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Barh
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Barh | |
|---|---|
Town | |
  Barh Location in Bihar, India  Barh Barh (India) | |
| Coordinates: 25°29′N 85°43′E / 25.48°N 85.72°ECoordinates: 25°29′N 85°43′E / 25.48°N 85.72°E | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Bihar |
| Division | Patna |
| District | Patna |
| Government | |
| • Body | Nagar Parishad |
| Elevation | 47 m (154 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 300,000 |
| Languages | |
| • Official | Magahi, Hindi |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 803212,803213,803214 |
| Telephone code | 06132 |
| Vehicle registration | BR-01 |
| Website | patna |
Barh is a town and subdivision in the Patna district of Bihar, India. It is located on the southern bank of the Ganga River, a commonplace for Hindu cremation rituals.[1] The place is well known for Umanath, a Shiva temple on the shores of the Ganga and the Alakhnath Temple. Lai, a sweet from Barh that looks like laddu, is known for its rich taste. Barh is also known as Chhitorgarh because Barh is Rajput (Thakur) dominated constituency from where only Rajput has won the election after independence except one time. Barh is also famous for caste war between Rajput and Bhumihar in 90's but now Rajput and Bhumihar get politically united.
Demographics[edit]
According to the 2011 Census of India[update], Barh had a total population of 316,348 residents, with 162,354 males and 153,994 females. Barh has an average literacy rate of 100%.[2]
Politics[edit]
Barh is a part of the Munger parliamentary constituency, which forms the Bihar Legislative Assembly. It is also the oldest subdivision in India.[3] Barh is Rajput dominated vidhansabha constituency of Bihar from where only Rajput candidate are winning the election except one time. Gyanendra Singh Gyanoo is current MLA of Barh winning four election consecutively since 2005.
History[edit]
Barh has been a prominent trading satellite city in Patna, even in pre-Mughal and British periods. It was an intermediary town between the river trade in Patna and Kolkata. Numerous references to Barh were found in travelogues by European visitors and historical chronicles of Islamic historians.
Peace Treaty of Barh
In 1495, after the sack of Patna, Sikandar Lodi advanced towards Bengal, but a non-aggression pact was made between the Delhi and the Bengal armies. It was decided that the territory to the east of Barh would be controlled by Bengal's ruler, while those to the west would be controlled by the Delhi empire.[4]
Sarai
During the Mughal period, Barh had a large sarai with 200 rooms for travelers/traders built by Sher Shah Suri.[5]
Guru Tegh Bahadur's visit
1666 Guru Tegh Bahadur stayed in Barh during his tour of the eastern districts in 1666 while on course to Assam at Bari Sangat situated in Chuna Khari Mohalla. The building was destroyed in 1934 earthquake, but an old well remains and priests belonging to Nanak Panthi Udasin Math continue to be in possession of open site.
A small gurdwara was established in Barh byTakht Harimandar Sahib for in Balipur Mohalla, Pipal Tal, near Tiraha Chowk for native Sikhs.
Sufi saints
Barh was a popular site for Sufi culture. An important Qadri saint was Diwan Syed Muhammad Jafar Binodpuri of Barh, who had prominent followers during the 1670–1690s.[6]
Resistance to Maratha armies
In 1748, Alivardi Khan (Nawab of Bengal army) camped in Barh and defeated the Marathas (under Mir Habib) at Kala Diara near Bakhtiarpur after they sacked Patna during one of the Maratha invasions of Bengal.[7]
Mir Qasim (1763)
The British took gradual control of Bihar after the Battle of Plassey (1757). Mir Qasim (son-in-law of Mir Jafar who had betrayed Siraj ud-Daulah during the Battle of Plassey) executed the Jagat Seth before raiding Patna which had been occupied by the British. He eventually lost the Battle of Buxar, and Barh and Patna were taken into the British Empire.
Rennell's Survey
In 1776, James Rennell, also called the "Father of Indian Geography", surveyed Bengal and listed prominent destinations. Barh is prominently displayed on a 1776 map, implying it was a prominent trading destination.[8]
Trade
Barh was an important transit point for the saltpeter trade, which was widely used in explosives, glassmaking, and fertilizers. Barh was also known for its high-quality chameli ka tel (jasmine oil) exports.
Barh Railway line
On 10 November 1877, the Barh railway station was opened to the public.[9]
Plague
Between the 1890s to 1910, Barh and Patna were afflicted by the plague.
It is believed that the 1898 plague came by sea by rats aboard infected ships, though it first appeared in the British India Steam Navigation Company's wharf.[10]
The two main factors for the spread of the plague were believed to be the high presence of rats and houses with poor hygiene and bad ventilation, an optimal environment for rats to breed.[10]
The population of the extended Barh subdivision decreased from 408,256 in 1891 to 365,327 in 1901 due to the plague.[11]
Sati's Incident
In 1928, Sampati Kuer, a young widow from Berhna village, committed sati on the funeral pyre of her deceased husband. The British government suspected foul play and sentenced 10 people to prison, including her brother Murlidhar Pande, as sati was outlawed 100 years earlier by the British government.[12] However, villagers saw the incident as miraculous and the site is commemorated as a special place of worship called Sati Sthan at the old Umanath temple in Barh.[13][14]
Transport[edit]
Barh lies on National Highway 31, which connects the town to major cities. The town also has a railway station with the same name.[15]
NTPC Barh[edit]
NTPC Limited is India's largest power-generating company. The then Prime Minister of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, laid the foundation stone of the main plant of stage 1 of NTPC Barh Super Thermal Power Station on 6 March 1999.[16]
References[edit]
- ↑ "HINDU FUNERALS, CREMATION AND VARANASI - World Topics | Facts and Details". 16 October 2013. Archived from the original on 16 October 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
- ↑ India. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner. Census of India. Office of the Registrar General. OCLC 181774275.
- ↑ 31 Oct, Navendu Sharma | TNN |; 2010; Ist, 05:08. "No Barh on caste politics | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Stewart, Charles (1813). The History of Bengal: From the First Mohammedan Invasion Until the Virtual Conquest of that Country by the English, A.D. 1757. Black, Parry, and Company.
bar.
- ↑ http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/18028/7/07_chapter%201.pdf
- ↑ "Full text of "Persian Literature And Sufis of Bihar"". archive.org. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
- ↑ Rap;son, Edward James; Haig, Sir Wolseley; Burn, Sir Richard (1962). "The Cambridge History of India".
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ "A map of the north part of Hindostan or a geographical survey of the provinces of Bengal, Bahar, Awd, Ellahabad, Agra and Delhi · Online Exhibits". www.lib.umich.edu.
- ↑ "Report on the Administration of Bengal, 1877–78". 1878.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Clemesha, W. W. "An Account of Plague in Bengal".
- ↑ O'Malley, L. S. S. (1924). Bihar and Orissa District Gazetteers Patna. ISBN 9788172681210.
- ↑ http://14.139.60.114:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/33476/1/009_King-Emperor%20v.%20Vidyasagar%20Pande%20%2874-86%29.pdf
- ↑ "Sati Sthan, Barh". Sati Sthan, Barh.
- ↑ "Umanath Mandir". Umanath Mandir.
- ↑ "How to Reach | District Patna, Government of Bihar | India". Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ↑ 4 Jul, Pranava K. Chaudhary | TNN | Updated; 2013; Ist, 02:14. "Barh thermal power plant to start power generation by year end | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)