Azamgarh district

This article is about the district. For its eponymous headquarters, see Azamgarh. For its namesake division, see Azamgarh division.
Azamgarh district
आजमगढ ज़िला
District of Uttar Pradesh

Location of Azamgarh district in Uttar Pradesh
Country India
State Uttar Pradesh
Administrative division Azamgarh
Headquarters Azamgarh
Government
 • Lok Sabha constituencies Azamgarh, Lalganj
Area
 • Total 4,054 km2 (1,565 sq mi)
Population (2011)
 • Total 4,613,913
 • Density 1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
 • Urban 8.53%
Demographics
 • Literacy 70.93%
 • Sex ratio 1019
Major highways
Website Official website

Azamgarh district is one of the three districts of Azamgarh division in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Etymology

The district is named after its headquarters town, Azamgarh. Azam, son of Vikramajit, founded the town in 1665. Vikramajit a descendant of Gautam Rajputs of Mehnagar in pargana Nizamabad had embraced the faith of Islam. He had two sons, namely, Azam and Azmat.[1] It is also known as land of the sage Durvasa whose ashram was located in Phulpur sub-district,[2] near the confluence of Tons and Majhuee river, 6 kilometres (4 mi) north from the Phulpur sub-district headquarters.

History

Towards the end of the 16th century, a Gautam Rajput from Azamgarh district was assimilated into the Mughal court at Delhi, where he had gone in search of greater influence. His mission was a success, with the royal court eventually awarding him 22 parganas in the Azamgarh region that marked the establishment of a family line which culminated in his descendants becoming rajas of the area. This was a typical route whereby relatively obscure lineages rose to prominence.[3]

Colonial era

Both Hindu and Muslim landowners (known as Rautaras) of Azamgarh aided the Sepoy Mutiny against the British in 1857. On 3 June 1857 the 17th Regiment of Native Infantry mutinied at Azamgarh, murdered some of their officers, and carried off the government treasure to Faizabad. The district became a centre of the fighting between the Gurkhas and the rebels, and was brought under control in October 1858 by Colonel Kelly. The most notable rebels were Late. Janab Lal Mohammed Chivtahvin. Later, many of the local land owners were crushed by the British.[4] Later, residents of Azamgarh participated in various national movements including the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement in 1942.[1] The historian, social reformer, nationalist Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan was born in Kanaila village in this district.

Geography

Azamgarh district has an area of 4,054 square kilometres (1,565 sq mi). The district lies between the Ganges and the Ghagahara.[1] Azamgarh district is surrounded by the districts of Mau in the east, Gorakhpur in the north, Ghazipur in the south-east, Jaunpur in the south-west, Sultanpur in the west and Ambedkar Nagar in the north-west.[5]

Azamgarh district is further divided into 7 sub-districts, and 22 development blocks. There are 4,106 villages (3,792 inhabited and 314 uninhabited) in the district.[1]

Education

Colleges

Important places in Azamgarh district

According to the district's official website,[6] the nine important places in Azamgarh district are:-

Economy

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Azamgarh one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).[7] It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[7]

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Azamgarh district has a population of 4,613,913,[8] This gives it a ranking of 30th in India (out of a total of 640).[8] The district has a population density of 1,139 inhabitants per square kilometre (2,950/sq mi) .[8] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 17.11%.[8] Azamgarh has a sex ratio of 1019 females for every 1000 males,[8] and a literacy rate of 72.69%.[8]

Azamgarh district's total population was 3,939,916 as per 2001 census with population density of 972/km². The population consists of 393,401 urban and 4,220,512 rural; 2,137,805 females and 2,082,707 males. The literacy rate is 70.93%.[1]

Languages

Vernaculars spoken in Azamgarh include Hindi, Avadhi, Urdu, English, and Bhojpuri.[9]

Divisions

Gambhirban is a village in Rani Ki Sarai block.[10] The village is dominated by Raghuvanshi and Dikshit Rajpoots. It is situated near by Sankrityayan (Hindi/ scholar) village Kanaila Chakrapanipur. Gambhirban Village is one of the biggest villages in Azamgarh. It is near Baraila Taal, a large pond. A state hospital PGI is nearby. It is 10 km from Azamgarh city.

Local media

Mostly all major English, Hindi and Urdu dailies including Times of India, Hindustan Times, The Hindu, Dainik Jagran, Amarujala, Hindustan, Rashtree Sahara, Inquilab, Hausla News available in Azamgarh. Hindi and Urdu dailies also have their bureaus in the city. Almost all big Hindi TV news channel have stringers in the city.

Notable people

The following notable people are from Azamgarh district
NB This list excludes those from Azamgarh itself which are listed in that article

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Azamgarh". Azamgarh district administration. Archived from the original on 29 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
  2. ↑ "Durvasa Ashram in Azamgarh official public information web page"
  3. ↑ Fox, Richard Gabriel (1971). Kin, Clan, Raja, and Rule: Statehinterland Relations in Preindustrial India. University of California Press. pp. 106–107. ISBN 978-0-52001-807-5.
  4. ↑ http://chestofbooks.com/reference/Encyclopedia-Britannica-1/Azamgarh.html
  5. ↑ "Azamgarh". UP online. Archived from the original on 14 July 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  6. ↑ "Important Places". About Azamgarh. Azamgarh District Administration. Retrieved 22 May 2015.
  7. 1 2 Ministry of Panchayati Raj (September 8, 2009). "A Note on the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme" (PDF). National Institute of Rural Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "District Census 2011". Census2011.co.in. 2011. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  9. ↑ M. Paul Lewis, ed. (2009). "Bhojpuri: A language of India". Ethnologue: Languages of the World (16th ed.). Dallas, Texas: SIL International. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
  10. ↑ Singh, R. K.; Turner, N. J.; Pandey, C. B. (2011). ""Tinni" Rice (Oryza rufipogon Griff.) Production: An Integrated Sociocultural Agroecosystem in Eastern Uttar Pradesh of India". Environmental Management. 49 (1): 26–43. doi:10.1007/s00267-011-9755-8. PMID 21959872.

External links

Official website

 Ambedkar Nagar Gorakhpur district
Sultanpur district Mau district
   Azamgarh district  
Jaunpur district Ghazipur district

Coordinates: 26°36′00″N 83°11′24″E / 26.60000°N 83.19000°E / 26.60000; 83.19000

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