large number of inhabited sites, including the deserted site of Bindrauli. The population has somewhat decreased since 1881 and in 1901 amounted to 3,389 souls, of whom 3,308 were Hindus and 81 were Musalmans. Market is held on Thursdays in Darwa, the largest hamlet, where there is also a primary school. Arua is an old Jat village, but much of the land has been now alienated to Banias of Raya and to Brahmans. The revenue demand amounts to Rs. 9,901. At the time of the Mutiny, Udha, one of the zamindars, was put to death by the people of the next village, Jawara. Hereupon his friends at Arua and Airs Khera assembled a large force for an attack upon Jawara, and in the engagement many lives were lost on both sides. For this and other acts of depredation Arua was fined Rs. 10,000. On the borders of the village is a lake called Man Sarovar, and there are the ruins of two old indigo factories.

AURANGABAD, Tahsil MUTTRA Aurangabad lies on the metalled road from Agra to Dehli, two miles south of Muttra, in 27°26'N. and 77°45'E. The population in 1901 numbered 2,141 persons, out of which 1,425 were Hindus, 681 Musalmans and 35 of other religions, the prevailing castes being Banias, Brahmans, Jats and Mewatis. A reach of sandy and broken ground, extends from the town to the Jumna, where a bridge-of-boats affords means of communication with Gokul and Mahaban on the opposite bank. On the banks of the river is an extensive garden, and beside the high road are the ruins of a handsome red sandstone mosque built in the time of Aurangzeb. From the name of that monarch the village derives its name: he is said to have made a grant of it to one Bhim Bhoj, a Tomar Rajput, with whose descendants it continued for many years. For sometime previous to 1861 however, it was, held revenue free by a faqir, commonly called Bottle Shah from his bibulous propensities, who was. a grantee of Daulat Rao Sindhia. On his death it was assessed at Rs. 691, but at the present time the revenue is Rs. 699, the total area of the village being 713 acres. The place is frequently, but incorrectly, called Naurangabad. It has also the subsidiary name of Mohanpur, from one Mohan Lal, a Sanadh Brahman and a man of some importance who came from Mat and settled here in the 18th century. Aurangabad is the chief place in Muttra for the manufacture of wicker chairs and couches: and a weekly market is held on Fridays, the articles of traffic being for the most part cotton and thread. The village has a police outpost and a primary school, attended by some 40 boys. For the accommoda tion of the latter Mr. Growse had a handsome and substantial building erected, with pillars and tracery of carved stone, which now forms the most conspicuous ornament of the place.

BACHHGAON, Tahsil MUTTRA A large agricultural village in 27°24'N. and 77°29'E., close to the Bharatpur border, at a distance of 15 miles from Muttra and 2 miles from Sonkh. The village has a total area of 5,592 acres and is assessed to a revenue demand of Rs. 5,000; but the proprietary rights have for the most part passed out of the hands of the Jat zamindars into those of the Marwari Brahman, Bohra Ram Lal. The predecessors of the Jat com munity were Kirars. The place is said to derive its name from, and to have been the scene of a famous incident in Krishna's life, who, when the jealous god Brahma took away the calves (bachche) from his herd, at once created others to supply their place. The village is only remarkable for its size, the popula tion in 1901 being 3,151 persons, of whom 3,082 were Hindus and 69 were Muhammadans. There is an aided school in the village.

