| Pihani | |
| Settlement Type: | Town |
| Pushpin Map: | India Uttar Pradesh#India |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Coordinates: | 27.6199°N 80.2034°W[1] |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Uttar Pradesh |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Name2: | Lucknow |
| Subdivision Type3: | District |
| Subdivision Name3: | Hardoi |
| Government Type: | Municipal Council |
| Governing Body: | Pihani Municipal Council |
| Leader Title: | Municipal Chairperson |
| Leader Name: | Shaheen Begum (SP)[2] |
| Leader Title1: | Lok Sabha MP |
| Leader Name1: | Jai Prakash (BJP) |
| Leader Title2: | MLA |
| Leader Name2: | Rajni Tiwari (BJP) |
| Unit Pref: | Metric |
| Area Total Km2: | 5 |
| Elevation M: | 141 |
| Population Total: | 36014 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Languages |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Official |
| Demographics1 Info1: | Hindi |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +5:30 |
| Postal Code: | 241406 |
| Registration Plate: | UP-30 |
| Website: | pihaninpp.in |
Pihani is a town and nagar palika parishad (municipal board) in Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, India.[3] Historically, the city was a centre of sword production, leading to at least one British writer calling it "the Damascus of Oudh".[4] Today, important industries in Pihani include jaggery and woven carpets.[3] As of 2011, the town's population is 36,014, in 5,626 households.[3] Pihani also serves as the headquarters of a community development block in Shahabad tehsil.[3]
Pihani is located at .[5] It has an average elevation of 141 metres (462 feet).
India census,[6] Pihani had a population of 27,535. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Pihani has an average literacy rate of 46%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 53%, and female literacy is 38%. In Pihani, 19% of the population is under 6 years of age.
Pihani is well connected with Hardoi City . Government and private buses are available for Hardoi, Lucknow, Kanpur and Delhi.
There are two different accounts of the founding of Pihani.[4] The first, traditionally told by Hindu locals, holds that Pihani was originally settled by Dube Brahmins from Kannauj.[4] They had supposedly been invited by Raja Lakhan Sen, a Gaur king who had conquered the fort of Simaurgarh (near Mansurnagar) from the Thatheras.[4] The Muslim account, on the other hand, says that Pihani was founded by Sayyid Abdul Ghafur, who served as qazi of Kannauj under the Mughal emperor Humayun.[4] In 1540, after Humayun's defeat by Sher Shah Suri, Abdul Ghafur refused to acknowledge Sher Shah's rule and left Kannauj to take shelter in the jungle where Pihani now stands.[4] The name "Pihani" is thus said to derive from the word pinhani, meaning "concealment".[4]
One of the main historical monuments in Pihani is the ornate tomb of Nawab Sadr Jahan, who served as a minister under Akbar.[4] It consists of a double dome supported by red sandstone pillars, while the surrounding area is shaded by large tamarind trees.[4] An inscription in Persian says that the tomb's construction began in 1071 AH and finished 10 years later.[4] Sadr Jahan's son, Badr-i-Alam, is also buried here.[4] Another monument is the ruined fort of Nizam Murtaza Khan (Badr-i-Alam's son); its western gate is still extant, as are the high walls built of kankar blocks.[4]
