Farukhabad District

Farrukhabad district is a district of Uttar Pradesh state of India. The town of Fatehgarh is the district headquarters. The district is part of Kanpur division.

Farrukhabad is situated between Lat. 26° 46' N & 27° 43' N and Long. 79° 7' E & 80° 2' E. The district is bounded by Badaun and Shahjahanpur on the north, Hardoi district on the east, Kannauj district on the south, and Etah and Mainpuri districts on the west. The Ganga River and Ramganga River are located to the east and the Kali River to the south.

The district formerly included present-day Kannauj district. It was divided into two separate districts on 18 September 1997. Farrukhabad district consists of three ''tahsils'': Farrukhabad, Kaimganj and Amritpur. Amritpur ''tahsil'' was created from Rajepur Block after the district was split in 1997. The district has seven blocks: Kaimganj, Nawabganj, Shamsabad, Rajepur, Barhpur, Mohamadabad and Kamalganj.

Farrukhabad is a historic city with a rich culture defined by the traditions of Ganga-Jamuni tehzeeb, which amalgamates aspects of Hindu and Muslim cultural practices, rituals, folk and linguistic traditions.

History

The Bangash leaders of Farrukhabad were Pathan mercenaries who came to Hindustan in the late 17th century, settling in Mau-Rashidabad in the Doab region of North India. After two decades of service amongst the warring rajas of Bundelkhand, Muhammad Khan Bangash entered the Mughal imperial service in 1712 in support of Farrukhsiyar, one of the princely contenders for the Mughal throne, who led a coup which displaced the reigning emperor Jahandar Shah (reigned 1712–1713). With Farrukhsiyar's victory, Mohammad Khan Bangash (c. 1665–1743) was raised to the rank of a commander of 4,000, given assignments on revenue in Bundelkhand to support his troops, and styled Nawab. Like other emergent state-builders, Muhammad Khan proceeded rapidly to found his new city, Farrukhabad, as the centre for his household and those of his 22 sons. The city was begun in 1714, and Mohammad Khan Bangash named it after Farrukhsiyar. It soon became a flourishing centre of commerce and industry.

Bangash also settled in Farrukhabad his ''chelas'' (followers), the 'sons of the state' whom he recruited in great numbers from almost every social source—fellow Pathans, local rajas, Rajputs, Brahmins, Bamtela Thakurs. By the end of Muhammad Khan's life, the number of his ''chelas'' seems to have been above 4,000. These favoured young men, whose loyalty seemed more predictable than that of troublesome and ambitious brother Pathans, were entrusted with great responsibilities: in the military, as soldiers, bodyguards and paymasters; in the household and even as revenue collectors and deputy governors of provinces. With this formidable apparatus, Muhammad Khan Bangash entered his career as a powerful player in the political upheavals in Delhi following Farrukhsiyar's deposition in 1719.

The Bangash period of Farrukhabad's history is synonymous with the growth of Farrukhabad as an important centre of commerce and fiscal exchange. The Bangash Nawabs encouraged merchants and bankers to come and settle in Farrukhabad. For the promotion of commercial activities, they constructed many bazaars and ''mahallas'' (quarters), each devoted to a separate group of artisans or merchants. Along the main route and supply lines numerous ''ganjes'' and ''qasbas'' were erected to attract trade and credit to Farrukhabad. Very important in this respect was the establishment of the Farrukhabad mint which, apart from being an emblem of sovereignty, stimulated bullion imports and attracted numerous bankers. The superior quality of Farrukhabad currency, both gold and silver, was very well known in the eighteenth century, as it became the most trustworthy and hardest currency of northern India. An anecdote relates that Ahmad Shah Durrani preferred coins made at the Farrukhabad mint. Soon enough, because of its growing reputation as a centre of commerce and finance, Farrukhabad began to attract new immigrants from Afghanistan. The Bangash Nawab sent large sums of money to Kabul and adjoining areas via Lahore in order to invite his countrymen to come to Farrukhabad. Many ''khanqahs'' were built, and large sums of cash were distributed in order to entice the ''ulema'', ''sufis'' and other intellectuals to settle in Farrukhabad. According to a British intelligence gatherer named Pere Wendel, the reputation of Farrukhabad as a home for holy men during the Bangash period was such that the city became popularly known as "Faquirabad".

