Farrukhabad district

As of 2023, Sanjay Kumar Singh is the district magistrate. Mrigendra Singh is the superintendent of police. Mohd. Husain is the district judge.[20]

The district is called Farrukhabad and its headquarters is located at Fatehgarh. Fatehgarh derives its name from an old fort on the bank of the river Ganges. The fort presently falls in the Fatehgarh cantonment area and serves as the headquarter of the Rajput Regiment stationed at Fatehgarh Cantonment. The two cities are separated by a distance of 5 km and in the present times, with an increase in population, have merged into a single urban expanse. The district with a total area of 228,830 hectares consists of three tahsils, seven development block, 512 gram panchayats, 1020 villages, 14 police stations, 2 nagar palikas (Municipal Committees) and four nagar panchayats (Town Area committee) and one Cantonment Board.

The area under cultivation in Farrukhabad is 148,000 hectares (370,000 acres) with cropping intensity of 145% and 86% of net cultivated area being irrigated. Farrukhabad is a leading producer of potatoes in India and a significant producer of wheat, paddy, mustard, sunflower, maize, sugarcane. tobacco, vegetables and fruits. The percentages of net cropped area under various crops during kharif season are rice (11%), maize (27%), millets (4%), pulses (4%), tobacco (5%) and vegetables (10%). The percentages of net cropped area under different crops during rabi season are wheat (48%), potato (20%), vegetables (12%) and other crops (20%).[23] There are about 61 cold storage facilities in Farrukhabad district catering to the potato storage needs of the district. Farrukhabad is located in the fertile Ganges river plains and the river plays an important role in the irrigation system of the district. Most of the regions in district are capable of producing three crops per year with an extremely high acreage yield. The administrative division (tahsil) of Kaimganj, about 25 km from Farrukhabad, is a noted producer of mangoes, guavas and many other fruits. Tobacco cultivation is another important agricultural activity of the region. Kaimganj is a centre of chewing tobacco industry. There is one sugar mill in Kaimganj as well. In recent years, some small scale agro-industries which include rice plants and oil mills have been set up in the district.

In June 2014, in a report produced by IBRD/World Bank, Farrukhabad was ranked 18th (out of 70 districts) in High Economic Potential Index of districts in Uttar Pradesh with EPI score of 2013 (mean EPI score was 1858). This score was above the score of districts such as Varanasi (2001.8), Allahabad (1996.9), Mathura (1978.9), Agra (1943), Gorakhpur (1770.6), Jhansi (1506.8), etc. This report is based on the following parameters: Market accessibility, Industrial diversity, Commodity flow, Per capita industrial investment, Specialization in agriculture, and Social conditions.

The Fatehgarh Cantonment dates from 1777 and is situated near the river Ganges. It houses three regiments, namely Rajput Regiment, Sikh Light Infantry and Territorial Army. From British colonial times, Fatehgarh has remained a military station of considerable importance.

Shamsabad is a historical town tahsil of Farrukhabad district in Uttar Pradesh With one railway station in Manjhana village. It was captured by the army of Shams al-Din [Iltutmish] of the Delhi Sultanate in 1212 AD. Thereafter, the town was renamed after the reigning Sultan of Delhi and came to called Shamsabad.

Kaimganj is a town in Farrukhabad district. Kaimganj is the birthplace of Zakir Hussain who was the third President of India from 13 May 1967 until his death on 3 May 1969, and the founder of Jamia Milia Islamia. It is also the birthplace of eminent linguist, Professor Emeritus Masud Husain Khan, the Pakistani Army's General Rahimuddin Khan, who was also Balochistan's longest-serving governor, Gulam Rabbani Khan Taban, a well-known poet and Syed Abdul Salam Shah, an Indian politician belonging to the Indian National Congress (INC), and a well-known freedom fighter. Pandit Puttu Lal Dubey was born at Kindar Nagla Tyor Khas in Kaimganj. He was the "Sirpunch" of Tyor Khas Gram Sabha. He was also a freedom fighter. His family lives in Kindar Nagla Kaimganj.. Also, the tomb of Nawab Rashid Khan is located there.

