Social,
Environmental & Economic Sustainability
Our analysis of the rank of the district
Backwardness : 360
Sex Ratio Rank : 37
(Rank one is least sex ratio - Cenus 2001)
HIV Category District : A
(HIV Sentinel Surveillance 2004 -2006)
Disability : 165 (Census 2001)
Literacy Ratio : 356 (Census 2001)
Minority : Does not figure in MCD
Challenges of the district : Our research
with local communities
Following are the challenges of the district:
Less employment opportunities
The rate of literacy in the district is very poor. Awareness about
education, specially girl child’s education among the villagers
is very low.
The villagers are unable to access as well as obtain the benefits
of various government schemes, available for them.
Brief About Farrukhabad District
ANCIENT PERIOD
The early history of the region now covered by the present
district of Farrukhabad goes back to remote antiquity. During
the Bronze age numerous pre historical weapons and tools were
find here. Large numbers of stone statues are found at Sankisa
& Kampil. Farrukhabad can claim great antiquity in sculpture.
The Aryans settled in this region who were close allies of
Kurus. The traditional history of the district from the earliest
times till the end of The Mahabharata war is gleaned from the
Puranas & Mahabharata.
'Amavasu' founded a kingdom, the capital of which
later was Kanyakubja (Kannauj). Jahnu was a powerful king since
the river Ganga is said to have been named after him as Jahnaui.
This region rose into great prominence during the Mahabharata
period. Kampilya was the capital of South Panchala and it was
here that the famous Svayamvara of Draupadi. The name Panchala
being used for the entire region, of which Kampilya (Kampil) was
the chief city which has till then been the capital of South Panchala.
Panchala figures as the tenth in the list of
the sixteen premier states (Mahajanpada) in the time of Mahavira
and Buddha and is said to have comprised the region covered by
the present districts of Bareily , Badaun and Farrukhabad. About
the middle of the fourth century B.C., probably in the reign of
Mahapadma, this territory was annexed to the Nanda empire of Magadha.
Ashoka also built a monolithic pillar at Sankisa, which was noticed
by the Chinese traveller, Fa-hien. A large number of coins were
found at places like Mathura and Kannauj and in Panchala region
which are supposed to be associated with the Mitra rulers. The
basis of the coins are generally believed to have flourished between
C.100 B.C. and C.200 A.D.
Kannauj was a famous and important city in the
second century is also attested to by its mention under the name
of Kangora or Kanogiza by the geographer, Ptolemy (C.140 A.D.).
The present district of Farrukhabad shared the fruits of the golden
age of the Guptas and contributed much towards its peace and prosperity.
Fa-hien, the Chinese pilgrim visited Kannauj
between 399 and 414 A.D., during the reign of Chandragupta II.
Fa-hien spent his retreat at the Dragon-Shrine and when it was
over he travelled seven yojanas to the south-east, which brought
him to Kannauj. Sankisa was one of the greatest Buddhist pilgrims
centre at the time of Fa-hien's visit. Fa-hien remarks "This country
is very productive and the people are flourishing and happy beyond
compare. When man of other nations come, care is taken of all
of them and they are provided with what they require". There was
a renewed invasion of the Hunas with far greater success. After
this, Harivarman appears to have been the founder of the Maukhari
house of Kannauj. Harsha also advanced towards Kannauj. The Chinese
pilgrim, Hiuen Tsang, visited Kannauj in 643 A.D.. There were
100 Buddhist Monasteries with more than 10000 priests. A religious
assembly was also held here by Harsha. Hiuen Tsang mentions Kah-Pi-Ta
(Kapitha, identified with Sankisa) as the other important place
of the district.
The close of the 10th century was marked by the
Muslim invasion of India. Rajyapala was the ruler of Kannauj when
Mahmud of Ghazni attacked India. After sacking Mathura, Mahmud
proceeded towards Kannauj in 1018 A.D. He saw "a city which raised
its head to the skies and which in strength and beauty might boast
of being unrivalled." Mahmud captured all the seven forts of Kannauj
in 1019 A.D.
An inscription of the Chalukya dynasty of Lata,
dated 1050 A.D. associates the Rashtrakuta dynasty with Kannauj.
During 1089-90 A.D. Chandradeva the first Gahadavala king of Kannauj
ruled and have protected the sacred places of Kushika (Kannauj).
Kannauj once more recovered a large measure of its old importance
during 1114 A.D. to 1154 . During the reign of Chauhans (1170-1194
A.D.) Kannauj became powerful and annexed to Delhi. Kannauj (Jaichandra's
capital) was the scene of Svayamvara of his daughter Samyogita,
who was carried off by Prithviraj III. Mohammad Ghauri invaded
India and killed Jaichandra in 1193 A.D.
