Pihani
Town
Map of Pihani CD block
Pihani Location in Uttar Pradesh, India Show map of Uttar Pradesh Pihani Pihani (India) Show map of India
Coordinates: 27°37′12″N 80°12′12″E / 27.619866°N 80.203426°E / 27.619866; 80.203426[1]
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
Division	Lucknow
District	Hardoi
Government
• Type	Municipal Council
• Body	Pihani Municipal Council
• Municipal Chairperson	Shaheen Begum (SP)[2]
• Lok Sabha MP	Jai Prakash (BJP)
• MLA	Rajni Tiwari (BJP)
Area [3]
• Total	5 km2 (2 sq mi)
Elevation	141 m (463 ft)
Population  (2011)[3]
• Total	36,014
• Density	7,200/km2 (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.^[3] Historically, the city was a centre of sword production, leading to at least one British writer calling it "the Damascus of Oudh".^[4] Today, important industries in Pihani include jaggery and woven carpets.^[3] As of 2011, the town's population is 36,014, in 5,626 households.^[3] Pihani also serves as the headquarters of a community development block in Shahabad tehsil.^[3]

Geography

Pihani is located at 27°38′N 80°12′E / 27.63°N 80.2°E / 27.63; 80.2.^[5] It has an average elevation of 141 metres (462 feet).

Demographics

As of 2001^[update] India census,^[6] 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.^[4] The first, traditionally told by Hindu locals, holds that Pihani was originally settled by Dube Brahmins from Kannauj.^[4] They had supposedly been invited by Raja Lakhan Sen, a Gaur king who had conquered the fort of Simaurgarh (near Mansurnagar) from the Thatheras.^[4] 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.^[4] 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.^[4] The name "Pihani" is thus said to derive from the word pinhani, meaning "concealment".^[4]

One of the main historical monuments in Pihani is the ornate tomb of Nawab Sadr Jahan, who served as a minister under Akbar.^[4] It consists of a double dome supported by red sandstone pillars, while the surrounding area is shaded by large tamarind trees.^[4] An inscription in Persian says that the tomb's construction began in 1071 AH and finished 10 years later.^[4] Sadr Jahan's son, Badr-i-Alam, is also buried here.^[4] 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.^[4]

Under the Nawabs of Awadh, Pihani was renowned for the quality of its sword blades.^[4] It also produced woven turbans (aka dastars), but both of these industries had declined by the turn of the 20th century.^[4]

At the turn of the 20th century, Pihani was described as having two distinct quarters named Bari Pihani and Chhoti Pihani.^[4] 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.^[4] 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.^[4]

Economy

As of 1971, the economy of Pihani was described as dominated by primary activities.^[7] The main items imported were cloth, groceries, and kerosene oil.^[7] The main items manufactured were handloom, shoes, and agricultural implements.^[7] The biggest exports were cane sugar, paddy, and wheat.^[7]

Villages

Pihani CD block has the following 123 villages:^[3]