Ahraura

Ahraura
Town
Ahraura
Location in Uttar Pradesh, India
Ahraura
Ahraura (Uttar Pradesh)
Coordinates: 25°01′N 83°01′E / 25.02°N 83.02°E / 25.02; 83.02Coordinates: 25°01′N 83°01′E / 25.02°N 83.02°E / 25.02; 83.02
Country  India
State Uttar Pradesh
District Mirzapur
Named for Scenic beauty
Government
  Body Chairman-Gulab Maurya
  District Magistrate (DM) (IAS)
Area
  Total 25 km2 (10 sq mi)
Elevation 87 m (285 ft)
Population (2001)
  Total 23,142
  Density 930/km2 (2,400/sq mi)
Languages
  Official Hindi
Time zone UTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN 231301
Telephone code 05443
Vehicle registration UP 63

Ahraura is a town and a municipal board chairman Gulab Maurya in Mirzapur district (distance 60 kilometers by road) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Ahraura has an scope of being a major tourist attraction (40 minutes drive away from Varanasi) specially during rainy season, as it is surrounded by forest, picturesque hills, many waterfalls, such as Lakhaniya Dari (Dari stands for Waterfall in Hindi), and water reservoirs creating a scenic beauty, and a nearby site of stone carvings/writings/paintings in Caves believed to be prehistoric.

Geography

It has an average elevation of 87 metres (285 feet).[1]

Demographics

As of 2001 India census,[2] Ahraura had a population of 23,142. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Ahraura has an average literacy rate of 52%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with 63% of the males and 37% of females literate. 18% of the population is under 6 years of age.

Tourism

Ahraura have many tourism places such as likhaniya dari, chuna dari, Bhandari devi temple and several ashrams.

Education

The city has two Co- educational Intermediate Colleges named Nagar Palika Inter College and Jai Hind Vidyamandir Inter College, one exclusively for girls, Ganga Devi Balika Inter College, and a Post Graduate college named Vanasthali Mahavidyalaya, affiliated to MGKVP, Varanasi, there is also some private schools namely Kumudini Devi Academy, Model School and Naveen Shiksha Niketan.

Crops

Wheat, rice, sugar cane, and mango are the main crops.

Culture and religions

The main religions of Ahraura Constituency are Hindu and Muslims.

Festivals

Lakhaniya Dari waterfalls
Lakhaniya Dari waterfalls

All major Festivals Like Holi, Deepawali, Eid, Dussehra etc. are celebrated with full zeal and joy. In Months of July, August and September there are many cultural and fun fair are organized at different places in Ahraura.

Economics

Ahraura has been an historical center of trade in the region, Lately for Forest Products such as, Wooden Toys, Khair (Kattha, used in Beetle/Paan), Tendu-Patta (used in preparing smoke-cigars/beedee), Tree-raisins/Lava pan vandar, and earlier for Food Grains and Vegetables. The nearby forests yield many a valued medicinal herbs, with a few rare to find anywhere else.

The city is very famous for the pink stones of its mountain rocks. Geographically the Stones found are considered in varieties Chunar's Sand Stones, But are different in attributes such as Stronger in Hardness, the unique quality of the stone is that it shines Pink when touched with water,as in rain, a Rare Pink Marble, recently used in huge quantity in the Monumental Parks erected by Mayawati Government, in the cities of Lucknow and NOIDA.

Banks

Ahraura has modern banking facilities with ATM's. All the major banks like Allahabad Bank, State Bank Of India, Bank of Baroda, Punjab National Bank and Grameen Bank have their branches in Ahraura.

Notable locations

One of the Minor Rock Edicts of Ashoka from Ahraura.

Ahraura has many famous holy places: there is a temple situated in rocky mountain and there is stone inscription of Emperor Ashoka, one of the Minor Rock Edicts of Ashoka. An important monument accounts for stone-scripture by Emperor Ashoka, in a script possibly Pali, a mark of Buddhist Influence, which in that period, might have been a site of distribution of food by the monastery, thus contributing the name Bhandari. Near the Southern End of the city, near the Water Reservoir, is a Stone Pillar, that too is believed to be erected by Emperor Ashoka, with a script/note in Pali, mistaken as a riddle to be solved to reach the hidden wealth of Sumedha (mentioned in "Chandrakanta" written by Devaki Nandan Khatri, also successfully produced as TV Serial By Nirja Guleri).

The city has many famous structures/temples within its boundaries, the two most visited are Durga Devi temple and Bhandari Devi temple. Durga Devi temple is situated at a mountain at the south edge of the city and Bhandari Devi temple is situated at a mountain at the north edge of the city. The city also has a temple named as Radha Krishna temple in the mid of the city market. There are many architectural structures, scattered in the periphery of the town speaking of its rich history and culture.

References

  1. Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Ahraura
  2. "Census of India 2001: Data from the 2001 Census, including cities, villages and towns (Provisional)". Census Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2004-06-16. Retrieved 2008-11-01.


Edicts of Ashoka
(Ruled 269-232 BCE)
Regnal years
of Ashoka
Type of Edict
(and location of the inscriptions)
Geographical location
Year 8 End of the Kalinga war and conversion to the "Dharma"
Year 10[1] Minor Rock Edicts Related events:
Visit to the Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya
Construction of the Mahabodhi Temple and Diamond throne in Bodh Gaya
Predication throughout India.
Dissenssions in the Sangha
Third Buddhist Council
In Indian language: Sohgaura inscription
Erection of the Pillars of Ashoka
Kandahar Bilingual Rock Inscription
(in Greek and Aramaic, Kandahar)
Minor Rock Edicts in Aramaic:
Laghman Inscription, Taxila inscription
Year 11 and later Minor Rock Edicts (n°1, n°2 and n°3)
(Panguraria, Maski, Palkigundu and Gavimath, Bahapur/Srinivaspuri, Bairat, Ahraura, Gujarra, Sasaram, Rajula Mandagiri, Yerragudi, Udegolam, Nittur, Brahmagiri, Siddapur, Jatinga-Rameshwara)
Year 12 and later[1] Barabar Caves inscriptions Major Rock Edicts
Minor Pillar Edicts Major Rock Edicts in Greek: Edicts n°12-13 (Kandahar)

Major Rock Edicts in Indian language:
Edicts No.1 ~ No.14
(in Kharoshthi script: Shahbazgarhi, Mansehra Edicts
(in Brahmi script: Kalsi, Girnar, Sopara, Sannati, Yerragudi, Delhi Edicts)
Major Rock Edicts 1-10, 14, Separate Edicts 1&2:
(Dhauli, Jaugada)
Schism Edict, Queen's Edict
(Sarnath Sanchi Allahabad)
Rummindei Edict, Nigali Sagar Edict
Year 26, 27
and later[1]
Major Pillar Edicts
In Indian language:
Major Pillar Edicts No.1 ~ No.7
(Allahabad pillar Delhi pillar Topra Kalan Rampurva Lauria Nandangarh Lauriya-Araraj Amaravati)

Derived inscriptions in Aramaic, on rock:
Kandahar, Edict No.7[2][3] and Pul-i-Darunteh, Edict No.5 or No.7[4]

  1. 1 2 3 Yailenko,Les maximes delphiques d'Aï Khanoum et la formation de la doctrine du dhamma d'Asoka, 1990, pp.243.
  2. Inscriptions of Asoka de D.C. Sircar p.30
  3. Handbuch der Orientalistik de Kurt A. Behrendt p.39
  4. Handbuch der Orientalistik de Kurt A. Behrendt p.39
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