Ghazipur
Ghazipur | |
---|---|
City | |
UTC+5:30 (IST) | |
PIN | 233001 |
Telephone code | 91-548 |
Vehicle registration | UP-61 |
Website | www |
Ghazipur is a city in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ghazipur city is the administrative headquarters of the Ghazipur district, one of the four districts that form the Varanasi division of Uttar Pradesh. The city of Ghazipur also constitutes one of the seven distinct
Ghazipur is well known for its
History
As per verbal and folk history,
A 30 ft. high Ashoka Pillar is situated in
Prehistory and legendary founding
According to tradition, Ghazipur was founded in 1330, but the place is probably older. The local tradition that the city was once called "Gadhipura" after a legendary king named Gadhi is probably spurious, but old building fragments found along the riverbank point to the existence of a settlement here, and a mound may represent the site of an old fort.[13]: 158, 196
The legend behind Ghazipur's foundation in 1330 is that Raja Mandhata, a descendant of the
Early recorded history: 1400s and 1500s
Legends aside, Ghazipur's first mention in contemporary sources is c. 1494, when
After Sikandar Lodi died, there was a rival claimant named Muhammad Shah (son of
During Akbar's early rule, Ghazipur was held by Ali Quli Khan Zaman, who also founded the nearby town of Zamania. Ghazipur does not seem to have been affected by Khan Zaman's first rebellion against Akbar in 1565. During his second revolt, Mughal forces under Jafar Khan Turkman attacked Ghazipur, but Khan Zaman fled. After Khan Zaman's death in battle in 1567, Akbar put Ghazipur under Munim Khan's control.[13]: 162–3
In the : 164
Later Mughals
After the Mughals solidified their control over Bengal, Ghazipur lost most of its political importance, and later sources mention it less. Under Shah Jahan, as well as during Aurangzeb's early reign, Nawab Sufi Bahadur was governor of Ghazipur. He was succeeded by Nawab Atiqullah Khan, a native of Ghazipur who remained governor until Aurangzeb's death. Ghazipur does not seem to have been affected by the war between Aurangzeb and Shah Shuja in 1567, or by the civil wars following Aurangzeb's death. At some point after Farrukhsiyar's death in 1719, sarkar Ghazipur was part of a large territory granted to one Murtaza Khan as a jagir. In 1727, Murtaza Khan in turn leased this territory to Saadat Ali Khan I, the first Nawab of Awadh.[13]: 166–7
Nawabs of Awadh
At first, Saadaat Ali Khan sub-leased these territories (Ghazipur, Jaunpur, Banaras, and Chunar) to his friend Rustam Ali Khan. Rustam Ali Khan had no interest in managing the territories himself, and someone named Mansa Ram ended up becoming the actual administrator. In 1738, Rustam Ali Khan was removed from office. Ghazipur was given to one Sheikh Abdullah, son of Muhammad Qasim, while the remainder was given to Mansa Ram.[13]: 167
Sheikh Abdullah left several monuments in Ghazipur: the Chihal Satun palace, a mosque and
Ghazipur remained under Balwant Singh's son and successor
There were also quite a lot of
Specifically inScientific Society of Ghazipur
In 1862,
Ghazipur at the turn of the 20th century
At the turn of the 20th century, Ghazipur was described as forming "a narrow belt" along the bank of the Ganges. Ghazipur proper extended for about 5.5 km along the river, from Khudaipura in the east to Pirnagar in the west; and about 1.5 km on the other axis, away from the river. West of Pirnagar was the large former cantonment area, which extended for another 4 km along the river. The main business quarter was along the riverfront, while most houses were away from the river. The town was described as generally rather poor, and its streets were winding and narrow. The riverfront, on the other hand, was described as "picturesque", with a number of masonry ghats. On the west was Amghat, where the opium factory was located; other ghats further downstream included Collector Ghat, Pakka Ghat, Mahaul Ghat, Gola Ghat, Chitnath Ghat, Natkha Ghat, Khirki Ghat, and Pushta Ghat.[13]: 196–200
