Lakhimpur Kheri district | |
|---|---|
 Marshes ofDudhwa National Park | |
 Location of Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh | |
| Coordinates (Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh):27°36′N80°20′E / 27.6°N 80.34°E /27.6; 80.34 -28°36′N81°18′E / 28.6°N 81.30°E /28.6; 81.30 | |
| Country | India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| Division | Lucknow |
| Headquarters | Lakhimpur |
| Government | |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | Kheri,Dhaurahra |
| Area | |
| 7,680 km2 (2,970 sq mi) | |
| Population (2011) | |
| 4,021,243 | |
| • Density | 524/km2 (1,360/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 461,035 |
| Demographics | |
| • Literacy | 60.10 % (in 2011 census |
| • Sex ratio | 894 |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| Website | http://kheri.nic.in |
Lakhimpur Kheri district is the largestdistrict inUttar Pradesh,India, on the border withNepal. Its administrative capital is the city ofLakhimpur.[1]
Lakhimpur Kheri district is a part ofLucknow division, with a total area of 7,680 square kilometres (2,970 sq mi).[1] The national government designated Lakhimpur Kheri as a Minority Concentrated District on the basis of 2001 census data, which identifies it as requiring urgent aid to improve living standards and amenities.[2][3]
Dudhwa National Park,[1] and Pilibhit Tiger reserve are in Lakhimpur Kheri and are the only national park in Uttar Pradesh.[4] They are home to many rare and endangered species including 65+Tigers,leopards,swamp deer,hispid hares andBengal florican.
Etymologically Lakhimpur was known asLuxmipur.[5]
Kheri is a town 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Lakhimpur.[6][7] Theory suggests that the name derives from thekhair trees that once covered large tracts in the area.
The early history of Lakhimpur Kheri district is obscure, but it has many ancient ruins, and several places are associated with episodes in theMahabharata.[8] According to tradition, this area was once under the rule of the Lunar race ofHastinapur.[8] The village of Balmiar-Barkhar, near Muhamdi, is popularly identified as the capital of the ancientVirata Kingdom, although this is more commonly located inRajasthan.[8]Kundalpur, near Khairigarh, is said to be whereKrishna carried offRukmini, and Kheri itself is held to be where Kshemakarna performed the sacrifice to drive out the Nagas.[8] (Ahar, inBulandshahr district, is also popularly identified as the site of both episodes.)[8]
One of the earliest known finds in the district is a stone horse of the 4th-century kingSamudra Gupta (the fragmentary inscription mentions his name), which formerly stood in a heavily forested area near Khairigarh and has since been moved to theLucknow Museum.[8] This king ofMagadha performedAshvamedha yajna in which a horse is left to freely roam in the entire nation, so as to display the power of king and to underline the importance of his conquest.[citation needed] As in much ofAwadh, coins of the 9th-century king Bhoja Deva ofKannauj are commonly found in Lakhimpur Kheri district.[8]
This area was supposedly once ruled by thePasis, although no traces of this remain today.[8] Most of the cultivated areas in the district have been historically ruled byRajputs andMuslims instead.[8] The earliest Rajput clan known in the area are the Bachhil, who are described as rulers in an inscription at Dewal (inPilibhit district) dated to 992 CE.[8] The Bachhils probably ruled over the northern and western parts of Lakhimpur Kheri district, and they had strongholds at Barkhar, near Muhamdi; Kamp, on theSarda;Nigohi, in modernShahjahanpur district; and Garh Gajana near Dewal.[8] The Ahbans are the only other early Rajput known to have been here at an early date; they came to the region at the time of the first Muslim conquests and ruled from Pataunja in today'sSitapur district.[8]
