PRESENT RULER: Raja KAILASH
NATH
PAL, present Raja of Mahson since December 1988,
born 19th March 1938, educated
at the Royal Indian Military College, Dehradun, National Defense
Academy,
and Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur (B.Tech.), married
July 1963 in Lucknow, Rani Durga Kumari Pal, born 1945, daughter of
Raja
Himanshudhar
Singh of Tekari, and has issue.
- Rajkumar Amitabh Pal, born 1969, educated at Mayo College,
Ajmer and
University of North Carolina, married Kunwarani Deepa Pal, born 1973,
daughter of Maharaj Chandrasen Sisodia of Batherda, and has issue.
- Kumari Sagarika Pal, born 2002.
- Kumari Devika Pal, born 2005.
- Rajkumar Ashutosh Pal, born 1974, educated at Mayo College,
Ajmer and
University of Chicago, married Kunwarani Gauri Pal, born 1975, daughter
of
Shri T.P. Nagarajan, I.A.S., and has issue.
- Kunwar Kanishk Pal, born 2006.
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PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Emperor
Brahm Deo was the last ruler of the mighty Katyur Empire (modern day
Uttaranchal – Kumaon Garhwal region). After Brahm Deo’s rule the
empire disintegrated, with his grandson Abhay Pal Deo continuing his
reign from the kingdom of Askote
in Kumaon’s Pithoragarh district. Abhay Pal Deo’s two younger
sons, Alakh Deo and Tilak Deo set out from Askote in 1305 with a
large army and after passing through the Terai region and the plains
of U.P. came to Gonda/Gorakhpur area. This region was covered in
thick jungles and swamps and was inhabited by fierce Bhar tribals. The
Ghagra river in the south and Rapti river in the east protected the
region from heavy attacks. Estate holders
were....
- Raja ALAKH DEO, 1st
Raja of Mahson 1305/1342, born 1281, great-grandson
of Emperor Brahm Deo, he led an army into the plains of north-eastern
U.P. and engaged the local tribal Bhar king in a ferocious battle, in
which Alakh Deo and his Suryavanshi Rajput forces emerged victorious.
Alakh Deo established his capital 32 km from Basti (100 km from
Gorakhpur) in Mahuli village in 1305. The feudal kingdom of
Mahson-Mahuli stretched 14 kose (47 kilometers) lengthwise and
encompassed several hundred villages; married and had issue. He died
1342.
- Raja TAPTEJ PAL,
2nd Raja of Mahson 1342/1359, born 1308, during his reign, in
1353, the Emperor of India, Sultan Feroze Shah Tughlaq marched
from Delhi leading a massive army to punish the Nawab of Bengal, who
had declared his independence from Delhi. In November of that year,
Sultan Feroze
Shah Tughlaq decided to halt and pitch camp in north-eastern Uttar
Pradesh.
Here he gathers tribute from the feudal lords and ensures their
loyalty to the Delhi Sultanate throne. For the Sultan’s Bengal
campaign Taptej Deo provides men, arms and materiel. In exchange, the
Emperor Sultan grants Taptej Deo the status of “Raja” and the
privileges that come with it, including the right to use “Pal” as
his title, taking from the senior Askote family that Alakh Deo had
branched out from, married and had
issue. He died 1359.
- Raja KHAN PAL, 3rd
Raja of Mahson 1359/1372, born 1329, died 1372.
- Raja KUNWAR PAL,
4th Raja of Mahson 1372/1404, born 1358, died 1404.
- Raja TEJ PAL, 5th
Raja of Mahson 1404/1421, born 1378, died 1421.
- Raja SAKAT PAL, 6th
Raja of Mahson 1421/1441, born 1398, died 1441.
- Raja MAAN PAL, 7th
Raja of Mahson 1441/1480, born 1440, died 1480.
- Raja PARASHURAM PAL,
8th Raja of Mahson 1480/1535, born 1470, died 1535.
