PREDECESSORS AND SHORT HISTORY: Founded around 1705 by Raja Udai Singh, who was the son of Bhupat Singh, a leader of the ancient Gaur clan of Rajputs settled at Chandra and Katesar in Sitapur, U.P. He established Pawayan, the largest estate in the erstwhile Rohilkhand Area and the present District Shahjahanpur in U.P. Gaur Rajputs originated from Gaur Desh (country), in West Bengal. The Gaur Rajputs had dispersed to various parts of Northern and Central India after the onslaught of the Persian raider, Bhaktiar Khilji, around 1205. Estate holders were...

• Raja UDAI SINGH, founder and first Raja of Pawayan.

• Raja JASWANT SINGH, 2nd Raja of Pawayan

• Raja BHAGWANT SINGH, 3rd Raja of Pawayan

• Raja RAGHUNATH SINGH, 4th Raja of Pawayan 1802/1825, married Rani Raj Kunwari (qv), and had adoptive issue.

  • (A) Raja Jagannath Singh (qv)

• Rani Raj Kunwari, 5th Rani of Pawayan 1825/1850

• Raja JAGANNATH SINGH, 6th Raja of Pawayan 1850/1880, born 1813, during his rule, the rebel leader, Maulvi Ahmad-ullah Shah was killed at the outer gate of the Pawayan Fortress in a skirmish when the Maulvi was trying to forcefully break through the outer gate, he adopted his nephew, married and had adoptive issue.

  • (A) Raja Fateh Singh (qv)

COURT OF WARDS 1880/1889

• Raja FATEH SINGH, 7th Raja of Pawayan 1889/1906 (PHOTO), born 10th October 1858, he succeeded by adoption to the gadi on 17th May 1889, a scholar of repute and an honourary magistrate for the tehsil; married, and had issue, two sons. He died 28th December 1921.

  • Raja Indra Vikram Singh (qv)

  • Kunwar Vijai Verma, married and had issue, one daughter. He died 12th September 1929.

    • Shrimati Kumari Vijai Kunwari

• Raja INDRA VIKRAM SINGH, 8th Raja of Pawayan 1906/1928 (PHOTO), married 1stly, Rani Griha Rajya Laxmi Devi of the Shah family of Nepal, married 2ndly, Rani Indraj Lakshmi Devi, and had issue, two sons and two daughters. He died 28th May 1928.

  • Raja Ajai Varma (qv)

  • Kunwar Keshav Varma (by Rani Indraj Lakshmi Devi), married Kunwarani Preeti Rajya Lakshmi Devi, daughter of Gen. Khem Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana of Nepal (see Kaski and Lambjung).

  • Rajkumari Rama Devi, married Raja Pratap Bahadur Singh of Kurwar, in Sultanpur Dist., U.P.

  • Rajkumari Laxmeshwari Devi, married Raja Shri Mohan Prasad Singh Deo of Badagoda [Bodogodo] in Ganjam Dist., Orissa.

• Raja AJAI VARMA, 9th Raja of Pawayan 1928/1989, born 1907, last Raja Saheb of Pawayan before the abolition of Princely states and Zamindaris in 1950; he contibuted significantly to the development of the Pawayan area with initiatives such as setting up the present day Pawayan Inter College; married Rani Indira Devi, daughter of HH Sawai Maharaja Punya Pratap Singh, Maharaja of Ajaigarh, and his wife, HH Maharani Rukmini Devi, and had issue, three sons and one daughter. He died in 1989.

  • Raja Surendra Singhji (qv)

  • Wing Cmdr. (ret'd.) Raja Abhay Singh (qv)

  • Rajkumari Shobha Singh, born 1942, married Shri Amit Ray, and had issue, one daughter. She died 2003.

    • Sanyukta Ray, born 1978.

  • Rajkumar Jai Singh, born 1944, married Kunwarani Mridul Singh, daughter of Kunwar Lal Chandan Singh of Asothar, and had issue. He died 6th February 2012.

    • Maj. Kunwar Manujendra Singh, born 9th December 1976 in Lucknow, educated at the Indian Military Academy, married 28th April 2003 in Udaipur, Kunwarani Kulgauravi Singh, daughter of Raja Ganga Singh Chauhan of Baneria, and has issue, one son and one daughter.

      • Abhijay Vikram Singh, born 2006.

      • Indrakshi Kumari

• Raja SURENDRA SINGHJI, 10th Raja of Pawayan 1989/2010, born 1928, educated at Colvin Taluqdars' College, and at Lucknow University (LL.B.); M.L.A. (Uttar Pradesh) 1957/1962. He died sp in 2010.

• Wing Cmdr. (ret'd.) Raja ABHAY SINGH (see above)