Ghazipur district General information
Ghazipur District is a district of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. The city of Ghazipur is the district headquarters. The district is part of Varanasi Division.
History
Ghazipur was covered with dense forest in Vedic era and it was a place for Ashrams of Saints during that period. This place is related to the Ramayana period where Maharshi Yamdgni, the Father of Mahrshi Parsuram resided over here.The Famous Rishis Gautam & Chyavan were given teaching and sermon here in ancient period. The Lord Buddha who gave the first sermon in Sarnath,Varanasi which is not very far from here. The Aurihar area of Ghazipur district became the main center for teaching of Lord Buddha. Many stoopas and pillars are the main evidence of that period. Chinese Traveller Hiuen Tsang had visited this area and described this place as Chanchu "The Land of Battle Fields" .
This Place was the main center in medieval period from Sultanate period to Mughals. In Tughalk period, Zuna Khan, alias Muhammad Tuglak established the Jaunpur as the capital under which the Ghazipur was ruled . In the regime of Zuna Khan, the Saiyyad Massod Ghazi established this town , by defeating he Raja Mandhata, the ancestor of brave King Prithvi Raj Chauhan. In Lodhi Period, the Naseer Khan Nuhani was the Administrator of Ghazipur who changed its conditions. This Area was the main center during Mughal period when Babar took over the charge of Ghazipur and Muhammad Khan Nuhani became its administrator. In the reign of Akbar, the Afghan Ali Kuli Khan took over the charge of Ghazipur and developed the town Zamania. After the Death of Aurangjeb this area was taken by Jamindar Mansa Ram . Thereafter, Ghazipur came under the suzerainty of the Banaras state and Raja Balwant Singh, the Son of Mansa Ram became the King of Ghazipur.After the attack of Warren Hastings, the then Governor General of the British rule, this area was ruled over by various British rulers. The Lord Cornwallis, who was very famous for reforms in land came to visit this place and accidentally died. In his memory a beautiful tomb which attracts the tourist is also present in Ghazipur City.
This Area is Fertile with Great Freedom fighters. The Hero of Ist Freedom movement ( which is popularly referred to as Sepoy Movement ) Mangal Pandey comes from this soil only. The Famous Nilha Sahib Revolt is Associated with this place where the Farmers revolted against the British & they set on fire various Indigo Godowns. The Ghazipur Plays and has played a major role in India's Freedom Struggle.
After Independence, Ghazipur could not develop as it used to be in the past. But this soil gave brave soldiers like Brig. Usman, Paramveer Chakra awarddee Veer Abdul Hameed, Ram Urgrah Pandey. In recent times Ghazipur showed its notable bravery in Kargil victory against Pakistan in 1999.
Geographic Location
Ghazipur district forms the eastern part of the Varanasi Division . It lies to the east and north of the Jaunpur and Varansai district respectively between the parallels of 25° 19' and 25° 54' north latitude and 83° 4' and 83° 58' east longitude. This location is 67.50 Mt. above the sea level. The length of district from East to West is 90 Km. and Width from North to South is 64 Km. The River Ganges from one side and Karmnasa from other side divided it from Bihar State. It is bounded on Ballia and Bihar State in east, Jaunpur, Varansi and Azamgarh in west , Mau and Ballia in north and the Chandauli in south .The boundaries are generally conventional though at places they are marked by natural feature.
The Ghazipur garlanded by Ganga , Karmnasa and Gomti ,that makes this locality stronger in economic and geographic condition. The total geographic area of this district is 3384 Sq. Km. Ghazipur is embellished with picturesque geographical environs.This Place is a part of Mid gangetic plain. Total area is aprox. 3,33,209 Hectare in which 2,52,824 Hectare is for Agriculture purpose. Appox 38 % of soil is cattlefield. This district does not contains any forest area.
Topography
The general slope of district is from north -west to south-west, this being the direction generally taken by subsidiary drainage lines though the Ganga itself leave the district in a higher latitude than at its point of entry, while north-easterly course of Karmnasa points to the existence of a reversed slope on the south bank of the Ganga. The soil and the general topography of district depend directly on the drainage. The district can be divided in three physical divisions- the northern uplands, the central lowlands ad the southern uplands. The Northern uplands which comprise all the country north of the Ganga, with exception of parts of Saidpur and Ghazipur and the greater portion of Muhammdabad, mostly resemble the ordinary uplands of Gangetic plain. The higher levels are sandy and on the slopes in and from banks of streams the soils becomes good fertile loam but in the depression this merges into stiff clay which turn Usar whenever saturation occurs and the hard Grey Dhankar being fitted for the cultivation of the rice. The light sandy soil is generally known as balua, the loam as Doras and clay as matiyar. In most parts of the uplands there is a large amount of kankar in subsoil.