As for the Muslims, they appear to have arrived in this district at a later date than elsewhere.[8] There are no local traditions of the Muslim folk heroGhazi Sayyid Salar Masud here, in contrast to neighboringBahraich district, and Muslim rule was only established very gradually and was never very strongly felt.[8] Lakhimpur Kheri was then something of a backwater, very heavily forested and barely mentioned in contemporary sources.[8] One tradition attributes the fort ofKhairigarh toMuhammad bin Tughlaq, but it is more commonly said to have been built in 1379 underFiroz Shah Tughlaq instead.[8] Khairigarh was one of several forts constructed along the northern frontier, on the north bank of theSarju, in order to protect the lowlands against incursions fromDoti andNepal.[8] However, these forts were supposedly abandoned shortly after completion and remained so for centuries.[8]
At some point, the city ofKhairabad (in today's Sitapur district) became a seat of Muslim government, but exactly when is not clear.[8] During the reign ofAkbar, Khairabad formed asarkar ofAwadh Subah, and most of the present-day district belonged to this sarkar.[8] 8 of its 22 mahals, orparganas, lay partly or entirely in the area covered by the present district.[8] The first of these was Barwar-Anjana, a vast mahal that was mostly covered by forest.[8] It included the later parganas of Muhamdi, Magdapur, Atwa Piparia, Pasgawan (which has the namesake village ofBarwar), and Aurangabad, as well as Ahmadnagar and Pindarwa in modernHardoi district.[8] Barwar-Anjana remained a single territorial unit until the time of Ibadullah Khan, who ruled as Raja of Muhamdi in the early 1700s.[8] In theAin-i-Akbari, this mahal is described as being ruled byBrahmins and Rajputs (although which clan is not specified), mustering an infantry force of 1,000 and a cavalry force of 50, and providing a revenue of 4,325, 237dams to the imperial treasury.[8]
Bordering Barwar-Anjana was the mahal of Bhurwara, which was also heavily forested and not extensively cultivated.[8] It included the later parganas of Haidarabad,Bhur, and Kukra Mailani, although its boundaries were never clearly defined, and it was ruled by the Ahbans.[8] The mahal of Khairigarh also had imprecise boundaries; besides the later pargana of the same name, it included the area that would later become the Nighasan andPalia parganas, as well as the northern half of Dhaurahra.[8] The Ain-i-Akbari calls Khairigarh one of the most important forts in Hindustan, and the landowners in this mahal consisted of various Rajput clans:Bais, Bisen's, and Bachhils, as well as an unknown group called "Kahanah".[8]
In the southern part of the present-day district was the mahal ofPaila, which was smaller at that point than it would later become; it was ruled by the Ahbans. The mahal ofKheri included the later pargana of Srinagar along with most of Kheri pargana.[8] Kheri itself had a fort made of burnt brick.[8] The remaining part of Kheri pargana was then part of the small mahal of Basara, which consisted of the southwestern corner between theSarayan and Jamwari rivers.[8] Finally, the later pargana ofKasta formed part of the large mahal of Nimkhar, which was mostly based in present-day Sitapur district.[8]
A small part of the current district was included in the sarkar of Bahraich at the time of Akbar.[8] The mahal of Firozabad, ruled by theTomar Rajputs, probably covered the southern part of the later Dhaurahra pargana in addition to Firozabad.[8] It mustered a "surprisingly large" force of 8,000 infantry and 200 cavalry, and there was a brick fort at its headquarters.[8]
From Akbar's time until the end of the 1700s, the history of Lakhimpur Kheri district is essentially the history of the variouszamindari dynasties that ruled the area.[8] The greatest of these was the Sayyids of Barwar, who had originally been granted a large estate in Hardoi district by Akbar.[8]Muqtadi Khan, the great-grandson of the original grantee, was "entrusted with the management of Barwar" after the death of the former Bachhil ruler there.[8] He then built a large fort at Barwar, and he greatly expanded his territory during the reign ofAurangzeb before dying in 1683.[8]
Some of the Rajput States of the district estd. before Mughal era were Isanagar, Jhandi andLakhahi.Oel andSingahi were established in Mughal era.[citation needed]
