Rampur ( ;

ISO The International Organization for Standardization (ISO ; ; ) is an independent, non-governmental, international standard development organization composed of representatives from the national standards organizations of member countries. Me ...

: ''Rāmapura''; formerly Mustafabad) is a town and the municipality headquarter of

Rampur District Rampur district is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, and Rampur town is the district headquarters. Rampur district is a part of Moradabad division. The district occupies an area of . Demographics According to the 20 ...

in the Indian state of

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 was formerly known for its various industries, like sugar refining and cotton milling. Its library has more than 12,000 rare manuscripts and a fine collection of

Mughal Mughal or Moghul may refer to: Related to the Mughal Empire * Mughal Empire of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries * Mughal dynasty * Mughal emperors * Mughal people, a social group of Central and South Asia * Mughal architecture * Mug ...

miniature paintings. It is located 322 kilometres north-west 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 ...

& approx 180 kilometres from the national capital

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

. In 2007, the

Ministry of Minority Affairs The Ministry of Minority Affairs is the ministry in the Government of India which was carved out of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment and created on 29 January 2006. It is the apex body for the central government's regulatory and ...

identified

as one of 14 'Minority Concentration' districts in the state, on the basis of the 2001 census data on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities indicators. The city is known for its Rampuri chaaku (knife).

Etymology

Originally it was a group of four villages named Kather, the name of Raja Ram Singh. The first

Nawab Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kingdom of Saxony, Kings of ...

proposed to rename the city ''Faizabad''. But many other places were known by the name Faizabad so its name was changed to Mustafabad alias Rampur.

History

As per medieval history, Rampur was the part of the

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 ...

region, and was divided between Badaun and

Sambhal Sambhal (pronounced Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, sə̃bʰəl) is a city located in the Sambhal district of Uttar Pradesh, India. The city lies approximately 158 km (98 mi) east of New Delhi and 355 km (220 mi) north-west of the state capit ...

districts. Being situated on upperside of

Rohilkhand Rohilkhand (today Bareilly, Moradabad, Badaun and Rampur; ) is a region in the northwestern part of Uttar Pradesh, India, that is centered on the Bareilly and Moradabad divisions. It is part of the upper Ganges Plain, and is named after the ...

, it was known by the name Kather and was ruled by Katheria Rajputs. The Katheria

Rajput Rājpūt (, from Sanskrit ''rājaputra'' meaning "son of a king"), also called Thākur (), is a large multi-component cluster of castes, kin bodies, and local groups, sharing social status and ideology of genealogical descent originating fro ...

s resisted external for about 400 years, fighting the sultans of Delhi and later with the

Mughals The Mughal Empire was an early modern empire in South Asia. At its peak, the empire stretched from the outer fringes of the Indus River Basin in the west, northern Afghanistan in the northwest, and Kashmir in the north, to the highlands of pre ...

. They went to repeated battles with Nasiruddin Mahmud in 1253,

Ghiyas ud din Balban Al-Sultan al-Azam Ghiyath al-Dunya Wal Din Abu'l Muzaffar Balban al-Sultan (; 1216 – 13 January 1287), more famously known as Ghiyath al-Din Balban or simply Balban, was the ninth Mamluk sultan of Delhi. He had been the regent of the last S ...

in 1256,

Jalal-ud-din Khalji Jalal-ud-Din Khalji, also known as Firuz al-Din Khalji, Jalaluddin Khilji or Firuz II ( Persian; جلال الدین خلجی c. 1220 – 19 July 1296, ) was the founder and first Sultan of the Khalji dynasty that ruled the Delhi Sultanate of ...

in 1290,

Firuz Shah Tughlaq Firuz Shah Tughlaq (1309 – 20 September 1388), also known as Firuz III, was Sultan of Delhi from 1351 until his death in 1388. He succeeded his cousin Muhammad bin Tughlaq following the latter's death at Thatta, Sindh. His father was ...

in 1379 & Sikandar Lodi in 1494. Later, in the beginning of the Mughal period, the capital of

was changed from Badaun to

Bareilly Bareilly () is a city in Bareilly district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is among the largest metropolises in Western Uttar Pradesh and is the centre of the Bareilly division as well as the historical region of Rohilkhand. The city ...

