Mainpuri district

Mainpuri anciently formed part of the great kingdom of Kanauj, and after the fall of that famous state it was divided into a number of petty principalities, of which Rapri and Bhongaon were the chief. In 1194 Rapri was made the seat of a Muslim governor. Mainpuri fell to the Mughal's

on Baber’s invasion in 1526, and, although temporarily wrested from them by the short-lived Afghan dynasty of Shere Shah, was again occupied by them on the reinstatement of Humayun after the victory of Panipat. Like the rest of the lower Doab, Mainpuri passed, towards the end of the 18th century, into the power of the Mahrattas, and finally became a portion of the province of Oudh. When this part of the country was ceded to the British, in 1801, Mainpuri town became the headquarters of the extensive district of Etawah, which was in 1856 reduced by the formation of Etah and Mainpuri into separate collectorates. On the outbreak of the Mutiny in.1857 the regiment stationed at Mainpuri revolted and attacked the town, which was successfully defended by the few Europeans of the station for a week, until the arrival of the Jhansi mutineers made it necessary to abandon the district.

Kak Nadi, Senghar Nadi, Sehar Nadi these are some old rivers which dried out.

The ethnic city, Mainpuri, was ruled by the Mughals, Marathas, Afghans and Nawabs in various time periods. Among them, the Mughal and Nawabs influenced the culture of the city vastly. The music, dance, architecture, arts and crafts flourished under their rule. Hindu, Muslims, Jains, Buddhist, Christian and Sikhs were the principal communities residing in the city. Festivals are the lifeline for Mainpuri, which create oneness among the multi-caste and multi-religion people. The Hindu culture of joint family system was once adored in the city which has slowly disintegrated in the city due to the rapid industrial development, urban development, economic issues and social feature.

The rituals of the Vedic religion manifest themselves in the various festivals that are celebrated in this city. People usually do not consume non-vegetarian food on Thursdays. Its annual Janardhan Swami Temple, and Sivagiri Mutt festivals are a riot of colors and spiritual expression. These festivals that last for days on end attract locals and tourists alike by the thousands. The city has a lively appeal on Tuesdays, as it celebrates the birth day of Lord Hanuman. The devotees flock to the local temples to offer prayers and tourists should visit the temples on these days if they want to see the city come alive. The famous city fair is held at Sheetla Devi Temple in March or April because the nine days of worshiping the various avatars of Goddess Durga i.e. the Chaitra Navratri occurs sometime during these months. During these nine days, many of the locals also keep fasts where they eat only fruits during this period. And men do not even shave their beards or mustaches.

1. Languages in Mainpuri : Multi-language speaking people reside in Mainpuri. About two dozen languages existed in Mainpuri by 1971. At present about 97% of people speak Hindi, 2% of people speak Urdu and the remaining 1% speaks the other languages like Bengali, Sindhi, Punjabi, English and many others. Hindi dialect forms Braj Bhasha, Bhadauri; Bundeli forms are also spoken by the people in the city.
2. Arts in Mainpuri: The arts and craft products like wooden sculptures, glass wares, classic zari worked silk sarees, pottery, carpets, chikan embroidery are some are the famous shopping products which portrays the rich tradition and culture of Mainpuri that are available in Mainpuri markets. Most of the Mainpuri arts and craft forms depict the Mughal designs. Hindustani, ghazal and qauwwali music are the traditional music enjoyed by Mainpuris. Folk song rasiya which sings the divine love of Lord Krishna and Radha is also popular in Mainpuri. Classical dance form Kathak and folk dance Charukala symbolises the rich cultural heritage of the city and its state. The play Ramlila which describes the life of Lord Rama is staged during festive seasons in Mainpuri
3. Fairs in Mainpuri: Cultural fairs, religious fairs and trade fair are much popular in Mainpuri as it invites people of all disciplines to rejoice the occasion. Being the district headquarters these fairs attract large number of visitors and tourist from and the district. Fairs are also common during the festival seasons like Dusshera and Ramlila in Mainpuri. Devji fair in village Uddetpur under Mainpuri Tehsil falls on Chaitra attracts nearly 20,000 persons every Chaitra. Village Bidhuna hosts the biggest bathing fair in Mainpuri to celebrate Kaitiki purnima which brings a lot of devotees to its vicinity. Mainpuri hosts the Kans ka mela on Chaitra and the popular Narain ka mela which attracts nearly 10,000 people. The 20-day exhibition-cum-trade fair organised at Sheetla Mata Mandir on April in Udetpur Abhai village is also popular in Mainpuri. Fairs in Gurudwara on the occasion of Baisakhi are also attended by people of all religions and castes.
4. Notable temples: The city has some very old and popular Hindu temples. These include Sheetla Devi Temple, where every year during March/April, a Rural Exhibition-cum-Trade Fair is held for 20 days. Bhimsen Mandir is an ancient Shiva temple and "Falahari Ashram" situated on Jyoti-Devi Road has very rare Statue of Goddess Durga with 18 Arms. Another ancient Shiv temple is Chandeshwar Mandir situated on Chandeshwar road, the road begins from maharaja Tej Singh chuarah, near the bridge of river Isan, and terminates on Ashram road. Also located on Devi road are twin Shiv Temples of Kale Mahadev and Shweat Mahadev. Hanuman Temple situated on old Tehsil Road is visited by thousands on Tuesdays and Saturdays.

