Ara
—  city  —
Ara Location of Ara in Bihar and India
Coordinates	25°20′N 84°24′E / 25.34°N 84.40°E / 25.34; 84.40Coordinates: 25°20′N 84°24′E / 25.34°N 84.40°E / 25.34; 84.40
Country	India
State	Bihar
District(s)	Bhojpur
Population	203,395 (2001[update])
Time zone	IST (UTC+05:30)
Codes • Pincode • 802 301 • Telephone • +916182 • Vehicle • Br-03
Website	bhojpur.bih.nic.in

Arrah (Hindi: आरा, Urdu: ارّاہ) is a city and a municipal corporation in Bhojpur district in the state of Bihar, India. The actual name of Arrah is Ara (आरा)but it was misspelt by the British and now corrected to Ara but still known as Arrah in many records. It is the district headquarters of Bhojpur district, located near the confluence of the Ganges and Sone rivers, some 24 mi. from Danapur and 36 miles from Patna.

History

Arrah is an ancient city with references in mythological stories and Greek geographical works. It has been a centre of attraction for Jainism with dozens of old temples and hermitages. It is known for the important battle (Battle of Buxar) in October, 1764, when Mir Kasim, Nawab of Bengal with the support of the Mughal Emperor Shah Alam II and Shuja-ud-daulla, Nawab of Avadh was defeated by the East India Company Army whilst Henry Vansittart, was Governor General , the key event establishing the British colonialisation of India.

During the Indian rebellion of 1857, a small party of British officers and Indian soldiers was besieged in the Little House at Arrah, by a band of armed soldiers under the command of 80 year old Veer Kunwar Singh, the Zamindar of adjacent Jagdishpur. They withstood the siege for three weeks until relieved by other East India Company troops.Babu Kunwar Singh was the only successful freedom fighter of the rebellion of 1857. The British failed to defeat him. He is the only fighter who died in freedom.< ref IGNOU material on Modern India>

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Arrah had a population of 203,395. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Arrah has an average literacy rate of 67%, higher than the national average of 59.5%; with 60% of the males and 40% of females literate. Ara has many famous Jain and Hindu temples.