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Pihani
Town
Map of Pihani CD block
PihaniLocation in Uttar Pradesh, IndiaShow map of Uttar PradeshPihaniPihani (India)Show map of India
Coordinates: 27°37′12″N 80°12′12″E / 27.619866°N 80.203426°E / 27.619866; 80.203426
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
Division	Lucknow
District	Hardoi
Government
• Type	Municipal Council
• Body	Pihani Municipal Council
• Municipal Chairperson	Shaheen Begum (SP)
• Lok Sabha MP	Jai Prakash (BJP)
• MLA	Rajni Tiwari (BJP)
Area
• Total	5 km (2 sq mi)
Elevation	141 m (463 ft)
Population
• Total	36,014
• Density	7,200/km (19,000/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	UP-30
Website	pihaninpp.in

Pihani is a town and nagar palika parishad (municipal board) in Hardoi district of Uttar Pradesh, India. Historically, the city was a centre of sword production, leading to at least one British writer calling it "the Damascus of Oudh". Today, important industries in Pihani include jaggery and woven carpets. As of 2011, the town's population is 36,014, in 5,626 households. Pihani also serves as the headquarters of a community development block in Shahabad tehsil.

Geography

Pihani is located at 27°38′N 80°12′E / 27.63°N 80.2°E / 27.63; 80.2. It has an average elevation of 141 metres (462 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, 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.

Transport

Pihani is well connected with Hardoi City  . Government and private buses are available for Hardoi, Lucknow, Kanpur and Delhi.

History

There are two different accounts of the founding of Pihani. The first, traditionally told by Hindu locals, holds that Pihani was originally settled by Dube Brahmins from Kannauj. They had supposedly been invited by Raja Lakhan Sen, a Gaur king who had conquered the fort of Simaurgarh (near Mansurnagar) from the Thatheras. 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. 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. The name "Pihani" is thus said to derive from the word pinhani, meaning "concealment".

One of the main historical monuments in Pihani is the ornate tomb of Nawab Sadr Jahan, who served as a minister under Akbar. It consists of a double dome supported by red sandstone pillars, while the surrounding area is shaded by large tamarind trees. An inscription in Persian says that the tomb's construction began in 1071 AH and finished 10 years later. Sadr Jahan's son, Badr-i-Alam, is also buried here. 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.

Under the Nawabs of Awadh, Pihani was renowned for the quality of its sword blades. It also produced woven turbans (aka dastars), but both of these industries had declined by the turn of the 20th century.

At the turn of the 20th century, Pihani was described as having two distinct quarters named Bari Pihani and Chhoti Pihani. 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. 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.

Economy

As of 1971, the economy of Pihani was described as dominated by primary activities. The main items imported were cloth, groceries, and kerosene oil. The main items manufactured were handloom, shoes, and agricultural implements. The biggest exports were cane sugar, paddy, and wheat.

Villages

Pihani CD block has the following 123 villages:

References

1. "GeoNames Search". geonames.nga.mil. Archived from the original on 12 April 2014.
2. "2023 UP Municipal Election results". ECI Uttar Pradesh. Retrieved 22 May 2023.
3. ^ "Census of India 2011: Uttar Pradesh District Census Handbook - Hardoi, Part A (Village and Town Directory)" (PDF). Census 2011 India. pp. 124–45, 578–81, 589. Retrieved 19 May 2021.
4. ^ Nevill, H.R. (1904). Hardoi - A Gazetteer. Allahabad: Government Press. pp. 236–9. Retrieved 19 March 2021.
5. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Pihani
6. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 16 June 2004. Retrieved 1 November 2008.
7. ^ Census 1971 Uttar Pradesh: District Census Handbook Part X-A: Village & Town Directory, District Hardoi (PDF). 1972. pp. viii–xi, 8–9. Retrieved 14 June 2021.

External links

• pihaninpp.in (Official website of Pihani)

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