Balrampur Uttar Pradesh
Balrampur (बलरामपुर) is a city and district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh and is a part of Devipatan division as well as the historic Awadh regions. It has been cut from the adjacent district Gonda in 1997.
Location
The district's northern border with Nepal's Dang Deukhuri District follows the southern edge of the Dudhwa Range of the Siwaliks. To the northeast lies Kapilvastu District, Nepal. The rest of Balrampur is surrounded by Uttar Pradesh: on the east by Siddarthnagar, Basti on the south, Gonda on the southwest, and Shravasti on the west. Balrampur's area is 3,457 km2.
Located on the banks of the West Rapti River, Balrampur is known for the temple of Pateshwari Devi, a Shakti Pitha, and for the ruins of the nearby ancient city of Sravasti, now a pilgrimage site for Buddhists and Jains. The nearest airport is Shravasti airport 23.3 km from the town but it is not an international and regular airport; the nearest international and regular airport is Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport in Lucknow, 177 km away.
Origin
The name of this estate was derived from its founder Balram Das, who founded it in c. 1600 CE.
History
Ancient period : The territory which the present Balrampur covers was a part of the ancient Kosala kingdom. Sravasti was the capital of Uttara Kosala. The ruins of Sahet, ancient Sravasti, spread an area of 400 acres (1.6 km2). Towards the Rapti River, a little north of Sahet, lies the ancient city of Mahet.
Gautam Buddha spent 21 rainy season under the sacred Peepal tree. The famous incident of Angulimal happened in the forest of Sravasti, where the dacoit who used to kill people and wear a garland of their fingers, was enlightened by Gautam Buddha.
Medieval period: The area covered by the district was a part of Bahraich Sarkar of Awadh Subah during the Mughal rule. Later, it came under the control of the ruler of Awadh till its annexation in February, 1856 by the British government. British government separated Balrampur from Bahraich and it became a part of Gonda.
British and the post-independence period: During the British rule a commissionary was made for the administration of this area with its headquarters at Gonda and military command at Sakraura Colonelganj. During this period Balrampur was an Estate (Taluqdari) in Utraula tehsil of Gonda district, which consisted 3 tehsils, Gonda Sadar, Tarabganj and Utraula. After independence, Balrampur estate was merged with Utraula tehsil of Gonda district. On 1 July 1953 the tehsil of Utraula was bifurcated into two tehsils, Balrampur and Utraula. In 1987 three new tehsils were created from Gonda Sadar tehsil, namely, Tulsipur, Mankapur and Colonelganj.
Later, in 1997 Gonda district was bifurcated into two parts and a new district, Balrampur was born consisting of three tehsils of the northern part of the erstwhile Gonda district, Balrampur, Utraula, and Tulsipur.