Barabanki district

Infobox Indian Jurisdiction
native_name = Barabanki
type = District Headquarter
locator_position = left
latd = 26.5
longd = 81.7
state_name = Uttar Pradesh
district = Barabanki
leader_title = Chairman
leader_name = Hafeez Bharti
blank_title_1 = District Magistrate
blank_value_1 = Ravinder, IAS
blank_title_2 = Superintendent of Police
blank_value_2 = Praveen Kumar, IPS
altitude = 125
population_as_of = 2001
population_total = 2673581
population_density = 331
official_languages = Hindi, Urdu
area_magnitude = 9
area_total = 3825
area_telephone = 5248
postal_code = 225 xxx
unlocode =
vehicle_code_range = UP-41
website = barabanki.nic.in
footnotes =

Barabanki district (Hindi: बाराबंकी जिला, Urdu: بارابنکی ‏ضلع) is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India. The town of Barabanki is the district headquarters. Barabanki district is a part of Faizabad division.

Barabanki occupies an area of 3825 km². The district forms a part of eastern Uttar Pradesh and lies between 26°32’ and 27°21’ N and between longitudes 80°05’ and 81°51’. The district is bounded by the river Ghaghra in the north, Faizabad district in the east, Sultanpur and Rae Bareli districts in the south and Lucknow district (only 28 km to the west).

The district under British rule had an area of 1758 sq. m. It stretches out in a level plain interspersed with numerous jhils or marshes. In the upper part of the district the soil is sandy, while in the lower part it is clayey and produces finer crops. The principal rivers are the Ghagra, forming the northern boundary, and the Gomti, flowing through the middle of the district. In 1856 it came, with the rest of Oudh, under British rule. During the Sepoy war of 1857-1858 the whole of the Bara Banki talukdars joined the mutineers, but offered no serious resistance after the capture of Lucknow.

The principal crops are rice, wheat, pulse and other food-grains and sugarcane. Both the bordering rivers are navigable; and the district is traversed by two lines of the Oudh and Rohilkhand railway, with branches. Trade in agricultural produce is active.

History

The district of Barabanki also known as the "Entrance to Poorvanchal", has the privilege of being the penance ground to numerous saints and ascetics. There are several ancient sayings to the naming of this district. The most popular among them is that, due to the reincarnation of 'Bhagwan BAARAH' on this poise land, this place came to be known as 'BAANHANYA' which in course of time got corrupted to Barabanki. The headquarters of the district was at Dariyabad until 1858 AD, which was later shifted to Nawabganj in 1859 AD the other popular name of Barabanki.

As the saying goes, in ancient times this district was part of the kingdom ruled by Suryavanshi kings, whose capital was Ayodhya. King Dashrath and his famous son, Lord Ram were of this dynasty. Guru Vashisht was their Kulguru, and he preached and taught the young royal princes of the dynasty at Satrikh, initially known as Saptrishi.

This district was under the rule of the Chandravanshi kings for a very long period. During the Mahabharat era, it was part of the 'Gaurav Rajya' and this part of land was known by the name Kurukshetra. Pandav along with their mother Kunti had spent some time on the banks of river Ghaghra during their exile.

Parijaat tree world's unique tree, Kunteshwar Mahadev temple, and its extremely ancient Shivling, Kunteshwar (Kintur) on the poise banks of Ghaghra, Bazaar Dharam Mandi (Dhamedi), and the famous Lodheshwar Mahadeva's Shivling etc. are proof enough that this region had an important place even five thousand years ago during the Mahabharat period.

As per the historical documentation available, in 1030 AD this region was attacked by Sayyed Salar Masood, brother of Mahmood of Ghazni. In the same century Qutubuddin Gaha of Madina annexed the Hindu princely states, thereby establishing the Muslim dominance then on. During the reign of the great Mughal emperor Akbar this district was dividedly under the sirkars of Awadh and Manikpur. While the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan was still alive, a war of succession to the Mughal throne ensued. The Emperor's youngest son, and the governor of Deccan, Abu Muzaffar Muhiuddin Aurangzeb, was amongst the protagonists, and was the ultimate victor in this war and deposed his father. The Ansari family of Sehali is said to have professed loyalty to, and supported Aurangzeb Alamgeer during his campaigns in the war of succession as well as during his reign as the Mughal Emperor.