- Raja DWEEP PAL, 9th
Raja of Mahson 1535/1585, born 1515, died 1585.
- Raja MARDAN PAL,
10th Raja of Mahson 1585/1620, born 1545, In
this era the Mughal Empire reached its peak, with Emperor Akbar on
the throne of Delhi. The Mughals co-opted various Rajput kingdoms
into accepting their hegemony over India. The Mughals either entered
alliances or crushed rebellions, ensuring that Rajput feudal lords
paid them tribute and collected taxes on Delhi’s behalf. Raja
Mardan Pal paid annual taxes of 6,18,256 copper Dams (15,456 silver
Rupees) to the treasury of Delhi. In addition, he provided a standing
army of 2,000 infantry as well as several hundred cavalry, camelry
and elephantry to the Mughal Empire; married and had issue. He died
1620.
- Raja PRITHVI PAL,
11th Raja of Mahson 1620/1631, born 1570, died 1631.
- Raja YUDHISHTIR PAL,
12th Raja of Mahson 1631/1674, born 1620, died 1674.
- Raja MANI PAL, 13th
Raja of Mahson 1674/1710, born 1641, died 1710.
- Raja DWEEP PAL,
14th Raja of Mahson 1710/1730,
born circa 1680, during
this time the Mughal Empire had weakened and the governor of Awadh
established a hereditary kingdom over the entire region of central
and eastern U.P. Tribute and taxes was now paid to the Nawab of
Awadh; married and had issue. He died 1730.
- Raja BAKHTAWAR PAL,
15th Raja of Mahson 1730/1774, born 1728, married and had
issue. He died 1774
- Raja SARAFRAJ PAL,
16th Raja of Mahson 1774/1833, born 1765, during his reign a
fierce attack was launched on the fiefdom in 1780, by neighbouring
feudal warlords. At the battlefield of Murkatti (where
heads get cut), the Raja emerges victorious but the victory
is pyrrhic, with massive losses and weaknesses exposed. It is decided
to shift the capital to a more secure location, and the village of
Mahson, 22 kilometers away from Mahuli, is chosen; married and had
issue, two sons. He died 1833.
- Raja Shamsher Bahadur Pal (qv)
- Lal Pratap Bahadur Pal, married and had
issue.
- Lal Tejesawari
Pal, married and had
issue.
- Lal Rajeswari Bahadur Pal, married and had
issue.
- Lal Brij Kishore Pal, born July 1907, married and
had issue, three sons. He died November 1994.
- Lal Randhir Bahadur Pal
- Lal Dinesh Bahadur Pal
- Lal Surendra Bahadur Pal, married and had
issue.
- Kunwar Shashank Bhooshan Pal, born 27th August
1975.
- Raja SHAMSHER BAHADUR PAL,
17th Raja of Mahson 1833/1834, born 1784, in 1801,
Nawab Saadat Ali Khan of Awadh surrendered
half of the Awadh kingdom to the British East India Company. This
included the entire eastern region of Awadh, including Gorakhpur and
adjoining districts. The feudal lords in the region had stopped
paying taxes to the weakened Awadh empire, and when the East India
Company attempted to impose its suzerainty, the feudal lords
revolted. The East India Company under British Collector Rutledge for
the Gorakhpur region took four years to crush the rebellion, in which
they razed the fortifications of several rulers to teach them a
lesson. Raja Sarafraj Pal and Shamsher Bahadur Pal settled for peace
with the British, under which the Company’s hegemony was
established in exchange for the Mahson-Mahuli family to continue
their privileges as rulers, including the title of “Raja” as a
hereditary right; married to a daughter of the Raja of Balrampur, and
had issue. He died 1834.
