Shahjahanpur

This article is about the municipality in Uttar Pradesh, India. For its namesake district, see Shahjahanpur district. For the city in Bangladesh, see Shajahanpur Upazila.
Shahjahanpur
शाहजहाँपुर شاہجہان پور ਸਾਹਜਹਾਨਪੂਰ
city
Shahjahanpur
Coordinates: 27°53′N 79°55′E / 27.88°N 79.91°ECoordinates: 27°53′N 79°55′E / 27.88°N 79.91°E
Country India
State Uttar Pradesh
District Shahjahanpur
Founded by Diler Khan and Bahadur Khan
Named for Mugal Emperor Shahjahan
Elevation 194 m (636 ft)
Population (2001)
 • Total 297,932
Languages= Hindi and Punjabi
 • Official Hindi and Urdu
Time zone IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN 242001
Telephone code 5842
Vehicle registration UP 27
Website shahjahanpur.nic.in

Shahjahanpur (/ʃɑːdʒəˌhɑːnˈpʊə/; Arabic: شاہجہان پور‎; Urdu: शाहजहाँपुर‎) is a municipal board, town and district headquarters of Shahjahanpur District in Uttar Pradesh, India. It is also home to the Ordnance Clothing Factory, set up by the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. In Hindustani classical music, Shahjahanpur is the origin of one of the most important Gharanas of the musical instrument called Sarod. Recently shahjahanpur have seen a great develeopment in education sector, primarily due to the rise of educational institutions like Ujjwal Bharat Academy, due to this institution it has been possible for the students to get better facilities as that are provided in education sectors of Kota.

History

Shahjahanpur was established by Diler Khan and Bahadur Khan,[1] sons of Dariya Khan, a soldier in the army of Mughal Emperor Jahangir. Both Diler Khan and Bahadur Khan were dignitaries in the regime of Shahjahan. Pleased with the services of Diler Khan, Shahjahan gave him 17 villages with the permission to construct fort. Diler Khan developed a fort at Nainar Khera, situated on the rivers Garrah and Khannaut. He also established 52 types of Pathan's Caste. Today most of the mohallas are included in the name of these castes.

There are two mazārs which connect Shahjahanpur city from one corner to the other corner. One majar is of Shaheed Ahmad Ullah Shah, a great freedom fighter of the 1857 struggle, and another is Shaheed Ashfaqallah Khan ( of Kakori Kand ). Maulvi Ahamad Ullah Shah began his struggle in Faizabad (U.P.). From there, he went to Shahjahanpur, where his life ended. Seventy years later, Ashfaqullah initiated a struggle against the British government and was hanged in the prison of Faizabad.

Shahjahanpur made a considerable contribution to the Indian Rebellion of 1857. Nana Sahib Peshwa of Bithur, Shahjade from Delhi, Ahmad Ullah Shah from Faizabad and Khan Badahur Khan from Bareilly united here and planned for further actions in the struggle. Maulvi Ahamad Ullah Shah was killed by British forces in Powayan.

Freedom fighters Maulvi Ahamad Ullah Shah, Nazim Ali and Bakshi were unsuccessful in their efforts, but later Shaheed Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, and Roshan Singh made major contributions to the freedom movement. In 1916 a society in the name of Matrivedi Sangh was formed by Bismil under the leadership of Pt. Genda Lal Dixit ( known for Mainpuri conspiracy ). Its purpose was to raise funds for the struggle, but because of a lack of funds, members of the society turned to adopt robbery.

After Mahatma Gandhi withdrew his support from the movement, Ram Prasad Bismil founded Hindustan Republican Association under the joint leadership of Jogesh Chandra Chatterjee and Sachindra Nath Sanyal. To implement the plan, and contributions were sought. Once again, when contributions were not adequate, robbery became the main fund-raising technique.

On 9 August 1925, Chandra Shekhar Azad, Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, and Rajendra Lahiri conducted a robbery of government funds near Kakori railway station.[2] On 1925 December 26, 40 persons were arrested in this case. Ram Prasad Bismil, Ashfaqullah Khan, Roshan Singh, Prem Krishna Khanna, Banwari Lal, Har Govind, Indu Bhushan and Banarasi Lal were from Shahjahanpur. A British court decided the case and on 19 December 1927 Ram Prasad Bismil was hanged in Gorakhpur prison, Ashfaqullah Khan in Faizabad prison, and Roshan Singh in the Malaka (Allahabad) prison.[3]

Geography

Shahjahanpur is located at 27°53′N 79°55′E / 27.88°N 79.91°E. It has an average elevation of 194 metres (600 feet). It is situated at the junction of two rivers, namely Khannaut and Garra.

