| Badaun district | |
| Settlement Type: | District of Uttar Pradesh |
| Total Type: | Total |
| Coor Pinpoint: | Badaun |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: |  India |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Uttar Pradesh |
| Subdivision Type2: | Division |
| Subdivision Name2: | Bareilly |
| Established Title: | Established |
| Seat Type: | Headquarters |
| Seat: | Badaun |
| Parts Type: | Tehsils |
| Parts Style: | para |
| P1: | 6 |
| Area Total Km2: | 4234 |
| Population As Of: | 2011 |
| Population Total: | 3,127,621 |
| Population Urban: | 826,000 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Demographics Type1: | Demographics |
| Demographics1 Title1: | Literacy |
| Demographics1 Info1: | 52.91 per cent |
| Demographics1 Title2: | Sex ratio |
| Leader Title1: | Lok Sabha constituencies |
| Leader Name1: | Badaun, Aonla (partly) |
| Leader Title2: | Vidhan Sabha constituencies |
| Leader Name2: | 6 |
| Timezone1: | IST |
| Utc Offset1: | +05:30 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | Major highways |
| Blank Info Sec1: | SH33, SH43, SH51, SH18, NH 93 |
| Website: | https://badaun.nic.in/ |
Badaun district (or Budaun) is one of the districts of Uttar Pradesh state of India, with its headquarters in the town of Badaun. The district is part of the Bareilly division, and covers an area of 4234km2. According to legend, Budaun was named after the Ahir prince Budh.[1]
After the British takeover in 1801, the area was part of Moradabad district, and parts were transferred to Bareilly district in 1805.[2] In October 1823, the district was created out of areas previously in both Moradabad and Bareilly districts, and it was originally called Sahaswan district after its headquarters of Sahaswan.[2] The headquarters was moved to Budaun in 1838.[2] The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition wrote of Budaun:[3]
According to professor Goti John, the city was named on an 11th-century stone inscription which is held at the Lucknow Museum. At that time, the region was called Panchal . According to a line of the inscription, there was a village named near the city. Muslim historian Roz Khan Lodhi said that Ashoka the Great built a Buddhist monastery and fort there named . Geographically, the city of Badaun is located near the Ganges, which the Hindus consider a holy river.[4]
In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Budaun one of the country's 251 special funded cities (out of a total of 640). It is one of the 34 districts in Uttar Pradesh currently receiving funds from the Backward Regions Grant Fund Programme (BRGF).[5]
The district comprises five tehsils: Budaun, Bisauli, Bilsi, Dataganj and Sahaswan.
There are six Vidhan Sabha constituencies in the district: Bisauli, Sahaswan, Bilsi, Badaun, Shekhupur and Dataganj. While Shekhupur and Dataganj are part of the Aonla Lok Sabha constituency, the rest are part of the Badaun Lok Sabha constituency.
According to the 2011 census Budaun district has a population of 3,681,896, roughly equal to the nation of Liberia[6] or the US state of Oklahoma.[7] This gives it a ranking of 71st in India out of 640. The district has a population density of 718PD/sqkm. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001 - 2011 was 20.96%. Budaun has a sex ratio of 859 females for every 1000 males and a literacy rate of 52.91%.
After the formation of Sambhal district and separation of Gunnaur tehsil, the district had a population of 3,127,621 and a sex ratio of 872 females per 1000 males. 593,254 (18.97%) lived in urban areas. Scheduled Castes make up 553,497 (17.70%) of the population.[8]
The major urban areas in the district according to March 2015 estimates are Budaun (population 397,000), Ujhani (124,000), Sahaswan (118,000) and Kakrala (85,000).
The vast majority of the population residing in Budaun identifies with either Hinduism or Islam. Sikhs, Christians, and Jains also live in the region.[9]
At the time of the 2011 Census of India, 89.98% of the population of the district spoke Hindi and 9.93% spoke Urdu as their first language.[10]