Azamgarh is a city in the Indian

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

. It is the headquarters of

Azamgarh division Azamgarh division is one of the 18 administrative geographical units (i.e. division) of the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was formed on 15 November 1994 after being separated from Gorakhpur division and Varanasi division, with Az ...

, which consists of

Ballia Ballia is a city with a municipal board in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The eastern boundary of the city lies at the junction of two major rivers, the Ganges and the Ghaghara. The city is situated east of Varanasi and about 380 k ...

Mau Mau may refer to: Places Brazil * Maú River, an alternate name for the Ireng River Kenya * Mau Escarpment * Mau Forest India * Mau, Bhind, a town in Madhya Pradesh * Mau, Mawal, Pune district, Marahrashtra * Mau, Punjab, a village ...

and

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 ...

districts. Azamgarh is situated on the bank of

Tamsa River The Tamsa River or the Tons River is a major tributary of the Ganges flowing through the Indian states of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Course The Tamsa rises in a tank at Tamakund in the Kaimur Range at an elevation of in the Maihar di ...

(Tons). It is located east of the state capital

Lucknow Lucknow () is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the largest city of the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and it is the administrative headquarters of the epon ...

and 809 km from the national capital,

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, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

History

Azamgarh, one of the easternmost districts (a district in

Purvanchal Purvanchal () is the region of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Purvanchal is also a proposed state in India, encompassing 32 eastern districts of Uttar Pradesh. The proposal, introduced in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly in 2011 by then Chief ...

sub-region) of

, once part of the ancient

Kosala Kosala, sometimes referred to as Uttara Kosala () was one of the Mahajanapadas of ancient India. It emerged as a small state during the Late Vedic period and became (along with Magadha) one of the earliest states to transition from a lineage ...

kingdom, except its north-eastern part. Azamgarh is also known as the land of the sage Durvasa whose ashram was located in Phulpur tehsil, near the confluence of Tamsa and Majhuee rivers, north of the Phulpur. The district is named after its headquarters town, Azamgarh, which was founded in 1665 by Azam, son of Vikramajit. Vikramajit was a descendant of

Gautam Rajput The Gautam is a Rajput clan found primarily in North India. The members of this clan claim to be descended from clan of Gautam budhha. They are primarily found in the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, along with Rajast ...

s of Mehnagar in Pargana Nizamabad who like some of his predecessors had embraced Islam. He had two sons, Azam and Azmat. While Azam gave his name to the town of Azamgarh, and the fort, Azmat constructed the fort and settled the bazaar of

Azmatgarh Azmatgarh is a town and a nagar panchayat in Azamgarh district in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Schools in Azmatgarh Children Public School is situated near Goga Bhikhi Chowk AzmatgarhChildren Public School was established in 2000.The sch ...

pargana Sagri. After the attack of Chabile Ram, Azmat Khan fled northwards followed by the interior forces. He attempted to cross the

Ghaghra Ghaghra is a census town in the Ghaghra CD block in the Gumla subdivision of the Gumla district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. Geography Location Ghaghra is located at Area overview The map alongside presents ...

into

Gorakhpur Gorakhpur is a city in the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the West Rapti River, Rapti river in the Purvanchal , Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometres east of ...

, but the people on the other side opposed his landing, and he was either shot in mid stream or was drowned in attempting to escape by swimming. In 1688 A.D. during Azmat's lifetime, his eldest son Ekram took part in the management of the state, and after Azam's death he was perhaps left in possession together with Mohhabat, another son. The remaining two sons were taken away and for a time detained as hostages for their brothers' 'good behaviour'. The successor of Ikram finally confirmed the title of his family to the Jamidari. Ikram left no heirs and was succeeded by Iradat, son of Mohhabat. But the real ruler all along had been Mohhabat, and after Ikram's death, he continued to rule in his son's name.

Geography

Azamgarh has an average elevation of 64 metres (209 feet). 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. The soil is fertile, and very highly cultivated, bearing good crops of rice, sugarcane, and wheat and orchards of mango and guava. Maize, gram, corn, mustard are other major crops.

