Chenari, India

Most of Chenari block lies on the Rohtas plateau, a hilly region that forms an eastern flank of the Vindhya Range. In some parts of the block, the terrain is rugged enough to preclude any large-scale irrigation projects. The town of Chenari covers an area of 2.5 square kilometres, while the block as a whole covers an area of 190.5201 square kilometres.[2]

The Shergarh fort, located some 13 km south of Chenari town[2] on a hill overlooking the Durgawati river, was first described in 1813 by Francis Buchanan, who attributed the fort's construction to Sher Shah Suri. More recently, however, P.C. Roy Choudhary has pointed out that the fort is uncharacteristic of Sher Shah's constructions and likely predated his rule. He posits instead that, after capturing nearby Rohtasgarh, Sher Shah repurposed the already-existing fort at Shergarh as a second line of defence, thus giving the fort its current name. The final date of Shergarh's abandonment is unknown.[3]

Chenari was first listed as a census town in 2011.[2]

As of 2011, the town of Chenari has a sex ratio of 929 females for every 1000 males, which is the highest among urban centers in Rohtas district. The ratio is lower in the rural parts of Chenari block, with 919 females for every 1000 males; the overall sex ratio of Chenari block is 920, which is about average for Rohtas district. The sex ratio was more equal among 0-6 year olds as of 2011, with 932 girls for every 1000 boys, which was again average in Rohtas. Members of scheduled castes made up 26.82% of the total population of Chenari block (27.42% in rural and 20.71% in urban areas), while members of scheduled tribes constituted 0.83% of the block's population (0.89% in rural and 0.17% in urban areas). The 26.82% scheduled caste membership was highest among all blocks in Rohtas district in 2011. The overall literacy rate of Chenari block as of 2011 was 70.8%; literacy was higher in urban areas than in rural ones, as well as higher in men than in women (80.41% of men but only 60.34% of women could read and write). Both the overall literacy rate and the gender disparity were roughly average for Rohtas district blocks.[2]

Apart from the census towns of Chenari and Bhardua, Chenari block contains 111 inhabited villages and 42 uninhabited ones, for a total of 153 villages:[2]

• Chenari (Vidhan Sabha constituency)