Kora, Katihar

Korha
Town
Nickname(s): Gerabari
Korha

Location in Bihar, India

Coordinates: 25°37′N 87°24′E / 25.61°N 87.40°E / 25.61; 87.40Coordinates: 25°37′N 87°24′E / 25.61°N 87.40°E / 25.61; 87.40
Country  India
State Bihar
District Katihar
Elevation 24 m (79 ft)
Languages
 • Official Maithili, Hindi
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
Lok Sabha constituency Purnia
Vidhan Sabha constituency Korha
Website katihar.bih.nic.in

Korha is a town with sub division office in Katihar district in the Indian state of Bihar.

Geography

Korha is located at 25°37′N 87°24′E / 25.61°N 87.40°E / 25.61; 87.40. It has an average elevation of 24 metres (79 ft).[1]

Transport

Korha is on NH 31 and is the junction point for NH 81, and is well connected by double lane state highway from all the side.[2]

History

The history of Korha is as old as that of India. The area finds its place in the Mahabharata legend. It is said that during the period of Agyat vaas Pandavas spent its time in this area. It is also said that Lord Krishna has visited the area during Mahabharata period and had lost a mani in nearby Manihari (earlier Maniharan). Raja Birat of Morang also visited the place. The place has been under rule of Anga, and Magadha kings during the time of Mahajanpadas. The area was ruled by the kings of Pal dynasties. With the advent of Muslim rule in the North India Ikhtiyar-ud-din Bakhtiyr Khilazi subjugated this area and subsequently this area remained under indirect Mughal rule. With the strengthening of British rule Katihar came under the clutches of Maharazas, Zamindars and Nawabs who were British Indian Agents. Till the trifurcation of Bihar, Bengal and Orissa; Korha remained part of Bengal Province and subsequently became part of Bihar Suba. With the passage of time British rule was challenged in India and Korha was in the forefront of the agitation. With the independence of India the people of Korha breathed free along with all the Indians. Korha is a subdivisional town of Katihar District.

Culture and civilization

The area was tossed between kings, Nawabs, zamindars from time to time and each rule has its impact on Korha. It was the main center of jute industry in Bihar which attracted workers from Mithilanchal area of Bihar, Purvanchal area of UP, Magadh region of Bihar and Bhojpuri speaking belt of Bihar and people from Nepal. The people from different region flocked to this town in search of job in jute factory, match factory and flour mills. Besides the original inhabitant of Kosi-Mahananda-Ganga Region the town witnessed an influx of permanent settlers from different region of Bihar and UP. Its proximity to Jharkhand brought many adivasis close to the town.

The partition of India had its own impact on the set up of town. Many wealthy Muslims either migrated to West Pakistan or East Pakistan (now Bangla Desh). But majority of Muslims chose to remain where they were. Many Hindus who came during partition chose to settle at Korha. The migration of Hindus continued till formation of Bangla Desh. Government of India provided them with piece of land to settle now known as Ek(1) number and Do(2) number colonies, along with them many Bengali Hindus who were already there in Korha also settled in this place to mix with their own during that period of time. Many Bengali Hindus settled in the town wherever they found a place. These people who were once referred as refugees in their own land because of partition has contributed significantly to the culture of Korha. Government of India built a colony for the refugee from Burma near Purana Jute Mill, known as Burma Colony [Tingachhia]. Guru Teg Bahadur the ninth Guru of Sikh, while returning from Assam passed through this place and many local population embraced Sikhism. The famous village is Laksmipur near Karha Gola. There is a Gurudwara in the town also and there is a sizeable population of Sikhs in the town.

There is a sizeable population of Marwari and Sindhi community who are the driving force behind the economy of Korha. Like whole of the East and North-East India they control the trading activity in Korha. In fact in remote villages of this District one may find a Marwari doing business.

The Area itself was once the part of undivided Bengal Province and there are many original Bengali inhabitants in the villages and town.

The people here speak, Hindi, Urdu, Angika, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Bengali, Marwari, Polia, Surjapuri etc.

The Area has a mix of Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh and Jain religion followers.