The main road was the one coming in from Varanasi to the west. It went due east for about 1 km after entering the city, and this stretch was flanked by houses and shops on both sides. Near the entrance, it passed the tank and tomb of Pahar Khan; then the Bishesharganj marketplace; then the Qila Kohna, or old fort; and then the dispensary, which was built in 1881 atop an old mound that may represent an even earlier fort. Beyond this, the road passed through the Lal Darwaza neighbourhood, past the town's sarai, and past the town hall (built in 1878) and adjoining mosque. Past this was the police station, and after that was Martinganj, a marketplace named after a former British official. After this point, the road bent sharply to the left, away from the river, for about 200 m. It then bent to the east to run parallel with the river.[13]: 196–200
In this area was a major triple junction at Ghazi Mian, where the Varanasi road met with two others: one coming from Korantadih and Ballia to the east and another coming from Gorakhpur and Azamgarh in the north. From Ghazi Mian, a wide highway went south to the riverbank at Pushta Ghat, where a ferry crossed over to Tari Ghat on the other side. The Ghazipur City railway station was also near Ghazi Mian.[13]: 195, 9
The main landmark along the main road in the Ghazi Mian area was the Chihal Satun, or "hall of forty pillars", which was built by Abdullah Khan in the mid-1700s. The main road continued east through Razaganj and Begampur to the Ghazipur Ghat railway station on the eastern city limit.[13]: 200
Meanwhile, across from the Chihal Satun, another major road split off toward the northeast, passing the Jami Masjid and "the Nawab's garden, tank, and tomb" before joining the Korantadih and Ballia road, which then marked the city's northern boundary. Near this point were the garden of Karimullah and the tank of Dharam Chand.[13]: 200
Geography
Ghazipur is located at 25°35′N 83°34′E / 25.58°N 83.57°E.[17] It has an average elevation of 62 metres (203 feet).
Rivers in the district include the Ganges, Gomati, Gaangi, Beson, Magai, Bhainsai, Tons and Karmanasa River.
Demographics
As of 2011[update] India census,[18] Ghazipur city had a population of 231607, out of which males were 121467 and females were 110140 Males constituted 52.445% of the population and females constituted 47.554% of the population. Ghazipur has an average literacy rate of 85.46% (higher than the national average of 74.04%) of which male literacy is 90.61% and female literacy is 79.79%. 11.46% of the population is under 6 years of age and the sex ratio is 904.[19][20][21]
Places of interest
Sights in the city include several monuments built by
Cornwallis is famous for his role in the American Revolutionary War, and then for his time as Governor-General of India, being said to have laid the true foundation of British rule. He was later Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, there suppressing the 1798 Rebellion and establishing the Act of Union. He died in Ghazipur in 1805, soon after his returning to India for his second appointment as Governor-General. His tomb, overlooking the Ganges, is a heavy dome supported on 12 Doric columns above a cenotaph carved by John Flaxman.[23]
The remains of an ancient mud fort also overlook the river, while there are ghats leading to the Ganges, the oldest of which is the ChitNath Ghat.[9][24] Close to ChitNath Ghat, Pavhari Baba ashram[25] is a place of interest for Swami Vivekananda followers. This ashram is further from the original Pavhari Baba underground hermitage caves, and is somewhat less explored by tourists. Those are the caves where Pavhari Baba, whom Swami Vivekananda considered only 2nd to his guru Ramkrishna,[26] used to meditate, sometimes, as the folklores go, feeding only on air (hence the name Pavhari Baba).