and hence the importance of Rampur increased. Flag of the Rampur State

The

Rohilla War The First Rohilla War of 1773–1774 was a punitive campaign by Shuja-ud-Daula, Nawab of Awadh on the behalf of Mughal Emperor, against the Rohillas, Indian descendants of Afghan highlanders settled in Rohilkhand, northern India. The Nawab w ...

of 1774–5 began when the Rohilla Pathans - dominant in the area - reneged on a debt they owed the

Nawab of Oudh 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 ...

for military assistance against the

Marathas The Maratha Empire, also referred to as the Maratha Confederacy, was an early modern India, early modern polity in the Indian subcontinent. It comprised the realms of the Peshwa and four major independent List of Maratha dynasties and states, Ma ...

in 1772. The

Rohilla Rohillas are a community of Pashtuns, Pashtun heritage, historically found in Rohilkhand, a region in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. It forms the largest Pashtun diaspora community in India, and has given its name to the Rohilkhand region ...

were defeated and driven from their former capital of

by the Nawab with the assistance of the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company that was founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to Indian Ocean trade, trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (South A ...

's troops lent by

Warren Hastings Warren Hastings (6 December 1732 – 22 August 1818) was a British colonial administrator, who served as the first governor of the Presidency of Fort William (Bengal), the head of the Supreme Council of Bengal, and so the first governor-gener ...

. The

State of Rampur was established by Nawab Faizullah Khan on 7 October 1774 in the presence of British Commander Colonel Champion, and remained a pliant state under British protection thereafter.

Khan laid the first stone of the new fort at Rampur and thus Rampur city was founded in 1775. Originally it was a group of four villages named Kather, the name of Raja Ram Singh. The first Nawab proposed to rename the city 'Faizabad'. But many other places were known by the name of Faizabad already existed, so the name was changed to Mustafabad alias Rampur. Nawwab Faizullah Khan ruled for 20 years. He was a great patron of scholarship, and began the collection of

Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

, Turkish and

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 ...

manuscripts which now make up the bulk of the Rampur Raza Library. After his death his son Muhammad Ali Khan took over, but he was killed by the Rohilla leaders after 24 days, and Ghulam Muhammad Khan, the brother of the deceased, was proclaimed Nawab. The East India Company took exception to this, and after a reign of just 3 months and 22 days Ghulam Muhammad Khan was defeated by its forces. The Governor-General made Ahmad Ali Khan, son of the late Muhammad Ali Khan, the new Nawab. He ruled for 44 years. He did not have any sons, so Muhammad Sa'id Khan, son of Ghulam Muhammad Khan, took over as the new Nawab. He raised a regular Army, established Courts and carried out many works to improve the economic conditions of farmers. His son Muhammad Yusuf Ali Khan took over after his death. His son Kalb Ali Khan became the new Nawab in 1865.

Kalb Ali Khan was literate in Arabic and Persian. Under his rule, the state did much work to uplift standards of education. He was also a Member of Council during the Viceroyalty of Lord John Lawrence. He built the Jama Masjid in Rampur at a cost of Rs. 300,000. He was also knighted in Agra by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

. He ruled for 22 years and 7 months. After his death his son Mushtaq Ali Khan took over. He appointed W. C. Wright as the Chief Engineer of the state and built many new buildings and canals. Nawab Hamid Ali became the new ruler in 1889 at the age of 14. Many new schools were opened during his reign, and many donations were provided to nearby colleges. He donated Rs. 50,000 to Lucknow Medical College. In 1905 he built the magnificent Darbar Hall within the Fort which now houses the great collection of Oriental manuscripts held by the Rampur Raza Library. His son Raza Ali Khan became the last ruling Nawab in 1930. On 1 July 1949 the State of Rampur was merged into the Republic of India. Rampur today presents a slightly decayed appearance: the palaces of the Nawabs are crumbling, as are the gates and walls of the fort. However, the Library remains a flourishing institution of immense value to scholars from all over the world. The procession of Yusef Ali Khan

The Nawabs of Rampur sided with the British during

Indian Rebellion of 1857 The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against Company rule in India, the rule of the East India Company, British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the The Crown, British ...

, and this enabled them to continue to play a role in the social, political and cultural life of Northern India in general and the Muslims of the United Provinces in particular. They gave refuge to some of the literary figures from the Court of Bahadur Shah ''Zafar''.

