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Behea Bihiya
town
Location in Behea block
Behea Location in Bihar, India Show map of Bihar Behea Behea (India) Show map of India
Coordinates:25°33′39″N84°27′34″E / 25.5607°N 84.45935°E /25.5607; 84.45935
Country	India
State	Bihar
District	Bhojpur
Area
• Total	100 km2 (39 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	26,707[1]
• Density	270/km2 (690/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Bhojpuri,Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN	802152
Sex ratio	58-42♂/♀
Website	bhojpur.bih.nic.in

.Behea orBihiya (historically spelled in British sources asBihiā orBeheea^[2]) is a nagar panchayat town and Block inBhojpur district in the Indian state ofBihar. Historically, it was a seat of theHarihobanRajputs 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.^[1][3]

Historically, Bihiya was an early seat of power for theChero tribe, who are said to have had a palace in the area. The Cheros were later displaced by theHarihoban 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.^[3]

According to tradition, in 1528,^[4] the scion of the Bihiya Harihobans, whose name is given as either Ram Pal Singh^[4] or Bhopat Deo,^[1] raped a localBrahmin 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.^[4] Mathin then committed suicide, but not before laying a curse upon the Harihobans, who eventually left Bihiya and moved toBallia across theGanges.^[1] A temple called the Mathin Dai was built in Bihiya in her memory. This legend still resonates with women of the region, especiallyDalit women, as it encapsulates thesexual violence long perpetrated by upper-caste men against lower-caste women.^[4]

After therevolt of 1857, the trajectory of the area was transformed. The lands around the town, which were part of the confiscated property of theKunwar Singh, were consolidated by the British government into theBihiā 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 theBihia Canal, a 31-mile-long offshoot of theArrah Canal that irrigated the area.^[5][3]

Bihiya was first listed as a nagar panchayat town in the 1980s.^[1]

As of the 2001census,^[6] 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 wasBhojpuri. 59% of the population was reported to beliterate, 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 asex 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 ofscheduled castes formed 16.65% of the sub-district's total population, and 9.09% of the population of the town of Bihiya. Likewise, members ofscheduled 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).^[1]

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.^[1]

Behea is served by a railway station and bus stop.

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

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

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

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.^[3]

The main occupations are agriculture and commerce. Behea is in a fertile agricultural area where the main crops are wheat and rice.^[7] Farmers are independent land owners who raise their own cattle and crops. A small number ofZamindars (landlords) rent their farms to others. The main water source for irrigation is a tributary of theGanga river.

Of the total land area in Bihiya sub-district, 71.92% is under cultivation; of the cultivated area, 63.91% isirrigated.^[1]

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 arebamboo products,brooms, andbiscuits.^[1]

+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.

Apart from the town of Bihiya, the block of Bihiya comprises the following 98 villages, of which 76 are inhabited and 22 are uninhabited:^[1] (GP =Gram Panchayat)

• Cities and towns in Bhojpur district, India

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