The military station of Fatehgarh dates from 1777, although the town did not pass into the possession of the British until 1802. In this period Farrukhabad had fallen under the power of the Wazirs of Awadh and Fatehgarh formed an important outpost against the Maratha war bands. The British brigade lent to the Nawab Wazir was stationed in Fatehgarh in 1777. At the cession of 1802, Fatehgarh became the headquarters of a Governor-General's Agent and of the Board of Commissioners for the Ceded Provinces. Yashwantrao Holkar attacked the fort of Fatehgarh in 1804 but in the famous Battle of Farrukhabad, part of the ongoing Second Anglo-Maratha War, Holkar was defeated and put to flight by the timely arrival of Lord Lake.

In 1818 a gun carriage factory was established in Fatehgarh. From this time, nothing eventful occurred in the history of Fatehgarh until the outbreak of the Rebellion of 1857.

Under the colonial state of British India, Farrukhabad was a nodal centre of the riverine trade through the Ganges river system from North and North-West India towards the East.
The story of Farrukhabad's economic and political decline under British rule has to begin with the closure of the famed Farrukhabad mint in 1824. The British policy of centralisation of the Indian economy led to its decision to shut down the mint at Farrukhabad and halt the bullion trade in Farrukhabad. This dealt a heavy blow to the thriving grain trade of the region and precipitated a monetary crisis in the urban and rural areas of the region. The abolition of the mint ruined the native mercantile community and created an acute shortage of money, particularly among poor peasant households. By contrast, Kanpur seems to have benefited from the decline of Farrukhabad and emerged as a major commercial centre during this period of depression lasting till the end of the 1840s.

During the days of the Sepoy Mutiny, nearly the entire population of Europeans in Fatehgarh, upwards of 200 in number, were killed by the rebels. A few succeeded in escaping from Fatehgarh and managed to reach Kanpur, only to be seized by Nana Sahib and massacred. Those who remained behind, after sustaining a siege of upwards of a week, were forced to abandon the fort, which had been undermined by the rebels, and to betake themselves to the Ganges. On their way down the river, they were attacked by the rebels and villagers on both sides of the river. One of the boats with the Europeans managed to reach Bithur where it was captured, the travellers were taken to Kanpur, and subsequently massacred. Another boat grounded in the river the day after leaving Fatehgarh, and the passengers were shot down or drowned in their attempt to reach land. Some captured Europeans were brought back to Fatehgarh, and after being kept in confinement for nearly three weeks, were shot or sabred on the parade ground. Their remains were cast into a well, over which was built a memorial cross, with a memorial church near to it.

The main sources of information for the events that unfolded during the stormy days of the Mutiny are the British state accounts and first person reports by Europeans who were posted in different parts of India in that year. We find that the news of the outbreak of Mutiny in Meerut reached Fatehgarh on 14 May 1857; and another week brought tidings of its spread to Aligarh. British imperial gazetteer records that the 10th Native Infantry posted at Fatehgarh showed symptoms of a mutinous spirit on 29 May. It was not until 3 June that a body of insurgents from Awadh crossed the Ganges, and arranged for a rising on the following day. The European officials and residents abandoned Fatehgarh the same evening; but several of them returned to Fatehgarh a few days later, and remained till the 18th, when another outbreak occurred and the rebels placed the Bangash Nawab of Farrukhabad on the throne. The Europeans had called for additional troops from Sitapur to reinforce their control of the fort of Fatehgarh. On 25 June, the rebels attacked the European positions, forcing them to flee.

The Bangash Nawab continued to rule Farrukhabad till 23 October 1857, when he was defeated by the British at Kannuaj. The British forces went on to quell the rebellion in other parts of Rohilkhand. On 2 January 1858, the British forces were once again at the doors of Fatehgarh, crossed the Kali Nadi and recaptured the fort of Fatehgarh the next day. The Nawab and his small entourage fled to Bareilly. In May 1858, a force of 3,000 insurgents from Bundelkhand crossed into the district and captured Kaimganj. The British forces successfully drove them out into the last rebel refuge, in Awadh, and the British order was never again disturbed in Fatehgarh.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census Farrukhabad district has a population of 1,885,204, roughly equal to the nation of Lesotho or the US state of West Virginia. This gives it a ranking of 250th in India (out of a total of 707). The district has a population density of . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 20.2%. Farrukhabad has a sex ratio of 880 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 69.04%. 22.08% of the population lived in urban areas. Scheduled Castes make up 16.59% of the population.