BAJANA, Tahsil MAT This village is situated in the extreme north of the dis trict in 27°53'N. and 77°41'E. It is distant 33 miles from Muttra, via Jait and Shergarh, and 19 miles from Mat; unmetalled roads connect it with Nohjhil and Shergarh, and with Surir and Mat. Bajana has been from time immemorial occupied by Jats. Many years ago, the three leading men divided it into as many estates, called after their own names, Sultan Patti, Dilu Patti and Siu Patti. These are now practically distinct villages, each with several subordinate hamlets, where most of the proprietors reside, while the old bazar still remains as a common centre, but is mainly occupied by trades people. Bajana once contained a policestation, but this was subsequently reduced to an outpost and finally abolished; and at the present time there are a post-office and primary school in the place. The village, however, is still a market town of some importance, markets being held every Thursday and Saturday, on the former day exclusively for cattle and on the latter for all commodities. Some interest is taken in the neighbourhood in horse and mule-breeding, but the Government stallion stud has been now withdrawn. The combined area of Bajana is 5,457 acres and the revenue demand amounts to Rs. 12,900. Jats are still the chief proprietors, but part of the estate has passed into the hands of Banias. Some of the property which belonged to Umrao Bahadur was confiscated at the Mutiny and conferred on Seth Lakhmi Chand; and the shares of some of the other zamindars were also forfeited because they took part in the assault on Nohjhil fort. The population has increased from 4,427 persons in 1881 to 4,880 persons in 1901, of whom Hindus numbered 4,006 and Muhammadans 106, there being three persons of other religions.

BALDEO, Tahsil MAHABAN The town of Baldeo lies in 27°24'N. and 77°49'E., on the metalled road from Muttra to Sadabad, at a distance of 10 miles from Muttra and some 5 miles from Mahaban. The place is familiarly called Dauji and is generally known by that name among villagers. The original village was called Rirha and still exists, but only as a mean suburb occupied by the labouring classes; the total area is returned at 458 acres. Baldeo contains a police station, sub-post-office, primary school attended by over 100 boys, and cattle-pound; while a short distance away on the Sadabad road is an inspection bungalow maintained by the district board. The town has been administered since 1859 under Act XX of 1856. Income is raised by the usual house-tax and averages some Rs. 1,500 per annum. It is expended in the maintenance of some town police, a small staff of sweepers for conservancy, and simple improvements. The population has increased of late years, for in 1881 it numbered 2,835 persons. This rose to 3,253 in 1891, and at the last enumeration in 1901, the inhabitants were returned at 3,367 souls, of whom 3,148 were Hindus and 141 were Musalmans. The prevailing Hindu castes are Jats, Banias and Brahmans.
The town derives all its celebrity from the famous temple of Balaram or Baladeva, Krishna's elder brother. This is about 150 years old, but, despite its popularity among Hindus, it is neither handsome nor well-appointed. The temple itself, built by Seth Shiam Das of Delhi, stands at the back of one inner court, and on each of its three disengaged sides has an arcade of three bays with broad flanking piers. On each of these three sides a door gives access to the calla, which is surmounted by a squat pyramidal tower. In addition to the principal figure, Baladeva, who is generally very richly dressed and bedizened with jewels, it contains another life-sized statue, supposed to represent his spouse, Revati. In an adjoining court is shown the small vaulted chamber which served the god as a residence for the first century after his epiphany. The precincts of the temple include as many as eleven cloistered quadrangles, where accommodation is provided for pilgrims and the resident priests. Each court, or kunj as it is called, bears the name of its founder as follows:—the Kunj of Rashk Lal of Agra and Lucknow, 1817 A.D.; of Bachharaj, Bania, of Hathras, 1825; of Nawal Karan, Bania, of Agra, 1768; of Bhim Sen and Hulas Rai, Banias, of Muttra, 1828; of Das Mal, Khattri, of Agra, 1801; of Bhattacharya of Jaipur, 1794; of Gopal, Brahman, of Jaipur; of Chiman Lal, of Muttra, 1778; of Jadu Ram, Khattri, of Agra, 1768; of Chunna, Halwai, of Bharatpur, 1808; and of Puran Chand, Pachauri, of Mahaban, 1801.
