Aihar is a village in Dalmau block of Raebareli district, Uttar Pradesh, India.[2] Located east of Dalmau on the road from Lalganj to Raebareli,[3] Aihar hosts a Baleshwar mela on Phalguna Badi 13 that is associated with the Shivratra festival and is dedicated to the worship of Shiva.[4] It also hosts a market twice per week, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, specialising in cattle, cloth, and vegetables.[4] As of 2011, the population of Aihar is 7,502, in 1,337 households, and it has 4 primary schools and 1 small clinic.[2]

Aihar Aihār
Village
Map showing Aihar (#895) in Dalmau CD block
Aihar Location in Uttar Pradesh, India
Coordinates: 26.187386°N 81.031431°E / 26.187386; 81.031431[1]
Country India	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District	Raebareli
Area [2]
• Total	10.822 km2 (4.178 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	7,502
• Density	690/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	UP-35

History

The late 16th-century Ain-i-Akbari lists Aihar as a division of the sarkar of Lucknow.[3] At the turn of the 20th century, Aihar was described as a large farming village, but one that was unremarkable apart from its size and age.[3] It consisted of five mahals, each one held separately in zamindari tenure.[3] Four were held by Bais Rajputs and the other one (the smallest) was held by a Brahmin.[3] Aihar's population was recorded as 2,442 at the 1901 census, including a large proportion of Brahmins.[3] The village had a large primary school and a market held twice per week.[3] It was noted that the name "Aihar" was considered unlucky to say, and locally it was also called Nuniagaon.[3]

The 1961 census recorded Aihar as comprising 12 hamlets, with a total population of 3,157 people (1,599 male and 1,558 female), in 609 households and 550 physical houses.[4] The area of the village was given as 2,683 acres.[4] It had a post office and a government-run dispensary then.[4] Average attendance of the Baleshwar mela was listed as about 400 people at the time, and attendance of the twice-weekly market was about 100.[4]

The 1981 census recorded Aihar as having a population of 4,707 people, in 919 households, and having an area of 1,085.78 hectares.[5]

References