The town Kampil is situated in the district of Farrukhabad, tahsil of Kaimganj, about 45 km north-west of Fatehgarh. Kampil is a typical agricultural village of the Gangetic plains, in the fertile territory of the Doab between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. The present of Kampil conceals a deep interest in its past.

Alexander Cunningham, the founder of the Archaeological Survey of India, in his capacity as the chief archaeological surveyor of the British colonial state in the 1860s and 70s, visited Kampil for the first time in March 1878 and identified it with Kampilya, the capital of the ancient kingdom of South Panchala. In his record of the visit, Cunningham writes that the most eastward mound at the site was shown to him as corresponding to the site of King Drupad's palace.

Eighty years later Kampil was once again the object of archaeologists' attention. It appeared both in the list of sites with Painted Grey Ware (PGW) and in the one with Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW) drawn up by B.B. Lal in 1954–55. The first official survey of Kampil dates back to 1961. It was carried out by V.N. Mishra of the Poona Deccan College Post-Graduate and Research Institute. He confirmed the identity of the present village with Kampilya.[24] These observations made on the basis of the data obtained from investigations and official excavations are very sketchy, however, and the description of the archaeological remains visible on the surface are lacking in documentation. From S.B. Singh and Meenu Gupta we learn that the terracotta figurines found at the time may be ascribed to a period between the 2nd century BC and 1st century AD.[25] At Kampil, numerous architectonic stone remains can also be seen such as door-posts, architraves, etc., either engraved and decorated or simply squared, which can be attributed to the 8th–10th century AD. The state museum of Lucknow preserves some of the most significant stone sculptures, damaged to varying degrees, and terracotta figurines found at the site of Kampil.

Data gathered up to now on the history of Kampil, and, in particular, the results of the excavation carried out in 1976, indicate the beginning of a settlement in the place no earlier than the 7th century BC. These findings deny the hypothesis put forward by Alexander Cunningham. Ancient literature dates Kampilya farther back in time and gives it an importance and a royal dignity which clearly contrasts with the results of the excavation of 1976. Limited archaeological research carried out at Kampil up to now cannot be considered definitive, therefore the identity of Kampil = Kampilya has still to be proved.

Besides being a prosperous town, Kampilya was also an important Jaina and Buddhist religious centre. Tradition recognises the town as the birthplace of the thirteenth tirthankara Vimalanatha. The religious importance of Kampilya was no less a measure of its reputation as a centre of trade and commerce. It has been suggested that Kampilya could have been the site of a strategic ford to go across the river Ganges.[24] To further underline the importance of the town, moreover, there is evidence of its connection with the most important inhabited centres of the period. "The Grand Route" stretched from Taxila to Vaishali and farther, and at Panipat split into two branches: the southern route also went through Kampilya. It has also been pointed out that Kampilya lay on a route mentioned in the Satapatha Brahmana.[26]

Sankisa is located about 47 km from Farrukhabad. Every year in the month of Vaisakha (May), on the occasion of Buddha's birth-anniversary, a large fair is held at Sankissa. Tourists from all over the world, particularly from Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Myanmar, Korea and Japan visit Sankisa. Situated close to the river Kali, Sankisa appears to be a circular, fortified site with deep historical significance. In Buddhist religious canon, Sankisa is regarded as the site where the Buddha came down a ladder from the 'thirty-third heavens' of Buddhist legends, accompanied by Indra and Brahma. The historical significance of Sankisa is bolstered by the find of an Ashokan capital, still found at the site near the highest still existing mound locally known as Bisai or Bisari Devi. In his study of the site Alexander Cunningham had also recorded the Buddhist artefacts found in a nearby village called Pakna Bihar, a few kilometres east of Sankisa. He found an inscription from the Kushan period, a few railing fragments with lotus medallions, and some period images of Buddhist and Vedic culture. Many Buddhist sealings of the Gupta and post-Gupta period were also found. On the basis of these material findings, Cunningham concluded that a monastery and stupa must have existed at the site. In an essay on the ancient historical geography of the Ganga plain, its authors make the following observation about Sankisa: "Our assumption is that Sankisa was the most important administrative centre of the Central Doab in the second half of the first millennium B.C. and later. In terms of communication, it was advantageously located. The villagers of Sankisa point to the ferry crossing on the kali Nadi, with the road beyond it leading to Mainpuri and from there to the Agra and Mathura region. It is also easy to move in the other direction towards Kanauj and beyond. Sankisa offers an easy access, through Etawah where Chakranagar is located, to the trans-Chambal region of central India. The importance of Sankisa seems to be related to its strategic location at this intersection of routes.[27] Sankisa is part of the Uttar Pradesh state government's ambitious Buddhist Circuit to promote tourism in the state.Source This connects S3 & K3 (Sarnath, Sankisa, Sravasti, Kapilvastu, Kaushambi, and Kushinagar).

