PRESENT RULER: Raja KAILASH NATH PAL, succeeded 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.

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. Rulers were....

• Raja ALAKH DEO 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 (qv)

• Raja TAPTEJ PAL 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. Taptej Deo becomes Raja Taptej Pal; married and had issue. He died 1359.

  • Raja KHAN PAL (qv)

• Raja KHAN PAL 1359/1372, born 1329, died 1372.

• Raja KUNWAR PAL 1372/1404, born 1358, died 1404.

• Raja TEJ PAL 1404/1421, born 1378, died 1421.

• Raja SAKAT PAL 1421/1441, born 1398, died 1441.

• Raja MAAN PAL 1441/1480, born 1440, died 1480.

• Raja PARASHURAM PAL 1480/1535, born 1470, died 1535.

• Raja DWEEP PAL 1535/1585, born 1515, died 1585.

• Raja MARDAN PAL 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 (qv)

• Raja PRITHVI PAL 1620/1631, born 1570, died 1631.

• Raja YUDHISHTIR PAL 1631/1674, born 1620, died 1674.

• Raja MANI PAL 1674/1710, born 1641, died 1710.

• Raja DWEEP PAL 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 (qv)

• Raja BAKHTAWAR PAL 1730/1774, born 1728, married and had issue. He died 1774

  • Raja SARAFRAJ PAL (qv)

• Raja SARAFRAJ PAL 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 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 (qv)

• Raja MARDAN PAL 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 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 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 NARAYAN 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 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 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 (see above)

OTHER MEMBERS:

• Thakorani Pratibha Singh of Mahson, married Thakore Saheb Kamal Raj Singhji of Ambliara.