Asoha Asohā
Village
Map of Asoha CD block
Asoha Location in Uttar Pradesh, India
Coordinates: 26°35′08″N 80°50′07″E / 26.585593°N 80.83518°E / 26.585593; 80.83518[1]
Country India	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
District	Unnao
Area [2]
• Total	3.375 km2 (1.303 sq mi)
Population  (2011)[2]
• Total	3,709
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Hindi
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registration	UP-35

Asoha is a village in Purwa tehsil of Unnao district, Uttar Pradesh, India.^[2] It is located about 16 km north of Purwa, the tehsil headquarters, and 51 km east of Unnao, the district headquarters.^[3] The main crops grown here are wheat, barley, gram, juwar, paddy, and pulses, and irrigation is provided by a canal as well as by tanks.^[3] The soil here is mostly clay.^[4] As of 2011, the population of Asoha is 3,709, in 856 households.^[2]

Asoha is the headquarters of a community development block, which was first inaugurated on 1 July 1956 in order to oversee implementation of India's Five-Year Plans at a local and rural level.^[3] As of 2011, the block comprises 122 rural villages (including Asoha itself), with a total population of 153,798 people in 30,885 households.^[2] Asoha is also the headquarters of a nyaya panchayat.^[3]

History

According to C.A. Elliott, the name "Asoha" is derived from that of Ashwatthama, the figure in the Mahabharata, who is said to have rested here for a time after the murder of Draupadi's children.^[4] Asoha was historically the seat of a pargana, which is first attested during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar in the late 16th century.^[4] At the turn of the 20th century, Asoha had five temples, a police station, a cattle pound, and a primary school, as well as "unusually extensive" groves of mango and mahua trees.^[4]

The 1961 census recorded Asoha as comprising 4 hamlets, with a total population of 1,868 (981 male and 887 female), in 304 households and 286 physical houses.^[5] The area of the village was given as 861 acres.^[5] It had a police force of 1 sub-inspector, 1 head constable, and 13 constables at the time.^[5]

Culture

A legendary figure named Astik is worshipped in Asoha.^[3] He is said to have been born during the Dvapara Yuga period,^[4] and that at the time of the great Sarpa Satra performed by Janamejaya, Astik received a boon from the serpent Takshak, who promised him that men bitten by snakes would recover if they took his name.^[3]

Villages

Asoha CD block has the following 122 villages:^[2]

References