A branch of the Harihoban Rajputs once ruled Bihiya. According to tradition, in 1528, the scion of the Bihiya Harihobans, whose name is given as either Ram Pal Singh or Bhopat Deo, raped a local Brahmin woman named Mathin or Mahini, in line with the custom of "taking of "dola"", which allowed the local Rajput lord to sleep with a lower-caste woman on her wedding night. Mathin then committed suicide, but not before laying a curse upon the Harihobans, who eventually left Bihiya and moved to Ballia across the Ganges. A temple called the Mathin Dai was built in Bihiya in her memory. This legend still resonates with women of the region, especially Dalit women, as it encapsulates the sexual violence long perpetrated by upper-caste men against lower-caste women.