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In Hussainabad, located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, nonagenarian Faiyaz Ali Khan travels to the Art Gallery, a nineteenth-century building that stands as a reminder of the region's regal history.

His hands tremble as he walks, but there is a sparkle in his eyes. He has come to collect his wasika, a payment provided to the descendants and connections of the former Awadh kingdom.

Wasika, originating from the Persian word for a formal contract, is a stipend given to the heirs and affiliates of the sovereigns of the previous Awadh kingdom. Awadh, now the heartland of Uttar Pradesh, was ruled by partially independent Muslim leaders - called nawabs - until the British annexed it in 1856.

India no longer has a royal system, and ex-royalty lack any honorifics, privileges or special payments, called privy purses. However, while their kingdoms and authority have vanished, some pension arrangements have persisted for heirs of these lineages in states including Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, and Rajasthan.

Roshan Taqui, a scholar of Lucknow, where the area is located, says that in the early 1800s some members of the Awadh dynasty lent money to the East India Company - which was then a British trading enterprise - on the agreement that the earnings be paid out as pensions to their relatives. These advances were ongoing, meaning the firm never had to return the principal amount.

But soon, the British acquired control in the region while the local rulers became less powerful.

Around that time, Mr Taqui notes, several rulers were also forced to lend money to the enterprise, which needed it to wage the conflict in Afghanistan.

Standing outside the Picture Gallery, which was built during the rule of former Awadh sovereign Mohammad Ali Shah, Faiyaz Ali Khan says he has arrived to receive his payment after over a year.

"We've been receiving this wasika since the era of our ancestors. It's such a small amount that I only come once a year to collect it," he said.

The pension amount is meagre, just nine rupees and 70 paise (eleven cents; £0.08) a month, but for his family, it is about honour - their last living link to a once-rich past.

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

Today, around twelve hundred people - known as wasikedars - continue to collect these pensions.

However, the payouts are variable and inconsistent and decrease with each generation. For example, if a person received a hundred rupees and had two offspring, the pension would be halved after their death, giving each 50 rupees. As descendants multiplied over time, the portion of the stipend became more diminished.

The distribution of wasika began in 1817 when the royal consort, the wife of Awadh's Nawab Shuja-ud-Daula, lent 40m rupees to the East India Company in multiple payments on the condition that her kin and affiliates obtain monthly pensions, according to Mr Taqui.

Historical documents show that other people associated with the royal family also provided funds to the firm on similar terms.

After India became independent in 1947, part of the money provided by Bahu Begum was placed in a bank.

As per the state's wasika officer SP Tiwari, approximately 3m rupees was first deposited in the central bank (previously Calcutta) and subsequently transferred to Kanpur and then the capital. Now, the pensions are paid out from the interest earned on around 2.6 million rupees held in a city bank in the city.

The payments are made by two offices in the gallery: the local trust, managed by Lucknow's district administration, and the state's pension department. The government now sends stipends directly into financial accounts, while the Trust distributes physical currency.

The minister, Uttar Pradesh's minority welfare minister, says the wasika is given out as per regulation and that the tradition "originates from the rulers of the region."

Skeptics argue that these allowances are vestiges of aristocratic entitlement and should have no role today. But advocates view them as symbolic payments linked to past agreements that cannot be easily brushed aside.

Another beneficiary, a legal professional who is also a recipient of the royal pension, points to his own heritage. His grandfather was a official to Nawab Mohammad Ali Shah.

Today, he gets distinct stipends associated with dual advances, one payment of 4.80 rupees every three months and another monthly payment of three rupees and twenty-one paise.

"This pension should not be valued in money. It's our heritage, worth more than millions. Only a few people receive it," he says, noting that he receives it shortly prior to the sacred period of Muharram, allocating it solely to spiritual purposes.

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

Many recipients argue that the pensions should be increased according to current interest rates.

"We've been getting the stipend at a four percent return since the era of the rulers, while today's bank interest rates are much higher," the elder says.

His son adds that they have made repeated appeals for the sum to be raised, but in vain.

"It's unfortunate that I spend 500 rupees on fuel just to receive 9.70 rupees," he says.

Scholars also point out that the wasika was initially distributed in silver coins that every piece weighed more than a tola (approximately 11.7 grams).

But when the distributions changed to Indian currency, the value declined significantly.

Shahid Ali Khan says he plans to go to court to demand a revision of the sum.

"We'll inquire why the stipend is no longer distributed in precious metal anymore. And if not in silver, then at least the sum corresponding to today's silver value should be provided," he says.

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

Masood Abdullah, whose family has been receiving these payments for multiple eras, recalls a period when receiving the stipend was a celebratory event, with refreshments and tea being available on the day.

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