Climate

Azamgarh experiences a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Cwa'') with large variations between summer and winter temperatures. Summers are long, from early April to October with intervening monsoon seasons, and are also extremely hot, even by South Asian standards. The temperature ranges between in the summers. Winters in Azamgarh see very large diurnal variations, with warm days and downright cold nights. Cold waves from the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

n region cause temperatures to dip across the city in the winter from December to February and temperatures below are not uncommon. The average annual rainfall is . Fog is common in the winters, while hot dry winds, called loo, blow in the summers. In recent years, the water level of the Tamsa has decreased significantly.

Demographics

As per the 2011 census, Azamgarh urban agglomeration had a population of 110,983, out of which males were 57,878 and females were 53,105.

Literacy

The average literacy rate of Azamgarh town in 2011 was 70.93%, compared to 56.95% in 2001. Male and female literacy were 81.34% and 60.91% respectively. For the 2001 census, in

Azamgarh district 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, a son of Vikramajit, founded the town in 1665. Vikramajit ...

, the corresponding figures were 71.04% and 43.40%.

Religion

Languages

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 45.22% of the population recorded

Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...

as their first language, while 37.46% recorded

Bhojpuri Bhojpuri may refer to: * Bhojpuri language, an Indo-Aryan language of India and Nepal * Bhojpuri grammar, grammatical rules of the language * Bhojpuri nouns, nouns of the language * Bhojpuri people, people who speak the language * Bhojpuri region ...

and 16.99%

Urdu Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...

Transport

Road

Azamgarh is connected with Lucknow and Delhi by road. It has one of the biggest bus depots in eastern Uttar Pradesh and regular bus services to almost all district headquarters of Uttar Pradesh and also to Delhi. A new highway called the 'Purvanchal Expressway' was built in 2021 to directly connect Azamgarh with Lucknow and other important cities.

Train

11054 Azamgarh Mumbai LTT Weekly Express - AC 2 tier

Azamgarh station is one of the most important of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Azamgarh is directly connected to Delhi by Kaifiyat Express, to Mumbai by Mumbai LTT – Azamgarh Weekly Express, Godaan express, to Ahmedabad, the state capital Lucknow, Jaipur, Ajmer, and Amritsar, to Kolkata by KOAA AMH Express (13137).

Air

Azamgarh has a new airport

Azamgarh Airport Azamgarh Airport is a domestic airport at Manduri Village outside of Azamgarh city, near Kuan Devchand Patti, in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is being developed by upgrade of the existing government airstrip. The existing airstrip ca ...

, from the city centre. It was inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 10 March 2024. The domestic airport became operational the following day.

FlyBig flybig is an Indian regional airline based in Gurugram, Haryana. It is promoted by Gurugram-based Big Charter Private Limited. The airline began operations in December 2020 and is focused on connecting tier-2 cities within India. The airline i ...

regulates the regular flights to Lucknow.

Education

Azamgarh has a number of educational institutions ranging from basic educational institutions to the higher institution. There are a number of ITIs, Polytechnics, Nursing Schools, and medical college. Notable institutions include: * Azamgarh State University, established in 2019. * Government Medical College and Super Facility Hospital, Azamgarh is a state medical college located at Chakrapanpur, Azamgarh. * Rajkiya Engineering College, Azamgarh is a government engineering college and a constituent college of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (formerly Uttar Pradesh Technical University). * Shibli National College offers graduate and postgraduate courses in Azamgarh. It is a well known institution established in 1883 by Shibli Nomani, an Islamic scholar from Indian subcontinent during British Raj.

Media

FM

* Voice Of Azamgarh (90.8) Community Radio. * Air Vividh Bharti (102.2) which Broadcast from Mau & Covers

city too. *Half Lemon Radio (90.4)

Notable people

Azmi is a common toponymic surname among Indian Muslims from Azamgarh. *

Iqbal Abdulla Sayed Iqbal Abdulla (born 2 December 1989) is an Indian cricketer who bowls orthodox spin and is a left-handed lower order batsmen. He plays for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, and used to play for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Pr ...