Post-independence

Descendants of the Nawabs include Murad Mian the first child of Murtaza Ali Khan of Rampur. Begum Noor Bano, the widow of the former Nawab's younger brother and ex-MP Zulfiquar Ali Khan of Rampur. Begum Noor Bano has become a politician and won the election from Rampur parliamentary constituency in 1999. She lost the elections in 2004,2009 from Rampur and 2014 from Moradabad consecutively. Murtaza Ali Khan and Zulfiquar Ali Khan (aka Mikki Mia), who continued to use the title of Nawab as a token even after independence and abolition of royalty but never ruled Rampur, are now dead. Murtaza Ali contested an election from Rampur opposite his mother Rafat Jamani Begum in 1972 and won. Although the two brothers were always political rivals they never faced each other in elections. Subsequently, the family was also involved in smuggling scandals involving some smuggling from

Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...

, where one of the sons of Murtaza Ali is married. Raza Inter College, Hamid Inter College and Murtaza Inter College are three higher secondary schools named after three nawabs. The present

of Rampur, Muhammad Murad Ali Khan Bahadur is the present titular Nawab of Rampur. The eldest son of Murtuza Ali Khan Bahadur, he succeeded his father as titular Nawab upon the latter's death in 1982. He served as a member on the Raza Library Board in Rampur from 1993 to 2002.

Geography

Rampur, located between longitude 79°05' E and latitude 28°48' N, is in Moradabad Division of

, India. It is surrounded by district Udham Singh Nagar in north,

in east, and

Moradabad Moradabad () is an industrial city, commissionerate, and municipal corporation in Moradabad district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is situated on the banks of the Ramganga river, at a distance of from the national capital, New Del ...

in west and Badaun in south. Spread in area of 2,367 km², Rampur is 192-meter above sea level in north and 166.4-meter in south.Rampur Geography
hoparoundindia.com Retrieved 10 July 2012 It is home to farms that cover long stretches of land. During the monsoon just after a long period of rain the mountain ranges of

Nainital Nainital (Kumaoni language, Kumaoni: ''Naintāl''; ) is a town and headquarters of Nainital district of Kumaon division, Uttarakhand, India. It is the judicial capital of Uttarakhand, the Uttarakhand High Court, High Court of the state being ...

can be seen in the north direction.

Climate

During Summers the temperature is usually from 31 °C to 30 °C and during Winters it is from 25 °C to 5 °C.Rampur Climate
Nainital tourism Retrieved 7 July 2012

Demographics

As per the 2011 Census of India, Rampur had a population of 325,248 (compared to 281,549 in 2001) showing 16% growth in 2001–11. Males constituted 52.2% and females 47.8% of the population.

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 ...

was 915 compared to the national average of 940. Rampur had an average literacy rate of 53.7%, much lower than the national average of 64.3%. Male literacy was 56%, and female literacy was 51%. In Rampur, children under six years of age numbered 37,945 and were 11.7% of the population (14% in 2001). The city has a majority Muslim population. The greater region around Rampur still has a significant number of

. At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 61.49% of the population in the district spoke

, 37.11%

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 ...

(or a related language) and 0.90% Punjabi as their first language.

Culture and Urdu Poetry

Rampur is considered as third school of poetry after Delhi and Lucknow. Many prominent and legendary Urdu poets of the time like

Daagh Dehlvi Nawab Mirza Khan (, 25 May 1831 – 17 March 1905), popularly known by his '' takhallus'' Dagh Dehlvi was an Indian poet known for his Urdu ''ghazals''. He belonged to the old Delhi school of Urdu poetry.Mirza Ghalib Mirza Asadullah Beg Khan (27 December 179715 February 1869), commonly known as Mirza Ghalib, was an Indian poet. Widely regarded as one of the greatest poets in the Urdu language, he also produced a significant body of work in Persian. Ghali ...

and Amir Meenai joined the patronage of Rampur court. Nawabs of Rampur were very fond of poetry and other fine arts. They provided remunerations to the poets who were associated with ' ''darbar''.'