The alluvial lowlands, generally known as terai, comprise a small portion of Saidpur and Ghazipur, and Zamania and Muhammdabad tehsil.here the soil varies from the sand found on the banks of Ganga to fine loam deposits left by river and the characteristic Karial ( dark soil ). There are two Karail tracts one in Muhammdabad where it includes all the lands from Korantadih and on ballia road. and other the center of Zamania tehsil.
The central portion of Zamania constitutes the southern uplands which have the ordinary loam and clay soils of the northern uplands. There is a stretch of fertile Karail on the north of Karmanasa river from the boundary of Varanasi on the west of village Dewal on the east.
Rivers
A Fascinating networks of Perennial rivers has shaped the culture of state and nurtured its populace like a loving mother for thousands of years that's why people worship and celebrate most of their festivals on the bank of these rivers. The main rivers are gangaes , Gomti, Gangi, Beson, Magai,Bhaisai , Tons and Karmnasa . The River Ganges travels 90 K.M , Gomti 30 K.M , Gangi 50 K.M, Beson 95 K.M , Magai 25 K.M, Bhaisai 30 K.M and tons river travel 20 K.M. The Gangaes and gomti flows from north-west to southeast in district. Gangaes plays the important role in Transportation on the way from Allahabad to Calcutta for carrying goods through water. In British period the transportation of opium was carried to china from Ghazipur to Bay of Bengal. At That time The Steamers and Boats was running from Varanasi to Calcutta for Transportation of People and goods. In 1887 the famous poet Ravindra Nath Tagore came from Calcutta through gangaes.
Flora and Fauna
Flora- The forest area in the district is very small. All the forest in the district are under control of Gram sabha. The total area of forest in the district was about 8553 hectare in 1970-71. The trees which are found in these forest are of the ordinary varieties common to whole Gangetic plain and are the Safed siris ( Albizzia procera ), Neem ( Azadirachta indica ), imli ( Tamarindus indica ), Bargad or Banyan ( Ficus bengalensis ), Pipal ( Ficus religiosa ), Gular ( Ficus glomerata ), Pakar ( Ficus infectogria ), Semal ( Salmalia malabarica ), Jamun ( Syzygium cummit ) and Shishsam ( Dalbergia sissoo )
Fauna- As the district lacks dense and extensive forests the number of wild animals and variety of species are small. The animals found in district are the Nilgai or Dharrose ( Baselaphus tragocamelus ), Wild pig ( Sus cristatus ), Jackal ( Canis aurens ), Fox ( Vulpes bengalensis ), Hare ( Lepas nigrocollic ruficaudatus ), Black buk ( Antelope cervicapra) and Wolf ( Canis lupas).
Birds- The birds of the district are the same as those of adjoining district and are the Peacock ( Pavo cristatus ) , grey quail ( coturnix coturnix ), Indian parakeet ( Psittacula euparia), roseinged parakeet ( Psittacula krameri ), crow ( Corvus splendeeus ), mainah ( Acridotheres tristis ), Swallow ( Hirundo rustica ), Green Pigeon ( Treron phoenicoptera ) and Cattle egret ( Bubucaus ibis )
Reptiles - Different Varieties of snakes and other reptile are found every where in the district especially in rural areas particularly the Cobra ( Naja naja), Karait ( Bungarus careruleus ), Rat snake ( Ptyasmucosus ), , greeko ( Hemidactylus brooki ) , common house lizards( Hemidactylus flavivridi ), Goh ( Agma tuberculata ), Green Lizards or Girgit ( colotes versidolor), Ghariayal ( Gavialis ) and crocodile( Crocodilus ).
Fish - Fish are found in the rivers, Lakes and ponds of the district, the species commonly found being Rohu ( Labeo rohita ), Karounch ( Labeo clabasu ), Khusa (Labeo gonius ), Bhakur ( Catla catla ), Parhan ( Wallagonia attu ), Patra ( Notapeternus montapeternus ), Moi ( Notapeternus chitala ) and singhi ( Hetereopneustes fossies )
Climate
The Ghazipur is situated in eastern part of Uattar Pradesh, hence the climate of Ghazipur is not very Hot or Cold. The coldest months here are December-January and the hottest months are May-June. The Temperature varies from 5° to 17° centigrade in winters and 30° to 42° in summers. But some times winter temperature ebbs to 3° C and summer temperature shoots up to 45° C. In the summers, which begin from March and last till Mid June the temperature starts rising and sometimes it reaches 45° C.speedy westerly winds known as "Loo" lash the district in day times , but night are pleasant and cozy. After scorching heat from mid or last of June a pleasant change in weather occurs. The south-west monsoon advances and covers the district around June-end and rainy season begins which goes till October. After the recession of south-west monsoon , the winters descend on the state from 15th October. It continues till the end of February. Though cod winds pierce through in the night , days remain bright and warm with clear blue sky during this period. Apart from few wintry downpours the weather remains dry and friendly.
