Dalmau is a historic town and tehsil headquarters in Rae Bareli district of Uttar Pradesh, India.[1] Situated on the banks of the Ganga, between Raebareli and Fatehpur, the town has several historical monuments including the old fort, several dargahs, and the Haji Zahid mosque.[2] Dalmau is also home to the Ebrahim Sharki palace belonging to the Nawab Shuza-ud-daula. Visitors can also see the Baithak of Alha Udal and enjoy a stroll along the Dalmau Pump canal. Dalmau also enjoys a unique place in the literary world because it was here that the famous Hindi poet Suryakant Tripathi "Nirala" wrote his poems while sitting on the fort and overlooking the scene below.

Dalmau
Chhoti Kashi
Town
Map of Dalmau CD block
Map of Dalmau CD block
Dalmau is located in Uttar Pradesh
Dalmau
Dalmau
Location in Uttar Pradesh, India
Coordinates: 26°04′N 81°02′E / 26.07°N 81.03°E / 26.07; 81.03
Country India
StateUttar Pradesh
DistrictRae Bareli
Area
 • Total8.38 km2 (3.24 sq mi)
Elevation
115 m (377 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total9,983
 • Density1,200/km2 (3,100/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialHindi, Urdu
 • LocalAwadhi
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Vehicle registrationUP 33

Dalmau was also centre of sufism in fourteen century because Maulana Daud a Chishti saint who was attached to Dalmau royal court was living here and he wrote first awadhi masnawi world famous book Chandayan.

Geography

edit

Dalmau is perched on a steep bluff[2] whose height protects the town from flooding.[3] The ground is uneven and broken up by many ravines.[2] It is located at 26°04′N 81°02′E / 26.07°N 81.03°E / 26.07; 81.03[4] and has an average elevation of 115 metres (377 feet).

Name and history

edit

According to one tradition, Dalmau is named after its founder, Dal Deo, an Ahir brother of Bal Deo.[5] of Kannauj and a contemporary of the 5th-century Sassanid emperor Bahram Gor.[2][3] This tradition asserts that the Bhar tribe later conquered Dalmau after the death of Partab Chand of Kannauj in 530 CE.[2][3] However, this tradition appears to be mixed up, and the Rathore story appears to have been "imported" in order to give Dalmau a more prestigious origin.[2] More likely, Dal and Bal were themselves Bhars, and Dalmau had always been a Bhar town during its early days.[2]

In 423 AH, Dalmau was conquered by Salar Sahu, the father of the semi-legendary Islamic warrior Ghazi Saiyyad Salar Masud. He granted the estate of Dalmau to one Malik Abdullah. There are still martyrs' tombs in Dalmau said to date from the time of this conquest, serving as the final resting place of Ghalib, Maliks Ali and Wali, and other Islamic martyrs.[3]

About two centuries later, Dalmau flourished under the reign of Iltutmish, third ruler of the Delhi Sultanate. Makhdum Badr ud-Din, a companion of the sultan, resided in Dalmau at that time. Dalmau continued to prosper under Firoz Shah Tughlaq, who founded a madrasa in Dalmau. Also during his reign, a local notable named Yusuf built an Eidgah in Dalmau; it was later replaced by a newer structure, but the foundation stone is still visible, inscribed with a pair of couplets bearing Yusuf's name as well as the date of construction, 759 AH.[3]

In 1394, as the Delhi Sultanate's crumbling Tughlaq dynasty was caught up in a civil war, members the Bhar tribe rose to power in Dalmau. Soon after, when the subahdar of Jaunpur, Khwaja Malik Sarwar, declared independence, thus founding the Jaunpur Sultanate. He claimed rule over the province of Dalmau, alongside those of Kannauj, Sandila, Bahraich, and Bihar; however, his authority over Dalmau was only nominal, as the Bhars retained possession of it. This came to an end under the Jaunpur sultan Ibrahim Shah Sharqi, who sent an army to conquer Dalmau, supposedly because the Bhar ruler, Dal, sought to marry the daughter of a local sayyid known as Baba Haji. After defeating and killing Dal's brother Kakori at the nearby village of Sudamanpur on the day of Holi, Ibrahim Shah captured Dalmau and slaughtered the Bhar inhabitants. In memory of this massacre, local women of the Bharonia cast do not wear nose rings or glass bangles. Dal's tomb is 2 miles from Dalmau, and local Bhars offer milk there during the month of Sawan.[3]