After the assassination of Mullah Qutab uddin Shaheed, (d. 1692) the family leader was Mullah Saeed bin Mullah Qutab Uddin who still saw the hostility of his relatives and decided that he is was going to depart from Sehali and find a home somewhere else. He went to Hyderabad,India to visit Emperor Aurangzeb.

Many kings and princes opposed the expansion of British rule into this district by waging wars against them. During the British Raj, several kings fought for their independence and laid down their lives doing so, the great revolutionaries. Raja Balbhadra Singh Chehlari along with about 1000 revolutionaries sacrificed their lives for independence from the British rule. The last battle of the First War of Indian Independence was fought in December 1858 AD here in this district.

During the middle of the nineteenth century the revolutionaries put up their last front at 'Bhitauli' which proved unsuccessful in comarison to the strong British forces. Leaving behind the Bhitauli front the independence fanatics along with Begum Hazrat Mahal, Nana Saheb entered into the territory of Nepal to continue their freedom struggle from there.

In 1921 AD Gandhiji started the Non-cooperation Movement, thereby igniting the flame of independence once again. Here too, the district leading from the front, opposed the arrival of Prince of Wales to India. As a result, protests were organised and large number of freedom fighter courted arrests at the Government High School, Nawabganj, Shri Rafi Ahmad Kidwai was also arrested. During 1922 AD Khilafat Movement, 1930 AD Salt Movement, and in 1942 AD the Quit India Movement, the people of this district actively participated in these movements thereby giving sleepless nights to the British Raj. As a result, the District Congress Office was sealed. But, the local leaders continued their protests remaining underground. The Haidergarh Post office was looted on 24th August 1942 as a mark of protest by the revolutionaries. Similar incidents took place at the GPO Barabanki and Satrikh.

The people of this district enthusiastically respond to the call of Satyagraha and large numbers courted arrest. At last, on August 15,1947, the country achieved its long-awaited independence. Every home in Barabanki along with the rest of the country celebrated the occasion with great enthusiasm.

The Ansari family of Sehali or Sihali,BARABANKI DIST. who later achieved great renown as the Firangi Mahal family or the Ulama-e-Farangi Mahal, is recorded in a book titled, Tazkira-e-Ulama-e-Firangi Mahal.

The ancestors arrived in India from Herat, Afghanistan, and settled mainly in and around Panipat. In the mid-sixteenth century, they further spread to the Oudh ptovince, during the reign of the great Mughal Emperor, Akbar the Great. They made their way to, and settled in a small village, Sehali, District Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Cultural heritage

The land of Barabanki district possesses a rich heritage in keeping with its glorious past. This district since its inception has been the meditorium for numerous saints and ascetics, sanctum sanctorum of 'Sadhna' for the literary intellectuals and battlefield for the freedom fighters. For bringing the whole world under one umbrella, Sufi Saint Haji Waris Ali Shah of international fame, motivated people through the message of Jo Rab Wahi Ram i.e. the supreme power, God is One, is the flower of this fertile land. Satnami Saint Shri Jagjiwan Das and Saint Malamat Shah lit the torch of communal harmony for the countrymen at large. The place of pilgrimage of the KANWARIYAS' Mahadeva, the Kurukshetra of Mahabharat and the Parijaat tree - the animate symbols of Mahabharat era are also present as mile stones of the spiritual tilt of this sacred land of Barabanki district.

