Azamgarh district is one of the three districts of Azamgarh division in the

Indian state India is a federal union comprising 28 states and 8 union territories, with a total of 36 entities. The states and union territories are further subdivided into districts and smaller administrative divisions. History Pre-indepen ...

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 ...

Etymology

The district is named after its headquarters town,

Azamgarh Azamgarh is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Azamgarh division, which consists of Ballia, Mau and Azamgarh districts. Azamgarh is situated on the bank of Tamsa River (Tons). It is located east of the s ...

. Azam, a son of Vikramajit, founded the town in 1665. Vikramajit, a descendant of Gautam of Mehnagar in pargana Nizamabad, had embraced the faith of

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God (or '' Allah'') as it was revealed to Muhammad, the ...

. He had two sons, namely, Azam and Azmat. It is also known as land of the sage

Durvasa In Hindu scriptures, Durvasa ( sa, दुर्वासा, ) also known as Durvasas ( Sanskrit: दुर्वासस्), is a legendary rishi (sage). He is the son of Anasuya and Atri. According to some Puranas, Durvasa is a partial avat ...

whose ashram was located in Phulpur sub-district, near the confluence of Tons and Majhuee river, north from the Phulpur sub-district headquarters.

History

Towards the end of the 16th century, a

Gautam Rajput The Gautam Rajputs is a Rajput clan found in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Jodha Singh Attaiya a great chieftain during Indian rebellion of 1857 also belongs to this ancient clan. History Some people fought ...

from Azamgarh district was assimilated into the Mughal court at

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 ...

, where he had gone in search of greater influence. His mission was a success, with the royal court eventually awarding him 22

pargana Pargana ( bn, পরগনা, , hi, परगना, ur, پرگنہ) or parganah, also spelt pergunnah during the time of the Sultanate period, Mughal times and British Raj, is a former administrative unit of the Indian subcontinent and each ...

s in the Azamgarh region that marked the establishment of a family line which culminated in his descendants becoming

raja ''Raja'' (; from , IAST ') is a royal title used for South Asian monarchs. The title is equivalent to king or princely ruler in South Asia and Southeast Asia. The title has a long history in South Asia and Southeast Asia, being attested ...

s of the area. This was a typical route whereby relatively obscure lineages rose to prominence.

Colonial era

The district was ceded to the British in 1801 by the wazirs of

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 ...

. 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 Faizabad (Hindustani pronunciation: ɛːzaːbaːd is a city situated near the southern banks of Saryu river in Ayodhya district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The area of this Faizabad region is administered by Ayodhya Municipal Corpo ...

. The district became a centre of the fighting between the

Gurkha The Gurkhas or Gorkhas (), with endonym Gorkhali ), are soldiers native to the Indian subcontinent, Indian Subcontinent, chiefly residing within Nepal and some parts of Northeast India. The Gurkha units are composed of Nepalis and Indian Go ...

s 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. Later, residents of Azamgarh participated in various national movements including the Civil Disobedience Movement and the Quit India Movement in 1942. The historian, social reformer, nationalist Mahapandit Rahul Sankrityayan was born in Kanaila village in this district.

Geography

Azamgarh district has an area of . The district lies between the

Ganges The Ganges ( ) (in India: Ganga ( ); in Bangladesh: Padma ( )). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international river to which India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China are the riparian states." is ...

and the Ghagahara. Azamgarh district is surrounded by the districts of Mau in the east,

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 ...

in the north, Ghazipur in the south-east, Jaunpur in the south-west, Sultanpur in the west and

Ambedkar Nagar Ambedkar Nagar is a district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This district is a part of Faizabad division (officially ''Ayodhya division'') in the Awadh region of the state. This district was established on 29 September 1995 by carvin ...

in the north-west. The slope of the land is from northwest to southeast. Roughly speaking, the district consists of a series of parallel ridges, whose summits are depressed into beds or hollows, along which the rivers flow; while between the ridges are low-lying rice lands, interspersed with numerous natural reservoirs. 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.