Potato is the staple of the Farrukhabadi diet and rightly so. Farrukhabad produces more than 50 varieties of potatoes and is the largest supplier of potato in the country. The most popular street food of Farrukhabad is the papadi or papadiya, a delightful and mouthwatering snack enjoyed by the locals of the region. Another popular delicacy is the 'bhunje aloo' or roasted potatoes. A winter street food, it involves roasting newly dug out batches of potatoes in a bed of sand heated in a huge cauldron over wood logs or cow dung cakes. The roasted potatoes are served with coriander and green chilli chutney and locally made spice mix. Besides, aloo tikki chaat and golgappe are consumed gleefully by the local people. Going by the latest trends, the chaat stall next to the Christian College has earned the reputation of being among the most popular stalls for aloo chaat and dahi gujiya in the town.

Farrukhabad gharana is one of the six prominent playing styles or gharanas of North Indian tabla drums in Hindustani classical music. The Farrukhabad gharana is known for its rich use of the entire vocabulary of the instrument and high tonal quality. These have become the definitive attributes of the Farrukhabadi style, also called the 'khula baaj' or open/resonant style. Founded by Ustad Haji Vilayat Ali Khan, this school has produced some of the greatest tabla players of our time, like Ustad Ahmed Jan Thirakwa, Ustad Habibuddin Khansaheb and Ustad Amir Hussain Khansaheb.[28]

Listen to the table maestros of the Farrukhabad gharana blend different styles: https://scroll.in/article/822465/listen-tabla-maestros-of-the-farrukhabad-gharana-seamlessly-blend-styles

Before the rebellion of 1857, the tabla players of the Farrukhabad gharana were affiliated with the royal court of the Nawabs of Awadh at Lucknow. Following the sepoy mutiny in 1857, the locus of arts and culture moved to Rampur from Lucknow which ultimately emerged as the leading center of classical music in North India. Rampur maintained this distinction until 1949 when it became part of unified India, at which time the courts were abolished. The royal court of Rampur under the Nawab Hamid Ali Khan (1899–1930) was known for its patronage to musicians and artists. It was during the reign of Hamid Ali Khan that the tabla players of Farrukhabad became permanently established at Rampur. It appears that Nawab Raza Ali Khan who succeeded Nawab Hamid Ali Khan could not extend patronage to artists and musicians like his predecessor. As a result, many of the court musicians and dancer left Rampur. The Farrukhabad tabla players were among these. In 1936, Masit Khan, the head of the Gharana, moved to Calcutta with his entire family and this city has since remained the center of the Farrukhabad tradition.[29] A documentary 'Doyen of Farrukhabad' was released in 2015, directed by Nitin Mahadar, and hosted by Tom Alter. This documentary is on legendary Tabla Maestro Ustad Amir Hussain Khan of Farrukhabad Gharana.

There are three state highways that connect the district to other parts of Uttar Pradesh.

1. UP – SH-29 (Lipu Lake-Pilibhit-Shahjahanpur-Fatehgarh-Etawah)
2. UP – SH-29A (Fatehgarh-Gursahaiganj)
3. UP – SH-43 (Farrukhabad-Moradabad)

Farrukhabad district is served by two railway stations – Farrukhabad Junction and Fatehgarh. The stations fall in the Izzatnagar division of North Eastern Railway with its headquarters at [Gorakhpur] in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Both stations fall on the Kanpur-Mathura broad gauge section. A branch line opened in 1906 connects Farrukhabad to Shikohabad on the Howrah–Delhi main line.

Farrukhabad has an airstrip at Mohammadabad under the control of the Airports Authority of India which is occasionally used by small aircraft and helicopters.