Azamgarh Explained

Azamgarh is a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Azamgarh division, which consists of Ballia, Mau and Azamgarh districts. Azamgarh is situated on the bank of Tamsa River (Tons). It is located east of the state capital Lucknow and 809 km from the national capital, Delhi.

History

Azamgarh, one of the easternmost districts (a district in Purvanchal sub-region) of Uttar Pradesh, once part of the ancient Kosala kingdom, except its north-eastern part. Azamgarh is also known as the land of the sage Durvasa whose ashram was located in Phulpur tehsil, near the confluence of Tamsa and Majhuee rivers, north of the Phulpur.

The district is named after its headquarters town, Azamgarh, which was founded in 1665 by Azam, son of Vikramajit. Vikramajit was a descendant of Gautam Rajputs of Mehnagar in Pargana Nizamabad who like some of his predecessors had embraced Islam. He had two sons, Azam and Azmat. While Azam gave his name to the town of Azamgarh, and the fort, Azmat constructed the fort and settled the bazaar of Azmatgarh pargana Sagri.^[4] After the attack of Chabile Ram, Azmat Khan fled northwards followed by the interior forces. He attempted to cross the Ghaghra into Gorakhpur, but the people on the other side opposed his landing, and he was either shot in mid stream or was drowned in attempting to escape by swimming.

In 1688 A.D. during Azmat's lifetime, his eldest son Ekram took part in the management of the state, and after Azam's death he was perhaps left in possession together with Mohhabat, another son. The remaining two sons were taken away and for a time detained as hostages for their brothers' 'good behaviour'.

The successor of Ikram finally confirmed the title of his family to the Jamidari. Ikram left no heirs and was succeeded by Iradat, son of Mohhabat. But the real ruler all along had been Mohhabat, and after Ikram's death, he continued to rule in his son's name.

Geography

Azamgarh has an average elevation of 64 metres (209 feet).^[5] The district consists of a series of parallel ridges, whose summits are depressed into beds or hollows, along which the rivers flow; while between the ridges are low-lying rice lands, interspersed with numerous natural reservoirs. The soil is fertile, and very highly cultivated, bearing good crops of rice, sugarcane, and wheat and orchards of mango and guava. Maize, gram, corn, mustard are other major crops.

Climate

Azamgarh experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa) with large variations between summer and winter temperatures.^{[6] [7]} Summers are long, from early April to October with intervening monsoon seasons, and are also extremely hot, even by South Asian standards. The temperature ranges between 22and in the summers. Winters in Azamgarh see very large diurnal variations, with warm days and downright cold nights. Cold waves from the Himalayan region cause temperatures to dip across the city in the winter from December to February and temperatures below 5°C are not uncommon. The average annual rainfall is 1110mm. Fog is common in the winters, while hot dry winds, called loo, blow in the summers.^[8] In recent years, the water level of the Tamsa has decreased significantly.

Demographics

As per the 2011 census, Azamgarh urban agglomeration had a population of 110,983, out of which males were 57,878 and females were 53,105.

Literacy

Average literacy rate of Azamgarh in 2011 were 70.93% compared to 56.95% of 2001. If things are looked out as gender wise, then male and female literacy were 81.34 and 60.91 respectively. For 2001 census, the figures stood at 71.04 and 43.40 in Azamgarh District. Total literate in Azamgarh District were 2,771,917 of which male and female were 1,559,414 and 1,212,503 respectively.Web site: C-1 Literacy in Azamgarh City (2011).

Languages

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 45.22% of the population recorded Hindi as their first language, while 37.46% recorded Bhojpuri and 16.99% Urdu.^[9]

Transport

Road

Azamgarh is connected with Lucknow 268km (167miles) and Delhi 761km (473miles) by road. It has one of the biggest bus depots in eastern Uttar Pradesh and regular bus services to almost all district headquarters of Uttar Pradesh and also to Delhi.A new highway called the 'PurvanchalExpressway' was built in 2021 to directly connect Azamgarh with Lucknow and other important cities.

Train

Azamgarh station is one of the most important of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Azamgarh is directly connected to Delhi by Kaifiyat Express, to Mumbai by Mumbai LTT – Azamgarh Weekly Express, Godaan express, to Ahmedabad, the state capital Lucknow, Jaipur, Ajmer, and Amritsar, to Kolkata by KOAA AMH Express (13137).

