Sonbhadra or ''Sonebhadra'' is the second largest district by area of
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 195 ...
after
Lakhimpur Kheri. It is the only district in India which borders four states, namely
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...
to the west,
Chhattishgarh
Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prades ...
to the south,
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...
in the south-east and
Bihar
Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...
to the north-east. The district has an area of and a population of 1,862,559 (2011 census), with a population density of . It lies in the extreme south-east of the state, and is bounded by
Mirzapur District to the northwest,
Chandauli District to the north,
Kaimur and
Rohtas districts of Bihar state to the north-east,
Garhwa district of
Jharkhand
Jharkhand (; ; ) is a state in eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north and Odisha to the south. It has an area of . I ...
state to the east,
Balrampur District
Balrampur district is one of the district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and is a part of Devipatan division as well as the historic Awadh regions. It has been cut from the adjacent district Gonda in 1997. Located on the banks of the We ...
of
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prad ...
state to the south, and
Singrauli district
Singrauli district is one of the districts in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh.
History
It was previously ruled by the Maharajas of Singrauli State till 1971, after which the monarchy was abolished. Singrauli district has its headquarters at ...
of
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...
state to the west. The district headquarters is in the town of
Robertsganj
Robertsganj ( hi, script=Latn, राॅबर्ट्सगंज, rŏbartsganj) also known as Sonbhadra City ( hi, script=Latn, sōnbhadra nagar) is a city and a municipal board in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ro ...
.
Sonbhadra district is an industrial zone and it has much bauxite, limestone, coal, gold, etc. It is called the "Energy Capital of India" because there are multiple power plants.
Sonbhadra lies between
Vindhya
The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India.
Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...
and
Kaimur hills
Kaimur Range (also spelt Kymore) is the eastern portion of the Vindhya Range, about long, extending from around Katangi in Jabalpur district of Madhya Pradesh to around Sasaram in Rohtas district of Bihar. It passes through the Rewa and Mi ...
, and its topology and natural environment prompted First Prime Minister of India
Jawaharlal Nehru
Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian Anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat—
*
*
*
* and author who was a central figure in India du ...
to refer to Sonbhadra as the "Switzerland of India".
In 2018 Uttar Pradesh's chief minister
recognised Sonbhadra as a tourist hub in Purvanchal region and further promoted by Uttar Pradesh Tourism Department.
In February 2020, a
Press Trust of India
The Press Trust of India Ltd., commonly known as PTI, is the largest news agency in India. It is headquartered in New Delhi and is a nonprofit cooperative among more than 500 Indian newspapers. It has over 500 full-time employees , including a ...
(PTI) news report incorrectly claimed that
Geological Survey of India (GSI) has found of gold deposits in Sonbhadra district. PTI later clarified on Twitter that the GSI had told PTI that there had been no such discovery of large gold deposits in the district.
History
The Valley of
Son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some curren ...
and
Belan Rivers abounds in caves which were the earliest dwellings of the primeval inhabitants. This area had been the centre of activities of pre-historic man which is evident from the rock paintings (pre-historic cave art) found in abundance in this region. These paintings are of the periods ranging from
Mesolithic
The Mesolithic ( Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymo ...
to
Paleolithic
The Paleolithic or Palaeolithic (), also called the Old Stone Age (from Greek: παλαιός '' palaios'', "old" and λίθος ''lithos'', "stone"), is a period in human prehistory that is distinguished by the original development of stone too ...
ages.
Based on evidence from religious and cultural perspectives of
Ramayana
The ''Rāmāyana'' (; sa, रामायणम्, ) is a Sanskrit epic composed over a period of nearly a millennium, with scholars' estimates for the earliest stage of the text ranging from the 8th to 4th centuries BCE, and later stages ...
and the
Mahabharat, Huyen found here is the cultural symbol. By
Jarasandh
Jarasandha was a powerful king of Magadha, a minor antagonist in Mahabharata. He was the son of king Brihadratha, the founder of the Barhadratha dynasty of Magadha. According to popular lore, the descendants of Brihadratha ruled Magadha for 260 ...
many rulers in the Mahabharat were maintained prisoner here.
Sonbhadra
Sonbhadra or ''Sonebhadra'' is the second largest district by area of Uttar Pradesh after Lakhimpur Kheri. It is the only district in India which borders four states, namely Madhya Pradesh to the west, Chhattishgarh to the south, Jharkhand in t ...
