________________
FEBRUARY, 1873.]
THE CHANDEL THAKURS.
THE CHANDEL THÁKÚRS. By F. N. WRIGHT, B.A., Oxon., B. C. S.
MONG the many tribes that by migration,
A
desire to obtain relief from an over-crowded home, have established themselves in the Antarbed, the Chandel Thâkûrs present perhaps as interesting a history as any. The following particulars are derived from two family histories (Banswala)the one belonging to the now extinct branch of Sheorâjpûr, and the other to that which, first establishing itself in Sachendi, has covered with its numerous ramifications the whole of the south of parganah Jâjmau, zilla Kânhpûr. The former history is in Persian, the latter in Hindi; and the characteristics of each are so strongly marked, and have so important a bearing on the accuracy of the facts which they relate, that it is necessary briefly to call attention to them.
The account contained in the Persian MS. was compiled by order of the last râjâ, Sati Prasâd, in A. D. 1841. The main object of the compilation being an elaborate statement of the rights due to, and the wrongs suffered by, the Sheorâjpûr râj, little space is devoted to the pre-historic period; but the details of the more recent events are concise and particular. Though, however, the phraseology is elegant, and graceful couplets on the attributes of various rajâs break the monotony of somewhat dry detail, the reader is not encouraged to linger till he arrives at the commencement of English rule, when the fortunes of the powerful clan began to totter-their final ruin being accomplished by the disloyalty of their chieftain in 1857, and his imprisonment and subsequent death in a stranger's house. The Hindi MS., also of comparatively recent date, is the compilation of one or more bards; and containing probably the material for many an epic, chanted to admiring and wondering audiences round the village chaupal, it is full of mythical and exaggerated details, which, whatever lustre they may lend to the proud family to which they refer, decidedly lessen our faith in the accuracy of all that is not supported by collateral evidence. While, therefore, the Hindi MS. is of value in so far as it corroborates the more precise record of the Persian document, compiled
I have in vain attempted to fix the exact date of compilation: it is probably not the work of one time only.
This pedigree I have collated most carefully with others in possession of cadet branches. As it is a mere list of names, I do not give it here.
33
from papers actually in possession of the writer at the time of writing, though lost subsequently in the mutiny, it is to the latter we must look for a trustworthy description of the manner in which the Chandels came to establish themselves so far from their original home.
The Chandels trace their origin through Chandra, the moon, up to Brahma, the great creative principle, including in their pedigree historic names, such as Jijât and Pûr. From Brahma to Sati Prasâd, the last acknowledged râjâ, 118 generations are numbered; but the various pedigrees collated contain several discrepancies in the earlier names, some of which are noted below. The mythical origin of the Chandels is thus described by the Hindi MS.:"Hemvati was daughter of Indarjît, Gahlwâr Thâkûr, Raja of Banâras; with her at midnight the Moon had dalliance: she awoke when she recovered her senses, and saw the Moon returning to his own place. She was about to curse him, and said "I am not a Gautam woman" (this allusion is obscure), when he replied-"The curse of Sri Krishn has been fulfilled; your son will become very great, and his kingdom will extend from sunset to sunrise." Hemvati said"Tell me that spell by which my sin may be absolved." Chandra said-"You will have a son, and he will be your absolution;" and he gave her this spell- Go to Asu, near Kâlingar, and there dwell. When within a short time of being delivered, cross the river Kin (?), and go to Khajrain, where Chintaman§ Banya dwells, and live there with him. Your son shall perform a great sacrifice. In this iron age sacrifices are not perfect. I will appear as a Brahman and complete the sacrifice: then your absolution will be perfect."
The fruit of this intrigue was Chandra Varma (called in the Persian MS. Chandra Puras, or Chandra Deo); and the date of his birth is given as Kâtik Badi 4, Sambat 204. From him to the well-known Parmâl Deo, whose fort, Kâlingar, was taken by Kûtb-ûd-dîn, A. D. 1202 (Sambat 1258), there are, according to the Persian MS., 49 generations; but the Hindi MS. reckons only 23. The chronology of the
"Of Hemraj, Brahman in Indarjit's service."-H. Elliot. The descendants of this Chintaman for many years retained the office of Diwan to the Chandel râjâs.
Elliot's Ind. Hist., II. 281.