Architecture

The Rulers of Rampur have had distinct impact on the architecture of the region. The buildings and monuments signify the presence of

type architecture. Some of the buildings are very old and have been built over repeatedly in course of time. One of the most well designed monument is the Fort of Rampur (

:रामपुर का किला). It also houses the Raza Library or Hamid Manzil, the former palace of the Rulers. It has a sizeable collection of Oriental manuscripts in Asia. The fort also houses the Imambara. The ''Jama Masjid'' is one of the finest piece of architecture to be found in Rampur. It resembles the jama masjid in

to some extent. It was built by

Faizullah Khan Nawab Faizullah Ali Khan (c. 1730 – 17 July 1794) became the first Nawab of Rampur State, Rampur. Following the defeat of the Rohilla, Rohillas in the First Rohilla War, Faizullah, the only surviving heir of Ali Mohammed Khan, Nawab Ali Mohamm ...

. It has a unique mughal touch to it. There are several entry-exit gates to the

masjid A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were simple p ...

. It has three big domes and four tall minarets with gold pinnacles boasting of a royal touch. It has a main lofty entrance gate that has an inbuilt clock tower occupied by a big clock that was imported from Britain.Rampur jama masjid history flick image
Retrieved 8 July 2012 There are several entry-exit gates built by the

. These gates are major entry-exit routes from the city. Examples are Shahbad Gate, Nawab Gate, Bilaspur Gate etc.

Music

Rampur is associated with indian classical music since 1820. The Rampur-Sahaswan gharana of

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the Indian classical music, classical music of the Indian subcontinent's northern regions. It may also be called North Indian classical music or ''Uttar Bhartiya shastriya sangeet''. The term ''shastriya sangeet'' ...

also has its origins in Rampur court of Nawabs. Ustad Mushtaq Hussain Khan was a court musician & given a title of Ratan from Rampur Nawab. He was given all facilities by the Rampur Court, nawab gifted him a house in Jail Road Area of the City,as he was also the first Padmabhushan Awardee for classical music in India. Ustad Mehboob Khan, was a

khayal Khyal or Khayal (ख़याल / خیال) is a major form of Hindustani classical music in the Indian subcontinent. Its name comes from a Persian language, Persian/Arabic language, Arabic word meaning "imagination". Khyal is associated with rom ...

singer and Veena player of the Rampur court; his son Ustad Inayat Hussain Khan (1849–1919), who trained many disciples and lived in Fort area of the city,was the founder of Rampur-Sahaswan gharana.

Cuisine

Rampuri cuisine, a part of the Mughal cuisine tradition, developed by the chefs of the Nawabs, is also known for its distinct flavours and dishes with recipes passed on from the royal kitchen, like ''Rampuri fish'', '' Chicken Changezi '', '' Pasande haleem '', ''Rampuri Korma'', ''Rampuri mutton kebabs'', '' doodhiya biryani'', '' Dogoshta biryani'' and '' adrak ka halwa'', '' Sohan halwa ''.

Knife making

Rampur was traditionally famous for the knives known as '' Rampuri Chaaku'', which even made their way to

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, is primarily produced in Mumbai. The popular term Bollywood is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (former name of Mumbai) and "Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". The in ...

crime thrillers in the 1960s and 1970s. Eventually the

Government of Uttar Pradesh The Government of Uttar Pradesh (International Organization for Standardization, ISO: ''Uttara Pradēśa Sarakāra''; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appoin ...

banned making knives longer than 4.5 inches in blade length, leading to a drop in their popularity.

Rampur Greyhound

The Rampur Greyhound is a smooth-haired sighthound native to the region, often described as being more substantially built than other greyhounds. It was the favoured hound of the Nawabs for

jackal coursing Jackal coursing involves the pursuit of jackals (usually the golden jackal and black-backed jackal) with dogs. Jackal coursing was an occasional pastime for sportsmen in British India. English Foxhounds were usually imported to India for the pur ...

, but was also used to hunt lions, tigers, leopards, and panthers. Mh Nawab Ahmad Ali Khan Bahadur bred these dogs by combining Tazi and English Greyhound bloodlines.

Festivals

Religious practices are as much an integral part of everyday life and a very public affair as they are in the rest of India. Therefore, not surprisingly, many festivals are religious in origin although several of them are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. Among the most important Hindu festivals are

Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...