, whose ancient name was Gramputra or
Gupt Kashi, was built by the ancient king Putrak for his queen Paatali.
It is said that '
Bhars' had settlements along with
Chero, Searis and
Kharwar
Kharwar is a community found in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal.
Etymology
The ''Khar'' grass is totem of the Kharwar. They don't cut or injure it while growing. Kharwar tribe of pres ...
communities in the district up to fifth century there was the rule of
''Chandel Rajput'' kings on
Vijaygarh Fort
Vijaygarh Fort (Hindi :विजयगढ़ किला) is a ruined fort located 30 km from Robertsganj in south east direc in Mau Kalan village on Robertsganj-Churk road, in the Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh India.
History
Last ru ...
. This district was famous as second
Kashi
Kashi or Kaashi may refer to:
Places
* Varanasi (historically known as "Kashi"), a holy city in India
** Kingdom of Kashi, an ancient kingdom in the same place, one of the sixteen Mahajanapadas
** Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
* Kashgar, a c ...
during 11th to 13th centuries. In the 9th century B.C., the Brahmadutt dynasty was subdivided by Nagas.
Kushan
The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, ...
and
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:
Mythology
* Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions
* Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata''
* Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Ri ...
s also held supremacy over this region before the advent of the
Gupta period
The Gupta Empire was an ancient Indian empire which existed from the early 4th century CE to late 6th century CE. At its zenith, from approximately 319 to 467 CE, it covered much of the Indian subcontinent. This period is considered as the Gold ...
. After the death of
Harshvardhan in the latter half of the 7th century, it remained under the control of the
Gurjara-Pratihars till 1025 before they were driven out by
Mahmud of Ghazni
Yamīn-ud-Dawla Abul-Qāṣim Maḥmūd ibn Sebüktegīn ( fa, ; 2 November 971 – 30 April 1030), usually known as Mahmud of Ghazni or Mahmud Ghaznavi ( fa, ), was the founder of the Turkic Ghaznavid dynasty, ruling from 998 to 1030. At t ...
. This area was under the administration of various Governors of
Mughal emperors
The Mughal emperors ( fa, , Pādishāhān) were the supreme heads of state of the Mughal Empire on the Indian subcontinent, mainly corresponding to the modern countries of India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The Mughal rulers styled ...
. Some of the forts such as
Agori Fort were under the control of Madan Shah.
During the 18th century, the district came under the control of the
Narayan rulers of
Benares State, who built or occupied several fortresses in the district. In the decade after 1775, the
British took over administrative control of most of the territory of the rajas of Benares. The British district of
Mirzapur
Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India, 827 km from Delhi and 733 km from Kolkata, almost 91 km from Prayagraj (formally known as Allahabad) and 61 km from Varanasi. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the folk ...
included present-day Mirzapur and Sonbhadra districts, with all of present-day Sonbhadra district included in Robertsganj tehsil.
On 4 March 1989, Sonbhadra district was divided from Mirzapur district.
The forts located in the district
*
Agori Fort
*
Vijaygarh Fort
Vijaygarh Fort (Hindi :विजयगढ़ किला) is a ruined fort located 30 km from Robertsganj in south east direc in Mau Kalan village on Robertsganj-Churk road, in the Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh India.
History
Last ru ...
* Sodhrigarh Durg
The heroine of Famous Novel
Chandrakanta written by
Devaki Nandan Khatri was the princess of
Vijaygarh and the daughter of king Jay Singh.
Paragnas of Sonbhadra
Agori Barhar an impartible estate, it originally comprised the present districts of Sonbhadra and part of Mirzapur district. It was divided into two parganas of
Agori, which was and Barhar, which was in area, thus making it the largest estate in area in the
United Provinces of Agra and Oudh
The United Provinces of Agra and Oudh was a province of India under the British Raj, which existed from 1902 to 1921; the official name was shortened by the Government of India Act 1935 to United Provinces (UP), by which the province had been ...