Krouncha, sarus crane (Grus antigone)

Fort/Garhi of Mainpuri is situated at old Mainpuri. The said fort is not a spot of tourist interest. It is private property of erstwhile raja of two estates i.e. Mainpuri and Lawan (Dausa, Rajasthan) and repaired, maintained and restored by him.

Modern places of attraction are Phoolbagh and Lohia Park. Phoolbagh is situated at Jail Chauraha while Lohia Park is situated at District Collectorate. Both the parks have green lawn and fountains.

Mainpuri is also known for sarus crane (Grus antigone). This elegant bird, called krouncha in India, is revered as a symbol of marital fidelity and is celebrated in myth and legend. There are estimated to be 8,000–10,000 sarus cranes in India. Two-thirds of its population resides in village Andani of Karhal.

Another place of interest in the Mainpuri District is the Saman Bird Sanctuary which is a place of stay of the world famous Siberian Crane which comes here in its migration cycle and stay here for 3-4 months during November to February. Part-time wildlife photographer Mr. Shashank Raghav has also contributed his photos to explain the vast wildlife of the Mainpuri District specially the different species of birds which can be found in nearby areas of Saman Bird Sanctuary within the Mainpuri district.

The district generally presents the appearance of an extensive level plain broken only by the sand ridges on the western border, the rolling sand hills and undulations of the Kali and Isan rivers, and the ravines along the Yamuna to the south-west. The Kali Nadi forms the boundary of this plain on the north and north-east and the Yamuna encloses it on the south-west. Both these rivers flow towards the south-east, and between them. The general slope of the country from north-west to south-east.Taking the district from north to south.

Generally speaking the soils of the district are typical of those found elsewhere in the Indo-Gangtic plain, and are classified on two principles according as the distinctions recognised are natural or artificial. Both are well understood and commonly employed by the cultivator. Of the natural divisions Bhur is the name of the soil containing a large proportion of sand, while Matyar is the name of that containing a large proportion of clay, and between these two exterms is a loamy soil called Domat having clay and sand more evenly divided as its name implies. A lighter soil than Domat is known as Pilia, coming between Domal and Bhur.The barren soil known as Usher found at the heads and partly down the courses of the smaller rivers such as Ahnaiya and Puraha, the Sengar and Arind and the numerous minor esteems, and appears to be a clay deposit too compact to permit of cultivation in places too impregnated with Reh and other deleterious minerals substances to permit growth of even grass.

Waste Land : The barren land consists for the most part of usar plains.

Forests : Total area covered in the district is 2154 hectare. A considerable area of the barren land is covered with dark jungle. A great deal of waste land covered with the coarse grass known locally as ganra (gandhar) or sinkh . The ganra is used for thatching and for making ropes and mats. The babul grows in large clumps on the user plains and is, indeed, the only tree which flourishes on them. Its cultivation has for some time past been encouraged by the increase of moisture due to the canals and the great demand for wood both for fuel and carpentry. Its timber is hard and close-grained and is much used for building purposes, fuel and charcoal.

According to the 2011 census Mainpuri district has a population of 1,868,529,[1] roughly equal to the nation of Kosovo[6] or the US state of West Virginia.[7] This gives it a ranking of 255th in India (out of a total of 640).[1] The district has a population density of 670 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,700/sq mi) .[1] Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 15.69%.[1] Mainpuri has a sex ratio of 876 females for every 1000 males,[1] and a literacy rate of 78.26%.[1]

At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 99.63% of the population in the district spoke Hindi as their first language.[8]

In Mainpuri, 35% of the 12.3 lakh voters are Yadavs. And Rajputs, are 26% in Mainpuri The other dominant castes are the Shakya

Brahmins, and SCs.[9]

Government Engineering College, Mainpuri is a government engineering college in Mainpuri. It is a constituent college of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Technical University (formerly Uttar Pradesh Technical University) in Lucknow, and has its temporary campus at Harcourt Butler Technical University in Kanpur.