Air

Azamgarh has a new airport Azamgarh Airport, 9km (06miles) away. The airport is open.^[10] It was inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2024.^[11]

Education

Azamgarh has a number of educational institutions ranging from basic educational institutions to the higher institution. There are a number of ITIs, Polytechnics, Nursing Schools, and medical college. Notable institutions include:

• Azamgarh State University, established in 2019.
• Government Medical College and Super Facility Hospital, Azamgarh is a state medical college located at Chakrapanpur, Azamgarh.
• Rajkiya Engineering College, Azamgarh is a government engineering college and a constituent college of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (formerly Uttar Pradesh Technical University).
• Shibli National College offers graduate and postgraduate courses in Azamgarh. It is a well known institution established in 1883 by Shibli Nomani, an Islamic scholar from Indian subcontinent during British Raj.^[12]

Media

FM

• Voice Of Azamgarh (90.8) Community Radio.^[13]
• Air Vividh Bharti (102.2) which Broadcast from Azamgarh City & Covers Bilariaganj city too.
• Half Lemon Radio (90.4)

Notable people

Azmi is a common toponymic surname among Indian Muslims from Azamgarh.

• Iqbal Abdulla (born 1989), Indian cricketer^[14]
• Abdul Haq Azmi (1928–2016), Indian Islamic scholar, cousin-uncle of Rana Ayyub
• Abdul Lateef Azmi (1917–2002), Indian Urdu writer
• Abu Azmi (born 1955), Indian politician, MLA from Maharashtra and former Member of Rajya Sabha^[15]
• Ahmad Ali Barqi Azmi (born 1954), Indian Urdu poet
• Azizullah Azmi (1929–2010), Indian politician, MP of Lok Sabha
• Baba Azmi, Indian film cinematographer, husband of Tanvi Azmi
• Habib al-Rahman al-'Azmi (1901-1992), Indian Islamic scholar of hadith and fiqh
• Iliyas Azmi (born 1934), Indian politician, MP of Lok Sabha
• Kaifi Azmi (1919–2002) was an Indian Urdu poet, husband of Shaukat Azmi and father of Shabana Azmi and Baba Azmi
• Khaleel-Ur-Rehman Azmi (1927–1978), Indian Urdu poet and literary critic
• Mohammed Badi Uzzaman Azmi (1939–2011), British-Pakistani television and film actor
• Muhammad Mustafa Azmi (1930–2017), Indian Islamic scholar of hadith
• Mushtaq Ahmed Azmi (1919–2011), Indian adult educationist and UNESCO official
• Obaidullah Khan Azmi (born 1949), Indian politician, MP of Rajya Sabha
• Seema Azmi, Indian actress of film and stage
• Shahid Azmi (1977–2010), Indian human rights lawyer
• Shakeel Azmi (born 1971), Indian Urdu lyricist and poet
• Waqar Azmi (born 1970), British-Indian civil servant
• Shaikh Shamim Ahmed Azmi (1938–2019), former MLA and Indian National Congress leader from Mumbai^[16]
• Qamaruzzaman Azmi (born 1946), Indian Islamic scholar
• Mirza Aslam Beg (born 1931), former Chief of Army Staff of Pakistan
• Praveen Dubey (born 1993), Indian cricketer^{[17] [18]}
• Amin Ahsan Islahi (1904–1997), Pakistani Islamic scholar, famous for his Urdu exegeses of Quran, Tadabbur-i-Qur'an
• Sadruddin Islahi (1917 - 1998) was an Indian Islamic Urdu writer and a close companion of Abul A'la Maududi. He was one of the early members of Jamat e Islami.
• Frank F Islam, American entrepreneur, civic leader and writer. General Trustee of the Board of Trustees of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in 2013
• Kanhaiya Lal Misra (1903–1975), Indian lawyer and independence activist, Advocate General of Uttar Pradesh from 1952 to 1969
• Saeed-ur-Rahman Azmi Nadvi (born 1934), Indian Islamic scholar
• Shibli Nomani (1857–1914) Indian Islamic scholar, historian, educationist and social reformer
• Prem Chand Pandey, Indian scientist, founder-director National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research
• Shaukat Hussain Rizvi, filmmaker in India and Pakistan
• Ahmad Salahuddin (1937-1996), Indian biochemist, Founder Director of Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit at AMU in 1984.^[19]
• Rahul Sankrityayan (1893–1963), Indian writer, known as the father of Hindi travelogue
• Amar Singh (1956–2020), Indian politician former MP
• Gajendra Singh, Indian television producer
• Prakash Singh, Indian Police Service officer, who rose to the highest rank of Director General of Police (DGP).^[20]
• Vinod K. Singh (born 1959), Indian chemist, director Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Bhopal, professor IIT Kanpur^[21]
• Iqbal Suhail (1884–1955), Indian Urdu poet^[22]
• Ayodhya Prasad Upadhyay (1865–1947), Indian writer, essayist, scholar, poet in Hindi
• Ram Naresh Yadav (1928–2016) Indian politician, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh from 1977 to 1979
• Ramakant Yadav (born 1957), Indian politician, MP of Lok Sabha