Under theNawabs of Awadh, the old system of sarkars and mahals remained in use until the reign ofAsaf-ud-Daula, who replaced them withchaklas.[8] The entire area of Lakhimpur Kheri district was included in the chakla of Khairabad, which also included most of Hardoi and Sitapur districts, but at times Muhamdi formed a separate chakla, and some of the southeastern parganas were occasionally put under the chakla of Bahraich.[8]
In the year 1801, whenRohilkhand was ceded to the British, part of this district was included in the cession, but after theAnglo–Nepalese War of 1814-1816 it was restored toOudh. On the annexation ofOudh in 1856 the west of the present area was formed into a district calledMohammadi and the east into Mallanpur, which also included part ofSitapur. In theIndian Rebellion of 1857 Mohammadi became one of the chief centres ofIndian independence movement in northernOudh. The refugees fromShahjahanpur reached Mohammadi on 2 June 1857, and two days later Mohammadi was abandoned, most of the British party were shot down on the way to Sitapur, and the survivors died or were murdered later in Lucknow. The British officials in Mallanpur, with a few who had fled from Sitapur, escaped toNepal, where later on most of them died. Till October 1858, British officials did not make any other attempt to regain control of the district. By the end of 1858 British officials regained the control and the headquarters of the single district then formed were moved to Lakhlmpur shortly afterwards.[citation needed]
The district lies within theTerai lowlands at the base of the Himalayas, with several rivers and lush green vegetation. Situated between 27.6° and 28.6° north latitude and 80.34° and 81.30° east longitudes, and about 7,680 square kilometres (2,970 sq mi) in area, it is roughly triangular in shape, the flattened apex pointing north. The district is located at about the height of 147 meters above sea level.[9] Lakhimpur Kheri is bounded on the north by the river Mohan, separating it from Nepal; on the east by the Kauriala river (branch of theGhaghara), separating it fromBahraich; on the south bySitapur andHardoi; and on the west byPilibhit andShahjahanpur.[1][10][11]
The climate is hot throughout the year except the rainy seasons. During summer(March to June), the temperature can reach above 40 °C (104 °F) and in winters(October to February) it can drop to around 4 °C (39 °F). The nights are very cold during winter and fog is very common in this season.[1] The annual average rainfall in Lakhimpur Kheri is 1,085.3 millimetres (42.73 in), mostly in the monsoon months (July to September).[12]
Several rivers flow across Lakhimpur. Some of these areSharda,Ghagra, Koriyala, Ull, Sarayan, Chauka,Gomti,Kathana,Sarayu and Mohana.
The LowerSharda Barrage[13][14] is constructed on theSharda River, about 163.5 kilometres (101.6 mi) downstream of theUpper Sharda Barrage, and nearly 28 kilometres (17 mi) from Lakhimpur city. This project is part of the Sharda Sahayak Pariyojana (SSP)[15] and primarily depends on water diverted from the Karnali (Ghaghra) at Girjapur through the Sharda Sahayak link canal of 28.4 kilometres (17.6 mi) length for over eight months in the year during the lean season; but it indents on Sharda supplies during the monsoon between July and October when the Karnali carries a lot of silt.
The SSP aims at irrigating culturable command area (CCA) of 16,770 km2 with 70 per cent irrigation intensity. The 258.80 kilometres (160.81 mi) long feeder channel of SSP takes off from the right bank of Sharda Barrage with discharge of 650 m3/s.[16] Supplies are then fed into the different branches of the Sharda canal system, namely, the Daryabad branch, the Barabanki branch, the Haidergarh branch, the Rae Bareli branch and the Purva branch.
SSP provides protective canal irrigation for cultivable area of 2 m ha to lakhs of farmers in 150 development blocks of 16 districts in eastern Uttar Pradesh. The project was commissioned in 1974, and completed in 2000 with an estimated cost of 1300 crore rupees(₹ 13,00,00,00,000).
