Bewar, Mainpuri

Local folk etymology derives the name "Bewar" from the ber plant, hence the local pronunciation "Berwar".^{[2]: 191–2} According to Paul Whalley, the name is instead derived from the Sanskrit word vyāpāra, which means business, trade, or commerce, and in this case would denote a place where commercial activity takes place.^[3]: 51

Bewar is located about 27 km east of Mainpuri, the district headquarters, at the crossroads with the Etawah-Farrukhabad highway.^[2]: 191 Bhongaon, the tehsil headquarters, is 13 km away.^[1]: 313

At the turn of the 20th century, Bewar was both a tehsil and pargana headquarters. It was noted for its "fairly large and important bazar", where numerous shops did business selling cloth, grain, and sweets. Bewar then had a police station, schools for boys and girls, a post office, and a military encampment. The Bewar branch canal had been constructed in 1880, and a telegraph office had been set up at Bewar, both to coordinate water flow at regulators and escapes and also for general public use. At the time, the village of Bewar included 6 hamlets, with a total population of 4,209 people.^{[2]: 49, 140, 191–4}

As of the 2011 census, Bewar had a population of 23,729, in 4,202 households. This population was 52.5% male (12,456) and 47.5% female (11,273). The 0-6 age group numbered 3,342 (1,782 male and 1,560 female), or 14.1% of the total population. 6,111 residents were members of Scheduled Castes, or 25.8% of the total. The town's literacy rate was 72.3% (counting only people age 7 and up).^{[4]: 180–1}

The most important commodities produced in Bewar are sweets, mustard oil, and clay pots. As of 2009, Karhal had 2 nationalised banks, 0 private commercial banks, 2 cooperative banks, and 2 agricultural credit societies.^{[1]: 321–2}