After Ibrahim Shah's conquest of Dalmau, many Muslim settlers came to live in Dalmau and other nearby towns, including Raebareli, Bhawan, Jalalpur Dehi, and Thulendi. Meanwhile, in 820 AH, Ibrahim Shah began an ambitious construction project in the area, building new forts at Bhawan, Raebareli, and Thulendi, as well as rebuilding the Bhar fort of Dalmau, which had been damaged during the previous conquest. The Dalmau fort has since largely fallen into ruin, although its thana and gatehouse still stand. It is believed to have been built on top of an even earlier Buddhist stupa. Ibrahim also constructed a masonry well and a garden by the bank of the river in Dalmau. His grandson Muhammad Shah is buried in a tomb within this garden, in a structure known as the Maqbara-e-Shah-e-Sharqi.[3]

 
Dalmow's fort as sketched by Thomas Daniell in the 1790s

Dalmau's fort appears to have been a royal one, due to the appointment of various officers typical of royal forts: a mutawalli or superintendent, a muhtasib or censor, a nasihi or legal advisor, a qasbati, who provided supplies for civil and military officials, a ghariali, who struck the hours on the gate, and a guldagha, who branded the horses and oxen of the cavalry. Some of these officials received hereditary lands in addition to their position: for example, the gharialis held the village of Nasirpur Kirtali on a rent-free tenure through the time of the British Raj.[3]

Dalmau remained an important city long after the end of the Jaunpur Sultanate. The Delhi sultan Sikandar Lodi married the widow of Sheri, the governor of Dalmau, here in 1491, and the city appears frequently in the annals of the historian Firishta. During the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar, one Mirza Shukrullah served as the faujdar of Dalmau. He repaired the mosque of Makhdum Badr ud-Din, and his own stone mausoleum still stands. During the reign of Shah Jahan, Sherandaz Khan served as the faujdar of Dalmau. He founded a mahallah, named Sherandazpur after himself, in Dalmau. He also built an imambara and a mosque within the fort's precinct.[3]

Shuja-ud-Daula, the Nawab of Oudh from 1754 to 1775, built a brick mansion and a garden 2 miles north of Dalmau; however, the house was destroyed during the British raj to make way for the road from Dalmau to Lalganj; only the southern wall still stands. Saadat Ali Khan II, the penultimate Nawab of Oudh, was born in this mansion. In 1146 AH, the Maratha commander Pandit Gopal Rao crossed the Ganges from the south and sacked Dalmau, and the city went into decline.[3]

Dalmau was originally the seat of what would become Lalganj tehsil, losing this status in 1864. It was made a pargana by Akbar, in the sarkar of Manikpur and the subah of Allahabad. It remained a pargana through the time of the Raj. Before being constituted as a pargana, the territory of Dalmau had been divided into six districts: Haweli (Dalmau itself), Jalalpur, Birkha, Bhai, Satawan, and Pandaria. This division was made by Ibrahim Shah Sharqi.[3]

At the turn of the 20th century, Dalmau was described as "a fair-sized town" with many historical monuments.[2] It served as commercial centre, engaged in trade of grain, hides, oilseeds, and poppy seeds with Kanpur, and it had three marketplaces.[2] The oldest, the Purana bazar or the Charai Mandi, dated back to the time of the Jaunpur Sultanate and hosted markets on Thursdays and Sundays.[2] The second was Tikaitganj, which was built by the minister Tikait Rai in 1203 AH; it hosted markets on Wednesdays and Saturdays.[2] The third, Glynnganj, had been built in 1862 by W. Glynn, then the Deputy Commissioner.[2] It hosted markets on Mondays and Fridays.[2] In addition to the rotating market days, there were also permanent shops in both the Purana bazar and Tikaitganj.[2] Dalmau also had a police station, post office, munsif court, dispensary, cattle pound, an upper primary school, a small inspection bungalow, and an opium godown with a tennis court.[2] There was also a sarai with a mosque attached, built in 1006 AH by Haji Zahid.[2]