Dudhwa Tiger Reserve in Lakhimpur Kheri has two core areas,Dudhwa National Park[17] andKishanpur Wildlife Sanctuary, which were merged in 1987. Dudhwa National Park is known as the first National Park of the state after the formation ofUttarakhand and is a national protected area. It is home to many rare and endangered species including tigers, leopards,rhinoceros, hispid hare, elephants, black deer and swamp deer. Dudhwa has approximately 400 species of birds including egrets, cormorants, herons and several species of duck, goose and teal. Its swamps and lakes are particularly attractive to water birds, including varieties that migrate here from the Himalayas to spend the winter months. Bird watching is common at the Banke Tal.[citation needed]
The visit of Sir D.B. Brandis in 1860 to the area culminated in a 303 kilometres (188 mi) forest area of the present day Dudhwa National Park being brought under the control of Government in 1861 for preservation.[18] In Kheri District all the Sal and miscellaneous forests and grasslands in Kharigarh Pargana, between theMohana andSuheli rivers, were included in the then North Kheri Forest Division. More areas were reserved for protection between 1867 and 1879 and added to the Division. The area of the Division was legally constituted as Reserved Forests in 1937.
The Sonaripur Sanctuary, comprising 15.7 square kilometres (6.1 sq mi), was created in 1958 to specifically protect swamp deer (Cervus duvaceli duvaceli). The area was too small and was later enlarged to 212 square kilometres (82 sq mi) and renamed as Dudhwa Sanctuary in 1968. Later, more area was added to the Sanctuary and in 1977, it was declared Dudhwa National Park. The total area of the Park was 616 square kilometres (238 sq mi) of which 490 square kilometres (190 sq mi) was the core zone and the balance of 124 square kilometres (48 sq mi) was a buffer zone.
The area was established in 1958 as a wildlife sanctuary. On 1 February 1977 wildlife sanctuary became a national park and after 11 years in 1988 it was established as a tiger reserve. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve lies on the India-Nepal border in the foothills of the Himalaya. Dudhwa Tiger Reserve was created in 1987–88 comprising Dudhwa National Park and Kishanpur Sanctuary (227 square kilometres (88 sq mi)). With an addition of 66 square kilometres (25 sq mi) to the buffer zone in 1997, the present area of the tiger reserve is 884 square kilometres (341 sq mi). Distance from Lakhimpur railway station to Dudhwa is about 100 kilometres (62 mi) by road.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 905,158 | — |
| 1911 | 959,225 | +0.58% |
| 1921 | 913,496 | −0.49% |
| 1931 | 944,502 | +0.33% |
| 1941 | 1,024,051 | +0.81% |
| 1951 | 1,058,373 | +0.33% |
| 1961 | 1,258,433 | +1.75% |
| 1971 | 1,486,590 | +1.68% |
| 1981 | 1,952,680 | +2.76% |
| 1991 | 2,419,234 | +2.17% |
| 2001 | 3,207,232 | +2.86% |
| 2011 | 4,021,243 | +2.29% |
| source:[19] | ||
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hinduism | 76.55% | |||
| Islam | 20.08% | |||
| Sikhism | 2.35% | |||
| Buddhism | 0.46% | |||
| Other or not stated | 0.56% | |||
| Distribution of religions | ||||
According to the2011 census Lakhimpur Kheri District has apopulation of 4,021,243[21] roughly equal to the nation ofLiberia[22] or the US state ofOregon.[23]
This gives it a ranking of 56th in India (out of a total of640).[21] The district has a population density of 523 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,350/sq mi).[21] Itspopulation growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 25.38%.[21] Kheri has asex ratio of 894females for every 1000 males,[21] and aliteracy rate of 60.56%. 11.47% of the population lived in urban areas. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes made up 26.40% and 1.33% of the population respectively.[21] The tribal population areTharus living along the Nepal border.
At the time of the2011 Census of India, 93.25% of the population in the district spokeHindi (or a related language), 3.10%Urdu, 1.83%Punjabi and 1.36%Bhojpuri as their first language.[24]
Languages spoken here includeAwadhi, a vernacular in theHindidialect continuum spoken by over 38 million people, mainly in theAwadh region.[25]
[26] It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[26]
Wheat, rice, maize, barley, and pulses are the major food crops. Recently farmers have started menthol mint farming in the district, as being the Terai region it is ideal for mint cultivation Sugar is mainly produced by most of the farmers.[27] Sugar-cane and oilseeds are the chief non-food crops. Sugar-cane is grown and processed in this district, forming the backbone of the local economy.
