Among the species present are the endangered Egyptian vulture
The Egyptian vulture (''Neophron percnopterus''), also called the white scavenger vulture or pharaoh's chicken, is a small Old World vulture in the monotypic genus ''Neophron''. It is widely distributed from the Iberian Peninsula, North Africa ...
and Pallas's fish eagle, as well as the vulnerable
lesser adjutant and
woolly-necked stork.
Additionally, the sanctuary is home to larger mammals including the
golden jackal
The golden jackal (''Canis aureus''), also called the common jackal, is a wolf-like canid that is native to Eurasia. The golden jackal's coat varies in color from a pale creamy yellow in summer to a dark tawny beige in winter. It is smaller a ...
and the
jungle cat
The jungle cat (''Felis chaus''), also called reed cat and swamp cat, is a medium-sized cat native from the Eastern Mediterranean region and the Caucasus to parts of Central, South and Southeast Asia. It inhabits foremost wetlands like swamps, ...
.
Nawabganj hosts a large annual fair at the end of
Chait
Chait, also transliterated as Khait, is a Jewish family name, from Hebrew , “tailor
A tailor is a person who makes or alters clothing, particularly in men's clothing. The Oxford English Dictionary dates the term to the thirteenth century. ...
in honour of the goddesses
Durga Devi
Durga (, ) is a major Hinduism, Hindu Devi, goddess, worshipped as a principal aspect of the mother goddess Mahadevi. She is associated with protection, strength, motherhood, destruction, and wars.
Durga's legend centres around combating ev ...
and
Kusahri Devi.
The fair is one of the largest in the district, drawing visitors from
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
Kanpur
Kanpur (Hindustani language, Hindustani: ), originally named Kanhapur and formerly anglicized as Cawnpore, is the second largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Uttar Pradesh after Lucknow. It was the primary ...
.
The Durga temple is in Nawabganj, while the Kusahri temple is in the neighbouring village of
Kusumbhi to the north.
Major products manufactured in Nawabganj include
fireworks
Fireworks are Explosive, low explosive Pyrotechnics, pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large numbe ...
,
jaggery
Jaggery is a List of unrefined sweeteners, traditional non-centrifugal cane sugar consumed in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, North America, Central America, Brazil and Africa. It is a concentrated product of Sugarcane juice, cane jui ...
, and sweets.
As of 2011, the town's population is 11,545, in 1,985 households.
History
Nawabganj was founded in 1842 by
Amin-ud-Daulah, the prime minister of
Oudh State
The Kingdom of Awadh (, , also Oudh State, Kingdom of Oudh, Awadh Subah, or Awadh State) was a Mughal subah, then an independent kingdom, and lastly a British protectorate in the Awadh region of North India until its annexation by the B ...
, who also built a
sarai and mosque here.
Naubat Rai, the state's treasurer, was responsible for the construction of the tank.
Under the
Nawabs of Awadh
The Nawab of Awadh or Nawab of Oudh was the title of the rulers of Kingdom of Awadh (anglicised as Oudh) in northern India during the 18th and 19th centuries. The Nawabs of Awadh belonged to an Iranian dynasty''Encyclopædia Iranica'', R. B. B ...
, Nawabganj was the seat of a
tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a Zila (country subdivision), district including the designated populated place that ser ...
and also had a
thana
Thana means " station" or "place" in South Asian countries. The word ''thana'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''sthana'' or "sthanak", meaning "place" or "stand", which was anglicized as ''thana'' by the British.
* Thanas of Bangladesh, forme ...
, but it declined in importance after the tehsil was relocated and the population shrank as a result: it was 3,123 in 1869, but by 1891 it had fallen to 2,840.
The 1901 census recorded a population of 2,789, including a Muslim minority of about one-sixth of the total.
Demographics
According to the
2011 census, Nawabganj has a population of 11,545 people, in 1,985 households.
The town's
sex ratio
A sex ratio is 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. However, many species deviate from an even sex ratio, ei ...
is 934 females to every 1000 males; 5,968 of Nawabganj's residents are male (51.7%) and 5,577 are female (48.3%).
The 0-6 age group makes up about 12.7% of the town's population; among this group, the sex ratio is 964, which is higher than the district urban average of 903.
Members of
Scheduled Castes make up 23.55% of the town's population and members of
Scheduled Tribes make up 1.22%.
The proportion of scheduled tribes in Nawabganj is the highest among towns in Unnao district.
The town's
literacy rate
Literacy is the ability to read and write, while illiteracy refers to an inability to read and write. Some researchers suggest that the study of "literacy" as a concept can be divided into two periods: the period before 1950, when literacy was ...
was 70.6% (counting only people age 7 and up); literacy was higher among men and boys (75.2%) than among women and girls (65.6%).
The corresponding gap of 17.3% was the highest among towns in the district.
The scheduled castes literacy rate is 57.2% (63.5% among men and boys, and 50.7% among women and girls).
In terms of employment, 25.2% of Nawabganj residents were classified as main workers (i.e. people employed for at least 6 months per year) in 2011.
Marginal workers (i.e. people employed for less than 6 months per year) made up 3.1%, and the remaining 71.7% were non-workers.
Employment status varied substantially according to gender, with 49.8% of men being either main or marginal workers, compared to only 5.3% of women.
Transport
The train station is at the nearby village of
Kusambi, 1.5 km
north of Nawabganj.
There are 7.4 km of roads in the town, and it is connected by bus routes with other towns.
Communications
Nawabganj's
PIN code is 209859 and its postal head office is Nawabganj (Unnao).
Tourism
Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary, a bird sanctuary (chandra shekhar azad) and nature reserve, is located near the town. Shri Durga Mata temple is located in the town. Shri Kushahari Mata temple is 3 k.m. away from the town near kusumbhi railway station.
Villages
Nawabganj CD block has the following 124 villages:
References
{{Unnao district
Cities and towns in Unnao district