MEDIEVAL PERIOD
Jaichand's son, Harichandra continued to occupy Kannauj
even after 1193 A.D. The Muslim supremacy over the kingdom was
perplexing or abhorrent to him and so he discreetly omitted any
specific reference to Harichandra or his Muslims overlord. In
1233-34 Iltutmish ordered the Kannauj Garrison to join the imperial
forces in an expedition against Kalinjar. In 1244, The district
of Kannauj was conferred by the dissolute Alauddin Masaud
on his uncle Jalaluddin for his maintenance. The royal forces
reached Kannauj and besieged the fort of Balsandah. This fortress
was very strong and the royal forces returned with immense booty.
Ghiasuddin Balban, who then possessed the Delhi
throne, (1268-87) marched towards this region and divided the
whole area into a number of military commands. At each of these
place he erected forts,garrisoned with seasoned Afghan troops.
Balban himself remained in the vicinity for many months. Ziauddin
Barani writes "Sixty years have passed since these events, but
the roads have ever since been free from robbers." In 1290 Jalaluddin
Firoz Khalji visited the fort of Bhojapur and is believed to have
built bridge across the Ganga near the fort. In 1346-47 Muhammad
Tughlaq went on another expedition on to this region and reach
Sargdaori. In 1392, after a gap of about forty five years, this
region was once again up in arms against the imperial authority
of this area. In collusion with the Chauhans and Solankhis of
the surrounding tracts, the Rajputs of this area broke out in
open rebellion. In 1394, the suspected outbreak of another rebellion
in this region, the sultan conferred on Khwaja Jahan the title
of Malik-ul-Sharq "and appointed him governor of Hindustan from
Kannauj to Bihar devolving upon him full power." Malik-ul-Sharq
died in 1399 and his adopted son, Mubarak Shah became the virtual
ruler at Delhi and reached Kannauj.
In 1414, Khizr Khan (whom Timur had left in charge
of his possessions in India) occupied the throne of Delhi and
inaugurated the rule of Saiyid dynasty. Immediately after his
accession in 1423, Mubarak Shah Saiyid marched to Kampil to suppress
the Rajputs of the place.
On Sikandar Lodhi's death in 1517, his son, Ibrahim,
became emperor. He reached Kannauj where he was greeted by Azam
Humayun Sarvani, the governor of Kannauj. The result was that
several Afghan chiefs willingly joined and Kannauj became a fief
under the sovereignty of the Mughals. Kannauj appears to have
been recovered by Afghans. In 1527 Babar mobilised his forces
against the rebel chief of Chanderi. Babar now captured Chanderi
but lost Kannauj and Shamsabad to the Afghans. Kannauj became
a dependency of the rebels who found themselves at the head of
Muslims and Rajputs. Humayan's continued occupation in the north
and gave the ambitious Sher Shah Suri a free hand to prosecute
his designs in the east. In July 1537, he entrusted the government
of Kannauj to his brother-in-law Nur-ud-din Mohammad. Sher Shah
Suri now cut off Humayun's communication with Delhi while
the desertion of Hindal and Nur-ud-din (governor of Kannauj) completely
blocked Humayun from all sides. Humayun fled across the river
to Mainpuri and later in 1543 left India for Kandahar.
It appears that immediately after the capture
of Kannauj Sher Shah destroyed the old city and built a fort of
burnt brick there "and on the spot of gaining victory he built
a city Sher Sur." In 1555 the Afghans were over thrown and the
power of the Mughals was once again established by Humayun, who
returned India after 12 years but he died soon in January 1556
and he was succeeded by his son Akbar. Kannauj was the headquarter
of a Sirkar containing 30 Mahals. Kampil, Saurikh, Sakrawa, Sakatpur
and Kannauj of Akbar's time have also retained their old names
except Kannauj. In 1592 Kannauj was given to Muzaffar Hussain
Mirza, but he proved to be a drunkard and was soon deprived.
In 1610, Jahangir (1605-27) granted the government
of Kannauj to Abdurrahim, the son of great Bairam.
MODERN PERIOD
After the death of Aurangzeb in 1707, the references
to the district become more frequent. The decay of the Mughal
empire led to the establishment of several independent principalities
in north India of which was the territory of Farrukhabad which
played an important part in the subsequent history of the district.
In 1665 was born at Mau-Rashidabad (a suburb
of Kaimganj) Pathan child, who was named Mohammad Khan. When he
was 20, Mohammad Khan joined the bands of Pathan freebooters.
