Mal, also spelled Mall, is a village and corresponding

community development block In India, a Community development block (CD block) or simply Block is a sub-division of Tehsil, administratively earmarked for planning and development. The area is administered by a Block Development Officer (BDO), supported by several technic ...

Lucknow district Lucknow district is a district located in the state of Uttar Pradesh in northern India. The city of Lucknow is the district headquarters and the district is part of Lucknow Division. It also is the capital of Uttar Pradesh Lucknow is Bounded on ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

. It is part of the

tehsil A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administr ...

Malihabad Malihabad is a town and nagar panchayat in the Lucknow district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also the seat of a tehsil and a community development block of the same name. As of 2011, its population was 17,818, in 3,032 households. Malihabad is ...

. As of 2011, the population of Mal was 6,429, in 1,199 households, while the population of Mal block was 170,962, in 31,429 households.

History

Mal was historically the seat of a tribe of Gaharwar Rajputs, whose family tradition states that they came from Manda-Bijaipur near

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

under one Rai Paitawan, a brother of the ruler of Varanasi. The story goes that Rai Paitawan had gone on a pilgrimage to Nimkhar, in what is now

Sitapur district Sitapur district is one of the districts which is situated in Uttar Pradesh state of India, with Sitapur town as the district headquarters. Sitapur district is a part of Lucknow division. History Sitapur was first constituted as a district ...

, and after encountering a good omen on the way back, he decided to stay in this area. He drove out the ruling Jhojhas from their forts at Mal and Ant to become ruler himself. The Gaharwars' territory later became divided among seven estates: Mal,

Atari Atari () is a brand name that has been owned by several entities since its inception in 1972. It is currently owned by French publisher Atari SA through a subsidiary named Atari Interactive. The original Atari, Inc. (1972–1992), Atari, Inc., ...

, Salinagar, Amlauli, Masira, Hamirpur, and Nabipanah. By the turn of the 20th century, the Gaharwars' influence had declined, and they only owned about a quarter of the village lands in Mal. The remainder of the lands were held by Pandit Bakht Narain. At the turn of the century, Mal had a population of 1,775, and it had a marketplace called Ramnarainganj after its founder, Pandit Ram Narain (Bakht Narain's father), which hosted markets twice a week, on Thursdays and Sundays. There was also a weekly cattle market. Three

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

s were held here annually: the

Athon Mount Athos (; el, Ἄθως, ) is a mountain in the distal part of the eponymous Athos peninsula and site of an important centre of Eastern Orthodox monasticism in northeastern Greece. The mountain along with the respective part of the penin ...

fair during the month of Chait, the Mahabir fair in

Jeth Jeṭh (Punjabi: ਜੇਠ) is a third month of the Nanakshahi calendar, which govern the activities within Sikhism. This month coincides with Jyeshtha in the Hindu calendar and the Indian national calendar, and May and June in the Gregorian and ...

, and the

Janamashtami Krishna Janmashtami , also known simply as Krishnashtami, Janmashtami, or Gokulashtami, is an annual Hindu festival that celebrates the birth of Krishna, the eighth avatar of Vishnu. According to the Hindu lunisolar calendar, it is observed ...

fair in Bhadon. Mal's soil was described as highly fertile, and

wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...

was the main crop grown. Irrigation was provided by wells, tanks, and also some from the Jhingi

nala Nala (Sanskrit: नल) is a character in the ''Vana Parva'' book of the ''Mahabharata''. He was the king of Nishadha Kingdom and the son of Veerasena. Nala was known for his skill with horses and for his culinary expertise. He married prince ...

, which flows to the east of the village. There were at the time two Hindu

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

s, one

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

, and also the mausoleum of a saint named Gulmir Shah.

Villages

Mal block comprises the following 87 villages:

References

{{Reflist Villages in Lucknow district