BAHRAICH

Bahraich (Hindi: बहराइच) (Urdu: بہرائچ) is a city and a municipal board in Bahraich district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Located on the Saryu River, a tributary of river Ghaghra, Bahraich is 125 km north-east of Lucknow, the state capital. The towns of Barabanki, Gonda, Balrampur, Lakhimpur and Sitapur share local boundaries with Bahraich. A factor which makes this town important is the international border shared with the neighboring country, Nepal. According to Government of India, the district Bahraich is one of the minority concentrated district in India on the basis of the 2001 census data on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities indicators.

Origins of its Name

There are many theories about how Bahraich got its name. They include:

• Bhars were ancient tribe inhabiting parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. The name Bahraich derives from them.
• It is believed that there was an ancient Brahma Temple here ( not present now), thus giving the city the name - Brahmaich, thus, Bahraich.
• Bahraich got its name from the Arabic word bahr which means a large body of water. Situated on the bank of river Ghaghra, it was named Bahraich.
• It is also believed that Bahraich got its name from the Ashram of Mahirshi Bhar. A town near Bahraich is named as RISIYA which was named Rishi Bhumi in ancient times.

The main occupation of the residents of Bahraich is agriculture. In the British period, Bahraich was a famous market for grains and pulses. Even today, it is famous for agricultural products like pulses, wheat, rice, corn, sugar, and mustard. Also, there are dense forests in Nanpara and Bhinga region which account for herbs and timber.

Dargah of Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud

Bahraich is very famous because of the Mausoleum (Dargah) of Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud, a famous eleventh century Muslim conqueror who was defeated and killed at Bahraich by a confederacy of Hindu kings, led by Maharaja Suheldev. Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud's Dargah is a place of reverence for Muslims. It was built by Firoz Shah Tughlaq. It is believed that people taking bath in the water of the Dargah become free of all skin diseases.

Roughly 50 km from Bahraich, there are remains of an ancient Buddhist monastery. This place is known as Sravasti and it is one of the most popular destinations around Bahraich. Other places of interest are the Temple of Junglee Nath, Kailashpuri Barrage, Chittaura Jheel and Kartaniya Ghat Alligator Breeding center.

Bahraich hosts the biggest wildlife reserve of the state of Uttar Pradesh - Kartarniya ghat wildlife reserve.^{[citation needed]} Other places of interest include Shravasti which is a holy place for Buddhists and Jains, where Lord Buddha spent twenty four years of his life preaching Buddhism. Shravasti is visited by tourists from Korea, Japan, Sri Lanka & China.

Education

• Bahraich is a growing district in the direction of education. There are large number of students spreading in IITs,NITs& all engineering and medical institutes.
• Guru Kripa Divine Grace Public School

*SIIT Group of IT & Management Center (7 Branches all over Bahraich & Sravasti Distt.)

• GALAXY ENGLISH SCHOOL
• Scholars' Bower Educational Academy
• Care Nursery School
• Jawahar Navoday vidyalaya (Central Government)
• Buddha Public School (B.P.S)
• Government Inter College
• Government Girls Inter College
• Care Public school Risia
• Care Public school Bahraich
• Tara Mahila Inter College
• Maharaj Singh Inter College
• Vaidya Bhagwan Deen Misra Gandhi Inter College
• Azad Inter College
• Mahila Mahavidyalaya
• Kissan PG College
• Sanjeevani College
• Saraswati Vidya Mandir H.S.S.,Madhavpuri
• Saraswati Shishu Mandir
• Bal Siksha Niketan
• City Montessori School
• Pioneer School
• St. Norbert School
• Seventh day Adventist Inter College
• Morning Star Academy
• Kamla devi inter college
• Barrows Blue Bells School
• Montessori Public School (Wing of Montessori Higher Secondary School)
• Sir Syed Girls Inter College
• Divinity Public School, Bahraich