Arrah

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Arrah is a town in the Indian state of Bihar, with about 260,000 inhabitants ( 2011 census ). It is located 40 km west of Patna and 200 km east of Varanasi, where surrounded by agriculturally intensively used arable land it represents a local commercial center.

The city lies on the Son Canal and just over 15 miles south of the Ganges located in the district of Bhojpur, whose capital it is.

Geography

Arrah is 25.33 degrees north latitude and 84.39 degrees East longitude at an altitude of 190 meters above sea level to almost completely flat land. The settlement area extends about 6 km along the east-west rail link ( between Patna and Varanasi ) and has an area of about 18 km ².

Within the city there are also several small lakes, but they are often very dirty.

Climate

Summer is a very humid, hot monsoon climate, its often heavy rainfall flooding the city and its surroundings for months. The winter months, however, are mostly dry and much cooler.

History

Arrahs "history" is defined by a myth. The good-natured king Moradhwaj lived long ago in the area of ​​today's Arrah and was very unhappy that he had not yet received a son as his successor. So he and his wife pleaded to the Goddess Durga who then blessed him with a son in a dream.

When he was born and older, Durga appeared again to the king in a dream and asked this same child victim. The goddess also still demanded to be cut up the victim with a saw, after which, according to legend, the prince added, however, without resistance and the divine instruction followed.

So then a temple was at that point the " Divine Sacrifice " built to commemorate the Goddess Durga, who is still revered as Aranya Devi Temple and visited daily by hundreds of faithful.

Population

According to the census of 2001, there were 203,000 inhabitants in Arrah, and after a calculation for 2010, there are nearly 250,000; However, it can be assumed that many more people populate the city because it is located in one of the most densely populated areas in India and the country a strong rural exodus, the number of inhabitants in the cities can rise quickly. Overall, the illiteracy rate is according to statistics from 2001 is much higher than the national average, and Arrah is still in a less economically developed state.

Attractions

Situated right in the city of Aranya Devi Temple is considered to be a religious center where the faithful of the Goddess Durga today make offerings of bread and sweets. In the city there are still several temples, among others, the Moti Mahal. The oldest mosque in the city is the Shahi Masjid, built in 1623, near the Aranya Devi Temple, which was built in the time of Shahjahan, and the Maulabagh mosque from the year 1817.

Economy and infrastructure

As a center in an agricultural region of very intensively used commercial forms, with the main products of cereals (wheat, maize) and sugarcane and oilseeds still the most important economic sector. However, industries such as chemicals ( awrah Bihar Chemical Industries) or a glass factory ( Mau Durga Glass industry) have settled.

In Arrah, there are a large hospital, the centrally located Sadar Hospital, as well as a renovated, spacious hotel of international standards, the Regal Hotel Arrah.

Traffic

The town has a railway station and is well connected to the railway network. She also has a small airport and is usually associated with trunk roads in east-west direction with other cities. The chaotic Main Bus Terminal regulates most of the long-distance bus services.

Education

With several educational institutions is the site of regional significance:

The Maharajacollege is the largest and oldest university in the city. The facility was established in 1954, founded by Maharaja Shri Kamal Singh of Dumraon in memory of his late father, Ram Prasad Singh philanthropists Bhadur Ran Vijay. For this, the Maharaja donated the land in the middle of the city, where there also the famous " Ara- house" was incorporated, which has a local historical significance in terms of the liberation of the English occupation. In the ten buildings today learn several thousand students.

Furthermore, there are in Arrah a large girls' school and a Jaincollege south of the city.