Demographics

edit
Historical population
YearPop.±%
1901 5,635—    
1911 5,600−0.6%
1921 5,284−5.6%
1931 5,904+11.7%
1941 2,775−53.0%
1951 2,766−0.3%
1961 Not given—    
1971 Not given—    
1981 3,892—    
1991 4,654+19.6%
2001 9,036+94.2%
2011 9,983+10.5%
Source: 2011 Census of India[1]

According to the 2011 census, Dalmau has a population of 9,983 people, in 1,882 households.[1] The town's sex ratio is 924 females to every 1000 males, which is equal to the district-wide urban sex ratio; 5,189 of Dalmau's residents are male (52.0%) and 4,794 are female (48.0%).[1] The 0-6 age group makes up about 11.9% of the town's population; the sex ratio for this group is 954, which is higher than the district urban average for this group.[1] Members of Scheduled Castes make up 14.53% of the town's population, while members of Scheduled Tribes make up 0.15%.[1] Dalmau's literacy rate was 77.95% (counting only people age 7 and up); literacy was higher among men and boys (86.83%) than among women and girls (68.29%).[1] The corresponding 18.54% gender literacy gap was the highest among towns in Raebareli district.[1] The scheduled castes literacy rate is 64.74% (79.36% among men and boys, and 49.01% among women and girls).[1] The 30.35% gender literacy gap among this group was also the highest in the district.[1]

In terms of employment, 22.28% of Dalmau residents were classified as main workers (i.e. people employed for at least 6 months per year) in 2011.[1] Marginal workers (i.e. people employed for less than 6 months per year) made up 9.79%, and the remaining 67.94% were non-workers.[1] Employment status varied significantly according to gender, with 48.66% of men being either main or marginal workers, compared to 14.10% of women.[1]

60.97% of Dalmau residents live in slum conditions as of 2011.[1] There are 6 slum areas in Dalmau: Khatikana, Chaurasi, Miyantola, Sherendazpur, Chauhatta, and Adarsh Nagar (the largest).[1] These range in size from about 161 to 239 households and have between 7 and 33 tap water access points.[1] The number of flush toilets installed in people's homes ranges from 7 in Chaurasi to 52 in Miyantola.[1] All 6 areas are serviced by open sewers.[1]

Culture

edit

Dalmau hosts the Kartik Poornima fair, which is the largest mela in the district, on the last day of Kartik.[2] The fair lasts for three days and is a bathing mela celebrated by Hindus of all backgrounds.[2] As many as 150,000 people, both male and female, gather at Dalmau on this occasion to bathe in the Ganges.[2] It is common to see pilgrims doing parikrama on the roads around Dalmau.[2] Various vendors gather to sell their wares at the Kanki fair, although no formal market is held for the occasion.[2]

Another festival, much smaller in attendance, is observed by Muslims on the last Monday in Baisakh.[2] It is held in honour of Makhdum Badr-ud-Din Badr Alam, an officer serving in the army under Iltutmish whose tomb is in Dalmau.[2] It is connected with the cult of Sayyid Salar Masud.[2]

It is considered to be a holy place, situated on the banks of the river Ganges. The famous poet and writer Suryakant Tripathi 'Nirala' wrote poems sitting on the top of the fort built by the King Dal Dev.[citation needed] The town is also featured prominently in his eponymous biography of his friend Kulli Bhaat.By tradition a large crowd comes in Kartik Purnima Mela from neighbouring areas to have a dip in holy Ganga[6]

The town has several attractions to its credit including the King Dal's fort, Dargah of several sufis and martyrs like Makhdoom Badruddin Badr e Alam, Qubool Aalam, Sheranshah, Malik Mubarak Shaheed, Saat Sulema Saat Daud, Muhammad Shah Sharqi (Sultaan of Sharqi kingdom of Jaunpur), Chand Matmin Shaheed, Historical Mosque of Haji Zahid, Pakka Ghat built by Raja tikait Rai, Rani ka Shivala, Zanana Ghat of Mughal period, Bara Math, and Mahesh Giri Math.