Holi Holi () is a major Hindu festival celebrated as the Festival of Colours, Love and Spring.The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) p. 874 "Holi /'həʊli:/ noun a Hindu spring festival ...".Yudit Greenberg, Encyclopedia of Love in World ...

and

Vijayadashami Vijayadashami (), more commonly known as Dassahra in Hindi, and also known as Dashāhra or Dashain in Bhojpuri, Maithili and Nepali, is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Durga Puja and Navaratri, Navarahtri. It is ob ...

, Mahashivaratri, Ram Navmi, Basant Panchami, Sri Krishna Janamastmi and

Raksha Bandhan Raksha Bandhan Quote: m Hindi ''rakśābandhan'' held on the full moon of the month of Savan, when sisters tie a talisman (rakhi q.v.) on the arm of their brothers and receive small gifts of money from them. is a popular and traditionally Hin ...

, which are also observed by Jains and Sikhs. Eid ul Milad,

Eid ul-Fitr Eid al-Fitr () is the first of the two main festivals in Islam, the other being Eid al-Adha. It falls on the first day of Shawwal, the tenth month of the Islamic calendar. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims worldwide because it marks the ...

, Bakr-Id, Muharram are Muslim religious festivals. Mahavir Jayanti is celebrated by

Jains Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its spiritual ideas and ...

, Buddha Jayanti by Buddhists, Guru Nanak Jayanti by Sikhs and

Good Friday Good Friday, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a Religion, religious and Culture, cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by coun ...

by the Christians.

Transport

Rail

Rampur Railway Station (station code RMU) lies on the Lucknow-Moradabad line and junction point of Kathgodam railway line, which works under NER. Train connections include Avadh Assam Express, Jammu Tawi-Sealdah Express, Kashi Vishwanath Express, Howrah-Amritsar Express, Ganga Sutlej Express and Satyagraha Express. Seat reservation is computerised. The station is served by the Northern Railways. Moradabad railway station is 30 km to the west of Rampur. Going south-east, Bareilly railway station is the nearest major station. Hotel Tourist and Restaurant is only 5-minute walk from the railway station.Rampur Railway
Nainital tourism Retrieved 9 July 2012 The electrification of railway lines of Rampur junction is completed. Various express trains come here. The important ones are

- Kathgodam Shatabdi,

Inter-city Express,

Lucknow Mail,

Kathgodam Kathgodam is a suburb of Haldwani, Uttarakhand, India. It used to be a part of the twin township of Haldwani–Kathgodam, and is known as the "Gateway to Kumaon". History Literally meaning ''timber depot'', Kathgodam was a small village in 190 ...

Ranikhet Express The 15013 / 15014 Ranikhet Express is a Mail/Express train of Indian Railways. The train runs between in Rajasthan and station in Uttarakhand. This train is a mail/express that falls under the North Eastern Railway zone of Indian railways. ...

Bhuj Bhuj () is a city and the headquarters of Kutch district in the Indian state of Gujarat. Etymology According to legend, Kutch (Kachchh) was ruled by the Nāga chieftains in the past. Sagai, a queen of Sheshapattana, who was married to King B ...

Ala Hazrat Express,

Amritsar Amritsar, also known as Ambarsar, is the second-List of cities in Punjab, India by population, largest city in the India, Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab, after Ludhiana. Located in the Majha region, it is a major cultural, transportatio ...

Howrah Howrah (; ; alternatively spelled as Haora) is a city in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River, opposite to its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively ...

Amritsar Mail.Rampur railway reservation
http://www.railwayreservation.net/ Retrieved 9 August 2012 Rampur UPSRTC Depot

Road

National Highway 9 passes through Rampur.National highway 87 and rampur
india9.com Retrieved 8 July 2012 Regular buses connect Rampur to

every ½ hr. Direct buses are also available from

Aligarh Aligarh (; formerly known as Koil) is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India. It is the administrative headquarters of Aligarh district and lies northwest of state capital Lucknow and approximately southeast of the capital, New Delhi. ...

Haridwar Haridwar (; ; formerly Mayapuri) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is s ...

Rishikesh Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in the Indian state Uttarakhand. The northern part of Rishikesh is in the Dehradun district while the southern part is in the Tehri Garhwal district. It is situated on the right bank ...

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 ...

, Rupaidhiya,

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 Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra is the ...

etc. National Highway 530 originates at Rampur.