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 94.96% of the population in the district spoke Hindi (or a related language) and 4.68% Urdu as their first language.

Government and politics

District administration

As of 2024, Vijay Kumar Singh is the district magistrate. Mrigendra Singh is the superintendent of police. Mohd. Husain is the district judge.

Twin towns: Farrukhabad and Fatehgarh

The district is called Farrukhabad and its headquarters is located at Fatehgarh. Fatehgarh derives its name from an old fort on the bank of the river Ganges. The fort presently falls in the Fatehgarh cantonment area and serves as the headquarter of the Rajput Regiment stationed at Fatehgarh Cantonment. The two cities are separated by a distance of 5 km and in the present times, with an increase in population, have merged into a single urban expanse. The district with a total area of hectares consists of three ''tahsils'', seven development block, 512 ''gram panchayats'', 1020 villages, 14 police stations, 2 ''nagar palikas'' (Municipal Committees) and four ''nagar panchayats'' (Town Area committee) and one Cantonment Board.

Economy

In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Farrukhabad one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF). Industrial development in the Farrukhabad district has been lethargic. This is despite the fact that Farrukhabad has been famous for its cloth printing and zardozi embroidery work. Zardosi remains Farrukhabad's primary industry spread across the city and its rural periphery. Approximately 175,000 trained handicraftsmen are engaged in this industry, and around 360 zardosi units are registered in the district. Zardosi embroidery from Farrukhabad is exported to many international markets in Europe, North America and Middle Eastern countries. In recent years, the Textile Ministry of India in collaboration with the state government of Uttar Pradesh, has proposed the setting up of a 'textile park' in Farrukhabad to promote local textile industry and create job opportunities for the local youth.
Farrukhabad is registered for its famous 'Farrukhabad Prints' under the Handicraft category of geographical indication registry (GI tags).
Source

Agriculture

The area under cultivation in Farrukhabad is with cropping intensity of 145% and 86% of net cultivated area being irrigated. Farrukhabad is a leading producer of potatoes in India and a significant producer of wheat, paddy, mustard, sunflower, maize, sugarcane. tobacco, vegetables and fruits. The percentages of net cropped area under various crops during kharif season are rice (11%), maize (27%), millets (4%), pulses (4%), tobacco (5%) and vegetables (10%). The percentages of net cropped area under different crops during rabi season are wheat (48%), potato (20%), vegetables (12%) and other crops (20%). There are about 61 cold storage facilities in Farrukhabad district catering to the potato storage needs of the district. Farrukhabad is located in the fertile Ganges river plains and the river plays an important role in the irrigation system of the district. Most of the regions in district are capable of producing three crops per year with an extremely high acreage yield. The administrative division (''tahsil'') of Kaimganj, about 25 km from Farrukhabad, is a noted producer of mangoes, guavas and many other fruits. Tobacco cultivation is another important agricultural activity of the region. Kaimganj is a centre of chewing tobacco industry. There is one sugar mill in Kaimganj as well. In recent years, some small scale agro-industries which include rice plants and oil mills have been set up in the district.

Investment opportunities

In June 2014, in
report
produced by IBRD/World Bank, Farrukhabad was ranked 18th (out of 70 districts) in High Economic Potential Index of districts in Uttar Pradesh with EPI score of 2013 (mean EPI score was 1858). This score was above the score of districts such as Varanasi (2001.8), Allahabad (1996.9), Mathura (1978.9), Agra (1943), Gorakhpur (1770.6), Jhansi (1506.8), etc. This report is based on the following parameters: Market accessibility, Industrial diversity, Commodity flow, Per capita industrial investment, Specialization in agriculture, and Social conditions.

Places of interest

Fatehgarh Cantonment

The Fatehgarh Cantonment dates from 1777 and is situated near the river Ganges. It houses three regiments, namely Rajput Regiment, Sikh Light Infantry

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