Sitapur District | |
|---|---|
 Ghaghra River in Sitapur district | |
 Location of Sitapur district in Uttar Pradesh | |
| Country |  India |
| State | Uttar Pradesh |
| Division | Lucknow |
| Headquarters | Sitapur |
| Tehsils | 1.Sitapur 2.Biswan3.Misrikh4.Maholi5.Laharpur6.Mahmudabad 7.Sidhauli |
| Government | |
| • Lok Sabha constituencies | Sitapur,Misrikh,Dhaurahra,Mohanlalganj |
| Area | |
• Total | 5,743 km2 (2,217 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
• Total | 4,483,992 |
| • Density | 780/km2 (2,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
| Website | sitapur |
Sitapur district is one of thedistricts which is situated inUttar Pradeshstate of India, withSitapur town as the district headquarters. Sitapur district is a part ofLucknow division.
Sitapur, located in India, is renowned for its rich mythological and historical significance. While there is no official explanation for its name, local tradition suggests that "Sitapur" is associated with Sita, the wife of LordRam. It is believed that Sita resided in this area with Lord Ram during a pilgrimage. Subsequently,King Vikramaditya is said to have founded the city in her honor, naming it Sitapur to commemorate her legacy. Historical references, such as those found inAbul Fazal's "Ain-i-Akbari," indicate that during the reign ofAkbar, the place was known as Chatyapur or Chitiapur.[1]
Sitapur was first constituted as a district by the British after their takeover ofOudh State in February 1856.[2] Before that, under theMughal Empire and then theNawabs of Awadh, the area had been divided between multiple administrative units.[2] Even earlier, under theDelhi Sultanate, it appears that the territory of the current district was part of the province ofBahraich, but this is unclear because contemporary sources do not mention this area.[2]
During the reign ofAkbar, the area of today's Sitapur district was divided between foursarkars, all in theSubah ofAwadh.[2] Most of it was in the sarkar ofKhairabad: this area comprised the mahals of Haveli Khairabad, Hargam,Laharpur,Biswan,Machhrehta,Sitapur (called "Chhitiapur" in theAin-i-Akbari), Sadrpur, Nimkhar (a large territory including the laterparganas ofAurangabad,Misrikh, andMaholi), and Kharkila (later Korauna).[2] The later pargana ofGundlamau is "untraceable" but was probably divided between Nimkhar and Machhrehta.[2] In addition, the pargana of Chandra was then part ofGopamau in today'sHardoi district, which was also in Khairabad sarkar.[2] A few mahals belonged toLucknow sarkar:Bari,Manwan,Bahrimau (laterPirnagar; name changed underJahangir),Bangaon, andRamkot (included in Lucknow for some reason, although surrounded on all sides by Khairabad).[2] Additionally, the mahal ofFatehpur, in today'sBarabanki district, included part ofMahmudabad pargana, which now forms part of Sitapur.[2] The mahal ofQila Nawagarh, comprising the later parganas ofTambaur andKondri North, was part of Bahraich sarkar; finally,Kondri South was part ofSailuk mahal in the sarkar of Awadh.[2]
A few parganas would be established later: for example, Mahmudabad was split off from Fatehpur, during the reign of Jahangir, and Kondri was formed out of Sailuk in 1739, during the reign ofSaadat Khan I.[2] Aurangabad pargana, originally part of Nimkhar, was split off by the taluqdars Muhammad Bakhsh and Qutb Muhammad several generations after the town's foundation in 1670.[2]
The basic administrative setup, though, remained intact until the reign ofAsaf-ud-Daula in the late 1700s.[2] Under the later Mughal emperors and then the Nawabs of Awadh, Khairabad remained a relatively unimportant command, rarely mentioned in contemporary sources.[2] It was not a very prestigious posting — whenSafdar Jang appointed his subject Hidayat Ali Khan asfaujdar of Khairabad, Hidayat Ali Khan was less than enthusiastic.[2] Later, Asaf-ud-Daula divided his country into variouschaklas andnizamats; the threechaklas that included areas of Sitapur district wereMuhamdi, Khairabad, and Bari-Biswan.[2]