Geography

Location & boundaries

The district Barabanki is situated about 29 km in the East direction of Lucknow the Capital of Uttar Pradesh. This district being one of the four districts of Faizabad division, is located in the heart of Awadh region and it lies between Latitudes 26° 30' North and 27° 19' North and Longitudes 80° 58' East and 81° 55' East. District Barabanki is surrounded by district Faizabad in the East, districts Gonda and Bahraich in the North East, district Sitapur in the North West, district Lucknow in the West, district Rae Bareli in the South and district Sultanpur in the South East. The river Ghaghra forms the North Eastern Boundary separating Barabanki from Bahraich and Gonda.

Area

According to the 1991 census the area of the district was 4401 km². The districts were reconstituted and Tehsil Rudauli of this district was merged with district Faizabad, thereby reducing the land area of the district. Now the area of the district stands reduced to 3895.4 km². The area is liable to vary from year to year due to the slightest change in the coarse of the river Ghaghra, because this slight variation makes a noticeable change in the overall area of the district.

Topography

The district can be topographically divided into three main regions.
# Tarai region, the area in the North East towards river Ghaghra.
# Gomti par region, the wide area from South West to South East of the district.
# Har region, which is situated at some height to the Gomti Par region,the whole tract is gently undulating land with gentle slope from the North West to South East.

River system and water resources

The district is well fed by rivers Ghaghra, Gomti and Kalyani with their tributaries for major part of the year. Although some of them dryout during summers and create havoc during rainy season by flooding.

Ghaghra

Ghaghra is the most important river of the district. It, being a mountain river, is the main resource of water round the year. Ghaghra flows from the northern boundary of the district to the South East. Some portion of Tehsil Fatehpur and some portion of Tehsil Ram Sanehi Ghat falls on its banks. Ghaghra forms the northern boundary separating Barabanki from Bahraich and Gonda.

Gomti

Gomti is the second important river in the district, being a river with its origin in the plains itself flows, throughout the year. Gomti flows from Lucknow into this district and covers the northern part of tehsil Haidergarh and some portion of the tehsil Ram Sanehi Ghat.

Kalyani

Kalyani is a small river of local origin. It flows through the district along with its tributaries, covering most of central portion of the district. Kalyani creates havoc during the rains, flooding considerable part of the district, though during summers there is hardly any water in certain sections of the river. It is an important source of water for major period of the year, with banks precipitous at a number of places.

Rait

Rait is a small stream which flows dangerously during rains, flooding its adjoining areas, but dries up during the summers.It's soraunded by some places like Haidergarh, Deviganj and Choury.

Geology

The district being a part of the plains, conforms to the same geological sequence as the plain itself. The soil structure of the district is composed of alluvial soil, the soil brought in by the rivers. The upper belt is called 'Uparhar' and the soil texture is yellowish clay. The basin land of the rivers is mostly sandy soil, and the land adjacent to the rivers is sandy loam. The only mineral of any note found in the district is sand, which is available in sufficient quantity on river banks, and is used in construction works. The district is also noted for its deposits of brick earth.

Climate

The district lies in the plains of the State, and hence its climatic conditions are quite similar to the average climatic condition of the plains. Hot to very hot in summers, cold to quite cold during winters and humid to very humid and sultry during rainy season. Most of the rain occurs from June to September and often in November to January. The winter sets in November and continues till February end. The maximum temperature recorded in 1997-98 was 47.5°C and minimum was 2.5°C. The average rainfall recorded for 1997-98 was 1056 mm.

Flora & Fauna

Flora

One of the sayings is that Barabanki got its name due to excessive forests. But, unfortunately today very little land area remains as a token of forest in this district. With passage of time, pressure of the increasing population and the need to grow more food, ultimately became the reason for clearing of the majority of forest cover for cultivation. As of today, majority of the forest cover in Barabanki district is on uneven land scape and consists of a mixed variety of vegetation mainly bushes. The forests are small and scattered. The total area under forests is approximately 5308 hectares. with 29% in tehsil Ramsanehi Ghat, 27% in tehsil Fatehpur and 15% in tehsil Haidergarh. Most of the forest cover is on the banks of the river Gomti and Kalyani. In addition to this, on 1034 km of PWD roads in the district are trees on both its sides. The trees like Shishum,,Arjuna, Kanji, Khair, Saagaun, Subabul, Neem, Eucalyptus, Babul, Kanju, Gold Mohar, Kesia, Akesia, Mango and Jamun are found in sufficient numbers.