Adjoining the temple is a brick built tank, over 80 yards square, called variously Kshir Sagar, the "Sea of Milk," Kshir Kund, or Balbhadr Kund. It is in a dilapidated condition, and the surface of the water is always covered with a thick green scum which, however, does not deter the pilgrims either from drinking or bathing in it. Here it is said that Gosain Gokul Nath was warned in a vision that a god lay concealed. Immediate search was made, and the statue of Baladeva, that has ever since been regarded as the tutelary divinity of the place, was revealed to the adoring gaze of the assembled multitude. Attempts were made to remove it to Gokul; but as every cart broke down, either from the weight of the stone or the reluctance of the god to change his abode, a shrine was erected for his reception on the spot, and an Ahivasi of Bhartiya, by name Kalyan, was con stituted guardian. From his two sons Jamuna Das and Musiya or Sukadeva are descended the Pandes who now manage the temple. They have acquired considerable landed property, besides the old village of Rirha. This brings in a substantial income but forms only a small part of their wealth, for the offer ings at the shrine in the course of the year are estimated to yield a net profit of about Rs. 30,000. The Kshir Sagar and all the fees paid by pilgrims bathing in it belong not to the temple Pandes, but to a community of Sanadh Brahmans. The temple Pandes, however, assert rights to the tank, and there is a standing quarrel between the two parties which has caused some litigation. Near the tank is a shrine dedicated by Bihari Lai, Bohra, of Mursan, in 1803 to the honour of the god Harideva, and two stone chhatris in memory of the Pandes, Harideva and Jagannath. Two annual fairs are held at Baldeo, one on the sixth day of the light half of Bhadon, commonly called Deo Chath, the other on the full moon of Aghan; but there is probably not a single day in the course of the whole year in which the temple courts are not occupied by at least one hundred pilgrims, drawn from all parts of northern India. A charitable dole of one anna apiece is given to every applicant. The Pandes and their families have now multiplied exceedingly, and the annual cost of their mainten ance must be considerable. Ordinarily there is a division of the profits among the shareholders at the end of every three months: an allotment is made into twelve portions, that being the number of the principal subdivisions of the clan, and then each subdivision makes, a separate distribution among its own members.The Village Sanitation Act (United Provinces Act II of 1892) is in force in the town.

BARAULI, Tahsil MAHABAN An agricultural village in 27°20'N. and 77°53'E., on the unmetalled road from Baldeo to Agra. It is 11 miles distant from Mahaban and 17 miles from Muttra. This place is one of no importance: market is held on Sundays and Wednesdays, and there is a primary school in the village. The population has risen from 2,158 persons in 1891 to 2,317 in 1901; of the lat ter 2,123 were Hindus, 180 Muhammadans, and 14 of other religions.

BARSANA, Tahsil CHHATA Barsana lies in 27°39'N. and 77°23,E., at a distance of 31 miles north-west from Muttra and 10 miles south-west from Chhata. In 1901 it had a population of 3,542 persons, compared with one of 2,773 in 1881; and of the whole number 3,291 were Hindus, 248 Musalmans and three persons were of other religions. The principal Hindu caste is that of Rajputs. The village has a total area of 2,157 acres and is assessed to a revenue of Rs. 3,254; the proprietor being Raja Sarat Chandra Sen, the heir of the Lala Babu. There are a police station, cattle-pound, Post-office and school in the town; and the following description taken from Mr. Growse's memoir supplies all the available information regarding the place. "Barsana, according to modern Hindu belief the home of Krishna's favourite mistress Radha, is a town which enjoyed a brief period of great prosperity about the middle of the last century. It is built at the foot and on the slope of a hill, originally dedicated to the god Brahma, which rises abruptly from the plain near the Bharatpur border of the Chhata tahsil to a height of some 200 feet at its extreme point, and runs in a south-east direction for about a quarter of a mile. The hill is still to a limited extent known as Brahma-ka-pahar (Brahma's hill); and hence it may he inferred with certainty that Barsana is a corruption of the Sanskrit compound Brahma Sanu, which bears the same meaning. The four prominent peaks of the hill are regarded as emblematic of the four-faced divinity, and are crowned with different buildings, the first with the group of temples dedicated to Larliji, the other three with buildings known as the Man Mandir, the Dangarh, and the Mor-Kutti. A second hill of less extent and elevation completes the amphitheatre in which the town is set, and the space between the two ranges gradually contracts to a narrow path which barely allows a single traveller on foot to pass between the sloping rocks on either side. This pass is famous as the Sankari Khor, literally the narrow opening, and is the scene of a fair in the month of Bhadon (August-September), often attended by as many as 100,000 people. The crowds divide according to their sex and cluster about the rocks round two little shrines erected on either side of the ravine for the temporary reception of figures of Radha and Krishna, and indulge to their heart's content in all the licentious banter appropriate to the occasion. At the other mouth of the pass is a deep dell between the two high peaks of the Man Mandir and the Mor-Kutti, with a masonry tank in the centre of a dense thicket called the Gahwar ban; and the principal feature in the diversions of the day is the throwing of sweetmeats by the better class of visitors, seated on the terraces of the "Peacock Pavilion" above, among the multitudes that throng the margin of the tank some 150 feet below.