After the British annexed Awadh in 1856, they selected Sitapur to serve as the headquarters of a new district in Khairabad division.[2] The area between theChauka andGhaghra rivers briefly formed a separate district based atMallanpur, which was part ofBahraich Division.[2] It was decided before the1857 uprising to abolish Mallanpur district, but it was not carried out until 1858 after the end of the conflict, and the parts south of theDahawar were annexed to Sitapur.[2]
From then on, and still in effect as of the early 1900s, Sitapur consisted of four tehsils and 21 parganas: Misrikh tehsil in the west (with parganas Maholi, Chandra, Misrikh, Aurangabad, Korauna, Machhrehta, and Gundlamau), Sitapur tehsil in the north and center (with parganas Sitapur, Ramkot, Pirnagar, Khairabad, Hargam, and Laharpur), Sidhauli tehsil in the south and southeast (with parganas Bari, Manwan, Mahmudabad, Sadrpur, and Kondri South), and Biswan tehsil in the east (with parganas Biswan, Tambaur, and Kondri North).[2]
Sitapur is located at 27.57°N 80.68°E. It test has an average elevation of 138 meters (452 feet). It is located in the Gangetic Plain, with elevations ranging from 150 m above sea level in the north-west to 100 m in the south-east. It is intersected by numerous streams and ravines and contains many shallow ponds and natural reservoirs, which overflow during the rainy seasons, but become dry, in some places, in the hot season. Except in the eastern portion, which lies in the doabs between the Kewani and the Chauka, and theGhaghra and the Chauka rivers, the soil is semi arid. Even this moist tract is interspersed with patches of land covered with saline efflorescence calledreh.
The monotony of featureless plain of upperGanga valley is preserved throughout the district. At places this monotony is broken by Small River likeKathana,Sarayan andGomati. Sandy stretches are found along the rivers and locally known asbhurs. the region in general is a part of well integrated system of the river Ganga. Gomti is the most important tributary flows in the eastern part of the district and engulfs above mentioned small rivers. Ghaghara forms the eastern boundary of the district. There are five rivers flowing through the district of Sitapur: Gomti, Kathana, Pirai, Sarayan, Ghaghra andSharda.
The gradual rise in temperature starts in the months of February and becomes more rapid by March and April unless checked by more humid easterlies. The local hot and gusty winds, locally known asloo, result in hot and scorching weather. The condition is aggravated further by presence of meager relative humidity (40%). The district of the study does not show much influence of Himalaya which otherwise tend to lower the temperatures in the places nearby as in the case ofMeerut and Gonda.
The pre-monsoon showers are meager and this along with low humidity accentuates the impact ofloo which at times changes into heat waves with exceptionally high temperature. The rainy season commences in the latter half of the June at different dates which are too difficult to be predicted. It brings relief to the people by lowering the temperatures up to 30 °C. The rainfall decreases southward and westward in the region. There is a dominance of Bay of Bengal currents. This season comes to an end by October with a sudden fall in temperature and amount of rainfall. Soon after the winter conditions settle in at times cold waves and westerly disturb the general monotony of the winters. The showers due to western depressions are very useful for therabi crop in the region. The average rainfall in the study area varies between 105 cm to 150 cm.