(born 1989), Indian cricketer *

Abdul Haq Azmi Abdul Haq Azmi (1928 – 30 December 2016) was an Indian Islamic scholar who was a senior professor of hadith at the Darul Uloom Deoband. He was an alumnus of Darul Uloom Mau and Darul Uloom Deoband. Biography Abdul Haq Azmi was born in 1928 in ...

(1928–2016), Indian Islamic scholar, cousin-uncle of Rana Ayyub *

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 ...

(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 h ...

(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 Tanvi Azmi is an Indian film and television actress. She is known for her roles in '' Akele Hum Akele Tum'' (1995), ''Bajirao Mastani'' (2015), '' Thappad'' (2020) and ''Tribhanga'' (2021). Early life and career She was born to Marathi-Hindi ...

* 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, Uttar Pradesh Lok Sabha constituency in 2004 and Kheri (Lok Sabha constituency) in 2009 for the ...

(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 participa ...

(1919–2002) was an Indian Urdu poet, husband of

Shaukat Azmi Shaukat Kaifi (21 October 1926 – 22 November 2019), also credited as Shaukat Azmi, was an Indian theater and film actress. Her husband was the Urdu poet and film lyricist, Kaifi Azmi. The couple were leading lights of the Indian People's Th ...

and father of

Shabana Azmi Shabana Azmi (born 18 September 1950) is an Indian actress of film, television and theatre. Her career in the Hindi cinema, Hindi film industry has spanned Shabana Azmi filmography, over 160 films, mostly within independent and neorealist paral ...

and

Baba Azmi Sayyid Baba Azmi is an Indian film cinematographer and member of the Akhtar-Azmi film family.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 Muhammad Mustafa Al-A'zami (; 1930 – 20 December 2017) was an Indian Saudis, Indian-born Saudi Arabian contemporary hadith scholar best known for his critical investigation of the theories of fellow Islamic scholars Ignác Goldziher, David Mar ...

(1930–2017), Indian Islamic scholar of hadith *

Mushtaq Ahmed Azmi Mushtaq Ahmed Azmi (1 June 1919 – 12 July 2011), was a mass literacy expert. He was one of the first non-officials to be associated with the development of Adult Education program in India from the early 1950s, and was an early leader of the m ...

(1919–2011), Indian adult educationist and UNESCO official *

Obaidullah Khan Azmi Obaidullah Khan Azmi is an Indian Politician and Islamic scholar belonging to the sunni movement of Islam. He joined Janata Dal (Secular) on 13 March 2023.

(born 1949), Indian politician, MP of Rajya Sabha *

Seema Azmi Seema Azmi (also known as "Seema") is an Indian film and theatre actress. Biography Seema Azmi was born in Guwahati, Assam, India, with Azamgarh origin, and was brought up in Delhi where she completed her schooling and graduated from Delhi ...

, Indian actress of film and stage *

Shahid Azmi Shahid Azmi (1977 – 11 February 2010) was an Indian lawyer and human rights activist. He is occasionally referred to as ''"Shaheed Shahid Azmi"'' – ''"The Martyr Shahid Azmi"'' – because he was assassinated. Azmi was accused of crime at a ...

(1977–2010), Indian human rights lawyer *

Shakeel Azmi Shakeel Azmi (born 20 April, 1971) is an Indian lyricist and poet. Born in Azamgarh, India, he writes in Urdu language and is primarily known for his contribution as a film lyricist in Bollywood. Most of his poetry revolves around ghazals, a g ...

(born 1971), Indian Urdu lyricist and poet * Waqar Azmi (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, or simply the Congress, is a political parties in India, political party in India with deep roots in most regions of India. Founded on 28 December 1885, it was the first mo ...

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 th ...

(born 1946), Indian Islamic scholar *

Mirza Aslam Beg Mirza Aslam Beg (born 15 February 1928), also known as M. A. Beg, is a retired Pakistani four-star rank general who served as the third Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army from 1988 until his retirement in 1991. His appointment as chief ...