Education

Colleges

Government Medical College, Azamgarh Government Medical College and Super Facility Hospital, Azamgarh is a state-run medical college located in Chakrapanpur of Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh. The college has guidance and mentorship of Baba Raghav Das Medical College, Gorakhpur. History ...

is a state medical college located at Chakrapanpur,

. * Government Engineering College, Azamgarh is a constituent college of

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (AKTU), before 2015 as the Uttar Pradesh Technical University (UPTU), is a public collegiate university in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was established as the Uttar Pradesh Technical University ...

(formerly Uttar Pradesh Technical University) and has its campus at

Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology Madan Mohan Malaviya University of Technology (MMMUT) is a university in Gorakhpur. It was established in 2013 by upgrading Madan Mohan Malaviya Engineering College (MMMEC) into a university. . History MMMUT has its roots with Madan Mohan M ...

. *

Shibli National College, Azamgarh Shibli National College is an educational institution in Azamgarh of Uttar Pradesh state in India. It was originally established by historian, educationist and social reformer Allama Shibli Nomani in 1883 as National School. Shibli was a gre ...

located at Azamgarh District . It is affiliated to Veer Bahadur Singh Purvanchal University. Jaunpur

Important places in Azamgarh district

According to the district's official website, the nine important places in Azamgarh district are:- * Azamgarh City * Nizamabad * Maharajganj *

Mubarakpur Mubarakpur is a town and a municipal board in Azamgarh district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located at a distance of 13 km north-east of the district headquarters in Azamgarh. Geography Mubarakpur is located at . It has a ...

* Mehnagar *

* Dattatreya * Govindsahab *

Avantikapuri Awantikapuri is a place in Azamgarh district which is now known as Avak, situated just 20 kilometres from the Azamgarh railway Station. It is known for its historical importance. It is situated in the Mohammadpur development block. Tradition say ...

(Awank)

Economy

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 Azamgarh 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).

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Azamgarh 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 4,613,913, This gives it a ranking of 30th 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 17.11%. Azamgarh 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 1019

females Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction. A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...

for every 1000 males, and a

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 72.69%. Scheduled Castes made up 25.39% of the population. Azamgarh district's total population was 3,939,916 as per 2001 census with population density of . 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%.

Languages

The official language is

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 additional official is

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri (;Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries
, Oxford U ...

is the native language of Azamgarh. The Bhojpuri variant of Kaithi is the indigenous script of Bhojpuri 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 ...

, 55.58% of the population in the district spoke

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri (;Bhojpuri entry, Oxford Dictionaries
, Oxford U ...

, 35.28%

and 8.21%

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Local media

Mostly all major English, Hindi and Urdu dailies including

The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest s ...

Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media, an entity controlled by the KK Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia. It was founded by Sunder Singh Ly ...

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the sec ...

, Dainik Jagran,

Amar Ujala ''Amar Ujala'' is a Hindi-language daily newspaper published in India which was founded in 1948. It has 21 editions in six states and two union territories covering 180 districts. It has a circulation of around two million copies. The 2017 In ...

, Hindustan, Rashtree Sahara, Inquilab, Hausla News, Third eyes, Dainik Manasha Mail. 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

Notable people from Azamgarh district include:-
''NB This list excludes those from Azamgarh itself which are listed in that article''
Azmi is a common toponymic surname among Indian Muslims from Azamgarh. * Abdul Haq Azmi (1928–2016), Indian Islamic scholar, cousin-uncle of

Rana Ayyub Rana Ayyub is an Indian journalist and opinion columnist with ''The Washington Post''. She is author of the investigative book '' Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up''. Background and family Rana Ayyub was born in Mumbai, India. Her father M ...

Abdul Lateef Azmi Abdul Lateef Azmi (also written as Abdul Latif Azmi - 1917–2002) was an Urdu litterateur and among the close associates of the founders of Jamia Millia Islamia. He joined Jamia Millia as a student of B.A. in 1936 and served the university over 5 ...

(1917–2002), Indian Urdu writer *

Abu Azmi Abu Asim Azmi (born 8 August 1955) is a member of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He represents the Mankhurd Shivaji Nagar Constituency, Mumbai. He belongs to the Samajwadi Party. He is the President of the Maharashtra state branch of ...

