Badaun, Budaun: 2009

Budaun or Badaun (Hindi: बदायूँ, Urdu: بدایوں) is a city in the north-central Uttar Pradesh state of northern India. The 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica wrote of Buduan:

A town and district of British India, in the Rohilkhand division of the United Provinces. The town is near the left bank of the river Sot. Pop. (1901) 39,031. There are ruins of an immense fort and a very handsome mosque of imposing size, crowned with a dome, and built in 1223. The American Methodist mission maintains several girls schools, and there is a high school for boys. According to tradition, Budaun was founded about 905, and an inscription, probably of the 12th century, gives a list of twelve Bargujar kings reigning at Budaun. The first authentic historical event connected with it, however, is its capture byQutb-ud-din Aybak in 1196, after which it became a very important post on the northern frontier of the Delhi empire. In the 13th century two of its governors, Shams-ud-din Iltutmish, the builder of the great mosque referred above, and his son Rukn ud din Firuz, attained the imperial throne. In 1571 the town was burnt, and about a hundred years later, under Shah Jahan, the seat of the governorship was transferred to Bareilly; after which the importance of Budaun declined. It ultimately came into the power of the Rohillas, and in 1838 was made the headquarters of a British district. In 1857 the people of Budaun sided with the mutineers, and a native government was set up, which lasted until General Penny's victory at Kakrala (April 1858) led to the restoration of British authority. According to Government of India, the district Budaun is one of the Minority Concentrated District in India on the basis of the 2001 census data on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities indicators^[1].

Today Budaun is progressing at a very high speed. Its population has reached 165 thousand (to be compared with 117 thousand in 1991, and just 38 thousand in 1900[1]). The younger generation is making waves. They are educated, ambitious and are breaking away from the shackles of the small towns and moving ahead.

Some of the notable personalities from Budaun

§ Sufi Hazrat Khwaja Nizamuddin Auliya [2]