Ghazipur opium factory
The opium factory located in the city was established by the British and continues to be a major source of opium production in India. It is known as the Opium Factory Ghazipur or, more formally, the Government Opium and Alkaloid Works. It is the largest factory of its kind in the country and indeed the world.[27] The factory was initially run by the East India Company and was used by the British during the First and Second Opium Wars with China.[4] The factory as such was founded in 1820 though the British had been trading Ghazipur opium before that. Nowadays its output is controlled by the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substance Act and Rules (1985) and administratively by the Indian government Ministry of Finance, overseen by a committee and a Chief Controller.[28] The factory's output serves the global pharmaceutical industry. Until 1943 the factory only produced raw opium extracts from poppies, but nowadays it also produces many alkaloids, having first begun alkaloid production during World War II to meet military medical needs.[28] Its annual turnover is in the region of 2 billion rupees (approximately 36 or 37 million US dollars), for a profit of about 80 million rupees (1.5 million dollars).[28] It has been profitable every year since 1820, but the alkaloid production currently makes a loss, while the opium production makes a profit. The typical annual opium export from the factory to the US, for example, would be about 360 tonnes of opium.[28] As well as the opium and alkaloid production, the factory also has a significant R&D program, employing up to 50 research chemists.[28] It also serves the unusual role of being the secure repository for illegal opium seizures in India—and correspondingly, an important office of the Narcotics Control Bureau of India is located in Ghazipur.[28] Overall employment in the factory is about 900. Because it is a government industry, the factory is administered from New Delhi but a general manager oversees operations in Ghazipur.[28] In keeping with the sensitive nature of its production, the factory is guarded under high security (by the Central Industrial Security Force), and not easily accessible to the general public.[28] The factory has its own residential accommodation for its employees, and is situated across the banks of river Ganges from the main city of Ghazipur. It is surrounded by high walls topped with barbed wire. Its products are taken by high security rail to Mumbai or New Delhi for further export.[28]
The factory covers about 43 acres and much of its architecture is in red brick, dating from colonial times. Within the grounds of the factory there is a temple to
Amitav Ghosh's novel Sea of Poppies deals with the British opium trade in India and much of Ghosh's story is based on his research of the Ghazipur factory. In interview, Ghosh stresses how much of the wealth of the British Empire stemmed from the often unsavoury opium trade, with Ghazipur as one of its centers, but he is also amazed at the scale of the present-day operation.[27]
The Ghazipur Opium Factory may have one more claim to fame, for a rather unusual problem it has. It is infested with monkeys, but these are too narcotic-addled to be a real problem and workers drag them out of the way by their tails.[4][27][31]
Climate
Climate data for Ghazipur (1981–2010, extremes 1978–2012) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 30.6 (87.1) |
34.1 (93.4) |
40.1 (104.2) |
45.1 (113.2) |
46.1 (115.0) |
46.4 (115.5) |
43.2 (109.8) |
37.2 (99.0) |
37.6 (99.7) |
36.0 (96.8) |
34.0 (93.2) |
30.8 (87.4) |
46.4 (115.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 21.4 (70.5) |
25.4 (77.7) |
31.5 (88.7) |
37.6 (99.7) |
38.7 (101.7) |
37.0 (98.6) |
33.0 (91.4) |
32.3 (90.1) |
31.9 (89.4) |
30.9 (87.6) |
27.6 (81.7) |
23.4 (74.1) |
30.9 (87.6) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
14.2 (57.6) |
19.8 (67.6) |
23.5 (74.3) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.4 (75.9) |
24.1 (75.4) |
23.2 (73.8) |
19.0 (66.2) |
13.0 (55.4) |
8.6 (47.5) |
17.7 (63.9) |
Record low °C (°F) | −0.5 (31.1) |
3.5 (38.3) |
6.2 (43.2) |
11.0 (51.8) |
16.0 (60.8) |
19.5 (67.1) |
20.0 (68.0) |
19.0 (66.2) |
18.2 (64.8) |
10.0 (50.0) |
5.7 (42.3) |
1.5 (34.7) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 13.9 (0.55) |
15.7 (0.62) |
7.2 (0.28) |
6.6 (0.26) |
23.2 (0.91) |
106.7 (4.20) |
306.9 (12.08) |
278.8 (10.98) |
215.9 (8.50) |
27.2 (1.07) |
7.5 (0.30) |
4.4 (0.17) |
1,014.1 (39.93) |
Average rainy days | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1.9 | 6.0 | 12.7 | 12.3 | 8.5 | 1.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 48.2 |
Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST )
|
69 | 60 | 43 | 29 | 37 | 54 | 76 | 78 | 78 | 71 | 66 | 68 | 61 |
Source: India Meteorological Department[32][33] |
Transport
Notable people
- Syed Ishtiaq Ahmed, was Attorney General of Bangladesh
- Abbas Ansari, Declared absconder by Court, Indian politician
- Afzal Ansari, Indian politician, Member of Parliament 2004–2009, 2019–2023 convicted and sentenced to 4 years under Gangster Act. He has also been disqualified from the membership of Lok Sabha on account of his conviction.