Fort

edit

Dalmau's now-ruined fort sits on a large artificial mound covering about 8 acres, atop a 100-foot bluff overlooking the Ganges.[2] The overall shape is an irregular quadrilateral, with one side directly on the riverbank.[2] This side is a sheer cliff dropping down to the water, with gradual erosion leaving the fort slightly overhanging the water.[2] The inland side forms a concave crescent, with the corners jutting out farther than the sides.[2] On this side, the slope is less steep, but still extremely difficult for attackers to climb.[2] The protruding corners would have provided excellent flanking fire for defenders.[2]

The whole mound appears to sit on top of two old Buddhist stupas, whose remains have been left partly exposed by the erosion of the cliff face by the river.[2] This mound was then used for military purposes by the Bhars, before the Muslim conquest, and then rebuilt by Ibrahim Shah in the early 1400s.[2]

In the past, the fort was enclosed by a masonry wall that appears to have encircled the entire mound.[2] Most of this is gone now; some of it was intentionally removed, while other sections have collapsed.[2] The masonry is still standing at the southeastern corner, on the river, where the earthen mound is encased in a four-foot-thick wall that rises at a 30° angle up to a height of 40 feet.[2] Then, successive battlements rise up one against the other, so that they buttress each other.[2] At the top is the baradari or open pavilion, which is 100 feet above the river.[2]

Schools

edit

Bappa DevtaDeen Agrahari Industrial Training Institute (ITI)

Sri Bhagirathi Inter College

Maharaja Agrasen Public School

Maya Devi Public School

Kashi Bright Angeles School

Aryan Deep Public School

Mohan Bal Vidhya Mandir

New Adarsh Shiksa Niketan Inter College

Shanti Manohar Inter College

Administration

edit

Dalmau is divided into 10 wards for which elections are held every 5 years.

Dalmau Nagar Panchayat has total administration over 1,882 houses to which it supplies basic amenities like water and sewerage. It is also authorized to build roads within Nagar Panchayat limits and impose taxes on properties coming under its jurisdiction.

Notable residents

edit

Famous Personalities: Pandit Suryakant Tripathi Nirala

Villages

edit

Dalmau CD block has the following 124 villages:[1]