. Chandel Rajput Raja Paramardideva of
Mahoba, ancestor of the family and contemporary of Raja
Prithviraj III of Delhi, who attacked Mahoba as the Raja was the ally of Raja Jaichand of Kannauj, and occupied it for a time. Raja Paramardi Deva fled for his life with his friends and family, and though Mahoba was re-occupied by the Raja with the help of Jaichand of Kannauj, the glory of the capital never returned. During this time one of the sons of Raja Paramardi Deva, called Ashajit, fled eastwards in the turmoil that followed. His sons or grand sons called Barimal and Bharimal, captured
Agori from the Kaharwar Raja and made themselves the independent rulers of
Agori and Barhar. The elder brother Barimal took the kingdom of Agori and Barhar, and the younger brother Bharimal became the independent ruler of Bardi (Princely state ruled by Chandel -Rajput ruler). Within this zamindari, sixteen talukas have been assigned for the maintenance of the Babus (collateral agnates).
Another Princely state in sonbhadra in
Vijaygarh.it was also ruled by Chandel Dynasty after that by
Narayan dynasty
The Narayan dynasty was the ruling family of Benares. After its liberation from Awadh, independence ( s''waraj'') was established in Benares by Maharaja Balwant Narayan Singh in the 18th century. Since then, the family has ruled Benares. In 1911, ...
.
The erstwhile Maharaja is
His Highness
Highness (abbreviation HH, oral address Your Highness) is a formal style used to address (in second person) or refer to (in third person) certain members of a reigning or formerly reigning dynasty. It is typically used with a possessive adje ...
Raj-Rajeshwar
Maharajadhiraja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
Shri
Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific.
The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javan ...
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
Bhuvaneshwar Prasad Singh. His family were the rulers of Singrauli. Their rule extended from Singrauli to Sasaram in Bihar (includes Sonebhadra).
Geography
The northern part of the district lies on a plateau of the
Vindhya Range
The Vindhya Range (also known as Vindhyachal) () is a complex, discontinuous chain of mountain ridges, hill ranges, highlands and plateau escarpments in west-central India.
Technically, the Vindhyas do not form a single mountain range in the ...
, and is drained by tributaries of the Ganges including the
Belan and
Karmanasha rivers. South of the steep escarpment of the
Kaimur Range is the valley of the
Son River
Son River ( hi, सोन नदी, also spelt Sone River) is a perennial river located in central India. It originates near Amarkantak Hill in Gaurela-Pendra-Marwahi district of Chhattisgarh and finally merges with the Ganges River near Pa ...
, which flows through the district from west to east. The southern portion of the district is hilly, interspersed with fertile stream valleys. The
Rihand River
The Rihand River (also referred to as Renu, Renuka, Rend, Rer or Rehar) is a tributary of the Son River and flows through the Indian states of Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. Its old name was Renu or Renuka.
Course
The Rihand rises from Ma ...
, which rises to the south in the highlands of
Surguja district
Surguja district is a district of the Indian state of Chhattisgarh. The district is one of the oldest districts of Chhattisgarh. The headquarters of the district is Ambikapur.
The district lies in its eponymous Surguja dialectal region (where S ...
of
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prad ...
, flows north to join the Son in the center of the district. The
Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar
Rihand Dam also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is the largest dam of India by volume. The reservoir of Rihand Dam is called Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar and is India's largest artificial lake. Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam located ...
, a reservoir on the
Rihand, lies partly in the district and partly in
Madhya Pradesh
Madhya Pradesh (, ; meaning 'central province') is a state in central India. Its capital is Bhopal, and the largest city is Indore, with Jabalpur, Ujjain, Gwalior, Sagar, and Rewa being the other major cities. Madhya Pradesh is the second ...
. East of the Rihand, the
Kanhar River
The DIGALRiver is a tributary of the Son River and flows through the India states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh.
Course
The Kanhar originates at Gidha-Dhodha on the Khudia plateau in Jashpur district of Chhattisgarh. It initia ...
, which originates in
Chhattisgarh
Chhattisgarh (, ) is a landlocked state in Central India. It is the ninth largest state by area, and with a population of roughly 30 million, the seventeenth most populous. It borders seven states – Uttar Pradesh to the north, Madhya Prad ...
, flows north to join the Son.
The district has historic, cultural, and ecological affinities with the
Bagelkhand
Bagelkhand or Baghelkhand is a proposed state and a mountain range in central India that covers the northeastern regions of Madhya Pradesh and a small area of southeastern Uttar Pradesh.
History
Dahala
Baghelkhand was known as Dahala 6th–1 ...
region.
