62 6 History of the Gurha Mundala Rdjas. [A tie. 



and stood a siege in the fort of Mundala*. It was soon taken and the 

 prince put to death. He left two sons Sewraj Sa' and Nizam Sa', 

 and the eldest was put upon the throne by Bajee Rao, on condition 

 that he should pay four lakhs of rupees a year as the chout, or quarter 

 of his public revenue, in tribute. By this dreadful invasion of the 

 Peshwa with his host of freebooters, the whole country east of JubuU 

 pore, was made waste and depopulate, became soon overgrown with 

 jungle, and has never since reeoveredf. The revenue of the rajas, in 

 consequence of this invasion, and the preceding contests for sovereignty 

 between the different members of the family, and the cessions made to 

 surrounding chiefs, was reduced to fourteen lakhs of rupees per 

 annum. 



Being unable to resist the encroachments of Raghoojee Ghosla, 

 who had under the pretended authority of the Sutarah raja to collect 

 the chout, assumed the government of Deogurh from the descendants 

 of Bukht Bulund, he lost the six districts which had anciently com- 

 prised the whole of the dominions of the Haihaibunsee sovereigns of 

 Lahnjee Kurwagurh (21), Shanjun Gurh (22), Lopa Gurh (23), Santa 

 Gurh (24), Deeba Gurh (25), Banka Gurh (26). 



Sewraj Sa' died at the age of thirty-two years, A. D. 1749, 

 after a reign of seven years, and was succeeded by his son Doorjun 

 Sa', a young lad of the most cruel and vicious dispositions. A great 

 many of the principal people having been disgusted with numerous 

 instances of his wickedness, his uncle, Nizam Sa', determined to avail 

 himself of the opportunity, and to attempt to raise himself to the 

 throne by his destruction. He recommended him to make a tour of 

 inspection through his territories, and after much persuasion he was 

 prevailed upon to leave Mundala for the purpose. 



Nizam Sa' had successfully paid his court to Belas Koour, the 

 widow of his deceased brother, Sewraj Sa', but not the mother of the 

 reigning prince, who was by a second wife, and had prevailed upon 

 her not only to consent to the destruction of Doorjun Sa', but to pro- 

 mote it by all the means in her power. She was a woman of great 



* This invasion of Balajee Bajee Rao took place, A. D. 1742.— See Duff's 

 History of the Muhruttus. 



f It may be remarked that in districts so situated, the ravages of war and of 

 internal misrule are repaired with more difficulty and delay than in others. In 

 the first place, the air however salubrious while the districts are in cultivation, 

 becomes noxious when they are allowed to run to jungle ; and men are prevented 

 from coming to fill up the void in the population. In the next, the new fields 

 of tillage in such situations are preyed upon by the animals from the surround, 

 ing hills and jungles ; and the men and cattle are destroyed by beasts of prey. 