Some of India's second largestsugar mills are in the district.[28]Bajaj Hindusthan Limited (BHL) sugar plant inGola Gokarannath andBajaj Hindusthan Limited (BHL) sugar plant inPalia Kalan[29][30][31][32] are the a sugar mill unit of balrampur sugar mill in kumbhi there are three largest sugar mills in Asia.
In 2008 theSteel Authority of India Limited (SAIL) announced it would construct a majorsteel processing plant in Behjam, Lakhimpur.[33][34] The processing unit is intended to have a capacity of 100,000 tonnes per annum and produce TMT (thermo mechanically treated) bars from input material sourced from SAIL's integrated steel plants. Completion of the construction is scheduled for 2013.
Lakhimpur is also noted for manufacturing incense, largely as a cottage industry.
The district comprises -
Lakhimpur city is 134 kilometres (83 mi) from the state capitalLucknow.[12] It can be easily reached by train (Broad gauge) orUPSRTC Bus services.
Lakhimpur Kheri Airport known asPalia Airport is situated nearDudhwa National Park atPalia Kalan inLakhimpur Kheri and is at a distance of 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Lakhimpur City. The nearest international airport isAmausi International Airport inLucknow and is at a distance of 135 kilometres (84 mi) from the city.
| UP SH No. | Route | Total length (in Km) |
|---|---|---|
| UP SH 21 | Bilaraya-Lakhimpur-Sitapur-Panwari Marg | 385.46 |
| UP SH 25 | Paliya (Lakhimpur)-Lucknow Marg | 265.50 |
| UP SH 26 | Pilibhit-Lakhimpur-Bahraich-Basti Marg | 402.03 |
| UP SH 90 | Lakhimpur-Bijua-Palia-Gaurifanta Marg | 91.030 |
| UP SH 93 | Gola (Lakhimpur)-Shahjanhapur Marg | 58.62 |
| NH730 | Pilibith to Lakhimpur to Pandrauna | 519 |
UPSRTC operates bus station in Lakhimpur, and operates buses toBareilly,Kaushambi,Anand Vihar Delhi,Gola Gokarannath,Sitapur,Lucknow,Faizabad andGorakhpur. Shatabdi Buses and Volvo buses are available to Delhi, Rupaidiha and other cities. Online booking can be done atUPSRTC website.
Lakhimpur Kheri can be reached fromDelhi, following Delhi – Muradabad – Bareilly – Shahjahanpur –Gola Gokarannath – Lakhimpur route (Distance: 425 km approx). Lakhimpur can also be reached from state capitalLucknow following Lucknow – Sitapur – Lakhimpur route (Distance: 135 km approx). SeveralUttar Pradesh State Highways pass through Lakhimpur.[35]
There are three ways to reach Lakhimpur by Tain:
By Train: Delhi – Lucknow and Lucknow – Sitapur – Lakhimpur
By Train: Delhi – Muradabad – Bareilly – Shahjahanpur (NR) and then by road to Lakhimpur (via:Gola Gokarannath) 102 kilometres (63 mi)
Zafar Ali Naqvi andJitin Prasada made a promise of getting themeter gauge[36] railway track of the district converted tobroad gauge during 2009 Parliamentary elections. Zafar Naqvi raised questions about "Lucknow Pilibhit gauge conversion" on 08-Dec-2011 in the parliament with Ministry of Railway[37] and took this up. Later in the 2010–11 budget survey was proposed by Railway MinisterMamata Banerjee in the Parliament on 24 February 2010; survey[38] was completed as per Railway Budget 2011–12 with a mention that work will be up done in the 12th Plan.