Groves

The land area under groves, gardens and plantations is fairly distributed throughout the district, Groves in the district consist mostly of mango and are concentrated in tehsil Nawabganj, Ramnagar and Fatehpur.

Fauna

Animals in the wild have greatly decreased in number and variety in the district due to excessive hunting and poaching during the past century. The various animals found here are Neel Gai (Blue Bull), Hiran (Deer), Barasingha (Swamp deer), Padha (Black Buck), Cheetal (Spotted deer), Fox, Jackal, Porcupine. The Neel Gai has become a menace to the farmers here in the district due to their increasing numbers. However, all the above animals are on the protected list.

Birds

The birds of the district are similar to those of the adjoining districts. The chief game of birds found are several varieties of Ducks, King Fisher, partridges, pigeons, peacock and several other water birds.

Reptiles

A number of varieties of snakes and other reptiles are found almost everywhere in the district especially in the rural areas. Some of the poisonous snakes found here are Cobra, Krait and Rat snake. Several non-poisonous snakes have also been noticed and python being the main among them. The other reptiles found in the district are the chameleon and Bichhkhopra.

Fish

Fish are found in the rivers, streams, ponds, canals, catchment areas and artificial reservoirs of the district. There are a number of species of fish which have been found in this district so far, the chief being the rohu (Labeo rohita), nain (cirrhina mrigala), mangur (clarius batrachus), saul (ophiocephelus spp.), katla.

District as an administrative entity

District Barabanki was known as Dariyabad with its headquarters at Dariyabad town established by an officer in the army of Mohammed Shah Shariqi by the name Dariab Khan. It remained the district headquarter till 1858 AD. The district headquarter was shifted to Nawabganj in 1859 AD now known as Barabanki. This was done during the expansion of the district by the British, when Kursi from district Lucknow and Haidergarh from district Rae Bareli were added to the, then Dariyabad district.

Administration

Barabanki is one of the four constituent districts of Faizabad Division. The other district being Faizabad, Sultanpur and Ambedkar Nagar. The Division is headed by the Divisional Commissioner.

Land Administration

District Barabanki has been divided into six subdivisions, popularly known as tehsils. The District Revenue Administration is headed by the District Collector (also known as District Magistrate), with office at the collectorate, and these tehsils are under the charge of Sub-divisional Magistrates. The six tehsils are:

* 1. Nawabganj
* 2. Fatehpur
* 3. Ramsanehi Ghat
* 4. Haidergarh
* 5.Ram Nagar
* 6.Sirauli Ghauspur

Development

The District level developmental activities are coordinated by the Chief Development Officer having his office in DRDA at collectorate. Block Development Officers, who head each of the Development Blocks into which the district is sub-divided carry out the development schemes on behalf of government. Barabanki encompasses 15 such Blocks, they are:

* 01. Banki
* 02. Masauli
* 03. Dewa
* 04. Harakh
* 05. Fatehpur
* 06. Haidergarh
* 07. Dariyabad
* 08. Suratganj
* 09. Siddhaur
* 10. Pure Dalai
* 11. Nindura
* 12. Trivediganj
* 13. Ram Nagar
* 14. Sirauli Ghauspur
* 15. Banikodar

The district level offices for monitoring the developmental activities of Blocks at Barabanki are located at Vikas Bhawan.

Law & Order

The Law and order administration is jointly coordinated by the District Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police. The district is subdivided into 22 Police Stations/Thanas. Each Police Station / Thana is headed by an officer of the rank of Inspector or sub-inspector of police.

