Nigohan

According to legend, Nigohan was founded by a Chandrabansi raja named Nahush, who was transformed into a snake as punishment for cursing a Brahmin and made to live in a large tank to the south of the village.^[3] The Pandavas then came here during their travels, and one of them managed to break the spell and restore Raja Nahush to his human form.^[3] On being turned back into a human, Raja Nahush performed a great sacrifice, and this is commemorated in an annual festival during the month of Kartik.^[3] The festival takes place at the Abhiniwara tank, where there is a temple of Mahadeo (Shiva); Raja Nahush is also venerated at a shrine at the centre of the village.^[3]

At the turn of the 20th century, Nigohan was described as a large, primarily agricultural village, with extensive orchards that formed the main livelihood for its residents.^[3] The village then had an "upper primary school" and a small bazaar called Gumanganj, and it served as the headquarters of the Church of England's missionary operations in the region.^[3] The zamindars were a Gautam clan^[3] who, according to tradition, had become rulers by marrying a lady of the previous dynasty, the Janwars of Mau. In 1901, the population of Nigohan was 2,074, including 355 Muslims and 61 Christians.^[3]