Azamgarh

Azamgarh, or AZIMGURH ('Azim's fort'), a town in the North-west Provinces of India. The town is situated on the river Tons, 81 miles N. of Benares. It was founded in 1665 by Azam Khan, a large landholder in the neighbourhood. The Europeans here were compelled to flee during the Mutiny of 1857; the native infantry murdered their officers, and carried off the treasure to Fyzabad. Pop. of town, 16,000, of whom about 10,000 are Hindus, the rest Mohammedans.—The district of Azamgarh in the Benares division, is low and remarkably level. The soil is fertile, excepting that tracts, amounting to more than a quarter of the whole, are irreclaimably barren, from being impregnated with soda, nitre, and other saline substances. Magnificent crops of rice, sugar-cane, and indigo are produced. Sugar, molasses, indigo, opium, and coarse cloths are the chief exports; the Gogra River forming the principal highway for trade. Area of district, 2147 sq. m.; pop. (1872) 1,531,482; (1891) 1,728,625, or about 805 persons per sq. m., which is a high average. In religion about 1½ millions are Hindus, and 200,000 Mohammedans.