- Raja MARDAN PAL,
18th Raja of Mahson 1834/1850, born 1805, his two younger
brothers, including the
Thakur of Behil, took part in the revolt of 1857. After the East India
Company emerges victorious, they begin a retribution and revenge
campaign, in which all properties of the younger brothers are
confiscated and given to feudatories who have actively supported
the British (the Thakur of Marwatia was a primary beneficiary). The
brothers are saved from execution by the intervention of their
mother’s family (Raja of Balrampur) who played a major role in the
revolt actively siding with the British. Both brother’s families
descend into a state of despair and penury, and are supported with a
stipend and property from Balrampur, as well as resettlement by
Mahson family; married and had issue. He died 1850.
- Raja BHAWANI GHULAM PAL,
19th Raja of Mahson 1850/1892, born 1845, he favoured
his junior wife and granted succession rights to his youngest son
from the junior wife, as well as vast properties to two other sons
from his junior wife; this was challenged by the eldest son, Narendra
Bahadur Pal, in British court of law. Several
assassination attempts were made on Narendra Bahadur Pal and he
decided to fight the case from exile, supported by his wife’s and
mother’s families. The case went to the Privy Council of the House
of Lords, where the verdict was made in favour of Narendra Bahadur
Pal as successor to the feudal fiefdom. His father, Raja Bhawani
Ghulam Pal, having lost the case, decided to grant in allowance prime
revenue properties of Ahra, Budwal and Bithha to his three younger
sons, reducing Mahson’s revenues by almost half; married twice,
including Rani Sartaj Kuwari, and had
issue, four sons. He died 1892.
- Raja Narendra Bahadur Pal (by the Senior wife) (qv)
- Thakur Rajendra Bahadur Pal (by Rani Sartaj Kuwari), born
in Mahson, succeeded to the estate of Ahra in 1892; married to a
daughter of Raja of Karmahiya, and had issue.
- Lal Satrajeet Bahadur Pal of Ahra
- Raja NARENDRA BAHADUR PAL,
20th Raja of Mahson 1892/1924, born 1865, married
1stly, a daughter of the Raja of Gangwal, married 2ndly, a daughter of
Raja
of Majhgawan, and had issue. He died 1924.
- Raja Vijaipratap Narayn Bahadur Pal (qv)
- Thakur Udaipratap Narayan Bahadur Pal
- Thakur Bhanupratap Narayan Bahadur Pal
- Kumari (name unknown), married Raja Bahadur
Kaushalendra Pratap Singh
of Kothi, M.P., and had issue.
- Raja VIJAIPRATAP NARAYAN
BAHADUR PAL, 21st Raja of Mahson 1924/1930, born 1901,
married Rani Pratap Kunwar, born 1900, died 1948, daughter of Thakur
Chandra Bhushan Singh of Asothar, and had issue, one son and two
daughters. He died 1930.
- Raja Kashi Nath Bahadur Pal (qv)
- Rani Rama Kanta Devi, born 1920, married Raja Shri Niwas
Prasad Singh of Bijaipur-Kantit.
- Rani Uma Kanta Devi, born 1924, married Rao Keshav Sen of
Kharwa.
- Raja KASHI NATH BAHADUR PAL,
22nd Raja of Mahson 1930/1988, born 1918, member of
the Swatantra Party and M.L.A.
in U.P. Assembly 1962/1967; married
Rani
Shaileshwari Kumari,
born 1915, died 2007, daughter
of Raja Raghuraj Singh of Mankapur, and
had
issue. He died December 1988.
- Raja Kailash Nath Pal (qv)
- Thakur Avinash Nath Pal
- Thakur Umesh Nath Pal, born 23rd March 1942, married and
has issue.
- Kumari Anupama Pal, born 9th January 1968, married
1993, Tarun Sondhi, and has issue.
- Kumari Devyani Sondhi, born 1998.
- Raja KAILASH NATH PAL,
23rd Raja of Mahson (see above)
OTHER MEMBERS:
- Thakorani Pratibha Singh of Mahson, married Thakore
Saheb Kamal Raj Singhji of Ambliara.
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