Rainfall- The annual rainfall in the district was between 800 mm. and 1200 mm and in 1997 the rainfall was 1034 mm. On the average there are 49-55 rainy days ( days with rain fall of 2.5 mm or more ) in a year in the district.
Temperature- There is no meteorological observatory in the district. but by help of observatory in Geography Department, P.G. College. the May-June are hottest month with mean daily max. temp. at about 41° C and mean daily minimum about 26° C. January is generally the coldest month with mean daily maximum temp. at about 23° C and mean daily minimum at about 9° C. According to Sankh Partika 1997, the Maxm. Temp. 42.7° C and minimum Temp. 2.0° C of District.
Humidity- During July and September the relative humidity are high being over 70 %. During the Post-Mansoon and winter season the humidity is high in the morning . By summer , the relative humidity become very low i.e. less than 25 %.
People
As the name the land of Bravery , Physically the residents of Ghazipur are Tall and Healthy and many serving nation in defence since its past. The person belong to eastern part of district They are comparatively Tall, healthy & Fair complexioned.and other from western part they are bit shorter than the previous one. Due to rich agriculture and cuisine, the resident are brave and healthy. In the evening "Chaupal" is a main part of daily routine of rural life, where the problem of people are solved by elderly people.
Dress- The influence of dress worn in urban areas has brought about some change in the sartorial style of people living in the villages. Traditional costumes are gradually disappearing yielding place to modern garments sometimes made of , synthetic fabrics. Formals dress includes the Sherwani and trousers and Kurta and Dhoti.In the villages are still seen older man with the turban ( Pugree or Safa ) Ghandhi cap is also very popular. Ladies wear Sari.
Ornaments- Men in the district sometimes wear a gold or silver ring on their finger and the chain around the neck.Women generally wear Churis ( Bangles) made of Glass ,Silver or gold, Finger rings, Necklaces and chains , nose rings or nose studs, ear ring, payal, ( Anklets), Bhichua ( Toe rings- means only for married women), waist girdles .
Food- Wheat constitutes the staple food of the people,the other grains commonly consumed here being Rice,Jwar, Gram, Bajra. The Chapaaties or Roti made of wheat or corn flour are generally eaten with pulses which here are Ahrah,urd,moong,chana and masur. during the winter the Baati and chokha is a common meal during the night. Gur and sugar are the cheif sweetening agents.
Folk Music
As the Ghazipur is attached with Bihar state hence the culture of both state is seen in music & dances. The Birha,a Chaiti, Sohar is very famous. Ghazipur gives many Singer of International repute in Birhaa. The Dhobia and Poorbi Nautanki of this area is very famous folk Dances of this district. when accompanied by enchanting music generated by Harmonium,Tabla,Dhol, Majeera, Nagara,Jhanjh and Kartal at a magic spell on spectator.Ghazipur is also the mother land of Pt. Ravi Shankar of Sitar and Pt. Udayshankar ,Dancer of international repute. Among the communal dances the Phari or Pharia is organiged with the beating of Nagara at the time of marriages still popular.during the rainy season ,the battle song of Alha are sung by professional singers of Nut community.Dhobia dance is common among the Washerman community and this district produces some dancer of national repute. Among the rural folk telling of stories and legends and singing are common.Performances like Nataks and Nautanki,Bhajan mandalies,recitation from Ramayana and the Bhagwat Kathas(religious stories) and Mushairas and Kavi sammelans etc. organiged by various units are also arranged.
Festivals and Fairs
As the Ghazipur is main center of Ganga-Jamuni culture from its past, so festivals of all the religions are celebrated in this district. The composite culture gives the good essence of Roses for the ghazipur famous for. Various communities celebrate as many as 30 festivals with gay abandon and complete communal hormony. One important point should be noted for that no communal violence occurred during any festival according to administrative knowledge. Raksha Bandhan, Vaishakhi, Ganga Desehara, Naag Panchami, Makar Shakranti, Krishna Janmathami, Ram Navami, Ganesh Chaturthi, Vijaya Dashmi, Deepawali, Karttik Purnima, Makar Sankranti, Basant Panchami, Shivratri and Holi are the main festival of Hindus. Idul Fitra ,Moharram, Idu-juha, Barawafaat and shab-e-barat are the major muslim festivals. Christmas, Easter, Good Friday are the important festivals of Christians. Buddha Purnima for Buddha , Mahavir Jayanti for jainis, and Guru Nanak Jayanti & Vaishakhi are festivals of shiks. As the Ghazipur is Touch of rural culture so many local level festive and fare are celebrated with full joy. "Dala Chhat" is celebrated in month of November, where the women fasted and pray for their sons and take bathe near ponds and rivers in new clothes.
