Lakhimpur Kheri district लखीमपुर खीरी जनपद |
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District of Uttar Pradesh | |
Location of Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh |
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Country | India |
State | Uttar Pradesh |
Administrative division | Lucknow |
Headquarters | Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh |
Tehsils | Lakhimpur, Mohammadi, Gola Gokarannath, Nighasan, Dhaurahra, Palia Kalan, Mitauli |
Government | |
• Lok Sabha constituencies | Kheri, Dhaurahra |
• Assembly seats | Lakhimpur, Dhaurahara, Gola Gokarannath, Kasta, Mohammadi, Nighasan, Palia Kalan, Srinagar |
Area | |
• Total | 7,680 km2 (2,970 sq mi) |
Population (2011) | |
• Total | 4,021,243 |
• Density | 520/km2 (1,400/sq mi) |
• Urban | 11.46% |
Demographics | |
• Literacy | 60.56% |
• Sex ratio | 894 |
Vehicle registration | UP-31 |
Major highways | UP SH 21, UP SH 25, UP SH 26 and UP SH 90[NH 730] |
Coordinates | 27°36′N 80°20′E / 27.6°N 80.34°E - 28°36′N 81°18′E / 28.6°N 81.30°E |
Average annual precipitation | 1500.3 mm |
Website | Official website |
Lakhimpur Kheri district is the largest district in Uttar Pradesh, India, on the border with Nepal. Its administrative capital is the city of Lakhimpur.
Lakhimpur Kheri district is a part of Lucknow division, with a total area of 7,680 square kilometres (2,970 sq mi). The national government designated Lakhimpur Kheri as a Minority Concentrated District on the basis of 2001 census data, which identifies it as requiring urgent aid to improve living standards and amenities.
Dudhwa National Park, is in Lakhimpur Kheri and is the only national park in Uttar Pradesh. It is home to a large number of rare and endangered species including tigers, leopards, swamp deer, hispid hares and Bengal floricans.
Lakhimpur was formerly known as Luxmipur.
Kheri is a town 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from Lakhimpur. It has the name derived from a tomb built over the remains of Saiyid Khurd, who died in 1563. Pre-independence the tomb was administered under Act XX of 1856, with an income of about ₹ 800. Another theory suggests that the name derives from the khair trees that once covered large tracts in the area.
Traditions point to the inclusion of this place under the rule of the Lunar race of Hastinapur, and several places are associated with episodes in the Mahabharata. Many villages contain ancient mounds in which fragments of sculpture have been found, Balmiar-Barkhar and Khairlgarh being the most remarkable. A stone horse was found near Khairabad and bears the inscription of Samudra Gupta, dated in the 4th century. Samudra Gupta, King of Magadha performed Ashvamedha yajna in which a horse is left to freely roam in the entire nation, so as to display the power of king and to underline the importance of his conquest. The stone replica of the horse, is now in the Lucknow Museum.