Air

Rampur has multiple domestic airports within the vicinity of 70 km. The nearest among them is Moradabad Airport, which is located around 17 km from the Rampur railway station. As of October 2024 it's connected to

with direct flights. Other airports closer to the city include

Pantnagar Pantnagar is a town and a university campus in Udham Singh Nagar District, Uttarakhand. Nainital, Kashipur, Uttarakhand, Kashipur, Rudrapur, Uttarakhand, Rudrapur, Kiccha and Haldwani are the major cities surrounding Pantnagar. The town is hom ...

and Bareilly Airport, which are about 58 and 69 km from the city center, respectively. Bareilly is the most well connected among these airports, with direct flights to cities like

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

and

Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

. The closest international airport is New Delhi's

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving New Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of ,

Places of interest

Jama Masjid Jama Masjid rampur

The foundation of Jama Masjid in Rampur was laid by

. It was built at the cost of 300,000 at that time and it was further completed by

Kalb Ali Khan. The area around the Jama Masjid became a center of attraction and a big market was developed around it, known today as the Shadab Market. A big jewellery market also lines the

known as ''Sarrafa''. The shops were rented out to businessmen to meet the mosque's requirements.

Hindus Hindus (; ; also known as Sanātanīs) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism, also known by its endonym Sanātana Dharma. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pp. 35–37 Historically, the term has also be ...

and

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

both own these shops and customers belong to both communities. This shows communal harmony that exists in this area.Communal harmony in Rampur
, http://www.indiablooms.com/ Retrieved 9 July 2012 Raza Library

, who ruled Rampur from 1774 to 1794, established the library from his personal collection of ancient

manuscripts A manuscript (abbreviated MS for singular and MSS for plural) was, traditionally, any document written by hand or typewritten, as opposed to mechanically printed or reproduced in some indirect or automated way. More recently, the term has c ...

and miniature specimens of

Islamic calligraphy Islamic calligraphy is the artistic practice of penmanship and calligraphy, in the languages which use Arabic alphabet or the Arabic script#Additional letters used in other languages, alphabets derived from it. It is a highly stylized and struc ...

in the last decades of the 18th century. It is one of the biggest libraries of Asia. As all the succeeding Nawabs were great patrons of

scholars A scholar is a person who is a researcher or has expertise in an academic discipline. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researcher at a university. An academic usually holds an advanced degree or a terminal ...

, poets, painters, calligraphers and musicians, the library grew by leaps and bounds. Notable additions were made to the collection during the rule of Nawab Ahmad Ali Khan (1794–1840).Rampur Raza library history
, razalibrary.gov.in Retrieved 9 July 2012 It contains very rare and valuable collection of

, historical documents, specimens of

, miniature paintings,

astronomical Astronomy is a natural science that studies celestial objects and the phenomena that occur in the cosmos. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and their overall evolution. Objects of interest include ...

instruments and rare illustrated works in

and

. The Raza Library also contains printed works in

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

Pashto Pashto ( , ; , ) is an eastern Iranian language in the Indo-European language family, natively spoken in northwestern Pakistan and southern and eastern Afghanistan. It has official status in Afghanistan and the Pakistani province of Khyb ...

(having the original manuscript of the first translation of the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

in addition to other important books/documents), Tamil and Turkish, and approximately 30,000 printed books (including periodicals) in various other languages. Rampur Planetarium State of the art

planetarium A planetarium (: planetariums or planetaria) is a theatre built primarily for presenting educational and entertaining shows about astronomy and the night sky, or for training in celestial navigation. A dominant feature of most planetariums is ...

is established at Rampur. This is be India's first

based on Digital Laser technology. The planetarium building is complete and equipments are installed. The information will be directly fed by

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

.Rampur Planetarium to be updated by NASA
Indianexpress.com Retrieved 8 July 2012 Gandhi Samadhi Gandhi Samadhi is a memorial to

Mahatma Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2October 186930January 1948) was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalism, anti-colonial nationalist, and political ethics, political ethicist who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful Indian ...