At the emperor Farruksiyar's invitation to join forces with him
to suppress his cousin Jahandar Shah, he joined him. when Jahandar
Shah was defeated Mohammad Khan was rewarded and received
the title of Nawab. After having successfully commanded he obtained
leave to return home where he founded the towns of Kaimganj and
Mohammadabad. The first name after his eldest son, is not far
from Mau-Rashidabad. Mohammadabad (about 23 km. from Farrukhabad)
which he named after himself. On a high mound called Kal-ka-khera,
he built a fort, of which only the ruins now remain. It is said
that Farrukhsiyar became angry when he heard that Mohammad Khan
had founded a town in his own name. To abate his benefactor's
wrath, the nawab announced his intention of founding another town
which he would name after the emperor. Mohammad Khan asked for
and obtained a grant of fifty two Bamtela villages as the site
of the new city which he named FARRUKHABAD after Farrukhsiyar,
the foundations which were laid in 1714.
Ahmad Khan, Mohammad Khan's second son was chosen
leader of the revolt. Ahmad Khan was made Amir-ul-umra and imperial
pay-master, served the emperor well at the battle of Panipat.
In 1769 the Marathas again made their appearance under Mahdaji
Sindhia and Holkar and attacked Farrukhabad. Hafiz Rahmat whose
territory in Etawah was also threatened, joined hands with Ahmed
Khan and encamped between Fatehgarh and Farrukhabad. Ahmad Khan
died in July 1771. Shah Alam was then at Kannauj and decided to
resume the Farrukhabad territory. In 1773 Shuja-ud-daula succeeded
in expelling the Marathas, the south parganas of the district
included all Farrukhabad south of Kali Nadi except Chibramau.
From 1780 to 1785 a British resident was appointed in the district,
probably at Fatehgarh. Warren Hastings has also promised to withdraw
the resident of Farrukhabad, but did not do so. From the early
part of 1857, there had been great excitement in the district
as rumours that the government was issuing leather rupees coated
with silver in order to depreciate the currency and to destroy
casts. The freedom struggle started in Meerut on May 10 and the
news reached Fatehgarh on the 14th. At Fatehgarh (a few km. from
Farrukhabad) was posted the 10th Indian Infantry, Commanded by
(Colonel) Smith.
On June 1, the officer of Aligarh Police Station
rode into Fatehgarh with the information that there was uprising
in the trans gangetic parganas under the freedom struggle. The
two regiments marched up the Grand Trunk Road through Gursahaiganj
and Chibramau, sacking the police stations at these places. On
18th the Avadh freedom fighters entered the Fatehgarh regiments
lines. By Sept. 1857, Delhi was back in British hands which completely
changed the fate. Niyaz Mohammad evaded capture for many years
by taking to a life of wandering in the course of which he visited
Mecca many times. The close of the 19th century saw the rise of
the activities of the Arya Samaj in Farrukhabad and other towns.
The 20th century saw the down of nationalism in the country. During
the anti partition of Bengal agitation of 1905, public meeting,
strikes and protests were held. Mohan Das Karam Chand Gandhi the
great nationalist leader's movement for boycotting foreign goods
also went ahead.
The non-co-operation movement started by Mahatma
Gandhi in August,1920 also had its impact in the district. Meeting
and Hartals were held at Farrukhabad, Fatehgarh, Kampil, Shamsabad,
Kannauj, Indergarh and other towns. In 1928 a complete Hartal
was held, large number of people staged demonstrations by marching
in procession, waving black flags and carrying banners with the
words "GO BACK SIMON." In 1930, the civil disobedience movement
was started in Farrukhabad. Salt was also manufactured at Sikandarpur,
Bholepur, Chibramau and Kannauj. En route from Kanpur on Nov.30,
1931 Jawahar Lal Nehru was met at each station in the district
by large crowds. Subhash Chandra Bose visited Farrukhabad on Jan.25,1940.
He made a violent speech. On Aug.15,1947 the country was liberated
from alien rule. The district also remembers those of its people
who participated in the struggle for freedom.
GEOGRAPHY
LOCATION AND BOUNDARIES :-
Farrukhabad is situated between Lat. 26° 46' N &
27° 43' N and Long. 79° 7' E & 80° 2' E. It forms a
part of Kanpur division. It is bounded by Badaun & Shahjahanpur
on the north, Hardoi on the east, Kannauj on the south and
Etah & Mainpuri on the west.
TOPOGRAPHY
The district is a level plane, varied only by a few
gentle undulations and slopes, sometimes abrupt, which lead down
to the river valleys. The highest recorded elevation is 167m.
above sea level at Mohammadabad and the lowest 145.69 m.
at Mau Rasulpur in the Trans Ganga flats of Tehsil Farrukhabad.
The only marked variation of level is between the two divisions,
the upland or bangar, which is a continuation of the doab and
the low lands or Tarais, cut away from the upland by the erosive
action of the rivers.
CLIMATE
The climate of the district is characterised by a hot
dry summer and a pleasant cold season.