Economy

The major source of living is agriculture. There are few industries in nearby the place: two jute mills and two flour mill. The jute mills known as Purana Mill and Naya Mill once shaped the characteristics of town. Of late there has been lock outs, re-opening of the mills but the jute industry is in bad shape. There are units which are producing agricultural equipments in tingachhiya. The rice industry is a flourishing business in this area. The industry here is mainly agro based. One of the agro-based industry to join the group is Makhana. The Makhana Phodi (the place where edible makhana is produced from raw makhana) is growing fast. The cloth market here dealing in cotton and sarees is very vibrant and caters to nearby districts and the bordering countries of Nepal and Bangladesh. There are also a couple of old cycle trading companies with huge turnover. Pharmaceuticals business is also pretty good with huge turnover. The main crops are paddy, jute, makhana, banana, wheat and pulses. The agriculture is the mainstay of this area but due to frequent floods, no proper irrigation facility and poor or no electric supply has hampered the rural area dependent upon agriculture. There is large scale migration of poor people to the various cities of India in search of job.

Communications

Nearby District town Katihar is a major railway station under North-East Frontier Railway. It is a very old station. In fact Katihar junction is a five (Eight if local lines taken together) line junction. 1st line goes to Barauni, 2nd line to Kolkata, 3rd line to Jogbani (Nepal border), 4th line to Guwahati, 5th line to Manihari. The other three local lines go to Purana Jute Mill, Naya Jute Mill and FCI. Katihar is also the headquarters of Katihar Railway Division. The major station under this division includes New Jalpaiguri, Siliguri, Darjeeling, Kishanganj etc. The world heritage Darjeeling Himalayan Railway falls under the jurisdiction of Katihar Railway Division. One can find trains to Nepal and Bangladesh border from here. In fact pre independence this station was connected with present-day Bangladesh. All the trains passing through Katihar stops here. One can get a direct train to most of the Indian cities from this station. The notable trains are Rajdhani Express, Capital Express, Avadh Assam Express, North-East Express, Dadar Express, Amprapali Express, Sikkim Mahananda Express, Amarnath Express, Hate Bazare Express, Bangalore Express etc. Due to lack of poor road network train communication is the only source of communication.

The town falls on the national highway, NH-31 passes through the area. Road connectivity is good. Bus service also good to Purnea, Siliguri, Jogbani, Manihari, Bhagalpur, Patna, Ranchi, etc.

The nearest commercial airport is Bagdogra (160 km). There is an old time airstrip in nearby katihar town which is mostly used as a helipad. The place is known as Hawai Adda.

Korha has a Telecom Sub divisional office. Private players also provide telecom services. The teledensity is high in rural areas as well as urban which reflects the economic development in the recent times of the rural area.

Banks

There are several Banks and there Branches in Katihar District, amongst them are State Bank of India. Central Bank of India, Indian Overseas Bank, Punjab National Bank, Bank of India, Union Bank, United Bank, Uttar Bihar Gramin Bank (Formerly Koshi Kshetriya Gramin Bank), District Central Co-Operative Bank Allahbad Bank, Bank of India

Education

There are many colleges and schools in the town. The notables are as follows

Colleges

Schools

–*Girls High School, Korha

Places of worship

Temples

Mosques

Gurudwara

Places of interest

Baretha is situated 30 km West of Katihar and 12 km west of Korha. It is culturally a rich village. Place where Mahatma Ganghi visited and stayed during different movement during the freedom struggle. Jawaharlal Nehru and many more prominent freedom fighter visited this place. Thus this place carries within itself the glorious past. Farming and business is the main source of living. People here have more economical senses and thus focus more on cash crop like Banana Plantation, Sun Flower Seed, Maize, etc.. Trading in all kind of stuffs like cloths, wheat, rice and others are primary. Though this village is a small one but it is quite very advanced. Literacy rate is also good, having high tech High School and other middle and primary schools. The business and farming in Baretha is being done by every section of the society. The place itself is worth visiting as it full of natural beauty and pleasant climate all around the year. In winter places are full with the migrant birds from around the globe. There are many spiritual places attached with the sentiments of the people. The nearest sub urban area is Falka which stations the block office and the police station. The area is connected to NH-31 and the nearest railway station is Katihar and Bagdogra being the nearest airport (190 km). But to maintain the current status of the area the government should focus on this area. And in near future this village will come out as model village of India with the help of social economic approach from all section of the society.

References

  1. ↑ "Korha, India Page". Bihar. Falling Rain Genomics. Retrieved 2009-03-10.
  2. ↑ "NH wise Details of NH in respect of Stretches entrusted to NHAI" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on February 25, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-28.

See also

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