The summit of Brahma's hill is crowned by a series of temples in honour of Larliji, a local title of Radha, meaning the beloved. These were all erected at intervals within the last 250 years, and-now form a connected mass of buildings with a lofty wall enclosing the court in which they stand. Each of the successive shrines was on a somewhat grander scale than its predecessor, and was for a time honoured with the presence of the divinity; but even the last and largest is an edifice of no special preten sions, though seated as it is on the very brow of the rock and seen in conjunction with the earlier buildings, it forms an imposing feature in the landscape to the spectator from the plain below. A long flight of stone steps, broken about half way by a temple in honour of Radha's grandfather, Mahaban, leads down from the summit to the town, which consists almost entirely of magnificent mansions all in ruins and lofty but crumbling walls now enclosing vast desolate areas which once were busy courts and markets or secluded pleasure-grounds. All date from the time of Rup Ram, a Katara Brahman, who, having acquired great reputation as a pundit in the earlier part of last century, became family priest (purohit) to the Raja of Bharatpur, Sindhia and Holkar, and was enriched by those princes with the most lavish donations, the whole of which he appears to have expended on the embellishment of Barsana and other sacred places within the limits of Braj, his native country. Before his time Barsana, if inhabited at all, was a mere hamlet of the adjoining village Unchagaon, which now under its Gujar landlords is a mean and miserable place, though it still boasts the remains of a fort and an ancient and well-endowed temple, dedicated to Baladeva.
Rup Ram was the founder of the now superseded temples of Larliji with the stone staircase up the side of the hill, and also constructed the largest market-place in the town with as many, it is said, as 64 walled gardens, a princely mansion for his own residence, with several chapels and other courts and pavilions, one of which, a handsome arched building of carved stone, has been occupied by the Government as the police station for several years. Three cenotaphs (chhattri) commemorating Rup Ram himself and two of his immediate relatives, stand by the side of a large stone tank, with broad flights of steps and flanking towers, which he restored and brought into its present shape. This is reputed sacred and commonly called Bhanokhar, that is, the tank of Brikhbhan, Radha's reputed father; and in connection with it is a smaller tank, called after the name of her mother, Kirat. On the margin of the Bhanokhar is a pleasure house in three storeys known as the Jai-Mahal, supported on a series of vaulted colonnades opening on to the water, for the convenience of the ladies of the family, who could thus bathe in perfect seclusion, as the two tanks and the palace are all enclosed in one courtyard by a lofty bastioned and battlemented wall with arched gateways. Besides these works Rup Ram also faced with stone ghats the sacred lake called Prem Sarovar, opposite which is a walled garden and elegant monument in the form of a Greek cross to his brother Hemraj; and on the opposite side of the town he constructed another large masonry tank for the convenience of a hamlet which he settled and called after his own name, Rup Nagar.
