Behea or Bihiya (historically spelled in British sources as Bihiā or Beheea) is a nagar panchayat town and block in Bhojpur district in the Indian state of Bihar. Historically, it was a seat of the Harihoban Rajputs and later, in the colonial era, became the headquarters of the influential Bihiā Estate. The town is particularly notable for the 19th-century invention of the Bihiā Mill, a bullock-powered sugar mill that became widely adopted.
History
Early history Historically, Bihiya was an early seat of power for the Chero tribe, who are said to have had a palace in the area. The Cheros were later displaced by the Harihoban Rajputs. After migrating from the Central Provinces and then the Saran district, the Harihobans settled in Bihiya and, after a conflict lasting over a century, established it as their chief seat. Remains of their ancestral fort are reportedly still present.
According to tradition, in 1528, 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.
Colonial era After the revolt of 1857, the trajectory of the area was transformed. The lands around the town, which were part of the confiscated property of the Kunwar Singh, were consolidated by the British government into the Bihiā estate. As a reward for their services, this estate was settled for 50 years with Messrs. Burrows, Thomson and Mylne.
The new proprietors undertook significant development. The surrounding jungle, which had served as a refuge for rebels, was systematically cleared. The estate started the construction of the Bihia Canal, a 31-mile-long offshoot of the Arrah Canal that irrigated the area.
Bihiya was first listed as a nagar panchayat town in the 1980s.
Demographics
As of the 2001 census, 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 labourers 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.
Economy Bihiā mills In the late 19th century, the town became best known for an important agricultural invention: the iron roller sugar mill. Invented in 1874 by Messrs. Thomson and Mylne of the Bihiā Estate, these bullock-powered mills were a significant improvement over the crude machines then in use. The "Bihiā mills" became immensely popular across the region, establishing the town as a center of local industry and innovation.
The main occupations are agriculture and commerce. Behea is in a fertile agricultural area where the main crops are wheat and rice. 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. 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 name Total land area (hectares) Population (in 2011) Amiya 46 804 Amrai 342 2,033 Andar 219 1,790 Andauli 50 253 Bagahin 96 4,653 Banahin 348 1,841 Bandha 79 2,287 Bankat 22 0 (uninhabited) Bankat 171 3,077 Bara 153 1,938 Baruna 130 1,035 Basdeopur 122 1,103 Bela 39 732 Belauna 76 1,249 Bharsanda Jado 87 3,163 Bharsanda Mangit 104 1,310 Bhinriya 111 1,249 Bhoja Chak 43 316 Bibi Mah Chak 42 281 Bikrampur 26 0 (uninhabited) Bikrampur 145 936 Birpur 136 2,785 Chakwath (GP) 482 4,964 Chaughara 57 133 Dalpatpur 40 960 Dariwan 102 0 (uninhabited) Dhanikara 28 0 (uninhabited) Dharhara 50 881 Dodhra (GP) 253 4,108 Dubauli 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 Hirdepur 89 294 Itwa 108 2,207 Jadopur 278 2,923 Jamua 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 Khakhu Bandh 202 426 Kharauni 153 1,373 Kuardah 114 907 Kundesar 362 3,141 Mahuaon 291 3,093 Makhdumpur 89 946 Maniara 206 1,565 Marinpur 141 1,317 Marwatia 86 0 (uninhabited) Maujhali (GP) 171 3,162 Meha Chak 110 71 Misrauli 53 1,222 Mohanpur 27 0 (uninhabited) Moti Rampur 27 875 Nainagarha 35 0 (uninhabited) Narayanpur 32 1,297 Narayanpur 46 546 Nausha Tanr 87 1,019 Nawada 199 2,058 Nawadih 113 1,059 Osain 480 6,308 Pahari Pipra 32 0 (uninhabited) Parariya 40 0 (uninhabited) Patkhaulia 36 0 (uninhabited) Phingi (GP) 152 2,557 Phulai 65 955 Pipra Jagdishpur (GP) 115 2,830 Rajaur 309 0 (uninhabited) Ramdatahi 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 Samardah 103 2,282 Sharaur 183 2,175 Shiupur (GP) 217 2,653 Sikariya 352 2,843 Sirampur 19 0 (uninhabited) Sukhari Chak 41 0 (uninhabited) Sukrauli 67 0 (uninhabited) Teghra 130 3,049 Tetariya 99 907 Tiar (GP) 841 4,338 Tikhpur 156 0 (uninhabited)
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