Mela ( Sanskrit : मेला ) is a Sanskrit word meaning "gathering" or "to meet" or a " fair ". It is used in the Indian subcontinent for all sizes of gatherings and can be religious, commercial, cultural or sport-related. In rural traditions melas or village fairs were (and in some cases still are) of great importance. This led to their export around the world by South Asian diaspora communities wishing to bring something of that tradition to their new countries.
23-545: Purwa is a town and nagar panchayat in Unnao district , Uttar Pradesh , India . It is located 32 km southeast of Unnao , the district headquarters. Roads connect it with several major cities including Unnao, Lucknow , Kanpur , and Rae Bareli . As of 2011, its population is 24,467 people, in 4,128 households. Purwa is the headquarters of a community development block , which was first inaugurated on 1 April 1959 in order to oversee implementation of India's Five-Year Plans at
46-406: A complete victory and later laid out a garden at the site of the battlefield. He founded several villages including Achalganj , in the pargana of Harha , and Achal Khera in the pargana of Purwa. In 1184 Fasli , Achal Singh was replaced as governor by one Bhawani Singh, and not long after that he committed suicide by taking poison. Another important figures from Purwa's history during this period
69-410: A local and rural level. Most of the block lies within the tehsil of Purwa, but parts are in the tehsil of Bighapur instead. As of 2011, the block comprises 112 rural villages (including Asoha itself), with a total population of 125,619 people in 25,020 households. Purwa is said to have been founded sometime around the year 1400. Its antecedent was the village of Newayan a few miles to the west, which
92-511: A minimum of ten elected ward members and three nominated members. The Chairperson or President is the head of Nagar Panchayat. The NAC members of the Nagar are elected the several wards of the nagar panchayat on the basis of adult franchise for a term of five years. One third of the seats are reserved for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward classes and women. The Councillors or Ward Members are chosen by direct election from electoral wards in
115-613: A population of 24,195. Males constitute 52% of the population and females 48%. Purwa has an average literacy rate of 54%, lower than the national average of 59.5%: male literacy is 60%, and female literacy is 47%. In Purwa, 30% of the population is under 12 years of age. The economy of Purwa is agriculture based. The outskirts of Purwa block produce rice (especially basmati and other rice varieties) and wheat. Other food grain crops include toor, green gram, moong, gram, barley, and maize. Hilauli block also produces mainly food grains. Mango orchards have great importance in this block. The agriculture
138-409: Is a settlement in transition from rural to urban and therefore a form of an urban political unit comparable to a municipality . An urban centre with more than 12,000 and less than 40,000 inhabitants is classified as a nagar panchayat. The population requirement for a Town Panchayat can vary from state to state. Such councils are formed under the panchayati raj administrative system. In census data,
161-757: Is one of the largest fairs in India , where over 50 million people gathered in January 2001, making it the largest gathering anywhere in the world. In modern usage outside South Asia it has become a term that shows widespread diversity of interpretation, just as has been the case in South Asia. One can find a Nepalese mela in the US, or a Bengali mela in London, such as the Boishakhi Mela . The Boishakhi Mela
184-603: Is the largest open-air Asian festival in Europe and the largest Bengali festival outside of Bangladesh . After the Notting Hill Carnival , it is the second-largest street festival in the United Kingdom , attracting over 80,000 visitors from across the country. Many melas are wider intercultural (though mainly Asian) festivals incorporating music, dance, food and other aspects of mainstream culture. Since
207-500: Is well developed, but the irrigation system of the area is not much good. Although this area have extensive canal system but they do not work properly . Agriculture totally depends upon underground water. But now many people also have their shops of various things in Purwa town . It is now hub of various economic activities for many nearby villages . Generally all the three crops of Rabi, Kharif and Zaid are grown. Wheat, paddy and arhar are
230-565: The 1961 and 1971 censuses, but was reclassified as such for the 1981 census . Purwa is located at 26°28′N 80°47′E / 26.47°N 80.78°E / 26.47; 80.78 . There is a white marble plaque in the village which commemorates the contribution of 33 unnamed men from the village, who went to the Great War (1914–1919) and fought on the side of the British imperial forces. As of 2011 India census , Purwa had
253-544: The 1980s an increasing number of melas have regularly been held in larger towns outside south Asia, especially in the UK and North America. The larger melas tend to be those with larger ethnic minority populations, but many melas are held in communities with small South Asian diasporas. Community ownership of these melas is important to the South Asian communities, who see them as opportunities to share their cultural heritage with
