Fatehpur District, an administrative district of Uttar Pradesh, lies between two major rivers - Ganga River and Yamuna River. Fatehpur District is situated between two important cities Allahabad, which is also known as Prayag, and Kanpur. This district is spread over an area of 4,152 sq kms. Fatehpur District is located between 26 degree 16 minutes north latitude and 81 degree 20 minutes east longitudes at a height of 114.66 metres above mean sea level. The northern region of the district is influenced with `Awadhi` culture while southern part shows effect of the `Bundelkhand` culture.
History of Fatehpur District
Historical evidence shows that in the Vedic period, Fatehpur was known as Antardesh (fertile region between two rivers) and Madhyadesh (central region). Fatehpur District was set up on 10th of November, 1826 as a separate district, taking fertile land lying in between river Ganga and river Yamuna. Thus, this is among a few oldest districts in the state. In village Renh, which is 25 km in south-west of Fatehpur town, some articles of archaeological interest have been found which are of time 800 BC. Many articles like coins, bricks, idols etc. of Maurya period and Gupta period have been found through out the district. Many temples of Gupta period still exist in village Tenduli, Korari, Sarhan Bujurg, etc., which are very important from the archaeological point of view. During Mughal regime, the control of Fatehpur shifted time to time. In 1801 AD, this region came under the control of East India Company and in 1814 this was given the status of a sub-division (Pargana), with the headquarters at Bhitaura, which is now a block office. In 1826 AD, Fatehpur was re-designated as district headquarters.
Administration of Fatehpur District
Administration of Fatehpur District has been divided in three sub-divisions - Fatehpur, Bindki and Khaga. At the lower level, the district has been further sub divided into 13 Development Blocks and six towns. The Development Blocks of Fatehpur District are Airaya, Amauli, Asothar, Bahua, Bhitaura, Deomai, Dhata, Haswa, Hathgam, Khajuha, Malwan, Teliyani and Vijayipur. There are 1352 populated, 164 non-populated villages and 786 Village Panchayats in the district.
Tourism in Fatehpur District
Bawani Imali, Bhitaura, Hathgam, Renh, Shivrajpur, Tenduli and Bindki are some of the historical places located in Fatehpur District. This district is also embellished with numerous temples. The well-known ones are Jai Siddheshwar temple, Kalkan Mandir, Tambeshwar Temple, Hanuman Mandir and Bhittora Ghat Temple. All these sites are worth visiting.
Details of some of the major sites of Fatehpur District are given below -
Bawani Imali: This monument is the symbol of sacrifices of the freedom fighters. The ancient tree still exists and people believe that the growth of tree has stopped after the massacre. This place is very near to Bindki Subdivision of the district.
Bhitaura: This is block headquarter situated at the bank of holy river Ganga. This is the place where renowned saint Bhrigu worshipped for a long time. Here, flow of river Ganga is towards north direction, which is considered important from religious point of view.
Hathgam: This is also block headquarter and birth place of renowned Urdu poet Iqbal Verma.
Renh: A very old village situated on the bank of River Yamuna. Here a very old idol of Lord Vishnu, made up of precious alloy, was found in this village.
Shivrajpur: This village is situated at the bank of river Ganga near Bindki, which is a sub-division. In this village, there is a very old temple of Lord Krishna, which is known as temple of Mirabai.
Fatehpur District is well connected by roadways and railways with the other cities of the state. National Highway 72 passes through Fatehpur.