. It signifies the struggles that

took over for the independence of

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

from

British rule in India The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

Kothi Khas Bagh Kothi Khas Bagh is a palace located at Rampur, about 30 km east of

in Uttar Pradesh. It was the erstwhile residence of the Nawabs of Rampur. Set in a 300-acre compound, this huge 200-room European style palace is a unique blend of

Islamic architecture Islamic architecture comprises the architectural styles of buildings associated with Islam. It encompasses both Secularity, secular and religious styles from the early history of Islam to the present day. The Muslim world, Islamic world encompasse ...

and British architecture. It also features personal apartments and offices, music rooms and personal cinema hall of Nawabs. The huge halls, adorned with Burma teak and Belgium glass chandeliers, present a fine specimen of the architecture of a bygone era. There is an Italian marble staircase towards the main bedrooms. The statue of Kalb Ali Khan, the second Nawab of Rampur, is an eye-catching one. Kothi Khas Bagh is now in a dilapidated state due to the age and neglect.Rampur koti khas bagh
india9.com Retrieved 8 July 2012 Ambedkar Park Ambedkar Park is a memorial to Bhimrao Ambedkar. It is a park with a railway line along its boundary It has a statue of Bimrao Ambedkar.It also a faux mountain like structure where you can get a good view of the surrounding. Aryabhatt Planetarium is a science museum. The Aryabhatt Planetarium was established in 2012 by the

Uttar Pradesh government The Government of Uttar Pradesh (ISO: ''Uttara Pradēśa Sarakāra''; often abbreviated as GoUP) is the subnational government of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh with the governor as its appointed constitutional head of the state by the Pres ...

to offer the public insights into astronomical events, lunar eclipses and various other astronomical phenomena.

Education

The education sector in Rampur and its villages is developing with investments pouring in. The city has several secondary and higher secondary schools and colleges. The educational institutions are the main attraction for students of nearby places like Kashipur-Anga, Kemri, Bilaspur etc. as many new institutions have come up in the city for various higher education mainly affiliated with MJP Rohilkhand University,

. Although the city has many educational institutes, Rampur has an average literacy rate of 53.34%, lower than the national average of 59.5%. Male literacy is 61.40%, and female literacy is 44.44%.Rampur Literacy
Retrieved 7 July 2012. The Muhammad Ali Jauhar University is the first university to be established. Many public and government Primary schools are also playing crucial role in education sector in rural areas of Rampur. Impact College of Science & Technology is a newly opened Degree College.

Economy

Industry and agriculture

Rampur has a largely agriculture-based economy. It has very fertile land, but little industry, and virtually no mineral extraction. The main industries of Rampur are

Winemaking Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its Ethanol fermentation, fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over ...

, sugar processing, textile weaving, and the manufacture of agricultural implements. An inoperative sugar mill still stands in Rampur; it was closed down in 1999 amidst political rivalry, but work has since begun on restarting the mill after state government approval.Rampur sugar mill lies in ruins
Retrieved 7 August 2012 The major cash crop of the city is

mentha ''Mentha'', also known as mint (from Greek , Linear B ''mi-ta''), is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. It is estimated that 13 to 24 species exist, but the exact distinction between species is unclear. Hybridization oc ...

, and menthol oil manufacturing also flourishes there.Mentha work in rampur
Retrieved 8 July 2012 The company formerly known as Rampur Distillery & Chemical Company Ltd., Radico Khaitan, was established in Rampur in 1943 and is India's second largest liquor manufacturer. The distillery at Rampur manufactures high grade Extra Neutral Spirits (ENA) from molasses and grain, with a production capacity of 75 million litres of molasses ENA, 30 million of grain neutral spirits, and 460 thousands litres of malt whisky annually.Rampur distillery
Radicokhaitan.com Retrieved 8 July 2012 The

kite A kite is a tethered heavier than air flight, heavier-than-air craft with wing surfaces that react against the air to create Lift (force), lift and Drag (physics), drag forces. A kite consists of wings, tethers and anchors. Kites often have ...

-making industry is one of the oldest and prime industries in Rampur, with various sizes and shapes of kite created by hand to this day. The kites made in Rampur are in great demand all over

Beedi A beedi (also spelled bidi or biri) is a thin cigarette or cigar, mini-cigar filled with tobacco flake and commonly wrapped in a tendu (''Diospyros melanoxylon'') or ''Piliostigma racemosum'' leaf tied with a string or adhesive at one end. It ...

making is another booming industry in Rampur. As noted above, Rampur-manufactured knives were quite famous in the 20th century and were known as '' Rampuri Chaaku''. Eventually, however, the

banned making knives with blades longer than 4.5 inches, leading to a drop in their popularity.