Robertsganj
Robertsganj ( hi, script=Latn, राॅबर्ट्सगंज, rŏbartsganj) also known as Sonbhadra City ( hi, script=Latn, sōnbhadra nagar) is a city and a municipal board in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ro ...
is the district headquarters.
Climate
Sonbhadra has a relatively subtropical climate with high variation between summer and winter temperatures. The average temperature is in the summer and in the winter. The weather is pleasant in rainy season from July to October.
Ecology
The portion of the district north of the Son River lies in the
Lower Gangetic plains moist deciduous forests ecoregion. The portion south of the Son lies in the
Chhota Nagpur dry deciduous forests ecoregion.
Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary lies mostly within the district, reaching generally east and west along the spine of the Kaimur Range, and extending to the Son River at its eastern end.
Economy
The district has many electrical power stations around
Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar
Rihand Dam also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is the largest dam of India by volume. The reservoir of Rihand Dam is called Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar and is India's largest artificial lake. Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam located ...
.
NTPC has two coal-based thermal power plants, being
Singrauli Super Thermal Power Station at
Shaktinagar and
Rihand Thermal Power Station at Rihand Nagar. Other power stations are at
Anpara (
UPRVUNL),
Obra (UPRVUNL),
Renusagar (
Hindalco
Hindalco Industries Limited an Indian aluminium and copper manufacturing company, is a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla Group. Its headquarters are at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
The company has annual sales of 25 billion and employs around 20,00 ...
) and
Pipri-Hydro (UPRVUNL).
Northern Coalfields (a branch of
Coal India Limited) has its headquarters and many coal mines in this region.
Hindalco
Hindalco Industries Limited an Indian aluminium and copper manufacturing company, is a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla Group. Its headquarters are at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
The company has annual sales of 25 billion and employs around 20,00 ...
has a major aluminium plant at Renukut. Owing to the limestone hills, initially one cement factory was established at Churk in 1956. Another cement factory started at Dala in 1971, with an ancillary unit at Chunar from 1980. A big dam constructed at
Pipri in 1961 is named
Rihand Dam
Rihand Dam also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is the largest dam of India by volume. The reservoir of Rihand Dam is called Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar and is India's largest artificial lake. Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam located a ...
; another small dam was constructed at Obra in 1968.
The
Birla group set up an aluminum plant at Renukut. The company set up its own power plant at Renusagar in 1967 and started a company in Renukut called HiTech Carbon. Another industrial group initiated a company in Renukut named Grasim Industries Limited, which produces chemicals and later it started own power plant at Renukut in 1998.
In 2006 the
Ministry of Panchayati Raj
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj is a branch of the Government of India. Ministry of Panchayati Raj looks into all matters relating to the Panchayati Raj and Panchayati Raj Institutions. It was created in May 2004. The ministry is headed by a ...
named Sonbhadra one of the country's 250
most backward districts (out of a total of
640).
[ It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).]
Tourist attraction
Historical places
*Vijaygarh Fort
Vijaygarh Fort (Hindi :विजयगढ़ किला) is a ruined fort located 30 km from Robertsganj in south east direc in Mau Kalan village on Robertsganj-Churk road, in the Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh India.
History
Last ru ...
* Agori Fort
* Veer Lorik Patthar
*Cave Paintings of Son
A son is a male offspring; a boy or a man in relation to his parents. The female counterpart is a daughter. From a biological perspective, a son constitutes a first degree relative.
Social issues
In pre-industrial societies and some curren ...
and Belan Valley, Sonbhadra
Nature
* Salkhan Fossil Park
* Mukkha Fall
*Son View Point
{{Infobox park
, name = Son View Point
, alt_name = Eco Point Robertsganj
, photo =File:Eco point Robertsganj.jpg
, photo_width = 256
, photo_caption = Son View Point in Robertsganj
, photo_alt =
, map =Uttar Pradesh
, map_width =
, m ...
, Robertsganj
Robertsganj ( hi, script=Latn, राॅबर्ट्सगंज, rŏbartsganj) also known as Sonbhadra City ( hi, script=Latn, sōnbhadra nagar) is a city and a municipal board in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Ro ...
*Rihand Dam
Rihand Dam also known as Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar, is the largest dam of India by volume. The reservoir of Rihand Dam is called Govind Ballabh Pant Sagar and is India's largest artificial lake. Rihand Dam is a concrete gravity dam located a ...