See also

• Azamgarh alcohol poisonings
• List of cities in Uttar Pradesh
• Dewait
• Kohanda

External links

• Uttar Pradesh Assembly Elections
• Azamgarh Assembly Elections
• District Website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Azamgarh Assembly Constituency Election Result 2022 - Candidates, MLAs, Live Updates & News . www.elections.in . 23 November 2021.
2. Web site: 52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India. nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. 23 February 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20170525141614/http://nclm.nic.in/shared/linkimages/NCLM52ndReport.pdf. 25 May 2017.
3. Web site: LINGUISTIC SURVEY OF INDIA PART 2. new.dli.ernet.in. Rashtrapati Bhavan. 14 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20190731080714/http://www.new.dli.ernet.in/handle/2015/211265%3Fshow%3Dfull. 31 July 2019. Web site: Cultural regionalism and Hindi Nationalism: an analysis of identity-formation among Bhojpuri speech community. shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in. Shodhganga. 10 June 2014.
4. Web site: Origin of Name of Azamgarh. 28 August 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140627133805/http://www.azamgarh.nic.in/history.htm. 27 June 2014.
5. Web site: Falling Rain Genomics, Inc – Azamgarh . Fallingrain.com . 30 May 2012.
6. Book: Singh, Ram Bali. Rajput Clan-settlements in Varanasi District. 1975 . National Geographical Society of India. 4702795 . 4.
7. Book: Pandey, K. N.. Adoption of Agricultural Innovations: A Study of Small and Marginal Farmers of Varanasi, U.P.. 1989. Northern Book Centre. 978-81-85119-68-7 . 13.
8. Book: Singh. Rana P.B.. Rana. Pravin S.. Banaras region: a spiritual & cultural guide . 2002. Indica Books. 9788186569245. 27.
9. Web site: 2011 Census of India, Population By Mother Tongue - Uttar Pradesh (Town Level) . 27 June 2022 . censusindia.gov.in . Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India.
10. Web site: Official Website of NRI Department, Government of Uttar Pradesh, India UPNRI . nri.up.gov.in . 15 April 2021 . 30 March 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220330041821/https://nri.up.gov.in/#parentHorizontalTab4 . dead .
11. News: PM Narendra Modi launches 15 airport projects virtually from UP's Azamgarh . Hindustan Times . 10 March 2024 . 1 May 2024.
12. Web site: Shibli National College, Azamgarh. shiblicollege.ac.in. 12 November 2018.
13. Web site: Welcome to Voice of Azamgarh Website . 1 July 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402092404/http://www.voiceofazamgarh.com/ . 2 April 2015 .
14. Web site: Iqbal Abdulla . . 18 March 2021.
15. http://ceo.maharashtra.gov.in/ECI/Affidavits/S13/SE/171/ABU%20ASIM%20AZMI/ABU%20ASIM%20AZMI.htm Abu Asim Azmi - Election Commission of India Affidavit
16. News: ممبئی: معروف مسلم سیاست داں شیخ شمیم احمد کا انتقال، آج تدفین ہوگی . Mumbai leading Muslim politician Sheikh Shameem Ahmed passed away burial today . 28 February 2020 . . 23 September 2019 . ur-IN.
17. Web site: Praveen Dubey. Cricbuzz.
18. Web site: Praveen Dubey . espncricinfo.com.
19. Web site: Interdisciplinary Biotechnology Unit, Aligarh. About IBU. 21 September 2022. 22 September 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922103650/https://icibu.in/. dead.
20. Web site: Reference at mha.nic.in. 15 January 2017. 15 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151015193758/http://mha.nic.in/sites/upload_files/mha/files/LST-PDAWD-2013.pdf. dead.
21. News: Padma Shri for Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur's Prof Vinod Kumar Singh . 19 September 2020 . The Times of India . 26 January 2014 .
22. "The Azamgarh you don't know"; within Saikat Datta and Sharat Pradhan, "A place and its negative", Outlook, 6 October 2008, p.34. Web site: Here. 6 October 2008. Outlook. at Google Books.