About District

Lakhimpur Kheri is the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, India, on the border with Nepal. Its administrative capital is the city of Lakhimpur.

Lakhimpur Kheri district is a part of Lucknow division, with a total area of 7,680 square kilometres (2,970 sq mi). The national government designated Lakhimpur Kheri as a Minority Concentrated District on the basis of 2001 census data, which identifies it as requiring urgent aid to improve living standards and amenities. A 2010 survey published by the Ministry of Urban Development placed Lakhimpur as the second lowest ranking city in India in terms of sanitation.

Dudhwa National Park, is in Lakhimpur Kheri and is the only national park in Uttar Pradesh It is home to a large number of rare and endangered species including tigers, leopards, swamp deer, hispid hares and Bengal floricans.

Etymology

Lakhimpur was formerly known as Luxmipur.

Kheri is a town 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Lakhimpur. It has the name derived from a tomb built over the remains of Saiyid Khurd, who died in 1563. Pre-independence the tomb was administered under Act XX of 1856, with an income of about 800.Another theory suggests that the name derives from the khair trees that once covered large tracts in the area.

History

Traditions point to the inclusion of this place under the rule of the Lunar race of Hastinapur, and several places are associated with episodes in the Mahabharata. Many villages contain ancient mounds in which fragments of sculpture have been found, Balmiar-Barkhar and Khairlgarh being the most remarkable. A stone horse was found near Khairabad and bears the inscription of Samudra Gupta, dated in the 4thcentury. Samudra Gupta, King of Magadha performed Ashvamedha yajna in which a horse is left to freely roam in the entire nation, so as to display the power of king and to underline the importance of his conquest. The stone replica of the horse, is now in the Lucknow Museum.

Medieval age

See also: Awadh § Under_the_Mughals
The northern part of Lakhimpur Kheri was held by Rajputs in the 10thcentury. Muslim rule spread slowly to this remote and inhospitable tract. In the 14th century several forts were constructed along the northern frontier, to prevent the incursions of attacks from Nepal.

Modern era

During the Mughal Empire in the 17th century, under the rule of Akbar the district formed part of the Sarkar of Khairabad in the Subah of Oudh. The later history of 17th century under the Nawabs of Awadh, is of the rise and decline of individual ruling families.
In the year 1801, when Rohilkhand was ceded to the British, part of this district was included in the cession, but after the Anglo–Nepalese War of 1814-1816 it was restored to Oudh. On the annexation of Oudh in 1856 the west of the present area was formed into a district called Mohammadi and the east into Mallanpur, which also included part of Sitapur. In the Indian Rebellion of 1857 Mohammadi became one of the chief centres of Indian independence movement in northern Oudh. The refugees from Shahjahanpur reached Mohammadi on 2 June 1857, and two days later Mohammadi was abandoned, most of the British party were shot down on the way to Sitapur, and the survivors died or were murdered later in Lucknow. The British officials in Mallanpur, with a few who had fled from Sitapur, escaped to Nepal, where later on most of them died. Till October 1858, British officials did not make any other attempt to regain control of the district. By the end of 1858 British officials regained the control and the headquarters of the single district then formed were moved to Lakhlmpur shortly afterwards.

Geography

The district is within the Terai lowlands at the base of the Himalayas, with several rivers and lush green vegetation. Situated between 27.6° and 28.6° north latitude and 80.34° and 81.30° east longitudes, and about 7,680 square kilometres (2,970 sq mi) in area, it is roughly triangular in shape, the flattened apex pointing north.. Lakhimpur Kheri is bounded on the north by the river Mohan, separating it from Nepal; on the east by the Kauriala river, separating it from Bahraich; on the south by Sitapur and Hardoi; and on the west by Pilibhit and Shahjahanpur.

Climate

The climate is hot throughout the year except the rainy seasons. During summer(March to June), the temperature can reach above 40 °C (104 °F) and in winters(October to February) it can drop to around 4 °C (39 °F). The nights are very cold during winter and fog is very common in this season.The annual average rainfall in Lakhimpur Kheri is 1,085.3 millimetres (42.73 in), mostly in the monsoon months (July to September).

Rivers

Several rivers flow across Lakhimpur. Some of these are Sharda, Ghagra, Koriyala, Ull, Sarayan, Chauka, Gomti, Kathana, Sarayu and Mohana.

Agriculture

Wheat, rice, maize, barley, and pulses are the major food crops. Recently farmers have started menthol mint farming in the district, as being the Terai region it is ideal for mint cultivation. Sugar-cane and oilseeds are the chief non-food crops. Sugar is grown and processed in this district, forming the backbone of the local economy.

Transport

Lakhimpur city is 134 kilometres (77 mi) from the state capital Lucknow. It can be easily reached by train (meter gauge ,under construction) or UPSRTC Bus services. UPSRTC Bus services operates from Lucknow (Kaiserbagh Bus Station) to Lakhimpur.

Air

Lakhimpur Kheri Airport known as Palia Airport is situated near Dudhwa National Park at Palia Kalan in Lakhimpur Kheri and is at a distance of 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Lakhimpur City. The nearest international airport is Amausi International Airport in Lucknow and is at a distance of 135 kilometres (84 mi) from the city.

Bus

UPSRTC operates bus station in Lakhimpur, and operates buses to Gola Gokarannath, Sitapur, Lucknow, Faizabad and Gorakhpur. DTC operates buses from Inter State Bus Terminals in Anand Vihar, Delhi.

Road

Lakhimpur Kheri can be reached from Delhi, following Delhi – Muradabad – Bareilly – Shahjahanpur – Gola Gokarannath – Lakhimpur route (Distance: 425 km approx). Lakhimpur can also be reached from state capital Lucknow following Lucknow – Sitapur – Lakhimpur route (Distance: 135 km approx).Several Uttar Pradesh State Highways pass through Lakhimpur.

Rail

From Delhi

By Train: Delhi – Muradabad – Bareilly and then Bareilly City – Pilibhit – Mailani – Gola Gokarannath – Lakhimpur
By Train: Delhi – Lucknow and Lucknow – Sitapur – Lakhimpur
By Train: Delhi – Muradabad – Bareilly – Shahjahanpur (NR) and then by road to Lakhimpur (via: Gola Gokarannath) 102 kilometres (63 mi)

From Lucknow

By Train: Lucknow – Sitapur – Lakhimpur (NER)

Demographics

Religions (Largest three)

Religion

Hinduism -77.41%

Islam -19.1%

Sikhism -2.63%

Other -0.86%

Source: Census of India 2001

According to the 2011 census Lakhimpur Kheri District has a population of 4,021,243 roughly equal to the nation of Liberia[40] or the US state of Oregon.
This gives it a ranking of 56th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of 523 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,350/sq mi).Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 25.38%.Kheri has a sex ratio of 894 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 60.56%.
Languages spoken here include Awadhi, a vernacular in the Hindi dialect continuum spoken by over 38 million people, mainly in the Awadh region.

Literature, film and television

Lakhimpur has been the setting for films Umrao Jaan (1981),Gaman(muZaffar Ali) and Swades (2004).