(born 1955), Indian politician, MLA from Maharashtra and former Member of Rajya Sabha *

Ahmad Ali Barqi Azmi Ahmad Ali Barqi Azmi (25 December 1954 – 5 December 2022) was an Indian poet in the Urdu language. His poetic collections included ''Rooh-e-Sukhan''. Professionally, he served in the Persian service of All India Radio, New Delhi. He devoted ...

(born 1954), Indian Urdu poet * Azizullah Azmi (1929–2010), Indian politician, MP of Lok Sabha *

Baba Azmi Sayyid Baba Azmi is an Indian film cinematographer and member of the Akhtar-Azmi film family.Tanvi Azmi * Habib al-Rahman al-'Azmi (1901-1992), Indian Islamic scholar of hadith and fiqh *

Iliyas Azmi Iliyas Azmi (22 August 1934 – 4 June 2023) was an Indian politician who was a Member of Parliament from Uttar Pradesh. He represented Shahabad (Lok Sabha constituency) in 2004 and Kheri (Lok Sabha constituency) in 2009 for the Bahujan Samaj ...

(born 1934), Indian politician, MP of Lok Sabha *

Kaifi Azmi Kaifi Azmi (born Athar Husain Rizvi; 14 January 1919 – 10 May 2002) was an Indian Urdu poet. He is remembered as the one who brought Urdu literature to Indian motion pictures. Together with Pirzada Qasim, Jaun Elia and others he participat ...

(1919–2002) was an Indian Urdu poet, husband of Shaukat Azmi and father of Shabana Azmi *

Khaleel-Ur-Rehman Azmi Khaleel-Ur-Rehman Azmi (9 August 1927 – 1 June 1978), also known as Khalil al-Rehman Azmi, was an Urdu poet and literary critic who was born in the village Seedhan Sultanpur in the district of Azamgarh. Azmi's father Muhammad Shafi was a deep ...

(1927–1978), Indian Urdu poet and literary critic * Mohammed Badi Uzzaman Azmi (1939–2011), British-Pakistani television and film actor * Muhammad Mustafa Azmi (1930–2017), Indian Islamic scholar of hadith * Mushtaq Ahmed Azmi (1919–2011), Indian adult educationist and UNESCO official *

Obaidullah Khan Azmi Obaidullah Khan Azmi is an Indian Sunni Islamic politician from Indian National Congress.Seema Azmi, Indian actress of film and stage *

Shahid Azmi Shahid Azmi (1977 – 11 February 2010) was an Indian lawyer, best known for defending cases of persons accused of terrorism. Azmi was accused of crime at a young age; in 1992, aged 15, he was arrested for violence during the 1992 Bombay riots. ...

(1977–2010), Indian human rights lawyer *

Shakeel Azmi Yousuf Kamal (born 29 May 1938), better known as Shakeel Yousuf, is a Pakistani actor best known for his roles in PTV drama serial Uncle Urfi (1972), as 'Mehboob Ahmed' in PTV's Aangan Terha (1984) and as ''Taimoor Ahmad'' in Ankahi (1982). ...

(born 1971), Indian Urdu lyricist and poet *

Waqar Azmi Waqar Azmi is listed in the world's 500 most influential Muslims by Georgetown University, as well as the Asian power 100 list of the most influential Asians in the UK and, the Muslim power 100 List of the most influential Muslims in the UK. H ...

(born 1970), British-Indian civil servant * Shaikh Shamim Ahmed Azmi (1938–2019), former MLA and

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

leader from Mumbai *

Qamaruzzaman Azmi Qamaruzzaman Azmi (born 23 March 1946), also known as Allama Azmi, is an Indian Islamic scholar, philosopher and speaker. He is president of the World Islamic Mission. From 2011 to 2021, he was listed in The 500 Most Influential Muslims in the ...

