Bilgram

Geography

It is located at 27.18°N 80.03°E / 27.18; 80.03, and its average elevation is 136 metres (446 feet). The river Ganga is located between Bilgarm and Kannauj.

Climate

Summers are hot and humid while winters are cold with minor rainfall.

Culture

Culture of town is belong to awadh region. Many people migrated from town after partition of country. People from bilgram usually used Bilgrami as title name. Many Bilgrami famous persons are belonged to this town.

History

In the 9th or 10th century, the Raikwar King Raja Sri Ram crossed over from Kanauj and expelled the Thateras, founded the city and named it after himself as Srinagar. Muizz-Din Muhammad of Ghor who came to the area in 1193. The Muslims conquered Kanauj along with Srinagar. Srinagar was then renamed by the Muslim conquerors Bilgram after a legendary demon Bil. From here the Delhi Sultanate went on to control and dominate Oudh in 1217 under Iltutmish Shams ad-Din ibn al-Kutbi Yalam Khan (1210/1211-1236).

The two officers who conquered the region and Srinagar were the ancestors of talukdars Bilgram existed at least until the end of the 19th century. After it was made capital of a pargana time of Akbar the Great, which was then ruled by Sayyid in 1000 but served with soldiers and included neighbouring pargana Bang. A local saint killed a demon called Bel and took the name derived Belgram to Bilgram.

The 1881 had 11,067 inhabitants. The ancient name of Bilgram is Srinagar, its present name Bilgram was given by some associates of Mahmood Gajnavi. The Battle of Bilgram in 1540 took place between Humayun and Sher Shah Suri. Sher Shah Suri defeated Humayun in the Battle of Bilgram.

The Sadaat Bilgram are a group of Sayyid families who inhabit the historic town of Bilgram in Hardoi District. Saadat-e-Bilgram literally means the Sayyid of the town of Bilgram. These Hussaini Sayyids first migrated from Wasit, Iraq in the 13th century. Their ancestor, Syed Mohammad Sughra, a Zaidi Sayyid of Iraq arrived in India during the rule of Sultan Iltutmish.

In 1217-18 the family conquered and settled in Bilgram. The Sayyid commanded a Muslim army that overcame the Bhars, who were the traditional rulers of the Hardoi region, and was granted an estate centred on the town of Bilgram, where the Sayyid settled down. died in 1247, his tomb was constructed by Syed Mohammad Muhsin son of Syed Mohammad Said in 1738-39.

Syed Mohammad Sughra Sixth in descent from Syed Mohammad Sughra was Syed Abdul Farah of Wasit (from him are descendants of most renowned Sayyid families in Northern India, the Barhah and Bilgram Sayyids; and in Khairabad, Fatehpur Haswa and at many other places brancehs of same stem are found.), who was the ancestor of the Saadat-e-Bara, another community of Sayyids.

The Bilgrami Sayyid were important power brokers in southern part of Awadh, and remained an important and influential clan, throughout the Middle Ages. They provided several taluqdar families, and were substantial landowners.

Among the most notable persons of the Bilgram are Allama Azad Bilgrami (1704-1786), Syed Ali Bilgrami(1851-1911), Imad-ul-Mulk Bahadur Syed Hussain Bilgrami(1842-1926), Sursuba of Malwa and Isagarh estate Khan Bhadur Syed Ali Bahadur Bilgrami.

At present time Maulana Abid Bilgrami is an internationally known name in the field of Islamic studies. There are many civil servants belongs to Bilgram of whom SAT Rizvi, Kamran Rizvi and Dr Mohd Iliyaas Rizvi is some of the important name. Unfortunately Bilgram has lost the sheen that it once had in the field of scholarship. In this regard famous urdu poet of Bilgram Huzoor Bilgrami says:

Ab to talchhat zeenat-e-jaam-o-suraahi hai 'huzoor'

Rashk-e-maikhana kabhi tha bilgram apni jagah.

loosely translated as (Now only sediment remained for the pitcher, once bilgram was the envy of the people of tastes)

Bilgram is located on the Billahaur-Katra State Highway

Demographics

As of 2001 India census, Bilgram had a population of 25,292. Males constitute 54% of the population and females 46%. Bilgram has an average literacy rate of 50%, lower than the national average of 59.5%; with male literacy of 57% and female literacy of 42%. 18% of the population was under 6 years of age.

Schools and Colleges

Festivals

Moharram is one of the most important festival of Bilgram since medieval period. Although after the partition of India most of the families have either migrated to Pakistan or the other Indian Cities like Lucknow, Hyderabad etc., the sheen of the Moharram commemoration did not come to an end and Bilgramis commemorate it for two month and eight days. One of the important contribution of Moharram is that during this period Sayyid families return to Bilgram from every nook and corner of India to pay homage to the supreme scarifies of Imam Hussain. Important dates of Moharram Commemorations are 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th of Moharram. beside these dates Chehllum, Bahattar Tabut and Chup Tazia are very famous functions where hundreds of people congregate to pay homage to the martyrs of Karbala. There are three Anjumans (communities) i.e., Anjuman Bazm-e- Hussainiya Qadeem, Bazm-e- Azaay-e-Hussain and Gulzar-e-Hussaini in Bilgram that supervise and organised several programs. Besides Moharram , Eid ul Fitr, Eid ul Azha, Wiladate Maula Ali, Dastarkhuan, and Shabberaat is also celebrated with zeal.

Sunni Muslims also celebrate plethora of urs on various occasions. Urs e paak of "Meer Abdul Wahid sahab Bilgrami" celebrates every year by the Wasti family and Mureedin at his shrine.

Famous sites

Bada Imam Bada Bilgram and Dargah Hazrat Abbas is almost 300 years old holy sites of Shia muslims and heritage place for visitors.

Baba Mansanath temple is the oldest temple in town.