Under the Nawabs of Awadh, Pihani was renowned for the quality of its sword blades.[4] It also produced woven turbans (aka dastars), but both of these industries had declined by the turn of the 20th century.[4]
At the turn of the 20th century, Pihani was described as having two distinct quarters named Bari Pihani and Chhoti Pihani.[4] Bari Pihani was older and more run-down at the time, while Chhoti Pihani, or Nizampur, had been founded by Nizam Murtaza Khan and was more prosperous, with many trees providing shade.[4] Pihani remained a minor commercial centre, with a police station, post office, cattle pound, and several schools: one middle school, a lower primary school for boys, and two lower primary schools for girls.[4]
As of 1971, the economy of Pihani was described as dominated by primary activities.[7] The main items imported were cloth, groceries, and kerosene oil.[7] The main items manufactured were handloom, shoes, and agricultural implements.[7] The biggest exports were cane sugar, paddy, and wheat.[7]
Pihani CD block has the following 123 villages:[3]
| Village name | Total land area (hectares) | Population (in 2011) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 218.6 | 1,005 | ||
| 324.4 | 1,395 | ||
| 472.6 | 4,200 | ||
| 279.4 | 1,632 | ||
| 469.6 | 2,382 | ||
| 88.1 | 370 | ||
| 452 | 2,390 | ||
| 273.1 | 1,092 | ||
| 486.1 | 1,985 | ||
| 100.3 | 757 | ||
| 117.5 | 446 | ||
| 166.8 | 1,155 | ||
| 140 | 826 | ||
| 89.1 | 634 | ||
| 129.6 | 651 | ||
| 361.7 | 2,342 | ||
| 333.6 | 2,206 | ||
| 596.3 | 3,912 | ||
| 683 | 1,963 | ||
| 1,057.5 | 7,152 | ||
| 232.7 | 2,005 | ||
| 183.4 | 1,315 | ||
| 269.2 | 1,577 | ||
| 183.7 | 2,208 | ||
| 476.4 | 5,435 | ||
| 83 | 760 | ||
| 101 | 1,098 | ||
| 175.8 | 506 | ||
| 204.1 | 1,452 | ||
| 69.4 | 696 | ||
| 178.9 | 1,290 | ||
| 26.7 | 261 | ||
| 53.2 | 594 | ||
| 59.6 | 822 | ||
| 149.8 | 503 | ||
| 66.8 | 64 | ||
| 82.5 | 337 | ||
| 122.1 | 1,269 | ||
| 49.6 | 383 | ||
| 94.7 | 493 | ||
| 159.7 | 886 | ||
| 417 | 3,125 | ||
| 233.8 | 3,343 | ||
| 244.4 | 0 | ||
| 223.5 | 1,217 | ||
| 142.3 | 1,255 | ||
| 130 | 894 | ||
| 502.6 | 3,917 | ||
| 305 | 1,989 | ||
| 134.5 | 706 | ||
| 108.5 | 763 | ||
| 105.1 | 773 | ||
| 179.5 | 1,440 | ||
| 66.2 | 844 | ||
| 1,755 | 7,915 | ||
| 511.2 | 3,931 | ||
| 143.6 | 1,027 | ||
| 849 | 5,323 | ||
| 66.2 | 701 | ||
| 167.6 | 896 | ||
| 923.9 | 4,669 | ||
| 188.7 | 1,313 | ||
| 245.2 | 1,573 | ||
| 122 | 722 | ||
| 45.8 | 145 | ||
| 373 | 2,149 | ||
| 166 | 649 | ||
| 407.8 | 1,746 | ||
| 131 | 793 | ||
| 90.4 | 0 | ||
| 403.5 | 6,035 | ||
| 33.2 | 344 | ||
| 81.1 | 477 | ||
| 92.5 | 643 | ||
| 124.1 | 666 | ||
| 329.6 | 5,043 | ||
| 172.7 | 1,040 | ||
| 334.7 | 2,388 | ||
| 146 | 1,029 | ||
| 40.7 | 0 | ||
| 275.6 | 1,573 | ||
| 281.1 | 861 | ||
| 60.6 | 340 | ||
| 131.2 | 553 | ||
| 148.4 | 784 | ||
| 1,085.6 | 5,015 | ||
| 175.5 | 1,073 | ||
| 128.6 | 292 | ||
| 464.3 | 2,540 | ||
| 282.7 | 1,441 | ||
| 343.1 | 2,623 | ||
| 269.1 | 1,880 | ||
| 661.6 | 2,955 | ||
| 464.2 | 2,297 | ||
| 477.2 | 2,919 | ||
| 119.1 | 948 | ||
| 27 | 175 | ||
| 190.2 | 989 | ||
| 693.9 | 3,911 | ||
| 97.4 | 579 | ||
| 78.9 | 420 | ||
| 60 | 231 | ||
| 289.5 | 1,957 | ||
| 81.3 | 378 | ||
| 58.2 | 428 | ||
| 160.9 | 894 | ||
| 210.2 | 1,528 | ||
| 763.8 | 5,014 | ||
| 84.6 | 510 | ||
| 79.8 | 650 | ||
| 164.3 | 1,775 | ||
| 588.2 | 4,274 | ||
| 503.2 | 1,947 | ||
| 116.5 | 640 | ||
| 934.2 | 5,603 | ||
| 60.1 | 307 | ||
| 55.4 | 408 | ||
| 634.9 | 4,120 | ||
| 200 | 1,667 | ||
| 108.9 | 689 | ||
| 158.3 | 1,110 | ||
| 277.4 | 2,274 | ||
| 411.8 | 2,239 |