Contemporary with Rup Ram two other wealthy families were resident at Barsana and his rivals in magnificence, the head of the one family being Mohan Ram, a Lavania Brahman, and of the other Lalji, a Tantia Thakur. It is said that the latter was by birth merely a common labourer, who went off to Lucknow to make his fortune. There he became first a harkara, then a jamadar, and eventually a prime favourite at court. Towards the close of his life he begged permission to return to his native place and there leave some permanent memorial of the royal favour. The Nawab not only granted the request, but further presented him with a carte blanche on the state treasury for the prosecution of his design. Besides the stately mansion, now much dilapidated, he constructed a large baoli well, still in excellent preservation, and two wells sunk at great expense in sandy tracts where previously all irrigation had been impracticable. The sacred tank at the outskirts of the town, called Priya Kund or Piri Pokhar, was faced with stone by the Lavanias, who are further commemorated by the ruins of the vast and elaborate mansion where they resided and by two elegant stone cenotaphs at the foot of the hill. They held office under the Raja of Bharatpur and their present representative, Ram Narain, was formerly tahsildar in the territory.
Barsana had scarcely been built when by the fortune of war it was destroyed beyond all hopes of restoration. In 1774 A.D. the Jats, who had advanced upon Delhi in support of the cause of Zabita Khan, and in consequence of ill success were retiring to their own country, were met at Hodal in Gurgaon by Najaf Khan hastening up from Agra. Dislodged from their position they fell back upon Kotban and Kosi, which they occupied for nearly a fortnight, and then finally withdrew towards Dig; but, at Barsana were overtaken by the wazir and a pitched battle ensued. The Jat infantry, 5,000 strong, were commanded by Sumru, who had first taken service under Suraj Mal, and was still with his son, Nawal Singh, the then Raja of Bharatpur. The ranks of the imperialists were broken by his gallant attack, and the Jats, feeling assured of victory, were following in reckless disorder when the enemy, rallying from their sudden panic, turned upon their pursuers, who were too scattered to offer any solid resistance, and totally routed them. They contrived, however, to effect a retreat to Dig, while the town of Barsana was given ever to plunder, and the stately mansions so recently erected there were reduced to their present state of ruin in the search for hidden treasure. Nawal Singh died some 20 days after the bettle, but whether in consequence of wounds there received is not certainly known. He was succeeded by his brother Ranjit Singh, who found his dominions reduced to the fort of Bharatpur with an income of 9 lakhs from the adjacent territory. Barsana never recovered from this blow, and in 1812 sustained a further misfortune when the Gaurua Thakurs, its zamindars, being in circumstances of difficulty and probably distrustful of the stability of British rule then only recently established, were mad enough to transfer their whole estate to the Lala Babu for the paltry sum of Rs. 602 and the condition of holding land on rather more favourable terms than other tenants."

BATHAN KALAN, Tahsil CHHATA The large village of Bathan Kalan lies in 27°46,N. and 77°24'E., 30 miles north-west of Muttra, and three miles south-west of Kosi. Combined with Dhanot Khera and Kokilaban, it has a total area of 5,248 acres and a population which, in 1901, numbered 3,215 persons, 3,134 being Hindus, 73 Musalmans and eight of other religions. Close by lies the village of Bathan khurd with an area of 1,272 acres and a population of 1,657 persons. Both are inhabited for the most part by Jats, and as they are closely connected, they can conveniently be treated together. According to popular belief, the name Bathan is derived from the circumstance that Balaram here "sat down" (baithen) to wait for his brother Krishna; but the word probably is really descriptive of the natural features of the spot, bathan being still employed in some parts of India to denote a pasture-ground for cattle. On the outskirts of the village is a large tank with a stone ghat built by Rap Ram, the Katara of Barsana; it is called Balbhadr-kund and this name has either occasioned or serves to perpetuate the belief that Balaram was the eponymous hero of the place. Hare, on the third day of the dark half of Chait, is held the Holanga Mala when between 15,000 and 16,000 persons assemble, and a sham-fight takes place between the women of Bathan, armed with clubs, and the men of Jau, who defend them-selves with tamarisk (jhau) branches. At a distance of two miles from Bathan, between two smaller groves, each called Padar Ganga, the one in Bathan and the other in Jau, is Kokilaban, the most celebrated in Hindu poetry of all the woods of Braj. It is 212 bighas in extent, the trees becoming thicker towards the centre, where a pretty natural lake spreads cool and clear. The latter is connected with a masonry tank of very eccentric configuration, also the work of Rup Ram. On the margin of the tank are several shrines and pavilions for the accommodation of pilgrims, who assemble here to the number of 10,000 on the tenth day of the light half of Bhadon, when the Ras Lila, is celebrated. There is also a walled garden planted by a Seth of Mirzapur, which is rapidly going to ruin; and adjoining this there is a barahdari or pavilion constructed in 1870 by a Kosi Bania called Nem Ji. A fair is held in the grove every Saturday and a larger one on every full moon, when the principal diversion consists in seeing the immense swarms of monkeys fight for the grain that is thrown among them. Between Kokilaban and the village is another holy place, called Kabirban.
