Barh

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 for the Alakhnath Temple. Lai, a sweet from Barh that looks like Laddu, is renowned for its rich taste.

Barh
Town
Barh
Location in Bihar, India
Coordinates: 25.48°N 85.72°E / 25.48; 85.72
Country India
StateBihar
DivisionPatna
DistrictPatna
Government
 • BodyNagar Parishad
Elevation
47 m (154 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total300,000
Languages
 • OfficialMagahi, Hindi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
803212,803213,803214
Telephone code06132
Vehicle registrationBR-01
Websitepatna.nic.in

Etymology

Barh was one of the largest lentil and pulse-producing regions of India during the British Raj. Situated on the southern bank of the Ganges, around 60 km (37 mi) east of Patna, the town was a stopover for ships sailing to and from Calcutta where they would ferry grains and lentils. The town's name may have been derived from the Persian word bargah, which means "twelfth" in English, as Barh's position in the order of such stopovers was twelfth.[2]

The town is low-lying and was frequently flooded by the Ganges before the Bandh Road was constructed. The Hindi word for a flood is barh, and it has been alternatively suggested as the etymological origin of the name.[2] Other sources suggest that the first sitting of the Bar in India was held here in 1884. Before this event, the name of the town was Umanath Nagar, named after the local Umanath Temple. After the event, the town began to be called Bar, as shown on various maps of India from 1834 to 1896, and later Barh.[3]

Demographics

According to the 2011 Census of India, 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%.[4]

Politics

Barh is a part of the Munger parliamentary constituency, which forms the Bihar Legislative Assembly. It is also the oldest subdivision in India.[5]

History

Barh has been a prominent trading satellite city in Patna, even in pre-Mughal and British periods. It was an intermediary town between river trade in Patna and Kolkata. Numerous references to Barh were found in travelogues by European visitors, as well as historical chronicles of Islamic historians.

Peace Treaty of Barh

In 1495 during the pre-Mughal period after the sack of Patna, Sikandar Lodi advanced towards Bengal, but a non-aggression pact was made between the Delhi and the Bengal armies, led by Hussain Shah. It was decided that 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.[6]

Sarai

During the Mughal period, as a prominent trading destination, Barh had a large sarai with 200 rooms for travelers/traders built by Sher Shah Suri. These rooms were of fine quality and were mentioned by East Indian company visitor John Marshall during his visit to Bengal in 1671 under the reign of Aurangzeb.[7]

Sufi saints

Barh was a popular site for Sufi culture. A great Qadri saint of importance was Diwan Syed Muhammad Jafar Binodpuri of Barh who had prominent followers during the 1670-1690s.[8]

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 had sacked Patna during one of the Maratha invasions of Bengal[9]

Mir Qasim (1763)

After the Battle of Plassey (1757), the British had taken gradual control of Bihar. Mir Qasim (son in law of Mir Jafar who had betrayed Siraj ud-Daulah during the Battle of Plassey) executed the Jagat Seth (who were considered to be allies of the British) at Barh before going on to raid Patna which had now been occupied by the British. Eventually, he lost the Battle of Buxar, and Barh and Patna fell firmly under the dominance of the British Empire.

Rennell's Survey

In 1776, James Rennell, also called the Father of Indian Geography, carried out a survey of Bengal and listed prominent destinations. Barh (then called Bar) is prominently displayed on a 1776 map implying it was a prominent trading destination.[10]

A zoomed view of Rennel's 1776 Bengal map focussing on Barh(Bar) and nearby locations

Trade

Barh was an important transit point for the saltpeter (potassium nitrate) trade, which was widely used in explosives, making glasses, and later in fertilizers. Barh was also known for its high-quality chameli ka tel (jasmine oil) which was exported.

Buchanan travelogues

In 1812, botanist Francis Buchanan-Hamilton described 5000 houses (≈30,000 people) in Barh and many respectable Muslim families living there.[11]

A zoomed-in map of barh in 1812 as described in buchanan travelogue

Barh Dispensary

In 1867, a dispensary was opened by the British in Barh. In 1871, around 2500 patients were seen, around 25 per working day. Floods damaged the dispensary in 1871, but it was restored by 1874 where around 3768 patients were seen.