Village name Total land area (hectares) Population (in 2011)
Ahamadpur Chehata 135.8 896
Daud Ramnagar 200.1 947
Tikran 123.5 1,011
Pilkha 195.1 2,122
Basantpur Kathoria 393.2 2,954
Hasaanapur 272.2 2,083
Lalpur 38.7 212
Awasthipur 50.2 198
Gangapur Baras 181.1 1,085
Ranmau 77.7 710
Baras 237.2 1,875
Madhukarpur 261.6 2,208
Kundwal 868.8 4,461
Aihar 1,082.2 7,502
Sultanpur Jala 122.3 839
Rampur Majare Aihar 92.9 848
Kharagpur Sautana 242 1,187
Dakauli 128.2 665
Khairahani 73.9 307
Sohawal 149.3 1,070
Deepem Mau 118 1,015
Risalpur Lotnaha 112.6 743
Deo Gaon 438.4 2,250
Umara Mau 59.1 1,631
Bhawanipur 77.3 1,011
Madudpur 88.6 984
Rausi 194.1 1,565
Chak Hajipur 19.8 0
Jagatpur Kotaha 82.4 1,014
Lodipur Utrauwa 1,006.5 4,870
Mohan Singh Ka Purwa 36.6 369
Kesaruwa 335 1,871
Govindpur Bhira 1,110.2 7,310
Terukha 784.6 6,288
Belahata 77.9 811
Adilabad 261 1,394
Mir Meranpur 162.4 1,375
Purauli 124.2 665
Sanhe Mau 26.2 28
Kharagpur Kurmiana 250.3 1,499
Karan Mau 59 304
Bhagawanpur Tape Terukha 56.9 712
Higa Mau 135.4 1,195
Kathgar 512.6 4,627
Ranjitpur Lobhari 212.7 1,065
Bhanuwe 277.8 1,286
Sarwra 147.3 1,040
Alodipur 36.9 278
Kuwar Mau Pakari 130 482
Balipur 494.8 2,320
Gaura Ubarani 106.8 698
Rasulpur Gaharwali 115.1 631
Ghorwara 280.6 4,223
Baheria 173.6 1,375
Bhagautipururf Jahanamau 81.3 668
Pakara Girafta 51.5 773
Amiranpur Pakara 209 901
Malpura 161.6 784
Ubarini 194.2 1,095
Eksana Urf Karaksa 769.6 1,959
Bhagwal Bujurg 75.2 592
Kashipur 75.9 618
Bakhtawarpur 41.3 364
Amba 361.2 1,714
Saistabad Urf Nagarumau 91.6 723
Narasawan 364.6 3,137
Narendrpur 189.1 1,961
Bhagawanpur Chhatamba 70.2 397
Tonk 130.8 642
Mansukh Mau 80 394
Bejhla Mau 78.1 708
Rampur Gahir Khet 181.8 1,109
Jagatpur Bardara 88.9 1,099
Darigapur 145.3 1,115
Asthiyawan 44.3 288
Radha Balampur 133.1 988
Sahbhada 80 1,126
Amaraha 45.4 380
Baderwa 135.6 1,246
Malik Bhiti Mu. 509.2 2,714
Jahangirabad 164.9 530
Jamalnagar Mohiuddinpur 357.2 711
Kanaha 202.5 2,485
Balbhaddarpur 88.8 672
Johawa Nataki 361.4 2,452
Dewali 148.2 1,074
Makhdumpur Urf Sekhanpur 155 1,407
Aftabnagar 105.3 1,000
Dalmau Mu. 1,433 7,408
Sarai Dilawar 94.5 2,710
Darbanihar 30.8 403
Murshidabad 37.3 817
Jotiamau 77.9 1,051
Deenganj 46.7 840
Sarai Lakhmi 85.6 871
Chhajjoopur 27.5 335
Semauri 80.4 709
Raipur Thappa Haweli 304.2 2,696
Salimpur 117.8 1,131
Khalilpur 240.8 3,083
Korauli Dabha 255.8 2,098
Sendura Mau 115 719
Nasirpur Ghariyare 37 274
Girdharpur 76.3 621
Pakhara Mau 37.6 395
Kandharpur 153.2 1,216
Santpur 183.6 1,069
Teliani 65.9 717
Bharsana 191.1 1,550
Gaffoorpur Urf Jalalabad 94.5 644
Surasana 234.8 2,150
Surajoopur 67.2 1,028
Pakharauli 761.9 4,536
Barara Bujurg 800.1 5,685
Khodaypur 177.6 1,367
Rampur Barara 60.9 633
Islampur 23.4 89
Mutawallipur Urf Ayodhya Bux 51.9 401
Vishundaspur 152.5 940
Selaraha 109 465
Bhatiara 79.9 457
Basi Paran 57 290
Kadha Chak Sagunpur 75.2 1,066
Sagunpur 68.7 228

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Census of India 2011: Uttar Pradesh District Census Handbook - Rae Bareli, Part A (Village and Town Directory)" (PDF). Census 2011 India. pp. 34–63, 306–30, 573–92. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak Nevill, H.R. (1905). Rai Bareli: A Gazetteer, Being Volume XXXIX Of The District Gazetteers Of The United Provinces Of Agra And Oudh. Allahabad: Government Press. pp. 160–6. Retrieved 16 August 2021.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Benett, William Charles (1877). Gazetteer of the Province of Oudh, Volume 1. Lucknow: Oudh Government Press. pp. 354–59. Retrieved 8 August 2020.
  4. ^ Falling Rain Genomics, Inc - Dalmau
  5. ^ Mukherji, P. C. (2003). The Pictorial Lucknow. Asian Educational Services. ISBN 978-81-206-1701-8.
  6. ^ "रहिए होशियार, ड्रोन कैमरों के जरिए हर गतिविधि पर रहेगी नजर". 2017. Archived from the original on 11 November 2019.