At Bathan Khurd a curious ridge of rock, called Charan Pahar, crops up above the ground, the stone being of precisely the same character as at Barsana and Nandgaon. This, it is said, was one of the places where Krishna most delighted to stop and play his flute, and many of the stones are still supposed to bear the impress of his feet, charan. This hill is of very insignificant dimensions, having an average height of only some 20 or 30 feet, and a total length of at most a quarter of a mile. Both Bathan Kalan and Bathan Khurd are owned by Jat commu nities in bhaiyachara tenure, the revenue demand on the former being Rs. 8,442 and on the latter Rs. 3,576. Bathan Kalan has a small primary school.

BERI, Tahsil Muttra This is a large agricultural estate in 27°19'N. and 77°41'E., ying between the Agra canal and the Cawnpore-Achnera railway, four miles west of Farah. It is 11 miles distant from the civil station of Muttra. In 1881 the village had a population of 2,278 souls and in 1901 the number had increased to 2,322, of whom 1,982 were Hindus, 309 were Musalmans and 31 were of other religions. Beri has an area of 1,899 acres and is assessed to a demand of Rs. 3,422, the present proprietor being Pandit Ksilash Nath Kashmiri. At the Mutiny the village was held by a body of Rajput zamindars, but was confiscated for rebellion and conferred on Rao Mahendra Singh of Poona and Agra. It was subsequently purchased by Pandit Kashi Nath, from whom it descended to its present owner. There are a post-office and primary school in the place, and market is held on Tuesdays in each week.

BHARTIYA, Tahsil MAHABAN This is a large village, lying on the boundary of tahsil Sadabad, in 27°23'N. and 77°55'E., 16 miles from Muttra city and 10 miles from Mahaban, about two miles south of the metal-led road to Sadabad. The village has a total area of 1,351 acres and is assessed to a revenue demand of Rs. 3,896, the zamindars being Jats and Brahmans. The population in 1901 numbered 2,318 souls, of whom 2,256 were Hindus and 62 were Muham­madans. There is a primary school in the place. A weekly market is held on Mondays.

BISAWAR, Tahsil SADABAD Bisawar is a large village on the west of Sadabad tahsil, a little over a mile south of the metalled road from Muttra to Sa dabad. It lies in 27°23'N. and 77°56'E., at a distance of eight miles from Sadabad and 16 miles from the civil station of Muttra. The area of the village is 4,495 acres and there is a large number of subsidiary hamlets, the revenue demand being Rs. 11,782. A large proportion of the total area of the village was, in 1829, ghana or woodland, but this has been gradually brought under cultivation and very little now remains. The village is said to have been founded as early as the eleventh century by one Ram Ben, a Jadon Rajput from Mahaban; but his descendants have for many generations been reckoned as Jats of the Hags sub-division and they assumed the title of chaudhri. The village is still owned for the most part by Jats, but Brahmans and Banias have also obtained shares. The population is large, and has increased from 4,774 in 1881 to 5,443 in 1901; of the latter 5,029 were Hindus, 373 Muhammadans and 41 of other religions. Jats are the numerically strongest Hindu caste. Bisawar has a pri mary school and a large market is held every Friday in it. There are two temples and a Muhammadan shrine in the place. The latter is in honour of a faqir known as the Bara Miyans, and was first established in 1855. It is visited by a considerable number of people every Wednesday and Saturday throughout the year, except in the months of Pus and Sawan.

