Pilibhit Town
Pilibhit Town, 1908
Head-quarters of the District and tahsil of the same name, United Provinces, situated in 28 38' N. and 79 48' E-., on the Lucknow-Sitapur-Bareilly Railway. Population (1901), 33,490. The name is derived from Periya, the title of a Banjara clan, and bhlt % a wall ' or ' mound.' It has no history till the middle of the eighteenth century, when it became the residence of Hafiz Rahmat Khan, the Rohilla leader. In 1763 he surrounded it with a mud wall, and six years later with a brick wall. For a time Pilibhlt was called Hafizabad, after the title of the great soldier. The town never rose to the importance of Bareilly ; and after the defeat and death of Hafiz Rahmat Khan in 1774 it declined under the rule of Oudh, and under the British, to whom it was ceded in 1801. At the time of the Mutiny in 1857, Pilibhit, though it had been the capital of a District from 1833 to 1842, was the head-quarters of a subdivision. The Joint- Magistrate was compelled to retire to Nairn Tal, and the town was the scene of constant disturbances, though nominally subject to the rebel governor of Bareilly.
Pilibhit is almost surrounded by water. It lies between the Deoha and Kakra, which were formerly connected by ditches still forming drainage channels, though not constantly filled. A fine mosque built by Hafiz Rahmat Khan, in imitation of the Jama Masjid at Delhi, is the chief ornament of the town. The public buildings include the District courts, male and female dispensaries, a clock-tower, a Sanskrit school, and a Turkish bath. The houses are largely built of brick, and there are several good market-places lined with shops. Besides the ordinary District staff, a Forest officer resides at Pilibhit, and there is a branch of the American Methodist Mission. The municipality was constituted in 1865. During the ten years ending 1901 the income and expenditure averaged Rs. 46,000 and Rs. 45,000 respectively. In 1903-4 the income was Rs. 76,000, including octroi (Rs. 35,000) and rents (Rs. 22,000); and the expenditure was Rs. 71,000. A revised drainage scheme has lately been carried out. The trade of the town is largely concerned with the agricultural produce of the District, wheat, rice, sugar, and san-hemp forming the chief exports. In addition, Pilibhit is an important depot for the produce of Nepal and the Himalayas. Carts and bedsteads are largely made and exported. The municipality maintains eight schools and aids four others, attended by 724 pupils.
This article has been extracted from THE IMPERIAL GAZETTEER OF INDIA , 1908. OXFORD, AT THE CLARENDON PRESS. |
Note: National, provincial and district boundaries have changed considerably since 1908. Typically, old states, ‘divisions’ and districts have been broken into smaller units, and many tahsils upgraded to districts. Some units have since been renamed. Therefore, this article is being posted mainly for its historical value.