Other establishments

Mentha and allied products Mursaina Rampur The major crops grown here include maize, sugarcane and rice. Majority of the crops are used as food by the people who grow them, therefore these crops do not go market.Rampur agri
Retrieved 8 July 2012. ; Economic development indicators

Communication and media

Communication networks

All prominent tele-communication network provider in India offer their services in Rampur.

Radio services

Radio services available in Rampur. Rampur Radio.& Door Dharshan Rampur

Print media

The Hindi daily news papers include '' Amrit Vichar'',''

Dainik Jagran ''Dainik Jagran'' () is an Indian Hindi-language daily newspaper. In terms of circulation, it was ranked 5th in the world in 2016 and 1st in India in 2022. In 2019 Quarter 4, according to Indian Readership Survey, Dainik Jagran reported a to ...

'', ''

Amar Ujala ''Amar Ujala'' () is a Hindi-language daily newspaper published in India which was founded in 1948. It has 22 editions in six states and two union territories covering 180 districts. It has a circulation of around two million copies. The 2019 ...

'' and ''The Hindustan''. Prominent English dailies like ''

The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...

'', ''

The Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter of K. K. Birla. ...

'', '' The Young Turk'' and ''

Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language India, Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the Indian Express Limited, ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnat ...

'' have fewer readers. The local Urdu newspaper is ''Rampur ka elaan''. It is published from Rampur since 1991.

Notable people

* Mohammad Ali, Pakistani actor * Baldev Singh Aulakh, Indian politician and minister in Uttar Pradesh government * Maulana Azad, first education minister, Republic of India and President of India. * Obaidullah Baig, Pakistani scholar, Urdu writer/novelist, columnist, media expert and documentary filmmaker * Athar Shah Khan Jaidi, Pakistani comedian, writer was born in Rampur * Mohammad Ali Jauhar, journalist, scholar, political activist, poet * Azam Khan, Indian politician of

Samajwadi Party The Samajwadi Party ( SP; ) is a Socialism, socialist political party in India. It was founded on 4 October 1992 by former Janata Dal politician Mulayam Singh Yadav and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is the third-largest political party in ...

* Zulfikar Ali Khan, Nawab of Rampur and member of parliament * Hamid Ali Murad, known simply as

Murad Murad or Mourad () is an Arabic name. It is also common in Armenian, Azerbaijani, Bengali, Turkish, Persian, and Berber as a male given name or surname and is commonly used throughout the Muslim world and Middle East. Etymology It is derived ...

Indian actor *

Raza Murad Raza Murad (born 23 November 1950) is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Hindi films. He has acted in over 250 Hindi films and has also appeared in Bhojpuri, Punjabi and other languages and on Hindi television. Early life He is the so ...

, Bollywood actor, was born and brought up in Rampur. * Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Indian politician and cabinet ministers in

Modi Government The premiership of Narendra Modi began 26 May 2014 with his First swearing-in ceremony of Narendra Modi, swearing-in as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. He succeeded Manmohan Singh of the Indian N ...

* Pran, Bollywood actor, was brought up here * Baba Rampuri, American emigrant to India, a Naga Sadhu and ascetic * Rukhsar Rehman, Indian film & television actress and model in Bollywood *

Javed Siddiqui Javed Siddiqui (born 13 January 1942) is a Hindi and Urdu screenwriter, dialogue writer and playwright from India. He has written over 50 storylines, screenplays and dialogues. During his career, Siddiqi has collaborated with some of India's m ...

, Indian writer * Shama Zaidi, screenwriter, theatre actress, documentary filmmaker, costume designer, art director and journalist

References

Bibliography

* Syed Asghar Ali Shadami, ''Ahwalay Riyasatay Rampur (Tarikhi wa Maashrati Pusmanzar),'' ed. Rizwanullah Khan Enayati * ''Tanzim Ahbab Rampur Karachi Nagin Chowrangee,'' a great masterpiece from Tanzeem

External links

*
Genealogy of Rampur (Princely State)The Rampur Raza Library: Official Website
{{Authority control Rohilkhand Rohilla Cities in Uttar Pradesh