Behea, Bihar Explained

Behea
Other Name:Bihiya
Settlement Type:town
Pushpin Map:India Bihar#India3
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Bihar, India
Coordinates:25.5607°N 84.4594°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name: India
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Bihar
Subdivision Type2:District
Subdivision Name2:Bhojpur
Unit Pref:Metric
Area Total Km2:100
Population Total:26707
Population As Of:2011
Population Density Km2:auto
Demographics Type1:Languages
Demographics1 Title1:Official
Demographics1 Info1:Bhojpuri, Hindi
Timezone1:IST
Utc Offset1:+5:30
Postal Code Type:PIN
Postal Code:802152
Blank1 Name Sec1:Sex ratio
Blank1 Info Sec1:58-42 /

Behea or Bihiya is a nagar panchayat town and Block in Bhojpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. The Behea block comprises 76 rural villages, along with the town of Bihiya itself and 22 uninhabited villages. As of 2011, the population of the Behea block was 1,51,722 of whom 26,707 lived in the town of Behea itself.[1]

History

A branch of the Harihoban Rajputs once ruled Bihiya. According to tradition, in 1528,[2] the scion of the Bihiya Harihobans, whose name is given as either Ram Pal Singh or Bhopat Deo, raped a local Brahmin woman named Mathin or Mahini, in line with the custom of "taking of dola", which allowed the local Rajput lord to sleep with a lower-caste woman on her wedding night. Mathin then committed suicide, but not before laying a curse upon the Harihobans, who eventually left Bihiya and moved to Ballia across the Ganges. A temple called the Mathin Dai was built in Bihiya in her memory. This legend still resonates with women of the region, especially Dalit women, as it encapsulates the sexual violence long perpetrated by upper-caste men against lower-caste women.

When The Imperial Gazetteer of India was published in 1885, it mentioned the existence of Bihiya as a village of Shahabad district, with a station on the East Indian Railway. Bihiya was mentioned as being a center of local trade. A Bihiya Canal was also described, branching off from the Arrah Canal.[3]

Bihiya was first listed as a nagar panchayat town in the 1980s.

Demographics

As of the 2001 census,[4] the population was approximately 25,000, of which 17% were below age 6. The population was primarily a mix of Hindus and Muslims, and the primary spoken language was Bhojpuri. 59% of the population was reported to be literate, including 41% among females.

The population of Bihiya sub-district in 2001 was 139,374; this increased to 151,722 by 2011. Likewise, the population of the town of Bihiya itself increased by 28.8%, from 20,741 in 2001 to 26,707 in 2011. The district overall had a sex ratio of 918 in 2011 (917 in rural areas, and 920 in the town of Bihiya itself). In the 0-6 age group, the ratio was higher: 923 in rural areas, 964 in the town of Bihiya, and 928 overall. Members of scheduled castes formed 16.65% of the sub-district's total population, and 9.09% of the population of the town of Bihiya. Likewise, members of scheduled tribes constituted 1.39% of the total population of the sub-district, and 3.21% of the population of the town of Bihiya. The 3.21% of scheduled tribe members in the town of Bihiya was the highest percentage of towns in Bhojpur district in 2011. The literacy rate of the sub-district as a whole was 67.8% in 2011 (69.4% in rural areas, and 78.2% in the town of Bihiya itself).

25.66% of the population of Bihiya sub-district, and 24.31% of the population of the town of Bihiya, was engaged in main or marginal work in 2011; both figures were the lowest in Bhojpur district for sub-districts and towns respectively. A plurality of workers in Bihiya sub-district were agricultural laborers who did not own or rent their own land (instead, they work on another person's land for wages), accounting for 40.79% of the workforce. Cultivators who did own or lease their own land constituted 25.05% of the sub-district's workforce, household industry workers were 4.10%, and other workers were the remaining 29.24%. These figures were all fairly close to the average for the entire district of Bhojpur. Patterns of employment were different in the town of Bihiya, where both categories of agricultural workers combined formed less than 20% of the workforce. Other workers were 70.49%, compared to the 72.55% average for all towns in Bhojpur.

Transport

Behea is served by a railway station and bus stop.

Culture

Important festivals are Holi, Diwali, Durgapuja, Chhath Puja, Id-ul-Fitar and Muharram.

Food

Traditional breakfast foods are jalebi and puri (handmade puri), and many other sweets are available. Litti Chokha is widely available.

Temples

The Mahthin Mai temple is located, which is famous for marriages, A beautiful Sun temple with a beautiful lake is located in the middle of the town. The temple compound hosts a number of fairs. Other temples in Behea include the Sun Temple, Mahavir Mandir and Durga Mata Mandir

Economy

The main occupations are agriculture and commerce. Behea is in a fertile agricultural area where the main crops are wheat and rice.[5] Farmers are independent land owners who raise their own cattle and crops. A small number of Zamindars (landlords) rent their farms to others. The main water source for irrigation is a tributary of the Ganga river.

Of the total land area in Bihiya sub-district, 71.92% is under cultivation; of the cultivated area, 63.91% is irrigated.

