632 History of the Gurha Mundala Rajas. [Aug. 



ed himself of all the twenty-two military posts of his kingdom ; and 

 at last ventured to come to a general action with him near the village 

 of Koluree, in the district of Nursingpore. Jhoojhar Singh was defea- 

 ted and killed ; and the fortress of Chouragurh was surrendered imme* 

 diately after the action, which was fought w T ithin sight of the walls. 



In return for the services rendered by the chief of Bhopal, HirdeE 

 Sa" assigned the district of Opudgurh, containing three hundred villages. 

 He sent back the widow and family of Jhoojhar Singh to Bundelkhund, 

 by which he is said to have won so much upon the esteem and grati- 

 tude of the members of this family and the people of Bundelkhund in 

 general, that they made a solemn vow never again to invade his 

 dominions. 



It may here be remarked that Jhoojhar Singh had two brothers, 

 Dewan Hurdour, alias Hurdour Lala, and Puhar Singh ; that the 

 former is said to have been poisoned by one or other of his brother's 

 wives ; and that when the cholera morbus broke out in the valley of 

 the Nerbudda for the first time in 1817, when occupied by our troops, 

 it was supposed to have been occasioned by the spirit of this Hurdour 

 Lala, descending into the valley in the north wind blowing down 

 from the territories of Bundelkhund. It first broke out I believe among 

 the troops while they were stationed on the plain between the garri- 

 son of Chouragurh and the village of Koluree, the place where the 

 action was fought, and it is said to have begun its ravages while the 

 north winds prevailed. These circumstances added to that of Hur- 

 dour Lala's having always been propitiated by some offering or 

 prayer, whenever a number of people were congregated together for 

 whatever purpose, lest he should introduce discord or evil of some 

 kind or other among them, made it believed that he was the source of 

 this dreadful scourge ; for the custom of propitiating him was entirely 

 local, and our troops had disregarded, or indeed had perhaps never 

 heard of the necessity. From that day small rude altars were erected 

 to Hurdour Lala in every part of the valley, surrounded by red flags 

 erected on bamboos, and attended by prostrated thousands ; and from 

 the moment a case of cholera morbus occurs, every native inhabitant 

 of this valley, whatever be his religion, rank or sect, deprecates the 

 wrath of Hurdour Lala*. 



* It is said that one of Lord Hasting's camp-followers slaughtered a 

 bullock near the tomb, and that the cholera broke out in consequence ; that after 

 many thousands had perished, one man afflicted with the disease thought of 

 Hurdour Lala, and vowed an offering to him if he recovered. He got well, 

 and built a temple to him ; others did the same, and the disease ceased. From 





