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In Hussainabad, located in the northern Indian state of UP, nonagenarian Faiyaz Ali Khan journeys to the Picture Gallery, a 19th Century structure that stands as a reminder of the region's regal history.

His fingers shake as he walks, but there is a sparkle in his eyes. He has arrived to receive his stipend, a payment granted to the offspring and connections of the former Awadh kingdom.

This pension, originating from the Persian word for a written agreement, is a stipend given to the descendants and associates of the sovereigns of the former Awadh kingdom. Awadh, now the central region of Uttar Pradesh, was governed by partially independent Muslim rulers - called nawabs - until the British annexed it in the mid-19th century.

India no longer has a monarchy, and former royals do not have any honorifics, special rights or special payments, known as privy purses. However, while their kingdoms and authority have vanished, some stipend systems have persisted for heirs of these lineages in states including UP, Kerala, and Rajasthan.

Roshan Taqui, a scholar of the city, where the area is located, says that in the early 1800s some members of the Awadh dynasty lent money to the British enterprise - which was then a British trading enterprise - on the agreement that the earnings be distributed as stipends to their relatives. These advances were perpetual, meaning the Company never had to repay the original sum.

But soon, the colonial power gained power in the area while the nawabs became less powerful.

Around that time, Mr Taqui notes, a number of nawabs were also forced to lend money to the enterprise, which needed it to wage the conflict in Afghanistan.

Standing outside the gallery, which was constructed during the reign of former Awadh sovereign Mohammad Ali Shah, the elderly recipient states he has come to collect his stipend after over a year.

"We've been receiving this wasika since the time of our great-grandparents. It's such a small amount that I visit annually to receive it," he explained.

The stipend sum is modest, only nine rupees and 70 paise (eleven cents; eight pence) a month, but for his family, it is about honour - their final connection to a once-rich past.

"Even if we get just one paisa, we'll pay a significant amount to travel and receive it," says his son the younger generation.

Today, approximately twelve hundred people - called wasikedars - continue to collect these pensions.

However, the distributions are variable and inconsistent and decrease with each generation. For instance, if a person got 100 rupees and had two offspring, the stipend would be reduced by half after their passing, giving each fifty rupees. As heirs multiplied over the years, the share of pensions became even smaller.

The allotment of wasika began in 1817 when the royal consort, the wife of Awadh's the ruler, gave 40m rupees to the East India Company in two instalments on the stipulation that her kin and associates obtain regular stipends, according to Mr Taqui.

Official records indicate that other people linked to the royal family also provided funds to the firm on comparable conditions.

After India gained independence in 1947, a portion of the money provided by the begum was deposited in a bank.

As per the state's wasika officer SP Tiwari, approximately 3m rupees was initially placed in the central bank (previously Calcutta) and later moved to Kanpur and then the capital. Today, the stipends are paid out from the interest earned on approximately 2.6m rupees deposited in a city bank in the urban area.

The payments are made by two offices in the Picture Gallery: the local trust, run by Lucknow's district administration, and the state's wasika office. The government now transfers pensions straight to bank accounts, while the foundation distributes physical currency.

The minister, Uttar Pradesh's minority welfare minister, says the wasika is distributed as per regulation and that the practice "originates from the Nawabs of Awadh."

Critics contend that these stipends are remnants of aristocratic entitlement and should have no place today. But supporters see them as symbolic payments tied to past agreements that cannot be easily brushed aside.

Shahid Ali Khan, a legal professional who is also a recipient of the stipend, references his own heritage. His grandfather was a official to the ruler.

Now, he gets distinct royal pensions associated with two loans, a distribution of 4.80 rupees quarterly and another regular stipend of 3.21 rupees.

"This pension cannot be measured in currency. It's our identity, invaluable. A select group receive it," he says, adding that he receives it shortly prior to the holy month of the Islamic month, allocating it solely to religious expenses.

"I don't collect it throughout the year because if even a single paisa is used for other purposes, I would feel guilty."

Many recipients argue that the stipends should be increased according to modern financial returns.

"We've been receiving wasika at a 4% interest rate since the era of the rulers, while current financial yields are significantly greater," Faiyaz Ali Khan states.

His son comments that they have made repeated appeals for the amount to be increased, but in vain.

"It's regrettable that I expend five hundred rupees on fuel only to collect nine rupees and 70 paise," he remarks.

Scholars also point out that the stipend was originally paid in precious metal currency that each weighed over 11.7 grams (approximately 11.7 grams).

But when the distributions switched to the national money, the worth declined significantly.

Shahid Ali Khan says he plans to go to court to seek an update of the sum.

"We'll inquire why wasika is no longer distributed in silver coins now. And if not in coin, then at least the amount equivalent to current metal prices should be provided," he says.

It is not just the monetary value of the pension that has diminished, but also the grandeur surrounding it.

Another recipient, whose lineage has been receiving these payments for multiple eras, remembers a period when collecting the pension felt like a festival, with refreshments and beverages being available on the day.

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