Machhlishahr Town
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Machhlishahr Town
Head-quarters of the tahsil of the same name, Jaunpur District, United Provinces, situated in 25° 40 N. and 82° 25' E., on the road from Jaunpur city to Allahabad. Population (1901), 8,725. The ancient name of the town was Ghiswa, derived from a Bhar chief, Ghisu, who is said to have ruled in the neighbour- hood. It is situated in the midst of a low-lying damp tract of country, and its present name of Machhlishahr, or ' Fishtown," was given to it owing to its liability to floods. No details are known of its history ; but it contains the ruins of an ancient fort and seventeen mosques, most of which are dilapidated. The Karbala was built in the thirteenth century, and the Jama Masjid by Husain Shah of Jaunpur. Machhli- shahr is administered under Act XX of 1856, with an income of about Rs. r,6oo. It contains the usual tahsill offices, and also a dispensary and a middle school with 147 pupils. There is little trade.
