Raebareli

History, Etymology and Post Independence

Raja Har Parshad "Taluqedar of Naseerabad" a Kayasth, native of this town, was the Nazim or Commissioner of Khairabad Division during the reign of the ex-king. He joined the mutineers and went up to Naipal with Begum Hazrat Mahal of Oudh dynasty and on 31 December 1858 while returning after ensuring her safety, he was killed in a battle with British army. He has been honoured with the title of "Lastville and the most notorious governor of Oudh". The district of Raebareli was created by the British in 1858, and is named after its headquarters town.

Geography and climate

Raebareli lies in the southern part of Uttar Pradesh. The district is irregular in shape but fairly compact. It forms a part of the lucknow Division and lies between Latitude 25° 49' North and 26° 36' North and Longitude 100° 41' East and 81° 34' East. On the north, it is bounded by tehsil Mohanlal Ganj of Lucknow and Haidergarh of Barabanki, on the east by tehsil Mussafir Khana of district Sultanpur and on the south-east by pargana Ateha and the Kunda tehsil of district Pratapgarh. The southern boundary is formed by Ganga which separates it from the district of Fatehpur. On the west lies the Purwa tehsil of Unnao.

The district forms a part of the Gangetic plan which is of recent origin according to geological chronology and reveal ordinary Gangetic alluvium. The district being a part of the alluvial plain conforms to the same geological sequence as the plain itself. The only mineral of importance is kankar. The district is also noted for its deposits of reh and brick earth. The district, as a whole, is fairly compact tract of gently undulating land. The elevation varies from about 120.4 m above sea level in the north west to 86.9 m above sea level in the extreme south east, on the banks of the Ganga. The highest points are the crowns of the watersheds of the different drainage channel which serve to divide the district into five main physical units, The Ganga Khadar, the Ganga upland, the southern clay tract, the central tract or the Sai upland and the Northern clay tract.

According to the 1991 census the area of the district was 4,609 km². The area is liable to vary every year by reason of the action of the Ganga, for a small variation in the deep stream of the river makes a very noticeable change in the area of the district, which occupies the thirty fourth place in size among the districts of the State.

Raebareli has a warm subtropical climate with very cold and dry winters from December to Mid February and dry, hot summers from April to Mid June. The rainy season is from mid-June to mid-September when it gets an average rainfall of 1200 mm mostly from the south-west monsoon winds. During extreme winters, the maximum temperature is around 12^oC and the minimum is between 3-4^oC. Fog is quite common from late December to late January. Summers can be quite hot with temperatures rising to the 40-45^oC range.

Civic administration

Raebareli is one of the six districts of the Lucknow Division, which is headed by a Commissioner headquartered at Lucknow. He serves as a link between the districts in his division and the State Government. The General Administration of the district is vested in the District Officer who is called Deputy Commissioner for revenue and District Magistrate (D.M.) for criminal jurisdiction. Raebareli is divided into 6 sub divisions:

A separate wing under Chief Development Officer looks after all the development work to be carried out in the district. A District Development Officer is posted at district headquarters. At each block, a Block Development Officer is also posted. For development purpose the district has been divided into 15 development blocks namely, Amawan, Bachhrawan, Sataon, Dalmau, Harchandpur, Kheeron, Lalganj, Maharajganj, Jagatpur, Rahi, Rohaniya, Sareni, Shivgarh, Deen Shah Gaura, Unchahar, Deeh, Chatoh, and Salon.

Education

Raebareli has educational institutions affiliated to Central Board of Secondary Education, Uttar Pradesh Board, and Indian Certificate of Secondary Education.

Colleges and Institutions

Notable people

Industries

Transport

Raebareli is on the route of National Highway 30, between Lucknow and Allahabad.

A rail line is being built from Raebareli to Akbarganj, on the Northern Railways network.