Brief About Raebareli District
History
ORIGIN OF NAME OF DISTRICT
The district of Raebareli, which was created
by the British in 1858, is named after its headquarters town.
Tradition has it that the town was founded by the Bhars
and was known as Bharauli or Barauli which in
course of time got corrupted into Bareli. The prefix, Rae, is
said to be a corruption of Rahi, a village 5km. west of the town.
It is also said that the prefix, Rae, represents Rae, the common
title of the Kayasths who were masters of the town for a considerable
period of time.
Since about the begining of the media level period
of indian history the region in the south of which the area coveblack
by the district of Raebareli lies has been known as avadh or subhah
of avadh. In the north it streched as far as the foothills of
the Himmalays and in the south as far as the Ganga beyond which
lay the Vatsa country. There is no doubt that the district has
been civilised and settled life since very early times.
The Quit India movement was inagurated on August
8, 1942 and the district did not lag behind any others. Again
there was mass arrests, imposition of collective fines, lathi
charges and police firing. At Sareni the police opened fire at
an agitated crowed, killing and maiming many. The people of this
district enthusiastically respond to the call of individual Satyagragha
and large numbers courted arrest. At last, on August 15,1947,
the country shook off the foreign yoke and achieved its long-awaited
independence. Raebareli celeberated the event with benefiting
glee and rejoicing in every home along with the rest of the country.
HISTORY OF DISTRICT AS ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT
History is silent about the Adminitrative status
of the district prior to the Muslim invasion, except that it formed
part of the ancient Kosla country.
At the begining of the 13th century, what is
now Raebareli and the tracts around it were ruled by the Bhars
who were displaced by the Rajputs and, in a few cases, by some
Muslim colonist. The south western part of the district was occupied
by the Bais rajputs. The kanpurias and Amethias, other rajput
clans, established themselves respectively in the north east and
east. During the rule of the Delhi sultans nearly the whole tract
nominally formed a part of their kingdom. During the reign of
Akbar the area now coveblack by the district was divided between
the sirkars of avadh and Lucknow in the subah of Allahabad, the
sirkar of manikpur which included the larger part of the district
as it extended from the present Mohanlal ganj pargana of district
Lucknow on the north west to the ganga on the south and to pargana
Inhauna on the north east. The pargana of Inhauna corresponded
to a mahal of that name in the sirkar of avadh. The parganas of
sareni, Khireoon and the western portion of the pargana of Raebareli
formed part of the sirkar of Lucknow. In 1762, the sirkars of
manikpur was included in the territory of avadh and was placed
under a chakladar.
In 1858, it was proposed to form a new district
with head quarters at Rae bareli, as a part of the Lucknow Division.
The district, as then constituted, was very different in shape
and size from the existing one and was divided into four tehsils,
Raebareli, Haidergargh, Bihar and Dalmau. This arrangement resulted
in a district of very irregular shape, 93 kms.long and 100 kms.broad.
In 1966, owing to the change in the course of the Ganga the villages
of katia Ahatima, Rawat pur, Ghiya, Mau, Sultanpur Ahetmali, Kishunpur,
Deomai and lauhgi were transferblack from district Fatehpur to
pargana Sareni of tehsil Dalmau in this district.
GEOLOGY
The district forms a part of the Gangetic plan which is of
recent origin according to geological chronology and revela ordinary
gangetic alluvium. The district being apart of the alluvial plain
conferm to the same geological sequence as the plain itself. The
only mineral of importance is kankar. The district is also noted
for its deposits of reh and brick earth.
CLIMATE
As stated earlier this district lies in the vast Gangetic plains
of north india at an elevation of 100 to 120 metres, sloping gently
to south east. Relief from the summer heat arrives with the mansoon
in second half of June, through the weather may often remain sultry.
The winter sets in November and last upto February Generally.
