1904.] 
179 
G. N. Dufct —History of the Hutwa Bnj. 
Cheynpore 1 and the extensive tract on both, sides of the Ganges after 
killing the Bhuinhars who swayed there. The Hutwa Raj family also 
dates its origin from a prehistoric age. The present minor Maharaja- 
Kumar traces his descent from a long line of ancestors, Rajas, whom he 
counts up to 102 generations above him. The founder of the Dynasty was 
Raja Bir Sen. Allowing even an average of 25 years for each generation, 
Raja Bir Sen would be about 25 centuries older than the present progeny 
of his and this would carry us back some six centuries before the Chris¬ 
tian era, i.e nearly about the time of Buddha’s birth. The popular 
belief is that this part of the country anciently called Kosala was in the 
days of yore inhabited by an aboriginal race called the Gheros and 
numerous mounds, ghats, square wells, and old tanks are still being 
pointed out as the vestiges of supremacy of the Chero Rajas. The 
remnants of this aboriginal race are still to be found in this part of the 
country and many of them hold jagirs from the Bettiah Raj for their 
services as guards and peons; but they have now been classed in the 
lowest order of the Hindu Society with the Musahars. This popular 
belief seems to have a very good historical significance as we know from 
history that the first spread of Aryan colonisation from the banks of 
the Saraswati was to Kurukshetra (Karnal), Panchal (Rohilkhund), 
Matsya (Jaipur), Surasena (Mathura), Kasi (Benares), Kosal (Oudh), 
Magadh (South Behar), Yideha (North Behar). Thus it appears pro¬ 
bable that the aboriginal Cheros were overturned by the Aryan Kshatri- 
yas, the present Rajputs (some of whom still hold a very high position, 
as for instance, the Maharajas of Majhowli who draw even a longer 
chain of ancestors than the Hutwa Rajas), who in their turn were 
subverted by the Bhuinhars, amongst whom, very probably, was Raja 
Bir Sen, the founder of the present Hutwa Raj Dynasty. The history 
of Kosala at the age ascribed to Bir Sen further goes to confirm the 
aforesaid conclusion. We know that the two greatest kingdoms of the 
south-eastern half of the Gangetic valley were the lands of Kosala 
and Magadha which had become the chief scenes of Buddha’s teaching 
and labours. “ The S'akyas, the family to which Buddha belonged, were 
the forerunners of such Rajput families as have in later times, by the aid 
of armed bands, held their ground against the neighbouring Rajas. Of 
these greater monarchies there stood in the closest proximity to the ~ 
S'akyas the powerful kingdom of Kosala adjoining it on the south and 
west. The kings of Kosala are said to have brought the S'akya land 
within their power and to have exterminated the ruling family. The 
Kosala king to whom this act was ascribed was Yidudabha, the son of 
1 These villages at Amnour and Cheynpore in the Saran District still exist, 
inhabited by influential Rajputs and Bhuinhars. 
