Lucknow Division
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
Lucknow Division
{Lakhfiau). — Western Division of Oudh, United Provinces, lying between 25° 49' and 28° 42' N. and 79° 41' and 81° 34' E., with an area of 12,051 square miles. It extends from the damp submontane tract on the borders of Nepal to the thickly populated area of Southern Oudh. The Division lies entirely between the Ganges on the south-west and the Gogra on the north-east. The head-quarters of the Commissioner are at Lucknow City. Popu- lation is increasing steadily. The numbers at the four enumerations Avere as follows : (1869) 5,315,583, (1881) 5,325,601, (1891) 5,856,559, (1901) 5,977,086. The Census of 1869 probably overstated the truth. The density, 496 persons per square mile, is higher than the Pro- vincial average. The Division stands fourth in the United Provinces in respect of area and also in respect of population. Hindus formed 87 per cent, of the total in 1901, and Musalmans nearly 13 per cent. There were 9,237 Christians, of whom 2,150 were natives. The Divi- sion includes six Districts, as shown in the table on the next page.
Kherl, which is the most northern District, includes a considerable area of forest land. The remaining Districts resemble those of the Gangetic plain generally. Hardol, Unao, and Rae Bareli lie north- east of the Ganges ; Sitapur is bounded on the north-east by the Gogra ; and Lucknow is situated in the centre of the Division. There are 44 towns and 10,150 villages. The largest towns are Lucknow City (population, 264,049, with cantonments), the most populous in the Provinces; Sitapur (22,557, with cantonments); and Shahabad (20,036). Lucknow, Shahabad, Sitapur, Rae Bareli, Khairabad, and LakhImpur are the chief places of commercial importance. Lucknow was the capital of the kingdom of Oudh for nearly a century before annexation. Dalmau on the Ganges is the site of an important bathing-fair.