(born 1931), former Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan * Praveen Dubey (born 1993), Indian cricketer *

Amin Ahsan Islahi Amin Ahsan Islahi (; 1904 – 15 December 1997), was a Pakistani Islamic scholar best known for his Urdu exegesis of the Quran, '' Tadabbur-i-Quran'' ("Pondering on the Quran"), which he based on Hamiduddin Farahi's (1863 – 1930), id ...

(1904–1997), Pakistani Islamic scholar, famous for his Urdu exegeses of Quran, ''

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'' * Sadruddin Islahi (1917 - 1998) was an Indian Islamic Urdu writer and a close companion of Abul A'la Maududi. He was one of the early members of Jamat e Islami. * Frank F Islam, American entrepreneur, civic leader and writer. General Trustee of the Board of Trustees of the

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in 2013 *

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 ...

(1925-2021), Islamic scholar and peace activist. * Kanhaiya Lal Misra (1903–1975), Indian lawyer and independence activist, Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh from 1952 to 1969 * Saeed-ur-Rahman Azmi Nadvi (born 1934), Indian Islamic scholar *

Shibli Nomani Shibli Nomani (4 June 1857 – 18 November 1914) was an Indian Islamic scholar, poet, philosopher, historian, educational thinker, author, orator, reformer and critic of orientalists during the British Raj. He is regarded as the father of Urdu ...

(1857–1914) Indian Islamic scholar, historian, educationist and social reformer *

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 Nation ...

, Indian scientist, founder-director National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research *

Shaukat Hussain Rizvi Syed Shaukat Hussain Rizvi (1914 – 19 August 1999) was a Pakistani actor, film producer and director. He is widely considered to be a pioneer of the Pakistani film industry. Early life and career Shaukat Hussain Rizvi was born in the city of ...

, filmmaker in India and Pakistan * Ahmad Salahuddin (1937-1996), Indian

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

, Founder Director of Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit at AMU in 1984. *

Rahul Sankrityayan Rahul Sankrityayan (born Kedarnath Pandey; 9 April 1893 – 14 April 1963) was an Indian author, essayist, playwright, historian, and scholar of Buddhism who wrote in Hindi and Bhojpuri. Known as the "father of Hindi travel literature", Sankrit ...

(1893–1963), Indian writer, known as the father of Hindi travelogue * Amar Singh (1956–2020), Indian politician former MP * Gajendra Singh, Indian television producer *

Prakash Singh Prakash Singh is a retired Indian Police Service officer, who rose to the highest rank of Director General of Police (DGP). He has served as Chief of the Border Security Force (BSF), Uttar Pradesh Police and Assam Police. He is considered one ...

, Indian Police Service officer, who rose to the highest rank of Director General of Police (DGP). * Vinod K. Singh (born 1959), Indian chemist, director

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal (IISERB or IISER Bhopal) is a prestigious autonomous research institute A research institute, research centre, or research organization is an establishment founded for doing researc ...

, professor

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* Iqbal Suhail (1884–1955), Indian Urdu poet"The Azamgarh you don't know"; within Saikat Datta and Sharat Pradhan, "A place and its negative", ''Outlook'', 6 October 2008, p.34. at Google Books. * Ayodhya Prasad Upadhyay (1865–1947), Indian writer, essayist, scholar, poet in Hindi *

Ram Naresh Yadav Ram Naresh Yadav (1 July 1928 – 22 November 2016) was an Indian politician who was Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1977 to 1979. He was from Janata Party; later he joined the Congress. He served as Deputy Chief Minister under the Babu Ban ...

(1928–2016) Indian politician, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1977 to 1979 * Ramakant Yadav (born 1957), Indian politician, MP of Lok Sabha

Notes

References

External links

Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections

Azamgarh Assembly Elections

District Website
{{Authority control Cities and towns in Azamgarh district Populated places established in 1665 1665 establishments in India Cities in Uttar Pradesh