Demographics

As per provisional data of 2011 census, Shahjahanpur urban agglomeration had a population of 346,103, out of which males were 183,087 and females were 163,016. The literacy rate was 69.81 per cent.[4]

Major Industries

District Shahjahanpur has major industries that include:

Other industries are United Spirits Limited, Dalmia Sugar mill, Roza Sugar Mill.

Carpet and Dhurry weaving is a traditional cottage industry. Weavers follow traditional designs from Persia, Afghanistan and Turkey with their own added style. Shahjhanpur produces mainly low-cost woollen carpets on handlooms. Unfortunately due to lack of support from the government and changing fashion trends the industry is in decline.

Cultural Heritage

Shahjahanpur is origin of an important Sarod gharana, named after the city itself. This gharana dates back roughly to the 16th century and said to have played a key role in the development of the modern day sarod. Along with the metamorphosis of the instrument from the Afghan Rabab, the playing style also evolved, combining the bold, rhythmic, strumming patterns with the subtleties of intricate Indian melodies or Ragas as they are called. Over the years, the Shahjahanpur gharana contributed many eminent sarod players like Enayat Ali (1883 - 1915), Ustad Murad Ali Khan, Ustad Mohammed Ameer Khan, Pandit Radhika Mohan Moitra and Pandit Buddhadev Das Gupta.[5][6][7]

Town of Martyrs

Shahjahanpur is also called 'Shaheedon Ki Nagari' because many revolutionaries from the town sacrificed their lives in several moments for freedom of india.

Notable personalities

Transport

Shahjahanpur district is on National Highway No. 24, which connects New Delhi and the state capital, Lucknow. Twenty-four-hour conveyance is available for New Delhi and Lucknow. Shahjahanpur Railway Station is on the main Lucknow-Moradabad main line Jammu Tawi-Howrah rail route. It is an important station between Bareilly and Lucknow. Almost each and every train stops on this station. There are a number of trains that pass through Shahjahanpur. The nearest airport is Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Amausi (Lucknow), at a distance of 180 km. Shahjahanpur is 335 km from New Delhi. Howrah railway station has the longest distance which is 1148;km from here.

Famous institutions

Ujjwal Bharat Academy

This is the premire educational institute in shahjahanpur, now because of this institute it has been possible for the students to get better facilities in shahjahanpur and there is no longer a need of migration.After a long time of about four year peoples of shahjahanpur have been able to see selection in IIT-JEE Mains and advance.

Places to visit

Located in Uttar Pradesh, Shahjahanpur is one of the most famous historically relevant districts of the state. It is the district headquarters and is located in south east of Rohilkhand. Shahjahanpur Travel guide is incomplete without a mention of its historical heritage. The city had a major involvement in the freedom struggle of 1857. Some of the famous personalities united here to plan for new strategies in the struggle and these were Nana Sahib Peshwa, Ahmad Ullah Shah, Shehjade and Khan Bahadur Khan. Shahjahanpur thrives on agriculture and related activities. Three major rivers irrigate the lands of district: Garrah, Ramganga and Gomti. The major cash crops of the district are gram, wheat, millets and potatoes. Shahjahanpur was a part of Bareilly division before the year 1813 and was founded by Bahadur Khan and Diler Khan, the sons of a soldier in the Mughal army under the Emperor Jahangir. Both brothers were notable persons in the kingdom of Shahjahan.

References

  1. ↑ Dr. Mehrotra N.C. Shahjahanpur Etihasik Evam Sanskritik Dharohar 1999 Pratiman Prakashan 30 Kucha Ray Ganga Prasad Allahabad 211003 India page 114
  2. ↑ Chandra, Bipan (14 October 2000). India's Struggle for Independence. Penguin Books Limited. p. 302. ISBN 978-81-8475-183-3. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  3. ↑ Agrawal, Lion M. G. (2008). Freedom fighters of India. Gyan Publishing House. p. 52. ISBN 978-81-8205-470-7. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  4. ↑ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 7 July 2012.
  5. ↑ Chakraverty, Soumya. "History of the Gharana". Retrieved 8 February 2015.
  6. ↑ Miner, Allyn (1 January 1997). Sitar and Sarod in the 18th and 19th Centuries. Motilal Banarsidass. p. 140.
  7. ↑ "Gharana". Retrieved 8 February 2015.