Foundation stone was laid in Kheri on 2 February 2013 for broad gauge conversion of the Aishbagh to Pilibhit via Sitapur and Lakhimpur Kheri track byAdhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the then Minister of State for Railways along with Zafar Naqvi and Jitin Prasad.[39] The centre government in 2013 allocated 927 crore rupees (₹ 9,27,00,00,000) for broad gauge conversion from Aishbagh to Pilibhit. Work on the 262 kilometres (163 mi) long railway track conversion is planned to be completed by 2018. The Railway Development Corporation Limited (RDCL) has been assigned to carry out the broad gauge conversion within the stipulated time frame.[40]
Temple of Gola Gokaran Nath is a temple dedicated to Lord Shiva.[41]
The unique Frog Temple lies at Oel town, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Lakhimpur on the route from Lakhimpur to Sitapur. It is the only one of its kind in India based onManduk Tantra. It was built by the former king of Oel State[42] (Lakhimpur Kheri district) between 1860 and 1870. It is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is built at the back of a large frog. The Temple is constructed within an octagonal lotus. The architecture of this temple is based on Tantra Vidya.
Sai Temple (Sikatiha Colony),Sharda Barrage and Deer Park are other major attractions of Lakhimpur.
Several fairs and festivals take place in Lakhimpur. An annualDussehra andDiwalifunfair is organised at Mela Ground and is held over several days. AnEid fair is organised twice annually on the day of Eid inKheri town.
Lakhimpur has been the setting for filmsGaman (1978),Umrao Jaan (1981) andSwades (2004).[43]
According to the 2011 census, Lakhimpur Kheri district had aliteracy rate of 60.56% up from 48.39% in 2001, male and female literacy were 69.57% and 50.42% respectively.[52] In the 2001 census, same figures stood at 59.50% and 35.38% in Kheri District. Total literate in the district were 2,034,044 of which male and female were 1,237,157 and 796,887 respectively.[52] The growth of literacy in the last decade of the twentieth century was particularly remarkable with special emphasis on the eradication of illiteracy.
Lakhimpur kheri is having many Schools, Colleges and Institutions here which are contributed a lot in literacy in last two decades. The Schools like Don bosco school, Pt. deen dayal Upadhyay inter college and some Hindi medium schools like Saraswati Vidya mandir, Arya Kanya inter College and Institute like British Foundation are continuously contributing towards the literacy of the district.
District Hospital has all the facilities and wards, including the residences of Doctors and Superintendent. Boundaries are shared with the District Jail, Main Road and Jail Road (across which is Women's Hospital). District Women's Hospital is opposite of the District Hospital, and has facilities for gynaecology including pregnancy and neo-natal care.
Radio service available in Lakhimpur isFM Rainbow Kheri, it was inaugurated on 14 December 2013 by Zafar Ali Naqvi, Member of Parliament. FM Rainbow Lakhimpur, with the frequency of 102.3, has reach to the audience of around 70 kilometres (43 mi).
All prominent tele-communication network providers in India offer their services in Lakhimpur. The city of Lakhimpur falls under "Uttar Pradesh Central telecom Circle". Calls from the city of Lakhimpur to neighbouring districts including the rest of the area in theUttar Pradesh and "Uttarakhand telecom circle" are considered to be local.
GSM,CDMA, 3G and 4G service providers in Lakhimpur includeJio,Airtel,BSNL WLL,CellOne,Idea Cellular(Escotel),Uninor,Reliance India Mobile,Tata Indicom,[53]Vodafone-IN and Reliance Jio
Broadband Services are provided byAirtel,BSNL Fibre andJio Fibre.
Lakhimpur's most popular sport iscricket and it has several League cricket clubs. Other sports being actively played includefootball,hockey,basketball, andbadminton. Schools and colleges organise the sports activities, teams play in inter-school and inter-city tournaments.
St. Don Bosco's College alumni's play in an annual Ex-Student's Cricket Tournament, Government Inter College organises an annual G.I.C Cricket Champions Trophy.
Liberia 3,786,764 July 2011 est.
Oregon 3,831,074
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)Places adjacent to Lakhimpur Kheri district | ||||||||||||||||
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