Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, India

🇮🇳 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 268 km (167 mi) 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 formed 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, 6 km (3.7 mi) 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. 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). 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.

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 The average literacy rate of Azamgarh town in 2011 was 70.93%, compared to 56.95% in 2001. Male and female literacy were 81.34% and 60.91% respectively. For the 2001 census, in Azamgarh district, the corresponding figures were 71.04% and 43.40%.

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.

Transport: Road Azamgarh is connected with Lucknow 268 km (167 mi) and Delhi 761 km (473 mi) 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.

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).

Transport: Air Azamgarh has a new airport Azamgarh Airport, 9 km (5.6 mi) away. The airport is under construction and not yet open. It was inaugurated virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in March 2024.

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.

Media FM • Voice Of Azamgarh (90.8) Community Radio. • Air Vividh Bharti (102.2) which Broadcast from Azamgarh City & Covers Bilariaganj city too. • Half Lemon Radio (90.4) • Ullu TV - YouTube run by Rajiv Talvar a famous youtuber.