About 32 fairs big and small are held annualy in the district .Most of the festivals are accompanied by local fairs as welll. of these the Dhanush Yagya fair held at village Katghara in Saidpur. Ram lila fair at Saidpur . The Ram Navmi Fair at Karimuddinpur are important fair. The Govind Dashmi fair held at Jafarpur ( Tehsil Saidpur ) , Trimohini fair at Jalapur ( Ghazipur) and Goril Baba fair are also prominent. Among muslim Muhharam fair is held at 10th day of Muhharam at Ghazipur.
* Mauni Baba fare at Chochakpur- - A temple of Mauni baba is situated on the banks of Ganga in Chochakpur just 17 Km. from headquarter , where a large number of devotees assembles on the day of Kartik Purnima and makes offering their deity.
* Sheikh Samman Baba fare at Saidpur- Sheikh Samman baba was a sufi saint, and his majaar is situated at Naisaara near saidpur town, a big fare celebrated in month of 8th Ramadahan . Hindu and Muslims shrine collected at baba's majaar and Qaualli take place at that occasion.
* Naga Baba Fare at Saitapatti ( Karanda )- This mandir is situated appox. 26 kms. from headquarter. Thousands of devotee assembles here.
* Navratra Fare At Kamakhya Mandir - This mandir is situated near Gahmar in Zamania Tehsil. Thousands of People collected in every navratra and blessed from Goddes Kamakhya Devi,one face of Goddes durga.
* Shah Ninda fare- Shah Ninda is great sufi saint of his period, His tomb is situated near Muhammdabad Town. Massive gathering occur of every community during in Urs.
* Fair at Jamdagni Rishi Ashram- This Ashram is situated at Zamania where people worship and make offering in the occasion of Kartik Purinma and Makar Shakranti every year.
Language
The common tongue of people is Bhojpuri , which is a dialect that is direct descendant of Prakit of Magagha but has no literary pretensions and like its sister languages. Bihari and Maghai- is related to eastern Bengali, Assami and oriya. It is commonly spoken in the eastern part of district Hindi being spoken by about 92.9 % of the population. The other language of any importance is Urdu, which is spoken by about 7 % of the people. This Urdu is very different from that of Lucknow or Delhi ( the well known Urdu-speaking centers ) and contains a liberal admixture of eastern Hindi. Hindustani is also spoken in the district but it is usually those persons who have gone to the district from western Uttar Pradesh or Punjab who speak Urdu and Hindustani. Mother tongue wise population given in population section.The Devnagari script is used for Hindi and Bhojpuri and the Persian for Urdu.
Agriculture
On the whole the district is a fertile plain and has a long history of agriculture development . This fact is shown as according to census 1991 total 53.2 % personal are farmers and 26.0 % are Farmer labourers .
The total cultivated area in the district in year 1997-98 was 263010 hect in district in gross area of 333209 Hectare.
The agricultural year is divided into 3 parts named after 3 harvests as Kharif , Rabi and Zaid. Kharif crops are sown in June-July and reaped in Sept-Oct. Rabi sown in Oct-Nov and harvested in mar-Apr. Zaid in may-June.
Access
Ghazipur district is situated in the eastern most part of Uttar Pradesh , close to Holy city Varanasi, it is known for its bravery and spiritual glory . It is well connected with major cities of India by railways and by roads and it is on the way of the newly constructed Buddhist Circuit from Sarnath to Kushinagar at National Highway-29, which is a main attraction for Buddhist pilgrims, as it is the main center of preaches and sermon of Lord Buddha. This place is about 75 kms from Varansi. The nearest Air Port is Babatpur in Varanasi ,which is just 70 kms away from here, where the daily flights for all the major cities and for Kathmandu, Nepal is available. Bus Route from Varanasi, Allahabad, Lucknow and Gorakhpur is available at regular intervals of times.
As it is situated on the main route from Varanasi to Chhapara on Broad Gauge Line , hence it is well connected with New Delhi, Mumbai & Lucknow by rail also. The Dildarnagar town of Ghazipur is situated on Delhi-Howrah main Line from where major trains are available.