BRINDABAN, Tahsil MUTTRA The celebrated town of Brindaban is situated in 27°33'N. and 77°42'E., on the banks of the Jumna, nine miles north of the district capital. The river makes at this point an eccentric bend and the town stands on a peninsula, washed on three sides by the stream. The name of the place is, according to Mr. Growse, derived from an obvious physical feature and means "the tulsi grove", brinda and tulsi being synonymous terms for the aromatic herb Ocymum Sanctum. The place is connected with Muttra by a metalled road; and there is a branch line of rail from Muttra cantonment station on the Cawnpore-Achnera railway. The high road from Muttra to Brindaban passes through two villages, Jaisinghpur and Ahaliaganj, and about half way crosses a deep ravine by a bridge, which, as the inscrip tion on it shows, was built in sambat 1890 (1833 A.D.) by Balla Bai, the daughter of Madhoji Sindhia. Close by is a masonry tank, built in 1872 by Lala Kishan Lal, Dhusar, a banker of Dehli. This road is of comparatively recent construc­tion, for the old road kept much closer to the Jumna river. For the first two miles out of Brindaban its course is still marked by lines of trees and several works of considerable magnitude. The first of these is a large garden surrounded by a masonry wall and supplied with water from a distance by long aqueducts. It was constructed by Kushal, a wealthy Seth of Gujerat, who also founded one of the largest temples in the city of Muttra. A little beyond, on the opposite side of the way, in a piece of waste ground which was once an orchard, is a large and handsome baoli of red sandstone with a flight of 57 steps leading down to the level of the water. This was the gift of Ahalia Bai, the celebrated Maratha queen of Indore, who died in 1795. Further on, in the hamlet of Akrur, on the verge of a cliff overlooking a wide expanse of alluvial land is the temple of Bhatrond, a solitary tower containing an image of Bihari Ji. Opposite is a large garden belonging to the Seths, and, on the roadway that runs between, a fair, called Bhatmela, is held on the full moon of Kairtik. The word Bhatrond is popularly connected with an incident in Krishna's life, which the fair commemorates. This is that he and his brother Balaram, having one day forgotten to supply themselves with provisions before leaving home, had to borrow a meal of rice (bhat) from some Brahmans' wives.*(The true etymology, however, refers to physical phenomena, and the word means only "tide wall" or "break water".)
There are within the limits of Brindaban municipality about 1,000 temples, but this number includes many which are, properly speaking, only private chapels. There are thirty-two ghats, constructed by various benefactors, but only two tanks of reputed sanctity. The first of these is the Brahm Kund, at the back of the Seths' temple, now in a ruinous condition; and the other, called Gobind Kund, is in an out of the way spot near the Muttra road. It was originally merely a natural pond, but about 1875 was enclosed on all four sides with masonry walls and flights of steps, at a cost of Rs. 30,000, by Chaudhrani Kali Sundari from Rajshahi in Bengal. To these may be added as a third a Masonry tank in what is called the Kewarban. This is a grove of pipal, gular and kadamb trees, which stands a little off the Muttra road near the turn to the Madan Mohan temple. It is a halting place in the Banjatra, and the name is popularly said to be a corruption of kin-vari, " who lit it?," with reference to the forest conflagration, or davanal, of which the traditional scene is more commonly laid at Bhadraban on the opposite bank of the river There is here a small temple of Davanal Behari with a cloistered courtyard for the reception of pilgrims. . Adjoining the ban is a large walled garden belonging to the Tehri Raja, which has long been abandoned on account of the badness of the water there are also some fifty chhattras or dole houses in the town for the distribution of alms to indigent humanity.