* Dhanraul Dam
* Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary
Temples
* Shivdwar
* Renukeshwar Mahadev Temple
* Vandevi Temple
* Jwaladevi Temple, Shaktinagar
*Maa Vaishnav Shaktipeeth Dalla
*ambedkar park
Transport
By air
* Muirpur Airport at Muirpur, an operational airstrip and proposed airport, currently used by chartered and private planes near Renukut
* Varanasi International Airport in Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...
. Flights are available to all major Indian cities including Delhi
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders w ...
, Mumbai
Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the secon ...
, Kolkata
Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, comme ...
, Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...
, Agra
Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra ...
, Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
, Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
, Patna
Patna (
), historically known as Pataliputra, is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar in India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Patna had a population of 2.35 million, making it the 19th largest city in India. ...
, Khajuraho
Khajuraho () is a city, near Chhatarpur in Chhatarpur district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. One of the most popular tourist destinations in India, Khajuraho has the country's largest group of medieval Hindu and Jain temples, famous ...
, Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern Indi ...
, Gaya, etc. International connections are Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
, Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
and Kathmandu
, pushpin_map = Nepal Bagmati Province#Nepal#Asia
, coordinates =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name =
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Bagmati Prov ...
from Varanasi International Airport.
By train
*Mirzapur
Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India, 827 km from Delhi and 733 km from Kolkata, almost 91 km from Prayagraj (formally known as Allahabad) and 61 km from Varanasi. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the folk ...
Railway Station
* Sonbhadra Railway Station
* Chopan Railway station
* Obra Railway station
*Renukoot
Renukoot is a city and a nagar panchayat in Sonbhadra district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Renukoot is 68 km south from the district headquarters Robertsgan
Renukoot is an industrial town. It is well known for the Hindalco a ...
Railway station near Rihand Dam
* Anpara Railway station
* Singrauli Railway station
* Shaktinagar Railway station
*Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
*
*
*
* The city has a syncretic t ...
Railway station
* Dudhi Railway station
The city is connected by rail to Delhi, Allahabad, Ranchi and Patna. Some notable trains passing through the district are Muri express (Jammu Tawi - Delhi - Tata Nagar), Jharkhand Swarna Jayanti Express/12873(Hatia - Kanpur - Delhi), Triveni Express (Bareilly - Lucknow - Shaktinagar/Singrauli/barwadih) Bhopal Express (Bhopal-Howrah) weekly and Shaktipunj Express/11448(Howrah-Bokaro - Chopan- Jabalpur). Intercity Express/03346 (Singrauli- Chopan-Varanasi).
By road
Robertsganj, the headquarters of Sonbhadra, is located about from the city of Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
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* The city has a syncretic t ...
which has the nearest airport. Robertsganj is well connected to Lucknow
Lucknow (, ) is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is also the second largest urban agglomeration in Uttar Pradesh. Lucknow is the administrative headquarters of the eponymous district and divis ...
, Allahabad
Allahabad (), officially known as Prayagraj, also known as Ilahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi (Benares). It is the administra ...
, Varanasi
Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.
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* The city has a syncretic t ...
, Mirzapur
Mirzapur () is a city in Uttar Pradesh, India, 827 km from Delhi and 733 km from Kolkata, almost 91 km from Prayagraj (formally known as Allahabad) and 61 km from Varanasi. It is known for its carpets and brassware industries, and the folk ...
, Gorakhpur
Gorakhpur is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the Rapti river in the Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometers east of the state capital Lucknow. It is the administrative headquarters of Gorakhpur dis ...
, Faizabad, Ambikapur Sasaram
Sasaram ()sometimes also spelled as Sahasram, is an ancient historical city and a municipal corporation region in the Rohtas district of the Bihar state in eastern India, with a history that goes to thousands of years. During the prehistoric ...
& Garhwa
Garhwa is a town and a municipality in, and headquarters of, Garhwa district in the state of Jharkhand, India. Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Bihar are nearby states. Garhwa Road (Rehla) is a major Railway Junction where thousands of passenger ...
by road. Buses are available at all hours of the day from Varanasi and it normally takes hours to cover the distance. The highway connecting Varanasi and Waidhan passes through the district. Though this is not a national highway it is a very busy road because of the towns Dalla, Renukot, Anpara, Shaktinagar which are sufficiently commercialized areas. National Thermal Power corporation is in Shaktinagar and also National Coalfield different projects like Singrauli, Khadia, Jayant, Dudhichua, amlori, Kakri etc. These areas have several major coal mines which cater a big part of the coal need of the state. Churk
Churk Ghurma is a town and a nagar panchayat in Sonbhadra district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.