- Mukhtar Ansari, convicted and jailed criminal turned Indian politician, 5 times MLA from Mau Sadar
- freedom fighter
- Lord Cornwallis, colonial administrator of North America, Ireland, and India died here
- Param Veer Chakra, India's highest military award.
- Nazir Hussain, Bollywood actor and father of Bhojpuri cinema
- Shrawan Kumar, mathematics professor at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Khan Shein Kunwar, short story writer and businessman
- George Marten, cricketer
- Kalraj Mishra Governor of Rajasthan
- Mahendra Nath Pandey, Member of Parliament, Minister for Skills Development
- Mangal Pandey, first hero sepoy, who raised the spark of freedom in India
- freedom fighter
- Yunus Parvez, actor
- TIFR– Mumbai
- Gopal Prasad, mathematics professor at University of Michigan at Ann Arbor
- Furqan Qamar, professor, former Vice chancellor and advisor to Planning Commission (Education)
- Ajay Rai 5 times MLA from Pindra and former Minister in the state government.
- Baleshwar Rai 1970 Batch IAS Officer,
- Himanshu Rai,[34][35] Indian television actor.
- Kuber Nath Rai, writer and literary scholar
- Padmashrirecipient
- Shivpujan Rai, freedom fighter, 1942
- Vinod Rai, Padma Bhushan recipient
- Viveki Rai, writer
- Moonis Raza, Vice Chancellor Delhi University and Co. Founder & Rector Jawaharlal Nehru University[36][37]
- Rahi Masoom Raza, author and poet[38]
- Sahajanand Saraswati, ascetic and leader
- Ram Badan Singh, Padma Bhushan recipient
- Lieutenant Governor Jammu & Kashmir, Ex Member of Parliament, former State Minister of Communications and Minister of State for Railways in the Union Cabinet, Government of India[39]
- Urmilesh, Journalist former Director at RSTV
- Dinesh Lal Yadav, singer and actor & MP
- Kashinath Yadav , Former Minister and MLC, folk singer
- Virendra Kumar Yadav , MLA from Jangipur.
See also
- List of educational institutes in Ghazipur
- National Waterway 1 (India)
References
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- ^ Uttar Pradesh (India) (1982). Uttar Pradesh District Gazetteers: Ghazipur. Government of Uttar Pradesh. pp. 15–16.
- ^ "Sarnath Buddhist Pilgrimage – Ticketed Monument – Archaeological Survey of India". Asi.nic.in. Archived from the original on 16 April 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2012.
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- ^ "Pillar with lion capital at Latiya, Ghazipur District".
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- ^ a b Hunter, William Wilson (1908). The Imperial Gazetteer of India. Vol. XII. Oxford: Clarendon Press. pp. 230–231.
- ^ a b Führer, Alois Anton (1891). Archaeological Survey of India: The Monumental Antiquities and Inscriptions in the North-Western Province and Oudh. Vol. XII. Allahabad: Superintendent, Government Press. p. 231.
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- ^ a b c "Opium financed British rule in India (interview with Amitav Ghosh)". BBC News. 23 June 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ Bihar Times. Archived from the originalon 25 March 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ a b Page, David (5 July 2008). John Radcliffe (ed.). "In an Opium Factory". The New Readers' Guide to the works of Rudyard Kipling. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ Kipling, Rudyard (21 October 2012). Steve Thomas (ed.). "In an Opium Factory". eBooks@Adelaide, The University of Adelaide. Archived from the original on 9 March 2011. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ^ Bartholomew, Pablo. "The Opium Trail". Photo Essay on Cultivation of Opium in India. The Indian Economy Overview.
- ^ "Station: Gazipur Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 287–288. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M215. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
- ^ "Himanshu Rai: I am glad I got a chance to do 'Mere Sai' - Times of India". The Times of India. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "Himanshu Rai talks about working with Tushar Dalvi: His unbiased assessment helps me groom my acting skills in Mere Sai - Times of India". The Times of India. 16 March 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "We need a sustainable framework that synthesizes human and environmental elements of security: Vice President".
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