(born 1946), Indian Islamic scholar * Saeed-ur-Rahman Azmi Nadvi (born 1934), Indian Islamic scholar * Mirza Aslam Beg - Chief of army staff of

Pakistan Army The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...

in 1987–1991 *

Bisram Bisram (1907–1950) was an Indian Bhojpuri-language writer, singer and poet who is known for his Biraha poems. Life He was born in 1907 in Siyarampur village near Azamgarh in Uttar Pradesh. His father's name was Vibhuti Rai. After completi ...

, Bhojpuri writer and poet * Hamiduddin Farahi - religious scholar, educationist, writer, chief administrator of Madrasatul Islah - from Fariha village * Amin Ahsan Islahi - Islamic scholar - from Bamhur village * Aslam Jairajpuri - Islamic scholar * Shamim Jairajpuri - zoologist *

Zafarul Islam Khan Zafar ul Islam Khan Ex. Chairman of Delhi Minority Commission, author and journalist based in New Delhi. He is currently editor and publisher of The Milli Gazette fortnightly focusing on issues concerning the Muslim community. He is also the fo ...

- Chairman of Delhi Minority Commission,

Author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

and

Journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...

based in New Delhi. He is currently editor and publisher of The Milli Gazette *

Wahiduddin Khan Wahiduddin Khan (1 January 1925 – 21 April 2021), known with the honorific "Maulana", was an Indian Islamic scholar and peace activist and author known for having written a commentary on the Quran and having translated it into contemporary E ...

- Indian

Islamic Scholar In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

and peace activist known for having written a commentary on the

Quran The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , ...

and having translated it into contemporary English. He has been listed in

the 500 Most Influential Muslims ''The 500 Most Influential Muslims'' (also known as ''The Muslim 500'') is an annual publication first published in 2009, which ranks the most influential Muslims in the world. The publication is compiled by the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies C ...

of the world.

Padma Bhusan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is given for "distinguished service ...

* Chhannulal Mishra - Hindustani classical singer. * Laxmi Narayan Mishra - modern Hindi dramatist *

Shibli Nomani Shibli Nomani ( ur, – ; 3 June 1857 – 18 November 1914) was an Islamic scholar from the Indian subcontinent during the British Raj. He was born at Bindwal in Azamgarh district of present-day Uttar Pradesh.Prem Chand Pandey Prem Chand Pandey is an Indian space scientist, planetary scientist, and academic in the fields of satellite oceanography, remote sensing, atmospheric science, the Antarctic and climate change, and also he is the founding director of the Natio ...

- Indian scientist and academic * Shyam Narayan Pandey - writer and poet - from Dumraon village, (now in Mau district but was in Azamgarh district at the time) *

Badri Nath Prasad Badri Nath Prasad (1899-1966) was an Indian parliamentarian. He wrote many books on mathematics and was awarded the Padma Bhushan The Padma Bhushan is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna a ...

, mathematician, founder of The Allahabad Mathematical Society * Vibhuti Narain Rai - former

IPS officer The Indian Police Service ( IPS) is a civil service under the All India Services. It replaced the Indian Imperial Police in 1948, a year after India became independent from the British Raj. Along with the Indian Administrative Service (IAS ...

and former Vice Chancellor - Mahatma Gandhi Antarrashtriya Hindi Vishwavidyalaya *

Rahul Sankrityayan Rahul Sankrityayan (born Kedarnath Pandey; 9 April 1893 – 14 April 1963) was an Indian writer and a polyglot who wrote in Hindi. He played a pivotal role in giving travelogue a 'literary form'. He was one of the most widely travelled scholars ...

- Hindi Travel writer - from Kanaila Village * Prakash Singh - DGP-Police, BSF Indian Police Reform movement (Honoured with Padma Shri Award and presidents Police Medal) * Vinod K. Singh - (

Padma Shri Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...

), director -

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research (IISERs) are a group of premier public research institutions in India. The institutes were established by the Government of India through the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHR ...

, Bhopal. * Ayodhya Prasad Upadhyay - Hindi poet - from Nizamabad * Kausar Yazdani - Islamic scholar born 1935.

Tehsil/Town in Azamgarh district

Burhanpur Burhanpur'' is a historical city in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the administrative seat of Burhanpur District. It is situated on the north bank of the Tapti River and northeast of city of Mumbai, southwest of the state's capi ...