Amethi

The Bandhalgoti Rajas of Amethi originally resided at Raipur Phulwari, which along with Sarwanpur and Katra Himmat Singh was one of the three villages that would later be amalgamated into the modern town of Raipur-Amethi.[4] The old fort at Raipur Phulwari was destroyed by Safdar Jang c. 1743; its ruins are still visible today.[4] The story behind its destruction is as follows: the Bandhalgoti leader Gurdatt Singh (who alternately bore the titles of Babu and Raja) had defied Safdar Jang's authority so conspicuously that Safdar Jang personally led an army to Raipur to besiege the fort.[4] After a siege of 18 days, Gurdatt Singh fled into the neighbouring jungle of Ramnagar (which became the rajas' main residence), and the fort was destroyed and his estate (then known as Udiawan, until the British annexation of Awadh) put under Safdar Jang's direct control.[4]

Gurdatt Singh's son Drigpal Singh was able to recover his father's estate.[4] While Gurdatt Singh had been known by various titles, all his successors beginning with Drigpal Singh were unequivocally styled Raja.[4] Because of the prevalence of barren usar land in the pargana, there was a popular saying "gar na hota Amethi úsar, Rája hota deoti dusar", meaning "if there had been no usar in Amethi, the Raja would be a second deity".[4]

The taluqa was then divided between Drigpal Singh's two sons, with Har Chand Singh receiving the bulk of the inheritance and Jai Chand Singh founding the junior branch of Kannu Kasrawan.[4] Har Chand Singh had originally inherited 153 villages but in 1804 was permitted to engage for the entire pargana of Amethi (except for the village of Raghipur).[4] In 1810, this arrangement was changed by Saadat Ali Khan II, leaving Har Chand Singh with just 43 rent-free villages; he abdicated in favour of his son Dalpat Sah, who in 1813 was able to restore the taluqa to its original extent.[4] Dalpat Sah died in 1815 and was succeeded by his son Bisheshar Singh, who then died childless in 1842.[4]

At this point, the taluqa was inherited by Bisheshar Singh's cousin Madho Singh, whose father Arjun Singh (Dalpat's brother) had held the independent Gangoli estate as a junior branch.[4] Under Madho Singh, these two branches became united.[4] Madho Singh clashed with the nazim of Sultanpur, Maharaja Man Singh, in 1845; when this proved indecisive, the two parties turned to negotiations.[4] The resulting agreement in 1846 ended up leasing the entire pargana to Madho Singh except for a few villages that would be directly retained by the nazim.[4] This lease included Kannu Kasrawan, still held by Jai Chand Singh's descendants, but the proprietors ignored the terms and Madho Singh ended up getting a decree of confiscation from the Nawab of Awadh himself.[4] After protracted fighting the proprietors finally submitted in 1853.[4]

The Udiawan taluqa was almost completely broken up upon the British annexation in 1856, but reconstituted after the 1857 uprising.[4] Madho Singh supported the rebellion but the British were still willing to give him a sanad for the estate; they also formally acknowledged his title of Raja (he had never really sought formal recognition beforehand).[4] Madho Singh died in August 1891, shortly after the death of his only son, and was succeeded by a more distant relative who was adopted as his heir.[4] At the turn of the 20th century, the Amethi estate consitsed of 314 villages and 4 pattis, all in the pargana of Amethi.[4]

Amethi's development as a major town is because of the coming of the railway.[4] As late as 1897, a British settlement officer wrote "Raipur is a collection of small unimportant hamlets, with positively no attempt at trade."[4] That changed when the Oudh and Rohilkhand Railway came to town with a station in 1898.[4] The town then rapidly grew in size and commercial importance, and as early as 1903 it was already described as "a flourishing town" and the previous description was described as "already ancient history".[4]

As of 1901 the population was 3,688 including 1,127 Muslims which was an especially large proportion for the area.[4] It contained the tehsil headquarters, a school, a police station, a pound, and a dispensary.[4]

Raipur is the place where the first fort of Raja of Bachhalgoti Rajputs was located. His ancestors used to reside in Raipur which is now Raipur Phulwari. New fort was built in Ram Nagar about 6 Kms north of present Amethi which had been Center of Political activities during freedom movement. It is inhabited by Ex MP Sanjaya Sinh and present MLA Garima Singh. Amethi became known worldwide with Sanjay Gandhi contesting Parliamentary Election on the behest of Raja Rannjay Singh who had close relationship with Nehru family. It is also famous for the Hanuman temple called [Hanumangarhi] and a mosque both built about hundred years ago. About 7 kilometres north of Amethi there is a tomb of famous Poet Malik Mohammad Jayasi at Magravan which is near Ram Nagar, where he died. Present fort was built by Bachalgoti Rajput Rajas.[3]