* 01.Haidergarh
* 02.Satrikh
* 03.Dariyabad
* 04.Baddupur
* 05.Dewa
* 06.Kursi
* 07.Zaidpur
* 08.Mohammadpur
* 09.Ram Nagar
* 10.Fatehpur
* 11.Safderganj
* 12.Kotwali
* 13.Ramsanehi Ghat
* 14.Asandra
* 15.Subeha
* 16.Tikait Nagar
* 17.Lonikatra
* 18.Masauli
* 19.Kothi
* 20.Ghungter
* 21.Badosarai
* 22.Jahangirabad

Urban

The district has 14 urban administrative bodies for the administration and provision of civil amenities in towns. The Towns in the district are:

* 01. Nawabganj Nagar Parishad for Barabanki Town
* 02. Zaidpur Nagar Panchayat for Zaidpur Town Area
* 03. Fatehpur Nagar Panchayat for Fatehpur Town Area
* 04. Dariyabad Nagar Panchayat for Dariyabad Town Area
* 05. Ramnagar Nagar Panchayat for Ramnagar Town Area
* 06. Satrikh Nagar Panchayat for Satrikh Town Area
* 07. Haidergarh Nagar Panchayat for Haidergarh Town Area
* 08. Dewa Nagar Panchayat for Dewa Town Area
* 09. Siddhaur Nagar Panchayat for Siddhaur Town Area
* 10. Tikaitnagar Nagar Panchayat for Tikaitnagar Town Area
* 11. Rudauli Nagar Parishad for Rudauli Town
* 12. Banki Nagar Panchayat for Banki Town Area
* 13. Cantonment Board for Cantonment Area in Barabanki
* 14. Rampur Bhavanipur Census Town

Personalities

Pride

* Raja Mir Imdad Ali Khan Ruler of Kintur was active in the first war of independence against the British.
* [http://barabanki.nic.in/person.htm Raja Balbhadra Singh of Chehlari]
* Kunwar Digvijay Singh popularly known as K.D. Singh 'Babu' (hockey player) was born on 2 February 1922 in Barabanki.
* Flt.Lt.Shankar Dayal Bajpai

Literary

ant

* Sant Kavi Baijnath
* Sant Kavi Jagjivan Das
* Sant Kavi Chaturbhuj Das

ufi

* Qasim Shah

Hindi/Avadhi

* Ravi Dutt Mishra
* Shankar Dayal Awasthi
* Pandit Mahesh Dutt Shukl
* Guru Prasad Singh 'Mrigesh'
* Shiv Singh Saroj

Urdu/Persian (19th century)

* Sayyed Quli Khan of Kintur
* Maulana Burhanuddin of Dewa
* Mufti Mazhar Karim of Dariyabad
* Hakim Noor Karim
* Sayyed Aziz Hussain
* Sayyed Hamid Hussain
* Sayyed Ghulam Hussain
* Sayyed Karamat Hussain
* Maulana Abdul Majid Daryabadi

Urdu/Persian (20th century)

* Ibrahim Beg of Dewa,
* Mehdi Ali Nasiri of Fatehpur,
* Sheikh Vilayat Ali 'Bambe' of Masauli,
* Sajjad Ali Ansari of Gadiya was a well known for his prose writings,
* Basharat Ali 'Nadeem' was a well known poet,
* Mata Prasad 'Sagar',
* Murtaza Beg 'Farhat',
* Khuda Bux Sheikh of Dariyabad has also written poetry in Urdu and Persian, His book ' Tohmat-ul-Asfiya' is the biography of Haji Syed Waris Ali Shah,
* Shankar Lal 'Kaamal',
* Mahadevi Bali 'Iqbal',
* Najaf Ali Beg ' Najaf',
* Nalim Ali 'Nazim'
* Zahoor Athar Samar Rudaulvi,from Rudauli well known short story writer of 50's

Politician

* Rafi Ahmed Kidwai.
* Ram Sewak Yadav
* Mohsina Kidwai
* Amir Haider
* Anant Ram Jaiswal
* Beni Prasad Verma

Others

* Naseeruddin Shah (actor) was born in 1950 in Barabanki .
* Khumar Barabankvi (lyrics writer).
* R. P. Singh (cricket player) was born in Barabanki and grew up in Rae Bareli.
* Seyyed Ahmad Musavi Hindi, paternal grandfather of Ayatollah Khomeini was born in Kintur.
* C.M.Naim (academic) was born and raised in Barabanki.
* Late Bacchu Lal (Freedom Fighter) was born in Barabanki.