The district is divided into seventehsils namelySitapur,Biswan,Maholi, Mishrikh,Laharpur,Mahmudabad andSidhauli and 19 blocks namely Pisawan,Maholi,Misrikh,Machhrehta,Gondlamau,Ailiya,Hargaon,Parsendi,Khairabad,Laharpur,Behta,Reusa,Sakran,Biswan,Pahala,Mahmudabad,Rampur Mathura,Kasmanda andSidhauli. There are 2348 census villages and 1329Gram Panchayats in the district. Sitapur has nine seats inUttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. These nine constituencies are:
The district is divided into fourLok Sabha seats:
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1901 | 1,180,506 | — |
| 1911 | 1,144,011 | −0.31% |
| 1921 | 1,094,581 | −0.44% |
| 1931 | 1,172,580 | +0.69% |
| 1941 | 1,299,494 | +1.03% |
| 1951 | 1,386,918 | +0.65% |
| 1961 | 1,608,057 | +1.49% |
| 1971 | 1,884,400 | +1.60% |
| 1981 | 2,337,284 | +2.18% |
| 1991 | 2,857,009 | +2.03% |
| 2001 | 3,619,661 | +2.39% |
| 2011 | 4,483,992 | +2.16% |
| source:[3] | ||
As of 2011 India census, Sitapur district has population of 4,483,992 of which male and female are 2,375,264 and 2,108,728 respectively.[4] District Sitapur ranks 8th in terms of population in Uttar Pradesh. The density of Sitapur district for 2011 is 781 people per km2.[4] In 2001, it was about 630 people per km2. Sitapur town/city has a population of 1,77,351. Males constitute 52.67% of the population and females 47.41%. Sitapur has an average literacy rate of 61%, lower than the national average of 74.04%. Female literacy is about 50%. In Sitapur, 16.6% of the population was under 6 years of age. Sitapur has a sex ratio of 888 females per 1000 males. 11.84% of the population lives in urban areas. Scheduled Castes made up 32.26% of the population.[4] There are 801,764 households in the district accounting for 2.4 percent of the total households in the state. The average size of households in the district is 5.6 persons.[4]
Out of the total Sitapur population, the percentage share of urban population in the district is 11.8% as against 22.3 percent of the population in urban areas of the state. The district has 12 towns out of them 11 are statutory and one town is a census town.[5]
According to housing census, 2011, total 723 families live on footpath or without any roof cover in the district. The total Population of all who lived without roof at the time of Census 2011 is 3,460. This is approximately 0.08% of the total population of Sitapur district.
In 2006 theMinistry of Panchayati Raj named Sitapur one of the country's 250most backward districts (out of a total of640).[6] It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[6]
Hindus constitute about 79% of total population of the district and Muslims are about 20% of the total population. In Sitapur, Hindus and Muslims work together in the carpet industry.[8] The district has a concentration offakirs.[9]
At the time of the2011 Census of India, 93.12% of the population in the district spokeHindi (or a related language) and 5.62%Urdu as their first language.[10]
Languages spoken here includeAwadhi, a vernacular in theHindicontinuum spoken by over 38 million people, mainly in theAwadh region.[11] Sanskrit, Punjabi and English are also understood among a minuscule minority. Apart from Hindi, English is now part of curricula in most government and private schools.
Agriculture is the primary activity in the district, withwheat,rice, andurad being the staple crops withsugarcane,mustard andgroundnuts ascash crops. The crop area ofpeppermint is also rapidly increasing especially in eastern part of the district. Narrow tracts of sandy soils in the valley of rivers producepotato, groundnuts and ginger.Banana plantations are becoming popular among farmers recently. Sitapur is also famous for its mango, namelyDasheri.
Sitapur has a diverse economy primarily driven by agriculture. The fertile plains of the region support the cultivation of various crops, including wheat, sugarcane, rice, and pulses, making agriculture a vital part of the local economy. Additionally, Sitapur is known for its production ofhandloom textiles and traditional crafts, which contribute to the livelihood of many artisans in the area. The district has also seen a gradual increase in small-scale industries and trade, bolstered by its strategic location and improving infrastructure. Sitapur has officially been integrated into the State Capital Region of the Uttar Pradesh government. This designation is expected to enhance agricultural and industrial investments in the area, ultimately providing a significant boost to the local economy.[12] Despite these developments, challenges such as seasonal flooding and reliance on monsoon rains continue to impact agricultural productivity and the overall economic stability of the region.[13]
As far as industries are concerned, most of them are based on raw agricultural products. Plywood, sugar, paper, rice, flour mills are scattered all over the district. There are several sugar mills, mostly owned by private firms. The only cooperative sugar mill in the town of Maholi closed down a few years ago due to loss.