Municipality

Barh was converted into a full-fledged municipality in 1870.

Barh Railway line

On 10 November 1877, the Barh railway station was opened to the public.[12]

Plague

Between the 1890s to 1910, Barh and Patna were afflicted by the plague.

It is believed that the plague in 1898 came by sea, though it first appeared in the British India Steam Navigation Company's wharf. It was believed the plague was transported by the rats aboard the infected ships as none of the infected people were found near the cities, but appeared near the docks. From Calcutta, the plague was carried into different cities.[13]

The two main factors for the spread of the plague were believed to be the high presence of rats and dark, dirty houses with bad ventilation (the perfect environment for rats to live in).[13]

The population of extended Barh subdivision decreased from 408,256 in 1891 to 365,327 in 1901 due to plague.[14]

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, since sati pratha was outlawed 100 years earlier by the British government.[15] However, villagers see this incident as miraculous, and the relevant site is commemorated as a special place of worship called Sati Sthan[16] at the old Umanath temple in Barh.[17]

Transport

Barh lies on National Highway 31, which connects the town to major cities. The town also has a railway station with the same name. Its major traffic is on Station Road.[18]

NTPC Barh
Main article: Barh Super Thermal Power Station

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.[19] Then Minister of Power Sushil Kumar Shinde inaugurated the main plant house of stage 2 of NTPC Barh on 29 May 2006.[20] Around 3.3 GW of coal-generated power will be added at Barh.[21] The three-unit 1.98 GW Barh I is being built by Russian firm Technopromexport (TPE), and the other two-unit 1.32 GW Barh II extension is being built by BHEL.[22] On 12 October 2013, 660MW unit of NTPC Barh was synchronized with the grid.[23][24][25]

References
  1. "HINDU FUNERALS, CREMATION AND VARANASI - World Topics | Facts and Details". web.archive.org. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  2. "Barh, Bihar". vymaps.com. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  3. "Barh Name Meaning & Barh Family History at Ancestry.com®". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  4. India. Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner. Census of India. Office of the Registrar General. OCLC 181774275.
  5. Oct 31, 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.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  6. 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.
  7. http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/18028/7/07_chapter%201.pdf
  8. "Full text of "Persian Literature And Sufis of Bihar"". archive.org. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  9. Rap;son, Edward James; Haig, Sir Wolseley; Burn, Sir Richard (1962). "The Cambridge History of India".
  10. "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.
  11. Hamilton, Francis (1925). "Journal of Francis Buchanan (Afterwards Hamilton) Kept During the Survey of the Districts of Patna and Gaya in 1811–1812".
  12. "Report on the Administration of Bengal, 1877–78". 1878.
  13. Clemesha, W. W. "An Account of Plague in Bengal".
  14. O'Malley, L. S. S. (1924). Bihar and Orissa District Gazetteers Patna. ISBN 9788172681210.
  15. http://14.139.60.114:8080/jspui/bitstream/123456789/33476/1/009_King-Emperor%20v.%20Vidyasagar%20Pande%20%2874-86%29.pdf
  16. "Sati Sthan, Barh". Sati Sthan, Barh.
  17. "Umanath Mandir". Umanath Mandir.
  18. "How to Reach | District Patna, Government of Bihar | India". Retrieved 27 July 2020.
  19. 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.CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  20. 28 Mar, Pranava K. Chaudhary | TNN |; 2014; Ist, 05:05. "330MW extra power likely from Saturday | Patna News - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 July 2020.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  21. "70% local workforce for expressway construction | Patna News". The Times of India.
  22. "National Thermal Power Corporation's Barh power project to start trial run this month | Patna News". The Times of India.
  23. "Barh power plant's 1st unit to be ready by June 2013 | Patna News". The Times of India.
  24. "Barh power plant by 2013–14: NTPC CMD | Patna News". The Times of India.
  25. "CM sets off Barh countdown". www.telegraphindia.com.
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