Industries

* India PolyFibres Limited:The Company is engaged in manufacturing of polyester staple fibre, polyester, and tow with technology from Du Pont, USA.

* U.P. State Spinning Mill, Barabanki

* U.P. State Sugar Corp. Ltd, Barabanki

* Hally Industries pvt.ltd, Barabanki: Company has achieved ISO 9001,9002,9004,ISO9001:2000 QMS Certification and KVQA Certificate from Netherland for manufacture and supply of all types of medium and high quality superior Welding Electrodes for supply in the Indian Railways. It further owns a Wire-drawing unit and a Rice Mill.

* J.R. Agro Industries Limited.: 4.4 Km,dewa road,Somaiya nagar,Barananki: Having Solvent Extraction plant & Vegetable Oil Refinery (Saheli Brand).: [http://www.jragro.com J.R.AGRO IND LTD.]

* J.R. Organics Ltd. (formally Somaiya Organics Ltd)

* [http://www.barabankihandloom.com Handloom Industry]

*Bharat Rubber Industries: Company has achieved ISO 9001:2000 QMS Certification from SWISO for manufacture and supply of Rubber to Metal Bonded and Extrusion Rubber Production and Ribber Moulded Items. The consultancy services were provided by TQ VISION, New Delhi

*Shree Shyam Industries,Tehsil Fatehpur

Education

chools & Intermediate colleges

* Anand Bhawan School
* Azimuddin Ashraf Islamia Inter College Barbanki
* City Inter College
* Eram Inter College
* Government Inter College
* Government Girls Inter College
* King George Inter College
* Maharani Lakshmi Bai Memorial Inter College
* Maharishi Vidya Mandir
* Pioneer Montesorri Inter College
* Rajkiya Inter College, Harakh
* Ram Sevak Yadav Smarak Vidyalaya
* Saint Anthony's Inter College
* Shri P.D. Jain Inter College Tikait Nagar Barabanki
* Saraswati Shishu Mandir
* Waris Academy

Degree college

* Jawaharlal Nehru Memorial Post-Graduate Degree College
* Munsi Raghunandan Prasad Sardar Patel Mahila Degree College
* Ram Sewak Yadav Degree College
* Rudauli Degree College

Engineering college

* Institute of Environment & Management
* Jahangirabad Institute of Technology, Jahangirabad Barabanki
* Jahangirabad Media Institute, Jahangirabad Fort Barabanki
* Sagar Institute of Technology & Management, Faizabad Road Barabanki
* Sagar Institute of Technology and Management - Department of Pharmacy, Faizabad Road Barabanki
* Sherwood College of Pharmacy, Faizabad Road Barabanki
* Sherwood College of Engineering Research and Technology, Faizabad Road Barabanki

Polytechnic institute

* Government Polytechnic Barabanki

Medical/Dental Hospitals & Colleges

*Rafi Ahmad Kidwai Memorial Government General Hospital
*Barabanki Government Ladies Hospital
*Chandra Dental College & Hospital
*Astha Hospital, Ghosiana Barabanki
*Jain Nursing Home, Satrik Naka Barabanki
*Ambika Nursing Home, LakperaBagh Barabanki
*Barabanki Nursing Home, Faizabad Road Barabanki
*Warsi hospital Lucknow Road Barabanki
*Hindustan Institute of Medical Sciences(HIMS) Barabanki

Banks

* Allahabad Bank
* Bank of Baroda
* Bank Of India
* Canara Bank
* Central Bank of India
* HDFC BANK
* ICICI Bank
* Punjab National Bank
* State Bank of India
* Union Bank Of India
* UCO Bank

External links

* [http://barabanki.nic.in Official webpage]