There are several sugar mills in the district.
Located in the heart ofHargaon town, it is also known as theOudh Sugar Mills Limited (OSML). It belongs to theK.K. Birla Group of Sugar Companies. It has a crushing capacity of about 10,000 tonnes of sugarcane per day. It also produces 100 kiloliter per day industrial alcohol/ethanol in its distillery and 15 MW electricity using its co-gen power plant.[14]
Also known as Dalmia Chini Mill, it was the first sugar plant ofDalmia Group established in the year 1994 in the village Ramgarh which is approximately 40 kilometers from the district headquarter in Sitapur town. This plant has a cane crushing capacity of 7700 tonnes of sugarcane per day and an installed generation capacity of 25 MW. The mill started its first cane crushing on 28 December 1994 to manufacture plantation white sugar, using the double sulphitation process. It also has co-generation facility. The export of electricity started in October 2007. Co-generation takes place only during crushing season simultaneously with production of white sugar.[15]
Apart from the unit at Ramgarh village, Dalmia Group in 2007 set up another unit in a village nearRamkot town which is only 14 kilometers away from Sitapur on the Sitapur-Hardoi Road. The Jawaharpur sugar factory unit has a cane crushing capacity of 9000 tonnes of sugarcane per day and co-gen capacity of 27 MW. It also has a distillery capacity of 80 kiloliter per day.[16]
The Seksaria Sugar Factory, a private limited company composed of members of the Seksaria family, located in Biswan town. It was established in 1939.
The Kisan Sahkari Chini Mills Limited, Mahmudabad was established under U.P. Cooperative Societies Act, 1965 and its first crushing season was 1982–83. The factory is situated at Mahmoodabad Tehsil of Sitapur District and its present crushing capacity is 2,750 tonnes (3,030 tons) of sugarcane per day.[17]
The Kamlapur mill in has a capacity of crushing 4,000 tonne of sugar cane a day and also a 6 MW power generating plant.
J. B. Daruka Papers Limited have set up a Kraft Paper Plant near a village called Advenia Grant. It consists of an agro-based paper plant (Capacity 50 TPD).[18]
The district is traversed by broad gauge train network connectingGorakhpur andDelhi via Gonda, Burhwal, bypassing Lucknow and Hardoi. The major towns of the district Sidhauli, Mishrikh, Maholi, Hargaon, Biswan, Mahmudabad etc.are well connected with rails. Tamabur-Ahmedabad is not connected with rails. Broad Gauge conversion fromLucknow to Sitapur and Mailani has been completed and Lucknow to Sitapur commenced on 09-Jan-2019.
Towns and villages within the district are now well-linked through major district roads (MDR) and metaled rural roads. Most of the roads are in good condition. TheNational Highway No. 24 (Lucknow - Delhi) passes from the heart of Sitapur district. This highway is open to public.
Sitapur does not have any airport of its own.Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport, Lucknow is the nearest airport. It takes almost an hour and a half to reach Sitapur by car.
According to Hindu mythology, Puranas were written by Rishi Ved Vyas atVyas Gaddi in modern-day Naimisharanya. Sitapur is one of the five sacred places the Hindus have to visit in their Panch Dham Yatra journey. Misrikh, near Naimisharanya, holds its religious significance due to the belief that Maharshi Dadhichi donated his bones to Devatas for making Vajras.
And many more temples in the villages in the district where annual fairs are organised.
1. Umrao Jaan (2006 film)[19] 2. Dedh Ishqiya3. Kagaz (Shooting Near Biswan)
Places adjacent to Sitapur district | |
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| International | |
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| National | |
