Draft:Chand Rajputs of Dhuriapar-Gopalpur

According to regional traditions, Dhur Chand, identified as a descendant of Mahendra Chand of the Chand dynasty of Kumaon, migrated eastward into the Saryupar region following the Gorkha conquest of Kumaon in 1790.^[3] Dhur Chand subsequently established Dhuriapar as the seat of the Kaushik Chand Rajputs in the Gorakhpur region, where the lineage later flourished and expanded across parts of present-day eastern Uttar Pradesh.^[4]

The Gazetteer records that the family expanded across the northern bank of the Ghaghara river and established influence throughout parts of present-day eastern Uttar Pradesh.^[5]

The Dhuriapar house maintained relations with neighbouring Rajput states including the Satasi State and Majhauli Raj.

According to the Gazetteer, the decline of the Dhuriapar estate began after succession disputes among the descendants of Raja Raghu Chand.^[1] Rival claims between Prithi Chand and Todar Chand resulted in prolonged internal conflict and fragmentation of the estate, weakening the political influence of the Kaushik Chands in the region.^[1]

During this period, neighbouring Rajput houses expanded into parts of the Dhuriapar domains. The Gazetteer records that portions of the estate were seized by neighbouring powers including the rulers of Satasi and Majhauli.^[1]

In the early 18th century, a settlement divided the estate into two principal branches:

• The descendants of Prithi Chand established the Gopalpur branch.
• The descendants of Todar Chand established the Barhiapar branch.^[1]

The Gopalpur and Barhiapar estates later declined under the political and administrative pressures of the Nawabs of Awadh and later British administration.^[1]

During the Indian Rebellion of 1857, Raja Tej Pratap Bahadur Chand of Barhiapar joined the rebellion against the British.^[1] Following the suppression of the revolt, portions of the Barhiapar estate were confiscated by the British authorities.^[1]

The Raja of Gopalpur, in contrast, remained loyal to the British administration during the rebellion and was later rewarded with additional estates and administrative recognition.^[1]

Regional accounts state that branches of the Kaushik Chand Rajputs spread into several districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, including Ballia, Mau, Azamgarh and neighbouring regions.^[2]

The Gazetteer also records that several local Rajput families traced their origin to younger branches of the Dhuriapar house, including branches associated with Belghat, Malanpur, Jaswantpur and Hata.^[1]

One branch of the Kaushik Chand Rajputs continued to reside in villages around Gola and Abrus in present-day Gorakhpur district. Family traditions identify this branch with the wider Gopalpur Kaushik Chand lineage.

According to a local village survey and government records, Ramdas Chand, the Scion of the Gopalpur-Abrus Branch, became an influential figure in the local area after recovering portions of ancestral land during the post-zamindari period. He later served multiple terms as village sarpanch in the Abrus region till the 1980s.

One branch of the Kaushik Chand Rajputs continued to reside in Urban Gorakhpur district. Some Figures Include:

• The late KP Singh was a three-time MLC. He defeated Surati Narayan Mani Tripathi, Uttar Pradesh's first ICS officer and the patriarch of Brahmin politics in the Sarayuparin region.

• Markandey Chand, a Kaushik Rajput, has been a prominent leader of the Kshatriya community in the Gorakhpur region. He has served as MLA from Dhuriapar five times and also served as a state minister. His son, CP Chand, was the MLC from Gorakhpur.

• Major Dhirendra Nath Singh Kaushik was born here, awarded the Vir Chakra for his bravery in the 1965 war. He lost a leg in the war. Both of his sons are Brigadiers in the Indian Army.

• Raja Suraj Pratap Chand
• Raja Tej Pratap Bahadur Chand
• Ramdas Chand
• Markandey Chand
• C. P. Chand
• Major Dhirendra Nath Singh, VrC