Demographics
India census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the membe ...
a nearby town is situated around , where Jaypee Group
Jaiprakash Associates Limited, commonly known as Jaypee Group, is an Indian conglomerate company based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, India. It has business interests in engineering, construction, power, cement, real estate, hospitality, IT, spor ...
is establishing a thermal power project. One of the main reasons this road is always busy is due to daily transport of around 1000 trucks of grits and sand.
Demographics
According to the 2011 census Sonbhadra district has a population
Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...
of 1,862,559, of which male and female were 971,344 and 891,215 respectively. roughly equal to the nation of Kosovo
Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a international recognition of Kosovo, partiall ...
or the US state of West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the ...
. This gives it a ranking of 254th in India (out of a total of 640).[ The district has a population density of .][ Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 27.27%. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 22.64% and 20.67% of the population respectively.][
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Sex ratio and child population
Sonbhadra has a sex ratio
The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species dev ...
of 996 females for every 1000 males.
In census enumeration, data regarding child undeg age six were also collected for districts Sonbhadra. There were total 323,092 children under age six against 302,834 of 2001 census. Of total 323,092 male and female were 167,870 and 155,222 respectively. Child sex ratio as per census 2011 was 925 compared to 956 of census 2001. In 2011, children under age six formed 17.35 percent of Sonbhadra District compared to 20.69 percent of 2001. There was net change of -3.34 percent in this compared to previous census.[
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Literacy rate
literacy rate
Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, huma ...
of 64%. Male and female literacy were 74.92% and 52.14% respectively. Total literate in Sonbhadra District were 985,708 of which male and female were 601,988 and 383,720 respectively.[
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Language
At the time of the 2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Informatio ...
, 83.91% of the population in the district spoke Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
and 14.57% spoke Bhojpuri
Bhojpuri (;[Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries](_blank)
, Oxford U ...
as their first language. Around 5,000 people in the district speak Gondi and 1,800 Kurukh, both tribal languages.
Sonbhadra District urban population
Out of the total Sonbhadra population for 2011 census, 16.88 percent lives in urban regions of district. In total 314,342 people lives in urban areas of which males are 167,999 and females are 146,343. Sex Ratio in urban region of Sonbhadra district is 871 as per 2011 census data. Similarly child sex ratio in Sonbhadra district was 868 in 2011 census. Child population (0-6) in urban region was 38,169 of which males and females were 20,434 and 17,735. This child population figure of Sonbhadra district is 12.16% of total urban population.there are 11.7% urban people belong to scheduled casts and 3.2% urban people belong to scheduled tribes.
Average literacy rate in Sonbhadra Urban as per census 2011 is 84.31% of which males and females are 90.73% and 76.93% literates respectively.
Notable people
Politicians
*Ram Shakal
Ram Shakal is an Indian politician. He is a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha the upper house of the Parliament of India. He was elected to the Lok Sabha the lower house of Indian Parliament from Robertsganj in Uttar Pradesh in 1996, 1998 ...
* Lalchandra
* Bhai Lal
* Chhotelal
*Pakaudi Lal Kol
Pakaudi Lal Kol is an Indian politician and was member of the 15th and 17th Lok Sabha. He represented the Robertsganj parliamentary constituency of Uttar Pradesh.
Career
He has joined Apna Dal (Sonelal) on 27 March 2019 & is contesting the 1 ...
Artists
* Vivek Mushran Bollywood actor
*Anurag Kashyap
Anurag Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian filmmaker and actor known for his works in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of several accolades, including four Filmfare Awards. For his contributions to film, the Government of France awa ...
Film director
*Abhinav Kashyap
Abhinav Singh Kashyap (born 6 September 1974) is an Indian director, writer and actor who works predominantly in Hindi Cinema. He is the younger brother of noted director Anurag Kashyap. He is best known for directing and co writing ''Dabangg ...
Film director
* Saumya Mishra Indian Idol season 9 contestant (Singer)
* Vartika Jha Dancer, Choreographer and Actress, second runner up of Dance Plus (season 4)
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sonbhadra District
Coal mining districts in India
Districts of Uttar Pradesh