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#1732787961190276-484: The British annexed Oudh State in 1856, they originally chose Purwa as the headquarters of what is now Unnao district, but they were soon relocated to Unnao. At the turn of the 20th century, Purwa was described as "a considerable town" that was very spread out and locally known for its skilled shoemakers. It held a bazaar twice per week, with an average attendance of about 1,000 visitors, and hosted several melas during
299-423: The abbreviation T.P. is used to indicate a "town panchayat". Tamil Nadu was the first state to introduce the panchayat town as an intermediate step between rural villages and urban local bodies (ULB). The structure and the functions of the nagar panchayat are decided by the state government. Each Nagar Panchayat has a committee consisting of a chairperson or president with ward members. Membership consists of
322-456: The course of the year, each one with an average attendance of 7-8,000. It had tehsil offices, a munsifi court, a police station, a dispensary, a post office, and a middle school with 157 students. The population in 1901 was 10,260 people, including 7,529 Hindus and 2,705 Muslims; the largest communities present were the Brahmins , Banias , and Kayasths . Purwa was declassified as a town for
345-411: The eastern portion of the current district. One of the most prominent figures in Purwa's history during this period was Raja Achal Singh Bais , who was the hereditary taluqdar of Daundia Khera and also served as chakladar and ruler of Purwa. He lived at Purwa from 1716 to 1776, and at one point fought a major battle against the other Bais Thakurs of Baiswara who resented his rule. Achal Singh won
368-498: The main crops. Fruit trees of mango, guava, jamun are in plenty. Except for the month of June, one can always find grass in the field. Cows, buffalo, goats and horses are reared for agricultural and domestic needs. It is near two popular cities of state Kanpur and Lucknow and connected by mainly road transport. One can take bus services from Charbag (Lucknow) to Kaiserbag (Lucknow) to Alambag (Lucknow). From Kanpur, one has to come to Unnao first and then take public transport for Purwa. In
391-401: The mainstream. They are opportunities for bridge-building and community-building and can perform a strong socially cohesive function. More successful outside-of-Asia melas tend to have a strongly diversified funding base with private/public/third sector collaboration. Public money is often spent on the melas. This reflects the mela organisers' and public authorities' joint conviction that, as in
414-430: The nagar panchayat. Alongside the elected officials, the state government appoints officers to facilitate the administration and functioning of Nagar Panchayats. Such as chief executive officer or Secretary, Superintendents, Engineers, Health Inspectors, etc. These officers are appointed based on specific rules and regulations set by the state government. The structure and the functions of the nagar panchayat are decided by
437-498: The rail budget for the year 2012-13, there was a proposal to check the feasibility of connecting Unnao to Lucknow via Purwa. The temple of Billeshwar Mahadeo and the tomb of Mina Sahib in Purwa are both revered by Hindus and Muslims alike. There are also the shrines of Niamat Shah and Hira Shah. Purwa CD block has the following 112 villages: Nagar panchayat A nagar panchayat ( transl. 'town council' ) or town panchayat or Notified Area Council (NAC) in India
460-594: The state government. Each Indian state has its own management directorate for panchayat towns. This article about government in India is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Mela In recent times "mela" also popularly refers to shows and exhibitions. It can be theme-based, promoting a particular culture, art or skill. Generally at "melas" people can find eateries, entertainment activities, shops and games. The Kumbh Mela , held every twelve years, at Prayagraj , Haridwar , Nashik and Ujjain
483-518: Was Raja Sital Parshad Tirbedi , who also served as nazim of Purwa. He established the Sitalganj market in Purwa (as well as another with the same name in Rasulabad ) and endowed it with a temple and tank . Another historical figure was Fateh Ali, originally a slave, who founded the village of Fatehganj near Purwa and planted trees along the road from Purwa to Basha to shade travellers. When
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#1732787961190506-521: Was founded by a Raghubansi from Ayodhya named Raja Newan. Newayan was wiped out by the Loni River and the ruling raja at the time, Ranbir Singh, founded a new town on the lands of three villages: Bhawanipur, Sokipur, and Kalyanpur. This new town was originally called Ranbirpur or Ranbhirpur after Ranbir Singh, and it appears under this name in the Ain-i-Akbari at the end of the 1500s. It
529-514: Was then the seat of a pargana which covered an extent of 75,490 bighas and was assessed at a value of 2,425,775 dams . The town had a brick fort and a military force of 2,000 infantry and 100 cavalry. At some point, the name "Ranbirpur" eventually became corrupted to "Ranjitpurwa" or simply "Purwa", hence the present name. Under the Nawabs of Awadh , Purwa formed one of the chaklas , or districts, that made up present-day Unnao district. It covered
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