Small-scale industries include an asbestos factory and brick-making.

Behea is a business hub for small-scale traders, who mainly collect agricultural products from farmers to sell elsewhere. Power shortages constrict Behea's economic potential.

The commercial district is the Raja Bazaar on Station Road, which includes shopping complexes such as the Jagdamba Market. Jewelry shops dominate the district.

According to the 2011 Census of India, the main three commodities manufactured in the town of Bihiya are bamboo products, brooms, and biscuits.

Education

+2 High School, Behea, Mahathin Maa College, H D College Bihiya, Girija Devi Polytechnic College, Gautam public school, Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya, Don Bosco Academy, Cambridge Public School, Gyanodaya, Gurukul Gyan Niketan, Vivekanand public school and many more educational institutions are present.

List of Villages

Apart from the town of Bihiya, the block of Bihiya comprises the following 98 villages, of which 76 are inhabited and 22 are uninhabited: (GP = Gram Panchayat)

Village nameTotal land area (hectares)Population (in 2011)
Amiya 46 804
Amrai 342 2,033
219 1,790
Andauli 50 253
Bagahin 96 4,653
Banahin 348 1,841
Bandha 79 2,287
Bankat 22 0 (uninhabited)
171 3,077
Bara 153 1,938
130 1,035
Basdeopur 122 1,103
39 732
76 1,249
Bharsanda Jado 87 3,163
Bharsanda Mangit 104 1,310
Bhinriya 111 1,249
43 316
42 281
Bikrampur 26 0 (uninhabited)
Bikrampur 145 936
Birpur 136 2,785
Chakwath (GP) 482 4,964
Chaughara 57 133
40 960
Dariwan 102 0 (uninhabited)
Dhanikara 28 0 (uninhabited)
Dharhara 50 881
Dodhra (GP) 253 4,108
28 224
Dusadhi Chak 39 0 (uninhabited)
English Pur50900
Gajrar 130 785
Garhatha 53 0 (uninhabited)
Gaudar Chak Tal 45 60
Gaudar Rudar Nagar (GP) 208 5,015
Ghagha (GP) 70 2,126
89 294
Itwa 108 2,207
278 2,923
176 2,308
Jogibir 197 1,661
Kaleyanpur (GP) 269 5,923
Kamriaon (GP) 251 4,259
Kanela 34 841
Kaneli 126 1,815
Kanhai Geyan Sinh 131 0 (uninhabited)
Karkhiyan 106 1,168
Katea (GP) 582 6,329
Kauriya 191 2,208
Kawalpura 60 0 (uninhabited)
Kewal Patti 129 1,023
202 426
Kharauni 153 1,373
Kuardah 114 907
Kundesar 362 3,141
291 3,093
Makhdumpur 89 946
Maniara 206 1,565
Marinpur 141 1,317
Marwatia 86 0 (uninhabited)
Maujhali (GP) 171 3,162
110 71
53 1,222
Mohanpur 27 0 (uninhabited)
Moti Rampur 27 875
35 0 (uninhabited)
Narayanpur 32 1,297
Narayanpur 46 546
87 1,019
Nawada 199 2,058
113 1,059
480 6,308
Pahari Pipra 32 0 (uninhabited)
Parariya 40 0 (uninhabited)
Patkhaulia 36 0 (uninhabited)
Phingi (GP) 152 2,557
65 955
Pipra Jagdishpur (GP) 115 2,830
Rajaur 309 0 (uninhabited)
18 321
Ramdubwal 74 0 (uninhabited)
Rampur 40 520
Rani Sagar (GP) 113 7,711
Rati Dubawal 61 0 (uninhabited)
Rustampur 48 0 (uninhabited)
Sahjauli 180 1,473
Saho Dih 191 1,673
103 2,282
183 2,175
Shiupur (GP) 217 2,653
352 2,843
Sirampur 19 0 (uninhabited)
Sukhari Chak 41 0 (uninhabited)
Sukrauli 67 0 (uninhabited)
130 3,049
Tetariya 99 907
Tiar (GP) 841 4,338
Tikhpur 156 0 (uninhabited)

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Census of India 2011: Bihar District Census Handbook - Bhojpur, Part A (Village and Town Directory) . 42, 46–47, 51–55, 59–61, 63, 71–84, 90, 92, 94, 752, 808–809 . Census 2011 India. 1 April 2020.
  2. Peasant Revolt in Bhojpur . Kalyan Mukherjee . Economic and Political Weekly . 14 . 36 . 1536–1538. 4367921. 1979.
  3. Book: Hunter . William Wilson . The Imperial Gazetteer of India, Volume II: Balasor to Biramganta . 1885 . Trübner & Co. . London . 422 . Second . 6 April 2020.
  4. Web site: Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional). https://web.archive.org/web/20040616075334/http://www.censusindia.net/results/town.php?stad=A&state5=999. 2004-06-16. 2008-11-01. Census Commission of India.
  5. Web site: Bihar. farmech.dac.gov.in. 2019-12-22.